Kiawentiio Discusses Katara, Painted Lady, and Fate in Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2

Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2 is already proving itself to be a massive stepping stone for Netflix, but the Gaang still have so much to face. As they head deeper into the Earth Kingdom, Aang and his friends might not be prepared for what’s coming.

However, fans of the original series are familiar with what’s in store for Season 2. In the Nickelodeon show, the Gaang had to go through mystical libraries, secret tunnels, and deadly serpents in order to get to Ba Sing Se. One integral character in Aang’s journey has been Katara, the Gaang’s resident waterbender.

Of course, Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2 adapts the events of Book 2 in its own way. One of the surprising choices it makes is the inclusion of the Painted Lady, Katara’s vigilante persona. I had the opportunity to speak with Kiawentiio all about Katara and the difficult Season 2 choices she makes.

Compared to Katara, the Painted Lady persona feels like a different character altogether, given how there are real inspirations behind it. There were some minor differences that Kiawentiio discovered as Season 2’s story was further explored.

“When I started really framing it out and looking at the story, it wasn’t my intention to make them different, per se,” Kiawentiio recalled. “As we were getting into it, things just started developing. The posture of the Painted Lady becomes more secretive, and I found myself hiding a little bit, while also feeling the pride, which took this different shape from Katara.”

“Also, because of the mist, and because that is bending in itself, that was an element. Having my hands be in the correct posture of waterbending and tai chi was also something that we wanted to hit. So when I would run away, it became the anime run.”

Furthermore, Kiawentiio also had an easier time getting dressed up as the mysterious Painted Lady. That said, there was one difficulty that she managed to overcome throughout filming.

“I will say I was wearing a wig, so that was sometimes overstimulating, as well as the big coat [that] was all snapped together,” Kiawentiio recalled. “Walking around, I would always have to be holding it all. The practicality of getting around the set in that outfit was a little bit harder than my usual one.”

Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2 also presents Katara with some difficult choices she has to make. One of these decisions comes early on, when Suki offers Katara the decision to become a Kyoshi warrior. She declines, but the influence of her choice indirectly leads her to become the Painted Lady.

Kiawentiio went into detail about what Katara’s choice revealed about her becoming the Painted Lady.

“I think that knowing the Kyoshi Warriors was definitely an inspiration of wearing makeup to do good, to do more than go to a party,” Kiawentiio explained.

“That’s her understanding of it. I think the idea of the Painted Lady was given to her throughout the series, and all those parts combined presented her with the opportunity to take action in a way that is without the identity.”

That said, many fans also believe that Katara would’ve made a good Kyoshi warrior, with many fan artworks envisioning her as such. Although the present circumstances don’t allow Katara to, Kiawentiio believes that she would have.

“With the circumstances that we find them in, I don’t think Katara would have had any time or any extra energy to put into the Kyoshi Warriors,” Kiawentiio said. “But if she were to say yes, I hope that she would be able to take a break and go home eventually because I think that she could use some Gran Gran love.”

Watch the full conversation with Kiawentiio:

Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2 also does something that Book 2 never did: bring the Blue Spirit and the Painted Lady together. In the series, the Blue Spirit is Zuko’s secret antiheroic persona due to many people despising the Fire Nation.

Since the Netflix series adapts events of the Nickelodeon show differently, some fans had reservations about the Painted Lady’s early debut. Kiawentiio also had some reservations, but after conversing with the creative team, she came around to this addition.

“I think the thing that I was a little bit nervous about was bringing Painted Lady up so much, since it is something that’s in Season 3,” Kiawentiio said. “I’m a really big fan of the original storyline for Painted Lady. If anything, that was the only thing that was brought up to the team and [I] wanted to conversate about it and really get their perspective.”

“After conversations, it really made a lot more sense to me, and I ended up really loving it, actually. Being able to work with Dallas [Liu] more and being able to bring the two secretive alter egos together was also very fun. I think it ended up being very cool!”

However, what fans can’t wait to see the most in Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2 is when Katara and Zuko were imprisoned together on Episode 7. Not only did this scene reveal new sides of Katara and Zuko, but also the moral similarities they share.

Kiawentiio also went into detail about this encounter between Katara and Zuko and how it gave her a new perspective about Katara’s journey.

“I think that because of this new perspective, it’s a lot being dumped on her all at once,” Kiawentiio said. “With this other aspect of everything she just went through with all her friends, she’s in a very weird place when this all happens.”

“At the start of those scenes in the prison, I think that there’s a longing to be able to connect with somebody because, in her brain, everyone else is against [her] right now. Maybe this new person, that’s been this strange person that’s been helping [her], is going to be helpful or we’re going to be able to get out of this. ”

“In hearing [Zuko’s] story and in empathizing with him, she is able to sort of see him clearly and see that maybe, [he’s] just troubled. She’s so empathetic and she’s so brave in that way. I think that is such a strong moment to show who Katara is as well as build onto their relationship going forward.”

During this encounter, Katara decides to offer Zuko water from the Spirit Oasis that could have healed his scar. Although that doesn’t happen in Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2, Kiawentiio noted that Katara would have done so.

“I think that there’s a big, huge chance that she would have,” Kiawentiio noted. “At the time, I felt very committed to it.”

“It helped me a lot going into Season 3 because I ended up using that guilt a lot of the events that take place after that. If I hadn’t had the water, what would have happened?”

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All episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2 are now streaming on Netflix.

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