#it's not lake loogie theo

[theowritesfiction]

'Lake Laogai'

I think this is the first episode where Sokka's artistic 'skills' are really addressed. Okay, I'll admit, it's a genuinely funny comic relief Sokka moment.

I'm a bit upset at Iroh for having zero loyalty to the man who hired him and Zuko, two refugees off the street. Not saying he shouldn't have accepted the Upper Ring offer, but he was kind of a dick about it. 10 Jerk Points.

I'm really curious about the game Katara and Sokka were playing. I wonder if anyone knows what it was.

I get that Aang is frustrated about being stymied by the Dai Li and their bureaucracy, but Toph lashing out and destroying a part of the house is just... dumb? You live there, dumbass. Just destroy someone else's house. 20 Jerk Points.

Long Feng is a clever villain, despite his eventual demise. Him acknowledging that he can't confront the Avatar directly is a smart strategic realization. Misdirecting the Gaang to leave Ba Sing Se and go all the way back to South Pole to look for Appa is a great plan, actually. He couldn't have known about Jet's connection to Smellerbee and Longshot.

Guess who's back? Back again? Jet is back. Tell Katara... who is more violent than I remembered her being, but you know what, good for her. I wonder about her blush there. Was it all just from anger? I like to think it was the memory of her crush on Jet. I think it's all but confirmed by Katara's reaction to Toph calling out her lies of having feelings for Jet.

Sokka is pretty clever to realize that Jet has been brainwashed by the Dai Li, although I have to wonder... how did he know that brainwashing even is a thing that exists? There are a lot of interesting little details in the scenes with the Gaang trying to break Jet's conditioning. Aang not liking Sokka's idea that Katara should kiss Jet, whatever, shut up Aang. I had completely missed the detail that it was Mongke and Rough Rhinos who burned down Jet's village. They're Iroh's old buddies, I shouldn't be surprised. Also, I love Katara still deciding to soothe Jet's mind with her bending even if she's deeply mistrustful of him.

The secret HQ of the Dai Li is a scary place. The training of Joo Dee's... what a creepy scene. The Dai Li agents hanging from the cavern ceilings like some kind of creepy bats, that was pretty awesome. You have to admit that Jet is a badass when it comes to a fight. I also like how Long Feng being a very different kind of villain comes across in this scene. As soon as the battle starts to turn, he makes the calculated move to flee.

Iroh confronting Zuko in the catacombs was an interesting scene. Iroh finally has his golden ticket of having an Upper Ring teahouse of his own. He's got it made. He's not going to let his nephew's bullshit ruin his dream, so it's time for some tough love.

Comparing Zuko trying to steal Appa with his kidnapping of Aang at the North Pole was very on point. They are both the worst examples of Zuko's plans. Zuko tries to brush it off as if doing stupid shit has something to do with his 'destiny'.  But I also think Iroh's point about Zuko trying to follow someone else's idea of his destiny would come across better if Iroh himself wasn't pushing the destiny of Zuko serving tea onto his nephew. There really is a huge disconnect between the life that Iroh wants for Zuko and the life Zuko himself wants. Can anyone here see Zuko being happy serving tea? I can't. Iroh seems to be the only one.

Also, doesn't Iroh later embrace Zuko's destiny of becoming the Fire Lord anyway?

I have said that I'm not a big fan of Jetara, absolutely not as endgame, but I still think the way some of Jet's thoughts that helped him break Long Feng's mind control focused on his feelings for Katara was very tragically romantic. Anyway... I have very mixed feelings about Jet's death. No, actually I hate it. We've seen Katara heal some pretty bad injuries, and Jet didn't look that badly hurt? A part of me is now left thinking that if Longshot and Bee hadn't asked Katara to leave maybe she could have still saved him? Also, uh, she had the spirit water... I wrote an entire 70 chapter story about Katara using it on Zuko in Crystal Catacombs, and being unable to save Aang. It would have made ten times more sense if Katara had used it on Jet, and ugh, I now wish I had written that scenario instead. Honestly, it would have been far more in character for Katara to stay and save Jet. Also, check out the shot of Katara as they fly away. She had real and strong feelings for Jet. I haven't sensed anything remotely strong (romantically) towards Aang up to this point of the story.

Anyway, Appa returns and wipes the floor with the Dai Li. I guess it's something positive at the end of a depressing episode. For mind-controlling Jet and killing him, Long Feng gets 350 Jerk Points.

Jerk Points for Book 2:

Iroh, Long Feng - 560 Azulon - 300 Ursa, General Fong  - 200 Aang - 160 Zuko, Toph - 120 Ozai - 100 Sokka - 70 Bumi, Lao Beifong, King Kuei - 50 Pakku - 30

#my atla rewatch #atla book 2 #lake laogai #it's not lake loogie theo