Don't flatter yourself!  You were never even a player.

Nice post.  My take on the use of the word callous by the previous poster and my own take was related specifically to the term "long game" - a refutation of any suggestion (which may or may not really have been made) that Iroh latched onto Zuko as a tool to eventually get back at Ozai and/or get himself (Iroh) added…

Good point!

Interesting points.  I am having a harder time believing Iroh had any real kind of master plan from the start - although I still think his priorities are protecting Zuko as well as "balance," and that he tends to make spur-of-the-moment judgment calls with those two criteria in mind.  The point somewhere in here about…

I also agree that such a long plan is too callous for Iroh.  I'm not sure he really plans all that far ahead at all — that's a very Ozai/Azula characteristic.  Possibly the most succinct version of his general worldview is the "dark tunnel" speech in "Crossroads of Destiny".  To Ozai and Azula, everything is a means…

You know, I skimmed through Appa's Lost Days just now looking for it, and instead saw the part where Hakoda sees Appa flying through the rain.  I figured that was all there was and that I had misremembered — thanks for pointing that out!

I don't think Iroh had a master plan to use Zuko to overthrow Ozai, because I do think he lost interest in being Firelord around when Lu Ten died (if not earlier than that).  (Spoilers ahead) I don't think he lost interest in seeing balance restored, however, and it seems like one of the hallmarks of the Order of the…

Interesting — is there an interview where the creators said they hadn't been sure originally?  I was under the impression that certainly Iroh was supposed to seem to be evil originally, but I had not heard anything myself about the creators not being sure.  It seems like they had a pretty long-term plan for a lot of…

I agree - I had also not looked into the writers at all, and I think that was very instructive, especially in this case.  The analysis in the Lake Laogai part was superb.

[SPOILERS AHOY]