ATLA: Statues, Statues, Statues!
Thursday, December 21st, 2017 06:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
amarie24Book One, Chapter Three: The Southern Air Temple
Trigger Warnings: You may not even remember this deconstruction, my god.
Hey, ya’ll! Let’s get down to it! We finally cut right back to our Gaang at the Southern Air Temple. And Imma be honest with ya’ll: I’m running out of things to say here, as we seem to be continuing to largely say the same things over and over in this episode. Aang is slowly slipping out of denial. Sokka and Katara are struggling with how or if to break the news to him. The Southern Air Temple is more like a graveyard full of memories of a once thriving people than anything else. Aang is still slowly slipping out of denial. Oh, and we theorize that Sokka is fulfilling the role of part comic relief, part Tryna Make Aang Feel Better And Stave Off The Inevitable.
Okay. We got that. We’re still here. So for now, Imma just mostly narrate what’s going on and otherwise comment on the things I like. ‘Kay? ‘Kay.
We finally see the Gaang walk into the huge, dark, mysterious Southern Air Temple Sanctuary. The camera reveals the solution to our mystery of what’s inside the sanctuary. To directly quote the transcript page:
Sokka walks right up to the statutes and demands:
Oh, Sokka, honey. The meat is in your hopes and dreams. The meat is in your heart. Where, no matter where you go or what you do or how you feel…it shall stay forevermore.
Forevermore. :P
The camera turns to Aang and Katara. Our beloved Katara asks a very, very important question that sets off our next set of dialogue:
A’ight, lotsa things that I like about this. The first thing that I like is that even though all of these people are past Avatars, Katara and by extension the audience can easily distinguish where they come from by their dress. It reinforces that just because someone is the Avatar and thus has a duty to the entire world does not mean that they automatically forfeit who they are and where they come from. But they’re still Avatars and so they still belong in the Southern Air Temple Sanctuary.
It reminds me of one of my older posts talking about the inherent theme of balance in ATLA and how it of course directly ties into the Avatar’s identity. That post was Setting the Stage on Appa. (Does anyone remember? It was from like, back when dinosaurs ruled the earth.) In that post, I talked a little about how Aang has to balance being an individual person [of the Southern Air Temple] vs. being an Avatar that has a massive, inescapable responsibility to the world:
I like the subtle reiteration here with the statues. I like it very much.
So now the second thing that I like about this scene is that Katara mentions the statutes are “lined up in a pattern”. A pattern. This pattern is speshul because, according to the Wiki:
Bolding mine.
The pattern does indeed resemble the Air Nomad insignia. Yes, indeedy:
That’s kewlio-beans to me because this is yet another thing that I ain’t never noticed in ATLA until the transcript page, Avatar Wiki, etc. told me so. Ya’ll think it’s kewlio-beans? I think it’s kewlio-beans.
The camera stays behind and moves up while Aang moves off the screen. The result of this is that it shows the many, many tiers of statues just spiraling up, up, up, up through the sanctuary. And I couldn’t find a picture showing this sans glowing eyes (no spoilers, -wink wink-), but goodness gracious, Aang does indeed have a metric shit ton of past lives. The Avatar has been around for a long, long, long time.
Sokka then comes in being his delightful Skeptical Sokka:
Ehhh…Imma admit again-I’m running out of things to say in the instance of figuring out Sokka’s intentions. I kinda don’t wanna speculate on whether or not Sokka is joking (‘Cause Sokka, boo, everybody knows this about the Avatar. Why you think after he “died” everybody was hopin’ he’d come back?). I don’t know if Sokka is dead-serious. I don’t know if Sokka is just continuing stalling Aang finding out the inevitable. I don’t know if it’s quite possibly all of the above. Ya’ll feel free to speculate in the comics, though, huh?
Next, Aang stops in front of a statue of an Avatar that was clearly a firebender. The camera then switches back and forth between Aang in the statue. We see a light pass over the statue’s eyes…and then Katara comes up behind Aang and shakes him by the shoulders.
Roku!! That cool guy named Roku!!! We only get to meet him as a statue for the time being, but he’s still awesome!!! Don’t he look fly as hell?! And yeah, I know-I can’t wait to get to the part where we meet him, either. Don’t worry, don’t worry-we gon’ get there.
And now our lovely Sokka comments on this new development:
-whispers- It’s part of the deal of the Avatar reincarnation cycle, loves. Aang gon’ know what’s what. Yes, indeedy, he gon’ know what’s what.
Now for this next part, Imma just directly quote the transcript page:
Sokka cautions:
Ahh, but are the pointy ears from a firebender’s helmet? Is this a firebender we must fear? It just may be…
Now, Katara points out:
Umm…y’know, I think I’m actually with Katara on this one (unpredictable, ain’t I?). See, usually if you know that it’s a good idea to hide in the first place…then you also know it’s a good idea to be as quiet as possible so as to not give away your hiding spot and, thus, give away yourself.
Not making a sound when hiding is…well, we would think that would come with the package, huh?
But! I do think that Sokka may very well be saying this more out of habit than anything else and also actually trying to comfort Katara and Aang because, naw, he’s really got this and even though a freakin’ firebender is advancing into the room, everything’s gonna be alright. Again, ya’ll speculate, huh?
So the shadow advances, and the scene cuts to black.
When we come back, the camera is still on The Advancing Shadow That’s Most Definitely A Firebender coming deeper and deeper into the Air Temple Sanctuary. Sokka now proceeds to make yet another sound (or rather a string of sounds):
And now to directly quote the transcript page again:
And so our firebender turns out to be a…
OMFG, it’s a cutsie wittle lemur!!! Or, as Sokka would put it:
Oh, Sokka, honey!! And, okay, this time we know he’s joking-he’ll confirm it later. But I do imagine that that drool is real, haha.
Now they both lunge at the wittle lemur, who “bristles like a cat and dashes away from them, screaming”, per the transcript page. Both Aang and Sokka run after the little one, who’s taken to bolting right out of the temple.
Our two boys plead:
And so the chase is on!
Hell, Aang even does this to Sokka, which you just might call cheating:
And, uh…I will say that though this is a new happy, funny scene…what about Katara? Aang, Sokka, and the camera all left her behind. I mean, does she wanna eat the lemur? Does she wanna cuddle the lemur? Does she wanna pet the lemur? Or hell, does she just want to get a better look at the lemur (because it’s quite possible that she (and her brother, for that matter) has never seen one in real life until now) before her brother and friend literally ran it out of the sanctuary?
It’s not the worst thing in the world, but Katara just…got left behind here, y’know?
So Aang and Sokka charge ahead in their race for the lemur, who may be a pet or may be dinner! Who knows, haha!
And to again directly quote the transcript page:
OMFG Bryke really referenced The Matrix here! Nyahahaha!
So remember that Sokka goes down, falling flat on his face with his hood falling over his head…aww, poor baby! Looks like pet is winning over dinner!
The scene changes to where the hallway ends at a balcony, and we’re looking back into the temple. Aang follows the lemur right off the balcony:
Aang laughs as he falls and our little airbender is bouncing off rocks beneath him as he keeps up the chase. The camera briefly cuts to Sokka, who’s finally reached the balcony and is leaning over to watch the other boy fall.
Ahh, I know, Sokka. I know. –gigglesnorts-
The camera then cuts to Aang up close and we can see his big, happy eyes watering from the great speed his body is falling and he’s smiling widely.
And so this is one last, little bit of happy comedy before the ultimate news is broken, huh? –sniffles and sobs-
Trigger Warnings: You may not even remember this deconstruction, my god.
Hey, ya’ll! Let’s get down to it! We finally cut right back to our Gaang at the Southern Air Temple. And Imma be honest with ya’ll: I’m running out of things to say here, as we seem to be continuing to largely say the same things over and over in this episode. Aang is slowly slipping out of denial. Sokka and Katara are struggling with how or if to break the news to him. The Southern Air Temple is more like a graveyard full of memories of a once thriving people than anything else. Aang is still slowly slipping out of denial. Oh, and we theorize that Sokka is fulfilling the role of part comic relief, part Tryna Make Aang Feel Better And Stave Off The Inevitable.
Okay. We got that. We’re still here. So for now, Imma just mostly narrate what’s going on and otherwise comment on the things I like. ‘Kay? ‘Kay.
We finally see the Gaang walk into the huge, dark, mysterious Southern Air Temple Sanctuary. The camera reveals the solution to our mystery of what’s inside the sanctuary. To directly quote the transcript page:
The camera pans right to reveal many statues arrayed in a pattern. The pattern is tied to a swirl pattern on the floor--a bluish version of the Yellow Brick Road--with the statues arrayed along it. The three walk among the statues, heading to the center of the room.
Sokka walks right up to the statutes and demands:
Sokka: Statues?! That's it? Where's the meat?
Oh, Sokka, honey. The meat is in your hopes and dreams. The meat is in your heart. Where, no matter where you go or what you do or how you feel…it shall stay forevermore.
Forevermore. :P
The camera turns to Aang and Katara. Our beloved Katara asks a very, very important question that sets off our next set of dialogue:
Katara: Who are all these people?
Aang: (uncertain) I'm not sure, but it feels like I know them somehow. Look! (He points to a statue.) That one's an airbender!
Katara: (pointing) And this one's a waterbender. They're lined up in a pattern. Air, water, earth and fire.
Aang: That's the Avatar cycle.
Katara: Of course! They're Avatars. All these people are your past lives, Aang.
Aang: Wow! There's so many!
A’ight, lotsa things that I like about this. The first thing that I like is that even though all of these people are past Avatars, Katara and by extension the audience can easily distinguish where they come from by their dress. It reinforces that just because someone is the Avatar and thus has a duty to the entire world does not mean that they automatically forfeit who they are and where they come from. But they’re still Avatars and so they still belong in the Southern Air Temple Sanctuary.
It reminds me of one of my older posts talking about the inherent theme of balance in ATLA and how it of course directly ties into the Avatar’s identity. That post was Setting the Stage on Appa. (Does anyone remember? It was from like, back when dinosaurs ruled the earth.) In that post, I talked a little about how Aang has to balance being an individual person [of the Southern Air Temple] vs. being an Avatar that has a massive, inescapable responsibility to the world:
…the struggle between the reality that, yes, Aang is a person, a human being that deserves autonomy, respect, privacy, and in general a life of his own vs. the reality that Aang must attend to his duties as the Avatar, particularly an Avatar to a war-torn, ravaged world that actually needed its Avatar a full century ago.
It is a question of when and how to remember that sometimes Aang must put being an individual on the back burner to step up as the Avatar and when Aang must put being the Avatar on the back burner to stand up for himself as a person And, also, when being both is beneficial not only to the people he must serve and protect, but to himself. When? How? Where? And if he’s truly not sure, who should he ask for guidance and who should he not ask for guidance?
And on top of that, when and how can he incorporate everything that he’s learned from his home, from his culture as an Air Nomad into his work as the Avatar? When and how will those combinations of teachings and natural instincts come in very, very handy and when will they have to take a backseat and even be contradicted (for lack of a better word) in order for Aang to accomplish what he’s trying to do? And, again, if he’s truly not sure, who should he ask for guidance and who should he not ask for guidance?
It is a struggle of balance and the theme of balance itself is very, very central in the series.
I like the subtle reiteration here with the statues. I like it very much.
So now the second thing that I like about this scene is that Katara mentions the statutes are “lined up in a pattern”. A pattern. This pattern is speshul because, according to the Wiki:
The sanctuary in the Southern Air Temple consists of a tall, circular chamber where a statue of every Avatar preceding Korra encircles the room in a large swirl, corresponding to the Air Nomad insignia.
Bolding mine.
The pattern does indeed resemble the Air Nomad insignia. Yes, indeedy:
That’s kewlio-beans to me because this is yet another thing that I ain’t never noticed in ATLA until the transcript page, Avatar Wiki, etc. told me so. Ya’ll think it’s kewlio-beans? I think it’s kewlio-beans.
The camera stays behind and moves up while Aang moves off the screen. The result of this is that it shows the many, many tiers of statues just spiraling up, up, up, up through the sanctuary. And I couldn’t find a picture showing this sans glowing eyes (no spoilers, -wink wink-), but goodness gracious, Aang does indeed have a metric shit ton of past lives. The Avatar has been around for a long, long, long time.
Sokka then comes in being his delightful Skeptical Sokka:
Sokka: (skeptical) Past lives? Katara, you really believe in that stuff?
Katara: It's true. When the Avatar dies he's reincarnated into the next nation in the cycle.
Ehhh…Imma admit again-I’m running out of things to say in the instance of figuring out Sokka’s intentions. I kinda don’t wanna speculate on whether or not Sokka is joking (‘Cause Sokka, boo, everybody knows this about the Avatar. Why you think after he “died” everybody was hopin’ he’d come back?). I don’t know if Sokka is dead-serious. I don’t know if Sokka is just continuing stalling Aang finding out the inevitable. I don’t know if it’s quite possibly all of the above. Ya’ll feel free to speculate in the comics, though, huh?
Next, Aang stops in front of a statue of an Avatar that was clearly a firebender. The camera then switches back and forth between Aang in the statue. We see a light pass over the statue’s eyes…and then Katara comes up behind Aang and shakes him by the shoulders.
Katara: Aang, snap out of it!
Aang: (dazed) Huh?
Katara: Who is that?
Aang: That's Avatar Roku, the Avatar before me.
Roku!! That cool guy named Roku!!! We only get to meet him as a statue for the time being, but he’s still awesome!!! Don’t he look fly as hell?! And yeah, I know-I can’t wait to get to the part where we meet him, either. Don’t worry, don’t worry-we gon’ get there.
And now our lovely Sokka comments on this new development:
Sokka: You were a firebender? No wonder I didn't trust you when we first met.
Katara: There's no writing. How do you know his name?
Aang: I'm not sure... I just know it somehow.
Sokka: (growls in frustration) You just couldn't get any weirder!
-whispers- It’s part of the deal of the Avatar reincarnation cycle, loves. Aang gon’ know what’s what. Yes, indeedy, he gon’ know what’s what.
Now for this next part, Imma just directly quote the transcript page:
The three sense the presence of another being and turn to look at the entrance. A long-eared shadow advances toward them. The screen pans back up, but the three are nowhere to be seen. When the view comes to rest again, we can see them huddled behind two of the statues, Aang and Katara behind one on the left of the screen, Sokka behind one on the right. The shadow advances between the two statues. Screen cuts to a profile view where we can see their frightened faces.
Sokka cautions:
Sokka: (whispering) Firebender. Nobody make a sound.
Ahh, but are the pointy ears from a firebender’s helmet? Is this a firebender we must fear? It just may be…
Now, Katara points out:
Katara: (exasperated) You're making a sound!
Aang and Sokka: Shhhh!
Umm…y’know, I think I’m actually with Katara on this one (unpredictable, ain’t I?). See, usually if you know that it’s a good idea to hide in the first place…then you also know it’s a good idea to be as quiet as possible so as to not give away your hiding spot and, thus, give away yourself.
Not making a sound when hiding is…well, we would think that would come with the package, huh?
But! I do think that Sokka may very well be saying this more out of habit than anything else and also actually trying to comfort Katara and Aang because, naw, he’s really got this and even though a freakin’ firebender is advancing into the room, everything’s gonna be alright. Again, ya’ll speculate, huh?
So the shadow advances, and the scene cuts to black.
When we come back, the camera is still on The Advancing Shadow That’s Most Definitely A Firebender coming deeper and deeper into the Air Temple Sanctuary. Sokka now proceeds to make yet another sound (or rather a string of sounds):
Sokka: (whispering, ready with his weapon) That firebender won't know what hit 'em.
And now to directly quote the transcript page again:
The long eared shadow is now right on top of them. The view pans up to reveal the black outline of a small animal in the doorway who is simply casting a lengthy shadow due to the angle of the sun outside. Camera cuts to behind the animal as Sokka jumps out from the statue, weapon at the ready. The other two also come around to look. Sound effects are heard as everyone's eyes blink, each registering the diminutive stature of the adorable intruder. The view switches to reveal a winged lemur looking at them with wide eyes. His long ears flop down on his back as he sees the people staring at him. He blinks his eyes to the same sounds effects. The camera gives a close-up of Aang.
And so our firebender turns out to be a…
Aang: Lemur!
OMFG, it’s a cutsie wittle lemur!!! Or, as Sokka would put it:
Sokka: (cut to Sokka, drooling) Dinner...
Oh, Sokka, honey!! And, okay, this time we know he’s joking-he’ll confirm it later. But I do imagine that that drool is real, haha.
Aang: Don't listen to him! You're going to be my new pet.
Sokka: Not if I get him first!
Now they both lunge at the wittle lemur, who “bristles like a cat and dashes away from them, screaming”, per the transcript page. Both Aang and Sokka run after the little one, who’s taken to bolting right out of the temple.
Our two boys plead:
Aang: (calling) Wait! Come back!
(Cuts to long shot of the entrance hallway. The lemur rockets out of the screen.)
Sokka: I wanna eat you!
And so the chase is on!
Hell, Aang even does this to Sokka, which you just might call cheating:
And, uh…I will say that though this is a new happy, funny scene…what about Katara? Aang, Sokka, and the camera all left her behind. I mean, does she wanna eat the lemur? Does she wanna cuddle the lemur? Does she wanna pet the lemur? Or hell, does she just want to get a better look at the lemur (because it’s quite possible that she (and her brother, for that matter) has never seen one in real life until now) before her brother and friend literally ran it out of the sanctuary?
It’s not the worst thing in the world, but Katara just…got left behind here, y’know?
So Aang and Sokka charge ahead in their race for the lemur, who may be a pet or may be dinner! Who knows, haha!
And to again directly quote the transcript page:
[Aang and Sokka] take turns leading the other. Sokka takes a swipe at Aang's legs with his weapon, but Aang, uses his airbending skills in a Matrix-style move to run along the wall beside Sokka and pass him, laughing as he does. Once far enough ahead, Aang stops, turns, and launches an airball spinning back toward Sokka. It hits him in the stomach and knocks him off his feet, like a bowling ball hitting one lone pin.
OMFG Bryke really referenced The Matrix here! Nyahahaha!
So remember that Sokka goes down, falling flat on his face with his hood falling over his head…aww, poor baby! Looks like pet is winning over dinner!
Sokka: Oof!
The scene changes to where the hallway ends at a balcony, and we’re looking back into the temple. Aang follows the lemur right off the balcony:
Aang laughs as he falls and our little airbender is bouncing off rocks beneath him as he keeps up the chase. The camera briefly cuts to Sokka, who’s finally reached the balcony and is leaning over to watch the other boy fall.
Sokka: Hey! No Fair!
Ahh, I know, Sokka. I know. –gigglesnorts-
The camera then cuts to Aang up close and we can see his big, happy eyes watering from the great speed his body is falling and he’s smiling widely.
And so this is one last, little bit of happy comedy before the ultimate news is broken, huh? –sniffles and sobs-
no subject
Date: 2017-12-21 11:29 pm (UTC)...ahem. :D
You know, I never realized before how cleanly this opening material uses comedy to take the tension off the plot structure at crucial moments. Like Sokka's designated role as "poke fun at Aang's mysticism," serving to take some of the Sad out of remembering Roku's name and knowing you were him... (and yeah, he's a good-looking fellow, too!)
I get the feeling Katara is so done with the lemur shenanigans, before they ever really begin. Ah, Katara. I'm looking forward to her Super Srs wearing thin a bit; it does her a service.
no subject
Date: 2017-12-22 12:01 am (UTC)And yeah, comedy is just so...so powerful and crucial a narrative tool and this series uses it wonderfully all the time. Like, no character is exempt from being made fun of, but at the same time it'll put the humor on the back burner because the situation is far too serious/sad/traumatic/intense for humor to be placed at the moment.
Yeah, Katara is prolly done with all the lemur mess before it even started! Yes, indeedy, that's an option, LOLOL! :D
no subject
Date: 2017-12-22 04:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-12-22 10:56 pm (UTC)Buwahahahahahaa!!! Yeah, a lil waterbending can go a long way for that, haha!
no subject
Date: 2017-12-22 04:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-12-22 06:02 am (UTC)*dances then gets it out of his system*
FINALLY. >u<~~~
My take on Sokka was that he seemed a bit more flat there in that scene, serving as the stereotype of The Skeptic (which he engages in the later episode where they confront the old fortune reader woman). He was meant to be a "stand-in" for the skeptical audience so we could have our questions answered.
Unfortunately he rang a bit false because the world he came from, well, such things are more a given then our world. More like a flat-earther in this world (unfortunately such people ARE found...) but not with his own independent personality just yet. To this point he seems more a collection of traits to me: meat-loving, try-hard warrior that remembered only toxic masculinity and patriarchy, sarcastic and skeptic. Nothing really... hmmm... vulnerable or deeper about him yet. I wonder if they were still working him out in this development?
To be honest, everybody seems a tad bit flat since the full implications and ramifications of their backstories and traits interacting with each other hasn't been fleshed out yet. Including some even the developers probably don't yet know due to the time constraints they had before running it.
But to get away from a meta viewpoint back into the details of the world itself, I don't think Sokka was joking that much when he saw the lemur and thought dinner.
//spoiler, a bit//
I personally thought he said he was joking later when he saw how much having the lemur as his last tie to the place meant to Aang and didn't want to upset him and wanted to comfort him. Which meant Aang is more important to Sokka than food. :3
//spoiler end//
I DID wonder what happened to Katara... I like the theory she hung back, just SO done with the boys and the whole lemur thing to start with. Maybe to study the statues further and see what she could learn from them and if there were any more secrets in the room. After all, she DID catch up with them later, as we'll see.
Also makes sense that you stopped there. x"D The next part is a very sad one after all. :c
no subject
Date: 2017-12-22 10:57 pm (UTC)In this world, the reincarnation of the Avatar is well-attested. And, Bryke needed some way to communicate this reality to the audience and, sometimes, expositional dialogue just gets clunky.
That said, there will be points in future episodes in which I side with Sokka even despite authorial intent. (The Fortune Teller and The Swamp, specifically.)
One thing that I will note about the sheer number of statues is the amount of work that has to continue to go into them.
Not only does a new Avatar eventually mean the sculpting of at least four different statues out of stone, but the each of those four different statues means displacing each of 10,000 years worth of statues at at least four different temples.
Each sculpture has to be moved one back to make room for the one before it just to make that space for the most recent Avatar.
Of course, this is all much easier at the Earth Temple(s). But, I have to wonder what the Mystics do about the matter. Do Earth Benders visit the other temples and perform a courtesy? If not, at a Fire Temple, is there a team of sculpture movers who *just* finished when Roku died and now have to do the whole thing over again?
no subject
Date: 2017-12-23 08:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-12-25 11:18 pm (UTC)The last time I was having it read to me I read Akata Witch, and the sequel to that came out recently, so it seems on track in some way...
no subject
Date: 2017-12-26 02:45 am (UTC)Akata Witch...yeah, I know whatcha talkin' about. Yet another thing I gotta rad sometime!! Yep, yep!!