#multiple atla episodes

[avatarsymbolism]

[avatarsymbolism]

[avatarsymbolism]

“The King of Omashu” and Foreshadowing

It has also been noted that the guy on the left looks a little like Zuko with the slender appearance and the scar on the left side of his face (the two things at his back look like they’re probably eskrima/kali sticks), while the guy on the right is imposing and powerful like Combustion Man with a getup that kind of rumbles some to the exaggeration Earth Kingdom garb we see in display at Earth Rumble Six (down to the giant belt--though that would be more of a championship belt): 

[avatarsymbolism]

Here we see a nice parallel and contrast between the relationship between Hakoda and Sokka, and the relationship between Zuko and Ozai. 

We have a nice camera framing parallel between our two pairs (for the most part, I left out the lingering shot we get of Ozai after Zuko parts the curtains), with the way way Zuko and Sokka are shown parting the curtains. And immediately, we see how the show runners tried to contrast the atmosphere between these two scenes. 

In “The Guru” the atmosphere is welcoming and familiar. We see Hakoda planning with his generals, and Sokka smiles as he sees his father for the first time in two years. For a few moments, the nervousness he felt earlier vanishes and we get yourself a really nice, happy family reunion. 

In contrast, the way we see Zuko reunite with Ozai paints a much different picture. It’s dark, Zuko is nervous throughout the entire scene. and the way the camera focuses on Ozai, even when we see his face, paints Ozai as a far more unkind than his Water Tribe counterpart.

And, to top it all off, we later see how Zuko and Sokka’s insecurities play out, with Sokka being reassured by his father that he’s always bee proud of him, and Zuko feeling like he still needs to make sure he has his father’s approval. 

[avatarsymbolism]

Some notes:

We have some left-right symbolism with Iroh on Zuko’s right and Ozai on Zuko’s right. 

Note Zuko’s demeanor when he goes to confront Iroh versus when he goes to confront his father. Furthermore, we actually see his face when he goes to confront Ozai (which parallels how we saw his face when he first goes to confront his father in “The Awakening”).

It’s shot a little differently too, though that could just be to preserve the flow of the following sequence of shots.

We generally see the bars in front of Zuko and Ozai respectively, making it clear who the true narrative prisoner is in each episode (though Ozai doesn’t get any of that visual symbolism. Instead, the prisoner symbolism belongs solely to Zuko, who is now free of the prison he forced himself into.

While they are both disheveled  and imprisoned, I’d argue that Iroh looks like he has a shred more dignity than his brother, who is slumped over and defeated. 

Where once Zuko was shrouded in the shadows of his prison, that symbolic position now belongs to Ozai, who is both a literal and figurative prisoner. 

Likewise, just like Iroh in “The Avatar and the Firelord,” Zuko in “Sozin’s Comet” is in the light, and completely free of his self-imposed prison. 

It should also be noted that, in the third set of gifs, Iroh/Zuko have more space than Zuko/Ozai, thus helping with that narrative prison/freedom idea. Iroh and finale Zuko have freedom and space, while early Book 3 Zuko and finale Ozai do not. 

[avatarsymbolism]

[avatarsymbolism]

[avatarsymbolism]