~Water-Spirit-87

I just finished watching the Southern Raiders episode as have many others and while I was browsing some of the journal entries regarding this episode, I noticed that some people are still worried if Kataang might be endgame. At first I was too because there were some things in that episode that SEEMED like it was supporting Kataang when in actuality it wasn't. THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE SOUTHERN RAIDERS EPISODE:

First and foremost we all saw the AWESOME Zutaraness in this episode as predicted by many Zutarians lol. My heart jumped out of my chest when Zuko saved Katara in the beginning of the episode and I screamed so loud I'm pretty sure the entire neighborhood heard me lol. But apart my overjoyed heart, I noticed several things that had me worried at first:

1) When Aang tells Katara he understands her pain and gives her that whole "forgiveness" speech and Zuko was basically making fun of him and supporting Katara. At first I was confused and I thought 'what if this is foreshadowing for a Kataang ending?' but then I realized Aang's the AVATAR. It's his DUTY to spread wisdom and peace throughout the world. He's SUPPOSED to be a spiritual leader for the rest of the world. What kind of a spiritual leader would he be if didn't tell Katara to let go of her hate and forgive the man who murdered her mother? She would be no better than that murderer if she chose revenge over forgiveness.

2) Second thing that worried me is when Zuko was agreeing with Katara. I know this seems like a positive thing but the fact that he didn't understand why she was angry at him and then agreed with her decision to get revenge kind of worried me because one of the main things we Zutarians argue is that Zuko understands Katara better than anyone. But then after watching this episode, I realized that Zuko DOES understand, it's the reason why he defended her intentions. It's why he disagreed with Aang's wisdom, just as Katara did. Because he understands the pain of losing a mother. Aang doesn't.

3) And that brings me to the topic of Zuko asking Sokka why Katara is angry with him. It's not that Zuko isn't aware that Katara is hurt by his actions in Ba Sing Se. Of course he is! The girl gave him a death threat for goodness sakes! Lol. But in all seriousness, he has been doing all these good things and helping the Gaang mainly to gain Katara's trust because Zuko said it himself in this episode, "I care about what Katara thinks of me". He wanted to SHOW her that he's changed and not just SAY it. Remember this saying? "Actions speak louder than words"? So he's been letting his ACTIONS be his silent apology to Katara, but clearly she wasn't pleased which is why Zuko was confused. He didn't understand why she was STILL so angry at him even though he's "proved" his worth.

4) "I was the FIRST one to trust you!". I think EVERY Zutarian has engraved this line into their memories forever. It finally happened. The "talk" we've all been waiting for. Although it wasn't as lengthy as we all probably expected it did show something interesting. When Zuko told her that everyone else trusts him but her she spoke that famous line, but what's INTERESTING about it is that she says this in a way to remind him that SHE was the first one to trust him. Kind of like she wanted the credit. I have my own ideas of why she said it the way she said it but I'm not going to elaborate any further until the finale.

5) So Aang was right. Forgiveness IS the right thing to do. Katara learned this lesson while going through an emotional roller coaster and even went as far as discussing the conflictions of emotions with Aang (with Zuko standing behind her but that's besides the point ), but did she tell him that he was right like we all thought she would? NO. Did she at least THANK him for his wisdom? NO. Instead she walked right past Aang and HUGGED Zuko!! Furthermore, Zuko acknowledged Aang's wisdom on KATARA'S behalf!

6) Apart from all of this wonderful Zutara action, the most IMPORTANT part of the episode is what Zuko says at the end: "So what are you going to do when you have to face my father?". Aang has been preaching about forgiveness throughout this entire episode without knowing how difficult it really is. This shows us that he truly DOESN'T understand how the world works and that he still has a lot of growing up to do. Just as Zuko said "this is the real world". Life isn't always peaches and roses; sometimes you'll have to make difficult decisions that conflict with your morals, just like what Katara had to do. Aang compared Katara's loss to losing Appa and his fellow Air Nation people, but what he failed to understand is that losing a pet (regardless of how beloved the pet may be) is much different to losing your mother. Aang never knew his biological parents as he was completely raised by monks without a significant mother figure in his life. Therefore, he won’t be able to understand Katara’s pain or why she feels that revenge is justifiable in this situation. Another thing to note is that Aang mentions the pain of losing his fellow monks, but if you remember correctly that was HIS fault to begin with! He knew his destiny. He KNEW what was expected of him and he KNEW that the war was coming long before it had actually begun and yet he STILL chose his selfish desires over the safety of the world. How is this any different to what Katara WANTED to do? But Zuko understands that pain and I think the reason he was so hostile towards Aang is because what he said struck him too. Zuko has carried the pain of losing his mother for a long time, much like Katara and I’m certain that Zuko knew that his father had something to do with it. So for Aang to suggest forgiveness angered Zuko as well because he carries that same rage and pain that Katara has carried all her life and both of them are who they are because of what happened to their mothers. He wasn’t defending just Katara but also himself.

Overall this was a FANTASTIC episode and I loved every minute of it! It was all that I was expecting of Zutara and more! Of course you must applaude the racey sexual innuendo that Bryke included . I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that and couldn’t stop laughing at Zuko’s reaction lol . Most of what we Zutarians have been claiming came true and to see that occurring on screen gives me a joy that is inexplicable.

I quickly wanted to comment on the Ember Island Players trailer that we saw directly after the Southern Raiders episode. Many people are getting worried about what Katara tell Aang in that scene so I just wanted to point out a few things before we all just jump to conclusions:

1) So far, most of the trailers and previews that we’ve been receiving from Nick have been manipulated in some way to make it LOOK like a certain situation will occur when in actuality what we expect does not occur at all. Just like the backwards DOBS kiss in Katara’s trailer a few days ago I have a feeling that this is being played backwards too or it’s not quite in the right order.
2) Think about it. If Katara truly loved Aang and “the man of her dreams” just confessed his undying love for her, WHY in the world would she say “this isn’t the best time”?!!! What is she expecting? That depending on Aang’s survival on Sozin’s Comet that she’ll possibly consider going out with him?! There’s a good chance that Aang might not survive or that SHE might not survive. So if she truly reciprocated his feelings, wouldn’t she have kissed him back or something ANYTHING other than “this isn’t the best time”??
3) Also if you take a closer look Katara has her arms crossed in an uncomfortable manner. Her body language shows that she is uncomfortable and probably doesn’t want to talk about the subject at hand. Crossing your arms usually gives people the impression that you’re closed off OR that you’re feeling uncomfortable and something is bothering you. Either way, both her body language and her facial expression emit a negative signal.
4) Aang yet again resorts back to his immature ways as he childishly says “When IS the right time?”. He’s forcing himself on her again, thinking only of HIS feelings and not hers. If he truly loved her and cared about her, he would respect her feelings and give her the space that she needs. And in all reality, if by this time she STILL hasn’t returned Aang’s feelings, chances are she never will.
5) We still don’t know the context of that conversation. We have a good idea, but we still haven’t watched the full episode yet so we can’t be certain on how their conversation began or what Katara was going to say afterwards. So far now all we can do is sit back and wait till the episode airs, which thankfully isn’t too long from now lol.

So keep believing in Zutara my fellow Zutarians because our ship is alive, kicking, and better than ever!