Book 1, Chapter 18: The Waterbending Master

After the events of The Northern Air Temple, the Gaang are headed to the northern water tribe to find a waterbending master. However, it doesn't quite work out that way. What actually happens is that their northern brothers find them! This episode has a really tight-nit story, so study closely.

They finally made it! Only 18 episodes in... I do appreciate how grand and magnificent the Northern Water Tribe is portrayed.

The techniques for lifting ships- and in this case Appa- up to the city are modeled after real life ship locks.  For instance, several of these ship locks are used in the Welland Canal that allow ships to ascend 326 feet from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie, bypassing Niagra Falls.

I love this animal (I believe it's the only time we see it in the series):

Aang, Katara, and Sokka are so excited to finally arrive. They're greeted with much warmth and celebration:

Ooooo. Sokka's got a good eye...

In perhaps my favorite part of the episode, Uncle Iroh and the rest of the crew partake in music night. This is an instance of a scene that's totally "unnecessary" to the plot, yet is so beautiful and heartfelt that I couldn't imagine it not being there. It demonstrates how much the writers loved the characters and atmosphere, and sets Avatar apart from just about any other cartoon I've seen.

Winter, Spring... Summer and Fall. 

Winter, Spring... Summer and Fall.

Four seasons, four loves... Four seasons, for love.

Our first look at Master Paku:

And HE'S IN ACTION BABY. FINALLY SOME DOPE WATERBENDING!!!

How could I not include this precious moment? It hurt me inside, but I think he'll recover:

Now back on Zuko's ship, Admiral Zhao pays a surprise visit to tell him that he no longer owns his crew--they've been recruited for Zhao's invasion force. It was at this moment that Zhao notices a pair of broadswords on Zuko's mantle:

The embodiment of "Oh Shit."

"I didn't know you were skilled with broadswords, Price Zuko."

When you didn't know Price Zuko was skilled with broadswords:

"I'm not. They're antiques," replies Zuko. Luckily Zhao leaves, but not before he says, "I have a feeling that justice will catch up with him [Blue Spirit] soon enough."

Uh oh. Master Paku won't teach Katara because she's a girl! I like how the show went there, and has a strong message about sexism and old, outdated customs.

Sokka scores an "activity" with Yue.

"That's some tasty gold!"

Even though the healing lesson wasn't what Katara was looking for, I still thought it was really cool.

Yup, had to include it. I don't miss anything.

A rare up-close look at the Pirate's parrot.

If you recall from episode 16, The Deserter, Jeong Jeong used this same fire shield technique to escape into the woods. There are very few real "plot holes" in bending techniques throughout the show, a testament to how carefully crafted and written this show is. If you pay attention, the progression of bending is very natural and fluid, and will never leave you confused.

Iroh faced with the very real possibility that his nephew died:

Come on, Yue. It's obviously a fish...

Katara came up with the bright idea of Aang teaching her the waterbending moves he learned during the day, since Master Poop Head wouldn't teach her. This horribly backfired when Paku found out. Because they disrespected his teachings, beliefs, and entire culture, Paku told Aang that he was no longer welcome as his student:

The following day, Katara refused to apologize to Master Paku. This was a great moment for Katara... At some point, you have to stand your ground.

Yes, this was all of our reactions:

Serving Jasmine tea out of a dragon teapot? Interesting...

It feels really weird for Zhao and Iroh to toast, "To the Fire Nation!"

What follows is, hands down, the best waterbending fight in Book 1. Excellent choreography, the addition of several never-before-seen techniques, the added depth of the necklace, and the message of gender inequality. This fight alone elevated waterbending to completely new heights. This is definitely one to study closely.

Katara freezes her boots, effectively locking her in place.

I have read that Katara was quite an inspiration and role model for young girls who grew up with ATLA. This was one of her major moments: "You can't knock me down!"

I love how fluidly the fighting transitions from long range waterbending attacks to close range hand-to-hand combat. This fight has amazing flow, and was extremely well thought out by the Avatar team and Sifu Kisu.

Right when you think it might be a close match, Paku brings out the power move to show who's Boss. It's not often that the average viewer takes the time to truly analyze a fight scene. I hope that by doing this (effectively slowing it down and highlighting key parts), I can increase your appreciation for this wonderful fight. All of the fights in Avatar were choreographed by a real martial arts master, and acted out on camera in real time (to the best of their ability).

This next picture and the one above are literally one frame apart. This instant transition provides a monumental shift in scale, all while maintaining the fluid motion of the fight. The viewer is not jarred or confused.

Katara invents a new technique by creating ice disks:

Just like any good fight (Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan come to mind), humor is incorporated naturally. It doesn't feel forced, it comes up due to the nature of the fight and objects at play. I'd also like to add that the use of motion blur was effective, and used at several key points.

We get to take a breather. The action comes to a complete stop for a few seconds, just to follow Katara's deep breath. In fact, this whole fight flows so well it feels like a meditation.

Just take a moment to note all the new techniques in waterbending. Pretty much everything is new:

"HONEY!! WHERE IS MY SUPER SUIT?!"

The fight ends when Paku traps Katara in a bunch of icicles. During the commotion, Katara's necklace is torn off, and we learn the true purpose of it.

This honestly could have been used as promotional material. It's so good.

We learn that Yue also has a betrothal necklace, and is bound to an arranged marriage. RIP Sokka:

Zhao's invasion force is on it's way. Ending on this note really hypes up the two-part finale:

Conclusion:

The Waterbending Master is a great episode. It contains the best waterbending fight in Book 1, and debatably the best fight of Book 1 *Period.* While Katara had a lot of Character development, the impressive part was that it actually developed the stories of all our main characters. What a feat! But it didn't just choose to rush through the key development points... No, this episode also contained a poignant character moment for Uncle Iroh: his 4 seasons song. This episode's quality was so high that  it's almost on the level of the finale, leading me to almost include this as the season's unofficial 3-part finale. In many ways, it would make more sense.

I give The Waterbending Master 8.5 out of 10 betrothal necklaces.

Thank you so much for reading, and until next time, peace, love and sing 4 seasons.