In which I declare myself a fandom heretic
After the euphoria of Atla's Book 3 (Fire) wore off, I realized that I had some issues with it. And some is an understatement. It took me a while (another understatement) to put them together with any degree of coherency. I don't think I succeeded. But here they are, at last, to all intents and cathartic purposes.
( Cut for spoilers and heresies )
( Cut for spoilers and heresies )
elsewhere, I agree with this post fully. And no, I have not ever
shipped Zutara either. ;)
I think it is perfectly possible to have problems with the shipping of
a story and have valid criticism for other aspects of the story. All
the same, I am pleased as punch that other non-Zutara shippers see
problems wtih the finale. Avatar is a brilliant story. Perhaps if it
was less brilliant, the gaping holes of consistent inconsistency and
sub-standard story-telling in Season 3 won’t be so... gaping. Because
there is a lot of Season 3 that is fantastic - Zuko calling the old
man out; the Boiling Rock for all being written on top of a foundation
of shaky characterization is still an excellent episode - but because
so much of what was fantastic was built on or hedged between OOC/WTF
episodes, it just makes it worse.
LOL @ the minor wank. I almost wish there was wank. I feel like
if I’m letting some commenters down.
some of the writing team left before the series was done.
That makes a lot of sense. I never knew that.
We had it beaten into our heads for the first two season that Aang
had to beat Ozai BEFORE the comet's arrival. So why the hell are they
all playing beach party and going 'oh yea, btw, we decided we'd wait
until AFTER the comet to take on Ozai, that's cool, right? :D'.
*face-palm* I think I must have blacked that moment out of my head.
Because. Seriously. WTF?
Also? Combustion man was completely useless to the storyline. If
Zuko wanted to prove he was trustworthy, he should have told the Gaang
what his father's intentions were from the beginning.
THIS. I honestly don’t know WHY Combustion Man was brought into the
story. To make Zuko appear totally evil? Because he had gone from the
good son who wanted to get back his honour and his Dad’s approval to
the kind of small-minded bureaucrat that contracts out assassins to
his political rivals? Or maybe to show us another kewl bending
technique: ooo, he shoots fire from his middle eye! Or - and this is
cynical!me going all cynical on you - maybe, just maybe, Combustion
Man(TM) would have made a highly marketable Action Figure. Sort of
like Boba Fett for Avatar.
One more thing--Katara's 'forgiveness' with Zuko was poorly
handled. I'm glad it happened, but man, I would think she'd have been
ready to forgive Zuko after he saved HER FATHER, not because he helped
her on a ridiculous 'revenge' mission. That just seemed like a major
regression for both of their characters in that episode.
I had a nice looooong conversation with another Avatar fan just after
that episode aired (and one day I will find that thread). I hated that
episode. I also loved it. I loved that Katara was going on this
revenge mission for her mother who had been little more than the ‘Dead
Mother’ that is so popular in cartoons and fairy tales. I disliked
that there had been no earlier indication whatsoever that Katara was
sharpening a knife for the person that killed her mother, even though
she was following the Avatar around on a mission to defeat the Fire
Nation; or had been in Fire Nation territory a couple of times. The
whole lead up to Katara’s big revenge mission was simply this:
ZUKO: I know who killed your mother. Want to kill him back?
KATARA: Sure. You get Appa, I’ll get the ninja cloaks.
Lastly, I hated that Zuko was enabling this revenge mission,
especially since up until then we had known Zuko to be fanatical about
Honour, not Vengeance (contrary to Western viewers and writers, they
don’t mean the same thing!!!) Also, Zuko mocking on Aang for being
naively forgiving, one episode after Aang and co. had just forgiven
him wasn’t just OOC, it didn’t freaking make any sense!!!
Seriously, did different writers go to opposite sides of the globe,
write random episodes and throw them up in the air and show them out
of order? Because that was about the only way I could imagine that
level of fail happening on my beloved show.
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I think it is perfectly possible to have problems with the shipping of
a story and have valid criticism for other aspects of the story. All
the same, I am pleased as punch that other non-Zutara shippers see
problems wtih the finale. Avatar is a brilliant story. Perhaps if it
was less brilliant, the gaping holes of consistent inconsistency and
sub-standard story-telling in Season 3 won’t be so... gaping. Because
there is a lot of Season 3 that is fantastic - Zuko calling the old
man out; the Boiling Rock for all being written on top of a foundation
of shaky characterization is still an excellent episode - but because
so much of what was fantastic was built on or hedged between OOC/WTF
episodes, it just makes it worse.
LOL @ the minor wank. I almost wish there was wank. I feel like
if I’m letting some commenters down.
YESSSSS to ALL of this! I wanted to do a post like this back when the finale first came out, but there were so many cries of 'quit harshing my squee!' and 'lol, if you didn't love it, you must be a butthurt zootard' that I just shook my head and moved on. There were parts of S3 I loved as well as the finale--but there were plenty of complaints on many aspects to go with it. However, it seemed the moment you mention that you ship anything other than the 'canon' ships, that reason alone must encompass your entire argument and thus make it less valid. -_-
I could make a post all by itself on how poorly I felt the 'ships were done. Hell, I shipped Kataang up UNTIL s3. All they had to do was not mess up and actually show Katara making that conscious decision to view Aang as something other than a student/friend, and instead we got this ridiculous back and forth ambiguous behavior until the finale happens, and then boom--canon. Just because.
Sokka/Suki, and Suki herself actually, felt more like a tacked on afterthought. Sokka KNEW she had been captured before 'The Boiling Rock' happened. He SHOULD have figured it out when he saw Azula and co. in Kiyoshi garb back in the s2 finale. Yet he never mounts a rescue mission for her or even thinks about her (and in contrast, look at how often he thinks about Yue)--Suki is essentially a nice bonus.
Even worse is Zuko/Mai. You do NOT put essential build-up of a relationship into anything other than the actual series. Not once did we ever see Zuko think of Mai in s2 (outside of a flashback where the focus was on Azula's cruelty), and when she's not onscreen with him, Zuko can't seem to be bothered to think of her unless prompted by Sokka...which as I just elaborated before makes this pretty funny in a sad way (yet Zuko can seem to recall the words of the person he screwed over and she hasn't been seen since early s2...which is a shame).
Whoo--I told you I could go on about the fails of the canon 'ships--but for variation, let me tackle some other points.
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As much as I like Zuko, he was a shitty boyfriend.
I hate what they did to Mai and Ty Lee. Ty Lee hates being one of a matched set, but then they go and make her part of a group that has matching uniforms...and they let her join because she teaches them her moves. Ok then.
Mai. Oh man. I was waiting forever to see something to show that she wasn't that bad...and it never happened. Her sole motivation is Zuko and her own entertainment. She does not get to grow past this point, not even in 'The Boiling Rock', which is heralded as her big character growth. I'm sorry, but no. Family still means zip to her, Zuko always comes first. Mai has never been afraid of defying Azula before (see 'The Drill'), so why the hell would she now?
Most of all, I hate that Mai and Ty Lee are never even seen speaking to each other after they get imprisoned. I was hoping that Mai's big redeeming factor was gonna be in her realizing that she had a true friend in Ty Lee, and that there was a life outside of Zuko--and they screwed the pooch on that one too.
THIS. I honestly don’t know WHY Combustion Man was brought into the
story.
Marketing is probably the best answer--remember that cool ass dvd art with CM on it? Too bad he amounted to zip in the actual story. The worst thing Nick could have done with the series was allow for that 10 month gap--I had so many theories that would have been so much more fulfilling to see.
I disliked
that there had been no earlier indication whatsoever that Katara was
sharpening a knife for the person that killed her mother
Also, Zuko mocking on Aang for being
naively forgiving, one episode after Aang and co. had just forgiven him wasn’t just OOC, it didn’t freaking make any sense!!!.
The bolded--I especially hate how that one episode provided enough dialogue to imply that Katara's whole reason for going with Aang was for much less altruistic reasons than saving the world because it's the right thing to do...I swear, if this episode was done to make Katara seem more realistic, they hurdled right over 'realistic' and dipped their toes into the character derailment section.
The second bolded--THIS was the particular sting for me. Really, Zuko? Now that you have your forgiveness, screw everyone else and sidetrack further from the main goal to indulge in revenge in order to earn Katara's trust? I'm sorry, but no, Katara's trust < Saving the world.
I also hated how overpowered and sue-like Katara had become in s3. It seemed she could do no wrong and had no real conflict until bloodbending came into play--and then she's using it on random soldiers that she thinks may have killed her mom.
Spirit-bending is still a total asspull. If they wanted to have Aang be the hero without killing the bad guy, why not pit him against Koh and the comet itself? Why not let Iroh face Ozai the way Zuko faced Azula (though without outside help)?
I could go on, but if this is getting to be too much for your journal, feel free to PM me.
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I also hated how overpowered and sue-like Katara had become in s3. It seemed she could do no wrong and had no real conflict until bloodbending came into play--and then she's using it on random soldiers that she thinks may have killed her mom.
What the heck was this? I got excited when bloodbending got introduced because I just knew that it meant conflict later. Yet the way it turned out, it might as well not come into play at all. I fully expected her to bloodbend those soldiers, but I also fully expected her to feel very guilty and then wonder what this revenge was doing to her. Even if she went on with her plan, she (or Zuko!) should have stopped and thought about what her hate was turning her into.
But they acted like it never happened. The only person who as appalled was the viewer. Zuko widened his eyes in surprise for a moment, but he didn't really stop to think about it. It was just so aggravating seeing such a good potential moment go completely and utterly to waste, not to mention that it contradicted Katara's character development from the Puppetmaster.
I didn't hate season 3. There were a lot of epic moments in it that I liked. Still, I think it's biggest problem is that they introduced new storylines without the set up for them and then didn't resolve the ones that were already there all that well. I'm still kind of bitter that Iroh's trip to the Spirit World was never even mentioned again after season 1. I know that they were originally thinking of maybe an Iroh's past TV movie, but didn't we already know that wasn't coming through long before season 3? It was just so disappointing, especially considering how he was barely in the show in the last season.
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I don’t think the creators thought beyond, “let’s give Katara this angsty, dark new power and see her go all angsty and dark with it. It’s gonna be hot.”
I didn’t hate S3 either. I was genuinely happy with it when it first aired even though my happiness always needed a pinch of ‘don’t think too hard’ salt to go with it. Heck, I’d even be happy about the stories that they didn’t follow through (Iroh’s Spirit World connection, Ursa’s whereabouts) if it had really appeared that there was too much story to fit in. As it was, with the number of filler episodes in the season, there’s no reason why they couldn’t have finished off the plotlines coherently.
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*shakes head sadly* So much for fandom uniting the nerds against the world, right? Sometimes it seems like if we’ve just moved from one kind of schoolyard bullying to another.
Hell, I shipped Kataang up UNTIL s3. All they had to do was not mess up and actually show Katara making that conscious decision to view Aang as something other than a student/friend, and instead we got this ridiculous back and forth ambiguous behavior until the finale happens, and then boom--canon. Just because.
Wow, it’s as if you have a scanner that is looking through my skull and typing out my thoughts. So much word to this.
Sokka/Suki, and Suki herself actually, felt more like a tacked on afterthought. Sokka KNEW she had been captured before 'The Boiling Rock' happened. He SHOULD have figured it out when he saw Azula and co. in Kiyoshi garb back in the s2 finale. Yet he never mounts a rescue mission for her or even thinks about her (and in contrast, look at how often he thinks about Yue)--Suki is essentially a nice bonus.
I was always fanwanked that just because Sokka knew that Azula was impersonating Kyoshi Warriors did not mean that he should have assumed that Azula had to kill capture Kyoshi Warriors to impersonate them. But I know I was fanwanking when I thought that. Unless Azula actually pretended to be Suki herselfand not just any Kyoshi Warrior when she met the Earth King? Then all the fanwank in the world is not going to cut it.
You do NOT put essential build-up of a relationship into anything other than the actual series.
I am laughing so hard that I think I’m going to cry. Seriously, the number of times I have had fights bloody, drawn-out word wars spirited discussions with people who want to argue that there isn’t something fundamentally flawed with this is just crazy.
As much as I like Zuko, he was a shitty boyfriend.
"O hai, Mai! Didn't spare you a mention after I last saw you facing off a whole garrison and my crazy-ass sister on my behalf and I've been too busy getting coronated to go check up on you but I am so glad to know you're not dead! "
Ty Lee hates being one of a matched set, but then they go and make her part of a group that has matching uniforms...and they let her join because she teaches them her moves. Ok then.
I thought Ty Lee would have gone back to the circus after being ‘grafted’. The Beach gives her the ‘angsty’ back-story of being part of a matched set (what does that mean? That she came from seven sisters? That she came from septuplets? Siamese septuplets?) and the series ends with her being part of another matched set. Like you said: OK then.
I think that for all their pro-feminist ‘cred’, the creators of the show really don’t see anything beyond the “Strong Women Kick Ass But Want True Love” concept. Mai and Ty Lee don’t get a conversation because it probably never even occurred to Bryke that there should have been one. Anymore than we are suddenly supposed to accept that Ty Lee just bumped into the Kyoshi warriors in prison (after they had been conveniently transferred to the Boiling Rock) and became best friends with them.
I’ve already said all I can say about the Failtastic Failure of Zuko Mocking Aang’s Forgiveness. I think if I were to dwell on it any further, I might just burst a blood vessel.
If they wanted to have Aang be the hero without killing the bad guy, why not pit him against Koh and the comet itself? Why not let Iroh face Ozai the way Zuko faced Azula (though without outside help)?
That would have been brilliant. That would have been fantastic. And please do go on. I’d love to read more of your theories! Alternate theories/how S3 could have been improved is what I was looking forward to the most when I got the idea of posting this.
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Unless Sokka is completely oblivious, he should have realized that Azula had Suki's headdress specifically. So yeah, he herped till he derped.
In regards to Maiko--yeah, the foundation for a relationship shouldn't be left out of a story's main medium. It didn't work for J.K. Rowling when she wasted time telling us about Ginny and H/G instead of showing us, it certainly won't cut it for Bryke.
I still quirk an eyebrow at the idea of Zuko/Mai being permanent with how the characters are.
Zuko: Oh hai, you're alive! Awesome!
Mai: Don't ever break up with me again! I may have complained about you having responsibilities as a pampered prince, but now that you're the Fire Lord, it should be nooooo problem, right?
oTL
Ty Lee and Mai should have joined the circus together--and then when they tired of that, they should have joined up with Jun as awesome bounty hunters.
Zuko mocking Aang's lecture on forgiveness is almost up there with the Gaang deciding off-screen to wait until after the comet to take down Ozai in the 'what the flying fuck is this shit?!' department. Sadly, there are a lot of bits from s3 that fit into that department.
Oh god, you want my theories? Sweetheart, that could take a while, are you sure you don't want me to PM this or something?
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I've always thought so, too. I thought the Headband was a nice start to their coming-together moment... then Bryke kept on bringing in these religious obstacles. Why is Katara confused again? Because I honestly don't know if the narrative ever addresses it. If she's wary because Aang died on her once and she's scared he will die again, it's never shown. In fact she shows very little apprehension at the thought of Aang going into battle again which you would think, girlfriend or no girlfriend, after seeing Aang die, she might be a bit worried. :facepalm And Aang doesn't even work through the whole 'leave Katara or lose your powers' angst that was introduced in the S2-ending. It was just dropped on the way side...
Hey, at least, I know that I'm fanwanking the Kyoshi thing. :P
In regards to Maiko--yeah, the foundation for a relationship shouldn't be left out of a story's main medium. It didn't work for J.K. Rowling when she wasted time telling us about Ginny and H/G instead of showing us, it certainly won't cut it for Bryke.
*HI FIVES* The personality-switch in Bk5ff didn't help either. It just created some crazy possession/Polyjuice Potion theories.
Ty Lee and Mai should have joined the circus together--and then when they tired of that, they should have joined up with Jun as awesome bounty hunters.
That I would have loved to see. So tell me your other theories. You must. Unless you're more comfortable sharing them via PM? But I honestly don't mind. This is the discussion I'd rather be having anyway - how (not whether) the story could have been better.
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As for Aang's leave Katara or lose the powers thing--I think that's actually a common Western misconception of the lesson. The thing taught in Buddhism is that love is good--but possessive, all-consuming love is dangerous. Aang hadn't quite realized that his position as the Avatar means that restoring balance to the world comes before everything, including Katara. Instead, Aang placed Katara above it all and nearly lost everything.
Lol, don't get me wrong, I loved Harry/Ginny in HP, but I was forever irritated that JKR revealed more about Ginny in the interviews than she ever did in the books. If one was never really invested in Ginny's character, the subtle details laced in the earlier books about her true personality wouldn't have been noticed or remembered as well. In this case too, the fans did it better.
The problem with tossing my theories up there is that ten months is plenty of time to make A LOT of theories. I guess the main ones I stuck with was that I originally thought Azula was going to usurp the throne from Ozai by using Zuko and the Gaang as a scapegoat.
I theorized that the Gaang was going to be productive by collecting their old friends (Teo, Haru and The Duke) and going in search of more allies, leading them back towards the EK (where they would collect Longshot, Smellerbee, and Song. The latter via Zuko--I am still somewhat bitter they left that plot unresolved.)I was actually hoping that with Azula back in the FN, the Gaang would collect supporters and troops all over the EK and take back BSS since a Joo Dee was left in charge of it after Azula went home(honestly, I'm shocked Long Feng didn't return to rule, because...uh...he made the Dai Li/Joo Dee).
I also thought the White Lotus society would have had a much greater part to play.
I thought Koh was going to interfere with the comet and somehow use it to distort balance in the Spirit World, thus bringing Yue back into the story--and I thought that blood bending would have been used to save Sokka.
I know I had more theories, but those are right off the top of my head.
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My problem with it is that it’s set up and not followed through. Nobody even talks about it in Season 3. There’s an ass-pull pseudo-explanation for why Aang can’t achieve the Avatar State just before Invasion (or Sozin’s Comet? I don’t remember but I know it was before one of the two battles). But it’s not brought up before then and we never see Aang even trying to practice the Chakra lessons. He never works through the whole ‘Choose between Katara or the World’ dilemma again and that always felt like a cheat to me because if anyone should have been having misgivings about a relationship, it should have been Aang. It just seemed that it was more ‘traditional’ for the woman (so to speak) to be one who was undecided and Bryke was twisting Kataang to fit into this mold, regardless of how nonsensical inorganic it was.
Ah, H/G. I loved it until I hated it. A rant for another day.
I guess the main ones I stuck with was that I originally thought Azula was going to usurp the throne from Ozai by using Zuko and the Gaang as a scapegoat.
I loved that theory, not least because it made so much sense. Why would Azula spend her whole life trying to undermine Zuko, resenting him for being older and Crown Prince and eager to take his place, until to orchestrate a triumphant return to the Fire Nation for him? And no, wanting to pin Aang’s non-death is not enough reason. Azula had gone from being Daddy’s bounty hunter to the person who brought down the impenetrable Ba Sing Se in the space of a few episodes. She had laughed in the shadows as Azulon probably tortured Ozai. She was not a blindly devoted, Daddy’s Little Girl that fandom liked to paint her as. She was going to kill Ozai and frame Zuko and with one stone, get rid of the two things standing between her and the Fire Nation throne. Alas, right?
And the Gaang really needed to get all their allies back in the story. What happened to the freaking Northern Water Tribe Army? They were planning an invasion, you would think they’d carry along the only standing army they had left, and not just a band of random warriors. Nobody even brings up the Northern Water Tribe at all in Book Three. I didn’t really think we’d see Song in battle, but I had this idea that one of the last scenes in Season 3 would be Zuko returning her horse/hybrid creature back to her.
I thought Koh was going to interfere with the comet and somehow use it to distort balance in the Spirit World, thus bringing Yue back into the story--and I thought that blood bending would have been used to save Sokka.
Now that would have been cool. My theory was that Aang would realize early enough in Season 3 that when Azula killed him, and Katara brought him back to life, it was only Aang that came back to life. The Avatar Spirit was dead. And he’d have to go through a dangerous, weird, trippy Spirit quest to bring back life to the Avatar Spirit. And this would have brought in all the Spirit friends and allies and non-allies like Koh. And heck, that could have been a more organic lead up to Aang finding the Lion Turtle and getting his Avatar powers back from said turtle and finding out how to take away bending powers (Ozai) and give bending powers (Teo). Very early on in Season 3, from the first episode in fact - I always thought that Aang would separate from the Gang: it would be a bit like Appa’s Lost Days but stretched over at least half of the season. During his separation, he’d go on his Spirit Quest and find out more about the Fire Nation, and maybe even meet up with Zuko and learn Fire bending before both joined back with the Gang.
Ah, theories. Tell me more though. I’m really enjoying talking through them. Maybe we could just write up our own altSeason 3. We could make up Chapter titles and summaries, too. :)
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To elaborate a little, I thought Azula would latch onto the idea of usurping the throne once someone (Combustion man, if only to give him some actual purpose in the show) managed to manipulate their way into Ozai's favor, via naming Mai and/or Ty Lee as traitors and thus putting Azula's judgment under scrutiny. Elaborate plots like this were fairly common in the ancient dynasties, and I was a little disappointed that it wasn't utilized in Avatar to keep the story fresh.
The reason I wanted Song back in the story so much was because I believe her character would have been a good way to help ease tensions when Zuko joined the Gaang, and because I felt that Song needed to learn that you shouldn't put all your hopes and faith into one being without doing anything yourself. Not to mention, Katara's healing abilities are patchy, and she's a much better warrior than she is a healer--Song's medical expertise and herbal knowledge could have come in VERY handy. Want a non-lethal way to stop a bender? How about White Jade powder bombs? Can't bend fire if you're suffering a furious itch, right? There was a lot of potential I saw there, and it was just left to the wayside, like so many other brilliant ideas...
Plus, the way the scene was filmed, it felt like Song was due for a reappearance. Why bother showing Song's crestfallen disappointment with Zuko if it was never to be touched on again? They could have just ended the episode with him running off with the mount, but they specifically focused on her reaction to it.
I chalk up her to be one of many scrapped storyboards that occurred when some of the writers left.
I like your theory on Aang's trip to rediscover the Avatar spirit, but as cool as it sounds, it probably would have taken quite a bit more than 20 episodes to pack everything in there while making use of most of the cast. I really wanted The Duke to find Smellerbee and Longshot. I really wanted Haru to rally other Ek warriors the way Katara inspired him the first time around. I really, really wanted Song back in the storyline because the characters were really starting to show just how screwed up they were, and a well-adjusted character like her is a breath of fresh air. I WANTED TEO AND SOKKA TO STRATEGIZE TOGETHER! ;-;
Plus, I had weird dreams of Mai actually showing concern towards an ill Ty Lee (malnourished aura in prison/illness?) and telling Song to fix her. It was weird, but I really wanted it to happen because just that little bit would have redeemed Mai somewhat.
I had other theories, but they were scrapped when the episodes were coming out because I kept adjusting to them to what was shown to be canon, so I forgot some...but I'll tell you this, my epilogue wouldn't have been a friggin' tea party all the way in BSS right after being named as the ruler of a VERY unstable nation.
No lies, I was tempted to re-write s3 in my head, but after watching all of it, I felt so letdown and my motivation kinda sapped away. It returns in small spurts of guilt when I look at my poor, neglected Zuko/Song prompt community, but past that, I haven't given Avatar much thought since 2008.
I will tell you that my series' epilogue was just sort of a brief, light-hearted overview of what most of the cast was doing. The one scene I remembered best was of Jun, Mai and Ty Lee tracking down Kuei and dragging him back to BSS while he just gushed over Nyla. Ty Lee and Bosco were hugging because they missed each other and Mai was actually smiling in a contented fashion after some good-natured snarking with Jun.
I think there was also a race between Teo and Toph, with him flying and her earth-surfing. I lol'd.
*sigh* What could have been.
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I love the idea of Song as a medic and using her non-Bending skillz to help the war effort. And you’re absolutely right that the Song episode ended in such a way that it foreshadowed her returning into the story.
I like your theory on Aang's trip to rediscover the Avatar spirit, but as cool as it sounds, it probably would have taken quite a bit more than 20 episodes to pack everything in there while making use of most of the cast.
I think if they deleted a lot of extraneous episodes (Runaway, Painted Lady, Sokka’s Master, etc) there might have been quite some room to explore Aang’s adventures in the Spirit World. Remember his other adventures in the Spirit World never took more than 2 episodes in a row (the Winter Solstice, the Siege of the North, the CoD, etc).
The Tea Party epilogue might actually have been a good idea if it was clearly a couple of years after the events of Sozin’s Comet. As it stands, it looks like if Zuko was crowned King then took an air balloon to join Iroh at Ba Sing Se, leaving the Fire Nation to sort itself out. Fail.
Ty Lee and Bosco were hugging because they missed each other and Mai was actually smiling in a contented fashion after some good-natured snarking with Jun.
LOL! I would have paid good money to see that! :D If you ever change your mind about writing your alt-Season 3, I'm right here. :D :D
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S3 needed more non-benders being badass, for realz.
If they had structured Aang's storyline as an A-plot/B-plot thing so that we didn't have to completely ignore the rest of the cast at the time, it could have been possible...hm.
I agree the Tea party should have been done like...maybe a year or so after the comet. Not a couple of months. Not with the way Zuko got the throne.
To this day, I still think it was dumb of Azula to leave Joo Dee in charge of BSS with no problems.
I think the ultimate issue with re-writing S3 is figuring out absolutely everything that should be made a priority and figuring out how to work it into 20 episodes. As it is, I can only seem to write post-series short stories here and there for my own prompt community, and the inspiration for those are few and far in-between. It's easy to know what I would have wanted done because I see it in my head--but putting it down in print would just be ungodly amounts of tl;dr...which is sad that a great series left me with that much need for alternative story lines, right?
What were the major things you wanted to see, aside from Aang's spirit journey?
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Secondly, I am so sorry it's taken me this long to respond! I hope you don't think I'm the kind of person who's only interested in talking when people disagree with her! RL obligations have tied a noose around my neck and i have been busy, busy, busy. Please I'm so sorry...
As to your question: what would I like to see? Well, that's tricky, isn't it? Mmmmm.... It's so much easier to say all the things I didn't want to see! But what to have seen instead?
Let's see...
Definitely, Aang Alone. I'm thinking the first episode of Season 3 when he runs off? He should stay away from the Gaang, travel around the Fire Nation and its colonies, learn about himself. He'll discover soon enough that he's no longer an Avatar - Azula killed the Avatar Spirit when she Lightning-shot him in the Avatar State. katara just brough 'Aang' to life, not the Avatar. So Aang will have to go on a spiritual quest, first by trying to find his way into the old Fire Nation Temples, then by going into the spirit world, somehow. (And this could be a nod without a direct revelation of how Iroh was able to do it).
After he comes out of the Spirit World, he has to find his way back to his friends. This is Aang traveling around the Fire Nation (think Zuko Alone and Appa's Last Days expanded over several episodes), learning Fire Bending from a whole variety of common people and in the process, learning about the Fire Nation and realizing that his enemy has a face. If this leads to the whole 'no killing Ozai because he was once a baby' resolve, then I'm cool with that. But there has to be more lead up to it than, "Oh! I just realized after 2 seasons of fighting and killing random mooks that I'm a pacifist monk who can't kill the Ultimate Evil Guy."
Meanwhile, Sokka and the Gaang are preparing for the Invasion. It requires gathering their old friends and this does not happen over night. Perhaps the Gaang splits up more as they go on different quests to get people? Sokka tries to find out what happened to Suki before the Black Sun. Perhaps he even attempts to rescue her single-handedly before then? And he almost gets caught and gets unexpected help from Mai (let's make her more sympathetic from the start) who remembers the whole Sokka-taking-care-of-Tom-Tom thing and has a soft spot for him.
I'm just thinking all this out as I type so I'm going to be throwing some things out there randomly.
What if Hakoda and most of the Southern Water Tribe warriors are captured? Right from the first episode? That is added impetus for Aang to leave the group because he has failed them. Then if we're trying to stick to canon, it can give a more realistic bent to Katara-going-dark. It pushes Sokka into the de facto leadership position much sooner, too.
Meanwhile, Mai and Zuko's getting-together has to be shown clearly on screen. If it means exclusively focusing Episode 1 on Aang and the Gaang and Episode 2 on Zuko and Azula, etc. respectively, so be it. And instead of the comical 'let's give Zuko added impetus to go back to the Fire Nation because he likes Mai', let their dating be Mai's assignment from Azula to keep tabs on her brother.
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Well, let me see what I can remember...
OK, day of the black sun is coming. Sokka and the rest of his rag-tag army launch the Invasion with the plan that the Gaang will take out Ozai by their combined powers of awesome. Once again, Azula is waiting and checkmates them by taunting Sokka about Suki (only this time, he's tried to find her and he's been made to believe that she's only his second dead girlfriend so when we see him cry, we actually care that he's crying and not wondering why he's upset over a girl that he hasn't thought about since Ba Sing Se). Meanwhile, Zuko calls the Old Man Out for pretty much the same reason he does in the 'canon' S3. (Instead of Combustion Man, perhaps Zuko also campaigned in preventing the Northern Water Tribe Army from reaching the Fire Nation).
After Zuko leaves to save Iroh, Azula steps into the Throne Room and in a non-bending-involved completely-underhanded move, kills Ozai and makes it look like Zuko did it. Meanwhile, the Invasion army is surrounded and all hope since lost... until AANG RETURNS and saves the Gaang and a few others. Zuko follows, like in canon.
OK, I have to go off again. More later. :D This is fun!
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