lizbee | (Reply)

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Zuko is so much more likable than I'd expect. That type of character generally drives me up the wall, but with Zuko, I like him, I feel for him, and I want him to be happy.

Partly, it helps because I avoid the fandom, so I don't have to see people twist "Zuko is a messed-up kid who is doing bad things largely because of family pressure, and has a lot of potential to be a better person" into "Zuko is the real victim here, and a perfectly innocent woobie who must be adored by everyone, and also everyone who gets into conflict with him/everyone who resents him for what he's done and who he's sided with/everyone female (except possibly the woman they ship him with) is EVIL!" crap. (I try not to let myself get poisoned against a character by the more obnoxious fandom defenders, but sometimes that doesn't work.) Also, though, the show hits a good balance of the stuff that's so often done badly (particularly in fanfic); they give him real pain with actual reasons but don't take go over the top or get all "RESPECT HIS PAIN!" hyper-serious about it, and they actual hit sensible levels of complexity when it comes to him having some responsibility he needs to deal with for what he did even if it's not all his fault. It's a nicely complicated portrayal in a situation where too many writers veer to simple, nuance-free extremes.