I had a blast with this adventure! Romance, action, suspense...everything you could want! Plus, the ending came out of nowhere; far be it from me to spoil it!
Uncle Iroh is me when I have an allergic reaction
I appreciate seeing Zuko in a vulnerable state, I feel like he can learn to be better
Aang, not that smooth boy
This is unequivocally one of the best episodes of the series. An iconic masterpiece where Sokka and Appa are at their absolute best, Zuko’s slow journey to growth “begins,” the comedy is peak, earth bending is explored, and things come together so perfectly. Fantastic.
"Earth Kingdom it is." — Zuko
7/10
Sokka rules this episode, he is hilarious
This episode's A-plot is high key goofy but I kinda love it. The hippy nomads were fucking hilarious literally everything they said and idid got a laugh out of me. Plus there's lots of good introspective Zuko and Iroh moments too. He's still a shit but you can see some cogs turning behind the eyes. The only real eh point was Katara and Aang's romance which i never find compelling but those elements aren't too dominant and the story of Oma and Shu and the founding of Omashu is genuinely sweet. I feel like this is an episode people might say to skip (a la the great divide) but it's just so fun!
i frickin love this episode so much and also the greatest song that have ever been written is in this episode, SECRET TUNNELLLL SECRET TUNNELLLL
SECRET TUNNEL, SECRET TUNNEL. THROUGH THE MOUNTAIN, SECRET SECRET SECRET SECRET TUNNEL! yeah
In terms of comedy, this might be one of the show's finest hours. The creative decision to have the nomads be a group of in-universe hippies is, frankly, genius, and their interactions with Sokka are a goldmine of stellar comedic writing, gags, and wit. It's also one of the lighter episodes of the show in terms of story, meaning it's all about character development this time around.
And that is where this episode shines. Aang and Katara's romance has been played mostly for laughs up until this point, but here it takes a route towards a more emotionally honest and serious direction which is much appreciated. Their chemistry is fantastic, and while it may seem a bit on the "teenage love/angst" side, it's far better done then others of it's ilk and frankly a bit of angst is never a bad thing. Zuko and Iroh's journey is equally as compelling, and the moral ambiguity at the center of Zuko's decisions continue to make him a compelling character, particularly now the show is moving him away from the antagonist direction. Just another stellar episode from top to bottom.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2017-01-24T00:04:05Z
9.0/10. Another quality episode, adding depth and character shading to everyone.
I have to admit, at first this one felt like a generic “village of the week” story to me. After the (semi-literal) fireworks of the opening episode, I expected one of those weightless jaunts that the show like to mix-in, and in some ways, this still had that “side story” quality to it, but it was just done really well.
I also have to admit that initially, I found the hippie musicians really dull. It’s a hoary trope, and they initially didn’t add much. But after a while, they won me over. One of the comedic tacks that usually works for me with Avatar is when Sokka is playing “last sane man” to a bunch of wacky and/or spiritual people, and that was this to a tee. His endless frustrations with them, and their blissful ignorance and obliviousness to his concerns, was a good source of comedy, right down to the red mark on Sokka’s forehead from how he kept repeatedly slapping it after the hippies would say dumb things. The fact that he eventually gave into their music to soothe the (nicely set up) earthbending giant badgers was a nice touch, and the smash cut from the gang saying they’ll do what makes Appa happy to being besieged by fire-bombs was perfect. I’ll even confess that the hippie’s songs had a certain twee, hipster charm to them that won me over.
The B-story, with Zuko and Iroh feeling sick and hungry, to the point that they pretend to be travelers and receive help from a nice family at an Earth Kingdom village, was a winner as well. I like that they’re not defrosting Zuko completely just yet. It would be easy to turn him into a pure good guy right out of the gate, but it’s more interesting to have him receive easy kindness outside his people and slowly but surely defrost. The double-meaning of his conversation with the kind Earth Kingdom girl, about both of them having been hurt by the Fire Kingdom, and the sharing of their scars was an impressive moment, one that spoke to the warring sides of Zuko who wants to be loyal to his upbringing but is also coming to terms with the way it’s damaged him, literally and figuratively. The fact that he steals a mount from the folks who fed and cured him and his uncle shows that he still has a bit to go.
And the third aspect of the story – romance with Aang and Katara – is the one I expected to roll my eyes at. Instead, it worked unexpectedly well. I’ve never been big on the romantic pairing between the two of them. Aang’s affections tend to be a little too Tex Avery, and Katara a little too oblivious for it to work for me. But here, there was a certain adorable kiddie affection between them that I bought into, and the fade to the dark for their kiss was a nice artistic touch to drive things home.
What’s more, I loved how they tied it together with not only the lore of the tunnel itself, but with the city of Omashu. The art shift was nicely done, and it’s the sort of legend that deepens the world, giving us into a glimpse of the first earthbenders, and a Romeo and Juliet story that makes the Four Kingdoms seem like a richer place. The gut punch at the end of seeing Omashu in flames and under Fire Kingdom banners is the perfect followup to that setup.
Overall, it’s another superb episode to help get the season on the right foot, with good comedy from Sokka, good character development for Zuko, and good romance and world-building with Aang and Katara.