Some background: Val Kilmer is a Christian Scientist. Waaaay back at the turn of the century, the elderly Mark Twain nursed an unhealthy obsession with Mary Baker Eddy (founder of Christian Science) after the deaths of his wife and two daughters (on daughter was a Christian Scientist). It's an odd an fascinating…

I agree with the responders above. I would also add that Aang's moral dilemma doesn't clearly come into view until he embraces firebending, which is key. At this point, Aang, who is not yet a fully realized Avatar, clearly sees himself as the underdog. It's only once he starts progressing further along the Avatar…

"His 'nightmare' is being left out of Fire Nation matters."

Maybe I should have put it this way: Spike has sexual chemistry with just about everybody (including Angel, one could argue). Part of it may just be James Marsters' on screen charisma. I like, however, that his relationship to Fred remains neither overtly sexual nor antagonistic, which are the only two modes in which…

Well, it's not like Buffy was an available option, and I certainly don't expect her to stay celibate.

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I was going to speculate that walking this line tends to be an issue with Whedon shows, especially when they have to wrap up a lot of threads quickly due to production issues, but I haven't seen Dollhouse yet, so I didn't.

So many great Spike/Angel scenes during this season, but the poetry/Manilow exchange may just be my favorite.

I know that ep is controversial, but I love it. It's so emblematic of the balls to the wall weirdness this show is willing to indulge in.

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To the ebook haters I have this to say:

I am probably a sicko, but my favorite part of the books is the fact that you can't take anyone's survival for granted.

I hope her merry band of scamps and criminals is preserved as well, especially that kid who thinks "yield" is a viable survival strategy.

Once I realized we were in for 21 minutes of period jokes, my eyes glazed over.

To address a couple of your points from this thread:

Where's a volcanologist when you need one? But yeah, I think Badass Badlan is right. The destruction of a volcano can extend for hundreds of miles what with secondary eruptions, ash raining from the sky, toxic fumes, pyroclastic flow, tsunamis…

diagnostically speaking, they are the same thing

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Ty Lee wants to be different, but she seeks the validation that group identity provides. I think that's pretty typical for a teenager.

Really fascinating. I would only add that in that final (SPOILERS CONTINUED) moment when Aang rejects the advice of his past lives and chooses not to kill Ozai, he is transcending the well-established, fundamentally human nature of the Avatar by tapping into an ancient power that pre-dates the Avatar itself.