I realize that the show was aimed for a younger audience that would not be as critical of such things, due to lack of interest/experience, but the whole Aang/Katara romance thing was very frustrating from the get-go.
First, she seems oblivious that he's been pining after her since he first laid eyes on her. Then, after he does finally get up the nerve to kiss her, (*and* she shows conflicted feelings!) they don't remark on it -- or act like it even happened -- for about 10 episodes! No awkwardness, no worried glances, no aborted attempts to bring the issue up -- nothing. Then there's the whole lame "I'm confused" encounter, just to show that the writers hadn't completely forgotten about it, which could have been used to give the audience some insight as to what Katara might have been feeling on the issue, but didn't. And then the whole mess is capped off by the wordless kiss on the porch, which told us nothing except that Katara was apparently not confused any more.
If Katara had been a more poorly developed character whose other thoughts and feelings had not been so well-developed and explored, then this handling of the "romance" wouldn't be so galling. As it was, the Sokka/Suki relationship--a sketchy ramshackle contrivance of questionable purpose and motivation--felt about fifty times more natural and organic than the Aang/Katara pairing.
(Which reminds me, I predicted back when you were in the middle of Season 1 that Sokka would grow on you as he grew more nuanced. Was I right, or did he just remain annoying until the end?)
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2008-10-22 02:34 pm (UTC)First, she seems oblivious that he's been pining after her since he first laid eyes on her. Then, after he does finally get up the nerve to kiss her, (*and* she shows conflicted feelings!) they don't remark on it -- or act like it even happened -- for about 10 episodes! No awkwardness, no worried glances, no aborted attempts to bring the issue up -- nothing. Then there's the whole lame "I'm confused" encounter, just to show that the writers hadn't completely forgotten about it, which could have been used to give the audience some insight as to what Katara might have been feeling on the issue, but didn't. And then the whole mess is capped off by the wordless kiss on the porch, which told us nothing except that Katara was apparently not confused any more.
If Katara had been a more poorly developed character whose other thoughts and feelings had not been so well-developed and explored, then this handling of the "romance" wouldn't be so galling. As it was, the Sokka/Suki relationship--a sketchy ramshackle contrivance of questionable purpose and motivation--felt about fifty times more natural and organic than the Aang/Katara pairing.
(Which reminds me, I predicted back when you were in the middle of Season 1 that Sokka would grow on you as he grew more nuanced. Was I right, or did he just remain annoying until the end?)