The Tales of Ba Sing Se

Best episode so far in my opinion, cried my eyes off.

Every now and then, this show goes from being incredibly entertaining to truly special - and this episode is a definite example of that trend. My skepticism at what the writers could do with only five minutes apiece was quickly blown out of the water as I was reminded how exceptional each one of the characters are. Even Momo, arguably Ang's sidekick's sidekick, is more fully drawn and realised than some protagonists I've come across. But by far my favourite of the stories belongs to Iroh. His five minutes are some of the best I've ever experienced, a beautiful portrait of a complicated man that brought me to tears. You could come into this episode completely cold, knowing nothing about the show or its players and I'm still almost certain you would have the same reaction. That is the mark of excellent writing. And then, the touching goodbye to Mako right at the very end wrung just a little bit more out of me, a beautiful final punctuation for the most impactful piece of television I've seen in quite some time.

The haiku rap battle was fun too, I guess.

This is how you do a filler episode! What a beatifull and emotional experience!

This episode is a character centered episode with small stories dedicated to each episode! While not all is equally good, the good ones are REALLY good!

Iroh's tale is obviously the stand out! Its the one everyone is talking about, containing perhaps the most emotional scene of the entire show! It also shows why Iroh is one of the best characters! So many important life lessons! "Leaves from the vine" was beatifull and sad, and when it said "In honor of Mako" my heart was broken!

I also enjoyed Zuko's tale as we saw him happy, after everything he has been through! It was like we saw a glimpse of the real him!

This is a perfectly constructed and beautiful episode. We get to spend quality time with pretty much every character. There are genuine heartfelt and touching moments that can easily bring you to tears. Absolutely stupendous!

An absolute masterpiece from start to finish. I cannot stress how delightful of a watch this is. From joy to anguish, it covers so many emotions in just 25 minutes.