Avatar Season Two, or, I am a foxy knowledge seeker

[jlh]

Last week I was grading and planning an exam, so I had Avatar on, and found myself racing through the entire season, and I had to watch it again because I skipped some stuff. Anyway, here's the new list o'questions:

1. Why didn't I realize what a downer this was going to be?
   
2. I found the minor one-week-only characters to be much more annoying than I did first season, possibly because I was impatient for plot, but also because they seemed to all be obstructing, rather than merely distracting.
   
3. Oh, emo learning Zuko, I just like you so much better when you're not pouting.
   
4. I pretty much adore Uncle Iroh.
   
5. Speaking of which, the whole "let's have a teashop" plot? Awesome.
   
6. I also love Toph. She's not a fav just from how she is, but I think she's pretty great. I particularly like the way she rubs against Katara because it pushes Katara out of that Wendy role of being the girl trying to wrangle all these boys.
   
7. I continue to adore Sokka. He's so hardcore.
   
8. I adore Mai. She's so hardcore yet so full of ennui. But her mother is an idiot.
   
9. I don't, however, have a lot of time for Azula, mostly because she seems to always win, always know what to do, always get her own way, always lie or be obnoxious, and it's kinda boring.
   
10. I loved the political intrigue in Ba Sing Se! Usually I am not so much about the utopia-as-dystopia thing, but I enjoyed the how and why behind this one. Poor old Earth King.

ali_wildgoose and I were talking just a day before I watched season 2 about the SF/F penchant for monarchy and hierarchical social structures and birth destiny and how yes, that makes things simpler because many reading those genre don't care about political intrigue. But I do yearn for SF/F that results in real revolution, of the sort that we have actually had in our own universe. It was a disappointment in HP, because I really thought that was where she was going to go (especially after the destruction of the statue in the Ministry of Magic). And I don't mean the get rid of the bad king to put in the good king sort of Robin Hood thing, or the overthrow the conquerors to reinstate your own government, but the real maybe kings are bad and we should try to rule ourselves. Ah well, maybe I'm just too hopelessly American.

Comments

[mahoni.livejournal.com]

#3, 4, 5, 6, 7: ZOMG yes. And, yeah, Azula is immensely annoying. I am also right there with you r.e. what you said about Ba Sing Se.

Revolution in SFF: that's an interesting point. I feel like I have maybe read a book or series at some point in which after a war or revolution the old form of government is tossed out in favor of something new, but I can't think of where that might have been. Most of the time the story is entirely patriotic - the good guys are there to protect the current form of government and way of life, and getting rid of the old way of life is shown to be ruinous or oppressive.

I wonder why that is? SFF is essentially about imagining the multitude of possibilities; so, why so much emphasis on imagining worlds where the possibilities are so limited?

[sisterpandora.livejournal.com]

You may get that revolution in BSG. I cannot say if you will like it, but you may just get it.

[ali-wildgoose.livejournal.com]

1) WORRY NOT! At least you don't have to wait ten months for season three <3

2) Hmmmmm...anyone in particular? I don't remember minding most of them.

3) He's the king of dorks. But he'll get over it.

4) IT IS HARD NOT TO <3

5) DAMN STRAIGHT. Oh man, Working Man Zuko cracks me up.

6) I had not even thought of the Wendy thing, strangely, but you're totally right.

7) HE IS.

8) I am glad to hear that there is more Mai love in the world <3

9) I'll be interested to see what you make of her next season :3

10) Long Feng is THE MAN.

[yaytime.livejournal.com]

I don't know if this completely fits the bill...but it does have the classic fantasy set up leading to eventual overthrowing of the evil king and replacing with a democracy:

http://www.drunkduck.com/Alien_Circus/index.php

you can skip to the last few pages to confirm ;)

-d