Book 1, Chapter 20: The Siege of the North, pt. 2

Welcome to the epic conclusion to Book 1: Water! This is far and away the most visually striking and cinematic episode in Book 1. This is where the creators went, "No holding back anything," and just went wild, and thusly elevated the series to another plane, both spiritually and emotionally. On my first watch, this was the point where I was stunned; I had finally realized that all the hype surrounding ATLA, a show that came to an end 10 years earlier, was well deserved. See, one might not pick up on all the subtleties (on a first viewing) that make the rest of Book 1 so charming and timeless. Yes, it's good, but for many, they're just not hooked yet. The depth and warmth of the characters haven't quite unfolded. However, one can't deny that it's here where the series is catapulted to another level entirely. Let's dive into it!

In The Winter Solstice Part 1, we were briefly introduced to the spirit world, but there were still many mysteries surrounding it. It was merely shown as a parallel universe to the real world. Aang basically turned into a ghost, but was still very much in the physical world (he saw Katara at the village). The Siege of the North provides a vastly different look into the spirit world. Aang now finds himself in a whole new realm, filled with mystical creatures that don't exist in the mortal world. Is this just the result of the creators being unsure of what the spirit world was? No, lol, why would you think that? That's silly. The Winter Solstice was a nice introduction, but here we deepen the mythology surrounding it. It raises more questions, yet leaves us wanting more.

The visuals are breathtaking. We feel the richness of life in this lush, spiritual jungle. We see the inspiration taken from Hayou Miyazaki and his wonderful films. Every frame, a painting:

Avatar Roku!

Back in the mortal world, Zuko and an unconscious Aang wait out the unrelenting blizzard in a cave. What follows is one of my favorite lines in all of Book 1: "You're like my sister. Everything came easy to her; she's a firebending prodigy, and everyone adores her. My father says she was born lucky... he says I was lucky to be born.

"I don't need luck though. I don't want it. I've always had to struggle and fight, and that's made me strong. It's made me who I am." Wow.

What makes Zuko who he is? A fierce heart. Determination through adversity, and a myriad of other obstacles that would cripple most. His scar is a brilliant mark of his dual nature: his honorable side nurtured by his mother at a young age--his scarred side from his vicious father and sister, and the tragic end to his childhood as told in The Storm. He turns his head, driving home exactly what makes him who he is:

The epic assault on the Northern Water Tribe rages on:

"Admiral Choi! Prepare to meet your fate!" HA!

"As I was saying..."

Zhao discovered a hidden library, underground, in fact, that contained detailed illustrations of the moon and ocean spirits' mortal forms. Notice the large tapestry above Zhao. It's a map of a special location in Book 2. Those of you who've seen the series will know what it is! :)

The Chinese character in the middle-left makes its presence on every title card in Book 1. It must be important.

Now back in the spirit world, we know that Aang needs to find a spirit named Koh so that he may learn about the ancient moon and ocean spirits. Koh is the only spirit old enough to possess that knowledge.

Woah:

Ah, Aang's meeting with Koh. I've been looking forward to this ever since I started the blog. I think every kid was scared shitless of this spirit. Even as an adult, Koh is terrifying.

The way this scene was animated plays out more like a horror movie than anything else. Honestly, it's about as creepy as you could possibly get while still being "kid-friendly." LOL. I'm not going to say much, just analyze each shot. Even though I've watched the series several times, I find enjoyment in observing the HD still frames, which is a testament to how beautiful the show is:

Koh's reveal, as he slowly creeps out of the dark void behind Aang:

This close-up grin makes me shiver:

"Maybe it was the face of someone you loved..." I can't imagine how horribly frightened Aang felt. He must have vaguely recognized her as a past lover, as he possessed all the wisdom and knowledge of his past lives. Just like he picked out the Avatar's toys among thousands as a child. I couldn't imagine being in his situation. All without making the slightest facial expression.

The face of the curly tailed blue-nosed monkey outside the cavern. The monkey must have crept into the cave seeking shelter or food, shrieked at the hideous caterpillar Koh, and instantly lost his face. What a horrible way to go out:

"It has been a while since I've added a child's face to my collection."

Uncanny similarity to the Blue Spirit mask. Definitely intentional.

Tui and La. Yin and Yang. The ocean and the moon have always circled eachother in an eternal dance. I was happy to capture the transition from fish to Yin-Yang symbol at just the right moment:

Back to the battle. What a cool screenshot:

This waterbender sank the fire nation tank. The advantages of being surrounded by your native element:

We saw this technique used by Katara in The Northern Air Temple.

Master Paku going ham. We get a taste of the raw power a master can possess:

"We're going fishing." Get out of here dad! xD

Hei Bai, the panda spirit we saw in The Winter Solstice Part 1: The Spirit World. What a cool way to parallel those two episodes.

That annoying monkey got what he deserved!

Wait, where did my body go?

ZZZOOOOOOOMMMM!!! I like this giant perspective. We get an eagle's eye view of everything that's happening.

Katara defeats Zuko easily, now that she's surrounded by water. Again, the advantages to be had by using your surroundings.
"Now that's some quality rope!"

Tui and La represent Yin and Yang, a core principle of Daoism. The yin, the dark swirl, is associated with shadows, femininity, and the trough of a wave; the yang, the light swirl, represents brightness, passion and growth. To show that everything contains the seed of its opposite, both swirls have a dot of the opposite color.  

I'm sure you have made the connection that the dark fish is the ocean spirit, and the white fish is the bright moon spirit. The moon affects the tides, and in essence, is responsible for the "spirit" and life of the ocean. The ocean gives the moon a purpose. It's weird to say that one cannot exist without the other, but in the context of this story, it makes perfect sense. They balance eachother.

The creator's choice of colors in this episode is actually inspiring to me. Extremely well done, but more on that later.

There's one frame where red and blue are perfectly divided by the Paku's water tornado. Awesome!

Once the moon spirit is taken from its "dance" with the ocean, everything falls out of balance:

Princess Yue. Yue, or Yuèlìang, means "moon" in Chinese:

There's that symbol again. I'm guessing it has to do with both the moon and ocean, or simply spirit.

What a peach!

Oooooh, boy. We finally get to see Iroh unleash his power. Not even a fraction of it, I'm certain, but it's still fantastic:

Zhao commits the act. The point of no return. The world plunges into darkness. Notice how the smoke and fire loosely take the shape of the koi fish in the pond. The light and the dark. The Yin and the Yang:

Iroh, true to his word, unleashes his fury ten fold:

Yue cries, "There is no hope now."

Hold on now, Yue. There is still one wildcard left!

They watch in awe as Aang walks into the pond to begin his insane transformation:

Becoming one with the ocean spirit:

The music gives me chills. This is probably my favorite moment in all of Book 1.

The ocean and moon spirits are highly revered in the Norther Water Tribe. Worshipped. Remember the speech the chief gave in the last episode? "Spirit of the ocean! Spirit of the moon! Be with us!"

Let's talk more about the deliberate use of color. With the moon gone, the only colors shown are the orange fire blasts and the shadows they cast, the blue ocean spirit, and Yue's blue eyes, signifying her connection with the moon spirit. It's a very interesting choice, and this sequence of events is all the better for it. It may not be what you'd technically see if you were there, but it is a very artistic and symbolic animation choice. In every finale (Books 1-3), orange and blue are highlighted thematically. The depth of this will become more apparent as the show progresses.

"You have been touched by the moon spirit! Some of its life is in you." Now, not just anyone says this. It's our beloved Iroh! But why? Well, we've learned that he has journeyed to the spirit world, and that he was able to see (or, perhaps, just sense) Aang and Roku's dragon in the spirit world in The Winter Solstice. He has an affinity for, and presumably a deep understanding and empathy for the spirits. Of course he'd be the one to sense Yue's gift.

Yue's strong sense of duty for her tribe comes full circle. She doesn't hesitate to give her life. In fact, I'm pretty sure she knew this day would come, one way or another. Her father later explains that he once had a vision of this fateful day.

The moon gave some of its life to Yue as a sort of insurance. Not selfishly at all. Yue was going to die as baby anyway, so the moon granted her a beautiful life. Yes, it is very sad, but remember there is no true light or darkness. All life has to come to an end, and very few lives have served such an important purpose. Yin and Yang.

Using Aang as a vehicle for destruction, the ocean spirit wreaks havoc on the fire nation navy. Remember, this is the ocean spirit serving justice, so Aang's morals as the last airbender are not compromised. He wasn't in control.

So sick!

A quote from the chief in the previous episode: "Some of these faces are about to vanish from our tribe." Vanish she did.

Were any of you expecting such an emotional turn? Who's cutting onions?

"Take my hand!"

After everything he'd been through, Zuko was still willing to risk his life to save Zhao. What a telling character moment for him.

Nonetheless, Zhao took his own advice that he gave to Zuko just minutes prior: "You should have chosen to accept your failure. You're a disgrace." My, how the tables have turned. At least Zhao was prideful enough to accept his fate. As pathetic as he was, at least his last words weren't terrified screams, or pitiful grasps for Zuko's outstretched hand.

The battle for the moon has come to an end, but the war is just beginning.

***********

Master Katara! Aang will still learn waterbending on the side as the they continue their journey. He's nowhere close to being a master yet, despite how badass he became with the Ocean Spirit's help.

Yue's father talks of his vision of this fateful day. He knew it would come. Proud, yet sad.

Iroh and Zuko are headed for... who knows where? All we know is that they need rest, and that they're enemies of the Fire Nation. It hasn't quite sunk in with them yet...

Perfect final shot of the episode. For the season, in fact. Four seasons, four loves, four seasons, for love.

Oh that's right, I think we're missing a cliffhanger. Zuko's sister! OOOOOHHH SHIIEEETTT!

"I have a task for you."

Conclusion:

Wow, what an episode! What did you guys think of it? Obviously, I thought it was brilliant. No negatives popped in my mind. I have nothing but praise and respect for this epic finale, and I can't wait for what's in store for Book 2!

Don't leave yet, though. I'm planning on writing a separate blog on my favorite moments and screenshots of Book 1, with extra write-ups for each picture. A gallery, of sorts. I think that'd be a fine way to cap off the season.

Only two episodes so far have earned a perfect rating from me. The Storm, for its amazing parallel storytelling and vision, and this one, for its bold, symbolic, and spine-tingling animation and score that truly catapulted this season to even greater heights.

Without further ado, I rate The Siege of the North Part 2 a 10/10. Ten fold. :)

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