The Chase

That's a rhetorical question, I'm not sincerely asking how the show is this good. I am simply expressing my amazement at how good it is.

You would expect that an episode of a Nickelodeon show wherein the main moral is the importance of sleep would be extremely corny and kiddified, like the Fairly OddParents episode Beddy-Bye or even Avatar's later episode Nightmares and Daydreams.

Sometimes the reality is different from expectations. We get character development from both Toph and Katara. Sokka being the one most willing to tolerate Toph despite him suffering the most because of her (he really is a great character), further development of the threat posed by Azula and her lackeys, neat action scenes, smart and mature themes and a plot twist that I won't elaborate on.

Two thumbs up.

This episode was honestly solid from beginning to end, with great humor, thrilling action and some important life lessons for good measure!

Katara and Toph Arguing makes perfect sense as they both are very different! Toph wants to do everything by herself cause she grew up thinking getting help from others, makes you weak! There is nothing wrong with letting others help you, its not a sign of weakness! Instead you acknowledge how much you mean to others and their good intentions!

Other than that we get some thrilling action as Azula demonstrates what a threatening force she really is! The animation was solid and really stands as one of the more memorable fights of the season!

We also see just how much Zuko means to Iroh, something we hope Zuko will realize one day!

From a teenager perceiving willingness to help as a sign of lack of trust and underestimation to the reply from the child to the parent's advice "Maybe you should show him that you need him to". This show brims with nuance and wisdom. And not a make-believe one just for the sake of the show, real wisdom coming from a very real place from all of our lives. I do not know who wrote that tea scene but I want to congratulate not just that one but the whole show for maintaining that compassionate approach to human nature and relationships that even 10 years later, rewatching the show, still puts some things into perspective for me. And no doubt along with many others in the audience. In this episode, you clearly see what Zuko is going through, maybe much more clearly than it can be in real life. What his angst costs him when he is ridden with guilt and regret as he pushes away the only people who can help. Maybe a fate he would share with Toph if she never came across Iroh and left the group. A lack of support and assurance at the right time might take a whole lifetime to fix. So it's all the more exhilarating to watch a perfectly drawn character like Iroh say all the right things to abridge the passage.