Bleda
Kyoshi Mai
Wise Kataang/Soph Elite
Time defies logic thus it cannot exist.
Posts: 2,362
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Post by Bleda on Sept 23, 2006 14:23:27 GMT -5
i believe joo dee is KOH
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Post by alpacas4eva on Sept 23, 2006 14:26:08 GMT -5
^ Why is that?
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kellen
Buzzard Wasp
Dang, yo. Who's dat sweeve?
Posts: 522
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Post by kellen on Sept 23, 2006 14:35:53 GMT -5
yeah, this is probably the best episode i've seen. Just utter creepiness. I love it
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Bleda
Kyoshi Mai
Wise Kataang/Soph Elite
Time defies logic thus it cannot exist.
Posts: 2,362
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Post by Bleda on Sept 23, 2006 14:37:18 GMT -5
Okay. Here's goes nothin'. 1. That whole "bear" conversation was pretty funny. Still, nice to know there's at least ONE normal animal in this world. *Armadillo-bear? Bet that looks cool.* 2. This whole episode freaked me out. First, I got the jitters, then it grew into the willies, and now I've got the HEEBIE-JEEBIES! 3. Long Feng, HA! To think his name name means DRAGON! There's not one ounce of nobility or honor in his veins. 4. Y'know, even in a city this big, Appa should be easy to spot. I mean, where do you hide a 10-ton, snow-white bison with six legs, a beaver tail, and a giant arrow on his head? He should stick out like a sore thumb. in the mega-city of avatar made of EARTH and full of EATHBENDERS... what about underground? first joo dee (or whatever) reminded me the face that Koh showed to the aang.
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kellen
Buzzard Wasp
Dang, yo. Who's dat sweeve?
Posts: 522
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Post by kellen on Sept 23, 2006 14:43:11 GMT -5
I can almost guarantee that Long Fei has Appa.
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Post by sokkasnumber1 on Sept 23, 2006 15:53:16 GMT -5
^ i was thinking the same thing the way he said that thing about finding Appa i was surprised it was so dark wasn't thinking it was gonna be like that from the preview but overall to me a really good eppy i liked how in the entire season we hear how good Ba sing se is then BAM! the jet thing got old really fast to me i liked the jetxzuko fight but i wanted to ring jets neck most of the eppy i cant wait to see how this all plays out .
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Post by 0ceaness on Sept 23, 2006 17:07:03 GMT -5
I can't believe that guy knows where Appa is and he's threatening Aang! That line was the last straw for me. I already knew the guy was bad, but you guys know how Aang is feeling!
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badgerling
Momo
"Good luck exploring the infinate abyss."
Posts: 49
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Post by badgerling on Sept 23, 2006 18:14:01 GMT -5
I just finished reading this thread. (YA RLY--a mere twenty-three pages are nothing when one wants to be an informed commentor)!
First, as a shameless Earth-Kingdom-fan/badger-mole-wrangler, I was shocked and disappointed when we found that Ba Sing Se was not the most amazing place ever. Oma Shu basically has it pwned. But as a lover of excellent writing and plots, I absolutely loved the twist, the calling into question of who's good and evil, and the social/political themes. This episode rocked! (excuse the EK pun)
Now that I think about it, I should have seen some of this coming with the Ba Sing Se ferry bureaucracy. Maybe Iroh can charm the Joo Dees into submission like he did the ticket lady? I agree with those that said that there's more than one Joo Dee, and that the name is given to the new brainwashed tour guides that they replace every time something goes wrong. It just makes sense now that we can compare screenshots.
I completely concur with those that want Bumi to stop waiting and listening and come earthbend some sense into the creepy despots.
Next, I appreciate the people who made specific connections between this episode and 1984 (Thought Police, Proles, FOUR lights, etc.) There are a bunch of dystopia stories out there--I read The Giver in middle school, too--but not all of them are applicable to this episode. I'm glad so many people on this site are so well-read and can draw such smart parallels!
I'm also glad I haven't yet heard of any fangirl fantasies of Zuko pulling out the Blue Spirit mask and going all V for Vendetta on us.
I absolutely loved all the political/social points made by beantown, astroanna, and zink. You guys are awesome!
Another point I agree with past posters on is that the de facto leader of Ba Sing Se (the leader of the Dai Lee and military whose name I have no idea how to spell) is probably planning something big if he doesn't want the Avatar's help. Of course, he could just be full of it or not think that the ridiculous ideas of a bunch of kids could possibly help him. I also agree that the entire population isn't kept ignorant or brainwashed; they just aren't allowed to talk about the war and it's mostly troublemakers that are subjected to the Happy Lamp.
I'm confused right now as to whether the Earth Kingdom is more like Korea or China. Up until this episode, I thought it was more similar to Korea, but the hairstyles and politics of this episode remind me a lot of the time of the last emperor of China. I see the Earth King being a lot like the last emperor--mostly a divine figurehead, young, and even bespectacled.
The king does seem a bit spoiled and frivolous to be able to throw parties for his bear (which may not be alone in being an uncrossed animal--we've seen cats and koi fish, remember). That fits well with his being an indulged figurehead, and also makes me wonder about the theories that the king is actually a young kid and the "king" we glimpsed was a decoy or stand-in. In either case, I love the theory that Appa becomes the king's new pet; Appa would be well taken care of and kept right where the secret police can keep an eye on him, and ironically with the person Aang wants to see. Fun to speculate!
Now to close with a couple random thoughts:
I noticed Iroh cut his beard, too! It's quite dashing.
Isn't Katara's fake name the name of that baby panda that was born a few years ago, Hua Mei (sp?)? If so, hooray Hei Bai connection!
A flower arrangement to spruce things up for potential young lady visitors? That cracked me up and made me hopeful for future ZuSong romance.
That's a wrap for my rambling.
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Post by Ryth76 on Sept 23, 2006 18:39:23 GMT -5
Several comments on the show: Sorry that this is a jumbled mess.
-Did anyone else get the idea when Jet said the Fire Nation left them homeless and killed everyone they loved that he was referring to what happened to the other Freedom Fighters? Maybe their treehouse town-thing was invaded and that's why Jet and co. went to Ba Sing Se. Just a thought. So several characters-- nay... all but three of the Freedom Fighter kids and teens-- may have died off screen.
Zuko vs. Jet-- I just about drooled at this part. I love swordfights, which is the only thing I really miss in most Avatar episodes. ZvsJ was the first sword fight where both combatants had swords, so it was a double treat. It could've been longer, and a little brighter, but the important thing was how acting crazy ended up getting Jet brainwashed.
The Let's-Brainwash-Jet scene was creepy. At the very end he got this kinda glazed look in his eyes, so I guess it worked. Interesting to see what importance to the plot it plays. Jet was already creepy. But in this episode he more so than normal. Between his comment to SmellerBee and Longshot, him acting nutty trying to prove Zuko and Iroh were firebenders, and getting brainwashed, his eyebrows didn't look so freaky in this episode.
"Just... bear..." "This place... is weird..." "Momo-ness" Aww...
Something about the way Longshot wrapped his arm around Smellerbee makes me think Smellershot is canon... But that could just be me or too much sugar. On the other hand, they don't look anything alike, so they probably aren't related, and they almost seem too close to be just friends.
Iroh was great. Funny as always. But I felt sad about his hinting talk about love and life to Zuko. It's obvious he's trying his best to get his nephew to simply accept his banishment and move on, something Zuko can't unless he'd let go of his pride/shame. I wonder if the actual moral of Zuko's plotline is how people can change if they allow it, but personal problems like pride keep them from it, and he doesn't actually turn to the good side (well, onto the Avatar's side) at all.
Ju Dei is weird as all gets out. I'm pretty sure was the same girl at the end. I watched the episode just now and compared them on Youtube. She was just re-brainwashed/reprogrammed, and had a haircut. Though you have to admit, she's as much a victim as Jet.
Toph and Sokka should have a sarcasm/catch-phrase dual.
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Post by alpacas4eva on Sept 23, 2006 18:47:26 GMT -5
! A flower arrangement to spruce things up for potential young lady visitors? That cracked me up and made me hopeful for future ZuSong romance. You're for Soko too! You need to check out the Soko Dayspa in the Relationships board if you haven't already.
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Post by assdotmandot on Sept 23, 2006 22:01:46 GMT -5
The king (in his puppet-like) state, kinda reminded me of a Star Trek episode I watched.......................
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Post by snowthewerewolf on Sept 23, 2006 22:05:59 GMT -5
Maybe the King Is hypnotized too?
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babbs
Cabbage Merchant
Posts: 4,101
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Post by babbs on Sept 23, 2006 22:39:18 GMT -5
Does anyone know who voiced Long Feng? Was it Dameon Clarke? Nope. It was Clancy Brown. I recognized his voice before I saw the credits. He is awesome and very good in villain roles (he was Lex Luthor in the Superman/Justice League cartoons). Ahhh, thanks koh! You made my day! Karma for you! :3
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Post by fuhror on Sept 23, 2006 23:59:09 GMT -5
I noticed a change in the art style for this episode. It seems that their shading on the characters was alot darker. I don't know whether that was because they were in the city or if it is permenent, just something I noticed.
Also, during this episode, I kept thinking "Gee, I didn't know Avatar was turning into the Outer Limits". This has probably already been covered, but it ended just like an episode of the Outer Limits. Some guy explaining the motives behind everything, and then giving you kind of a cliffhanger. I also noticed a lot of character development. Sokka and Aang seem to be turning into friends, instead of Aang just perturbing Sokka with his wacky ideas. The same goes for Katara and Toph, although they only got on each others nerve's for one episode (Although it was a lot more violent).
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Angel Eyes
Koh
Okay. Who ate the cookies?
Posts: 5,111
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Post by Angel Eyes on Sept 24, 2006 0:30:55 GMT -5
I just watched it and now I could see why everyone has been saying it was creepy. It certainly was, and perhaps one of the best episodes I've ever seen (though it'd probably be underrated).
1. The creepiest scene has to be when Long Fei was telling the Gaang about the reasons why war is not mentioned in Ba SIng Sai. The eerie music, coupled that with scene switches to Jet's hypnotation ritual just brought out the entire sinister feeling. The ending part with another Joo Dee that resembled the first Joo Dee just completed the creepinest... and left you wondering what happened to the first Joo Dee. It reminded me of The Manchurian Candidate (in terms of hypnotism).
2. I really like how they show Aang and Sokka and Momo goofing off. You can see, especially between Aang and Sokka, how their relationship is improving. And Momo is simply squeeness. He had a lot of scene-stealing scenes.
3. Glad to see there was a 'normal' animal in here. XD
4. A pity we didn't get to see the King's face.
5. Jet vs. Zuko = awesomeness. Only thing is, I wished the fight was longer. They seem to be quite evenly matched.
6. Iroh and Zuko funnily enough are the main comic reliefs here. Iroh's tea enthusiasm and optimism and Zuko's dry sarcasm really is such a win. I also love how much better Zuko's animation is, compared to The Chase and Bitter Work.
7. Iroh wants Zuko to get a girl. XD Foreshadowing the date.
All in all, this episode is while not bombastically impressive, it gets under your skin to shiver your timbres.
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