Avatar: The Last Airbender S3E8 FULL REACTION!!

of course! I find the meme reductive and its weird how much people cling to it as a legit opinion. It's a Kid's show, but just so happens to be one of the greatest TV shows of all time. To literally claim that it's not diminish their achievement in my eyes.

Sean TankTop

saying it's a kid's show is both true and simplifying it. They tackle mature subjects and darker themes. It's an all-ages show. Clearly adults respond to the show as well as kids do. It's for the whole famiiy to enjoy.

Walter

Oh God yes. It's precisely these "dark" episodes that demonstrate how much of a kids show this is. lol. No bending piss, no bending blood out of someones eye balls until they shrivel up inside of their head. No 1-to-1 demonstration of a person getting turned into a dried out puppet. It's never been more of a kids show than it is right now as a matter of fact.

Sean TankTop

IS IT STILL A KID SHOW NOW?! HUH?

Anesha Davis

we appreciate ya coming by!!!

Sean TankTop

lolololol

Sean TankTop

These reactions are one of the highlights of my week.

SaviorOfNirn

Classic episode and...well...blood bending...it's a thing now. Also...I remember the promos on Nickelodeon and the tie-in in to Halloween...it reminded me of SNICK! Watched it with my xGF's little bro. He was so stoked that I loved Avatar after he introduced it to me. Seems so long ago. I know that I seem to complain about filler in season 3 but I don't count this as one of those episodes. The lore and the ramifications it has on the Avatar universe, as a whole, truly do come together without feeling forced. It's like a classic heroes tale in kung fu flicks. When they learn a forbidden style and must never teach another of its power or misuse it. The influences on the creators are sprinkled in everywhere.

Wesley Chapman

The Exploding is fucking next level

Sean TankTop

You’re not supposed to see it as a positive thing. The writers thought that people would understand that. We all thought it was dope. Bloodbending is taking control of someone from the inside, not allowing to fight back, and taking away all hope for them. Yeah I get it they are in a war, and yeah, we know that katara is a good guy, but I’m talking about bloodbending in general, idk. The first time I watched if I thought it was fucking amazing lol, but now I just think of is as something awful. (:

Cujo4169

The way i depicted bloodbending is that its like rape your reaching into someone and making them do involuntary actions without their consent.

What I really like about this episode is that while Katara is horrified by the method that Hama used to escape the prison, it's not until she realizes that Hama has been doing it to citizens since breaking out that she truly judges her for it.

J

Favorite moments: - This got very deep and very real very fast. Hold me - That's Tress MacNeille as Hama's VA! :D - How heavy and complicated the framing of Hama and her parallels to Katara became. It kicks off a great discussion of ethics and the awful, painful history of genocide, colonization, and justice vs vengeance - During their fight, Katara becoming such a powerhouse that she and Hama are ripping the water out of the trees so fast that they f*king EXPLODE - Sokka: "Its like my brain has a mind of own!" - This episode was just metal af. 11/10

Sky Sirak

Hama's situation is complicated, and though the show clearly frames what she's doing to innocent people as very, VERY wrong, it's important to note that Hama is Katara's Future if they FAIL to take down the Firelord. If they lose, and Katara loses her family AGAIN, she is at a very real risk of becoming as vengeful and angry as Hama (which is another reason that she's crying at the end: "blood bending" can be seen as a metaphor for the cruel cycle of vengeance and hatred, and how it can be passed to another person). That aside, Hama is a POW living in enemy territory, the last waterbender, forced to live in the confines of a culture that is not her own. It makes sense then, that her rage and resentment would spill out onto the closest people she could reach (just like Jet did). Though I sympathize with her, there is a clear line between wreaking (probably justified) vengeance on an enemy that wronged you vs terrorizing everyday people who had nothing to do with it.

Sky Sirak

Oh cool cool, thanks bud.

Diiirk706

they did do a reaction to it but i'm not sure why it isn't coming up now

Crystalrose

Awwww; no ep 7?

Diiirk706

"Sometimes we're gonna have to do war crimes" Morgan for president 2024

Allison Cornell

Power corrupts, period. Thinking that you're a good person that would never use the power for evil, are the famous last words of countless people throughout history. The most kind people in the world are still only human and can easily fall to temptation. With bloodbending you could do so many things and you could do them without being caught. You could make someone commit murder, you could screw up their body and make them die of "natural causes", and countless other things without any trace that it was you that did it. We all think we're saints until we actually have the opportunity to kill someone we really don't like with virtually no chance of getting caught.

Cains

Lmao I nominate Morgan to run the FDA of Bending!

yooyaahaa

Things we learned from this episode: Katara is a badass, aang will never need viagra ;)

This is my most favorite episode. It's dark af and I love them exploring questionable sides of bending. Plus that "Congratulations Katara..." line was so chilling. Felt like she's dirtied her hands and can't get em clean. Personally, in a non evil way, id use bloodbending as a means of teaching. like if im an instructor for something and my student's posture is wrong, id use bloodbending to nudge it right.

Gene Endiape

i know that Hama is like an extremist and warcrimes and all that but bloodbending is so sick that i love her lol. Plus i'm a sucker for creepy grandma characters. And I knew Morgan was gonna love her too. She's a witch, a grandma, perfect lol.

Michelle

My personal headcanon is that she used the puppets to practice bloodbending. Her movements are large and takes her whole body when she was moving the prison guards, but in the present she is controlling them by the movements of her fingers.

Hunter McKinney

Hama is essentially a radicalized terrorist who is punishing citizens for their leaders crimes. From what I could tell she planned on keeping the citizens locked up like the fire nation did to her.

Hunter McKinney

Damn tfw they put an emphasis on the analogy of bloodbending/rape/abuse of control or power in some way. Like yea, you can say "use it for good!" about literally anything, Avatar State included. Glad Sean got it xD

SupremeCai

Man this must've been a great halloween time episode, great reaction by you all as usual!

Isaac Schreiber

Blood bending is seen as bad because it's a violation of the other person's body ("to reach inside someone and control them"), not because it's strong or tempting to misuse.

Rufus May

I think Katara showed that she could be trusted, actually. That she was able to hold that level of restraint (given her history), shows her trustworthiness (some other things as well but could be spoilers). However, yeah it’s best outlawed or at least heavily restricted (though you could imagine medical uses for it).

Nevik

Definitely war crimes, and the show does prove later that even katara can't be trusted with the power. It is smarter to learn it for sure, but you can't deny you lose ideological ground. Regardless, ugh, Hama :( I feel for her. She and Jet are so tragic, their lives feel condemned and like a never ending punishment, Hama especially. I know she can't be trusted in society but damn, locking her up again...can't we ship her back to the South Pole or something somehow...

selina

Yeah probably. She was completely consumed by her anger and felt helpless against the Fire Nation, and so took her anger out on the closest people she could find. She pretended to be in control but in reality she had lost control and was hurting potentially innocents. She was the worst person to figure out Bloodbending, but also probably the only kind of person who would originate a technique like that.

Nevik

Yes they imply a lot of these things well in the show (and in Korra). I hadn't thought about this particular instance though. Good find.

Nevik

What is so good about the fight between Katara and Hama is it shows that learning bending techniques from the other elements is a huge advantage. It's like Iroh said when he was teaching Zuko about redirecting lightning: "It is the combination of all 4 elements in one person is what makes the Avatar so powerful". Katara stood her ground and blocked Hama's attack head on (earthbender style) surprising Hama and turning the fight in her favor. She also dodged Sokka and Aang being thrown at her which is common airbender move.

I think that debating whether or not bloodbending is justified in war is morally bankrupt. As it is, it is a stripping of human agency far greater than any respectable hand-to-hand combat. It's more in league with rape and torture than anything else. Consider what Katara is forced to do every time she bloodbends. She is forced to reach inside of whomever you're suggesting, to strip their humanity and their dignity and manipulate them, without any ability for defense. Doesn't sound like fair military practices to me. But then again, if you're measuring your morals based on the habits of the United States military, your morals are already fucked.

Kelsey Roberts

In the wikia page it says, "The puppets that Sokka found when he was snooping around Hama's inn were made by her to look like her prisoners." A lot of insinuations and theories. She probably would have left them to die there as prisoners like the waterbenders. She probably has been doing this for decades.

Avi Chetri

I must defend my Sokka's honor. There's no way "Mr. Science and Reason Lover" would fall for pizza gate. He'd be the guy walking around the QAnon antimask protest yelling at people and mugging at the camera. "Do you even hear yourself?" I know it was just a joke but it gave me that visual of Sokka arguing with people about Bill Gates putting microchips in vaccines and that brought me some joy om yet another shelter in place day.

Libby DVR

I would blame her. She harmed innocents who may not have even agreed with the war or have even known fully about its atrocities. If she had pulled a Scar (from FMAB) then maybe there could be a discussion. But these people were randoms. It's like terrorizing citizens for the evils of their governments. Not all citizens agree with their own governments.

Nevik

i didnt get it as a kid but here is my perspective: hama was in prison for YEARS perhaps decades so she didnt just want to kill the fire nation people, she wanted them to suffer like she did. so she put them in a mountain away from water, sunlight and fresh air in chains, just like they did to her. equal justice and i cant be mad at her. i forget what comedian said this but it went something like this. "the punishment should fit the crime. if you rape someone you should be raped as well in prison. and if its a kid you raped? let it be a million dudes" or something like that. i dont know about in real life, it would have to be a case by case thing for me but i agree with it in fantasy. you stole someone's food so lets take all your food. you stole someone's money so lets take your money. you imprisoned someone for ten years? your turn buddy

rickie woodson

Good ol period bending!

Is that from the comics?

Nevik

whats wrong with puppets? hello, muppets! everyone has a hobby!

rickie woodson

Also, as for the blood bending argument, I think that in the moment Katara wasn't thinking "this has a potential for good". She was thinking "this lady is using this power to make people do things against their will." And the people Hama was locking up were definitely not fire nation soldiers. Hama didn't care who they were. She saw all Fire Nation people as her enemy, but Katara knows that there are good Fire Nation citizens too.

Sean Silence

long lost twin is that you? yes to all this lol. not into western zodiac but yeah im a scorp too. agree with this whole comment!

rickie woodson

So I can say this since you guys have finished the series: Hama's blood bending is the reason the fire nation killed Katara's mother. When they went to the Southern Water Tribe to find Katara, they planned to kill her because they weren't going to risk putting another water bender in prison.

Sean Silence

what are you thoughts on mind control in general? like jean grey/professor x? because comics are my reference for like everything i never saw it as an allogory for the r word or (if used in battle) how its evil. long as you arent going around nilly willy just using it on every stranger to make the person in front of you give up their spot in line or to read the mind of a teacher to get the answers to a test its not a big deal to me. its all about intent and purpose. "there is no black or white magic. but there are witches with good or bad intentions". so yeah blame the prof for my "loose morals" lol. i just thought it was mad cool and was like "no let hama teach you girl, why are you fighting her this is stupid". i saw was but its still my perspective

rickie woodson

now to repost my comment: YASSSSSS KWEEN! TIME FOR THE BEST EPISODE IN THE BEST SEASON WITH THE BEST GIRL! #BLOODBENDING #KATARA #WATERTRIBE #BELIEVEIT! yeah the last one is a different anime but i just finished watching naruto lol

rickie woodson

I get that but at the same time I liked how Katara wanted to keep with her principles and that for her, bloodbending was a line she didn't want to cross.

Kit

I think the thing that makes it so dark is that it's so powerful, plus with its mirroring of being like rape undertones, it's not something that feels right to use. But I get that if you needed to, then it makes sense to use it.

Liv

Oh look, it's my favorite episode! :D I remember being a kid and still to this day debating with my friends about which element is the best/strongest/most useful and I stan water all day! Scorpio water tribe gang gang! Just another reason to love the show is all the subcategories for each bending form. There's metalbending for earth, bloodbending for water, lightning & combustion bending for fire and of course the other ones they branch into in Legend of Korra. They're always discovering new crazy ways to use their abilities and it's so clever!

Jacob Shaw

Thank you so much 😍 I was waiting for watch this episode with you guys I love your reaction videos ❤ I can't wait for The Legend of Korra 🌊

Rebel ❌

Completely agree with Morgan! You're fighting a war, if Bloodbending is needed to save the world, blood bend as necessary. Bloodbending is not worse than murder, and you'd imagine there's a lot of that going around already (shown on screen or not). Its just like the sitation in the episode: should Katara have allowed Hama to kill Sokka and Aang? I am a bit exhausted of the "oh it will make me evil" trope, personally. It might make her uncomfortable but I imagine all the people suffering under the weight of the fire nation are at least just as uncomfortable. Great episode.

Nevik