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avatarsymbolism:thenotsolastairbender:butyoucalledmehere:themelonlordapproves:thelittleturtleduck:"Revenge is never the answer" This episode was the deciding factor in whether I shipped Kataang or Zutara. A lot of people say that this a very Zutara centric episode, but honestly I feel like beneath the surface it really is a more of a Kataang one. Why? Katara and Aang hardly tak to each other in this episode, and when they do, they are fighting. Well this scene right here was what put things into perspective. Even though Katara is a gentle soul, stubborn at times, but still very caring, she harbors a lot. And she’s bitter. The death of her mother is something that has been popping up from the beginning of the series and we see early on how hurt she is by it. In this scene, Aang urged her to do the unthinkable. Forgive the man who murdered her mother. She tells him that he doesn’t understand, but Aang knows better than anyone what it feels like to lose the people you love. But Aang learned early on that guilt is something that will interfere with both your mind and spirit, and when he was unlocking his chakras, he had to forgive himself in order to carry on. He has the whole weight of a nation on his shoulders, yet he doesn’t even have the desire to harm the Fire Lord. Aang understands Katara’s situation, and Aang also understands Katara as a person. He knows that she harbors regrets as well. Just like how she regretted ever trusting Zuko. Aang knows that acting out on bitterness will only harm Katara further, and he knows the venomous Katara he is seeing at the moment isn’t the one he has known for months. Aang wants her to let go, not because he’s soft, but because he knows that in the long run it will better benefit her. Zuko though plays off Aang’s comments and mocks them. The thing about Zuko is that, like Katara who is blinded by rage, he is blinded by redemption. From the moment he joined their side, Zuko fought for trust. He fought for his honor in their eyes and Katara was the hardest to win over. Zuko isn’t necessarily just thinking of Katara in this scene though I imagine he can sympathize with her, he is still thinking a whole lot about himself. But that’s just who Zuko is. Zuko concerns himself with others, but Zuko is still trying to figure out who he is and how he’s going to repair the people he hurt. In the end, Zuko did gain Katara’s forgiveness, but ultimately Katara followed Aang’s advice. Both relationships are incredibly dynamic, but it was this episode that set my ship in stone within my head.Amen to all of this.We even have Word of God Bryke that in the moment when she could have killed Yon Rha and condemned herself to a lifetime regretting that action, it was Aang’s words that saved her. Zuko was physically present with her then, but Aang was with her in spirit and he was the one who understood all along that what she needed was closure, not revenge.THIS! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^THIS!^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^This is also partially a response to @themarkedprince‘s tag: ((Zuko secretly takes this advice to heart. He remembers it when confronting his father in prison post A:TLA)) I was thinking about Katara, Azula, and Zuko mimicking people, and I started to wonder if, up to this point, Zuko thought of forgiveness as being childish because the last time Zuko begged for forgiveness, it didn’t really turn out that well. So, he’s thinking that forgiveness is stupid and childish because he was a child begging for forgiveness and mercy at some point–and the rest speaks for itself. Anyway, I’m wondering if seeing Yon Rha asking for mercy maybe reminded him of his own experience with begging for mercy and forgiveness in that he’s expecting Katara to finish what she came there to do since it’s what Ozai would have done in her place. An eye for an eye, after all. But, that doesn’t happen. Then later, he’s accepted by his uncle, which still surprises him because he’s not yet used to this whole forgiveness thing. He’s only known anger, redemption arcs, and honor quests. But, as Katara demonstrated, one can move on without necessarily forgiving someone or taking revenge. This leads to Zuko saying this line to Ozai in the finale:Banishing me was the best thing you could have done for my life. It put me on the right path. Perhaps your time in here could do the same for you. Zuko brings up the possibility of Ozai righting his wrongs, but he makes no mention of redemption or forgiveness because he realizes now that forgiveness, moving on, and redemption are not mutually inclusive terms. This is a theme that gets elaborated on in LOK with Asami’s forgiveness does not mean trust dynamic contrasting with Korra’s trust does not mean forgiveness. -- source link