Chapter 13: The Blue Spirit
I seem to have a bit of an answer to my previous question about the Fire Nation military: they clearly employ archers who do not appear to be fire benders.
Chapter 14: The Fortuneteller
So I think this was the episode where I first started to ponder the question: Kataang or Zutara? Of course, Aang's crush gets a huge boost. But Katara's pretty darn clueless. When I first watched this, at the end, when Katara looks at Aang and remembers Aunt Wu's prediction that she would end up with "a powerful bender," I admit I couldn’t help thinking that could apply to Zuko, too. And there were several other tempting reasons to ship them together at this point—the polarity between the characters, and the little hints that Zuko might walk a path to redemption. Meanwhile, Aang seemed like such a kid. And Aunt Wu's prediction for him made me wonder if he would need to forgo romantic attachment for the sake of his duty. So that's where I was leaning at this point in the series. In retrospect, Katara's reaction to the revelation that Aang might be her future mate makes it look like she is open to the idea. So that might be construed as a Katara-->Aang hint. Oh, and I remembered that I forgot one in an earlier episode, too: In "The Warriors of Kyoshi", Katara's annoyance at Aang's fangirls seems a bit suspicious.
Chapter 15: Bato of the Water Tribe
Okay, I know he might prefer Jun, but right now I'm kinda feeling like flying the Aunt Wu/Uncle Iroh flag. LOL, I forgot they had a little exchange in this episode. Of course, Iroh brushed her off pretty soundly, BUT IT WAS ONLY B/C HE WAS SO INTOXICATED WITH THAT FLOOSY JUN AT THE TIME.[/deranged shipper] Anyway, somehow I feel their personalities are a good match, and there is the whole "aunt" and "uncle" thing. Maybe one day they will meet again under more favorable circumstances. <3
Chapter 16: The Deserter
This episode explores the nature of bending in greater depth. We get the first hints of the dual nature of fire in some of Jeong Jeong's ramblings. Also, we see the first instance of water healing.
"It forces us burdened with its care to walk a razor's edge between humanity and savagery. Eventually, it will tear us apart." Cynical words from the wise master--but is he right? What does that mean for the Fire Nation—and for Zuko—in the long run?
Joie
