Avatar season 2 episode 2: The Cave of Two Lovers
Still watching Avatar! Here are some thoughts on season 2 episode 2:
The Cave of Two Lovers:
1. Pretty rock arches, pretty lush greenery, pretty river... *nature lust* (Note: One problem, though. It can't be later than, say, mid-February. Why is everything so green? Is Omashu that close to the equator? But the trees we see later in this episode look deciduous. *headdesk* It's like it's constantly late spring, wherever they go, no matter what season it ought to be. That is so annoying, especially after they got the midnight sun thing right at the south pole in the first couple episodes. Second note: Or wait, is Omashu in the southern hemisphere? It might well be, considering the Gaang visited it very early on. In which case it would be high summer down there, and the foliage makes perfect sense. Okay. Saved by geography! Third note: But wait, that still doesn't explain the greenery and flowers around Zuko and Iroh, since they're definitely up north... *headdesk*)
2. Pretty characters, too. (And practically naked! How the hell did they get away with this in a kids' show?) Let's see... Sokka has a sort of loincloth thing, Katara has wrapped-bandage shorts under a split-seam skirt and a sort of wrapped-bandage bra, and Aang is just wearing his same old shorts. (We already know his underwear is orange briefs. We've seen him go swimming and wake up in the middle of the night.)
3. Are those stoner hippies? Those are totally stoner hippies. Where did they come from, California in 1969? (Also, seriously, how does a kids' show get away with this stuff?)
4. Zuko and Iroh! Zuko with hair. Okay, basically a buzz cut, but still, hair. *ruffles said hair* *ducks flames* Interesting outfits. They're kind of olive green, and very severe in their cut -- they remind me a lot of army fatigues, actually -- but so far all the army uniforms we've seen have been fancier than this. I am curious about where and how they acquired these clothes. Did they trade for them? Or did they just nab some outfits off a clothesline and leave their colonial outfits as an unofficial barter?
5. Also, Iroh? If the question is tea or poison, and you can't tell the bushes apart, then don't drink it. This is not rocket science. *thwaps Iroh*
6. Random musical interlude with interpretive dance! *sporfle* Also, why I am not surprised the hippie nomad dude is too baked to remember the whole song? (And why I am sure there are plot-relevant things in the lines he's forgotten? Like, I don't know, monsters or cave-ins or something?)
7. I am with Sokka here. Those hippies do not inspire confidence.
8. Randomly, I must note that Appa is very fetching in violet. *grin*
9. Aww, the itty-bitty teeny-tiny fishie! *dies laughing* Actually, this whole scene cracks me up to hysterical degrees. (Azula vs. certain death? We'll take death!) So does the prior sequence with the fireballs and Sokka's deadpan, "Secret love cave, let's go." This is a very good comedy episode so far.
10. I note that Zuko's scar is hairless -- the right side of his face has a normal hairline, but the left side, not so much. Yay for realism!
11. I really like the carvings at the entrance to the underground cave/labyrinth/tunnel/whatever. The demon things with their bird/jackal heads seem sort of Hindu-influenced, or maybe a take-off on Tibetan demonology. They are definitely ominous, whatever tradition they hail from.
12. Sokka keeps his head and makes a rational plan. Sokka, I love you! (Have I said that enough lately? Because I totally love him. He's a massive doofus, but I sometimes think he's the only sane person in the Gaang. Then, of course, I realize he's just as crazy as the others in his own way, but it's my kind of crazy. Hurrah for empiricism!)
13. Zuko still cannot lie for shit. It is still adorable. Also, I like his random brown overtunic thing. Song's dress, on the other hand, is weird and unflattering.
14. Oh no, shifting tunnels! (But yay Sokka for figuring it out!)
15. Hmm. Song and her mother both wear lipstick. And Song's mother has the same unflattering dress style as her daughter.
16. Zuko lies more effectively here, mostly because he's not really lying; he's just being economical with the truth.
17. Wolf-bat! I love these crazy hybrid monsters.
18. Aaaand, separated by a cave-in. Poor Sokka, all alone with the hippies and Momo. *pets him* *pets Appa, too*
19. Zuko can sit in lotus meditation. Hmm. Flexibility, yes? *thinks dirty thoughts* (Also, seriously, what is up with that dress style? It is puffy and ugly and looks like a cross between a school uniform and a diaper -- the sort of thing you'd use to dress a toddler, not a pretty young woman. Except the shoes; those are cute.)
20. Oh, poor Zuko, getting the cruelty of your countrymen rubbed in your face, on the assumption that you were hurt the same way and for the same reasons. But it's okay, he needs a wake-up call. (And really, Song's not exactly wrong, is she? He was hurt by his father, a firebender, who treated him as an honorless, dehumanized thing to be toyed with.)
21. Appa wants OUT of those caves. I for one, don't blame him.
22. I am in LOVE with the ink drawing style used to illustrate the story of Oma and Shu. Gorgeous, gorgeous pictures.
23. *squishes Katara and Aaang forever and ever* Yes, silly idea. But not stupid, and very cute. And oh, Aang, way to put your foot in your mouth. (Hey, thought! If love is brightest in the dark... maybe the secret is to put out the lights? It can't be any dumber than playing love songs.)
24. Zuko, stealing is not the answer! *thwaps him*
25. Darkness, on the other hand is the answer. I was totally right. *is smug* Look, glow-in-the-dark crystal thingies in a path to freedom! Follow the light, you crazy kids.
26. Music hath charms to soothe the savage beasts, eh? *sporfle* Also, wow, I did not know badger-moles were so big.
27. "We let love lead the way." "Really? We let huge ferocious beasts lead our way." *dies laughing*
27. Aww, Momo is telling his adventure to Appa! And Appa bends down to listen. Socute!
28. Sokka, I feel for you. My forehead would be twice as red as yours by this point.
29. Oh, shit. Omashu is occupied! Now that is what I call a cliffhanger! (Almost literally, too; they are up on cliffs, after all. *grin*) I like how Fire Nation occupation means smoke trails, and also the little pagoda-style roofs that have sprouted over the plain, solid Earth Kingdom ramparts.
-----
And this is a very annoying place to leave off watching, but it's past midnight and I need sleep.
This entry was cross-posted from http://edenfalling.dreamwidth.org/417277.html. You may comment here or there.
The Cave of Two Lovers:
1. Pretty rock arches, pretty lush greenery, pretty river... *nature lust* (Note: One problem, though. It can't be later than, say, mid-February. Why is everything so green? Is Omashu that close to the equator? But the trees we see later in this episode look deciduous. *headdesk* It's like it's constantly late spring, wherever they go, no matter what season it ought to be. That is so annoying, especially after they got the midnight sun thing right at the south pole in the first couple episodes. Second note: Or wait, is Omashu in the southern hemisphere? It might well be, considering the Gaang visited it very early on. In which case it would be high summer down there, and the foliage makes perfect sense. Okay. Saved by geography! Third note: But wait, that still doesn't explain the greenery and flowers around Zuko and Iroh, since they're definitely up north... *headdesk*)
2. Pretty characters, too. (And practically naked! How the hell did they get away with this in a kids' show?) Let's see... Sokka has a sort of loincloth thing, Katara has wrapped-bandage shorts under a split-seam skirt and a sort of wrapped-bandage bra, and Aang is just wearing his same old shorts. (We already know his underwear is orange briefs. We've seen him go swimming and wake up in the middle of the night.)
3. Are those stoner hippies? Those are totally stoner hippies. Where did they come from, California in 1969? (Also, seriously, how does a kids' show get away with this stuff?)
4. Zuko and Iroh! Zuko with hair. Okay, basically a buzz cut, but still, hair. *ruffles said hair* *ducks flames* Interesting outfits. They're kind of olive green, and very severe in their cut -- they remind me a lot of army fatigues, actually -- but so far all the army uniforms we've seen have been fancier than this. I am curious about where and how they acquired these clothes. Did they trade for them? Or did they just nab some outfits off a clothesline and leave their colonial outfits as an unofficial barter?
5. Also, Iroh? If the question is tea or poison, and you can't tell the bushes apart, then don't drink it. This is not rocket science. *thwaps Iroh*
6. Random musical interlude with interpretive dance! *sporfle* Also, why I am not surprised the hippie nomad dude is too baked to remember the whole song? (And why I am sure there are plot-relevant things in the lines he's forgotten? Like, I don't know, monsters or cave-ins or something?)
7. I am with Sokka here. Those hippies do not inspire confidence.
8. Randomly, I must note that Appa is very fetching in violet. *grin*
9. Aww, the itty-bitty teeny-tiny fishie! *dies laughing* Actually, this whole scene cracks me up to hysterical degrees. (Azula vs. certain death? We'll take death!) So does the prior sequence with the fireballs and Sokka's deadpan, "Secret love cave, let's go." This is a very good comedy episode so far.
10. I note that Zuko's scar is hairless -- the right side of his face has a normal hairline, but the left side, not so much. Yay for realism!
11. I really like the carvings at the entrance to the underground cave/labyrinth/tunnel/whatever. The demon things with their bird/jackal heads seem sort of Hindu-influenced, or maybe a take-off on Tibetan demonology. They are definitely ominous, whatever tradition they hail from.
12. Sokka keeps his head and makes a rational plan. Sokka, I love you! (Have I said that enough lately? Because I totally love him. He's a massive doofus, but I sometimes think he's the only sane person in the Gaang. Then, of course, I realize he's just as crazy as the others in his own way, but it's my kind of crazy. Hurrah for empiricism!)
13. Zuko still cannot lie for shit. It is still adorable. Also, I like his random brown overtunic thing. Song's dress, on the other hand, is weird and unflattering.
14. Oh no, shifting tunnels! (But yay Sokka for figuring it out!)
15. Hmm. Song and her mother both wear lipstick. And Song's mother has the same unflattering dress style as her daughter.
16. Zuko lies more effectively here, mostly because he's not really lying; he's just being economical with the truth.
17. Wolf-bat! I love these crazy hybrid monsters.
18. Aaaand, separated by a cave-in. Poor Sokka, all alone with the hippies and Momo. *pets him* *pets Appa, too*
19. Zuko can sit in lotus meditation. Hmm. Flexibility, yes? *thinks dirty thoughts* (Also, seriously, what is up with that dress style? It is puffy and ugly and looks like a cross between a school uniform and a diaper -- the sort of thing you'd use to dress a toddler, not a pretty young woman. Except the shoes; those are cute.)
20. Oh, poor Zuko, getting the cruelty of your countrymen rubbed in your face, on the assumption that you were hurt the same way and for the same reasons. But it's okay, he needs a wake-up call. (And really, Song's not exactly wrong, is she? He was hurt by his father, a firebender, who treated him as an honorless, dehumanized thing to be toyed with.)
21. Appa wants OUT of those caves. I for one, don't blame him.
22. I am in LOVE with the ink drawing style used to illustrate the story of Oma and Shu. Gorgeous, gorgeous pictures.
23. *squishes Katara and Aaang forever and ever* Yes, silly idea. But not stupid, and very cute. And oh, Aang, way to put your foot in your mouth. (Hey, thought! If love is brightest in the dark... maybe the secret is to put out the lights? It can't be any dumber than playing love songs.)
24. Zuko, stealing is not the answer! *thwaps him*
25. Darkness, on the other hand is the answer. I was totally right. *is smug* Look, glow-in-the-dark crystal thingies in a path to freedom! Follow the light, you crazy kids.
26. Music hath charms to soothe the savage beasts, eh? *sporfle* Also, wow, I did not know badger-moles were so big.
27. "We let love lead the way." "Really? We let huge ferocious beasts lead our way." *dies laughing*
27. Aww, Momo is telling his adventure to Appa! And Appa bends down to listen. Socute!
28. Sokka, I feel for you. My forehead would be twice as red as yours by this point.
29. Oh, shit. Omashu is occupied! Now that is what I call a cliffhanger! (Almost literally, too; they are up on cliffs, after all. *grin*) I like how Fire Nation occupation means smoke trails, and also the little pagoda-style roofs that have sprouted over the plain, solid Earth Kingdom ramparts.
-----
And this is a very annoying place to leave off watching, but it's past midnight and I need sleep.
This entry was cross-posted from http://edenfalling.dreamwidth.org/417277.html. You may comment here or there.