This is a great character episode and I actually enjoyed the Swamp People. In this we see that he is very self involved currently as he doesn’t reach out to Katara or Sokka given the pain they just went through. It is only after they defeat the Swamp Guardian that he realizes the laughing girl could be the one he is seeking for the Earthbending Master. She is quiet in this but based off her reaction I’d say she has a lot of anger for the Fire Nation that she hasn’t got to fully express for the murder of her mother.Īang – Aang wants to go to the swamp because it is calling and Bumi told him to listen to the Earth and that is how he will find the Earthbending Master but this leads to trouble and him almost losing Momo and Appa to hunters. Katara – When Katara is alone her desire to be with her mother is revealed and after the loss she feels again of realizing she’s gone we see her fight the Swamp Guardian and be the one to defeat it as she turns the water into saws of ice that cut through the vines revealing the man underneath. He could be right too as the swamp is largely just revealing people’s fears or desires which are inside the person anyway. Sokka – Sokka is carrying his guilt with him over his inability to save Yue and we see his skepticism too as he doesn’t believe in anything supernatural about the swamp. The Swamp People – The swamp people are hunters and are great waterbenders who are comedic but are greater than their appearances as their leader protects the swamp and teaches Aang about how everything is connected.
The power of the swamp is really well done as it gives all our characters their “Dagoba Moments” (Luke facing his father and himself at Dagoba in “Empire Strikes Back.” Aang sees a laughing Toph who he has yet to meet, Katara sees her mother who is dead and Sokka sees Yue and from her that he failed to protect her. It is a place of unknown too and reveals peoples’ fears, desires and connections to themselves. For example the Swamp Folk who make it their home are all Waterbenders. The Pros: The Swamp – The swamp is made up from the vines of a giant tree and has called others to it in the past. Elsewhere Zuko and Iroh are beggers in a Earthbender town trying to lay low so that Azula and the Fire Nation doesn’t find them. From here the story unfolds as Appa and Momo attempt to escape some hunters who make the swamp their home as well. The story involves the swamp calling to Aang and in the process trapping and isolating all the members of Team Avatar with their fears. The episode was directed by Giancarlo Volpe and written by Tim Hedrick. It’s really well done and has some great philosophy and some fascinating minor characters. “The Swamp” is a great episode and it is a place we will later return to in “The Legend of Korra.” It is a area connected to the rest of the world and also our characters showing where they are in their heads at this time in who they miss or are seeking.