S01.E06: Masks

[The Crazed Spruce]

Quote

A desperate Aang visits Avatar Roku for help on his journey as the Fire Nation closes in on him. At their fortress, a masked intruder breaks Aang out.

 

Edited February 22 by The Crazed Spruce

[Stardancer Supreme]

Have I told you how much I love when a story comes together?  I appreciate the fleshing out of the original story of how messed up as a father Ozai is. Knowing what Zuko went through is one thing; seeing the story fleshed out... Yes, it hit me in my feels more than once this episode. 

I'm glad Iroh told Jee what was the cost of saving the lives of Fire Nation soldiers that was designated for sacrifice. Took all the disrespect right out of him! 

[thuganomics85]

I was wondering if we were going to get the origin story for Zuko's face burn and now I feel like an idiot that I didn't predict that, of course, it was fucking Ozai that gave it to him as some form of "punishment."  Yeah, Father of the Year right there.  He'll probably never admit it out loud, but I suspect at least part of it was because he knew Zuko did have his number briefly and that alone probably pissed him off.  But between what he did to Zuko and Azula getting a front row seat to it, you can see why they've become the way they are now.  Zuko is desperate to get back into his good graces and has made him impulsive and ill-tempered out of desperation, while Azula sees that being cold and merciless is what daddy loves, so that's why she tries to be the good little psychopath for him.  Too bad therapy probably doesn't exist in this world: both of them could use it.

Ken Leung was having such a ball sliming up as Zhao and really laying into his smugness when he took Aang from Zuko and tried to get all of the credit for it.  Such a smug little bastard and it was great watching it blow up in his face.  Can't wait to see if he has to update the Fire Lord about this turn of events!

Get another Avatar spirit with Roku, who is more light and humorous compared to Kyoshi, but still shares her fears about Aang going all out to save his friends, since he worries Aang might be forced to pick between them and what is better for the world.  C.S. Lewis was a good choice for the role.

Also fun seeing Francois Chau as The Great Sage.  It's been a blast seeing so many recognizable faces in various roles here.

Lieutenant Jee and the rest of the 41 are definitely doing a turn around now that they know they would have probably been dead had Zuko not stood up for them and even was part of the reason he was cast outside of the Fire Nation.

Knew Gyasto wasn't going to be there at the end.  Poor Aang.

Missed Katara and Sokka a little, but I enjoyed getting more focus on Zuko and Iroh this go around.  Dallas Liu and, again, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee are really doing excellent work here.

Edited February 29 by thuganomics85

[The Crazed Spruce]

I admit, I only started watching the original show a couple of years ago. I work the night audit at a hotel, and after it reopened when the covid travel bans were lifted, business was still pretty slow for a while, so I needed to find something to watch to keep myself entertained during those quiet graveyard shifts. I heard good things about the original Avatar: TLA, and thought I'd check it out. I'm SO glad I did.

Anyway, one thing that bothered me from the beginning about the original was that Zuko's crew had been exiled along with him, even though, for all we knew, they had done nothing to deserve it. (Not that Zuko deserved it either, but you know what I mean.) The crew being the same unit that would've been sacrificed if Zuko hadn't spoken up in that meeting was a great twist that I honestly didn't see coming. So yeah, that's one point in favour of the live-action show. Kudos.

And we all knew that Zuko's face was burned in the agni kai, but Ozai burning Zuko's face after he'd already been defeated? That just adds an extra layer of dickishness to his personality. And he wonders why Zuko only sent him a card last Fathers Day....

[Spartan Girl]

I loved this episode. It was worth having underworld resolution be a little rushed for the Zuko plot and flashback.

On 2/24/2024 at 1:03 PM, The Crazed Spruce said:

I admit, I only started watching the original show a couple of years ago. I work the night audit at a hotel, and after it reopened when the covid travel bans were lifted, business was still pretty slow for a while, so I needed to find something to watch to keep myself entertained during those quiet graveyard shifts. I heard good things about the original Avatar: TLA, and thought I'd check it out. I'm SO glad I did.

Anyway, one thing that bothered me from the beginning about the original was that Zuko's crew had been exiled along with him, even though, for all we knew, they had done nothing to deserve it. (Not that Zuko deserved it either, but you know what I mean.) The crew being the same unit that would've been sacrificed if Zuko hadn't spoken up in that meeting was a great twist that I honestly didn't see coming. So yeah, that's one point in favour of the live-action show. Kudos.

And we all knew that Zuko's face was burned in the agni kai, but Ozai burning Zuko's face after he'd already been defeated? That just adds an extra layer of dickishness to his personality. And he wonders why Zuko only sent him a card last Fathers Day....

I enjoyed those changes too. It explains more about how Zuko literally had the compassion burned out of him, being taught that it was a weakness. Though we all know there’s still a spark there…

But instead of Azula smirking like a motherfucker like she did in the cartoon, here she looked kind of stunned and teary. Which is kind of startling considering how much she enjoyed watching Ozzie torch those rebels.

I knew Gyatso was going to have already moved on by the time Aang returned. 😭😭😭😭😭😭

[Lugal]

The Blue Spirit!  This was definitely one of the best episodes.  Aang and Zuko's interaction was just as good as I hoped it would be. The spirit world resolution was a bit rushed, but honestly, I'm not disappointed to see less of Koh.  It was fun to meet Roku, and he's a little less austere here than he was in the cartoon, but he really reminds me of the young Roku we saw in the flashback episode "The Avatar and the Firelord".  And his casual, "yep that's Kyoshi for you" to Aang.  And mention of Kuruk, who I hope we'll see when they got to the Northern Water Tribe.

I like the interaction between Ozai and Iroh, because we never saw it before in the cartoon.  Especially that one line during the Agni Kai when Iroh tries to stop his brother with the line "He's your son!"  Knowing what Iroh has lost, that line really hits.  The Agni Kai itself was brutal and seeing Zuko fighting his father, for really just Zuko trying to do the right thing and standing up for what he believed in.  One of Ozai's father of the year moments 🙄 Especially when he burns him after he'd already won!  I never thought I would see Daniel Dae Kim so effectively play a villain. And Azula, while she didn't smirk like in the cartoon, she was kind of shocked but we see the calculating twinkle in her eye of "this could work out for me."

Nice touch that the crew of Zuko's ship is the 41st, the regiment he stood up for that didn't end up as cannon fodder.  One of those nice little tying things together moments.

[Maelstrom]

Alright, the last episode was a disappointment but this was sheer perfection. A masterpiece, and my favorite episode so far. I had to watch it twice (and funny how the two eps I've felt the urge to rewatch were pretty much straight out translations from the original) and I'm still not sure how to put into words how much I loved this.

Zuko's character journey throughout the series is as important as Aang's, and this ep covered two crucial moments: how he got his scar, and his first stint as the Blue Spirit. And we got a heaping helping of Zuko and Iroh's bond, and how important they've always been to each other (and continue to be, even if Zuko wouldn't admit it).

Everything with the Blue Spirit was absolutely perfect and I loved how many lines and shots/sequences were directly taken from the original. And the changes made, especially having Zuko and Aang have an actual conversation, were wonderful additions. Aang actually even got Zuko to smile! (Zuko must have been too ill to fight off his smile muscles). The added conversation was a brilliant setup for things to come, and I am seriously desperate for this remake to get to season 3. We needs the precious, please Netflix!

As for the Agni Kai... oh man, that was rough. All of us who watched the original knew it would be difficult to watch happen, but this was even harder than I expected. Ozai gets worse and worse with every episode, and I gotta say he's too evil now for me to even find Daniel Dae Kim hot anymore. He's just that evil. Though Zuko's actual burning happened off camera in the original cartoon, I think we all assumed it was just an errant fireblast that got him, or at least I did. But to have Ozai very calmly and deliberately choose to maim his own son's eye, while Zuko was helpless and already defeated, was absolutely heartbreaking. And though Azula didn't have the gleeful smile as it happened, as in the original, she did seem rather entranced, like she was thinking, Oooh, that's neat...

And Iroh 🥺 I loved how he stood up for Zuko, and kept standing up for Zuko, and then was there for him afterward. His love for Zuko is heartwarming to watch, and I really, really like this version playing that up so explicitly. It's one of the things I was hoping for, and I've been so thrilled to see it play out.

All of the Fire Family actors gave tremendous performances in this ep. Dallas, playing young Zuko's sincere optimism and enthusiasm just as believably as he plays banished Zuko's bitter cynicism and poorly masked pain. DDK, absolutely chilling as psychopath Ozai - the original gave me the sense that Ozai always found Zuko an annoyance and a disappointment, but here I feel DDK is playing it as though Ozai actively loathes Zuko, and deliberately wants to break him down. Paul Sun Hyung Lee is the absolute perfect Iroh, hitting every note with such heartfelt emotion. Of all the main cast I was least convinced about him when casting was announced, but I cannot imagine anyone else making Iroh work.

And in true abusive relationship fashion, after everything Zuko still ardently defends and worships his father, and sees the fault as lying with himself rather than Ozai. The original touched on that too, much later in the series, and I appreciate it being brought in here. Zuko, baby, you have some healing to do 💔

And having Zuko's crew be the very unit he tried to save was a master stroke. The moment at the end, with everyone saluting Zuko as he passed, gave me chills (the good kind!). Wonderful twist.

to be continued...

Edited February 28 by Maelstrom

[Maelstrom]

As for the rest of the episode, I was happy to get more of June, and even a conversation with her! I'd say her jaded world view certainly leaves room for a bit of character growth in the future... The effects for Nyla's "scent vision" were really cool, considering I wasn't sure how they'd translate it from the cartoon.

The Fire Temple was gorgeous! The locations and visuals have been breathtaking in this version, and this was an especially beautiful one. Loving how many details they kept from the original. I hope that the helpful Fire Sage whose name I've forgotten is OK though. He was fine in the original but it wasn't very clear here.

Roku! It's a bit of a different take on his personality but I liked him a lot. Maybe they wanted to differentiate him from serious Kyoshi, and from the largely warmongering Fire Nation characters we've seen. His mention of friends being liabilities was a nicely done bit of foreshadowing as well.

Yu Yang archers continue to be badass! They all looked to be women here - I wonder if they'll be women only, or if it's just how the casting worked out for this ep? Either way, they're super cool!

Oh Zhao, you small, small man. It's brilliant how Ken Leung started off sounding very smarmy and fake-pleasant, but now that Zhao's gotten a taste of real power he's become just as bombastic and grandiose as Jason Isaacs voiced him in the original. Nicely played, and I commend KL for making such a successful unlikeable asshole, lol.

Forgot to mention in my previous post how much I loved that they even added in the Blue Spirit's sword sparks when he fights.

The only less-than-perfect part of this ep was the resolution of the spirit world storyline - I don't mind it being rushed, since I didn't especially enjoy most of it in the previous episode, but I am sorry that Heibai's storyline was essentially lost. We didn't get to see the scary, wounded monster spirit turn back into the peaceful panda spirit thanks to Aang's compassion, and it's such a missed opportunity. The original had a very strong theme of environmentalism, and the Heibai storyline was the introduction of that. It's a shame to have lost it.

And I almost forgot - Gordon Cormier was absolutely fantastic in this episode! He's done a brilliant job with Aang, and I am continually impressed by his performances. He's a true gem, and a very talented actor, and I'm so happy he's our Aang!

Edited February 28 by Maelstrom

[tennisgurl]

I admit that I missed the Aang/Zuko double flashbacks, but this was a really cool way to give us Zuko's backstory. I like a lot of the additions to the backstory, especially Zuko's soldiers being the same soldiers he stood up for, which got his face half burned off and banished. That's a great touch. I also like that we get to see some actual interaction between Iroh and Ozai in this version, the dynamics of the fire family have become really interesting. This is probably the best episode of the show so far, although the ending where Katara and Sokka get saved from the spirit world was disappointing. We saw their tragic flashbacks, but never really got any closure with them dealing with those feelings or with the injured nature spirit, I feel like this is one of the times when they shouldn't have put so many plots together. 

Ken Leung is having a blast getting to really smug it up with his increased screen time, he positively oozes slime and smug satisfaction every time we see him. I loved when Aang knocked him over with air and his assistant was trying to hide his snickers, he must be an awful boss to work under. 

Everyone familiar with the story knew that the Agni Kai was coming and I'm sure new viewers have been wondering how Zuko got that burn scar, and its impressively even worse in this one now that we can see it in all its horrible glory. No wonder Zuko is such an angry kid, its sad to see how he seems to be taking his evil fathers "lesson" on compassion to heart, even if that's clearly not who he really is, and that he keeps standing up for his father, still desperate for his approval. That was horrible for Zuko but it must have also been horrifying for Iroh, seeing his own brother treat his son that way, so soon after he lost his own son. 

I loved seeing Aang and Zuko working together, and I like that they got to actually talk in this one more. Of course Zuko isn't ready to put aside his quest and his toxic family yet, but its a tiny step in the right direction. We even saw him slightly smile!

Fun to see Avatar Roku and get some foreshadowing about him for later. I cracked up so much at him describing Kyoshi, its very true that she is very intense, especially compared to the more Zen Avatars. 

[Maelstrom]

4 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

his assistant was trying to hide his snickers, he must be an awful boss to work under. 

I almost expected the scribe to turn around before leaving to flash a big thumbs up at Aang, lol.

4 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

We even saw him slightly smile!

Heck, for Zuko that's a big beaming grin! 😄

[PurpleTentacle]

Actually good changes again.

Zuko holding back during the Agni Kai instead of refusing to fight at all feels more real to the character and I do believe that it would enrage Ozai even more that his son could have beaten him but refused to.

Also tying Zuko's men more directly to him, by him being the men he saved was a nice touch. It informs his character that he never told them. Never guilted them for it and only ever expected standard military loyalty, no extra treatment.

[PurpleTentacle]

On 2/24/2024 at 7:03 PM, The Crazed Spruce said:

Anyway, one thing that bothered me from the beginning about the original was that Zuko's crew had been exiled along with him, even though, for all we knew, they had done nothing to deserve it. (Not that Zuko deserved it either, but you know what I mean.) The crew being the same unit that would've been sacrificed if Zuko hadn't spoken up in that meeting was a great twist that I honestly didn't see coming. So yeah, that's one point in favour of the live-action show. Kudos.

I think even in the cartoon the soldiers appreciated that Zuko would stand up for lowly soldiers just like them, after Iroh told them the entire story. But I agree, this was even better.

[Trini]

See? This thing is doing exactly what it needs to be doing as an adaptation of a cartoon: fleshing out some things, providing some literal texture, and adding some depth with amazing performances. The best episode so far! (Please don't let it be downhill from here)

But I agree that we didn't get a proper conclusion for the HeiBei story; but I can almost overlook it because the rest of this episode was so good.

Like others said, the new additions strengthened the story; I especially liked that the notebook on the Avatars gives Aang and Zuko a connection, even though they're not friends -- yet.

Wish we, and Aang, had more time with Roku.

I don't think Zhao was this cocky in the cartoon, but it's working here, in a love-to-hate way.

They've added nuance to a lot of characters, but not Ozai! I actually love that he's straight evil. Can't wait to see him get his.

Again praise for Dallas Liu as Zuko, who also has a big character journey. Man, my expectations are going to be pretty high for Toph; but casting has been on point so far.

 

On 2/28/2024 at 5:15 PM, Maelstrom said:

Yu Yang archers continue to be badass! They all looked to be women here - I wonder if they'll be women only, or if it's just how the casting worked out for this ep? Either way, they're super cool!

I hope they're all women! It adds a bit of gender balance, since most of the Fire Nation characters we've seen are male.

Edited May 3 by Trini