Zuko Waiting All Night for Katara and Iroh
“Sozin Comet Part 2″:
“The Southern Raiders”:
Zuko: This isn't fair. (puts both arms out) Everyone else seems to trust me now. What is it with you? (swipes one arm to the side) Katara: (Cut to Katara's back as she turns around and snaps) Oh, everyone trust you now? (places hand on chest) I was the first person to trust you, remember Back in Ba Sing Se. (points to the ocean) And you turned (Cut to Zuko who looks down guiltily) around and betrayed me. Betrayed all of us. Zuko: (raises head) What can I do to make it up to you? Katara: You really want to know? (walks towards Zuko) Hmm, maybe you could re-conquer (Cut to Zuko's unscarred side who looks on speechlessly) Ba Sing Se in the name of the Earth King. Or, (Zuko steps back as Katara's head pops into screen) I know. You could bring my mother back.
...
Sokka: (turns his head with a rose in his mouth) Well, hellooo. (His eyes widen as a comical sound effect plays and he swallows the rose. Cut to a sideview of the scene as Zuko still has the sweatdrop expression and proceeds to sit in front of Sokka) Uh, Zuko. Yes, (sits up) why would (chews the flower) I be expecting any one different? (He swallows the flower with a pained expression and coughs out some petals) So what's on your mind? Zuko: Your sister, she hates me and I don't know why! But I do care what she thinks of me.
...
Katara: (Cut to a side view of the scene) You look terrible. (She >ignores him and rummages through her bag) Zuko: (stands up and rubs his eyes) I waited out here all night. (Katara proceeds to comb her hair) Katara: What do you want? Zuko: (Cut to a close up of Katara with Zuko behind her) I know who killed your Mother. (she widens her eyes and stops combing) I'm going to help you find him.
There are obvious parallels between Zuko waiting outside Katara’s all night to make his proposal to her and Zuko kneeling in front of Iroh all night in order to beg forgiveness. “The Southern Raiders” contains the implication that Zuko is willing to condemn a man whose only known crime is something that Zuko himself, much less Zuko’s beloved Iroh, did, to death just in order to get Katara to like him, that Zuko is willing to hurt and potentially kill ordinary Fire Nation soldier after ordinary Fire Nation soldier(seriously, Zuko and Katara dump a ton of sailors into the near arctic sea at night, wearing armor) in pursuit of this objective. In short, “The Southern Raiders” implies that Zuko is willing to do anything, no matter how immoral, to get Katara to like him.
Thus, the implication of the “Zuko kneels by Iroh scene” is that Zuko has learned that he should be willing to do anything, no matter how moral or immoral, to earn Iroh’s forgiveness, that he’s learned to without question do whatever Iroh wants, that he’s learned that getting Iroh to like him is far more important than anything else in the world.
