That finale everyone's talking about

[jlh]

Reacting to finales is a tricky business when you don't have expectations to compare reality to. One of my post-HP strategies when dealing with SF-F or action adventure canons is to not have expectations, to never think about where the thing is going until it's over. There was nothing I was hoping to see in the finale; Suki had already returned

Comments

[imaginarycircus]

I pretty much agree completely. Suki rocked and I loved the moment in the Ember Island Players when she says, "You never told me you made out with a moon goddess." She is so cool about it until Sokka shushes her and then she is just all whatever you weirdo. :D

Aang meditating and I can only assume praying for guidance and then the Lion Turtle showing up was so lovely and subtle. I wish I had started watching earlier.

[jlh]

It's interesting that you find the Lion Turtle lovely and subtle; a lot of the more plot-oriented fans felt it was a clunky deus ex machina. I'm not plot-oriented so I don't feel qualified to speak to that; it didn't stick out to me at any rate.

Clearly, my love for Suki, it is great.

[imaginarycircus]

I have seen complaints about it being deus ex machina because it seemed to come out of nowhere to some people. The subtle part is Aang meditating and praying for guidance. He didn't announce, "OK, I'll go meditate and hope the universe gives me an answer." That would have been unsubtle.

There was nothing subtle about the lion turtle, but I was OK with that.

[sistermagpie]

Adding my own few notes: Of course the guru was wrong! Aang spent the pre-series days so detached from the world it was destroyed without his noticing. This kid *needs* someone to love in the real world. He needs attachments to be the Avatar. Have I mentioned I *love* stories where helping others over one's own personal spiritual advancement is rewarded

[peri_peteia]

I assumed he was surprised to see Mai because she got out before his own ability to get her out would have gotten her there. Iow, by the time he was able to get down to that kind of business she was already on her way, or just in general it was too fast.I made this same assumption. The coronation seemed to be taking place very soon after the final battle (the next morning was the impression I got) and I figured that Zuko, as incumbent Fire Lord for a few hours, wasn't quite yet in the position to send an edict to release anyone from prison or, if he had, he didn't expect them to put it into effect until the flame diadem was on his head. But one assumes Mai's uncle heard about the change in regime and decided to get her out and anyone's objections were met with the fact that the boyfriend she committed treason for to get imprisoned in the first place was now the Fire Lord

[jlh]

Toph is an advantage, but in a way she's like a weapon that needs to be aimed. While Katara and Zuko, particularly before their adventure, needed to be controlled a bit (and having the one goal of subduing Azula did that) and Aang needed to be reassured and supported, Toph really needed Sokka to help her do exactly what needed to be done, whenever they weren't in a direct fighting situation. As she gets older she'll work out how to be more offensive than defensive, and have her own ideas.

My favorite moments in TBR are when Zuko and Sokka are all, "Observe, please, my kickass girlfriend, for she is awesome."

I see what you're saying about Mai-with all those people assembled I thought more time had passed than I guess did, but with those endings it's really hard to tell.

Zuko will probably turn out to have thought about everything she said and do something kind of awesome for her at some point

Totally, because he's like that.

[best_of_five]

umm. ok, so i'm like lameishly super lame at figuring out that you have an avatar tag and am reading your posts. but mostly i'm just here to make puppy dog eyes and ask if you've ever considered writing zuko/sokka because i've read every fic in that fandom 5x over now and there's nothing left to read :(

/shameless begging

♥