The Fire Nation got some extra attention at Netflix for the love-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Zuko and Iroh are heading towards a really rough patch, though, and the actors themselves are already feeling the heartbreak.
Netflix has already confirmed that they'll continue the Avatar hype with not only season 2, but also season 3, so get ready for the best cartoon ever to come to the world of live-adaptation in its entirety.
That also means we're in for quite the gut punch in the upcoming second season, especially when it comes to our favorite duo from the Fire Nation: Zuko and Iroh. The actors are already in heartbreak-mode, too.
Spoiler warning: if you haven't seen the original cartoon, what are you even doing? Go watch it right now! Or else get ready for spoilers, who am I to tell you what to do?
Zuko And Iroh Actors Are Gearing Up For Heartbreak In Avatar Season 2
If you've seen the show, you'll know that the second season is where the show really stops pulling punches. The light-heartedness of a kids show takes a step back in favor of themes like grief, loss and self-exploration, so chances are the live-adaptation will take that new direction and bring it to the next level as Netflix's version wasn't even a kids show to begin with.
Which means that Zuko and Iroh will probably have an even harder time in the upcoming season. Fans will know that Zuko starts his own journey without his wise uncle, facing his own struggles and, quite frankly, he won't have a good time doing so. While his quest in search for himself makes for extraordinary episodes like "Zuko Alone", it's still hard to see the duo apart and it's even harder knowing what's to come in the season finale.
That's a sentiment both Fire Nation actors Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (Iroh) and Dallas Liu (Zuko) share. Lee told The Direct:
It's gonna suck so hard because I'll be alone. No, I mean, that's one of the lovely things about our story arcs is the fact that you see them together at first, you establish that, and then really good storytelling is putting people through conflict... And so having them separate is going to be heartbreaking, but at the same time, really, really great storytelling to see what they're like apart from each other. And so that's something I'm really, really looking forward to. And yeah, I'm gonna miss him.
Granted, the OG Iroh probably wouldn't say "It's gonna suck so hard" but find a way more sophisticated way of expressing himself, but the sentiment is all the same. The chemistry the live-action Zuko and Iroh had was undeniable, so having to spend a part of the second season away from each other surely isn't the most fun they can imagine. Iroh and Zuko had the same problem in the cartoon, didn't they?
Dallas Liu sees it the same way:
I can only assume that it'll feel real. All of my scenes in this series have been with Paul. So to not work with him in those scenes is hard because, for me, he feels like the backbone. That relationship is truly why I think the chemistry between the two of us is why those scenes feel so strong.
While being apart from his on-screen uncle may be hard, there's lots of great Zuko-storytelling incoming. The actor also shared that he's excited for what's to come – Zuko's own journey as well as the one he shares with his sister Azula (Elizabeth Yu).
We'll keep you updated as soon as there are more news about Netflix's Avatar!