Avatar S3E3: "The Painted Lady"

Katara engages in ecoterrorism | Grade: B

Thanks for tuning in to my fourty-third of 61 daily reviews of Avatar: The Last Airbender! Yesterday, we watched S3E2: The Headband.

The first true Katara episode in a while, The Painted Lady feels very similar like S1E6: Imprisoned in its overall premise. The Gaang passes through a poor, beleaguered village that’s being slowly suffocated by nearby Fire Nation soldiers, and Katara decides it’s her responsibility to help free the villagers from their yoke of oppression. This time it’s a fishing village, in the middle of a river that’s been disgustingly polluted by the nearby weapon factory.

Compared to Imprisoned, which I reviewed relatively harshly, this episode is somewhat more enjoyable to watch since it takes itself less seriously. It’s also more memorable thanks to the distinct image of Katara as the Painted Lady, a spirit whom she impersonates as she feeds and heals the townspeople. This episode also touches upon some of the same themes as that one, like despair and passivity in the face of wartime injustice, like when Katara tells the villagers, “You can't wait around for someone to help you. You have to help yourself.” But those ideas are explored even more briefly and superficially here.

This episode brings something new to the table, however, with its environmentalist thesis. Besides the visual grossness of the filthy water and the two-headed fish spewing sludge, we get a firsthand look at how the destruction of the river ecosystem has brought sickness and hardship to the village. It’s another critique of modern industrialism. Avatar briefly touched on the Fire Nation’s ecological impact with the burned-down forest in S1E7: The Spirit World (Aang references that episode here when he says “I know Hei Bai!”). 

But that episode had a simpler, hopeful message that the forest would eventually grow back. The Painted Lady is much less passive in its outlook: until the root cause of the issue is removed, Sokka points out, nothing will be solved. And so Katara blows up the factory, scares away the soldiers, and urges the townspeople to clean up their river. The obliteration of the factory is notable in that Avatar takes it much more seriously compared to the Gaang’s many casual acts of destruction in the series. I’ve discussed in my review of Jet that this show does not subscribe to a Machiavellian, by-any-means-necessary philosophy of justice. But typically it draws the line at physically harming innocent people. Exploding the factory doesn’t fall over that line, and so blow up it must.

With this episode and The Headband, the theme of Book 3 is starting to become clear. As Team Avatar travels through the heartland of the Fire Nation, we’ll get to know its citizens more closely. And we’ll learn that they aren’t so different from anyone else — just people, trying to survive and live in peace and prosperity.

The Painted Lady is still not the most memorable or exciting episode. Some of its jokes don’t land very hard — like the identity-shifting Dock/Xu/Bushi — and there’s not even a B-plot to distract us with. At this point, we’ve come to expect some weaker entries as each season ramps up and we’re happy to keep moving. 

Ultimately, though, today’s chapter is an affirmation of Katara and a reminder of her tender devotion to humanity. Other characters might dismiss her as emotional or illogical, but when she has her mind set, she can work miracles.

I will never, ever turn my back on people who need me!

See you tomorrow for Episode 4: Sokka’s Master! Share your own thoughts on this episode in the comments.

Spare observations

• “Well that explains why I can't catch a fish around here, because normally my fishing skills are off the hook!… Get it? Like a fishing hook?” “Too bad your skills aren't on the hook.”

• Sokka whips out his color-coded master schedule, which is actually a massive Gantt chart taken from Avatar’s production schedule.

• Sokka mentions for the first time that the solar eclipse will only last eight minutes. The invasion will have to be quick and decisive.

• “Of course I care. I might as well just throw our schedule away now… And, I'm concerned because my big, furry friend doesn't feel well.”

• A critique of modern life: “I wish I could talk, but I am very busy.” “Yeah, me too. I hate that!”

• “You know, you're really pretty for a spirit. I don't meet too many spirits, but the ones I do meet, not very attractive.”

• “Sokka, you really do have a heart.” “He really does have a heart, doesn't he?”

• Love the Gaang’s theatrics as they stage the Painted Lady’s defense of the town, especially their attention to the soundscape. Toph drums a beat with a giant rock, Sokka plays a wooden flute he got from who-knows where, and Appa bellows loudly.

• The real Painted Lady thanks Katara in the final scene. Her design is reminiscent of spirit Yue.

Friends of the White Lotus [SPOILERS]

• Not many takeaways for the rest of the series from this episode, but thankfully this episode is not at all the capstone moment for Katara. There’s still a lot of time in the third season for her to retake the spotlight, especially in The Puppetmaster and The Southern Raiders.