Line #31 Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderBitterWork


1	[[quoteright:333:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/avatar_toph_bitter_work.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:333:Aang begins his earthbending training under Toph.]]
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4	->''"What's there to tell? I threw some rocks at the Avatar, he got all whiny, and Sokka fell in a hole."''
5	-->-- '''Toph''', recapping the episode [[WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra 74 years later]]
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7	In the aftermath of [[Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheChase the previous episode]], both groups of main characters take time to recuperate. Zuko aids Uncle Iroh in recovering from his wound at Azula's hands, and Iroh tries to teach him to generate lightning; when Zuko is unable to achieve the necessary mental calm, Iroh instead teaches him a technique to ''redirect'' lightning, which he invented by observing Waterbenders. Aang also begins lessons, learning Earthbending from Toph. It's very difficult for him because [[ElementalRockPaperScissors Earth is an Airbender's polar opposite]]; Airbenders go with the flow by nature, while Earthbenders tend towards directness and stubbornness. Thus, the title of the episode refers to both Aang and Zuko struggling to master attitudes and techniques that are psychologically and elementally opposite to their normal mindsets.
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9	Meanwhile, Katara continues some of Aang's training as a counterpoint to his difficulty with Earthbending, whilst Sokka carries on the meat-and-sarcasm tradition by trying to hunt a baby sabretooth moose-lion.
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11	----
12	!!Tropes:
13
14	* AdviceBackfire: Katara suggests to Toph that rolling a huge boulder downhill at Aang might not be the best teaching method. Toph agrees... realizing the lesson would be more effective if Aang was ''blindfolded''.
15	-->'''Toph:''' Thank you, Katara.
16	-->'''Aang:''' [[ThisIsGonnaSuck Yeah,]] ''[[SarcasmMode thanks, Katara...]]''
17	-->'''Katara:''' ''(OhCrapSmile)''
18	* {{Angrish}}: Sokka's reaction to Toph waking him up. In the script, he had actual lines, but Jack De Sena improvised Sokka's unintelligible ranting in one take. The writers thought it was funnier than what they'd come up with, so it was kept.
19	* BilingualBonus: The title is a rough translation of what "kung fu" literally means.
20	* BittersweetEnding: Fitting for an episode called "Bitter Work". On the Sweet side, Aang has finally unlocked his earthbending powers. On the Bitter side, Zuko [[DramaticallyMissingThePoint looks for lightning to redirect]], but it won't strike him, leaving him feeling angrier and more lost than ever before.
21	* BothSidesHaveAPoint: Katara points out that the way Aang learns is different from how she learned and she needs to take that into consideration. Toph is right that earthbending requires a different mindset than both water and airbending so even if she uses her approach, it won't turn out results if he can't adjust to that mindset. True to form, Toph turns out results when she finds Aang in an aggressive mood after successfully warding off a sabertooth mooselion, [[TricksterMentor tests him by getting him to stand up to her]], and tells him that if he can do both he has it in him to earthbend.
22	* BottleEpisode: The animated nature of the show makes it less obvious, but it's one of the few (if not only) episodes in the whole run that involves no guest voice actors or characters.
23	* ButtMonkey: Sokka ends up trapped in a hole in the ground up to his fingers, left totally helpless all day long and late into the evening trying to get out. Although it never comes up, [[FridgeHorror imagine if he had been holding in an urge to take a leak...]]
24	* CoolTeacher: Uncle Iroh is able to teach Zuko about the strengths and characteristics of all four elements because he's traveled the world and studied them. He also teaches the technique he used to redirect Azula's lightning blast in "The Avatar State".
25	* CubCuesProtectiveParent: Sokka finds a baby saber-toothed moose-lion cub. Inevitably its mama is near, and has to be fought off by Aang.
26	* DeadpanSnarker: Iroh gets a good one immediately after waking up, when Zuko tells him it was Azula's surprise attack.
27	-->'''Iroh:''' Somehow that's not so surprising.
28	* DieOrFly: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] by Toph when she rolls a huge boulder down a cliff at Aang to try and get him to earthbend. Aang defies the invoking by jumping out of the way. Played straighter later in the episode, when successfully stopping an angry Sabertoothed Mooselion gives him the proper "stand your ground" mindset needed for earthbending.
29	* DramaticallyMissingThePoint: Zuko thinks that Iroh teaching him how to redirect lightning means he's ready to redirect it ''for real''. The dramatic part is that Iroh didn't teach him that technique so he could go actively look for lightning to get struck by.
30	* DrillSergeantNasty: Toph's training methods are harsh and intense. It makes for a contrast with Katara's gentler approach.
31	* ElementalArmor: Toph covers herself in a coating of rock while trying to teach Aang how to earthbend.
32	* ElementalRockPaperScissors: Katara figures out that the reason Aang is having so much trouble mastering earthbending compared to the other elements is because it is completely antithetical to his airbender philosophy. It's only once Aang stands his ground to both the Sabertooth Mooselion and Toph that he finally has the attitude necessary to earthbend. The episode "The Avatar and the Fire Lord" and post-series materials, including ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'', confirm that it is typical for an Avatar to struggle with one element, usually but not always the opposite of the one they started with.
33	* {{Foil}}:
34	** Aang to Zuko. Both are subjected to the same bitter work, but Aang succeeds where Zuko succumbs to his own sense of victimhood.
35	** Katara and Toph are this in addition to OpposedMentors.
36	* GentleTouchVsFirmHand: The episode plays Aang's Waterbending teacher, Katara, as the Gentle Touch, and his Earthbending teacher, Toph, as the Firm Hand. This isn't helped by [[OpposingCombatPhilosophies the hard-rooted mentality of Earthbending being in direct opposition to the free-spirited mentality of Aang's native Airbending]], causing him to suffer a mental block. Katara asks Toph to be a bit more encouraging in her tutelage, and while she's resistant at first, she does admit that encouragement did help (albeit after Aang learned to stand his ground in a DieOrFly moment).
37	* GilliganCut:
38	-->'''Katara:''' I've been training Aang for a while now. He responds well to a positive teaching experience. Lots of encouragement and praise. Kind words. If he's doing something wrong, maybe a gentle nudge in the right direction.\
39	'''Toph:''' Thanks, Katara. A gentle nudge. I'll try that.\
40	''(Cut to intense TrainingFromHell)''
41	* HelpImStuck: Sokka finds himself stuck in a hole for a good portion of the episode.
42	* IgnoredEpiphany: Sokka gives up neither meat nor sarcasm after being saved.
43	* InstantExpert: Defied for Aang who despite getting the hang of Waterbending quickly, struggles with Earthbending due to his mental block. And then even when he gets it, Toph stops him from freeing Sokka from the hole he is stuck in and does it herself, since being new at Earthbending might get Sokka crushed by accident.
44	* IResembleThatRemark:
45	-->'''Iroh:''' You will not be able to master lightning until you deal with the turmoil inside you.\
46	'''Zuko:''' '''''WHAT TURMOIL?!'''''
47	* LaserGuidedKarma: Sokka, who sided with Toph in the previous episode, gets the full brunt of her rude nature (literally) in the opening scene.
48	* LethalChef: Zuko's attempts to make tea are apparently fairly disastrous. Iroh chokes one cup down so as not to offend him, but tosses the contents of a second out the window when Zuko isn't looking.
49	* MamaBear: The mother Sabertoothed Mooselion.
50	* MisplacedKindergartenTeacher: Katara comes across this way, advocating a very supportive and affirmative teaching style for Aang. It's played with in that while it ''is'' appropriate for his childish personality, it's horribly ineffective at teaching him earthbending, which requires a [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal steady, strong and stubborn]] mindset. Toph gets much better results by deliberately making Aang angry enough to stand up to her.
51	* MoodWhiplash: The light-hearted scene of Aang and company celebrating his successful earthbending is followed up by Zuko's heartbreaking RageAgainstTheHeavens breakdown (detailed below).
52	* NoAntagonist: The only sources of conflict in this episode are Aang and Zuko's blocks while learning. The closest thing to an antagonist the episode has is the mother Sabertooth Mooselion, and even it fails to qualify.
53	* NothingPersonal: Sokka tells this to the creature he wants to eat.
54	* OhCrapSmile: Katara when she realizes that she has actually encouraged Toph to push Aang ''even harder''.
55	* OpposedMentors: Katara goes for the soft, encouraging, positive attitude, while Toph prefers the rougher, blunter, drill sergeant style.
56	* PersonalityPowers: One of the first episodes that addresses this issue, as Toph emphasizes the importance of how you have be "steady and strong" like rock in order bend rock to your will.
57	-->'''Aang:''' What if I came at the boulder from a different angle?
58	-->'''Toph:''' No, that's the problem. You've got to stop thinking like an Airbender. There's no "different angle," no clever solution, no [[BuffySpeak trickety-trick]] that's gonna move that rock -- you've gotta face it ''head on.''
59	* PlotParallel: Between Zuko and Aang and their "bitter work".
60	* PunBasedTitle: In addition to noting the obstacles both the protagonist and his [[{{Foil}} parallel]] face throughout the episode, "Bitter Work" is also a [[ShownTheirWork rough]] [[BilingualBonus translation]] of the term "Kung Fu".
61	* RageAgainstTheHeavens: Zuko's final scene involves him climbing a mountain and shouting abuse at a storm.
62	* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: The baby Sabretoothed Mooselion. It's too young to have any of the traits that makes the creature usually so fearsome, and is quite friendly for a wild animal.
63	* RuleOfSymbolism: Aang and Katara's waterbending lesson in rotating water symbolizes Aang's train of thought, as he struggles with facing his problems "head on". If dropping the water is any indication, he truly doesn't want his problems on his mind right now.
64	* SarcasticClapping: Toph, after Aang managed to airbend his way out of danger.
65	* ShutUpAndSaveMe: Sokka, when Aang and Toph have a talk instead of getting him out of the hole.
66	* SmiteMeOMightySmiter: During Zuko's RageAgainstTheHeavens he demands that the clouds strike him with lightning. It's not like the world has ever held back before.
67	* StaggeredZoom: Onto Aang's face, when he sees Toph using his staff to crack nuts.
68	* StealthMentor: While Toph is...[[{{pun}} hard to get along with]], she intentionally tries to get on Aang's nerves by eating his food, taking and misusing his staff, and simply watched when him and Sokka were attacked by an angry wild animal. All of this, so that Aang gains the confrontational stance needed to earthbend.
69	* SureLetsGoWithThat: When Zuko has the revelation that tea drinking is meant to calm the mind, Iroh agrees, even though it's clear he actually never thought of it that way.
70	* TeachHimAnger: Toph's strategy for teaching Aang to "stand his ground" like an Earthbender is to keep pushing his buttons until he gets mad enough to stand up to her. It works.
71	* ThickerThanWater: Zuko assumes Iroh won't help him prepare to another encounter with Azula because of this. Iroh defies it because they already knew the kind of person in their family is and what she is capable of.
72	-->'''Zuko:''' I know what you're gonna say. She's my sister and I should be trying to get along with her.
73	-->'''Iroh:''' No, she's crazy and she needs to go down.
74	* TrainingMontage: Aang learning earthbending!
75	* TrainingFromHell: Toph definitely doesn't hold back when teaching Aang earthbending.
76	* UnequalRites: The entire A-plot is built around the introduction of the idea (reaffirmed later on in "The Avatar and the Firelord") that an avatar will almost always have the greatest difficulty with the "opposite" element of the one they were taught initially. Throughout the episode, Aang has to struggle with the idea of earthbending combat philosophy, which is normally the sort of thing he'd abhor.
77	* YouNeverDidThatForMe: Aang acknowledges Toph as his earthbending sifu (teacher). This makes Katara jealous as Aang never referred to her as a sifu. He calls her "sifu" later, however.
78	* YoureInsane: Iroh has this look on his face when Zuko tells him that he wants to actually practice shooting lightning now.

Context Recap / AvatarTheLastAirbenderBitterWork