3x07 The Runaway

[6.7/10] I really want to give this a bad grade. The Toph-Katara conflict is forced, and the “three days later” fake out is cheesy, and like “The Beach” the emotions and psychology are so loud and on-the-nose.

But man, the scene with Sokka and Toph discussing what Katara means to them is so damn great. It is the strange, transcendent, heartwarming moment amid an otherwise weak episode, and I don’t know what to do with. Sokka admitting that he can’t remember what his mother looks like, how much he appreciates Katara being strong and stepping up when they lost their mom, how he looks to Katara to look after him, is all just the most heartfelt, affecting stuff she, or the audience, could possibly hear about the brother and sister. And while it’s not quite as impactful, hearing Toph say how much she appreciates that Katara treats her with kindness and caring in contrast to her real mom is still very strong stuff. That moment alone justifies the whole damn episode.

But boy, does it need it. As I said about “The Beach,” the notion of Toph feeling smothered since she’s used to that from her real parents, and Katara wanting to prove that she’s not a stick in the mud, and those two impulses clashing, is a solid premise. It’s just done in a really hackneyed, cornball fashion for 90% of the episode. I thought their conflict felt forced when Toph first came aboard, and it’s the same thing now, regardless of the fact that it’s dressed up in everyone’s parental issues.

The fact that Katara wants Toph and the rest of Team Avatar to stop grifting is a sitcom-level conflict, though I do appreciate the novelty of Katara sweating her way into having enough liquid to bend to break out of their wooden cage. The fight with Combustion Man was brief, but cool, which again, you sort of needed since most of the comedy and drama in the episode fell flat.

Overall, this is an episode where you’ll be rolling your eyes or looking at your watch through much of it, but damn, that one scene just blows you away and I have a feeling it’s all I’ll remember when I think about this episode down the line.

[EDIT: I rewatched this one to try to convince my wife (who's been amused by clips of Toph's antics) to watch the show, mostly based on the gags. On a second watch, I'd probably bump the rating of this one up a bit. it's still pretty loud in the emotional material it's trying to do, but the scene with Sokka and Toph is still quite affecting, and there's lots of funny gags to go 'round.]

This is another one of those episode that feels inconsequential when it starts off but as it goes on reveals itself to be far more important. This is a character showcase for Toph, who has been mostly on the backburner this season as the show delves into setting up the Fire Nation. Plus, her lack of personal stakes in the fight means she's difficult to work with in the context of the narrative, so instead we find that her development is specifically about that - compared to everybody else, she has very little invested here outside of being a literal runaway from her parents. Because of that, it's clear Toph, despite being the most secure of the team in terms of abilities, may be the youngest in terms of her emotions and feelings, which makes her endlessly fascinating.

And her arguments with Katara reflect this. Katara is very much the "mature one" of the group, and Toph rebelling very much feels like a child going against her parents - something she knows all too well. Plus, this gives an excuse for Sokka and Toph to have a talk together, which is one of the best scenes of the season so far thanks to stellar character writing and direction. And the final battle against Combustion Man (or Sparky Sparky Boom Man) is aces. This is a fantastic episode in general, one that once again shows this show's mastery over character.