Well, here we are at the end of the marathon. That was fun, and if I haven't got my writing mojo back, at least I got to re-watch one of my favourite shows.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is a show that still holds up really well after twenty years. It's visually stunning, the characters are memorable, the stories are engaging, and it touches on a lot of political and ethical matters in ways we don't always see in shows aimed at younger audiences. It's fairly easy to jump in midway through the first season, but it's definitely worth watching from the beginning.
As part of this wrap-up, I'm going to share my "pick of the season" from each Book. However, I'm disqualifying the finales, as they span multiple episodes and choosing them would be a no-brainer if I didn't do this. Anyway, I'll choose a different winner and a runner-up from each season.
Book One is largely a road trip, with the early episodes mostly being dedicated to diversions on the journey to the North Pole. The main goal is established in "The King of Omashu" and solidified in "The Winter Solstice". However, my pick of the season has to be "The Storm". Even though it's largely dedicated to Aang and Zuko's origins, it handles them really well and signalled that this was when the series grew to something more than a series of fun adventures. For my runner-up, I'll choose "The Waterbending Scroll", because it's when we start seeing Katara's waterbending abilities develop. Also, I like pirates. It's interesting to see them working with Zuko, and I like how the party is able to pit them against each other.
Book Two initially involves the search for an Earthbending teacher, but this gets resolved in the first half of the season. "The Library" sets up the goal for the rest of the series, and the latter half of the season involves the search for Appa and securing the Earth King's support before everything goes tits up in "The Crossroads of Destiny". Since finales aren't eligible, my pick is going to be "Zuko Alone", for the emotional journey the title character goes through. For my runner-up, I'll pick "Tales of Ba Sing Se", thanks to the heartwarming nature of Iroh's tale and the humour in Sokka's.
Book Three seems to be kind of split. Roughly the first half involves the preparations for the Day of Black Sun, which results in a lot of filler. Some of it's strong, but some...not so much. "Day of the Black Sun" acts almost like a mid-season finale, and the episodes which follow mostly involve Zuko earning the party's trust before "Sozin's Comet". Anyway, I'd say the winner from this season is "The Firebending Masters", for its otherworldly nature and how it cements Aang and Zuko as true companions. For my runner-up, I'll choose "The Puppetmaster" for its chilling atmosphere and its creation of bloodbending.
Well, that was fun. As for what's next? Well, I hope give the review marathon treatment to the sequel series, The Legend of Korra. There's a lot in that to talk about, but that's for later down the line. Sadly, it's been taken off Netflix. I'll also revisit the live-action series, but that will be a simple review rather than a marathon. And the movie? I made a bet in "The Drill", so I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.
In the meantime, I'm going to have a rest and see what other comfort watches I can revisit.
Happy writing.
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