do you have any favorite sokka episodes (aside from boiling rock and sokka's master, which i saw someone call a filler today?) sorry if you already answered this :)
okay, a totally underrated sokka episode is “bato of the water tribe.” sokka has a lot of great moments in this episode.
first, sokka manages to identify what happened during a battle just by the direction of some arrowheads, some scorchmarks, and footprints. this moment subtly demonstrates sokka’s keen sense for strategy and warfare.
then, he has a scene of quiet introspection by the fire while katara and aang are asleep, as he remembers being left behind by his father. this flashback really fleshes out & informs later motivations; i find it crucial in understanding sokka as a character.
then, he goes ice dodging, earning the mark of the wise. this scene really demonstrates how sokka is coming into his own as a leader, and how aang and katara trust his guidance.
then, he calls zuko stupid to his face, which demonstrates how sokka thinks zuko is stupid and has no problem telling him as much. (i know this seems like a joke, but genuinely i find it interesting how sokka has no respect for zuko, not for his intelligence or his power. he doesn’t seem to be intimidated by anyone in the fire nation?? he seems to be of the mindset that they’re all violent brutes who take part in war not out of necessity, but because it’s the only thing they’re good at. contrasted with katara and aang, and later toph, this is an interesting position to hold.)
it is also sokka, remembering how he felt when watching his tribe leave him behind, who insists that they go back for aang even if aang betrayed them, being able to empathize with aang’s hurt at the thought of being abandoned. sokka knows that he has the chance now to be there for aang in a way hakoda couldn’t be for him & katara.
finally, it is sokka’s idea to subdue nyla (june’s shirshu) by overwhelming its nose with perfume, which really puts (what piandao calls) sokka’s defining traits on display: creativity, versatility, and intelligence.