LogFAQs > #969950895

#65: The Painted Lady
https://i.imgur.com/WpMFxds.jpg

Show: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Original airdate: October 5, 2007

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

The Painted Lady is definitely a polarizing episode in the Avatar fandom, often ranking toward the bottom of a lot of fans' lists. It's not hugely important toward the overall plot, but why I loved it is more closely related to the development it gives one character in particular: Katara. When the Gaang arrives at a village under the heel of the Fire Nation, Katara learns of the village's guardian spirit, known as the Painted Lady, and disguises herself as this spirit in order to remove the Fire Nation's presence and the pollution from the river. The villagers are reluctant to help at first, fearing reprisal, but it's through Katara's example and Aang's encouragement that they're able to find the courage to liberate themselves. Katara's conviction to aid the villagers is put on full display, and we're able to see just how strong she's become, both in terms of her waterbending and also in terms of her spirit. Mae Whitman gets to demonstrate her voice acting chops in excellent fashion, doing some of her best work as Katara here, while there's also some fun comic relief in the form of Dock, a villager who continuously changes his job and his appearance to sell items and help the group. Again, this is one of those episodes that struck a really personal chord for me, being a great individual episode for one of my favorite characters, and whatever the fandom thinks of it, it'll go down as one of my favorite episodes in Avatar history.