Book 1, Chapter 19: The Siege of the North, pt. 1

The Siege of the North provides a thrilling conclusion to Book 1. Masterful animation. An epic, yet tragic story. A large-scale battle. The creators of ATLA truly stepped up their game to make this as remarkable and memorable as possible.

Now onto the episode:

It's amazing how quickly Katara advances in waterbending. It goes to show how easily you can accomplish your goals, if only you're doing what you love. Even as Master Paku says here of Aang, "Raw talent isn't enough." Aang simply lacks the same passion and willingness to learn as Katara; he'd rather just roll around with Momo and make snowmen. Katara LOVES waterbending and wants nothing more than to become a master. That amount of dedication and practice, even if we only briefly see it here, is quite inspiring to watch. Remember, the time elapsed from chapter 18 to 19 is at least 2 weeks! In my opinion, this was well-earned.

"I don't know about mastered, but check this out!"

Sokka takes Princess Yue on a short-lived flight. Little do they know what's coming...

It's neat the writers found a way to reference the fire nation invasion of the Southern Water Tribe when Sokka and Katara were little. Sokka immediately knew what this meant...

The atmosphere instantly becomes dark and brooding. One of the many things I love about Avatar is how cinematic it's animated. Even though it was just a cartoon on Nick, with exactly 22 minutes per episode, the creators knew exactly what the wanted to make: an epic drama that would inspire people of all generations. The writing, the way shots were framed, the music, the tension (actually a testament to the writing), all really defies stereotypical cartoons. We may never see anything else quite like it.

I love the following quote from Iroh: "Be careful what you wish for, Admiral. History is not always kind to its subjects." Iroh is haunted by his own history of being a fire nation General. He has long since learned the ways of tea and peace, only to be dragged back into the war by his nephew. On the other hand, Admiral Zhao wants nothing more than a place in the history books. To be remembered. Not to live a fulfilling life, or even to seek out worldly pleasures--just to be remembered when he's gone. What does this say about him as a character? To me, that's the mark of a man who's already dead inside. Iroh and Zhao grew up the same, but as they now stand side by side: polar opposites. Zhao is merely a ghost of Iroh's former self, still haunting him.

Have you ever noticed how foreshadowing is incorporated into nearly every episode? It's fascinating to me!

This isn't something you notice too often, but Zuko doesn't have a left eyebrow because of his scar. Not only that, he just looks badass here. Iroh is a G like always:

This, among many other scenes, demonstrates how the Northern (and, or course, southern) Water Tribe was inspired by Native American culture. This bird ceremonial drum is sick! Also notice their long leather clothing and headbands. Several totem poles can be seen in the great halls.

As everyone's preparing for battle, Yue has to tell Sokka something important: they can no longer see eachother. She exclaims that she has duties to her tribe. That's something I admire about Yue, yet also dislike. She's strong enough to uphold the tradition of marrying the "right" person for her tribe, but she's not strong enough to stand up for her heart. See, Katara's grandmother Kana was in a similar scenario but fled the northern tribe to start a new life for herself in the south. Katara would undoubtedly do the same. Different blood, I guess. While it's obviously more complex than that, I thought I'd just throw that out there.

"It is with great sadness I call my family here before me, knowing well that some of these faces are about to vanish from our tribe." CHILLS.
(detailed totem poles)

The stillness before battle. You may recognize the face paint as the same Sokka wore in episode 2 The Avatar Returns, as well as flashback scenes in Bato of the Water Tribe. The southern tribe is constantly referred to as "our brother/sister tribe," so it would only make sense that they'd share many of the same traditions and attire. The major differences we're aware of: the south is much smaller and less technologically developed, and women in the south command greater respect and take on more responsibility. We can thank Gran-gran for that!

The first strike calls for epic foreshadowing. The more I analyze this show, the more I realize how many shots are purposefully symbolic. The creators tried to have every important scene tie into the overarching theme of the episode or book. Let me try to illuminate that point:

Now would be a good time to talk about references to the moon throughout Book 1. I refrained from talking about this until now because of spoilers... and thankfully this screenshot reminded me! Anyways, hear me out:

Over the course of Book 1, the moon is used in several key transitions and even zoomed into in the background. I'm sure you've noticed this in a few places, but upon closer inspection, the moon references are EVERYWHERE. Literally dozens of times. I love stuff like that.

I think it's one of the many unspoken reasons why the finale impacts us so greatly. The moon has always been in the back of our minds! It's only on multiple rewatches that you truly understand the lengths the creators went to. I wish I had the language to describe it better. Film techniques? Even literary devices? I don't know! I just want to express how the writing, planning, and animation came together to tell such a cohesive story, and that we get to see it and appreciate it all (eh, most). We'll never know ALL of the intended symbolism or effects.

Above all, ATLA is a work of art.

What follows is one of my favorite still images. I think this, correct me if I'm wrong, may be the only time we get to see action on land from the perspective of being INSIDE the ship. Scenes like these strongly contribute to the cinematic feel.

Let's talk about Iroh for a minute. As a retired general who no longer believes in the fire nation's war, what is he doing on this ship?! He has to live with assisting Zhao in murdering hundreds of innocent Northern Water Tribe citizens. This act goes against EVERYTHING he stands for. So why would Iroh willingly stoop so low?

One might say, "So that Zuko can capture the Avatar?" Absolutely not. In fact, Iroh secretly hopes that Zuko fails in this pursuit. Why? Because he's so much wiser than that. Iroh knows his Firelord brother too well... therefore, he knows the chances of his nephew triumphantly returning home are slim to none. So then, why would Iroh betray himself to assist his nephew in a mission that only has one possible outcome: failure?

Unconditional love, and the wisdom to let Zuko find his own path. I'm moved by his completely selfless actions.

That face you make when you meet your girlfriend's arranged husband:

Okay, this is the moment where the rest of the finale takes a more personal and adventurous turn. We haven't seen anything quite like this yet in Book 1(besides maybe The Blue Spirit), and it's awesome. Mission Impossible, yet Avatar style? Maybe I'm stretching, but the tone seriously shifts here:

Spirits? Did someone say spirits?

It's so... tranquil."

This perspective only lasts for a split second, but it's revealing. For the longest time, I thought the spirit oasis was actually in a large cavern in the glacier! Nope, it's wide open.

Very interesting scene, one that is referred back to in a much later episode, and in the most artistic and metaphorical way. Hopefully I'll remember when the time comes. :)

What a battle! Fire vs. Water:

Aang should nickname this move "The Iceberg." Speaking of which, how ironic is it that Katara encases Zuko in an iceberg? LOL.

Her powers have amassed greatly:

"You rise with the moon. I rise with the sun."

The prince of the fire nation, banished to search for the Avatar, stows away on a fire navy ship, infiltrates the heavily guarded Northern Water Tribe by swimming in frigid waters, STEALS THE FREAKING AVATAR right under everyone's nose, then escapes up the glacier wearing the Avatar as a backpack. How badass and epic is that???

This slow pan upward and into the unknown:

Conclusion:

What an epic first part! I don't have much more to say, other than I'm eager to start the next one! I'll try not to leave you waiting so long.

I rate The Siege of the North pt. 1 9 out of 10 fireballs. Oof...