I can haz internetz?

[ebonlock]

Victory for Zim! I lost my internet connect for no obvious reason sometime late Friday night or early Saturday morning. This was vexing because I didn't have a monitor for my desktop which is what my cable modem and router are hooked up to. It was clear I was going to need to do some monkeying around on said computer so a monitor purchase was in my future. I considered blowing off class to go buy one, then talked myself out of that plan with a promise to hit Fry's on the way back.

Class was incredible. First I got there in time to see eilonwey in the beginner's group, who lured me into doing the Goddess double veil routine with her and Alyne after it. I was very nervous as I haven't danced the thing in years but it was so much fun and I only screwed up a little. She had to dash and I ended up getting a solo class with Alyne which was just a delight. I swear if I didn't already believe in magic I would have after meeting this woman. She's the only person I've ever known who just has to smile or give me a hug to take away all my worries and problems. She's...inspiring, not in an over the top kind of way, not in a way most people would even recognize, but just by being so inherently decent, kind and generous. She just has this aura about her that puts you in mind of someone like the Dalai Lama, a deep well of goodness and spirituality, but at the same time this passion for everything she does.

After class I ran some much needed errands and picked up a reasonably priced monitor at Fry's. A flat panel one too! Got home and showered and tidied up before moonlightnrain showed up for B7 night. We had a nice relaxed evening, which was good as I'd apparently inadvertently poisoned her the night before. Some people apparently react very badly to the chicken substitute Quorn and she would appear to be on that list. Good to know.

Later I watched my Japanese historical drama Furan Kazan which includes this OMG beautiful Buddhist monk/Warrior general character who I just like to stare at for as much of the hour as he appears in. I really must find out who he is and what else he's been in. Then I switched over to Adult Swim to see who'd won the viewer's choice contest and what they'd chosen to watch. Harvey Birdman and Venture Brothers, yee-haw! And my favorite ep of HB to boot (the one with the Jetsons). I don't know who the mystery viewer was but I loved their taste in animated series.

Sunday I slept in nice and late, then ran a few more errands, washed my poor long suffering car, and with the computer gods smiling down upon me benevolently, got my internet up and running again. When in doubt unhook everything and restart it all in the proper order. Sometimes the easiest answers are the correct ones.

Now, regarding this week's episode of Avatar,

I liked it but I didn't love it. To be honest I spent most of it wishing we'd drop the Aang storyline and just stick with the Zuko subplot. I mean the whole school thing was ok, but dude I saw "Footloose" back in the 80's, I didn't really need to see it again. The dance party at the end was cute and much as I'm in favor of all varieties of shipping, anyone who doesn't see Kataang now has got their head seriously buried in the sand. I mean, c'mon. Did like that the two started their "dance" with a straight up Ba Gua move that I'd seen on the DVD I got. I squeed like a little girl over that.

Now the Zuko subplot was way more interesting, I loved the scene between him and Mai on their picnic and I must admit I'm digging Mai/Zuko intensely. I also loved that it was tough to say who was Azula's bigger bitch (though I'd put Mai a little ahead). And I don't buy Azula's whole, "I'm just trying to look out for you" bullshit. That girl is a shark who'd have no compunction about killing anyone who gets in her way. I also love that she's always a couple of steps ahead of Zuko and always will be.

The Zuko and Iroh scenes just broke my heart but they both stayed so completely true to the characters that I loved them dearly. Zuko is what he is, and he's not going to turn into a nice guy any time soon, thank the gods. If he did I'd probably lose all interest in him. I love how he was in turns angry and mocking, then pleading and contrite with his uncle. Still the spoiled little prince who just expects to get his way in all things, for the first time in his life he's bereft of any caring parental figure to look after him and he's absolutely terrified. It leads him into what will undoubtedly prove to be his dumbest move yet, hiring big, bad and beefy to go kill Aang.

I'd hoped that Zuko would take off on Mommy Quest under his own momentum, but it's starting to look like he's going to have to flee the Fire Nation before Daddy dearest finishes the job he started at the Agni Kai. I hope he still ends up doing the right thing, even if it is for the wrong reasons. Will he free Uncle before he goes? Or will Zuko end up teaching Aang firebending because he knows that Aang and company will at least let him live whereas Dad and Azula will put him down like a rabid dog given the chance.

Comments

[ebongreen.livejournal.com]

That girl is a shark who'd have no compunction about killing anyone who gets in her way.

... which is one reason why I've speculated elsewhere that we might see an Azula/Ozai face-off at some point. After all, she can't be Fire Lady unless he's dead.

The big questions for me are: does Ozai see it coming? If so, is he willing to kill his own daughter - or have someone else do it for him?

To Azula, Zuko is merely a minor complication (translated: useful but disposable patsy & tool). :-|

[ebonlock.livejournal.com]

Oh I totally think Azula will take out Ozai, as I said I don't think Aang would be able to do it if he tried. He'd win the battle but wouldn't be able to kill the guy. So I see him handing Ozai's ass to him then Azula moving in and planting a knife between dad's shoulder blades. End of season 3.

And Ozai would have to be a moron not to see it coming, indeed I think his main disappointment is Zuko is that he's always know that his boy wouldn't have the balls to do it.

[ebongreen.livejournal.com]

But Ozai (in the limited time we've seen him) doesn't strike me as a moron; this is the man who schemed his older brother out of the way for the Fire Nation's throne, and may have had his nephew assassinated along the way to do so.

So assume he's not a moron. Why then isn't Azula already dead, since "everyone" can see she's the biggest threat to him around?

[ebonlock.livejournal.com]

I'm assuming for the same reason that Palpatine kept on teaching students even though eventually one of them would kill him. It's a pretty standard Chinese martial arts story trope, eventually the pupil takes out the master and assumes his/her position. I think Ozai not only knows it's coming but welcomes the thought that when he's too old/feeble to rule that Azula will kill him.

[ebongreen.livejournal.com]

So much for functional family dynamics. "The more homicidal you are, the more fit you are to RULE!"

There's a difference between forced retirement and assassination. Did Ozai know the difference? (Maybe.) Does Azula? I think NOT.

I think Ozai not only knows it's coming but welcomes the thought that when he's too old/feeble to rule that Azula will kill him.

There's much yet to be revealed, but I don't see Ozai's character in that way. It seems way too honorable and way too little self-preservative. He's gotta recognize that Azula's not "Daddy's little girl" - she's an extremely talented and ambitious psychopath. He's too smart to not have a failsafe against her, because deterrence is the only language she seems to understand.

[ebonlock.livejournal.com]

I guess ultimately if we find out who offed granddad we'll have a clue as to how the family dynamic actually works. To me, though, I can only see two possible answers:

1. Ozai's not terribly bright (ambitious, lucky and ruthless, but not all that smart), and he lets his emotions rule him. Hence his kicking Zuko out and leaving the path to the throne open to Azula, who he sees as capable and a viable heir to the throne but no real threat.

2. Ozai is pretty damn smart and knows that there's no way in hell Zuko's going to ascend the throne unless he manages to pry it out of Azula's cold, dead fingers. He knows that ultimately Zuko isn't going to follow in his footsteps and conquer the world for the Fire Nation, but Azula will. She's his true heir in every sense, and just as his dad had to go eventually it's going to be his turn and he knows damned well she's going to be the one to land the final blow. It'll be a kind of final exam, if she can best him then she is the rightful heir and she's earned her place. If he beats her, well he's always got the spare to fall back on if need be. In the meantime he knows who his true competition is and follows the old adage, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer".

[ebongreen.livejournal.com]

How about #2a?

He's smart and knew that back when he exiled him Zuko was no match for Azula: not devious enough, not skilled enough, not "man enough". He exiled Zuko with his uncle in part to have Iroh straighten the boy's head out - to temper him, in a sense, and make him strong and resilient enough to best Azula. It also took Zuko mostly out of the range of Azula-engineered "accidents". He's not playing favorites between them, but he is giving Zuko a chance he wouldn't otherwise have had, while playing within the rules and customs necessary for a Fire Lord.

The fact that so far both the exile and Iroh seem to have failed to have the desired effect on Zuko so doesn't mean it was a bad plan. Zuko's existence is part of the deterrence. :-,

[ebonlock.livejournal.com]

This would, of course, mean that Ozai would have zero understanding of the new and improved Iroh. It would assume that he didn't notice how changed his brother was by the death of his own son.

[ebongreen.livejournal.com]

Oh, I don't know about that. Iroh may be new and improved; and it may have been Iroh's choice to join Zuko on the road. Once Iroh made his choice, there might not be eff-all Ozai could do about it.

Besides, if Iroh goes with Zuko, Ozai's throne is that much more secure because Iroh won't contest it and Zuko's his ace in the hole away from Azula. If he stays, he's still a counter to Azula because Iroh knows she's a psycho bitch, and Iroh's Ozai's local ace. Win win.

[pikabot]

I will admit to being completely biased in this, but I would personally have traded the Zuko subplot away for another few minutes of WANG FIRE.

[ebonlock.livejournal.com]

Well I'm glad we both got something to enjoy in the episode then ;)

[pikabot]

Well,I pretty much loved it from start to finish. The Zuko plot was all well and good, Wang Fire just happened to be the single best thing I've ever seen.

[canellaphile.livejournal.com]

The Zuko and Iroh scenes just broke my heart but they both stayed so completely true to the characters that I loved them dearly.

Yes! I think that really got me good too... guh.

his dumbest move yet, hiring big, bad and beefy to go kill Aang
That's saying a lot, since he's made a lot of dumb moves. Is it crazy that that's what I love about our characters?

[ebonlock.livejournal.com]

That's saying a lot, since he's made a lot of dumb moves. Is it crazy that that's what I love about our characters?

I think that's incredibly sane, myself, but then I like characters who are allowed to be dumb from time to time and make the wrong decisions. Zuko is a rash, hot-headed, often thoughtless teenager and the writers let him be that without turning him into a cookie-cutter villain. There's always this inevitability about his mistakes, even though part of you hopes that this time he'll learn from previous mistakes, that this time he'll pull it off you know he won't. He's going to shoot himself in the foot every damn time because of his arrogance, insecurity and thoughtlessness.