| Michael Dante DiMartino | Hi, this is Mike DiMartino, co-creator of Avatar, and I also wrote this episode. |
|---|---|
| Bryan Konietzo | And this is Bryan Konietzko, the other co-creator of Avatar, and I did some storyboarding and design on this episode. |
| Ethan Spaulding | And I'm Ethan Spaulding, and I directed this episode, as well as storyboarded some sections also. |
| Bryan | So, this was a really important episode, uh, to Mike and myself, because it introduced a new main character, someone who would join our-our group of heroes for the rest of the series. So, we really wanted to make sure, um, you know, we-we got it right, and put a lot of extra love into it. |
| Mike | Yeah, we-we knew from the beginning that it was gonna be... an earthbending kid who taught Aang earthbending, but [Emphasizes "we".] we originally thought it was gonna be a guy. And the name Toph was-was there from the beginning, but for-for a long time, we thought it was going to be another boy, but, uh, you know, in developing it, and I think Aaron Ehasz, our head writer, [Bryan affirms.] you know, had a great idea to what if we made it a girl? And we talked about it, and... thought about all the options and-and really thought, character-wise, it was-it was going to be best to make her a girl, and she's really added a great dynamic to the group. |
| Bryan | I think I resisted that idea [Mike laughs.] probably the longest, but in the end, I love how the story unfolded. I mean, to me, it's just beautiful poetic ju-justice that this unassuming little girl just beats up all these big muscle-bound, you know, meat-head guys. So... I think it was a great way to really set up how-just how talented and skilled she was. |
| Short pause in the commentary until Sokka proclaims he is going to buy the bag at a local shop after all. | |
| Mike | Uh... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] You did-you-you boarded this section, right, Ethan? |
| Ethan | Yeah, the beginning. [Bryan affirms.] |
| Mike | [Refers to a man on the street handing a coupon for Yu's earthbending academy to Aang.] I like this seedy dude, [Ethan chuckles.] just, like, hustling the kids with some fliers. [Ethan affirms.] |
| Brief pause in commentary until the gang decide to check out Master Yu's academy. | |
| Bryan | [Refers to the town's citizens walking around in the background.] I think this town came out really great, it-it feels very populated; um, it's pretty hard to do on... TV. [Ethan affirms.] |
| Mike | [Refers to Aang's new academy outfit.] I love Aang's earthbending outfit here, too. |
| Bryan | I figure this is like when you go to the strip mall martial arts schools, and you have to buy the really expensive outfits, [Mike laughs.] just for your first class. |
| Mike | [Refers to Yu promising Aang that he can receive a higher-grade belt with an advanced payment for a year of lessons.] Well, that was the idea is that Master Yu here is just, like, he's all about the money, you know, he knows-he knows earthbending, but he's not, uh, maybe... uh, the most, uh, honest guy I guess around, honest teacher. |
| Bryan | He's not, he's not into the philosophy [Mike affirms intermittently.] of martial arts, no, he... [Refers to Aang getting to keep his uniform after leaving the academy.] but see, Aang gets to keep the suit, 'cause [Mike laughs.] he had to buy it. [Laughs.] I think he had a coupon for a free lesson, but then he had to buy the uniform, so. |
| Mike | It's how he makes his money. |
| Bryan | [Refers to one of the academy's teenage students with short spiky hair mocking Aang's request for information on Earth Rumble VI.] So, have you noticed this-this teenager on the left has the same hairstyle as one of the wrestlers, The-The Big Bad Hippo? |
| Mike | Oh yeah. |
| Bryan | And he's, like, a fan of him, so, he's donning the same hairstyle. Which is kinda based on, like, Mongolian wrestling, uh, photos I had seen, like ol-antique photos and stuff. [Refers to Sokka throwing away his bag after questioning why Katara and Aang let him purchase it in the first place.] Think this began the C-runner through the series that Sokka loves shopping, right? |
| Mike | [Laughs.] I think it did. Who doesn't love shopping? |
| Bryan | Yeah. So, you can tell this is a-this episode... sort of became a tribute to, um... uh, all of us growing up watching wre-uh, professional wrestling. |
| Mike | Yeah, I gotta confess, this is-this is-this is where all my years of watching wrestling finally paid off! [Bryan and Mike laugh.] And I could use all my knowledge. [Refers to Xin Fu's demonstration of earthbending as he appears on the stadium.] So this is Xin Fu; he's, like, becomes kind of a bad guy at the end of this episode, who ends up going after Toph, but he's like the Vince McMahon of the-of the Earth Rumble VI tournament. He's the organizer and the-and the moneyman, behind the tourn... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Used-used to be a wrestler. |
| Mike | Yep, he was a... is still pretty buff, you know. [Brief pause.] But... so you-Bryan and Ethan storyboarded a lot of this... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Eth-yeah... |
| Mike | ... fight section. |
| Bryan | [Refers to the sequence of The Boulder taking on multiple different wrestlers.] Ethan did this whole section, [Mike affirms.] right here with all the... The Boulder... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] Did you want to talk about storyboarding this part, Ethan? |
| Ethan | Sure. |
| Mike | 'Cause it came out awesome! [Bryan laughs.] |
| Ethan | [Laughs.] Thank you. This came out... really well. [Refers to The Boulder's exaggerated pointing, arm movements, and facial expressions as he taunts The Hippo.] I think Bryan did some nice acting reference for that. |
| Bryan | But it was... director Jae Myung did just an amazing job translating all that stuff, it was cool. |
| Ethan | [Refers to the designs of all the tournament fighters like The Boulder and The Hippo.] Yeah, it was fun drawing these, too. Like, it was a chance to do some... crazier characters than normal. [Mike affirms.] |
| Bryan | That-that fits your style [Mike laughs.] a little bit more, kind of more exaggerated, [Ethan affirms.] like, superhero guys. |
| Ethan | But this stuff was really... fun to do. |
| Mike | Yeah. And, uh, little acting voice note, uh, The Boulder here is voiced by Mick Foley, who you might know as... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Cactus Jack! |
| Mike | ... or Mankind from WWE. So... and-and The Hippo is kind of a King Kong Bundy kinda, [Bryan laughs.] André the Giant kinda guy. |
| Bryan | [Refers to Sokka's enthusiastic cheering of The Boulder.] These are... all the crazy Sokka acting was from some... Ethan's board, really funny. |
| Mike | [Refers to Fire Nation Man being booed by Sokka and the crowd.] So, this guy's like The Iron Sheik, you know the-the foreign guy that everyone hates. |
| Bryan | [Laughs.] And some, uh, some reason, he has a Russian accent. [Bryan and Ethan laugh.] |
| Mike | Yes. [Laughs.] Oh, it's-all-all foreign bad guys do, right? |
| Bryan | I guess so. |
| Mike | [Refers to Fire Nation Man singing the Fire Nation national anthem.] This is my favorite song, too. |
| Bryan | Not as popular [Mike laughs.] as Uncle's songs, [Mike affirms.] but it's still pretty good. |
| Brief pause until Fire Nation Man, sunk into the ground by The Boulder's earthbending, begs his opponent for mercy. | |
| Bryan | [Refers to The Boulder jumping off and down toward Fire Nation Man from the pillar of earth he bent.] This is-this is like jumping off the turnbuckles... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] Yeah. [Laughs.] |
| Bryan | ... you know, which are, in the Earth Rumble, it's, like, fifty feet up. |
| Mike | [Refers to the montage sequence of The Boulder beating multiple opponents in succession.] Yeah, so the idea obviously is to setup all these guys, just these big muscly... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Not very bright. |
| Mike | ... beefcake guys, yeah. [Refers to the badgermole clearing away the rubble on the arena.] There's our Zamboni reference right there, with the badgermole. |
| Bryan | He's, like, smoothing out the ring in between matches. |
| Mike | [Refers to The Gopher tunneling through and surfacing up from the ground.] So, that-that's The Gopher. He goes underground. |
| Bryan | [Refers to The Gecko jumping between the glowing rocks above the arena.] It's The Gecko. He sticks to rocks. |
| Mike | He's like Rey Mysterio, kind of. [Bryan affirms; brief pause.] I think... |
| Ethan | [Interjects; refers to Toph's introduction sequence.] This section is Justin Ridge. |
| Bryan | [Refers to the closeup shot tilting up and zooming away from Toph as she comes into view.] That was a cool shot, [Ethan affirms.] that-that came out really good... simulating a camera shifting perspectives. So, the-the idea is that... this really dramatic shot to introduce her, [Refers to the cut to a wide shot of Toph standing between two adult attendants, where her diminutive height is more apparent.] and then you cut wide, and she's just tiny. |
| Mike | [Refers to Sokka's proclamation that Toph is going to lose to The Boulder.] I like how... excited Sokka gets about all the... [Laughs; Ethan affirms.] the wrestling. This... |
| Ethan | [Interjects; refers to the fluid animation of Toph quickly moving her left hand to point at The Boulder.] Those little cool wipes in here that... Justin had done on the board, and it's right in the animation. You can see, like, little smears on her hands. [Mike affirms.] |
| Bryan | This was a great way to introduce Toph. [Refers to Toph mocking The Boulder's courage and name.] I mean, this-this really is her character, she's pretty arrogant, [Laughs.] she's pretty tough. I think it fits well with the [Mike gives an affirming murmur.] pro-wrestling trash talking. [Refers to the sequence of Toph fighting The Boulder by listening to his movements.] So, this is the section I started, I boarded. Um, I just really wanted to... show this wa-this unique way she sees, sort of like sonar. [Refers to Toph's vision, with her, The Boulder, and their surroundings being colored in black and white, with a series of white shock waves moving over them all.] So, I figured she... s-since she uses earthbending to see, there's no lighting, it's more like, uh, she sees forms, anything tangent, and, you know, mostly she can see through rock. |
| Mike | [Refers to Toph using her earthbending to, in quick succession, trip up and knock The Boulder out of the ring.] Yeah, so, pretty much this fight only took about, what, four seconds [Laughs. Bryan affirms.] or something, but... [Refers to the slow motion shots of The Boulder trying to attack Toph, before the same movements play again in real time.] in slow motion, you see how she kind of put it all together, and realize where he was gonna step and everything. [Bryan affirms.] |
| Ethan | [Brief pause.] Yeah, it's awesome. |
| Bryan | So, yeah, it was fun, really good time. |
| Mike | [Refers to Aang realizing Toph waited and listened when fighting her opponent.] So, Aang knows this is... gonna be his teacher 'cause of something Bumi told him in, uh, "Return to Omashu", whi-which Ethan also directed, I believe. |
| Ethan | That's right. [Mike chuckles.] |
| Bryan | [Brief pause.] Another concept was that this town you see in the beginning, it's pretty fancy, it's kind of nice... and I think we used to have some dialogue where they were denying that the-there was an earthbending tournament going on. But then they-they-they basically have this, like, guilty pleasure where they all go to this underground fighting match. [Mike affirms; refers to Toph fighting Aang, where Aang lithely jumps off the earth Toph bends up from beneath his feet, slowly landing on the ground behind where Toph is unsuspectedly facing.] So, the idea here is sh-Toph's never fought an airbender before, so Aang's so light on his feet... that if somebody goes to, um, hit him or push him or something, he'll just ride that, that wave, he-he won't fight back, he'll kinda... it's like trying to punch a feather, it just floats away. |
| Mike | Yeah, we got a great actress to play Toph, um, she's a, like, thirteen year old girl named Jessie Flower, who also di-she did a voice for us on "The Fortuneteller". She was played, um, Meng, who was Aang's little love interest. |
| Bryan | We love her so much. |
| Mike | And-yeah. |
| Bryan | Yeah, she was great in that episode. |
| Mike | She's got such a cute voice, and it's just hilarious to hear trash talk come out of, like, a little [Laughs.] cute girl's mouth, so. [Ethan laughs.] |
| Bryan | [Laughs; refers to Sokka hugging Xin Fu as he takes Aang's belt and winnings from him.] I love that Sokka hugs Xin Fu. [Mike and Bryan laugh.] |
| Brief pause in commentary until Sokka starts complimenting how his new belt matches his bag. | |
| Mike | Here, this is accessorizing Sokka. We're looking forward to that action figure coming out soon, [Bryan laughs.] with his bag and belt. [Refers to the teenage students from earlier striking at pots of sand.] So, that's like a real training... |
| Bryan | [In the background.] Yeah. Yeah, you... |
| Mike | ... martial arts thing, right, the punching the sand thing? |
| Bryan | ... you-you see that in a lot of, like, Shaolin monk [Mike affirms.] documentaries, and stuff. [Refers to Katara threatening the two students again.] So, I love-I love the theme of this episode, that... you know, we-we like-we like having strong female characters and, um, when people... who I will not mention say we shouldn't, you know, it's kind of nice to, uh, take it all the way and have all these, you know, tough guys just completely scared of the girls. |
| Mike | Yeah, I think that's what we try to do on the show is, like, the girls on the show are not, like, just token characters; like, they're a integral part. They, like, in many cases, kick more butt than, [Laughs.] than the guys do. So, it's really, really fun to see them come to life. [Ethan affirms.] |
| Bryan | [Referring to the one student hiding behind the other student as they tell the group about the Beifong family.] I like that character's hiding behind. [Refers to Sokka ending the conversation by walking backwards while facing the teenagers, pointing to his eyes and then out to the air with his index and middle fingers on both hands before turning his head away and slacking the rest of his body around.] So, here's our-some of our favorite [Mike chuckles.] acting with Sokka, right here. [Mike and Bryan laugh when Sokka says "Water Tribe".] |
| Ethan | Yeah... that's Bryan. |
| Mike | [Laughs.] That's all Bryan. [Refers to The Boulder testifying to Xin Fu about Aang and Toph's match.] So, this guy also-The Boulder talks just like The Rock, [Laughs.] always referring to himself in third per-person, and stuff. [Bryan chuckles.] |
| Brief pause in commentary until Bryan and Mike laugh at Xin Fu's exaggeratedly crying outin pain after a rock falls on his foot. | |
| Ethan | Nice expression. I just... |
| Mike | [Interjects; refers to the Beifong Estate.] So this is... yeah, this is Toph's house. [Ethan affirms.] |
| Bryan | [Refers to the flying boar crest above the estate's gates.] There's that vision that Aang saw. |
| Mike | Yeah, that's the-the flying boar that Aang saw in the swamp with Toph. |
| Bryan | So, the idea is that a-as far as Toph's parents know, she's never left this [Mike affirms.] estate, right? I mean... |
| Mike | Yeah, she's been very protected and... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] And he di... |
| Mike | ... coddled, and everything. |
| Bryan | Yeah, [Refers to the teenagers mentioning that the Beifongs do not have a daughter.] and they don't even tell anyone that they have a daughter, which is pretty sad. [Refers to the medium closeup shots of Toph in her noble outfit.] I-I really like these Toph drawings coming up. Uh, this profile is really nice. [Refers to the closeup shot and then medium shot of Toph.] That, I love that, those drawings of her, fantastic. |
| Ethan | Yep. This whole section. [Bryan affirms; refers to Toph holding up her hand in Katara's face.] And this. |
| Bryan | [Refers to the greyish green color of Toph's irises and pupils, with her sight line focused directly in front of her.] Really happy [Ethan affirms.] with the way her-her, uh, irises and pupils came out, it, y-you know, we-we knew we wanted-it's-it's kinda tough in animation, like, how do you make... someone seem blind. Um, so, we try not to not have her blink much, um, she doesn't move her irises around very much, um, and we did that kinda cloudy color treatment, I really, really like the way it came out. |
| Mike | Yeah, I think the way, you know, we set her up in the fir-in the first act, by being able to see so well, [Refers to Toph sensing when the Earth Rumble fighters are about to ambush her and Aang.] it's kinda like she sees almost better than normal people, so, you know. She's not gonna be stumbling around much as long as she's on earth and touching earth. She can, like, totally see where she's going and... |
| Bryan | [Interjecting.] She can see people behind walls. [Mike affirms.] You know, yeah, as long as they're in... touching the-the ground and... |
| Mike | [Refers to Toph's parents instructing Yu to continue Toph's earthbending training with basic forms.] Yeah. So now we find out that Toph's basically been... we know she's an awesome earthbender, but her parents have no idea. Like, they just think she's taking these lessons, anf doing basic forms, and stuff. |
| Bryan | [Referring to the interior shots of Toph's house.] I dig this, uh... I really like the way this house turned out. Um... Elsa Garagarza and... the designers did a great job [Ethan affirms.] with this really elegant, Chinese interior. |
| Mike | Yeah, it feels like a rich person's house. [Laughs; Bryan affirms intermittently.] Which, after the kids have been camping around, and stuff, for so long, it's nice to see. |
| Bryan | [Referring to Toph's mother.] Think Angie Mueller did a great job on, um, Poppy, is thatToph's mom's name? |
| Mike | That's the mom, yeah. [Ethan affirms.] |
| Bryan | On her giant hair, [Mike laugh.] I love it. [Bryan and Ethan laugh.] This huge pile of hair, with giant flowers on it. |
| Mike | [Refers to the multiple different plates of food at the table the characters are eating at.] I'm always amazed, too, Aldina Dias, our prop designer, always designs, like, all these meals and stuff for everyone to eat, [Bryan chuckles.] like, all these different foods and everything. If you see the desi-designs, they're, yeah, it looks like a delicious meal. I'd like to... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Yeah, what are-is that... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] There's some ribs right there on the-on the side, I think. |
| Bryan | Looks pretty good. [Mike affirms.] Looks like jello there. [Mike laughs.] Some lobster. |
| Mike | Seaweed. |
| Bryan | [Refers to the sequence where Toph earthbends Aang face-first into his food, just as he ends his sentence.] I love that timing, it's good. |
| Bryan laughs at Lao Beifong's dumbfounded face. | |
| Mike | So, one kind of thing about Toph that we have always wanted to put in the series, but we haven't really found the right place to put it is-is this kind of idea that she-how she learned earthbending if she didn't-no one knows how good she is. And the idea is that she learned from the badgermoles, who maybe live out in the caves somewhere by her house. |
| Bryan | Yeah, that then she wandered out when she was, like, you know, five years old and... wandered into a cave, and... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] 'Cause they're also blind essentially, if you remember from-they were in 202, and they kind of live in the caves, and they don't like sunlight, and they stay inside and burrow, and make all these tunnels and-and, uh, we had the idea that she-she kind of gleaned some knowledge from observing them and following them, and that's why she got so good, and has such a unique style, too. [Ethan affirms.] |
| Bryan | And speaking of her style, um, when we-we told Sifu Kisu, our martial arts, uh, consultant that, you know, we'd-we'd seen some earthbending by this point in the series, but we really wanted something special, something different. Um, so he enlisted the help of his friend, uh, Sifu Manuel Rodriguez, um, who does a re-a re-practices a very rare style of k-uh, Chinese kung fu called, um, I know it as Southern Praying Mantis, it has a more official name. But, um, it's a very rare style that has a really interesting history, and was practiced by the... the inner court of one of the dynasties that ruled China, and, um, I think when the dynasties shifted, it-the style became banned. Um, and what's interesting is, you know, I-I had seen Sifu M-Sifu Manny demonstrate, and you know, instantly I was like, yeah, it's a great, great idea, it's a really interesting looking style, doesn't look like anything we've-we've shown before. And, um, I'll continue after the ad break. |
| As the episode cuts to black, the commentary pauses for a short period of time until Sokka picks up Xin Fu and The Boulder's letter. | |
| Bryan | So, uh, Sifu Manny came in to do one of the sessions, the initial sessions for Toph's bending. And when we explained that she was a blind character and, you know, this small girl, it turns out it's one of the legends of their style that-that one of the originators was a blind woman. Um, just a great... happy accident, um, but they-it-it's one of these styles where they actually will train blindfolded, and, uh, it's a lot of stuff about touch, so. It just-it just works really well, was really... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] Yeah, and then having kind of a blind master is, you know, in-in kung fu movies and-and legend, [Bryan affirms.] it's like, there's always those kind of characters, where just these... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Za... yeah, yeah. |
| Mike | ... masters, even though they're-can't see... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Zatoichi, and yeah, [Mike and Ethan affirm.] these tiny characters. |
| Ethan | [Refers to Sokka and Katara readying to free Aang from Xin Fu and the Earth Rumble fighters.] Now this... originally, the kids actually fought, coming up. |
| Bryan | Oh, right, right. |
| Ethan | And-and-and you-Bryan had the idea to showcase Toph, and I think it was awesome. |
| Bryan | Yeah, it was pretty late... |
| Ethan | [Interjects.] In hindsight, it was, like, it worked out. |
| Bryan | It was a lot of work, a lot of extra work, but yeah, we-we were pretty far into the boarding, and I just said, "you know what, this is Toph's episode, this should be about her," and-just made sense, this was sort of her turf. |
| Mike | I think it was after Sifu Manny came in also, and kind of talked about the style more, and how one person could fight multiple opponents and stuff, and it just... there were so many cool ideas that came out of that that we [Bryan affirms.] ended up using for this-this fight. And it just, yeah, it just makes her... awesome, [Laughs; Bryan affirms.] because she takes 'em all down. |
| Bryan | [Refers to the sequence of Toph taking on all the Earth Rumble fighters by herself.] So, then after I had that idea, Justin Ridge, Ethan, and I had to kinda... put our heads together and crank out this [Bryan and Ethan chuckle.] huge action scene with no time. |
| Mike | Yeah, and I think... Jae Myung, the director in-in-at JM Animation who directed this, this is some of the coolest... |
| Bryan | [Interjects; refers to the closeup shot of Toph as she swings her head around to face the oncoming enemies, her bangs swaying to the left.] That shot, [Ethan affirms.] yeah. |
| Mike | ... yeah, stuff. The camera work and the... |
| Bryan | [Interjects; refers to the blurring of Toph's hands and feet as they jut out.] The blurs on the hand. |
| Mike | ... the blurs came out great, and just... |
| Bryan | [Refers to the closeup shot of the outstretched, tremoring back of Toph's hand.] That's a great hand. |
| Mike | Yeah, and that shot, isn't that shot kind of about like... Sifu Manny would show us this stuff where he was actually, like, stretching out his... |
| Bryan | [Simultaneously with Mike.] Yeah, he'd... |
| Mike | ... [Simultaneously with Bryan.] knuckles, and stuff. |
| Bryan | ... extend-extend his joints. He... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] Yeah, his joints, which is pretty much impossible [Mike and Ethan laugh.] to show in our s-animation, but. |
| Bryan | [Refers to the sequence of Toph kicking up a cloud of dust with her earthbending, and taking out the fighters individually.] So, the idea here is obviously... since she doesn't need her eyes to see, she-she kicks up all this dust so she can... pick these guys off one-by-one. [Refers to the slow motion sequence of Toph sidestepping the stream of sand Fire Nation Man bends at her.] I love this slow motion stuff. [Mike affirms; refers to the slow motion shot of Fire Nation Man's feet sliding on the ground, and an extreme closeup shot of Toph grinning as she senses it.] So, you see that she can sense... his aim by the way he lined up his feet. |
| Mike | And a little side note about Fire Nation Man is that he's the first sandbender we actually see. |
| Bryan | It's true, he... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] That's his style. |
| Bryan | ... he, uh, emigrated from the, [Simultaneously with Mike.] the desert. |
| Mike | [Simultaneously with Bryan.] The desert. [Laughs.] |
| Bryan | [Refers to the closeup shot of Toph's smug expression after having bent a pebble at The Gecko.] So, Toph's just-she's just playing with these guys, she... |
| Mike | [Interjects; refers to the dolly zoom onto Toph grabbing and throwing away the two rocks The Gecko bends at her.] I love that shot, too. |
| Bryan | Yeah. The-the acting reference for this was one of the most strenuous things I've ever done, [Mike laughs.] I think it took Lisa Wahlander and I, like, four sessions to get it all done. [Refers to the Earth Rumble fighters all landing on top of each other after being knocked off of the stadium by Toph.] I think that idea of all of them landing on top of each other was just e-e-economical. [Ethan affirms intermittently.] We just kept reusing the same shot. |
| Mike | And there's nothing funnier than dudes falling on top of each other. [Laughs.] |
| Bryan | Yeah. [Refers to The Boulder angrily hunching over and flexing as he readies to attack Toph; laughs.] I like that, you think he's gonna do a move, and he's just... flexing. |
| Mike | [Refers to Toph's father biting his nails in fear as he watches her fight from the sidelines.] So, this is also the first time that Toph's dad has ever seen... |
| Bryan | [In the background.] It's true, yeah. |
| Mike | ... her do anything like this, [Laughs.] so he's, like, freaking out. |
| Bryan | Yeah. [Refers to Toph rotating the ground beneath herself, The Boulder and The Hippo so that The Headhunter swings and crashes into his allies.] Really happy with the way that... action came out. And it's just great; I mean, these guys are just expending all this energy trying to show how tough they are, and... [Refers to Toph's quick, precise gestures she uses to earthbend and position herself.] she's just very reserved, only uses as m-as much energy as she needs. [Refers to the sequence of Toph clearing the dust in the arena by quickly thrusting her hands downward.] And then I love this. [Makes phwoo sound; refers to the cut to a closeup shot of Xin Fu cricking his neck.] Just reveals Xin Fu. [Brief pause.] So we based some of his, uh, like, his stance on this great villain from, uh, one-one of my favorite movies, Prodigal Son. It's a Sammo Hung... film... this kind of, like, I don't-it's another Southern style, I think. [Refers to Xin Fu kicking and spin kicking several levitated rocks at Toph.] Great kicks by Sifu Kisu there. |
| Mike | Yeah. [Ethan affirms.] That looks just like Kisu. [Mike and Ethan laugh.] |
| Bryan | With some long hair. [Laughs.] |
| Ethan | Yeah, [Mike affirms; refers to the sequence changing to slow motion, as a horizontally aerial Xin Fu readies to thrust his hand into the arena.] this slow motion is great. |
| Bryan | [Refers to Xin Fu using his hand inserted in the earth to whip up and throw a rock at Toph.] This-this is cool, this came from an idea Sifu Manny told us about, this, like, Korean soldier technique where... as they would fall, they would grab a rock, and throw it. Sort of a deceptive technique. |
| Ethan | It's... |
| Mike | [Interjects; refers to Aang, Katara, and Sokka's ecstatic reactions to Toph's masterful victory.] And they're just, like, can't believe. [Laughs.] |
| Bryan | [Refers to Sokka fainting backward.] Sokka's come around, now he's a fan. He's given up on The Boulder. |
| Mike | [Refers to Toph revealing her true self to her parents.] So, now we have the big emotional finale, [Refers to Lao saying he has had an epiphany about Toph.] and you-we kinda want to set up, like, maybe her dad's seen her do all this awesome stuff, a-how can you deny that she is awesome. [Laughs.] |
| Bryan | Yeah. |
| Mike | Yeah. [Refers to Lao telling Toph she will cared for and guarded with less personal freedom of movement.] He's such a jerk, that he does. |
| Bryan | I mean, you get the idea that... her parents love her, but, just a little... narrow-minded in their... they're scared; [Mike affirms.] you know, they're scared of-give her any freedom. So, you just see how-how sad that is, even though she's got this tough exterior, [Refers to Toph telling her parents she has never had a real friend.] she's never known anyone her age, you know, never had anyone to talk to. |
| Brief pause in commentary until Toph's father says that Toph has had too much freedom, with her mother continually and slowly nodding in agreement. | |
| Bryan | I like how Poppy's nodding [Ethan affirms.] really slowly. [Laughs.] She's not the brightest. [Ethan laughs.] |
| Mike | Yeah, we do-she only has a couple lines, but... |
| Bryan | [Interjecting.] I think you get the idea. |
| Mike | [Laughs.] Yeah. [Ethan affirms.] She kinda agree with whatever her husband says. [Laughs.] |
| Bryan | [Refers to Aang cooling Toph's tea with a miniature whirlwind at their prior dinner.] She-she was pretty impressed by Aang's little soup-cooling [Mike affirms.] tornado. [Brief pause.] Yeah, I'm really-I... worked for a long time on Toph's design. We-we knew she was coming up, so, started sketching pretty early. But, um, really, really happy with how she came out. Looked at some, um... some of the, like, uh, minority groups in China, they have really interesting clothing. Some stuff that almost looks European, too, and, um, it's where we got the idea for the, like, the headband with the little pompoms and... [Brief pause.] and, uh, you know, you can-it's pretty obvious we gave her a-kind of an Earth Kingdom color scheme, so that each of the kids has their own, like, color scheme, and... different silhouette. [Refers to Toph earthbending Aang into a tree for beating her at the tournament.] So, you can see she's... always a competitor. |
| Mike | Yeah. She added a good additional dynamic to the group, 'cause she's got a lot of... kind of sarcasm, and sass, too, to-to contrast with Sokka and... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] She's kind of... |
| Mike | ... Aa... |
| Bryan | I'm sorry. She's kinda the way we originally thought Sokka would be, a little more, [Mike affirms.] little more deadpan, a little more reserved, but, um, but yeah, it balances out nicely. |
| Mike | [Refers to Lao hiring Xin Fu and Yu to bring back Toph.] And then we wanted to set up some new villains that were gonna be on their trail. Um, but for a slightly different reason this time, which was... |
| Bryan | [Interjects in a playfully malicious tone.] Money. |
| Mike | ... money. So, they're like the Odd Couple of the Earth Kingdom. |
| Bryan | [Refers to the medium closeup shot of Toph contently hanging on to the edge of Appa's saddle.] You'll notice Toph's always hanging onto... someone or the saddle very, you know, tightly, because she can't really see when she's up on Appa, so. 'S pretty scary for her, to be up there. Any-any parting words, Ethan? |
| Ethan | Um... ahh... this was really fun to work on, I guess, and I enjoyed it. [Mike and Bryan laugh; in a playfully quiet tone.] That's all. [Mike and Bryan laugh.] Everyone did a great job, the-the storyboard crew is amazing, and, um, they-I think it just came together really well. |
| Bryan | [Refers to the still images of The Boulder defeating his opponents earlier in the episode.] Oh, we should mention that you and Justin did those, um, those little still ill-illustrations. |
| Mike | Oh yeah. |
| Ethan | That's right. [Bryan affirms.] Based on the old... all old Japanese cartoons would throw those in, so. [Mike laughs.] |
| Bryan | Kinda like-almost like a comic [Ethan affirms.] still, yeah. |
| Mike | Yeah, Ethan's our resident anime expert, [Bryan affirms.] and has seen every anime ever created, ever-ever done, so. [Laughs.] |
| Bryan | Especially pre-1986. [Mike laughs.] |
| Ethan | Yeah. |
| Bryan | [Laughs.] Thanks, guys. |