>>150390268
I disagree with most of that, and would like to explain why. Forgive the wall of text:
>Tell Don't Show
Mai being bored with/stifled by the trappings of nobility was shown in season 2, where she was super mopey in Omashu until she got to start fighting, while her parents were all "tsk tsk, let the soldiers handle it".
>how she's perfectly happy to order servants around
Mai's boredom/objections to nobility (and the FN and war in general) ARE amoral rather than principled. But I think that's important for two reasons: One, Mai is basically the only part of being back in the Fire Nation that Zuko actually likes, and if she DID share his "this is evil and I want no part in it" perspective then Zuko's decision to leave is robbed of a lot of it's emotional weight. And two, it allows the amoral arguments to be brought up at all; Mai going "Conquest and occupation sucks and I'm bored" contrasts & supports Zuko's honor based arguments, kind of like how Sokka/Toph's cynical and pragmatic perspective contrasts & supports Aang/Katara's morality based arguments.
>And we never see any real 'love' between her and Zuko, they just seem to chill/date out of proximity
This is the point I most strongly disagree with. Mai's and Zuko's interactions in the first half of season 3 are almost sickly sweet, with Mai going out of her way to cheer Zuko up by flirting with him, and Zuko spoiling Mai and lounging with her every chance he gets. Those displays of affection clearly don't come naturally, because they're both hyperautists, but that's what's so endearing about them.
Overall though I will totally admit that all of this is largely read-between-the-lines, and season 3 badly needed a handful of extra episodes to expand on the side characters and set things up. Mai isn't even the worst example; Hakoda, Suki, the Mechanist's kid, and the other secondary Gaang members didn't get to do ANYTHING. And I don't think anyone will argue that the finale didn't stumble.
