Today, I'm going to complain. Just because I feel like it, honestly. I'm sick and need to do some public speaking tomorrow, so what better way (aside from various types of things underage people shouldn't do) to chill than write a review?
I'm gonna start off by saying I hate this episode. Okay, not really. Well, kinda. Okay, basically, I love this episode, but I hate the content. There are a couple of issues that, once I noticed them, I couldn't unnotice it, so to speak, and it just kind of ruined it for me. Obviously, being the huge Toph nerd that I am, it's about her.
My reaction when I first noticed the problem (from left to right)
Okay, so the episode begins with them watching a meteor shower. Automatically, I'm annoyed. We have a blind girl, joking about her blindness (naturally), while everyone goes "ooh, pretty...". That part I'm sort of okay with. All throughout the series, Toph is identified as the blind girl who don't need no man. Or woman, or cane or guide dog. She honestly doesn't need anything but herself, and she's okay with that. Because she's okay with that, I'm okay with that.
The next scene, after all the saving of the town and stuff, is what gets me. It's what does my head in, makes me clench my fist and go "why, god? Why hast thou forsaken my love of Sokka!" Because I do, I love Sokka. I love how awesome he becomes with the sword (one of the redeeming factors of the episode) and just how quirky he is. The problem I have with him is how sad he is because he can't bend.
Yes, that's right, I said it. I don't like Sokka very much in this episode, because he is a nonbender.
Okay, before you start throwing boomerangs at me, and booing, let me explain. I love Sokka, and I do love how he can't bend, but he's still the most epic male in the series (including Zuko. Well, maybe not including Zuko. A-anyway). I don't like him because of the nonbending aspect, because its taken him almost three seasons to realise the fact.
I'm actually a little off topic, so I'm gonna sum up exactly why I hate nonbending Sokka. Remember the blurb, the setting the scene at the beginning of this review? Yeah, with Toph? She's blind. She always has been, and always will be blind. There are thousands of nonbenders, but the only other disabled person we ever met was Teo. What does the group decide to do at the beginning?
Oh, and I feel compelled to point out the amazingly high likelihood that it was Sokka's idea to watch the meteor shower, because a) it is spacy and scientific and that stuff he likes and b) he would have had to agree to let the deviate from the schedule. Back to the point.
Watching a meteor shower. With a blind girl. Really?
They decide to watch a meteor shower. Something Toph is completely incapable of seeing, let alone understanding. Flying rocks that she can't feel? Yeah, not possible, at least to her. She brushes it off, as she does, but that doesn't make it any less insensitive.
Now we get to the real issue. After having watched and exclaimed at the awesomeness of the universe, Sokka is depressed that he can't bend. What do they do? Well, everything they can to make him feel better. This is what gets on my nerves. It's almost as though Toph isn't a real person. He gets trained by a master swordsman, makes his own sword and inadvertently become allies with the White Lotus Society.
There are two things that redeem this episode. The first is that Sokka gives Toph a piece of the meteor. The second is that he sacrifices space sword to save her.
Aside from that giant issue, the rest of the episode is rather good. The terrible Katara humour is rather refreshing, and blushing Toph is cute. The action was well-done, and the serious side of Sokka was pretty good, although I feel as though the creators tried to force humour where there wasn't, or shouldn't have been any.
Unfortunately, due to the glaring issue, I can only give this episode a 6 out of 10. Perhaps one day I will forgive the Gaang for being so callous in their attitude towards the Blind Bandit, but today just isn't that day.
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