LogFAQs > #940114879

#30: The Painted Lady (3.03)

This is a rather simple, filler episode. But it's a solid one.

The plot is that the kids run into a city plagued with pollution and starvation caused by a FN factory. Sokka wants to move to the next place ASAP (it's never explained why they even need to go to specific places, since they are just bidding time for the invasion, but that's S3 plot nonsense for ya). But Katara wants to help, in another demonstration of what is Katara's best attribute: needing to help the innocent even if that's not pragmatic.

The episode does an interesting thing with the myth of the painted lady overlapping with Katara's actions. The first time you watch, it takes a while to realize they are the same, since the myth has existed long before the kids got there. Until they start dropping more obvious hints and Aang joins Katara to help her destroy the factory.

Then we have a cool montage at the end where with the help of her friends, Katara plays the angry goddess and helps scare the FN away. And then the real Painted Lady appears in the end to thank her. Cool stuff.

It's a rather basic episode, I admit, but I just enjoyed it. It is a nice story of the good guys wanting to help a bunch of innocent people even though that's not the best course of action, and it shows some of their stronger character aspects. It also has some funny gags, like the shopper with multiple names.

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