because Zuko with Mai was everything you don't want in a King, and Mai is someone I don't ever wan to see with power.
That's only when one erroneously blames Mai for Zuko's state of mind/actions during the first half of season three. It's not Zuko With Mai that was the issue. It was Zuko Confused, Conflicted, and Trying To Be His Father's Ideal of a Prince that was the problem and during this time he happened to be in a relationship with Mai. (Mai who, mind, did the best that she could as an emotionally screwed up 17-year-old girl to support him, counsel him, and make him happy, while still notably calling him out on being an ass when necessary. But the fact of the matter is, she isn't magical. She couldn't know what was wrong with Zuko [who is, frankly, far more worldly and experienced then her when it comes to real considerations of morality as opposed to the propaganda that they both grew up with] when Zuko didn't even know himself. Then as soon as he DID know, he didn't tell her about it or explain, he just flitted off in some gallant attempt to protect her from such nasty business.]
They played, "Let's boss some servants around," for laughs, and Mai was clearly only suggesting these things to cheer Zuko up because he'd just been showing off to her in this way so she assumed it would make him feel better. Is it an amazingly nice and kind thing to do? No. Does it indicate that a character whose first appearance featured her very specifically not caring about the royal treatment would be sooo terrible when given power? Also no.
And this comment is long enough now, so I'm not going to go into Mai's heel face turn and how it was done and what can be taken from it...just there is a disturbing tendency for people not just to unduly associate Mai with Zuko's bad decisions/behavior in the first half of season three, but to blame her for them. Which is unfair and inaccurate.
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Date: 2008-05-13 08:56 pm (UTC)That's only when one erroneously blames Mai for Zuko's state of mind/actions during the first half of season three. It's not Zuko With Mai that was the issue. It was Zuko Confused, Conflicted, and Trying To Be His Father's Ideal of a Prince that was the problem and during this time he happened to be in a relationship with Mai. (Mai who, mind, did the best that she could as an emotionally screwed up 17-year-old girl to support him, counsel him, and make him happy, while still notably calling him out on being an ass when necessary. But the fact of the matter is, she isn't magical. She couldn't know what was wrong with Zuko [who is, frankly, far more worldly and experienced then her when it comes to real considerations of morality as opposed to the propaganda that they both grew up with] when Zuko didn't even know himself. Then as soon as he DID know, he didn't tell her about it or explain, he just flitted off in some gallant attempt to protect her from such nasty business.]
They played, "Let's boss some servants around," for laughs, and Mai was clearly only suggesting these things to cheer Zuko up because he'd just been showing off to her in this way so she assumed it would make him feel better. Is it an amazingly nice and kind thing to do? No. Does it indicate that a character whose first appearance featured her very specifically not caring about the royal treatment would be sooo terrible when given power? Also no.
And this comment is long enough now, so I'm not going to go into Mai's heel face turn and how it was done and what can be taken from it...just there is a disturbing tendency for people not just to unduly associate Mai with Zuko's bad decisions/behavior in the first half of season three, but to blame her for them. Which is unfair and inaccurate.