Episodes
Friday Jan 29, 2016
Episode 11 - City of Walls and Secrets / The Tales of Ba Sing Se
Friday Jan 29, 2016
Friday Jan 29, 2016
This week gets off to a weird start as AJ raises an existential question which, among other things, reveals Eric's secret desire to totally mess up some random 16-year old kid's life. Pretending we heard none of that, we move forward with Avatar Book Two. In chapter 214, "City of Walls and Secrets," the full splendor of Ba Sing Se finally begins to open up to us. We talk about the peaceful life Iroh and Zuko seem set to build for themselves here, while the Aang Gang are exposed to the '70s-era conspiracy element of the Impenetrable City as they cross paths with Clancy Brown and his Secret Police. And chapter 215, "The Tales of Ba Sing Se" impresses us with how well it manages to tell what are essentially six complete stories, including Def Jam Sokka going all 8 Mile, Momo's graceful monkey dancing, and the heartbreaking homage to the late great Mako Iwamatsu.
The Breakdown
- Intro / Banter (00:00 - 16:45)
- Main Topic (16:45 - 1:17:55)
- Outro / Next (1:17:55 - 1:19:56)
Friday Jan 22, 2016
Episode 10 - The Library / The Desert / The Serpent's Pass / The Drill
Friday Jan 22, 2016
Friday Jan 22, 2016
The Avatar Returns returns! We're back, having survived our various chemically altered holiday adventures. And due to some odd digital episode numbering, we end up with a bonus chapter this week which we hadn't anticipated watching yet. But perhaps it all works out for the best, since it turns out chapters 210, "The Library," and 213, "The Drill" bookend this discussion with more action-oriented, event-based stories, whereas the two middle chapters, 211, "The Desert," and 212, "The Serpent's Pass" are transitional, getting-from-place-to-place stories. We talk about giant owl-faced dick spirits, Aang almost going all Anakin Skywalker on some dudes, AJ asks Paul to dance (it gets awkward), and we forgo the usual Buffy the Vampire Slayer comparisons in favor of our first Doctor Who, Tarantino, Princess Bride, and Lost references.
The Breakdown
- Intro / Banter (00:00 - 11:07)
- POP QUIZ! (11:07 - 21:45)
- Main Topic (21:45 - 1:16:45)
- Outro / Next (1:16:45 - 1:20:06)