Ah, invasion time.  Due to the placement in the season and the story, it was obvious the invasion was doomed to fail.  Sure, attacking during the eclipse was a fantastic strategy and this two-parter was a great excuse to bring back a whole slew of previous characters (the Southern Water Tribe warriors, the Swampbenders, the Mechanists, Haru and his father, the Earth Rumble VI crew and a couple of Freedom Fighters.)  However, it would have been a hollow victory to see a crippled, half-trained Avatar take down a depowered Fire Lord.   Aang has come a long way since the start of the series, but as Katara reminds us at the start of each episode, he still has a lot to learn.

For me, the character that shone the most during the battle was Sokka.  Sure, he still doubts himself.  He’s still the guy who cracks silly jokes and has a growing obsession with facial hair.   But when he gets serious, it’s clear he’s changed a lot since his first attempt at playing warrior back in the show’s pilot.  Katara and the other Benders may have been flashier fighters, but from planning to swordplay to taking command, Sokka was the real heart of the invasion force.  Here’s hoping that he doesn’t take the loss of the battle too hard, especially his reaction to Azula’s taunts about Suki.

And along that vein, could it be any clearer that Azula is her father’s daughter?  The intercutting of Azula and Fire Lord Ozai baiting Sokka and Zuko respectively shows just how calculating and manipulative they both are.  The big difference between the two is that Azula seems to be better at controlling her emotions and adapting to situations.  It was chilling to watch her smile when she was at the mercy of her enemies – she had absolutely no fear.  Her father, meanwhile, hid from the enemy and blew his top at the slight provocation.  Azula is looking like the stronger of the two.  It will be interesting to see Ozai confront her regarding her lies about the Avatar.  She clearly didn’t share all the information she knew about the invasion, so Azula may have planned all along to use these events as part of a larger plot.  I honestly wouldn’t be surprised to see her on the throne before the series ends (though I would regret it a bit if it meant the loss of Mark Hamill; that man voices the best villains.)

There was also a subtle parallel drawn between Hakoda and Ozai.  Here we have two fathers faced with the fact that their sons may someday surpass them.  One is unspeakably proud; the other is ready to sign the execution papers.  It’s a perfect example of the stagnation and self-importance of Ozai’s regime that Zuko was ranting about.  The world is changing around the Fire Lord and his inability to adjust will most likely be his downfall.

Oh Zuko.  Your journey has been one of trials and tribulations and boatloads of angst (Aangst?), but in a way, your self-realization was far too inevitable to have a real impact on the audience.  Sure, it was pretty damn awesome to see Zuko draw his swords and declare “I’m going to speak my mind.  And you’re going to listen.”  But who hasn’t been waiting for this day since back in Book 1?  His path has certainly been an interesting one and his turn in the Book 2 finale was admittedly shocking.  But at this point, his declaration to join the Avatar deserves a “FINALLY!” much more than a “HUZZAH!”  On the plus side, he seems to be over his brooding-and-apologizing-to-paintings phase.

Perhaps the only major disappointment in the episodes was Iroh’s jailbreak.  After all of his drooling subterfuge, body building and hint-dropping, I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who was looking forward to Iroh kicking some major ass.   And it ALL HAPPENED OFFSCREEN.  All we got was “He was like a one-man army!”  Hopefully, they just couldn’t squeeze it into these episodes and there will be a flashback or some such in a future episode.

What am I forgetting?  Ah yes, The Kiss.  Whether you ship any of the characters on the show or not, you have to give Aang some props for finally having the courage to plant one on Katara.  And for avoiding the cheesy epithets of his daydream in the last episode.  It will be interesting to see how Aang’s actions change the dynamics of the group.  And with Zuko intent on joining the team, things could get very interesting indeed.

So the battle is over and lost.  The gang (now somewhat expanded) is back on the road (well, in the air) and out of their Fire Nation disguises.  Aang has returned from the “dead”, shaved his head and obtained a new glider (with a snack compartment!)   On the surface, things look back to normal.  But the winds of change are blowing, and I doubt it’s going to be a smooth ride from here on out.

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