fdlskdj;asjdk HERE THAR BE SMALL A:TLA SEASON ONE SPOILERS

[esmenet]

So! I just watched (most of) the third disk of A:TLA. (For the first time, although I have been reading fic for the past year or so.)

Reaction: sfdsjsdlsak I WANT TO PUNCH JET IN HIS SMIRKING ASSHOLE FACE. >:[

Jet is exactly the right combination of charismatic genocidal idealist and that smug asshole ex you broke up with who made rape jokes all the time and always introduced you as "the lady" and somehow managed to charm you into staying with him for years. He hits pretty much all of my do not want buttons.

(See, world, this is why the Fire Nation is intent on conquering everything! Because if they stand down now then it will take about three seconds for Jet and all his friends to over-run the place and kill everyone everywhere.)

Mind you, I have read Jet-centric stories stories. And enjoyed them! Because I knew from the start that Jet was seriously messed up and likely to murder everyone in sight just to get all the hidden Fire Nation people, and the fics in question were mostly about him getting hit hard enough by various things (usually Zuko) that it knocked some sense into his 'must kill Fire Nation' head.

. . . But djsakl;dks I DID NOT KNOW THAT HE WOULD ALSO BE SUCH A SMUG ASSHOLE THAT COMBINED EVERY 'STAY AWAY FROM THIS GUY HE IS TROUBLE' SIGNAL EVER. KATARA, YOU SHOULD HAVE HIT HIM HARDER.

Comments

[annotated_em]

Yeah, Jet is... Jet skeeves me out. A lot.

[esmenet]

He's very well-designed, I think. The writers knew exactly what they were doing with him, and they made him one of the few characters you can just point to and say "This is what danger looks like."

[branchandroot]

KATARA, YOU SHOULD HAVE HIT HIM HARDER.

Amen and pass the AU fic. I really think Jet should have gotten his ass kicked harder as a salutary moral example to the kiddies.

[makeste.livejournal.com]

OH MY GOD YOU MEAN I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO DISLIKES JET

HALLELUJAH

The majority of fandom seems to have fallen in love with him after his return in season 2, but I never could manage to get over my initial impression of him. I have a kneejerk "FUCK THAT GUY" reaction that I can't overcome. XD

[ojuzu.livejournal.com]

I can understand fandom's attitude, I guess, because smooth-talking charmers are very convincing and easy to like, even if they have genocidal tendencies on the side. But Jet is basically everything I can't stand about guys distilled into one character: Bigotry, insane charisma, too-smooth attitude . . .

"FUCK THAT GUY" is an entirely perfect reaction to him. XD

[ojuzu.livejournal.com]

(Incidentally, does he become less of an asshole in season 2? Or not?)

[makeste.livejournal.com]

Significantly less of an asshole, if I recall, though it's really the circumstances which make him easier to tolerate (that, and the fact that Katara isn't around for him to try to be an obnoxious lady-killer at).

[quadruplify.livejournal.com]

Can I have a cut, please? I know you warned for spoilers, but I haven't started watching it yet and I'd rather not have spoilers right there on my f-list, thanks. O_o;

[ojuzu.livejournal.com]

Ah, sorry! *fixes* I didn't think to cut it because this is basically a delayed reaction to one of the first things I learned about the series. (It almost literally went "A:TLA is well-written and awesome, Zuko is hilarious, and this one minor character is EVERYTHING YOU DO NOT LIKE.")

[skygiants]

I actually mentally mark the Jet episode as the one that, for me, pushed the show over in my head from 'cute and entertaining' to 'a story I take seriously.' Because Jet is so messed up in such creepy ways (and SUCH A JERK) and because they let Katara and Aang be wrong about him and Sokka be right - where in many shows, the heroes always have awesome character judgment, and the Comic Relief character is never right when the more straightforward heroes are wrong.

- uh, but to the actual point of your post: yes, Jet is an enormous tool.

[ojuzu.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah -- that episode is definitely what marks the series as good rather than 'fun'.

But I couldn't properly enjoy it, because I spent the whole time wanting to punch Jet in his stupid smug face. :[

Although now I'm glad I read all those criminal profiling books, so I can pick out exactly why I hate him.

[rekallthegreat.livejournal.com]

Jet's my least favourite character in the series. There's just something about him that I do not like.

[ojuzu.livejournal.com]

He's like something straight out of The Gift of Fear, but with added bigotry and potential genocide.

[tohellwithromeo.livejournal.com]

I actually kinda liked Jet towards the end of the show, more as a character than a person. I could see why he was a little appealing to Katara with his whole "wild type" schtick and the straw in his mouth which made me lol.

[ojuzu.livejournal.com]

Oh, he's an amazing character. I don't want to punch him in the face because he's badly-written! I want to punch him in the face because he perfectly embodies nearly everything I hate, as he was probably intended to.