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The quickest way to stop an earthbender - bind their feet.

I love the stunned reaction shot of the Air family here, but more than Meelo’s solemn/precocious, ‘That lady is my hero’, it’s Tenzin’s quiet ‘Yes, she is’ that really gets me. Meelo does not quite understand what he has just witnessed - only that Lin did something heroic and saved their lives, but the quiet grief in Tenzin’s voice, his sad, sad eyes, is what clinches this scene.

(Moments like this are also why I love Tenzin so - despite his airbending mastery, he’s not a man of action, and isn’t likely to be. He would probably be happiest at home, raising his babies and teaching meditation. He’s indecisive, floundering, quite an awkward creature, and not a particularly good leader despite having the right idea most of the time. His gentleness is mistaken for weakness, his pacifism for cowardice, he’s easily upstaged by the likes of Tarrlok and more than happy to cede leadership to someone like Lin, should the need arise. But his presence, nonetheless, is crucial to our - well, my - emotional response to the show.)