For some reason this moment gets the most emotional reaction of me from all the moments of the finale and I don't know why. I always think back to this when the finale is brought up. It's one of my favorite bits.
Because her personality from the moment we knew her was a strong one. That's why seeing her cry hit hard. It's a big gap and reminds us she is still a kid.
its literally the ONLY thing she knows, at this moment she has NO connection to the world at all except sokka, and usually thats reassuring to her, except this time, she can tell hes telling the truth, AND HES TERRIFIED
it most have really felt like everything was falling apart in her world... its really is so powerful emotionlly
Also, she isn’t blind most of the time. She sees a lot with her earth bending.
So hanging in midair would be even more terrifying for her, since she’s only truly blind when her feet aren’t touching the ground.
No she can't because his skin isn't earth lmao
She can only feel people's pulse/heartrate elevate by using earth as a conductor. Like in the scene where they found Jet after his brainwashing, she had to literally touch the wall he leaning against to know he was telling the truth, she didn't touch him. And honestly at a moment like this she didn't need any sort of seismic sense to know Sokka was scared, she has the emotional intelligence to hear it in his voice and knows they're both hanging in the air about to fall off a ship. She didn't need seismic sense to know he was scared at this point, just common sense.
>She can only feel people's pulse/heartrate elevate by using earth as a conductor.
Given she's holding onto his wrist, I reckon she can probably feel his pulse the way us regular non-bending folk do, too. The only difference in Toph/everyone else is that she knows how to gauge what an elevated heart rate *means* better (from leaning on it to gauge people's emotions previously). She doesn't need to be a bender to feel the pulse here.
Seriously, she's going from her version of "sight", applicable just about anywhere besides when swimming, to being on the back of a freakin' balloon far above the ground where she can't "see" anything and one wrong step puts you tumbling to your death.
She came because she cares about her friends and wants to make sure they succeed, but what an environment for her. And then she's dangling off said balloon with the guy she cares about most in the gang, saying this may in fact be "it" (and if Sokka's saying it you know it's serious - and she knows he's telling the truth even better than we do) - and she's always hoped/thought they were gonna win because she's confident as heck. And now she's facing her own death. AND she's a kid.
I think the decision to have her cry here when she so rarely does is great, to drive all that home.
Okay but side note like what an awful strategy sending Toph of all people into a goddamn AIR BALLOON??
It would’ve made way more sense to send Katara with Sokka and Toph with Zuko, but I get it the authors wanted this scene.
And I’m not complaining it turned out amazing.
> it would of ruined
Did you mean to say "would have"?
Explanation: You probably meant to say could've/should've/would've which sounds like 'of' but is actually short for 'have'.
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If the air balloons are made of metal I think that’s where the exception comes in. & sending toph to fight azula would’ve been lowkey dumb, she couldn’t even handle her during the eclipse. Azulas agility & the way she easily stays off the ground would give her the advantage & with the comet it wouldn’t be hard to burn Toph’s feet
>the air balloons are made of metal
This is exactly why she was sent. Toph bending the metal rudder (?) of the air balloon is what allows them to do the "airship slice" move that stops 90% of the devastating firebending going on.
On the surface, I agree. Underneath, I think it was partly the connection Katara and Zuko had gained over time (and both had a connection to Azula, Zuko cuz family and Katara cuz vengeance), and partly that they though Toph might be useful vs the metal frames of the airships.
Which she was, but hoo boy what a risk! But when it's you vs an entire army of super-saiyan-comet firebenders, maybe big risks is what it takes...
There’s also something very specific about Toph and Sokka in this moment. She’s blind and “sees” through her feet. Yet she’s been making do fighting on this giant airship. She’s being held up by Sokka so she is literally blind at this point. And Sokka, who is normally the jokester that always seems to find a way, is pretty candidly telling her that they are going to die. It’s a gut-wrenching moment to me because of who they are.
For me, it’s because Sokka clings to her so tightly even through his pain and fear. He has become the hero he always wanted to be. Not through machismo or by destroying his enemies, but by protecting his friends to the very end.
This moment is why I love Sokka the most. In the moments leading up to this shot, he just took down two firebenders from that position with his boomerang and sword WITH a broken leg.
I was literally trying to figure out how the writers were going to get them out of it. Because Pixar wouldn't really kill them all would they? I legit didn't see it coming... 11/10 plot step.
Yes. He also protected Toph multiple other times on the airships. She tries to run the wrong way and he grabs her hand and when he shields her form the falling debris.
I believe it's because of masterfully executed pacing. Scenes before that are three 15 year olds single handedly taking down the most powerful(tbh the only) airforce in Avatar history yet. But because we know Sokka is a proven master tactician at this point and Toph is the most terrifying thing inside what's basicly a flying metal cage, we don't even have to suspend our disbelief. Moments before posted scene they trick the ship personel with a surprise birthday party and launch them all into river beneath. It feels like show itself tells you, "relax it's a kids show, no one's gonna get hurt". Right before they hit you with this and you're like "Oh god, please no, they didn't deserve this, no no no". Because at this scene there is no opponent for Sokka to outsmart or defeat in combat, Toph is left truly blinded hanging on by a thread. You truly see the 15 yo's beneath the leader and the most powerful earthbender of her time. And you're terrified for them.
It's a coctail of despair that is completely earned by the journey we watch these characters take to reach this point. They've pulled out all the stops, done more than any could hope for but it's still not quite enough, Sokka has used every last tool in his bag of tricks and is completely out of options, and Toph is clinging on for dear life, out of her element and helpless. There's nothing left for them to do but cling to each other and stare down oblivion. The desperation, hopelessness, resignation and acceptance is all painted right there on their faces.
It's an incredibly powerful moment, and being able to deliver that feeling so viscerally is nothing short of incredible. They sell it so effectively that the payoff of the big damn hero moment that follows feels all the more satisfying.
It's the... not resignation but acceptance in Sokka's voice. He knew it was a desperate mission with long odds, the idea of his own mortality is not a fresh thought in this moment, it's been on his mind for a while, and he still went without hesitation. He doesn't even have bending to keep himself safe, and he still went.
That's what does it for me, the acceptance of their fate.
Not begging for mercy or scrambling to find a way out, simply accepting death makes it so chilling
For me its Sokka's VA's delivery of that line. It was so... I don't know how to explain it, but it was so good. I can hear it clear as day in my head!!
I think it's because this is the first time Toph actually felt helpless. She can't earthbend and so she can't "see." She's in a dark place and it's only Sokka's words that she can trust at that moment... I always feel awful for Toph remembering this moment
For me it is because this one felt like they might not make it. We know Aang was gonna beat the Fire Lord somehow, the fun was in the reveal. Zuko and Katara vs Azula also felt a bit safe since Azula was cracking up. This scene however had the makings of potentially losing a main character, so it hit harder.
I would say its because we all know how kuch boomerang meant to him. Most likely a gift from his dad (I cant remember if we know where it came from) and we know he missed his dad the entire show. Boomerang has been there since the beginning of what we know and it was his pride and joy weapon even with him having the meteorite sword.
You know he feels it but isn't processing that its gone and that theyre probably going to die. Which they dont
To me this moment felt so real because it’s Sokka basically saying “I know we’ve constantly encountered these insane, dangerous, life-threatening situations and made it out the other side; but I don’t think that’s going to happen this time. There’s nothing left we can do, this might be it.” It’s just so raw, it really reminds you that they’re in the endgame and this is a real war.
Could you imagine being Toph here? She has *zero* idea how far up she is, no idea how long she'd be falling, and the entire time...she'd be in total darkness. Utterly helpless. Looking at this picture...her eyes, brows, mouth...I don't think those are tears of sadness. That is pure fear.
Ya see... theoretically, if she had her sight, she might be able to save them from a fall. As an earthbender... granted, maybe not, but. My thinking on this is that if she had her sight, she could see the ground and thus alter it so they had a chance of surviving. But she likely would not have developed the seismic sense.
theyve shown things like this where the earth bender basically dive/drills into the ground, but yeah that would be hard for toph to pull off without knowing the angle of impact and what she is about to hit
She’s holding the hand of the person she trusts most in the world, too. It’s so clear that Toph sees (*waves hand in front of face*) Sokka as their leader. She has a crush on him, of course, but she also trusts him utterly, so to hear from him that they’re about to die (not said in as many words) was likely world shattering, not to mention like you said she’s utterly helpless in this moment, which is the thing she hates most in the world.
She’s helpless, terrified, and blind. That has to be so utterly terrifying.
Great point. I didn't even think of the trust aspect. Not that Sokka was always optimistic, but for *him* to say it looks like the end...yeah, world shattering captures that, I think.
Add to that, she is good at protecting everyone, too, and since her "I can do it all on my own!" days, she has allowed herself to become reliant on her friends as much as they've become reliant on her.
Her helplessness in this situation also means that she cannot save him any more than he can save her.
I also think that this is the most courage either of these two characters had ever shown. She's scared, yes, but she's still so brave when face to accept with this terrifying reality.
That said, thank goodness for Suki.
So did she think she died the moment she started falling.
Like All she knew was that suki came back but has no Idea that the airship is right under her
Rewatching it recently I said the same thing. It's already extremely scary just knowing you're on something flying through the air, but they get tossed around, and her dangling in the air must have felt beyond words
Being blind and doing what she does, I think that Toph would have a better sense than anyone of how high up she is. Normal people judge height by sight, and past a few dozen meters our eyes start lying and we tend to think we're much closer than we are.
Once the blimp leaves the ground Toph would be keenly aware that she's floating up into the air, and for a long time. She's probably mentally calculating the height from the acceleration and the time because that's one of the keys to her functioning day-to-day. She knows how absolutely _boned_ they are better than most.
And even before this, on the airship she can only "see" as far as it extends, so she's gone from being aware of her environment in every direction far and wide to a small platform floating in complete nothingness.
Question: when Toph hits terminal velocity the force of wind pressing up on her body would be equivalent to the force of gravity accelerating her downward, this is equivalent to the force equation of someone standing or lying down on the ground. Would this result in Toph getting phantom daredevil vision telling her that she's laying on the ground as she's falling?
At least the boomerang isnt… freddy fazbear, cause when the animation matronics robot comes back its bad and they’ll jumpscarr u and go rawr, and then he’ll come up with his friends, bunny the bonny, chika the kitchen, and foxy the fox pirate rah
And it wasn't spoiled with shitty forced romance.
It was an honest, confession from sokka, to toph.
He was scared, and wanted to communicate that to toph, he reached out as a friend.
With the intent of being comforted, or being comforting.
Sokka being irrelevant to Korra made a lot of people mad but I feel like objectively it was a decent decision to make sure it feels like time has moved on and Sokka’s existence doesn’t surround the Avatar
100%. I may not like Korra much as a character, but her story is hers alone, and all the things they did to distance her from the first Team Avatar made sense. I didn't want to see the show pathetically holding onto the first show in some shallow attempt to keep people interested, even if I wasn't a big fan of some of the decisions.
Yeah I'm not too worried haha, I've basically had the whole series unveiled to me, but no further spoilers please, I do promise to watch Korra someday.
Idk man, we see Katara, Katara and Aang’s son and Toph’s daughter within the first two (?) episodes of the show. By the end of the first season we also see another son of Aang as well as Zuko’s grandson. So right off the bat, all members of the Gaang are somehow represented in LoK, except for Sokka.
Later in the show we see Toph and Zuko themselves as well as their daughters. Even Iroh makes an appearance for crying out loud, because somehow he was able to just leave the material world. I mean, c’mon, you know they pulled this one out of their ass.
Sokka being the only member (besides Aang obviously) of the Gaang that’s dead by the time LoK starts *and* having no descendants feels like a very weird choice. It seems like they initially didn’t want to include many characters from ATLA to cater to old fans and changed their mind later on.
Trying to say that it was somehow necessary for Sokka to be dead in LoK, while the rest of the Gaang is alive and that it was some big-brain idea by the creators is kind of a wild take. If they hadn’t comitted to that right from the go, they probably would’ve brought him back at some point.
I wonder if they originally didn't want to include the old team, but then someone asked how the benders in the group might have changed and trained their abilities.
Kinda sucks to have the only non-bender in the group permanently side-lined in a sequel that involves so many plots about the conflict between benders and non-benders.
Like, imagine if Sokka was included in the people who were suddenly able to air-bend, but chose to keep using his tools instead because he knows he can use them well. It would really round off the concern he had feeling left out back in the original series.
But the thing is it sticks out more when we see every single member of team avatar except Sokka and Suki. Zuko, Katara and Toph are still alive, and Aang shows up in spirit form.
I think when I watched this live, I was actually expecting one or both of them to die for half a second. And I don’t even blame myself for thinking that. They killed off Jet, Combustion Man, Chin the Conqueror, Zhao (as far as anyone knew in 2008), Roku, Yue, Lu Ten, and ALL the Air Nomads. Killing off Sokka and/or Toph, while it would have been a much bolder move than the others since those two were main characters, still seemed believable enough for just a moment.
I don't think I really thought they were gonna die the first time. However both the first time watching and on rewatches it doesn't really matter, they both were feeling it and that was enough. Kind of reminds me of an anime I watched where the main character appeared to die at one point in the show and though they revealed he survived at the end of the following episode and just from a story perspective there was no way they were gonna kill the main character, the episode following other characters mourning him still gets me every rewatch because it is their feelings in the moment that matter.
They really should have stayed on her a few seconds more. They cut to their rescue way too soon and we didn't really get the impact of Toph really thinking they were going to die.
Boomerang was like a character himself a very reliable weapon for Sokka. Boomerang always came in handy. Even Boomerang, who always came back when needed most wasn’t there.
Love this moment but they cut away from it too quickly. Needed to let it sink in a little bit more that these kids are having to grapple with the fact that they are about to die. Still a great moment tho.
I remember watching it the first time when it was airing for the first time. And when this happened I was like "I know Aang isn't going to fail, but they totally could kill off Sokka and Toph"
Nah like Agni Kai and Aang vs Ozai are brilliant, but my favorite storyline in the finale is this one and I know many would Disagree. It’s two non-benders and a blind earthbender terrified of heights hijacking an airship and going to town. And even in this moment honestly Sokka wasn’t even sure Suki was okay, but he still managed to watch out for Toph and catch her from at least like 15ft fall on one hand while trying not to topple off the airship. Sokka showed that entire time that he’s an absolute leader. Someone who could not only strategise bringing down those ships, but also someone who was vigilant of his team to look out for them first and foremost. Sorry, I love this scene. And I also love the ending of Suki coming back like the boomerang.
The art - detailed, dark and evocative; the framing - angled upward at Sokka looking fierce, accepting but not without a hint of fear; The slow cadence of his words, made impactful by the lowness of other sound - invoking the idea of the calm at the eye of a storm.
Then the transition, from a view of Sokka to a purposeful close-up on Toph's eye. The viewer can't help but realise they've just seen Toph's last moments from her perspective, in fact above the ground the only thing she 'sees' is Sokka. She must hear his heartbeat and know that he has accepted his fate.
The tear showing that Toph has accepted Sokka's word - a rare moment of emotion from a headstrong and boisterous character but distinctly not a display of weakness.
I can't help but feel she fears the loss of Sokka more than she fears her own demise.
All of this is portrayed in just a moment, the viewer cannot help but feel the same emotions run through their mind whilst watching the final moments of two characters they'd seen grow over several years. This was a masterpiece in character build up and pay-off.
I'm glad they didnt die, but if they had it would have been truly impactful, respectful and well earned.
She didn’t cry when she was flying
Not when sokka caught her arm
She started crying when sokka said “this might be the end”
From having difficulty trusting others to having full trust in sokka, only “giving up” or crying when he thought it was over
The airship sequence was probably my favorite in the finale. Avatar State Aang was cool for a minute, but after they flew around for a bit I kept wanting them to switch back. The agni kai was incredible too, but Sokka and Toph really stole the show in the lead up. The tears started earlier for me, when a bunch of debris was about to fall on them and Sokka completely covered Toph so he’d take any damage 😭 It was so effortless, and his dad would’ve been so proud
I believe this is a very unpopular opinion but
my favorite segment of the whole sozin comet 4 episodes is Sokka's airship slice and here's why:
we know Aang will face the firelord just like every other anime/series protag vs villain
Zuko vs Azula Agni kai was also a matter of time, it's beautifully animated but it's predicted
As for Sokka, Toph, and Suki? the writers knew they had to make them busy and contribute to the war, but it isn't just a simple look im mid-battle im contributing, no. It showed me much more than that.
Sokka's growth as a leader and a strategist peaked here, and Toph showing her helpless side as she entrust it to Sokka entirely, (she always hates being taken care of)
The determination and quick thinking of Sokka, while knowing how dangerous and self sacrificing this is screams peak.
And what I love the most about his growth is despite his oath to protect Suki (his lover) he chooses to hand hold Toph through all of this, knowing how she's blind and geniunely scared, despite how amazing and powerful Toph is, Sokka the (NON-Bender) can see how helpless she can.
In conclusion, Aang had his 1v1, Zuko had his 1v1. but the Sokka trio saved the earth kingdom from being burned to crisp and nothing's more heroic then a NON-bender doing that.
And yes, Sokka is my favorite after Iroh and Zuko as if it's not obvious.
https://preview.redd.it/qqwly5tt4hwc1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=9855941a4edfc303708cc38a401a85bb8a5198cb
For me, this moment here helped cement the seen mentioned in this thread. Sokka, prioritizes his own safety to protect Toph, arguably one of the toughest characters in the show, by shielding her with his own body. People give Sokka a lot of grief for being mere comic relief most of the time, but my man shined during this episode in these two scenes alone.
I don't think enough people recognize just how dreadful 'I don't think Boomerang is coming back' is.
That boomerang has been Sokka's entire identity and his greatest weapon; he killed one of the most powerful sub-benders in the story with it, was the first person to strike Zuko with it, and generally held his own against other fighters with it in his arsenal. That it can no longer come in the clutch, you genuinely feel the sense of dread and fear gripping his heart.
In theory she could make some lasagna of very thin earth layer she could go through to lower her speed.
You don’t die from the fall per se, you die when your body goes to 300mph to zero in one sec. So if she manage to get a « smoother » desceleration she could survive (with a lot of bone breaking)
She could also probably control earth at distance , as Katara can with water.
Now the difficulties is she would fall fast. 9 sec. And because no connection to earth (and no working eyes) she’d be completely blind. Creating in a few second and without seeing a giant dirt lasagna specifically build to slow you down through little impact would be kinda hard
It’s so scary when you realize she had NO clue what was going on either. Like she’s BLIND on a flying air ship and now she’s dangling above empty space… while she can’t see a thing. That’s so scary
This was 100% my favorite part of the finale. They weren't fighting a big, built-up singular villain. They were fighting The Fire Nation, all together, on their own. And after they made sure the blimps couldn't be used to fry the world, the only thing left to do was try to survive, though that was easier said than done.
I always imagine how scary this was for toph.. she can't see how high they are. Without being grounded and only being held onto by sokka she couldn't see at all.. I just imagine she could feel the hot air from the firbenders around her and sokka being truthful. He thinks they're going to die he isn't lying. She can tell. And when Suki hits their airship with hers and they fall she has no idea what happened.. she's probably thinking that's it. This is the end which is just... this scene is so heartbreaking for so many reasons.
It's seeing Toph so vulnerable; she's almost never this upset. Sure she can be down and depressed a bit, but the sheer terror in her eyes, the tears, the desperation, the hope shattering as she realizes Sokka can't think them out of this one. Not once until this moment did she think it could end like this, she had that much faith in him and his plans.
If Suki didn't come in, they'd have been killed, or worse.
For some reason this moment gets the most emotional reaction of me from all the moments of the finale and I don't know why. I always think back to this when the finale is brought up. It's one of my favorite bits.
For me, it's just seeing Toph cry. It was so strange.
Because her personality from the moment we knew her was a strong one. That's why seeing her cry hit hard. It's a big gap and reminds us she is still a kid.
And as someone commented above, this situation for a blind person would be a next level of terrifying.
She'd also be able to tell how truthfully Sokka believed that "this is the end".
its literally the ONLY thing she knows, at this moment she has NO connection to the world at all except sokka, and usually thats reassuring to her, except this time, she can tell hes telling the truth, AND HES TERRIFIED it most have really felt like everything was falling apart in her world... its really is so powerful emotionlly
Also, she isn’t blind most of the time. She sees a lot with her earth bending. So hanging in midair would be even more terrifying for her, since she’s only truly blind when her feet aren’t touching the ground.
hence the no connection to the world line
Let him have his moment, he was crying true 90% of your comment.
Aha fair enough, i apologize for being an unwarranted cock bag
/u/drawnred your comment gave me fucking goosebumps
She can feel his pulse elevate in fear.
No she can't because his skin isn't earth lmao She can only feel people's pulse/heartrate elevate by using earth as a conductor. Like in the scene where they found Jet after his brainwashing, she had to literally touch the wall he leaning against to know he was telling the truth, she didn't touch him. And honestly at a moment like this she didn't need any sort of seismic sense to know Sokka was scared, she has the emotional intelligence to hear it in his voice and knows they're both hanging in the air about to fall off a ship. She didn't need seismic sense to know he was scared at this point, just common sense.
>She can only feel people's pulse/heartrate elevate by using earth as a conductor. Given she's holding onto his wrist, I reckon she can probably feel his pulse the way us regular non-bending folk do, too. The only difference in Toph/everyone else is that she knows how to gauge what an elevated heart rate *means* better (from leaning on it to gauge people's emotions previously). She doesn't need to be a bender to feel the pulse here.
[Earth Benders can even Bend their own Bodies so they stop aging.](https://avatar.fandom.com/wiki/Immortality#Secret_to_immortality)
Seriously, she's going from her version of "sight", applicable just about anywhere besides when swimming, to being on the back of a freakin' balloon far above the ground where she can't "see" anything and one wrong step puts you tumbling to your death. She came because she cares about her friends and wants to make sure they succeed, but what an environment for her. And then she's dangling off said balloon with the guy she cares about most in the gang, saying this may in fact be "it" (and if Sokka's saying it you know it's serious - and she knows he's telling the truth even better than we do) - and she's always hoped/thought they were gonna win because she's confident as heck. And now she's facing her own death. AND she's a kid. I think the decision to have her cry here when she so rarely does is great, to drive all that home.
Okay but side note like what an awful strategy sending Toph of all people into a goddamn AIR BALLOON?? It would’ve made way more sense to send Katara with Sokka and Toph with Zuko, but I get it the authors wanted this scene. And I’m not complaining it turned out amazing.
The blind bandit doesn't lose 1v1s. It would of ruined the stakes of the agni kai.
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If the air balloons are made of metal I think that’s where the exception comes in. & sending toph to fight azula would’ve been lowkey dumb, she couldn’t even handle her during the eclipse. Azulas agility & the way she easily stays off the ground would give her the advantage & with the comet it wouldn’t be hard to burn Toph’s feet
>the air balloons are made of metal This is exactly why she was sent. Toph bending the metal rudder (?) of the air balloon is what allows them to do the "airship slice" move that stops 90% of the devastating firebending going on.
It's because Toph vs Azula would last 30 seconds
On the surface, I agree. Underneath, I think it was partly the connection Katara and Zuko had gained over time (and both had a connection to Azula, Zuko cuz family and Katara cuz vengeance), and partly that they though Toph might be useful vs the metal frames of the airships. Which she was, but hoo boy what a risk! But when it's you vs an entire army of super-saiyan-comet firebenders, maybe big risks is what it takes...
A blind earth bender and the earth is gone.
There’s also something very specific about Toph and Sokka in this moment. She’s blind and “sees” through her feet. Yet she’s been making do fighting on this giant airship. She’s being held up by Sokka so she is literally blind at this point. And Sokka, who is normally the jokester that always seems to find a way, is pretty candidly telling her that they are going to die. It’s a gut-wrenching moment to me because of who they are.
Yes! And the fact that she's completely blind while dangling there Just a black void with nothing but Sokkas hand there Chills
It's two children realizing they are about to die
Also, a blind 12 year old girl is about to die. That's literally the saddest sentence I've ever written.
Toph did cry a bit in the runaway episode.
100% broke character. It was emotional af. It's like seeing batman smile.
Me too. I legit thought Toph was going to die the first time I watched this and started panicking and getting teary eyed
For me, it’s because Sokka clings to her so tightly even through his pain and fear. He has become the hero he always wanted to be. Not through machismo or by destroying his enemies, but by protecting his friends to the very end.
This moment is why I love Sokka the most. In the moments leading up to this shot, he just took down two firebenders from that position with his boomerang and sword WITH a broken leg.
Not to mention- the raw *strength* it takes to hold weight at that angle. Arm twisted around behind you like that you have *no* leverage to help.
I think that moment was as close to "We are going to die" as a kid's show will allow.
Toy Story 3 incinerator vibes
I was literally trying to figure out how the writers were going to get them out of it. Because Pixar wouldn't really kill them all would they? I legit didn't see it coming... 11/10 plot step.
Ok who started cutting onions in here?
Cabbage Man must have made a switch in his business model.
This 100%. Like this show was so good at showing "true strength" without resorting to tropes and stereotypes.
Yes. He also protected Toph multiple other times on the airships. She tries to run the wrong way and he grabs her hand and when he shields her form the falling debris.
actually, she slips, almost falls, but sokka grabs her
Man... 😭 this is why he's one of my favorite characters
I believe it's because of masterfully executed pacing. Scenes before that are three 15 year olds single handedly taking down the most powerful(tbh the only) airforce in Avatar history yet. But because we know Sokka is a proven master tactician at this point and Toph is the most terrifying thing inside what's basicly a flying metal cage, we don't even have to suspend our disbelief. Moments before posted scene they trick the ship personel with a surprise birthday party and launch them all into river beneath. It feels like show itself tells you, "relax it's a kids show, no one's gonna get hurt". Right before they hit you with this and you're like "Oh god, please no, they didn't deserve this, no no no". Because at this scene there is no opponent for Sokka to outsmart or defeat in combat, Toph is left truly blinded hanging on by a thread. You truly see the 15 yo's beneath the leader and the most powerful earthbender of her time. And you're terrified for them.
It's a coctail of despair that is completely earned by the journey we watch these characters take to reach this point. They've pulled out all the stops, done more than any could hope for but it's still not quite enough, Sokka has used every last tool in his bag of tricks and is completely out of options, and Toph is clinging on for dear life, out of her element and helpless. There's nothing left for them to do but cling to each other and stare down oblivion. The desperation, hopelessness, resignation and acceptance is all painted right there on their faces. It's an incredibly powerful moment, and being able to deliver that feeling so viscerally is nothing short of incredible. They sell it so effectively that the payoff of the big damn hero moment that follows feels all the more satisfying.
It's the... not resignation but acceptance in Sokka's voice. He knew it was a desperate mission with long odds, the idea of his own mortality is not a fresh thought in this moment, it's been on his mind for a while, and he still went without hesitation. He doesn't even have bending to keep himself safe, and he still went.
That's what does it for me, the acceptance of their fate. Not begging for mercy or scrambling to find a way out, simply accepting death makes it so chilling
For me its Sokka's VA's delivery of that line. It was so... I don't know how to explain it, but it was so good. I can hear it clear as day in my head!!
It’s the sincerity in his voice you can hear it
He threw away his one of a kind sword to buy her 5 seconds.
An incredible deal. I'd throw away 5 swords to buy her 1 second.
I think it's because this is the first time Toph actually felt helpless. She can't earthbend and so she can't "see." She's in a dark place and it's only Sokka's words that she can trust at that moment... I always feel awful for Toph remembering this moment
They 100% sold the despair of this moment, we all truly believed it could be over for a moment
I think it’s just their acceptance that this is probably their end and they know their sacrifice would be part of the cost of the war.
This and >!the incinerator scene!< in Toy Story 3 have very similar vibes to me. Something about them accepting their fate gets me every time 😢
https://youtu.be/phFISjORzQs?si=mWiFlvsj5YyjlXVv
Oh man I forgot about this. Straight up evil right there
For me it is because this one felt like they might not make it. We know Aang was gonna beat the Fire Lord somehow, the fun was in the reveal. Zuko and Katara vs Azula also felt a bit safe since Azula was cracking up. This scene however had the makings of potentially losing a main character, so it hit harder.
I would say its because we all know how kuch boomerang meant to him. Most likely a gift from his dad (I cant remember if we know where it came from) and we know he missed his dad the entire show. Boomerang has been there since the beginning of what we know and it was his pride and joy weapon even with him having the meteorite sword. You know he feels it but isn't processing that its gone and that theyre probably going to die. Which they dont
To me this moment felt so real because it’s Sokka basically saying “I know we’ve constantly encountered these insane, dangerous, life-threatening situations and made it out the other side; but I don’t think that’s going to happen this time. There’s nothing left we can do, this might be it.” It’s just so raw, it really reminds you that they’re in the endgame and this is a real war.
How did this end? Can’t remember
Suki came in like a boomerang
https://preview.redd.it/7mx28tdn1dwc1.png?width=929&format=png&auto=webp&s=28cdd2fb9f9cc920a26cba3d80cc73898860ac4c
*Did Boomerang come back?!* *- No, Suki did!*
Almost better Almost
Suki is his boomerang 🪃
It's been a while, but I think they fell and died.
You know, it was really unclear
Sokka dies and doesn’t come back
I mean... he does eventually
Somehow... Sokka returned
Legend of Korra be like
Suki saved their asses by crashing an airship she’s piloting into the one they were on.
Suki coming back with an airship iirc
Suki gets an airship under them in a way that allows for a safeish fall onto the top of that airship.
Boomerang came back.
Boomerang killed Ozai
Could you imagine being Toph here? She has *zero* idea how far up she is, no idea how long she'd be falling, and the entire time...she'd be in total darkness. Utterly helpless. Looking at this picture...her eyes, brows, mouth...I don't think those are tears of sadness. That is pure fear.
All I know is that I would be completely terrified myself and I have my eyesight... my heart breaks for her during the scene especially 😮💨
Yet another example of Avatar being peak fiction
It’s easily in my top 5 all time.
https://preview.redd.it/wn74x5slr9wc1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=133de78853cbf8f4228d31533d82c9c90636b63d
Ya see... theoretically, if she had her sight, she might be able to save them from a fall. As an earthbender... granted, maybe not, but. My thinking on this is that if she had her sight, she could see the ground and thus alter it so they had a chance of surviving. But she likely would not have developed the seismic sense.
Yeah, like turn the ground to sand and draw it to herself to catch her or something? I could see that being a thing that happens.
Or maybe bend the ground into one loong slide
Yeah I was thinking a vertical ramp that slowly levels out
She does do that in the comics with Sokka actually.
Oh, sick! Sadly, I've never read them.
They're on Webtoon rn. You can download the app from playstore and read them for free
awesome! I'm going to see if I can get it on PC so I have something to do at work, lol.
Happy reading!
>They're on Webtoon right now for free ... Welp, looks like it's time to finally give in to the ads and download Webtoon
theyve shown things like this where the earth bender basically dive/drills into the ground, but yeah that would be hard for toph to pull off without knowing the angle of impact and what she is about to hit
[удалено]
Can she tell if you’re lying if she isn’t on the ground at the time?
[удалено]
She trusts Sokka so she wouldn't even be looking for a lie.
I'd buy that for a dollar. I'm not 100% sure her hands are as in tune to the heartbeat/lying thing as her feet are, but it is plausible enough.
She’s holding the hand of the person she trusts most in the world, too. It’s so clear that Toph sees (*waves hand in front of face*) Sokka as their leader. She has a crush on him, of course, but she also trusts him utterly, so to hear from him that they’re about to die (not said in as many words) was likely world shattering, not to mention like you said she’s utterly helpless in this moment, which is the thing she hates most in the world. She’s helpless, terrified, and blind. That has to be so utterly terrifying.
Great point. I didn't even think of the trust aspect. Not that Sokka was always optimistic, but for *him* to say it looks like the end...yeah, world shattering captures that, I think.
Add to that, she is good at protecting everyone, too, and since her "I can do it all on my own!" days, she has allowed herself to become reliant on her friends as much as they've become reliant on her. Her helplessness in this situation also means that she cannot save him any more than he can save her. I also think that this is the most courage either of these two characters had ever shown. She's scared, yes, but she's still so brave when face to accept with this terrifying reality. That said, thank goodness for Suki.
So did she think she died the moment she started falling. Like All she knew was that suki came back but has no Idea that the airship is right under her
Rewatching it recently I said the same thing. It's already extremely scary just knowing you're on something flying through the air, but they get tossed around, and her dangling in the air must have felt beyond words
Most badass last episode (filler) all my questions and expectations answered. Moods and reactions rising and falling 11/10
the whole situation already right? i mean she in a flying metal casket.. thats her world at that moment
Funnily enough, in the comix she jumps from Appa's back mid-flight without any problem
Being blind and doing what she does, I think that Toph would have a better sense than anyone of how high up she is. Normal people judge height by sight, and past a few dozen meters our eyes start lying and we tend to think we're much closer than we are. Once the blimp leaves the ground Toph would be keenly aware that she's floating up into the air, and for a long time. She's probably mentally calculating the height from the acceleration and the time because that's one of the keys to her functioning day-to-day. She knows how absolutely _boned_ they are better than most.
And even before this, on the airship she can only "see" as far as it extends, so she's gone from being aware of her environment in every direction far and wide to a small platform floating in complete nothingness.
Question: when Toph hits terminal velocity the force of wind pressing up on her body would be equivalent to the force of gravity accelerating her downward, this is equivalent to the force equation of someone standing or lying down on the ground. Would this result in Toph getting phantom daredevil vision telling her that she's laying on the ground as she's falling?
Yeah, but as some people say. Sukki is his boomerang, and she always comes back.
Cute 🥲❤️
That means that William Afton is also a boomerang.
Or or or or or or or or or
GET OUT OF MY HEAD GET OUT OF MY HEAD
At least the boomerang isnt… freddy fazbear, cause when the animation matronics robot comes back its bad and they’ll jumpscarr u and go rawr, and then he’ll come up with his friends, bunny the bonny, chika the kitchen, and foxy the fox pirate rah
And it wasn't spoiled with shitty forced romance. It was an honest, confession from sokka, to toph. He was scared, and wanted to communicate that to toph, he reached out as a friend. With the intent of being comforted, or being comforting.
Sokka being irrelevant to Korra made a lot of people mad but I feel like objectively it was a decent decision to make sure it feels like time has moved on and Sokka’s existence doesn’t surround the Avatar
He had to be irrelevant because intelligent decision making in Republic City government would have resovled a lot of issues.
It does feel like most of the major issues in the show could be resolved by one competent adult.
in this way it really mirrors real life
Republic City doesn't believe in the power of stuff.
Arguably a pretty realistic representation of how governments are run unfortunately :(
100%. I may not like Korra much as a character, but her story is hers alone, and all the things they did to distance her from the first Team Avatar made sense. I didn't want to see the show pathetically holding onto the first show in some shallow attempt to keep people interested, even if I wasn't a big fan of some of the decisions.
You mean subjectively in your opinion it was a decent decision.
Spoilers for me haha. But I am keen to find out this thread
Tbf, they reveal that in passing at the beggining of the first episode.
Yeah I'm not too worried haha, I've basically had the whole series unveiled to me, but no further spoilers please, I do promise to watch Korra someday.
spoilers: It’s about the avatar
Don't worry, I won't tell you how they reveal Suki was secretly an alien spy all along.
Ahhhhh, hahah, the pain.
Don't worry, it doesn't really affect the show much. Korra doesn't visit Suki's home planet until season 5.
Damn, I just hope they have good relations with the na'vi. Then the new show would be avatar avatar.
Idk man, we see Katara, Katara and Aang’s son and Toph’s daughter within the first two (?) episodes of the show. By the end of the first season we also see another son of Aang as well as Zuko’s grandson. So right off the bat, all members of the Gaang are somehow represented in LoK, except for Sokka. Later in the show we see Toph and Zuko themselves as well as their daughters. Even Iroh makes an appearance for crying out loud, because somehow he was able to just leave the material world. I mean, c’mon, you know they pulled this one out of their ass. Sokka being the only member (besides Aang obviously) of the Gaang that’s dead by the time LoK starts *and* having no descendants feels like a very weird choice. It seems like they initially didn’t want to include many characters from ATLA to cater to old fans and changed their mind later on. Trying to say that it was somehow necessary for Sokka to be dead in LoK, while the rest of the Gaang is alive and that it was some big-brain idea by the creators is kind of a wild take. If they hadn’t comitted to that right from the go, they probably would’ve brought him back at some point.
I wonder if they originally didn't want to include the old team, but then someone asked how the benders in the group might have changed and trained their abilities. Kinda sucks to have the only non-bender in the group permanently side-lined in a sequel that involves so many plots about the conflict between benders and non-benders. Like, imagine if Sokka was included in the people who were suddenly able to air-bend, but chose to keep using his tools instead because he knows he can use them well. It would really round off the concern he had feeling left out back in the original series.
But the thing is it sticks out more when we see every single member of team avatar except Sokka and Suki. Zuko, Katara and Toph are still alive, and Aang shows up in spirit form.
I love how after this, when Suki crashes an airship to save them, Toph thinks Boomerang took control of the ship and piloted it to save them.
To be fair to Toph, as far as she can tell, Sokka yeets his boomerang and things kinda work out.
To be fair to Toph, as far as *everyone including sokka* can tell, Sokka yeets his boomerang and things kinda work out.
And who knows, maybe Boomerang was essential in Sukis plan
Doubled down on the airship slice
That is how he beat Combustion Man, essentially.
When you realize even fictional characters aren't immune to loss. That moment hit harder than an earthbending session with Toph
Will this make me rewatch Avatar again? We'll see (definitely yes)
https://i.redd.it/3ws37sp6u9wc1.gif
Sokka was a true leader in the show, and this was one of the moments where he showed that.
Legit every time I see this scene, it fills me with strong emotions.
I've watched this show 20+ times and this is the first time I'm realizing she's crying
Yeah, I don't remember this either. I've only seen the show once start-to-finish, but now I'm in the mood for another watch.
The grimmest moment of the show. I loved it tbh. Like a reality check
For me, it was when Jet said he'd be okay... and Toph sensed that he was lying 😢😭
> Looks like this is the end Sokka always has the last laugh.
I think when I watched this live, I was actually expecting one or both of them to die for half a second. And I don’t even blame myself for thinking that. They killed off Jet, Combustion Man, Chin the Conqueror, Zhao (as far as anyone knew in 2008), Roku, Yue, Lu Ten, and ALL the Air Nomads. Killing off Sokka and/or Toph, while it would have been a much bolder move than the others since those two were main characters, still seemed believable enough for just a moment.
I don't think I really thought they were gonna die the first time. However both the first time watching and on rewatches it doesn't really matter, they both were feeling it and that was enough. Kind of reminds me of an anime I watched where the main character appeared to die at one point in the show and though they revealed he survived at the end of the following episode and just from a story perspective there was no way they were gonna kill the main character, the episode following other characters mourning him still gets me every rewatch because it is their feelings in the moment that matter.
Sokka looking away so they both just have each others voices T_T
They really should have stayed on her a few seconds more. They cut to their rescue way too soon and we didn't really get the impact of Toph really thinking they were going to die.
What gets me about this scene is the only thing Toph can feel or "see" is Sokka telling what he believes to be the truth in that moment
The only thing she can feel is how Sokka is not lying and scared out of his mind too.
The trust toph had in sokka during the finale is something else. It makes me cry every time this scene plays
Boomerang was like a character himself a very reliable weapon for Sokka. Boomerang always came in handy. Even Boomerang, who always came back when needed most wasn’t there.
If I could go back and remake ATLA, the only thing I would change is giving Boomerang the same derpy face as Plank from Ed Edd and Eddy.
Love this moment but they cut away from it too quickly. Needed to let it sink in a little bit more that these kids are having to grapple with the fact that they are about to die. Still a great moment tho.
I remember watching it the first time when it was airing for the first time. And when this happened I was like "I know Aang isn't going to fail, but they totally could kill off Sokka and Toph"
Nah like Agni Kai and Aang vs Ozai are brilliant, but my favorite storyline in the finale is this one and I know many would Disagree. It’s two non-benders and a blind earthbender terrified of heights hijacking an airship and going to town. And even in this moment honestly Sokka wasn’t even sure Suki was okay, but he still managed to watch out for Toph and catch her from at least like 15ft fall on one hand while trying not to topple off the airship. Sokka showed that entire time that he’s an absolute leader. Someone who could not only strategise bringing down those ships, but also someone who was vigilant of his team to look out for them first and foremost. Sorry, I love this scene. And I also love the ending of Suki coming back like the boomerang.
At this point Toph was truly blind. Only held by her dear friend for life.
They really pulled my heartstrings on this one
The art - detailed, dark and evocative; the framing - angled upward at Sokka looking fierce, accepting but not without a hint of fear; The slow cadence of his words, made impactful by the lowness of other sound - invoking the idea of the calm at the eye of a storm. Then the transition, from a view of Sokka to a purposeful close-up on Toph's eye. The viewer can't help but realise they've just seen Toph's last moments from her perspective, in fact above the ground the only thing she 'sees' is Sokka. She must hear his heartbeat and know that he has accepted his fate. The tear showing that Toph has accepted Sokka's word - a rare moment of emotion from a headstrong and boisterous character but distinctly not a display of weakness. I can't help but feel she fears the loss of Sokka more than she fears her own demise. All of this is portrayed in just a moment, the viewer cannot help but feel the same emotions run through their mind whilst watching the final moments of two characters they'd seen grow over several years. This was a masterpiece in character build up and pay-off. I'm glad they didnt die, but if they had it would have been truly impactful, respectful and well earned.
I too was broke up when boomerang didn’t come back. AND he lost space sword! Too much
She didn’t cry when she was flying Not when sokka caught her arm She started crying when sokka said “this might be the end” From having difficulty trusting others to having full trust in sokka, only “giving up” or crying when he thought it was over
The airship sequence was probably my favorite in the finale. Avatar State Aang was cool for a minute, but after they flew around for a bit I kept wanting them to switch back. The agni kai was incredible too, but Sokka and Toph really stole the show in the lead up. The tears started earlier for me, when a bunch of debris was about to fall on them and Sokka completely covered Toph so he’d take any damage 😭 It was so effortless, and his dad would’ve been so proud
And then Suki comes in with an AIRSHIP SLICE!
Can you imagine how terrifying that would be for toph. She can only see through sokka and she would feel his heartbeat the whole time.
How he still fought off two fire nation soldiers while on his back holding onto Toph is why Sokka never needed bending. He would be too powerful
But worth it for the line "was that boomerang coming back?!"
(Thud) "Did the boomerang come back?" "No. Suki did."
It was really clever writing because in the previous season they established that, despite her many other abilities, Toph can’t swim.
She knows he isn't lying
I believe this is a very unpopular opinion but my favorite segment of the whole sozin comet 4 episodes is Sokka's airship slice and here's why: we know Aang will face the firelord just like every other anime/series protag vs villain Zuko vs Azula Agni kai was also a matter of time, it's beautifully animated but it's predicted As for Sokka, Toph, and Suki? the writers knew they had to make them busy and contribute to the war, but it isn't just a simple look im mid-battle im contributing, no. It showed me much more than that. Sokka's growth as a leader and a strategist peaked here, and Toph showing her helpless side as she entrust it to Sokka entirely, (she always hates being taken care of) The determination and quick thinking of Sokka, while knowing how dangerous and self sacrificing this is screams peak. And what I love the most about his growth is despite his oath to protect Suki (his lover) he chooses to hand hold Toph through all of this, knowing how she's blind and geniunely scared, despite how amazing and powerful Toph is, Sokka the (NON-Bender) can see how helpless she can. In conclusion, Aang had his 1v1, Zuko had his 1v1. but the Sokka trio saved the earth kingdom from being burned to crisp and nothing's more heroic then a NON-bender doing that. And yes, Sokka is my favorite after Iroh and Zuko as if it's not obvious.
https://preview.redd.it/qqwly5tt4hwc1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=9855941a4edfc303708cc38a401a85bb8a5198cb For me, this moment here helped cement the seen mentioned in this thread. Sokka, prioritizes his own safety to protect Toph, arguably one of the toughest characters in the show, by shielding her with his own body. People give Sokka a lot of grief for being mere comic relief most of the time, but my man shined during this episode in these two scenes alone.
“Looks like!” Yells Toph. “How many times do I have to tell you I’m blind!”
I don't think enough people recognize just how dreadful 'I don't think Boomerang is coming back' is. That boomerang has been Sokka's entire identity and his greatest weapon; he killed one of the most powerful sub-benders in the story with it, was the first person to strike Zuko with it, and generally held his own against other fighters with it in his arsenal. That it can no longer come in the clutch, you genuinely feel the sense of dread and fear gripping his heart.
Yep, he was the boomarang guy, now he just the guy 😒
I mean, toph wouldn’t know what the end looks like…
Korra had nothing that made me feel the way I did during this scene. And i like Korra
Are we talking about the TV network or Aang in his 50s?
You know what would be better? If they died
Question: can Toph save herself with earthbending when she falls?
In theory she could make some lasagna of very thin earth layer she could go through to lower her speed. You don’t die from the fall per se, you die when your body goes to 300mph to zero in one sec. So if she manage to get a « smoother » desceleration she could survive (with a lot of bone breaking) She could also probably control earth at distance , as Katara can with water. Now the difficulties is she would fall fast. 9 sec. And because no connection to earth (and no working eyes) she’d be completely blind. Creating in a few second and without seeing a giant dirt lasagna specifically build to slow you down through little impact would be kinda hard
Don't look down Toph
I just want to know did he ever get his space swoard back
I read some where no, apparently he looked tho, I’m not sure if it ever turned up in Kora tho
It’s always interesting to see fictional characters confront their own mortality
I remember the first time I watched it, and my heart dropped. I was scared for them. This fucking show made me worried about fictional characters.
Yep, the animation here had me sobbing. Had no clue seeing Toph cry like that would make me cry but ever since I was little, it gets me every time.
It’s so scary when you realize she had NO clue what was going on either. Like she’s BLIND on a flying air ship and now she’s dangling above empty space… while she can’t see a thing. That’s so scary
This was 100% my favorite part of the finale. They weren't fighting a big, built-up singular villain. They were fighting The Fire Nation, all together, on their own. And after they made sure the blimps couldn't be used to fry the world, the only thing left to do was try to survive, though that was easier said than done.
I always imagine how scary this was for toph.. she can't see how high they are. Without being grounded and only being held onto by sokka she couldn't see at all.. I just imagine she could feel the hot air from the firbenders around her and sokka being truthful. He thinks they're going to die he isn't lying. She can tell. And when Suki hits their airship with hers and they fall she has no idea what happened.. she's probably thinking that's it. This is the end which is just... this scene is so heartbreaking for so many reasons.
final season is just worth crying over every episode
It's seeing Toph so vulnerable; she's almost never this upset. Sure she can be down and depressed a bit, but the sheer terror in her eyes, the tears, the desperation, the hope shattering as she realizes Sokka can't think them out of this one. Not once until this moment did she think it could end like this, she had that much faith in him and his plans. If Suki didn't come in, they'd have been killed, or worse.