Zuko is the one who actually creates the situation where Katara can find her revenge.
Yes, he does do that, and he counter-acts the other people. But what I mean is, there's no scene where Katara herself is hesitatnt and Zuko is pushing her. The two of them seem to just be on the same page to begin with. When he learns what happened he thinks finding the guy who did it is the solution and when he presents it to her she seems to think the same thing. I just didn't think it was a case of Zuko pushing Katara at all. Of the two of them, Zuko is totally on board with what she's doing, but she's even more gung-ho than he is. Zuko is there to enable her and helps get her to where she's got the guy in her power, but even his bringing the information to her isn't presented as Zuko pressuring her or telling her this is what she must do. So when she backs off the guy Zuko sees that as fine too. Making this better for Katara is his goal more than needing to see her get revenge.
Firstly, at the end of the episode, neither have understood the concept of forgiveness because Katara hasn't forgiven her mother's murderer.
She says she's forgiven Zuko, so it seems like she's gotten somewhere with the concept. With regards to the murderer, Katara thinks her not killing the guy may be a sign of strength, though she's not sure. She hasn't totally gotten it, but it seems like the episode is mostly about bringing her to where she can see the possibility of what Aang is saying.
I see what you're saying now about Zuko, that the OOCness comes from the fact that he's never been about revenge to begin with and just becomes so here so that he can represent the opposite of what Aang is saying? You could have a point there.
Aang and his "can't we just kiss and make up with Ozzai" approach to confrontation is more of an idealist than any other person in the show. Zuko is the hard-headed realist, who literally says "I know you're afraid, but this is something you have to do."
I think of idealists being active in trying to change the world--I'm using the word in the way I took Iroh to be using it, to refer to a leader, as opposed to just somebody who likes to see the good in things. Aang seems more about live and let live and seeing the best in people--sometimes his optimism is more about avoiding necessary action. Zuko to me seems more like an idealist in that he wants to actively change things to make them better. Maybe I'm just using the word differently, but Zuko's line to Aang doesn't necessarily make him seem less of an idealist to me. I guess I think of that attitude being the thing that would push him to shape the world into the way he thought it should be.
Re: I left off a lot of discussions just after the finale, so I'm trying to get back on to them...
Yes, he does do that, and he counter-acts the other people. But what I mean is, there's no scene where Katara herself is hesitatnt and Zuko is pushing her. The two of them seem to just be on the same page to begin with. When he learns what happened he thinks finding the guy who did it is the solution and when he presents it to her she seems to think the same thing. I just didn't think it was a case of Zuko pushing Katara at all. Of the two of them, Zuko is totally on board with what she's doing, but she's even more gung-ho than he is. Zuko is there to enable her and helps get her to where she's got the guy in her power, but even his bringing the information to her isn't presented as Zuko pressuring her or telling her this is what she must do. So when she backs off the guy Zuko sees that as fine too. Making this better for Katara is his goal more than needing to see her get revenge.
Firstly, at the end of the episode, neither have understood the concept of forgiveness because Katara hasn't forgiven her mother's murderer.
She says she's forgiven Zuko, so it seems like she's gotten somewhere with the concept. With regards to the murderer, Katara thinks her not killing the guy may be a sign of strength, though she's not sure. She hasn't totally gotten it, but it seems like the episode is mostly about bringing her to where she can see the possibility of what Aang is saying.
I see what you're saying now about Zuko, that the OOCness comes from the fact that he's never been about revenge to begin with and just becomes so here so that he can represent the opposite of what Aang is saying? You could have a point there.
Aang and his "can't we just kiss and make up with Ozzai" approach to confrontation is more of an idealist than any other person in the show. Zuko is the hard-headed realist, who literally says "I know you're afraid, but this is something you have to do."
I think of idealists being active in trying to change the world--I'm using the word in the way I took Iroh to be using it, to refer to a leader, as opposed to just somebody who likes to see the good in things. Aang seems more about live and let live and seeing the best in people--sometimes his optimism is more about avoiding necessary action. Zuko to me seems more like an idealist in that he wants to actively change things to make them better. Maybe I'm just using the word differently, but Zuko's line to Aang doesn't necessarily make him seem less of an idealist to me. I guess I think of that attitude being the thing that would push him to shape the world into the way he thought it should be.