I rate & review Avatar: The Last Airbender

The Storm (Book 1, Chapter 12)

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Original Airdate: June 3, 2005
Writer: Aaron Ehasz
Director: Lauren MacMullan


With this episode we from one of the least bright spots of the season ('The Great Divide') to one of the brightest spots, if maybe not the brightest spot of the season. To me this one is definitely one of the best episodes of the season and represents a clear shift upwards in quality for the entire series (sort of working like the turning point) and what type of story can be better than this, which is both centered around a literal storm as well as the inner, personal storms of the good guy and the bad guy, Aang & Zuko (who both carry persona trauma and actually have some similarities with each other).

Thi was the perfect time for a backstory episode and this is a focused tale that is a great effort at a smaller more personal episode. Aang telling Katara about when he found out he was the Avatar & Iroh telling Zuko's crew about how the young prince's ended up banished & obsesses about the Avatar are both great, well told tales but it has a great framing story to (Team Avatar being at a small fishing town and Aang faces the fact that some are upset about the Avatar's disappearance which left the world when he was needee the most (an important aspect to bring up) & Zuko being especially obsessive and saying his crew doesn't matter, ending up with a conflict with his Lieutenant (who seemed interesting) with Iroh being great & trying to calm things down

Aang's story is great, showing us of what happened when his life under the tutelage of monk Gyatso changed when it was revealed he was the Avatar. I really like what is shown of the life at the air temple, with Aang's relatonship with Gyatso (his father figure), his friends & the other monks (and hey, one of them is James Hong) and how Aang loses his friends as they think that just since he's the Avatar he's better than them now (which is sad, but kids being kids). It is sympathetically told, we find out a lot about his past and feelings & it is a sad story (as he overheard he was to be separated from Gyatso for Avatar training and he ran away on Appa right before before Gyatso came to promise him safety). Won't go into it further but is is a great, important story.

Zuko's story is just as solid, if not even better in some way, with Iroh giving the crew of the ship storytelling explantion of Zuko to give them understanding. A lot of great drama with younger Zuko at the war meeting (when he makes a great point) & his "duel" with the one he ended up insulting (his father) which ends with him scarred (both physically and mentally) as he refuses to fight (the cutaway to Iroh looking away was fantastic & there's an early bird cameo of one of my favorite characters). Not only does this say so much about Zuko and his hunt (to restore his honor and relationship with his father) but also how deeply honor-bound the Fire Nation is (sealing that connection to Imperial Japan) & how cruel Ozai is. Finally we understand his plight.

The final action segment is also great, seeing Aang & Katara go on Appa to save Sokka and the fisherman caught in the literal storm at sea & Zuko being heroic and saving the helmsman (and I love the bit with Iroh redirecting lightning with his arms and hands, something that will come back later). I also like where the two plot intersect (Zuko spotting them but choosing to not to pursue the Avatar, focusing on getting out of the storm) & the ending with the weather clearing up was real nice (and the storm sequence also had a hilarious bit between Sokka and the fisherman, which I'm not gonna spoil here) and a perfect way to cap it off (and much like the direction and animation, it is pretty much top notch.

To be a bit blunt, I'd say that we have here is one of the first classic episodes of the show, expertly handling a very character based story with the usual humor, drama & a bit of suspense material (the team of writer Aaron Ehasz and the usually excellent director Lauren MacMullan made for a great duo here, really hitting the right beats that were necessary). I'd say that this is the point where the show in some ways really figured out what it really wanted to be & it still works like a charm.

5/5
 
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This one is a classic and probably my favorite season 1 episode. A masterpiece of backstory exposition, cleverly connecting Aang to Zuko, hinting what thematically makes them not so different from each other, and each individual backstory is a great demonstration of storytelling. I love it from start to finish. Including the bit between Sokka and the fisherman you mentioned, which I remember quoting fairly recently, aha.
 
@Wile E. the Brain, I think it is my favorite episode of the season too, or at least close to it as I love the following one as well. It did so many thing right. Credit to Aaron Eehasz (who wrote a bunch of strong solo episodes and much later created 'The Dragon Prince' which I think is one of the best shows of the 2010s).
 
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The Blue Spirit (Book 1, Chapter 13)

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Original Airdate: June 17, 2005
Writers: Bryan Konietzko & Michael Dante DiMartino
Director: Dave Filoni


Sometimes good things come in twos (well, sort of) and this is one of those instances, with one great episode followed up by another. This is an pretty excellent and intriguing episode, following up the character-driven drama of 'The Storm' with an suspenseful adventure of Aang ending up in serious trouble as he's busy finding a cure for the now sick Sokka & Katara and is confronted and caught by Zhao's new group of minions, the Yuyan Archers & also meeting the mysterious and eponymous Blue Spirit (who has a personal agenda with the Avatar). Much like the previous episode this one is packed with a lot of great things.

To start things off, I love the continuity with Sokka (and Katara too) are getting sick after being out in the storm in 'The Storm' (Sokka having a real fever and Katara tarting to show signs makes sense, as the former was out in the bad weather for far longer) and Aang going to find a potential cure for their fever was a nice story (I like the old herbalist woman & her cat who seem not to be a combo of two animals but an actual cat). I really like how the remedy being these frozen frogs that you suck on (and once they thaw out they are useless and just jump away); what a funny concept (and it produced some good laughs).

There's good development with Zhao (the antagonist of this story) who's promoted to Admiral (speaking of which, I enjoy the first scene with the colonel who at first refuses the request to lend the Yuyan archers & when Zhao gets the message that hes an admiral he swiftly turns the tables. That reaction from the colonel was perfect). Nice bit of Zuko being informed by Zhao's manhunt and the former ordering the guards off his ship was a neat moment, making Zuko's frustration of Zhao maybe getting the Avatar first even stronger. The Yuyan archers going after Aang (whom is actually captured) was a great bit of action.

I also like the setting of Zhao's multi-walled fortress & the brief scene Aang and the now-Admiral have have was a good one. Then there's the dark-clad, ninja-like Blue Spirit (wearing a demon mask & has double broadswords) and he is an intriguing, mysterious character, sneakinf into the fort and freeing Aang. The two teaming up to escape, wall by wall, with various tricks, was an excellent action sequence & the ending with Aang saving the Spirit from getting captured was a neat end. I like that Aang found out whom he was and tried to make friends, but the Blue Spirit chose to scare him off (Spoiler: It's Zuko ).

Great ending with Aang, tired after the whole ordeal, getting back to Sokka & Katara, giving them the cure and then going to sleep, but not before being asked if he made any new friends and sadly saying no, which was such a perfect last moment for him in this episode (and the final joke stinger of Sokka & Katara realizing what the cure was ended up a really hilarious ending to this intense story). What an episode. I dunno if it's my favorite of the season, but certainly up there.

5/5
 
The Fortuneteller (Book 1, Chapter 14)

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Original Airdate: September 23, 2005
Writers: John O'Bryan & Aaron Ehasz
Director: Dave Filoni


I think it is easy to look at an episode like this one, deem it as throwaway filler & "just" another fairly unremarkable one-off story that sees Team Avatar visit a new place on their way to the North Pole (this one telling of them reach a small peaceful village that maybe relies a little too much on the predictions told by the local fortuneteller Aunt Wu & danger might be lurking on the horizon from the dormant volcano that the village is built in front of), but the way I see it, this one is a very entertaining episode that tell a very good story, has a lot of great humor and some very nice, important character development so not at all filler nor pointless.

Right off the bat, it sets up a potential romance between Aang and Katara (with the former obviously crushing on the latter a flower necklace to replace her lost one and hoping to get his feelings reciprocated, but she only sees him as a friend) and I think that if anything here, it is the one thing that does carry on over the rest of the series & even in this episode the unrequited love story is a nice, interesting and rather amusing one. Aunt Wu herself is a neat one-off character (who also ends up giving Aang some insight of his future) and I like Meng, the girl who crushes on Aang and he doesn't reciprocate her feelings (I like the tenderness of their last interaction); I can see why they brought back the VA as a major character as she does do a very nice job.

The fortunetelling aspect of this village relying on the predictions of Aunt Wu, is enjoyable as well, maybe especially with the plot thread of Sokka being hyper cynical, doubting & trying to prove all the fortunetellings are hokum (and most of it is great, with Wu's quick "reading" of his future really do coming true being really funny & his futile interactions with the villagers is hilarous). I also find Sokka trying to be some "love guru" and misinterpreting Aang having a crush on Katara as crushing on Meng (who constantly want Aang's attention). A lot humor also comes from Katara obsessed with visiting Wu to the point of eventually starting to ask about pure trivialities and making even a good natured woman like Wu lose her patience and temper. Very amusing.

Then theres the business with the volcano that does erupt and it makes for a good third act conflict. I like the cleverness of Aang & Katara manipulating the clouds so that Wu gets the correct readings (and by so getting the village's attentions), the whole bit of Aang having the villagers work together to divert the lava & him battling the erupting volcano (well, sort of) is a great moment. I also like the ending with how Wu compliments Aang about the cloud trick and gives him some good wisdom, Sokka not being granted to be right on that Wu was wrong (by the insane troll logic of the villagers) was hilarious & Meng's backhanded quiet comment about Katara as Team Avatar leads was great and not what you'd expect of a kids' show.

A good and very fun outing overall. I don't think one might miss a whole lot if this one is skipped when watching, but I still think it contains a lot of solid moments and character stuff to make it worth it (and when watching this show in particular, I think every episode does bring things to the table and is totally worth seeng, this being a good example).

4/5
 
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I'm not sure I like The Blue Spirit as much as you do but it's another very good episode in my book and another episode where the Aang/Zuko dynamic shows its promises and gives us a taste of what's to come.

I don't have much to say about The Fortuneteller, other than it's a good episode and a fun spin on skepticism vs. belief, and I appreciate that they didn't make it as basic as it could have been (Wu even ends up telling Aang to shape his own destiny).
 
@Wile E. the Brain, I am a little surprised that you don't like 'The Blue Spirit' so much (and curious) Mind telling why?

As for the other episode, I am surprised it worked out as well as it did. Also, I gotta mention that good humor again (additionally, the "Can your science explain why it rains?" guy is great. Maybe one of its funnier scenes)
 
@Wile E. the Brain, I am a little surprised that you don't like 'The Blue Spirit' so much (and curious) Mind telling why?
Just to be clear, I do really like this episode, like I said earlier I think it's very good. Just not something worthy of a 5/5 to me, maybe more of a 4 or 4.5/5. I dunno, I think the beginning drags out a little, or maybe it's just me, but when halfway through, it's definitely some impressive stuff, I especially like that chase scene between Aang and the fire nation soldiers, intense as hell, I appreciate that you can truly feel Aang is in danger here. So I hope there wasn't any misunderstanding, aha.
 
Bato Of The Water Tribe (Book 1, Chapter 15)

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Original Airdate: October 7, 2005
Writer: Ian Wilcox
Director: Giancarlo Volpe


A good episode with an interesting story, nice character building & some excellent backstory and lore on the Southern Water Tribe in general, that with Team Avatar meeting Bato, an old friend to Sokka & Kataras family and whom the two are very understandably overjoyed and excited to end up meeting, I like the side story of Aang being ignored and feeling left out (making a selfish decision as he's scared of losing his friends) & there's a really good subplot with Zuko finding a new method to catch the Avatar. Overall, I think there's a lot of good and interesting stuff here, despite not being one of the best.

They did a neat job with the Bato aspect, with him living in this abbey (having been taken care of by the nuns) and with his scenes with the trio there's some good stuff regarding how close he is to Katara & Sokka's family, Hakoda (thei father, properly introduced and whown in a wonderful flashback ) & some bits of exploration of the tribe, such as Bato's Water Tribe hut room with ceremonial masks, animal skins, etc. (I enjoy Aang's criticism of the dead animal skins byt the way) & the stewed sea prunes also gives a bit of food insight on the tribe (and add some humor with Aang thinking it's yucky & later faking liking it).

Bato isn't that much of an interesting character by himself, but I like how he's this calm, wise man whose a good guide and friend, almost a substitute father (I have to wonder if he might be their godfather, maybe he should've been).It is generaly nice to get to know more of Katara & Sokka's past and their family, but maybe most importantly, there's some character development with Sokka going through this young warrior rite of passage called "ice dodging" with a boat and it gives an intense little scene of Team Avatar working together to solve the problem (also, the rite itself build some more to their culture).

Aang feeling like the odd one out I understand, with how both Katara and Sokka are so caught up with Bato and inadvertedly pushes Aang away (and they actually consider going after their father); I think I've sort of been in the same situation. When it comes to the bit of Aang stuffing away the letter from their father to Bato, I understood him: He's afraid to lose his best friends and makes a selfish decision (and soon realizes it was terrible and admits it). It did feel a little forced with how neither Katara or Soka didn't early on reassure Aang that they won't leave him, though I understood them being tempted to lave.

Sokka leaving Aang when finding out about the letter I understood (he is the hothead) but Katara immediately siding with him did feel off (I understood she's disappointed, but with how supportive he's been of him I'm surpised she didn't hesitate). Aang did wrong but they did too here, though they are all kids after all (and as means of an conflict inside Team Avatar, I think it hit well, even though I generally don't tend to like infighting among the group of lead characters, and I love the resolution with Bato's wise words making Katara & Sokka realize that Aang needs them more than they need their father so they go back).

The subplot with Zuko enlisting the female bounty hunter June & her pet Shirshu (this weird wolf-mole hybrid that can find anyone just by smelling their scent and striking them with its paralyzing whip tongue) was intriguing. June is a very entertaining and loveble rogue (I like her arrogant and greedy attitude) & the Shirshu is a great concept. The confrontation in the abbey is a great one with solid animation (probably the best Aang vs. Zuko duel so far & Appa fighting the Shirshu was neat. Nice humor too, such as Iroh being himself (stealing perfume & pretending to be paralyzed to get up close to June, lol).

Nice ending with Team Avatar together again (and finally some closure on the necklace subplot, with Aang managing to have stolen Katara's necklace back from Zuko and giving it back to her), which wraps up this eventful episode on a nice note after the previous drama. I still have some problems with how Aang, Sokka & Katara were acting (their conflict did feel pretty forced when it could have been so easily solved by them all just talking about it and let Aang explain himself, but they gotta storm off without thinking) but I still think this is a good one with no big problems that actually drag it down.

3.5/5
 
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The Deserter (Book 1, Chapter 16)

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Original Airdate: October 21, 2005
Writer: Tim Hedrick
Director: Lauren MacMullan


I don't think I've thought about this before, but this episode sort of feels like a sister episode to the previous one, in the sense of both being centered an older, wise & skilled member of one of the nations, living in a secluded place and meeting Team Avatar while there's a looming threat from the Fire Nation overhead (and some other things), but as a whole, this is quite the different episode, being about Aang meeting Jeong Jeong, an old and enlightened spiritual Firebender genius who deserted from the Fire Nation, and wanting to learn firebending from this jaded, bitter old master and well, I do really like this one.

Similarily to how 'Bato' developed the Water Tribe this one go more in depth on the Fire Nation (which is pretty much its opposite) with the opening of Team Avatar sneaking into a Fire Nation festival held in a colonial town and it does present some interesting & entertaining bits, with the Fire Nation festival masks, the concept of "fire flakes" (this sort of hot snack), a Firelord propaganda puppet show & maybe most interestingly firebending used for entertainment instead of for war & fighting (with the "fire tamer" performing on stage) which definitely was something new here. I like how it shows the Nation has a lot of normal citizens as well.

Obviously, Aang is accidentally revealed and the group has to flee and here we meet Chey, a deserted Fire Nation soldier, who helps them escape. He's not a major character, but he's likeable and lead the story (and them) to the titular deserter Jeong Jeong, this old firebendig master and he's intriguing: a wise, bitter old cynic, who thinks very ill of firebending (with pretty much just the voiceacting, it is shown well that he's a weary soul, sick of the Fire Nation, their war and firebending itself, seeing it as only death and destruction). I find him to be fascinating, torn down and depressed by all the pain his nation has caused & wishes he wasn't "cursed" with firebending.

Good plot of him turning down Aang as a student (as the boy is not ready yet. I enjoy how the Avatar must learn the elements in order, with Aang firebending comes last) and how he accepts begrudgingly due to intervention from Avatar Roku; scenes like that makes me get 'Empire Strikes Back' vibe (even more so with old master's student being described to be much like Aang with the impatience). The teaching scenes have some nice moments (and good humor, such as Aang trying to rush it & Sokka getting an offhand comment as he's used as an example by the master). Aang being reckless and accidentally burning Katara's hands was a great dramatic turning point, showing he's not ready at all (and he hurt his friends two episodes in a row, this time physically).

Katara discovering her healing power was nice (though how she heal her burned hands pretty much pefectly by accident does feel a little too neat, but I get it) and like her interaction with the master, who wishes he was a waterbender instead (which is so sad). Then there's his former student on the hunt for the Avatar (and the way the story reveals whom it is visually during a monologue from the master was a neat.  It's Zhao, btw ) & it gave some nice physical conflict to go along with the spiritual one: Jeong Jeong facing his former student was a great sequence (also neat disappearing trick) & Aang against the Admiral (first time they fight each other directly) was a very nice one, with Aang using his lack of control against him (and it made for a quite memorable "fight").

I like how quickly it ends, with the maste escaped, Team Avatar leaving on Appa & the camp being deserted. Katara using her newfound ability to heal Aang's burn wound was nice & Sokka has a funny bit at the end, but the destructiveness of firebending is not to be forgotten (and Aang having wowed to never firebend again after Katara's accident does still stick in my mind even after a rewatch). Solid episode, much due to how they handled the Jeong Jeong storyline (great combo of worldbuilding, character development and mythos, all expertly directed). In all honesty, probably one of my S1 faves.

4.5/5
 
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The Northern Air Temple (Book 1, Chapter 17)

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Original Airdate: November 4, 2005
Writer: Elizabeth Welch Ehasz
Director: Dave Filoni


Nearing the end of the season andm kinda mirroring the beginning of the season here's an story about Team Avatar visiting one of the Air Temples and unlike with 'The Southern Air Temple' finds out it is not abandoned but has people living there, but not the kind that Aang had in mind (real Air Nomad monks) but a lot of Earth Kingdom refugee civilians that made it their home & all in all, this is actually one of those first season episodes that always stood out to me as memorable. It is not one of the greatest episodes of the season, but even so it has some interesting and intriguing elements throughout.

The premise of refugee's having settled down in one of these Air Temples (and led by this inventor only referred to as The Machinist have been modifying and remodeling parts of it to make room for technological advances and machines) is a neat story, that expands on how the Fire Nation have been affecting the world (with some refugees being the focus here), gives some worldbuilding with both showing more of one of these temples, the technology that is being invented (by the likes of the Machinist; I like the candle "clock") including a way to fly with gliders on the air currents (that an altitude like the temple has provides). & also a nice conflict, with Aang being upset on how these people destroy the temple without respecting it nor the culture it represents.

While seeing an old culture not being treated so well is a little sad (and reminds me of how cultural artifacts are destroyed in real life), but the Air Nomads is at this point a dead culture (that not many would remember after 100 years) and refugees desperate for a home comes first, but I also understand Aang disliking to see his culture disrespected and partially torn down (as he's a monk, not liking technology so much). Both sides have good arguments, with the Machinist saying he improving what exists in the manner of nature and Aang saying nature oughta know when to stop (and I think it makes for some good subject for discussion). I also like how the story makes clear that nature such as animal life within still go on as normal, which was an optimistic aspect.

Another thing that helps the point of the civilian characters is that they are likeable and sympathethic, with the Machinist being a little kooky and interesting to watch (and he has some great nuanced, yet fun, voiceacting) & his son Teo I like too (also good representation with him being wheelchair-bound due to his legs having been disabled when little). Aang and Katara have some nice scenes with the latter but I also really enjoy the subplot with Sokka again being shown as the smart idea guy in his interactions with the Machinist (like ending up inspiring the man to come up with a solution to the gas leaks in the basement levels) & even coming up with a solution for the scrapped balloon project to make it work: They made a nice team (and I like the humor).

The twist that the Machinist produces weapons for the Fire Nation in secret (stored in the sanctuary of all places) was interesting, with how the man has to or the Fire Nation will destroy them all (understandable) & Aang breaking up the bad "relationship" with the Fire Nation (and we get the first appearance of three by the stuffy war minister Quin) and deciding to defend the temple and its new inhabitants made for a great, and fairly large-scale, battle on the mountaintop and side, with everyone chipping in somehow (and Aang & Katara doing some really impressive bending & Sokka and the Machinist getting a war balloon working). I also enjoy the introduction of the Fire Nation metal tanks that prove a challenge (that use firebenders as the "cannon" throwing fire).

It has a great finale that ends with a bang (literally) and I assume many dead enemy soldiers (with what went on in this battle there's gotta be some casualties) & nice with Aang finally having accepted the Machinist, his son and all the other refugees as the new owners of the temple (and the last stinger scene with the war minister & a Fire Nation troop finding the crashed war balloon was a gret and ominous last bit to top it off). So yeah, overall a very good story with nice conflict, drama, action & humor (and the theme of culture vs. industry was an intriguing one as said, helping it be a more complex story).

4/5
 
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The Waterbending Master (Book 1, Chapter 18)

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Original Airdate: November 18, 2005
Writer: Michael Dante DiMartino
Director: Giancarlo Volpe


Finally, Team Avatar reaches the North Pole (as do we who have followed their journey) and it is to the impressive sight of the city of the Northern Water Tribe (which is quite the opposite of the tiny village of the Southern Tribe) in which we meet several new faces, including Chief Arnook, his daughter Princess Yue & the titular waterbending master named Pakku (and meanwhile Zuko comes back after not being present for a few episodes, ending up in trouble with Zhao once more). This episode is what I'd call the first of the three that makes up the final arc of season one and is is a good one to boot.

The Northern Water Tribe city is probably one of the most visually interesting settings thus far in the season, being an entire city made out of ice and snow, carved into what appears to be a giant glacier and it produces some nice sights, such as the giant wall at the front, the waterways (reminiscent of Venice) & the palace with the throne room. The characters are nice and add to the new location too, such as the calm Chief Arnook being a steadfast but calm & good natured ruler and Princess Yue is likeable (and the subplot of Sokka falling in love with her is great. I love the awkwardness and the humor, but as a love story itself it is really good as a bit of an "starcrossed lovers" tale and ultimately a sad one, with Yue revealing that she's betrothed to someone else).

And then we have Master Pakku, the waterbending master whom is tasked to take on Aang as an apprentice, and he feels like the waterbending equivalent to Jeong Jeong, being a surly old man who's unkind, but definitely feeling like a different character with snarkiness dripping everywhere (he's a jerk but an entertaining one). Women being forbidden to learn waterbending (at least combat type) due to old customs is an intriging aspect (surprising of advanced civilization) and is tackled well, with Katara sent to learn healing waterbending (and we find out about her necklace being a bethrothal one from her grandmother, who came from the Northen Tribe, which is an interesting reveal) but Aang giving her secret lessons (which costs him Pakku as an instructor).

Katara ending up in direct conflict with Pakku and his smug and sexist ways I thought was an entertaining aspect, leading up to Katara challenging him to a fight (and directly goading him into it when he refuses was pretty amusing) & their battle is a great one, well choreographed and animated (and I like that Pakku does win over her. Had she won it would've felt silly. He is a master bender for a reason, duh). The way it ended with Pakku recognizing her necklace and shifting attitude made for a nice finale (with how it turns out he was the one "Gran Gran" was betrothed to but she left due to the sexism, which explains why he's been so bitter and extreme, acting out like a spurned lover. That added a lot to his character). This story had a nice end with Katara accepted.

The Zuko subplotis great. It immediately feels like it is building up to something big when Zhao comes aboard and recruity all of Zuko's crew and wants Iroh to come along too (on the hunt for the Avatar) and him deducing that (SPOILER ALERT!) The young prince is Blue Spirit increased the tension a lot, paid off with Zhao hiring the pirates from 'The Waterbending Scroll' (surprising) to assassinate Zuko by using blasting jelly (introduced in 'Jet') to blow up the ship, which was really dark, especially with Iroh ending up witnessing it (on my rewatch I did notice that Zuko shielded himself from the explosion with a fire bubble). I also enjoy how Zuko (only slightly injured and disguised) comes with Iroh aboard Zhao's large invasion fleet, heading for the North Pole (the perfect stinger!).

Not a great episode, but still pretty solid and a very neat prologue to the two-part season finale, setting up both the new location, the characters, doing some nice developments and three good plots & more. It had some issues, such as Pakku's misogyny almost feeling a little cartoonish at times, but these are just nitpicks, I feel. Still, it feels like mostly a set-up to the next couple of episodes.

3.5/5
 
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The Siege Of The North, Part 1 (Book 1, Chapter 19)

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Original Airdate: December 2, 2005
Writer: John O'Bryan
Director: Lauren MacMullan


So here we are at the end of the first season, with the first outing of a two part story. It continues well directly from the previous episode ('The Waterbending Master'), which did the hard work of setting it all up and let this one start off directly with Team Avatar and all their new friends & allies of the Northern Water Tribe realizing that there's an impending attack from the Fire Nations huge armada of warships, lending itself to some exciting build-up, drama, character moments, some lore development regarding the tribe and waterbending itself a bit of humor & of course some great action (well, "siege" is after all in the title so that is to be expected from a show like this). It's all great stuff and what one would expect from an epic season finale.

They open it well, with Katara doing some surprisingly impressive waterbending (showing some good character growth for her) and a different changed Master Pakku (who's now a pretty nice, cool guy who stopped with the sexist twaddle) & Aang being kinda lazy and messing around instead, creating a snowman around himself by bending the snow (well, he's still goofy at times). The Sokka & Yue story does continue (interestingly enough, but nice. I like the two together) with a ride on Appa & I think it was a neat idea to have the first sign of thearrival of the Fire Nation being that of the snow being mixed with soot from the ships (excellent visual reveal, also showing how they taint the world with their imperialistic ways. Also feels pro-environment).

The build-up with the preparation of the impending attack from the Fire Nation is done really well, with Sokka's & Yue's departure from one another (as she yet again says she can never see him again I love Sokka's response to her sayings), the meeting in the ice palace (with Chief Arnook telling everyone about the invasion, plans for battle being laid out & volunteers being asked for, with Sokka signing up for a dangerous mission) & Aang promising to make a difference (unlike when he wasn't there for his people) was a great moment. I also really like the bit of development in regards to the waterbenders, who look to the moon & ocean spirit for guidance (as these two spirits are what the waterbenders draw their strength from, both life and strength).

The first attack from the Fire Nation ship provides some real intensity and good action, with Aang singlehandedly attacking the first of the many hundreds of warships and fighting the crew and helping sinking it (and it is a fun little action scene, maybe a little too cartoonish at times with a bit choppy animation, but still neat). I also like the subplot with Sokka on the infiltration mission, even though it feels like Hahn (Yue's fiancee), a typical one-dimensional arrogant asshole, is there to have Sokka being taken off the mission, it leads somewhere interesting with his new mission being that of guarding Yue, but really, I think they could've skipped Hahn completely and have had Sokka immediately getting his new task, but I'm just overthinking it).

On another note, there's some nice bits between Iroh & Admiral Zhao, who have some good and interesting dialogue, and the scene of Zuko taking his farewell from Iroh & leaving on a kayak to sneak in and capture the Avatar behind everyone's backs was wonderful (I love the emotion that comes from Iroh, who considers Zuko like his own son after he lost his own, which is a heartbreaking reveal and also hints to later elements, but that's for another time). As for Zuko quietly sneaking into the Northern Tribe via a back way that includes some swimming and clever firebending to escape the icy waters, it is a very tense scene (it feels kinda off that at this point, I almost wish he was successful. They've already made him feel fairly sympathethic).

The spirit oasis has a great design and makes for a neat scene of Aang going to meditate there (in front of the little pond with the black & white koi fish that represent the moon & ocean spirits, Tui & La) so that he can ask for guidance with how to help save the tribe (and there's a bit of nice humor as well, with Katara & Yue's talking briefly distracting him, before he enters the spirit world. That bit always amused me). There's a neat and well directed battle between Zuko and Katara & it ends on an tense & intriguing note of Zuko being successful and taking Aang (still in the spirit world, still entranced like in a coma) with him into the snowy polar regions (luckily this one aired the same day as part 2 as I can imagine the one-week wait). Really good Pt.1.

4.5/5
 
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Vacations at last, I can take my time to react to your reviews.

I heard some bad things about Bato of the Water Tribe here and there mainly because of Aang being somewhat selfish in it but again, this is the kind of thing that makes the characters more dimensional, not perfect so more easy to be interested about (especially since they're still kids, and :gasp: kids can do bad and selfish things too). It's done better than his lying stuff in The Great Divide in my opinion. I enjoy this one as well, even though it's not one of the most memorable this season has to offer. I forgot this is the episode Iroh pretending to be paralyzed comes from, aha.

I said earlier that I have a fondness for episodes showing the Fire Nation and the global conflict under a new light, reminding that even in such a context, not everything is just black and white, hence why I'd consider The Deserter one of my favorites of the season as well. It's fascinating in terms of world-building and it's also a great story on its own merits.

I don't have much to say about the others, mainly because I haven't rewatched them yet and they're not among the episodes I have pitch perfect memories of but I don't dislike any of them as far as I know. I remember liking quite a lot how The Waterbending Master is like a set-up for the two-part finale.
 
The Siege Of The North, Part 2 (Book 1, Chapter 20)

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Original Airdate: December 2, 2005
Writer: Aaron Ehasz
Director: Dave Filoni


The story, much like the siege in it, rages on in this second part which is the final chapter of the season and yes, it is one with gusto and extra everything, pretty much. The siege plot really shines and definitely comes together in this one with a lot of action, drama and emotion, neat animation and a lot of great character moments and developmnt & I'd even say it surpasses part 1 (which does feel unusual in the sense of how it usually tends to be with two parters, that with the second part not being as good as the first, but this is one instance where that is definitely not true). The show has come a long way from its humble beginning.

As shown in Pt.1 the Fire Nation breached the giant ice wall of the North and soldiers started pouring into the city, which presented some neat battle scene here, with confrontations of waterbenders vs. firebenders in this one with a lot of neat, cool little moment (there are some dashes of humor here and there, but nothing that takes me out of it). I really enjoy the Zuko scenes (with his continued trek through the polar regions with Aang still on his back) and his respite in the icy cave where he decides to wait out the raging snowstorm (and his monologue about how he's inferior power-wise to his prodigy sister, how his father found him lucky to even being born, having had to struggle and that made him strong. This really helped to make him more human and understandable).

Aang's finding himself in the spirit world are great: I love the creativity and fun they let themselves have with designing that world with the various creatures and characters there, but there's also a lot of soul to it, with Avatar Roku coming to guide Aang who even gets help from the now friendly Hei Bai from the much earlier episode). The best part of it (to me)has to be Aang's meeting with Koh, the face stealer, whom know about the moon & the ocean spirits (whom Aang realizes are the two koi fish, which I think most viewers had figured out at that point): what a fantastically directed, visualized and tense scene with this very creepy spirit with the switching faces (I think it's a bit of a shame he never reappeared but eh, made for a great one-scene wonder).

Nice bit with Aang's spirit returning to the spirit oasis and then it shooting back into his body in the arctic (and this guides Katara, Sokka & Yue on Appa to find him) & I like Aang showing some true heart and having them save Zuko. The story of Iroh and Zhao took an interesting direction with the latter knowing about the ocean & moon spirits (after having studied ancient text in an old library) and has devised a plan to get rid of the "problem" (showing his calculated evil). Iroh siding with Aang & Co was an neat moment where he really steps up (and shows he does deeply care about the spirits and the natural order) & once Zhao captures the moon spirit and kills it (which is a despairing scenario, with the waterbenders losing their power), Iroh attacking defeating the soldiers while Zhao escapes was great (it is rather satisfying to see the later revealed as a coward and weakling in front of Iroh's power).

I like the stylization with coloring depending on the mood regarding the moon spirit (first the blood red tint when it is captured & once it is dead, the world become dark and monochrome. That adds a lot to the story make it feel serious, as it should). Then there's Aang merging with the ocean spirit, creating this giant water koi fish kaiju monster around him (I love the name "koizilla" given to this creature, though it remains unnamed here) who drives away all of the Fire Nation soldiers, ships and all, from the North Polewas an imposing sequence and probably the most epic moment of the season. Yue doing a sacrifice to restore the moon spirit (whom she has a connection to as it saved her life when she was a newborn) was very touching and tragic.

Zuko fighting Zhao who tried to murder him (paying off the plot from 'Waterbending Master') was a good battle, though what I like the most is when the ocean spirit returns to the water and drags Zhao with it (as an act of revenge); it is such a well done moment with Zuko reaching out to Zhao to save him, but the latter proudly retracts his arm to his torso and lets himself be dragged into the water (that was fairly dark but a memorable moment for sure). The story ends well with the Fire Nation balance restored and the Fire Nation washed away, the chief mourning his daughter, Pakku and some of his waterbenders go to the Southern Tribe, Zuko & Iroh slip away on a makeshift raft & a new day dawns for Team Avatar, ready for the next adventure on their journey.

All in all, a satisfying season finale. Not perfect as some things could've been improved upon or didn't work perfectly (and I still kinda laugh at how pointless the Hanh plot from Pt.1 was here, with his sudden appearance but quickly being taken care off & thrown out of the episode before the plot went on like he meant nothing. Felt like the writer for Pt.2 was like "Oh right. That guy. I don't like that plot thread. Well, gotta get rid of him to get on with the story" (lol) but a great end to the season.

(Oh, and additionally, the last stinger scene with the Firelord giving his daughter, Zuko's prodigy little sister Azula, an important task was a very nice one, setting up her as a new antagonist so well).

5/5
 
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Book 1: Overview

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Yeah, I think I'll do these despite the very limited number of seasons, but I do want to give some overall combined thoughts on the seasons and as far as the first book goes, it gets the series (and by extension franchise) off to a really good, solid start overall.

It is always a bit tricky to get a new show off to a good foot, with there often being a learning curve and the first number of episodes can turn out subpar (and at worst pretty bad), but here, the creators & showrunners for this show (Bryan Konietzko) & Michael Dante DiMartino pretty much knew what they wanted to do, show and tell right out of the gate to impressive effect, such as especially with the well developed plot, the strong and defined characterizations and the impressive animation.

The first couple of episodes were a little simpler and sillier (to a certain point) and certainly more "kiddy" fare, but then it started to pick up and build with some quite good episodes that really managed to build the world of the series with characters, places, backstory, plot points introduced and set up as it went along & even though some episodes were less impressive or good as others, I think that all of them did add to the development of the series as a whole and served some point to the strong overarching plot (which is not so common, especially with an animated series around the time of release). I must also compliment the work with the action, which is really well choreographed & executed in animation, giving a lot of great and memorable fight & battle scenes

I also appreciated that almost from the very start, the writing was really handled well and surprisingly mature for a most part (despite the silly jokes here and there being a lack of blood & more serious violence it tell the story of one nation currently waging a war on the rest of the world quite nicely, with our heroes gradually finding out more and more about it), never talking down to the viewers but treating them with respect, even the young target audience (and that is not to be understated): You can certainly see its influences in modern animation that go for strong storytelling and still managing to handled he characters, humor & drama so well.

I think it was a smart move to do pararelly storytelling, both following the good guys of Team Avatar & the antagonist duo of Zuko and Uncle Iroh concurrently (even though the latter two don't appear in every episode, their presence as on the hunt for the Avatar is making itself well felt and does to me echo even in many episodes they're not in). The heroes are a diverse bunch of likeable, fun & interesting characters & humanizing the villains do wonders (could have been one-dimensional evil people hoping to capture those good guys, but nope, they did made us understand, care for & feel for them). I also think they made a great job with the supporting characters & even the one-offs, most of which are memorable and entertaining to watch (and some will even come to show up later).

The episode quality is on average very good, but there are of couse some that were especially good and some kinda meh, but the good outweigh the bad by far. Best episodes include: 'The Southern Air Temple', 'Winter Solstice (Part 1 & 2)', 'The Storm' (maybe its best), 'The Blue Spirit', 'The Deserter' & 'The Siege Of The North (Part 1 & 2)'. The weakest episode by a long shot is 'The Great Divide', which is one of the few episodes of the series that doesn't really hold together, but it still has good stuff.

So yeah, the first season gives the series a strong starting point even with the gradual learning curve (which in itself isn't weak at all but start off good and only builds from there) and some minor hiccups. Thumbs up. On to Book 2!
 
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The Avatar State (Book 2, Chapter 1)

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Original Airdate: March 16, 2006
Writers: Elizabeth Welch Eehasz, Tim Hedrick, Aaron Ehasz & John O'Bryan
Director: Giancarlo Volpe


I can safely say that the second season is off to a great start. This one picks up pretty much immediately after the second part of the previous season's two-part finale (well, at least a very short while after) and continues the journey of Aang & his brave friends & does explore the Avatar State, which Aang really experiences the last time (while joined with the ocean spirit) and how it really has started to scare him (suffering nightmares of his evil Avatar State clone attacking him). Opening scene with Team Avatar leaving Pakku's boat to the South to head to Omashu so King Bumi can teach Aang eartbendin was nice (and I like the gift-giving scene. Poor Sokka!) and Katara now being Aang's waterbending master going forward was nice, if quite obvious.

I think made for a dramatic premise with him ending up having to confront this what scares him, as Team Avatar makes a short stop at the fortress base of Earth Kingdom general Fong (whom has heard of the incident in the North) and it is suggested the boy face the Fire Lord right away in his Avatar State: It's a good conflict, as Aang understandably preferably wants to master the elements and do it the right way (and his unease about the Avatar State is celar), but he feels bad over how hundreds if not thousands of Earth Kingdom soldiers are injured and dies every day. I like Katara and Sokka on each side: Sokka being okay with this "shortcut" while Katara is vehemently against it and prefer that Aang master the elements. This was an interesting dilemma.

I think the story does portray Fong (the general) well, as a desperate man whom wants a quick end to the war as he's sick and tired of his soldiers being beaten and slaughtered & the world suffering at the hands of the Fire Nation & it is easy to understand how his words and proposition does sway Aang to try getting into the Avatar State (Fong could have been a mustasche-twirling but he feels sympathethic (and once he does take drastic measures he is way out of line, but his desperation made it understandable). Interesting with a good guy as the antagonist without becoming a villain. For all the more serious scenes, it does have some good humor with the different methods of trying to kickstart the Avatar State (and those bits are pretty funny, especially Sokka).

The climactic scene with Fong & his soldiers attacking Aang and both Sokka & Katara trying to stop this desperate (and dangerous) foolishness was a great action scene (and the trick the General does with Katara to get the Avatar State going was certainly something new) & the destruction Aang causes in the Avatar State and destroys the courtyard really gave it both an explosive ending and a devastating dramatic moment (really making his nightmares come true, which ended up kinda horrifying). I also very much enjoy the Roku scene where he explains the Avatar State to Aang (and us) and how the Avatar cycle will end if the Avatar dies in it. Good ending with the general is knocked out by Sokka & Team Avatar traveling onward to their destination

The concurrent subplot following Zuko and Iroh, now laying low in a Fire Nation village resort (which I never really understood was in the Fire Nation or in the Earth Kingdom, but I looked it up and it is the latter), was great too. Nice detail with this happening on the three year anniversary of Zuko's banishment. There's also Zuko's little sister Azula, the new antagonist and she's a great character: Cold, cruel, calculating, manipulative, has an usually controlled temper & a perfectionist streak, differing from other firebenders with her blue fire & being a textbook example of a full-blooded sociopath, yet it is still felt she is a teenager. Maybe my favorite antagonist of the series (and voiced perfectly by Grey DeLisle, who make the character her very own).

Her meeting them and manipulating Zuko that Ozai, their father, wants him back and acts really sincere about it (to the point of Zuko angrily rejecting Iroh's skepticisms. Azula really played his emotional state) was a great one & the battle that ensues while one of Azula's underlings makes a mistake was great, with Iroh making short work of the royal firebending soldiers (I like their design. Looks likw Stormtroopers) & Zuko facing Azula one-on-one. Great moment where Iroh gets in the way of Azula as she creates her lightning and redirects it away from Zuko. excellent, quiet ending with Zuko & Iroh deserting (and in ancient Japanese style, cutting off their top knots. I really like the samurai influence here). This is how to start a season with a bang.

4.5/5
 
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I like that this episode is one of those where Aang realizes his responsabilities as the Avatar and where he feels overwhelmed by the fear of not doing the right thing. A very good start for a season that is gonna make our hero even more complex.

Season 2 has a number of the greatest episodes of the entire series, including my absolute favorite. Looking forward to seeing you reviewing them.
 
The Cave Of Two Lovers (Book 2, Chapter 2)

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Original Airdate: March 24, 2006
Writer: Joshua Hamilton
Director: Lauren MacMullan


After the exciting season premiere, there's this one which is considerably smaller, down to earth & and relies more on the characters and their interactions on their way forward and well, I think it really made for a neat story.There's two plotlines this time around, with the first being about Team Avatar accompaying a small group of travelling nomads (or Earth Kingdom hippies as I'd like to call them) through an ancient, dark tunnel through a mountain & the substory showing Zuko & Iroh during their initial time as outcasts in the wild and trying to survive, which leads them to a kind family and both are definitely about the characters foremost & both are very intriguing, charming and/or is pretty funny (well, at least the main story, but both add a lot).

First off, we have Team Avatar on their way to Omashu and it opens with a nice waterbending training moment of Katara vs. Aang (where we see he's learned quite the bit since last time) & then we meet the group of nomads led by the slacker Chong and yeah, as far as one-offs go, I think they are really entertaining and funny with their hippie attitudes, really providing the backbone of humor to the story (especially with how they contrast Sokka's serious and focused attitude), but I also like how Aang so naturally bonds with them (as he's a nomad too) so that makes sense. We get to hear about the mysterious tunnel through the mountain & after a funny brief bit with Team Avatar's unsuccessful attempt at taking the normal route (due to Fire Nation soldiers) we head into the namesake of the episode, the secret tunnel that relies on travellers trusting in love. Interesting.

For such a dark place as this large tunnel & the apparently maze-like system, it is made visually intriguing and the dialogue between the group is good and entertaining, with the nomads and Sokka naturally lending some good humor to it as well. There's also a new creature, the wolfbat and the main story do split up in two, when Appa causes a cave-in, trapping Aang, Katara & Appa in one tunnel & Sokka, Momo and the nomads in another. The latter group's journey is funny with Sokka annoyed at how imprudent the nomads can be (and interesting with the intro of the giant badgermole creatures, natural earthbenders, that the group manages to calm down with singing and guitar playing) is an enjoyableone, though Aang & Katara's (and Appa's) journey is the centerpiece, with them coming across an old tomb and discovers the story of the two lovers.

The old story (as read by Katara and set to some nice visuals reminiscent of old Chinese paintings, showing some more of the influences to the Earth Kingdom) is a a great piece of worldbuilding, interesting and told very well. There's also the slogan of "Love is brightest in the dark" which leads to more development of the possibly romantic bond between Katara and Aang, with the former suggesting they kiss so that they might find a way out (before their torch go out) and Aang does a few slip-ups with his words that makes her angy and storm off (showing how awkward Aang is with romance) & once they out of desperation do kiss, it is done beautifully as light goes out, cue gemstones lighting up and guiding them out on the other side, where they soon get company by Sokka & company who got a ride on the badgermoles, they see the nomads off and continues.

The subplot with Zuko and Iroh trying to get by, unused by being wanted deserters, is great as well, if the more serious one to a point. There's some nice dark humor with Iroh having drunk tea he made from a flower that turns out is poisonous, but as they get help at a healing center (and Zuko making up fake names for him and Iroh, "Lee" and "Mushi", the latter of which Iroh dislikes and does a funny jab at Zuko's expense), it get a more serious once they are invited in by the young healer, a young girl named Song, and tere's some interesting dialogue, with Song telling of how the Fire Nation abducted her father, asking if Zuko's father is fighting in the war (and he replies a silent yes) & her showing the Fire Nation burned her leg like how they burned his face: It's interesting to have Zuko see and hear directly how his country is hurting kind people like this.

I still get a little upset that Zuko just up front steals Song's family's ostrich horse (an ostrich with a head that half-resembles that of a horse & a horse tail) and Iroh just accepting it after a short critique, but it is a reminder that Zuko still isn't a good guy but can be really selfish and entitled to what he feel he deserves and will take it (and Iroh is an old man who'd probably want a beast of burden to ride on instead of keeping on walking). That closing shot of a saddened, disappointing Song closing the door after witnessing the robbery was heartbreaking, still. The ending of the main story, with Team Avatar discovering Omashu is now overtaken by the Fire Nation, was a great shocker of an ending. Nice one.

3.5/5
 
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I sometimes feel like your enjoyment of this episode kind of depends on how you're receptive to  the Aang and Katara romance arc.  Personally, I'm not much into the one-offs of the day (they're nice and all but the jokes resulting of Sokka being their "straight man" are a little easy to me as far as I remember, even though "Why is your forehead all red ?" still gets a chuckle out of me), but it's an episode I like if only because of how atmospheric it is most of the time. MacMullan was probably the right director for such an episode.
 
@Wile E. the Brain, the atmosphere and (animation) is indeed excellent so another instance where MacMullans direction shine. Thought it does sound like this is one you don't like very much though, which I am a little surprised about (as generally it is a pretty well liked "breather" episode as far as I know), but I can see how it is not to everyone's liking.

Too bad you don't care for the one-off "hippies" that I find very entertaining and funny (even with Sokka being the easy target of their shenanigans like you say, though they do have a lot of amusing moments that aren't exclusively tied to his reactions to their behavior) but I can see how they can be a bit much to some. Also, you don't like the romance arc? Personally, it is not my favorite, but I think it works generally well, I like the gradual development of it and also the way it here tied into the backstory of the cave (in a sense) so that was a good way of furthering their story. The Zuko & Iroh plot complements it all well.

It isn't one of my favorite episodes, but it still is a very likeable, fun and interesting story helped by that direction (and I think that even I didn't care especially much for them as a couple, I think the episode would still work just fine).
 
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@CousinMerl, don't get me wrong, I do like this episode. And I do like the romance arc too (even if it isn't the thing I care about the most in this series, but that's not that much of a complaint considering the high number of arcs and stories in it that totally hook me). I just know some people who don't care much for these, aha. For me, this is worthy of something like a 3.5 out of 5, to give you an idea.
 
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@Wile E. the Brain, Those are fair points. I also thought about giving it an 3.5/5 but decided to be nice, though might change the grade as it does feel a little much for this particular episode despite it being a fine one.

Next review coming soon (but I gotta start watching again as soon I've caught up to my last viewed episode).
 
Return To Omashu (Book 2, Chapter 3)

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Original Airdate: April 7, 2006
Writer: Elizabeth Welch Ehasz
Director: Ethan Spaulding


Picking off where the previous one ended, we have the return to Omashu (as the title promises) and this episode is an interesting inversion of the last episode with Team Avatar visiting the city (The King Of Omashu), which then was a somewhat welcoming and inpenetrable peaceful place where the gang faced King Bumi and Aang had to go through a series challenges to prove his worth, but this time the Fire Nation has captured the city and taken over it, with banners hanging, the city going through the usual Fire Nation industrialization (and bridges being built) & there being "renovations" going on with a lot of scaffolding. It's a tragic first sight but gets the story off to a great start, especially with Aang swearing they'll go in and rescue Bumi, his friend.

Sneaking in through a large sewer pipe, that they technically could've used the last time as Sokka points out (and Aang & Katara bending the water that of course splashed onto poor Sokka was pretty funny.). Then we are introducted to the pentapus (this palm-sized cute little octopus, two of which stick to Sokka's face) and the way they uses the red marks left by the tentacles to scare some Fire Nation guards away with the fake contagious "pentapox" disease was funny and clever. There's some good stuff with Aang & Co running into the Earth Kingdom resistance against the occupation by the Fire Nation, the resistance leader's tale of how Bumi just up front surrendered and when the Fire Nation attacked was intriguing and I like Aang convincing them to escape and live to fight another day, which is logical as what they are doing here won't help in the long run.

The way that the abeformentioned "pentapox" disease is later used as a ploy to let the remaining Earth Kingdom citizen out of the city by faking a outbreak which involves acting like plague-ridden zombies was great. One of those times the show uses a minor small jokey moment as a solution to further the plot in a later scene (and I find it amusing that how some of the Fire Nation folks here have heard of such a disease before, but seem to me they're just mistaking it for a similarily named one) & Lucky enough, the Fire Nation folks here were scaredy cats and didn't decide to just kill off the "infected", but yeah, that would have made short work of the story. Also, there's an amusing little side thing with Momo going to steal some berries and the toddler son of the governor hitching a ride and ending up among the "infectees" sent away from the city.

Speaking of the Fire Nation governor and his family, there isn't much to them (though interesting how he is a concerned and uneasy individual, who seemingly take no pleasure in his status), that is aside from their teenage daughter Mai, this sullen and bored goth (almost looking like a character from a Tim Burton movie) and she's quite memorable & interesting, especially with how she's a fighter using speed and a set of throwing knives. Another new face is Ty Lee, an bubbly optimistic happy-go-lucky acrobat at a Fire Nation circus & whom Azula goes to recruit, which ends up really displayim the latter'smanipulation with how she forces her supposed friend into joining her by threat of making her life a living hell (and the unease of Ty Lee is telegraphed well, with a mask of joy) & along with Mai (the third friend) the three make a formidable trio.

The climax (with Team Avatar coming to exchange the toddler for Bumi but running into problem when Azula & her two friends) was a neat one, with some good action (including the first showdown between Aang & Azula, which involves an dramatic chase in the slide delivery system). I also like Bumi's prison being a metal casket with only his face visible. What is the most intriguing is Bumi deciding to stay imprisoned and insisting Aang's teacher is elsewhere, leaving it open ended with Team Avatar leaving without Bumi but with promise for everything to somehow work out, despite the gang now having three new enemies (and, of course, Aang secretly drops off the toddler with his parents, which was sweet. I cannot believe Mai was thinking of sacrifice her kid brother to keep Bumi imprisoned, but I'm sure Azula convinced her they'd save the kid somehow).

Overall, a thoroughly solid episode that brings together the Team Avatar & Azula plotlines, with some new faces, some old ones and a nicely diverse and interesting rescue story that isn't very predictable at all. Not a favorite of mine but it still stand out as a very neat one that, in some ways, act as the one episode where the season really starts (as now Aang has to look for a proper earthbending teacher while having made new enemies). The second season is already an improvement over season one.

4/5
 
The Swamp (Book 2, Chapter 4)

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Original Airdate: April 14, 2006
Writer: Tim Hedrick
Director: Giancarlo Volpe


So after a rather intense episode, we get to another worldbullding story which also goes rather heavy into the mysticism and spiritualism of the world of the Avatar. While this episode is usually not a fan favorite (which I can understand, in part as it isn't really one of those super essential episodes, I find it to be one of the more intriguing ones, bearing a lot of great moments (of both drama, humor & action) and being one of the most visually interesting, with the titular swamp being an mysterious setting providing an exotic and kinda spooky locale for this next adventure as our band of heroes try to get through the thick of it (literally) & as a side thing, the episode starts and closes with the further exploits of Zuko & Iroh (which presents and interesting aspect going forward.

The main story starts off well with a bit of mystery, with Team Avatar flying (on Appa, naturally) above the vast swampland area covering what seem to be miles ahead & Aang feeling mysteriously drawn to the swamp (as if it calls to him) & I also like how the color and brightness are dialed down for atmosphere. Then a large tornade causes them to crash (Aang, Katara & Sokka in one place and Momo & Appa in another), which of course creates two plot threads where we follow the humans in one and the animals in another (which I think was a nice idea). Aang's & his friends' journey through the murky, boggy swamp becomes quite the spooky little tale with them getting increasingly creeped out and dragged off in various directions by living wines , but the story also has some good humor (for instance, the "elbow leech" bit was hilarious & Sokka being sarcastic about chopping the swamp vines and branches was funny too).

Here we get some really interestng bits with the three friends experiencing visions (Katara believing she sees her mother, Sokka meeting what appears to be Princess Yue's ghostly form & Aang following a giggling mysterious girl in a white dress, whom is initially seen with a winged boar) and, funnily enough, all these visions leads to the three running into each other. There's a great bit of action with their discussion about their visions (and Sokka's continued insistence on there being nothing mysterious) being interrupted by this large swamp monster, made out of living vines and bearing a wooden face mask, that attacks them (and shows some excellent bending by Aang & Katara, who manages to defeat the creature & save Sokka (whom was no match for is and pretty useless this time around).

I like how it turns out that it's not a monster at all but just some swamp guy (Huu) bending the vines around him & that he's not a bad guy but was just defending the swamp. Good dialogue and world-building with how they get to see the giant Banyan-grove tree tree (which is the heart of the swamp, which had grown from the tree itself), Huu tells them about how how everything is connected & of how the swamp do show visions about loved ones who are deceased & Aang realizes the girl he saw might be someone he will meet; I really like how this really deep dives into the spiritualism but also helps construct this world even further (and playing on the theme of balance and how everything is connected, shown by how Aang finds Appa & Momo by mentally connecting with the roots.

Then there's the subplot with Appa & Momo. It has some amusing scenes of the two animals interacting & them being chased by swamp-dwelling hunters is entertaining overall: It is kinda cheap to have the hunters be stereotypical hillbillies who speak with southern drawls & there being banjo music, they are amusing & I like how they build upon the Water Tribe, being swamp folkss who uses waterbending to propel their boats forward (and nice moment where they meet Team Avatar, with the initial fight cut short once Katara & one of them realizes the other is a waterbender). It ends well with a little fireside feast & Sokka continues to believe there's nothing mysterious going on (but we know Huu didn't cause the tornado & a vine is seen slapping the screaming bird, so yeah, defnitely a lot of mysticism here which I definitely like).

The Zuko & Iroh story at the beginning and the end isn't anything extensive, but it still furthers their story, showing how they sit begging for money & food (at least Iroh who even do some funny singing) and Zuko ating it, especially when this asshole with double broadswords harasses them and makes Iroh dance for a gold coin (what a piece of crap, definitely understand how Zuko had enough at that point. At least the guy was memorable. Then at the end, we have the Blue Spirit back (teased at the start with the mask seen on a cart of masks while a snippet of his theme) and he beats the crap out of the asshole and steals the two swords, which was a great ending stinger for this tale.

4/5
 
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Avatar Day (Book 2, Chapter 5)

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Original Airdate: April 28, 2006
Writer: John O'Bryan
Director: Lauren MacMullan


We're back to another one-off town visit episode and well, this one is a lot of fun despite in no way one of the best episodes (I recall that it often has been called one of the less liked episodes of the show), but I find it very entertaining and funny plus with some neat action, not to mention interesting by giving some lore on a past Avatar. So in this one, we see Team Avatar making a daring escape and stumbling into a town celebrating an anti-Avatar Day (so not quite what the title seems) due to how the ancient Avatar Kyoshi supposedly killed their leader some 300 years ago & it made for a nice and fun mystery story with Aang decides to prove his innocence and Sokka becoming a private investigator.

The opening with the Rough Rhinos (this specialized band of Fire Nation soldiers riding on Komodo Rhinos) bursting into Team Avatar's camp sees the latter them off making a quick escape was a neat start to the episode (and I like the bits of humor with Sokka at the beginning and end, with the opening bit of Momo stuffing his hand into Sokka's mouth to get the spider that had made a web over the mouth overnight & Sokka lamenting how his friends got an affect each (staff & scrolls) but left his boomerang: Him mourning his boomerang was an amusing side story). I also like the pit stop with at the little shop where the gang's Water Tribe money is pointed out (that is accepted, in some places)

Then there's the Avatar Day introduction with the Avatar statues burned like effigies, Aang and friends being "party poopers" who stop it & Aang decides to find out why they hate the Avatar so much and clear his name (with the help of his friend). Not only was there some pretty funny moments in this story (like, maybe especially the town mayor Tong who's such an pompous jerkass with memorable lines, but also other moments such as Sokka being a detective with a silly hat & the dragon bubble pipe & getting petty when Katara figures things out before him) but it also made for an interesting one as well, with the story of how Avatar Kyoshi killed their beloved leader Chin the Great.

I like the return to Kyoshi Island (this time to gather evidence that Aang, or rather his past life Kyoshi, did not murder the town's leader in ancient times) so it was nice to see the leader, Oyaji, again (I don't think his name was mentioned last time) & get some more backstory on Kyoshi herself as the brother-sister pair gets their evidence (and meanwhile, I love Aang bonding with his fellow prisoners back in town, that turn out to be sensitive guys). The trial itself is funny and enjoyable (with Mayor Tong being an entertaining jerk in his Kangaroo Court, in which he decides who's right. What a jackass), though Kyoshi being summoned give some intriguing backstory on what really happened way back.

The Rough Rhinos returning and threatens the town and the mayor was a nice redemption for Aang (who had just spun the "Wheel Of Punishment", a funny moment), getting "community service" and that is, naturally, getting rid of the Fire Nation team (who all have their speciality, which give more character to the otherwise anonymous soldiers), there's some very neatly directed action (and Sokka's boomerang comes back, albeit not in the usual sense) and Aang's confrontation with the leader, Colonel Mongke, was a good one. The town is saved and now the town celebrate the avatar with fireworks and unfried cookie dough (funny) leaving Sokka to utter the amazing final prase that sum the episode up.

The subplot of Zuko & Iroh was a great one that really moved the overarching story forward (so it was a good combination of it and the Avatar Day story), with the Blue Spirit going around stealing food, money & supplies making for some neat scenes & Iroh questioning how Zuko aquired everything (even a porcelain tea set), which created an interesting bit of a rift between them, as Zuko has had enough and understandably cannot follow the ways of Iroh, conflicted due to his continuing obsession of catching the Avatar (and Iroh is right that even if he did get the Avatar, it still wouldn't solve their problems) so Zuko sadly leaves and Iroh lets him go to figure things out (which was inevitable).

3.5/5. Not the best of episodes and with its flaws, but still rather entertaining (and in the case of the subplot emotional and dramatic, but in a more low key way). From here on out, I must still say the season do rise in quality.
 
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Well, I always said that if I had to pick the episode of the series I like the least, it would be either The Great Divide or this one. It's a shame because I like the idea of a town being against the Avatar which I find interesting, but in the end, they even more of a pain in the ass than the Zhang and the Gan Jin tribes, which is kind of a feat. And yes, I know the episode do acknowledge they are jerks, but it doesn't make them funnier to me. Plus, Sokka's parts, I always found them a bit too silly to me, I don't know why. I do like the bitter ending though. And while the subplot is good and interesting, I don't think it blends well with the sillier main plot. Not downright terrible of course, just... eh.
 
@Wile E. the Brain, while I am a little surprised this one is your second least favorite, I can see why since many do have a problem with it. As my rating reveals, I'm not too big on it myself (and aside from the strong subplot, it really is like the 2nd season answer to 'Great Divide'), but I still find it rather amusing and keeping my interest due to the aspects that do really work, such as the expansion about Kyoshi & the scenes with the Rough Rhinos (whom I wish would've appeared more often).

Regarding the town and the villagers (especially the mayor, whom is really the only one who stand out), as opposed to the generally unfunny childish bickering of the Gan Jin & the Zhang tribes in 'Great Divide', they do make me chuckle more as the assholes they are (and the snooty performance by James Hong as the jerkass mayor is still pretty funny to me, but with a lesser actor it could've fallen flat) so in the case of writing a bunch of jerks, this one came out better than the previous effort.

The episode is certainly fairly pointless in a sense (again, aside from the subplot, which kinda comes off as a justification for the main plot) but as a purely silly, comedic little filler-ish adventure (that includes Sokka's silliness, which feels like an odd thing to complain about since he's often portrayed as the really silly, over the top one) I think it does it's job, but yeah, I can understand that the town being so stubborn & unlikeable pretty much ruins it for you.

What do you think of the previous reviewed 'Return To Omashu' & 'The Swamp', by the way?
 
(that includes Sokka's silliness, which feels like an odd thing to complain about since he's often portrayed as the really silly, over the top one)
Like I said, maybe it's just me, but even for Sokka I always thought that lousy detective idea was a bit much, and I swear I don't know why, since usually, him trying his best to look serious while he's just doing silly stuff (like, say, his drawings of Appa a few episodes later) comes across as hilarious to me. Maybe it's because it enhances the contrast between both plots, I don't know. But it's still not that big of an issue to me, I just wanted to point that out, aha.

Truth be told, my memories of Return to Omashu and The Swamp are too vague. I wish I rewatched them so I could say something about them, but you know... so many things to do. That being said, it's mostly the beginning of the season I don't have a lot of memories of, I will have more things to say about the episodes that are about to come.
 
@Wile E. the Brain, Point taken regarding Sokka. I thought him trying to be a detective but being really bad at it and having to resort to steal what Katara already pointed out very funny, but I see how it doesn't work for some, like with the episode itself (which really do have some great lines, such as "It's why they call it 'justice', because it's 'just us")

Also, I definitely agree that the five or so episodes of the season aren't the most memorable and the following ones do stand out a lot more, but I still think that the five have a lot of good things in them, but yeah, the following blow them out of the water.
 
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