- "My dad says people have bad afternoons sometimes... even in the Fire Nationnote "— Katara, paraphrasing the ending of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Katara runs away as quickly as her legs can carry her, feeling that the exertion's good for her. She runs through the deserted city, not knowing where she's going, until she trips on a grate, and realizes that she's in the coronation plaza.
Katara leans against a pillar for a long time, crying, healing her skinned knee with waterbending and tryng in vain to make sense of her emotions. After an unknown amount of time, two figures approach. Katara hides based on instinct alone, and that's confirmed when it turns out to be Aang, the last person she wants to see (particularly since he's looking for her). She stays hidden even after she realizes that Zuko is accompanying Aang.
Aang asks Zuko why he thinks Katara will be here, and Zuko says that Katara doesn't know many places in the capital, and if she's not at the villa or in the gardens, she's here. Aang asks if Zuko's sure- a somewhat understandable question, although most people know the other person isn't 100 percent sure- and Zuko, frustrated, admits it's only a guess.
Zuko says he'd have a better idea if Aang told him what happened, and when Aang says that "Katara went mad," dismisses it as a non-answer. Aang's not pleased to hear this, noting that Zuko's the only one besides Suki who isn't mad at him, earning a Flat "What." from Zuko. Aang reminds Zuko that he said he wasn't mad at him earlier, unlike Katara (who was "so mean" to him), Toph (who's been cranky with him for days), and Sokka (who also won't take his side). Zuko tells Aang that he's not on his side, which Katara notes is blunt even for him.
Aang apparently starts to cry in response, resulting in Zuko handing him a tissue that he refuses to take back once Aang's done with it. Zuko then clarifies that he's not taking sides, period, and he's not mad at Aang, just disappointed in him for letting them down. Aang says he didn't mean to, and Zuko believes him. Unfortunately, Zuko doesn't believe him about he lion turtle, although he concedes that stranger things have happened.
Zuko suffers a twinge of pain from his scar, and Katara almost jumps out to help him, but Zuko recovers. Zuko grumpily insists that he's fine and tells Aang to stop fussing, causing Aang to cry again. Aang tries to offer sympathy by comparing it to his scar, but ruins it by saying they'll be "scar buddies."
Aang brings up how no one trusted Zuko when he first joined the Gaang back at the start of Stalking Zuko, but he eventually made Katara forgive him, and asks how he did so. Some people say that Katara's speech back then was the final nail in the coffin for Zutara, and they're half right. Zuko and Katara did reconcile, but they were unable to realistically go from there to falling in love in the space of time between then and the Grand Finale.
Of course, Zuko points out that he didn't make Katara forgive him, and no one can "make" her do anything. Aang begins to despair, saying that he won the war and if Katara would listen, she wouldn't be mad. Contrary to the author's apparent intentions, it's easy to see why. As he points out he did win the war, and now he's being alienated from his closest friend and canonical love interest, simply because the author doesn't like what he managed to accomplish and believes the pairing to be nothing more than his "reward" for "being a good boy."
Zuko isn't very sympathetic, and points out that Aang is the one who's listening, and he needs to begin by listening to Katara and apologizing. He also suggests listening to Katara yell at him, unless she's grinding her teeth, at which point, he should run for it. In any case, Zuko recommends listening, then apologizing.
Aang tries to bring up the lion turtle again, angering Zuko and causing him to tell Aang he needs to stop making excuses and start accepting the consequences of his actions, including the fact that Katara is mad at him, resulting in Aang going quiet. It seems as though the author has every single character share her feelings about the lion turtle.
Zuko, stomping forward, notices Katara, who waves to him and motions for him to get rid of Aang. On Katara's request, Zuko lies to Aang and says that he was wrong about the plaza, and Katara must still be in the villa. Aang asks if Zuko's coming, but Zuko tells Aang that it's better if he finds her on his own (It always strikes me as somewhat mean, to say the least, for someone to falsely offer help while not wanting the other person to succeed). Aang asks Zuko what to do, and Zuko reiterates that Aang needs only to listen.
Aang asks Zuko if he can ask him a question, and Zuko reluctantly says yes. The question is about Zuko's near-death experience with lightning, and what happened there, since Zuko should have been able to redirect it. Zuko, without his memories of the Agni Kai, can only shrug and suggest that he wasn't in a good position.
Aang asks Zuko another question, which he takes with even more reluctance, and Aang asks if leaving Ozai alive will cause problems for peace. Zuko's a bit taken aback at being asked so bluntly, but he responds in kind by saying yes, much to Aang's dismay. Somewhat belatedly, Zuko adds that Ozai is now his and his uncle's problem, not Aang's, and they'll deal with it. It, like many of the other gestures toward Aang, seems only intended to humor him, but Aang is sincerely grateful.
Zuko waves at Katara "like a dork" and comes over. Neither is sure how to begin the conversation until Katara thanks him for getting rid of Aang, since she wasn't ready to talk with him yet.
Zuko asks if Katara's ready to talk, recalling how Aang, after crying, told Katara about how Katara "went mad" and ran away (Katara points out that she didn't run away, she stormed off). Zuko immediately realized that Aang and Katara had a fight, but didn't know what it was about, so Katara fills in the blanks. Zuko notes that it sounds like an "explosive feeling fight" fueled by emotions, and notes that he and Sokka had a conversations in gestures that was impeded by Sokka being "crap at charades". Sokka recommended that Aang give Katara some space, and not mention lion turtles around her, but Aang didn't listen, so Zuko accompanied him on his search to prevent him from getting lost and in hopes of helping him when and if he found Katara.
While looking for Katara, Zuko made the mistake of asking about lion turtles, and Aang, thinking Zuko wanted to hear it, tried to explain it to him multiple times. Katara teasingly suggests that Zuko is now the "lion turtle expert," but Zuko says that he still doesn't understand and wants Katara to keep that a secret, since if Aang finds out that Zuko has "lightning brain" and is forgetful, he'll try to explain it again. Katara muses that the lion turtle is beyond comprehension.
Katara asks if Zuko is really not angry at Aang, since that's in his nature as the stern disciplinarian, and giving angry, shouty rants is his modus operandi. Zuko reiterates that he's not angry or happy, just disappointed. He notices that Katara has more faith in Aang than he did (it also helps that Katara was never Aang's enemy; since Zuko saw capturing Aang as his ticket home, he clearly hoped Aang would be easy to defeat), and since her expectations are higher, she's all the more upset when he lets her down. By contrast, Zuko sees Aang as a kid with too much power and responsibility at too young an age (mostly Sozin's fault, for betraying Roku and launching a war against Aang's people), and ultimately dismisses him as a 12 year old kid who runs away when things are too hard and/or serious. I'm not sure which is more depressing- Katara for expecting Aang to kill Ozai and being upset when he doesn't have to, or Zuko for never believing in Aang.
Zuko concludes that what's done is done, and he can't convince Aang to see things his way, especially now that he doesn't have the energy. Katara asks if Zuko would if he had the energy, and says that he's unsure, noting that things worked out well, even if by dumb luck, and in so doing, reminds Katara of her birthday wish. Katara searches for her anklet, only to find that it fell off at some point, possibly after her wish was granted. After hearing of it, Zuko offers to make another one, since he's supposed to be in bed, adding that Katara's supposed to be with her tribe. It's nice to see that Aang isn't the only one who can inadvertently upset Katara, who says she has little desire to see them.
Zuko mentions that he had thought Katara was happy to see her tribe, and Katara, after a "back of the mouth sniffling thing" she does when she's upset, decides to come clean to him. She sums it up as Aang and Sokka being treated like heroes while she's treated like a serving girl, which leads to "a terrible and bad and no fun afternoon."
Zuko listens and is appropriately sympathetic. He suspects that the Water Tribe warriors are "navy guys," and asks who will mend their stuff if they don't know how to, noting that the Fire Nation soldiers take care of their own stuff. Katara suspects that the Water Tribe warriors know how to, but would rather palm it off on her, and notes that Zuko clearly finds this weird, even if he's trying to be polite about this, and Zuko notes that he hasn't had to deal with this as a boy. Zuko asks about Sokka, and Katara notes that he didn't give her anything, but didn't say anything to stop it. It seems as though Sokka and Hakoda don't come off very well as a result of their inaction on this issue, which is somewhat to be expected; most treatments of sexism tend to demonize those who support sexism or allow it to happen
Zuko notes that Azula wouldn't politely accept being tasked with fixing a shirt, but would respond to any chauvinism with "anti-chauvanistic(sic) rage"; Katara cannot help but agree with Mai.
Zuko tells the first story of Azula's first such rage incident, which happened when he was 10 and Azula was 8 (Oddly enough, Zuko seems to have the most stories out of any Gaang member, and almost always ones that are relevant to the topic at hand). Mai was practicing throwing knives, and a boy named Sorin accused her of throwing like a girl, angering Mai even though she didn't show it. Azula, however, tells Sorin that she'll throw him, punching him in the gut, flipping him over in spite of him being three times her size and kicking him until the teachers pull her off him, all the while saying that is how to fight like a girl.
Zuko notes that as unstable as Azula was, she also taught him not to disrespect women, particularly due to being "a badass" as a kid. He also hopes that the "badass girls" he knows will beat some sense into it, but ruins it by explaining thepun. Zuko proposes using the commonsense stick, and when Katara mentions that she left it at the beach house, he seems quite happy (since he got the commonsense stick most often), getting "a Look" in response.
After some teasing, they watch the sunset together and head back, with Katara knowing that she'll have to deal with Aang and her tribes sexism, and not wanting to stay in a place she hates.
The author thanks her readers and reviewers.
The author says that this chapter was to examine gender dynamics of the water tribe and Aang's "privileged position" as the Avatar, which means that it's much more of an Author Tract than others.
The author says that the Fire Nation has some sexism, but due to the war effort, they're forced to use women in vital roles, and allow them something resembling equality. Women can hold jobs and date many men, even if the glass ceiling exists. That, and Zuko's growing up with "badass ladies," gives him respect for women.
By contrast, the Water Tribes are "overtly sexist," with the North being horribly backwards, and the South not likely to be much better. One reviewer suggested that Sokka's sexist attitude had to come from somewhere, and the author concludes that allowing female waterbenders to be trained is mere "common sense" to fill the need for benders, but said benders are also expected to fill traditional womanly roles.
The author mentions that the Water Tribes are patriarchal, and that Kanna defers to Sokka because he's the oldest male, when Sokka wants to banish Aang. The principle is very much real in some Asian societies, particularly the principle that a woman must first submit to her father, then her husband, then her son, but in Kanna's case, when she spoke up in favor of banishing Aang, she told Katara that she wasn't supposed to go on the ship, implying agreement. It would be more significant if Kanna had doubts or misgivings and chose to support Sokka in spite of them (e.g. "Katara, you have a point, but your brother's in charge and his decisions are final").
Of course, Katara doesn't defer to Sokka, and even mothers him, giving her a degree of power. There's also how the South was devastated by war, and pragmatic enough to minimize discrimination, but they're still somewhat sexist, and the relatively untouched North is worse. The author suggests that women are not allowed to date there, and that arranged marriages are common, with Yugoda assuming Katara's engaged at 14.
The author points out that readjusting to the sexism is hard for Katara after "her year of crazy adventures and freedom," but to me, it seems as though it suddenly became relevant, with even less subtlety than the anti-sexism message in "The Waterbending Master." Katara's used to being the Team Mom for the Gaang (except for Zuko and Suki, the two newest members), but doesn't like having jobs like this forced upon her.
The author points out that a fight between Aang and Katara has been coming for "a loooong time," and the author says that it's because the author cuts Aang so much slack as the Avatar and he lets her down by not listening or considering anyone else's interests when making decisions that affect many people. The author has it backwards. Katara avoids talking about the important issues in order to kep Aang happy enough to kill Ozai when the time comes, and barely seems to think much of him. Now that Aang did something the author doesn't approve of, the author has her lash out at him.
The author mentions many other times when Aang doesn't listen, such as Ember Island Players, Southern Raiders (which I covered before), the avatar state episode and the Kyoshi island, all of which were times when Katara said something Aang didn't want to hear, and notes that Zuko is asking him to do something that's quite difficult for him. The author mentions that Katara also ignores Aang when it's convenient, such as in "The Fortuneteller", when she develops deafness and pretended to ignore that Aang liked her as more than a friend, dismissing Kataang as having bad communication.
Of course, Zuko and Katara , save for the crystal cave scene, weren't on speaking terms until the end of the second to last episode before the Grand Finale, while Katara and Aang had many other moments in which they spoke with and trusted each other.
The author points out that Aang is naive (he can be at times, but he matures over the course of his journey). She points out that Aang won't have to live with the consequences of his decision to spare Ozai, and is happy to let Zuko deal with the problem, as he doesn't know how to deal with Ozai, but is absolutely convinced that not killing him is right. Zuko and Iroh have no say in this, but the author points out that Zuko offering to handle it is what Aang wants to hear.
At this point, it bears repeating that the author's claims of liking Aang come off as hollow platitudes compared to how often she emphasizes that he makes bad decisions for bad reasons, implies that he's effectively sabotaged the entire peace process for selfish reasons (not even considering that a reluctance to kill people can ever be a good thing) and spends good chunks of her author's notes deconstructing and bashing his philosophy and character. If she wants to bash Aang, it's her choice, but I wish she'd stop insulting our intelligence by insisting otherwise.
The author essentially puts Zuko's talk with Katara about how he's disappointed in Aang not living up to being the Avatar, but not surprised by him doing what a 12 year old would do (compared to Katara, who is angry), but adds that he cares for Aang.
The author mentions that she can't think of any "fan wank" to explain the lion turtle, and admits that the canon cast are channeling her feelings of irritation and confusion. The author mentions that Zuko goes after Katara because he isn't one for laying around while injured and knows that something's upsetting Katara. She also notes that he's good at cheering Katara up, and she'll soon get another anklet.
The author covers Azula's friendship (if you could call it that) with Mai, and says that Mai followed Azula of her own free will, while Azula had to threaten Ty Lee. It's more likely that Mai simply went along with it, as she's apathetic about most things except Zuko (the only one who inspires much emotion out of her, even if it's often negative). The author says this will be a plot point in the future, and I don't like the implication that Mai's more of a willing accomplice to Azula, or the implication that someone as selfish and blind to the concept of real friendship as Azula did something to earn Mai's friendship.
The author says that Ming is a prison guard who gave Iroh his special teas, and the Water Tribe and Kyoshi Warriors were in the same prison until Hakoda and Suki got transferred to the Boiling Rock. She suggests an attraction is there, and certainly seems more enthusiastic about it than canon pairings.
The author suggests that next chapter, Zuko will learn that Iroh really wants him to be Fire Lord, and "shenanigans" will ensue.
What I liked
- It's good to see that Aang isn't the only one who puts his foot into his mouth.
- Nice call back to the wish anklet from Katara's birthday.
What I didn't like
- The story's treatment of sexism still seems fairly heavy-handed and forced
- The author putting virtually all of the blame for the conflicts on Aang.
- The author being a bit too sympathetic to Azula, and possibly less sympathetic to Mai.
