Book 1, Chapter 11: The Great Divide
Eagle screech*
The Great Divide is an interesting episode to say the least. Unlike most of the Avatar saga, this one is complete filler, meaning, it doesn't really develop our main cast or introduce recurring characters. It's the only episode you could skip and be completely fine. That being said, I think there's more substance here than most people realize, and in fact, the majority of the episode is pretty decent! I would never recommend skipping an episode of Avatar.
Like many other episodes, the opening scenes foreshadow future events and conflicts. Katara and Sokka fighting over whether or not to put up the tarp is actually a perfect reflection of the squabble between the two tribes. In both cases, the conflict is petty at best, and it leaves Aang in no-man's land to mediate and find a solution.
Over the course of The Great Divide, Aang developed and matured as he fulfilled his role as peacekeeper and conflict solver. Part of the reason--and I have to commend the writers for this--was showing some of the downsides of being that responsible hero. The earthbender guide said it best, "It's lonely, isn't it...being impartial?" Indeed, Aang spent the majority of the episode cold and alone because he wouldn't side with any one tribe. This actually reminded me of Sam Raimi's original Spiderman movie: "With great power comes great responsibility." Just like Peter Parker, Aang learned what it truly meant to be a hero, but only through sacrifice and loss. He sacrificed food, shelter, and time with his friends because of his role as the Avatar. It's not always what it's cracked up to be...
Gotta love Appa and Momo! They have so many little character moments!
How does Aang solve this conflict? He sliced the melon and gave Momo 1/3 and Appa the other 2/3. He explained that Appa needed more because of his 5 stomachs.
Behold, the Great Divide! It is the largest canyon in the entire world.
Oh, Sokka.
Couldn't they all fly on Appa? It would maybe take 4 round trips...
BOOMERAANG!! Get it? It's got Aang in it! xD
It is here where Aang decides to split the two tribes. To better understand their deep-seated conflict, he sends Katara with the Gan Jins and Sokka with the Zhangs. It soon becomes apparent that the two tribes are just extensions of Sokka and Katara; they exist only to provide weight and drama to their conflict. This episode should have been named Sokka vs. Katara: extended tribal edition. Prepared vs. unprepared. Clean vs. Unclean. Balanced diet vs. MEAT.
Trust vs. Injustice.
I respect what the show was trying to do with this, and for the most part, it's effective.
Where this analogy falls apart (isn't executed well) is when Katara and Sokka give in to eating food. I think this is completely against the values they usually stand for. For instance, in Imprisoned, Katara says she WILL NOT give up on the prisoners. It is in her nature to stand firmly in her beliefs, and to almost never give in to temptation. However, what's her excuse for eating? Paraphrased, "I know the other tribe is doing it, so it's ok for us to do it too!" This is definitely an odd character choice.
I think the tribes' sentiment speaks to so many issues we have today, from climate change to racism. "They're doing it, so can we!" When will people form a backbone and stand up for what is right?
******
In perhaps my favorite part of the episode, we get to see each tribe's version of history, animated with a striking visual style.
Jin Wei transported the sacred orb from the great eastern gate to the great western gate, symbolizing the sun's rise and fall. Before he reached the western gate, Wei Jin, a member of the Zhang tribe, stole the orb with envy. "You can never trust a Zhang."
Wei Jin, according to the Zhang's legend, was a noble man who took the orb only to complete the Gan Jin's redemption ritual. Instead of the Gan Jins thanking Wei Jin for his service, they considered him a thief and sentenced him to twenty long years in prison. "We Zhangs will never forget that injustice."
Now I know what you must be thinking. Jin Wei? Wei Jin? Sounds like a story that's probably made up and changed again and again through the generations. That's kind of the point of it all, to show how little it actually means. So what if it happened? Even if it DID happen, it doesn't mean the whole tribe is bad!
Here we go again. "If one guy is bad, then the whole tribe is bad." "If this group is bad, then that means the whole race is bad." Like I said, I appreciate the broad topics and lessons the show is trying to convey. Although it is meant for children, I believe the message translates just as well for adults.
This silly conflict ends up in a needless battle between the two tribes' leaders. If you think about it, this is just like the fire nation's Agni Kai--a fight to the death for honor. So I thought it a nice touch that an alternate version of the Agni Kai theme played during this short fight.
Sorry, I'm going to go on a little tangent here. When I was a kid, I watched a few Avatar episodes from Book 1 as they aired. Weirdly enough, they played The Great Divide most often on TV. I mean, as a child, this episode was entertaining. But I have this vivid memory of the way Aang looked at this custard... Interestingly, I started liking custard, cakes and pies much more after this aired.
Alright, back to the review. :) This scene shows that Katara has perfected the water whip, which she started learning two episodes ago. Cool!
Canyon Crawlers. It's like a much lighter and kid-friendly version of the bug scene in King Kong (2005). Still creepy though!
In the end, the Zhangs and Gan Jins set their differences aside and worked together to get out. I liked the irony of using the very food that got them trapped to escape the canyon.
The Great Divide is an interesting episode to say the least. Unlike most of the Avatar saga, this one is complete filler, meaning, it doesn't really develop our main cast or introduce recurring characters. It's the only episode you could skip and be completely fine. That being said, I think there's more substance here than most people realize, and in fact, the majority of the episode is pretty decent! I would never recommend skipping an episode of Avatar.
Like many other episodes, the opening scenes foreshadow future events and conflicts. Katara and Sokka fighting over whether or not to put up the tarp is actually a perfect reflection of the squabble between the two tribes. In both cases, the conflict is petty at best, and it leaves Aang in no-man's land to mediate and find a solution.
Over the course of The Great Divide, Aang developed and matured as he fulfilled his role as peacekeeper and conflict solver. Part of the reason--and I have to commend the writers for this--was showing some of the downsides of being that responsible hero. The earthbender guide said it best, "It's lonely, isn't it...being impartial?" Indeed, Aang spent the majority of the episode cold and alone because he wouldn't side with any one tribe. This actually reminded me of Sam Raimi's original Spiderman movie: "With great power comes great responsibility." Just like Peter Parker, Aang learned what it truly meant to be a hero, but only through sacrifice and loss. He sacrificed food, shelter, and time with his friends because of his role as the Avatar. It's not always what it's cracked up to be...
Gotta love Appa and Momo! They have so many little character moments!
How does Aang solve this conflict? He sliced the melon and gave Momo 1/3 and Appa the other 2/3. He explained that Appa needed more because of his 5 stomachs.
Behold, the Great Divide! It is the largest canyon in the entire world.
Oh, Sokka.
Couldn't they all fly on Appa? It would maybe take 4 round trips...
BOOMERAANG!! Get it? It's got Aang in it! xD
It is here where Aang decides to split the two tribes. To better understand their deep-seated conflict, he sends Katara with the Gan Jins and Sokka with the Zhangs. It soon becomes apparent that the two tribes are just extensions of Sokka and Katara; they exist only to provide weight and drama to their conflict. This episode should have been named Sokka vs. Katara: extended tribal edition. Prepared vs. unprepared. Clean vs. Unclean. Balanced diet vs. MEAT.
Trust vs. Injustice.
I respect what the show was trying to do with this, and for the most part, it's effective.
Where this analogy falls apart (isn't executed well) is when Katara and Sokka give in to eating food. I think this is completely against the values they usually stand for. For instance, in Imprisoned, Katara says she WILL NOT give up on the prisoners. It is in her nature to stand firmly in her beliefs, and to almost never give in to temptation. However, what's her excuse for eating? Paraphrased, "I know the other tribe is doing it, so it's ok for us to do it too!" This is definitely an odd character choice.
I think the tribes' sentiment speaks to so many issues we have today, from climate change to racism. "They're doing it, so can we!" When will people form a backbone and stand up for what is right?
******
In perhaps my favorite part of the episode, we get to see each tribe's version of history, animated with a striking visual style.
Jin Wei transported the sacred orb from the great eastern gate to the great western gate, symbolizing the sun's rise and fall. Before he reached the western gate, Wei Jin, a member of the Zhang tribe, stole the orb with envy. "You can never trust a Zhang."
Wei Jin, according to the Zhang's legend, was a noble man who took the orb only to complete the Gan Jin's redemption ritual. Instead of the Gan Jins thanking Wei Jin for his service, they considered him a thief and sentenced him to twenty long years in prison. "We Zhangs will never forget that injustice."
Now I know what you must be thinking. Jin Wei? Wei Jin? Sounds like a story that's probably made up and changed again and again through the generations. That's kind of the point of it all, to show how little it actually means. So what if it happened? Even if it DID happen, it doesn't mean the whole tribe is bad!
Here we go again. "If one guy is bad, then the whole tribe is bad." "If this group is bad, then that means the whole race is bad." Like I said, I appreciate the broad topics and lessons the show is trying to convey. Although it is meant for children, I believe the message translates just as well for adults.
This silly conflict ends up in a needless battle between the two tribes' leaders. If you think about it, this is just like the fire nation's Agni Kai--a fight to the death for honor. So I thought it a nice touch that an alternate version of the Agni Kai theme played during this short fight.
Sorry, I'm going to go on a little tangent here. When I was a kid, I watched a few Avatar episodes from Book 1 as they aired. Weirdly enough, they played The Great Divide most often on TV. I mean, as a child, this episode was entertaining. But I have this vivid memory of the way Aang looked at this custard... Interestingly, I started liking custard, cakes and pies much more after this aired.
Alright, back to the review. :) This scene shows that Katara has perfected the water whip, which she started learning two episodes ago. Cool!
Canyon Crawlers. It's like a much lighter and kid-friendly version of the bug scene in King Kong (2005). Still creepy though!
In the end, the Zhangs and Gan Jins set their differences aside and worked together to get out. I liked the irony of using the very food that got them trapped to escape the canyon.
Let's stop here. I'm serious. Up until this point, I give the episode 7 out of 10 sacred orbs. It's decent, with the only major flaw being Sokka and Katara's quick lapse in fortitude about eating in the canyon. The minor flaws being too heavy-handed with the themes and metaphors (but I still appreciate what the writers are doing).
The last 3 minutes of this episode is utter bullshit. It contains a major character error for Aang, and brushes off all the events of the episode in a frankly disrespectful manner. In something that's extremely rare for Avatar, it fails to respect its audience.
I give the final 3 minutes of the episode only 2 sacred orbs.
Conclusion:
Similar to how the Avatar fandom chooses to believe the The Last Airbender movie (what movie?) doesn't exist, I like to believe the final three minutes of this episode doesn't exist. Now, the events aren't inherently "bad"; in a normal kid's show, this would be pretty commonplace. What's frustrating is the fact that a poorly written part such as this belongs in the ATLA canon. The standards of storytelling are MUCH higher, to the point of comparison with any of the classic adult live action shows. There's a lot to like in The Great Divide, however, the ending just brings it down.
The Great Divide. What an ironic name--the fandom is certainly not divided on their opinion of the episode. :)
Averaging between the great divide of my 7/10 and 2/10 ratings, I give The Great Divide 4.5/10 sacred orbs.
Thank you so much for reading! Until next time, peace.
P.S. My joints say a storm is coming...
The next 2 episodes are gonna be insane :)
ReplyDeleteOddly, I can also remember this episode airing fairly often, very weird. Didn't dislike it at the time, but now their constant complaining and the two tribes being just "generic extremes" is kind of annoying.