Ranking the Tales of Ba Sing Se (Avatar: The Last Airbender Analysis)

funding for Schaefer Ellis is provided by Squarespace the sponsor of today's video from websites and online stores to marketing tools and analytics Squarespace is the all-in-one platform to build a beautiful online presence and run your business more info at the end of the video so I rewatched avatar recently because of course I did and good news it's still one of the best TV shows of all time I've gotten quite a few requests to talk about this show but truth be told I never thought it was necessary because everyone already knows it's one of the best TV shows of all time I don't like making videos that just reinforce the accepted status quo I prefer to express and elaborate on some of my more unconventional opinions and I don't have a whole lot of unconventional avatar opinions my favorite episode is Zuko alone will be what am I gonna do talk about how it's a perfect half hour of television you know that already you know why I love the ember island players the chase the beach the puppet master the day of blacks on the crossroads of destiny the boiling rock the four-part finale all that good stuff my opinions are the same as the fan bases opinions for just about every episode well except tales of Ba Sing se don't get me wrong this one is for sure in my top ten and I absolutely adore how it gives our main characters a chance to breathe and live life on their own but my ranking for the six segments within this episode was a bit controversial when I posted it on Twitter so I thought what better excuse to finally talk about avatar than to explain my unconventional opinions on a universally loved episode here's my ranking of the tales of Ba Sing se enjoy I don't think anyone is gonna get upset with this placement the tale of hang is cute filler fluff that I have no strong feelings towards whatsoever it's fine but it's the only segment where I start squirming in my seat waiting to get back to the great stuff now I'll take any excuse to see cabbage man whatsoever so I'm cool with it but it's just a little weird to see such a jovial and whimsical segment given to aang who's been going through a lot these past few episodes due to the loss of Appa remember at the end of the previous episode long Wang or whatever his name was directly threatened Aang about Appa Oh it'd be a shame if you didn't find your bison pure Aang still could have done those zoo shenanigans but I would have liked it if it tied into a search oppan in some way or maybe he connects with one of the animals because he sees Appa in them as is it's a weird little speed bump in Aang's otherwise laser-focused mission to get Appa back throughout the second half of season two and I feel like they could have done more with it but hey it's cute so whatever okay here's an avatar heartache for y'all I don't care about Momo I don't dislike him but I don't think he adds anything to the show and I was really not looking forward to ending this amazing episode on a segment dedicated entirely to him but it surprised me by being perfectly adequate nonetheless what brings this part down for me is the fact that it's just a diet version of the very next episode oppas lost days except this with a character who I'm not really interested in seeing the journey of I feel like it shouldn't have been that hard for Momo to escape those Panthers but it was wholesome when he rescued them I guess it's a short and moderately entertaining skit but I don't think it's as interesting as a lot of people say it is ultimately it saved quite a bit by its relevance to the ongoing story and how it showcases a character coping with the loss of Appa something Aang's story didn't bother doing for some bizarre reason this is where things start getting great Toph and Katara had never really gotten along that well prior to this episode so the fact that they get paired up for a chance to bond is such an inspired idea Katara take stuff to a saw from the sea and even though things go a little awry the spa day is mostly a success I just love seeing these two bond over an activity I honestly couldn't have seen either of them enjoying it's really wholesome it's also wholesome when they disposes some who make fun of tops makeup you just love to see it the ending conversation is what really makes this whole segment though it's beautiful to see Katara expressing her admiration for Toph despite their differences I'm just happy these crazy kids are finally getting along this is an absolutely perfect way to start the episode and the day that takes place within the episode great stuff the tale of Sokka I'm gonna level with y'all this is fire haiku rap battle where Sokka goes head-to-head with a haiku Lord you love to see it maybe it is just filler but it's the best kind as it goes along it's so much fun to keep up with these new poems I mean this lady is so hell-bent on taking our poor Sokka down like ask yourself this why does this lady have a plum inside her sleeve clearly she has it just in case a haiku fraud needs to be exposed but sokka's no fraud he goes on to win the match knock her down a peg yet a tragedy occurs right before our eyes Sokka just won't stop he could have just quit when he was still ahead but his hubris failed him Oh Sokka my boy why'd you have to let us down you broke all our hearts so yeah sokka's tale I know that it's just filler but it's so much fun the way these two spar as we count the syllables to make sure they're good it's just inspired though to be fair sokka's write haikus aren't very hard too many syllables Bob oh okay ask yourself a question is the tale of I rode the best overall part of the episode or is its ending the best overall part yeah I'm really pulling it up on you guys with this question however unlike up I actually do consider the tale of Iroh to be a masterpiece in its own right it's all about Iroh going about his day and helping anyone he comes across a perfect testament to his good nature these little vignettes within a vignette are all loosely connected yet they all paint a beautiful picture of this kindly old man and the lanes he goes to to help any stranger he comes across from the little boy he sings to to the kids he gives advice to to the guy trying to mug him I mean really think about that Iroh is being mugged yet after knocking the guy who's mugging him down he takes the time to not only give him advice on how his stance should be but also what he should do with his life he could have just walked away but instead he sits down and changes this guy's life for the better by talking to him and believing in him what's a saint and yet he still has to live with the fact that he wasn't able to help his son here he is on his son's birthday in the city where his son perished in battle all the pieces have been put in place for one tour-de-force emotionally devastating scene and it doesn't disappoint if you don't cry from I Rose tearful tribute to his late son you will cry from the episodes tribute to I rose late voice actor when I think about how much I love tales of Ba Sing se this segment is the one that comes to mind first surprising I know but I can't help it the tale of Zuko to me is the most beautiful and captivating overall part of the episode it's not as strong as the ending of eros tale but when taking the parts as a whole I have to give this one the edge even though both Zuko and Iroh sparts are tenon attends the reason this parts stuck with me for so many years is because it's the first time I can remember seeing Zuko truly happy it was genuinely moving to see him grow to care for this girl despite his reluctance to go out with her it's fun to see him try and act normal and go on a date with someone and the awkwardness isn't off-putting or embarrassing it's really charming especially since Jin never gets frustrated with Zuko's inability to act normal on a date she's charmed by his aloofness and his attempts to juggle which results in property damage you can feel her passion when she takes him to the fountain as well as her disappointment when the lights are all out and here we see Zuko who hardly ever does a kind thing for anyone other than his uncle put everything on the line and firebend these lamps just for the sake of making this girl he hardly knows happy I mean that smile he gives her damn he didn't just warm these lamps he warmed my hearts it's charming when he gets out of kissing gin by using a coupon and I love the fact that when she does kiss him he kisses her back like deep down he does want a simple life with her here even though he keeps telling himself that his true destiny is to capture the avatar and return home the story ties into his character arc magnificently and it really left an impression on me because of how happy Jin made Zuko I had never felt more betrayed by a fictional character that I did with Zuko and crossroads of Destiny and all throughout the first half of season 3 where Zuko came to grips with his unhappiness with his new life I thought about Jin and how great things could have been if Zuko had chosen that path I'm glad things worked out for him in the end but when I first saw this episode I was simply in all of this part it gave me so many new insights into Zuko as a character and while it inevitably had to end in a bittersweet way I don't know I feel like Iroh asking how the date only for Zucco to tell him it was nice was still a satisfying conclusion for this short story the tale of Zuko will always be my favourite tale of Ba Sing se Oh also I brought you guys something it's a coupon for 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain from Squarespace oh wait I I messed up the order my uncle told me to go in let me start over hey wouldn't it have been convenient if there was a website where you could report lost sky-bison - if there was then the Aang gang could have just posted that Appa was missing on that website and bada-boom they would have gotten him back right away well the good news is now you can 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Channel: Schaffrillas Productions

Views: 600,858

Keywords: Schaffrillas Productions, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Tales of Ba Sing Se, Iroh, Zuko, Sokka, Katara, Aang, Toph, Momo

Id: I9mGfjcJa8g

Length: 11min 20sec (680 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 17 2020