I enjoyed most of this episode. I really did. The opening was cute and set up the scenario well. Sokka wanting a master is a great idea, and I'm glad he got an episode to himself for a change.

Still, there are so many strange and unbelievable things that happen in this episode. Sokka being accepted by the master in the first place wasn't all that convincing...I mean it was good and all but I didn't really buy it if that makes any sense. Sokka doesn't even fight with a sword, for one. He's also never forged one before, so I find it hard to believe that on his first try ever he managed to craft such a fine weapon (even with the master's help).

Taking a break from Sokka and heading to the others - I loved how Katara tried to fill in for Sokka as funny-line-guy for the group. It was very entertaining. Most of these little scenes were entertaining and took away some of the annoyance I was feeling at the episode for not being very convincing.

Here's something interesting: Sokka was furious when Katara wanted to stick around and help that village, yet he had no problem taking a few days out of the schedule to train while the others did nothing. Hypocritical? Yup. Does anybody care other than me? Spose not.

…I told myself I wasn't going to do this, but I have to point out the oh-so-rare-and-special Tokka moment (even if it is kinda one-sided). It deserves an "awwww".

Did anybody else think that it was weird that Sokka – Mr I-don't-trust-anybody-from-the-fire-nation – decided it would be a good idea to tell his master who they were? I mean honestly…whaaaaat? I'm really glad that it worked out that he did, but still…let's be realistic here…he could've ruined everything.

I will give major bonus points to the mad sword skills in this episode, because man…it was just great.

…And as a final piece I just have to say that, because I really am a huge Toph fan, the badgermole comment was just bizarre. I have no idea how you can explain a master earthbender learning from animals. Seriously. If it's all about stance, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense that she could have picked everything up from watching them. Sigh. I guess I just have to let it go.

So it wasn't a bad episode at all, though it was hardly perfect.

I am so glad this show is back.
And what a grand return!

What's great about this episode is that it deals with the events of last season's finale, and fills us in on what everyone's been up to...and where things are headed.

There's no preamble - everything just picks up. No annoying slowness; we ease right into an explanation what's happened while Aang's been unconscious. Everything between the end of last season and this episode is explained quickly and efficiently, so we're brought up to speed and we don't have to sit through any "Oh no, what do we do?" episodes.

It's great!

There's a lot of angst in this episode. Katara and her drama with her father...Zuko and his redemption (about time!)...Aang and his regret and desire to redeem himself (especially added to how he's still unhappy with himself for abandoning the world the first time)...It's all stuff that needed to be covered. I'm glad Aang had his little anger bit; it's hard to imagine the gang telling him to hang back while they fight and him just saying "Right, I'll just sit over here like a useless lump and let you guys put yourselves in danger." Parts of it might have been a bit irritating, but it's dealt with, and things can move on. It had to be addressed.

I found Katara's unkindness toward her father a bit strange and annoying at first, but whatever. It makes sense, so it's all right I guess. Her shpiel to her father when Aang left may have been a bit much, and the things he said back to her were maybe a bit corny...but still, it's good that it's been handled and things should be all right now.

The Zuko/Azula bit was cool. I love how that whole family craziness has evolved and just gotten stranger and stranger over the course of the series. Wondering how Iroh's doing...I miss him and his tea craziness.

Some nice bending this episode. The tidal wave thing was cool, and of course you HAVE to love the metalbending. Go Toph! Kind of cool that they bring some stone (or whatever the heck that was) for her to earthbend. The windsurfing was also cool :D

Ah, and somehow I've neglected to comment on the fact that Aang has hair...Wow! I thought it was Zuko having some kind of strange dream again...but no, it's Aang. Strange. Did anybody else notice how his eyes were going back and forth from brown to blue throughout the episode? Maybe I imagined it, but it struck me as strange. The parallel that was drawn between Aang and Zuko was remarkable; not something I saw coming, the redemption connection. A nice touch.

A couple of funny moments were even worked in (just one or two) with Sokka and his "universe" bit. Made me smile and remember the other reason (other than the crazy-cool story) I love this show. Sigh.

I took points off a perfect score for this episode because the individual angst bits were a bit much in themselves. It's also kind of frustrating that Aang had to fly off alone, get stranded in the ocean, and be visited by a pair of floating spirits who told him the pretty much everything his friends told him...and THEN he came around and started thinking straight. Also...how the heck did the guys find him on that little island?

Everything else was great. It's SO nice to have this show back!

One of my favourite episodes, The Chase deals with a significant issue in a less-than-annoying way. It addresses a conflict that arises because of Toph's loner sort of nature and Katara's insistence that she help out in the group. The bickering between the two was awesome, and I loved it. Usually conflicts in cartoons are corny and grating, but this one...well, it worked. This is probably because the reasoning behind the conflict is actually understandable and doesn't feel forced.

Plus, the arguments were pretty funny.

Toph: Look, I didn't ask you to help unload my stuff. I'm carrying my own weight.
Katara: That's not the point. Ever since you joined us, you've been nothing but selfish and unhelpful.
Toph: What?! Look here, Sugar Queen. I gave up everything I had so that I could teach Aang Earthbending, so don't you talk to me about being selfish. *Summons Earth tent around herself.*
Katara: Sugar Queen?!
Toph: *Pulls up wall between her and Katara.*
Katara: (hysterical) Did - did you just slam the door in my face?!
- -
Aang: Ok, ok, you both need to calm down.
Katara: Both?! I'M COMPLETELY CALM!
- -
Katara: The stars sure are beautiful tonight. Too bad you can't see them, Toph.
Toph: *Earthbends Katara's sleeping bag on top of Sokka.*
Sokka: Hey! How's a guy supposed to sleep with all this yelling and earthquaking?!
- -
Sokka: Ok, forget about setting up camp. I'm finding the softest pile of dirt, and going to sleep.
Katara: That's good, because Toph wasn't going to help anyway.
Toph: Oh, I didn't realize baby still needed someone to tuck her in bed.
- -
Toph: (to Katara, of their current...situation) You're blaming me for this?!
Aang: No! No! She's not blaming you!
Katara: No, I'm blaming her.
- -

Gotta love it.

Another great thing about this episode is Appa's shedding. It's a clever play, having the falling fur act as a trail for Azula and her crew. Maybe not the most difficult one to pick up on, but still clever. Speaking of Azula, it's always cool to see Ty Lee and Mai coming out and doing their thing; The funny, exuberant one and the quiet, bored one make an interesting team next to Azula, who's just nuts. There's also Iroh and his wisdom (and of course his tea), who is always fun, and Zuko and his emoness.

And let's not forget the battles. Always great! I love that lightning!

So plotwise, it was a very good way of dealing with the changes that Toph's joining the group brought about. I'm glad she didn't just sort of fit in spot on, and that it's dealt with in a funny, sort of subtle way. It's not entirely the main focus of the episode, and it works really, really well. It was something that needed to be dealt with, and it was handled perfectly.

Character Performances

Aang: He really didn't play much of a part in most of this episode, except for the battle with Azula toward the end (which I really, really enjoyed). He sort of took a backseat for the most part, but I still liked what he contributed to the episode.

Sokka: Hilarious. Pretty much all of his lines were great, and he was really great to have around in this episode. No complaints here!

Katara: A bit annoying, but she played her part. Not my favourite character, but it takes two to tango - the arguments couldn't have happened without her, so almost full points for the Waterbender.

Toph: I love her. Stubborn, funny, and with a helluvan attitude! I love that this episode dealt with her not wanting to have people look out for her and trying to deal with being a part of a group, because it really worked. It makes sense that she would have a problem with people wanting to take care of her, and for her to be so determined to be independent - even within the group. I have no problems with how she did in this episode. Good stuff.

Zuko: Oh Prince Emo. Well he didn't do much either, so I can't say a whole lot about him. The triple fight with him, Aang, and Azula was pretty awesome, I can say that much.

Iroh: Hellz yeah! Tea and wisdom. What more could you want?

Azula: As nuts as ever. I enjoyed her little joke at Zuko's expense. That was pretty great.

Ty Lee: One word. Clumps.

Mai: ...Yeah, I don't know what can be said about Mai, except that she's fun to have around, as always.

Appa: Because the big guy did a lot of work this episode, he deserves some recognition. WAY TO GO!

...I'm pretty sure that's everybody worth mentioning. I'll fix this up if there's anybody else. Anyway. So the only place this lost points on was...uh...hmm...why did it lose points? It was funny and enjoyable and really well done and...uh...Well I guess I personally took off a few little marks because it wasn't perfect-perfect in the sense that...uh...maybe I was a bit annoyed at a couple of parts, just slightly but enough that it doesn't deserve a perfect score.

It's really, really close.

I didn't think it was possible for a pirate-themed anything to flop, but it seems I was wrong. Though to be fair, it probably wasn't because of the pirates that this episode didn't score well for me; the time in the 'living history town' was...boring, predictable, and grating. The characters were cheap (pretty much anybody that could have been different was just another Barkin), the activities were bland and less than engaging, and it just didn't grab me - there wasn't anything happening that could have grabbed me.

For the pirate parts, I was disappointed. Drakken as a pirate wasn't as funny as it ought to have been; the storyline was rushed (largely because of wasted time in history-land); even Shego's performance was sub par. I laughed twice during the entire episode, when I had been hoping for more. The pirate action could have been great, but things were rushed and didn't seem to well thought out.

It wasn't a dreadful episode, but it doesn't live up to the awesomeness that has been season four. It had a lot of potential, and it didn't live up to it. Bonus points are given for being partially pirate themed.

After seeing the promo, this reviewer was a bit put-off and quite anxious about the episode itself. Said promo features clips of Shego and Kim (Shego is dressed in an outfit shopping, eating lunch, GIGGLING, and the green villaness saying things like, "You're silly, I'm silly, this whole sitch is silly!"

Freaky would be more appropriate.

Well, the episode turned out be great. REALLY great. All fears were unfounded, and it was an especially enjoyable twenty-two minutes.

Let's start from the beginning.

Within the first two minutes, the writers had me going 'Oh yeah, this is gonna be good.' Electornique, an old foe of Team Go, is back for revenge, and has suped up the old Attitudinator, and plans to use it on Team Go to make them her evil henchmen. The bait she used to lure each member (or former-member) into her trap was chuckle-worthy, and the dialog between the siblings was spot-on.

A great start to what turned out to be a great episode.

And from there, we've got Shego...the substitute math teacher. Heh, well what can be said - it's...odd, but it really seems to work...somehow. It's surprising, or at least I found it to be. She was perky and happy and kind and...well, very un-Shego-like. Still, somehow or another - it worked. After the first day with Shego as a sub, Kim and Ron naturally follow her to see what's up - and we are treated to a fight with all of Team Go!

More exciting than it sounds! You've got all the brothers going nuts and Shego trying to be the peace-keeper - quite the scenario. The music for the fight scene was perfect, though I've heard complaints that it was the same bit three times running. Shrug. Anyway, a pretty good, action-packed fight scene was had, and it ended up with Kim, Ron, and Shego on the same side and escaping from the boys. After this, we've got plenty of scenes with Kim, Ron, and Shego hanging out - the first of which shows us Shego saying something along the lines of, "Mmm, that's good Cocoa Moo!" - not to mention the oddity of Shego and Barking...dating.

Mmhmm. Freaky.

So the episode pretty much has four main things happening; we've got Drakken struggling (quite characteristically) with a pickle jar...a scenario straight out of Power Puff Girls - except that here it's actually really funny; we've got Shego and Kim bonding - doing things like shopping, seeing movies, waxing their eyebrows...and Ron protests the insanity; within this, but kind of separate due to incomparable weirdness, we've got SHEGO AND BARKIN...DATING (more on this to follow); and finally, we've got the rest of Team Go doing dirty deeds (heh) for Electronique, who is having a really hard time putting up with the four boys. Good times all around! Throughout, we've got: Ron's reminders that this is a ridiculous situation (and his jealousy at the lack of attention); Shegos brothers being themselves; Electronique trying her best to make things work; Drakken and his pickle problems; and Kim and Shego...getting along, after the initial "This is so wrong" from Kim.

Everything comes together pretty well when Electronique realizes things aren't working out with the Go brothers, and she orders them to bring Shego to her. Kim, Ron, and Shego see news footage of the damage Shego's siblings are causing, and realize that they have to go set things right. And we'll get to Drakken later. This fight scene, with characters changing sides left right and center thanks to The Reverse-Polarizer, with Ron on the side of evil for the most part. I'm not really a Ron fan, but anybody who is will be pleased to see how well he fights in this sequence - I know I enjoyed it.

It's pretty chaotic, trying to keep track of which guys are good and which ones are bad when they keep switching...but it's a good sequence, and it follows the trend of Season Four Awesomeness that has been part of slightly more than half of this season's episodes.

So, to completely ruin the end episode for those who haven't seen it, everyone is returned to normal (big surprise there). An interesting thing to consider is that The Reverse-Polarizer is used on Electronique to turn her good, so she goes off to prison eager to serve out her sentence. The morality of this action is questionable, even if Ron did it by accident...but I'll say no more on the matter and get back to Shego. There's a happy little hug shared by all the Go siblings, before the brothers skip off on their merry way, leaving Shego and Kim to talk. Here's the clincher: Shego is about to say something to Kim that she 'couldn't say when she was evil' - and before she can spill, Ron accidentally zaps her with the Reverse-Polarizer, turning her back to evil, and wouldn't you know it - Drakken chooses right then to show up in a hover-vehicle, knock over a lamppost with his less-than-stellar driving skills, and break the Reverse Polarizer. But it doesn't end there - a few more loose ends to tie up. Shego opens the pickle jar for Drakken, and sets the dogs on Barkin when he comes a-knocking, singing for her.

Heh, and now for an actual review..:

Drakken and the pickles; Maybe not the most original of ideas, but still entertaining. The poor guy...so close to a sandwich, and yet so far. It kind of gives an interesting bit of insight into the full extent of the things Shego has to put up with from the blue villain...and provided some good laughs. Come on, the guy even used a laser on the jar! Tell me that's not good. Go 'head. Tell me.

Evil Ron; Even better the second time around. The Electronique-Ron battle was good, especially with the using-the-helmet-to-accidentally-change-the-sides-of-the-people-doing-battle. Good stuff.

The Double-Date: One of the highlights, I'll say. Ron and Kim double dating with Shego and Barkin? Clever and enjoyable. Awkwardness all around! Some good lines from all parties, and even a very appropriate awkward silence. What's not to like?

Kigo: Well I wouldn't call it romantic Kigo or anything like that...but the 'big sister' comment Kim made was good enough. The shopping was a bit annoying, because it was kind of slow and the music was less than engaging, and I would've liked their relationship more if it hadn't been so...dopey. Shego being all 'Oooh!' and perky was irritating in comparison to the way I may have pictured a relationship (friendly or otherwise) between Kim and Shego. I don't know anybody who thinks of the two of them getting along in this way, without the sarcasm and personality Shego usually sports. So it wasn't exactly Kigo, but it was something enjoyable anyway.

Electronique: A bit of a backstory would have been nice, but I liked her over-all. I get that she was an old foe of Team Go, but some insight into exactly what went down or...something...might have been nice. I know there probably wasn't enough time for it, but it still would've added something to the character. Still, she worked for me, and served her purpose.

Ron: Heh, he had some good moments and some good lines! I usually find him a bit hard to tolerate, but in this episode, I liked him a lot.

Shego: So there wasn't much insight into her past, but we did learn that she is a certified teacher! Her brothers' comments to-and-about her were cute, especially the one Hego made. Good stuff. Even out of character I enjoyed watching Shego - though I wouldn't ever want to see her that way again. Giggles and perkiness and 'silly'? Shudder.

The Go Brothers: I was glad to see more of the Wego twins - didn't get much from them in Go Team Go, and I found I actually really liked them! Mego was still his usual, sarcastic, self-centered self, and Hego - well, there's not much to say about him, so I won't say much. Some really great lines came from these guys, and a few especially enjoyable sequences were thanks to them. It's nice to have seen them again, though I wouldn't want this to become a regular thing.

Kim: Kind of priceless! The reluctance to hang with Shego was great, and when it turned into sisterly affection, it was...heh, kind of cute. The comments to Wade about how weird things were getting were great, and I liked it.

The Ending: Heh, perfect. Everyone goes back to normal, the pickle problem is solved - rather bitterly - and Shego continues to wonder over her interesting time spent with Kim (as she considers the pictures of the two of them). The bit with Barkin in the credits was pretty much priceless. Made me laugh.

OVERALL: I don't feel quite right giving it a higher rating than I did Mad Dogs and Aliens, but I have to. I enjoyed more of the episode, even though I found Mad Dogs to be funnier. This episode lost a point which is split between the fact that Shego was maybe a tad too giggly, and the problem with Electronique's lack of backstory, but those things aside it was a stellar piece of episode.

Good times.