I don’t like live-action Zuko
New video out on my channel!
A couple of months ago, I defended live-action Katara from unjust criticism. Now, I return to the smoldering ashes of the live-action discourse battlefield to remind you that my Avatar commentary, while often in conflict with the community at large, is only slightly less good than everyone else’s.
When I say I don’t like live-action Zuko, I’m using him as sort of a synecdoche for the Fire Nation in general. Because the fact is, the entire antagonistic force driving the action of Netflix’s Avatar is a deflated mass of useless slop backed up by nothing but the inert sentimentality inherent to the most cliche of emotional tropes that we’ve seen a million times before. And that’s what Kataang is for! Come on, Fire Nation, the bar isn’t that high!
It’s not just Zuko. The entire fire nation of the Netflix adaptation is just bizarrely adapted. Today, I just want to hang out and show you a few examples that demonstrate why I find this presentation so deeply uninteresting.
The Fire Lord
I’m lumping Sozin and Ozai into one character here, cause they might as well be. There’s a persistent problem in Netflix’s Avatar with the stakes not feeling high enough. The antagonists don’t feel dangerous or cruel enough to sustain the kind of drama Avatar calls for. And no one single element of the show exemplifies this problem more than the way the show deals with “the Fire Lord:” the office, the persona, the force of national will that the Fire Lord represents.
Despite the fact that Sozin and Ozai are now big fans of the ol’ setting people on fire technique, they are far less intimidating in this iteration. In fact, the Fire Lord should not be doing horrific acts the second they get on camera: that completely deflates all the fear. In my last video, I talked about the technology of rulership: advancements that the Fire Nation made to the whole conceit of the Fire Lord that heightened their danger and mystique.
Of course, the decision to not show Ozai’s face until season 3 wasn’t necessarily practical in a live-action setting: it would feel too conspicuous. But there are other aspects of the Fire Lord’s presentation that make them intimidating that can absolutely be rendered threatening in live-action. The raised dais with no steps leading up to it, the veil of flames in front of the throne, the strict control they maintain over the conversations in the war room, the ability to make horrific commands such as Azulon telling Ozai to kill Zuko. It’s not just monarchal: we see the Earth King in his palace, but the tone is very different. The fact that he doesn’t seem involved in the goings-on of the political realm, that he doesn’t seem to put much thought into his presentation, that changes everything. The Fire Lord would never allow someone like a Long Feng into the ranks of their inner circle: you just know it.
But in the live-action adaptation, the Fire Lord reads as more of a modern drug lord. This isn’t the most powerful hereditary ruler in the world: this is Walter White. Dangerous because of what he and his goons can do, not because of the power they represent or the environment they foster. By the way, I liked Daniel Dae Kim, too. The guy has a legacy in the Avatar Universe and it was really lovely to see him get such a prominent role here. But most of his lines are just so awkward.
Like what you see? Check out the full video on my channel!
