“Maybe love stays. Maybe love can’t. Maybe love shouldn’t. Love arrives exactly when love is supposed to. And love leaves exactly when love must. When love arrives, say, ‘Welcome. Make yourself comfortable.’ If love leaves, ask her to leave the door open behind her. Turn off the music, listen to the quiet. Whisper, ‘Thank you for stopping by.’”
The reason Iroh is so kind and always willing to help anyone, even random strangers (e.g. the guy who tried to mug him in the same episode) is because he couldn’t help his son. He couldn’t help save Lu Ten so he decided to better his life and spread kindness instead of war and destruction and help others that way.
Lu Ten’s death is the reason Iroh is the person who he is now. He lived his son so much he turned his life around and dedicate it to peace and kindness.
This is (partly) why Iroh came along with Zuko while banished and why he was always so patient with him. I can’t find a screen cap of the scene right now, but Iroh tells Zuko he’s like a son to him. He knows he can’t undo what happened to Lu Ten but he can help Zuko. As others have pointed out, the reason why Iroh was so silly in season 1 is likely because he was intentionally trying to slow Zuko down. Before it was discovered the Avatar was still alive he did it because he knew it was hopeless.
He knew that if Ozai really loved and wanted Zuko, he wouldn’t have sent him on this hopeless quest or you know, burn half his face. At the time of Zuko’s banishment the Avatar hadn’t been seen for a 100 years. It was pure luck that he showed up near Zuko again for the first time in decades. If it were up to Ozai, Zuko would have spent the rest of his life sailing around looking for the Avatar that would never appear.
Zuko was fourteen when he got sent away. A literal child. He lost half his childhood (as did all of the Gaang) Iroh tried to slow him down, to preserve his childhood, although proven futile in the end. They were all swept up by war and forces to do things no child should ever have to do.
After it was known Aang was alive and out there he did it to spare Zuko the pain of his father’s second rejection. Iroh likely predicted what eventually happened in the beginning of season 3. Zuko succeeded in capturing (well, “killing”) the Avatar and he returned to the Fire Nation, only to discover he wasn’t happy there and ihis father still didn’t want him. No matter what he did, he would never be enough for Ozai.
Iroh knew all this and tried to protect him like he couldn’t with his son. Zuko was his second chance to do things right.
Lu Ten’s death was the catalyst for the way the war continued. Had he not died, Iroh would have continued to lay siege on Ba Sing Se and might have actually conquered it. Ozai would have never become Fire Lord in Iroh’s stead and Zuko likely wouldn’t have been banished. He never would’ve gone after Aang, and he probably wouldn’t have gotten his redemption arc.
If Lu Ten hadn’t died, Iroh would never have become the person he is now, and Zuko wouldn’t have either.
When I first saw Ty Lee’s character design, I was immediately struck by how… not fire nation she looked. Something about her design just seemed different. After a few episodes, it struck me what it was.
She looks more like an airbender.
Most notabe is her airbender eye color, which we only see with Aang and others airbenders in the show. she also has the softer, round face face sbape often seen with Airbenders such as Aang and Jinora. Though this isn’t an 100% pattern (not all airbenders have this face shape and some who aren’t airbenders do), I still think it is a worthwhile point to note.
What I find so interesting though is that Ty Lee’s skill set is directly tied to air. She’s learned to balance and fly through the hair, laughing at gravity (as Aang jokes). Her belief in auras and listening to the universe also implies a heavy spirituality which we see throughout air nomad culture.
She also looks suspiciously like Jinora and I am convinced she is their grandmother on their mother’s side but I disgress.
Long story short, I am fairly certain Ty Lee is connected to, or descended from, airbenders.
“She picked up the pieces of her life and created something beautiful. From that day forth she shone like the sun and changed the definition of broken.”
