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[Nocturnowl]

It's a small shame that I rewatched it all a few weeks before this thread came up.
I think I enjoyed it even more on this second run, well I might keep my eye on things here seeing as it's still relatively fresh in my mind.

 

[Kotetsu534]

S1E1: The Boy in the Iceberg

- There's a rawness to the animation and the writing here that's apparent when you've seen the whole series. Sokka's personality is much more cynical and aggressive in the early episodes.
- That said, starting off with Katara and Sokka alone on the rowing boat, even as they needle each other, implies their closeness. Even as Sokka jibes Katara into a rage - which frees Aang from his 100-year prison - he never disagrees that she essentially looks after him and the tribe.
- A lot of exposition is done during this episode, with great efficiency, while maintaining a largely playful air, which is a real achievement. I especially appreciate how the three main characters (and the Aang/Katara and Katara/Sokka dynamics especially) are developed while the exposition is being laid out.
- Zuko and Iroh get brief outlines here too - Zuko wants the avatar's guts, but rotund Iroh, who doesn't care much for orders shouted at him, is his relaxed firebending teacher - but no more than that.
- The little scene aboard Appa where Aang idly smiles at Katara, she asks him why, and Sokka groans, is an unobstrusive indication of Aang's immediate attraction, even if he doesn't recognise it yet. Another quiet insight comes when Aang refuses to identify himself as the Avatar, which implies he isn't happy with it.
- Appa sounds and moves exactly like a great, powerful, placid beast should. Great animation.
- The sequence during the penguin sledding where Aang comments "you still are a kid", then Katara's face is seen in close-up, expressing nothing less than wanton glee, then their bubble bursts as they come upon the fire nation ship, indicates the grave tasks they'll face together despite their youth. Or to put it another way, Katara says (at the start of Ep 2) that Aang's brought them fun, which the village hasn't had for a long time, but the world is bringing Aang terror too.

S1E2: The Avatar Returns

- Continues immediately from the end of Ep 1 with a heated, and heartfelt, confrontation as Aang is banished by Sokka and Grangran for the booby trap. Katara initially wants to leave with Aang before Sokka and Aang persuade her to relent. Katara is clearly torn between the prospect of leaving the south pole and recognises Aang as her chance to become a waterbender, but her greater loyalty is to the tribe. I also think it's interesting that Grangran doesn't chastise Katara when she shouts at her afterward - she understands Katara's anger, and probably suspects she was hasty to banish Aang.
- Aang's been far too playful and jovial about the consequence of spending 100 years in an iceberg. There's some obvious foreshadowing of the moment when it's all gonna come and hit him with a dull thud, when he jokes about his untidy room - his whole temple is a mess, strewn with human remains.
- "I'll miss you." - one of the girls who liked Aang; "I'll miss you too." - Aang says it back to Katara.
- Sokka may be a hothead, but he's a brave hothead. I like the little parallel between his and Zuko's scenes as they prepare for battle - they both want to be proven warriors. He event lands a hit with his boomerang! And he doesn't need to be persuaded to go after Katara's boyfriend, er, the Avatar, after Aang trades his freedom for the village's safety.
- The first really great sequence of the show, in my estimation, is the Aang/Zuko fight. The red filter, the Agni Kai music, the way Aang evades Zuko's attacks, recovers his composure and uses his environement to his advantage while Zuko relentlessly strikes. The editing is clear while being exciting and dramatic - I particularly like the shot where the room frames the image as Aang circles around Zuko. Then the music stops as Aang batters Zuko off wall and ceiling with a mattress. Superb. One thing to have strong characterisation, but another to echo and back it up with fight choreography of this calibre.
- The jokes are a bit telegraphed and less snappy than they are later on - still probably aiming at a younger audience at this point.
- The first of many episodes to trail off with a wide shot of the crew aboard Appa backdropped against the sky. Love that recurring motif, simultaneously recalling all their past adventures and contemplating what's to come.

Episode Ranking:

1. The Avatar Returns
2. The Boy in the Iceberg

 

[PBalfredo]

The one thing that always struck me a bit strange in The Southern Air Temple is how quickly Katara launches into the whole "we're a family now" speech when Aang is in the avatar state. She's only known him for a few days by that point.

 

[WrenchNinja]

The one thing that always struck me a bit strange in The Southern Air Temple is how quickly Katara launches into the whole "we're a family now" speech when Aang is in the avatar state. She's only known him for a few days by that point.

She's trying to calm him down.

 

[Gotchaye]

These are two pretty different episodes.

The Southern Air Temple is the first really good episode. Probably ATLA being a kids' show helps it a lot here. There's this sort of trough of subtlety that media aimed at teenagers hits, where anything of significance is horribly overwritten. Kids' shows don't worry too much about making sure the less sophisticated part of their audience picks up on everything that's going on, and they have to be especially careful around death and the like. The episode is a lot stronger for not having Aang go on and on about the pain he's in and for not having flashbacks of the air nomads fighting the fire nation. One part that works really well is right after Sokka calls Aang away from the airball game.

The Kyoshi Warriors is pretty bad, as ATLA episodes go. It exemplifies a lot of the problems the show had early on in its run, although many of its little moments work pretty well and it's redeemed somewhat by future episodes. The characters are all very flat: Katara is the responsible one, Aang is the childish one, and Sokka is whatever sort of idiot the episode requires. Sokka learns a Very Important Lesson about sexism in a ham-handed way, and this doesn't really come up again. It kind of looks like Aang's going to have to come to terms with how his mission puts the people around him in danger, but then the village is implausibly saved and we even get a comment from the mayor making sure that we know nobody's mad at Aang for all this. The big fight is probably the best the show's done yet, though.

 

[PBalfredo]

She's trying to calm him down.

Yeah but Katara has always been a very earnest character. She doesn't strike me as a person who would just tell someone what they want to hear even if she doesn't mean it (that's more of a Sokka thing).

 

[Toothless]

The Southern Air Temple

The first real classic of the series, this episode includes great stuff going on with both Zuko and Aang. The introduction of Zhao is pretty great, and I must admit a lot of his character’s enjoyableness comes from Jason Isaacs’ vocal performance. The Agni Kai at the end of the episode is pretty good for the first actual bending duel of the show, even though the choreography is rather simple compared to what will soon follow. As for Aang, the Gyatso flashback is super charming, and even though Katara has her first “hope speech,” I actually prefer the Sokka characterization when he’s trying to cheer up Aang; it’s a softer side of him than typically seen in the beginning of Book 1. The worst thing I can say about this episode is the shoddy CGI on the door, but otherwise, it’s a great introduction to both Momo and Admiral Zhao and an entertaining episode in general.

The Warriors of Kyoshi

This episode is interesting because I think it’s the first really Anvilicious episode. Sokka is sexist and Aang is an attention whore, and these are bad things. We get it, okay? That said, Sokka still has a lot of good character moments with the introduction of Suki, and after these episodes, he’s never as annoyingly sexist thankfully. Aang’s arc is pretty route, so I can’t really say much on this episode with him. That said, I really do enjoy the first usage of western imagery with Zuko’s attack on Kyoshi Village. This eventually becomes a notable trait of the show, so it’s wonderful to see it arrive here, complete with Sokka’s first kiss on the show (even though it is on the cheek). Foamy mouth guy and the excellent sequence of how Zuko discovers Aang is on Kyoshi Island round out this episode to be a really good one.

 

[Pics_nao]

It's been TEN fucking years since this premiered? WHAT THE FUCK

 

[Jacob]

<snip>

Episode Ranking:

1. The Avatar Returns
2. The Boy in the Iceberg

Thanks for the lengthy impressions, I enjoyed reading what you thought of the episodes! I've thought about trying to do episode rankings too, but I change my mind so much on this sort of thing that I dunno if it's worth trying to do before the end of the season. I might give it a shot though.

Yeah but Katara has always been a very earnest character. She doesn't strike me as a person who would just tell someone what they want to hear even if she doesn't mean it (that's more of a Sokka thing).

Well I think that Aang being in the avatar state made it sort of a special circumstance, but I get what you're saying about Katara's earnestness. She did grow up with a very limited blood family though and had to learn to expand her definition of family early on (Sokka refers to the entire tribe as her family in "The Avatar Returns"), so I don't think it's too big of a jump for Aang to be part of her "tribe" once they started traveling together. None of the trio has much experience with nuclear families.

This episode is interesting because I think it&#8217;s the first really Anvilicious episode. Sokka is sexist and Aang is an attention whore, and these are bad things. We get it, okay? That said, Sokka still has a lot of good character moments with the introduction of Suki, and after these episodes, he&#8217;s never as annoyingly sexist thankfully.

While the sexism angle in particular skirts close to Very Special Episode territory, I hesitate to apply that label since the show is exploring character traits that were already established in the characters in the prior episodes and that for the most part continue on afterwards. Granted, Sokka pretty much learns his lesson about misogyny and moves on, but he does continue to grapple with what it means to be a man and how to express his masculinity, and Aang keeps struggling with responsibility and maturity all the way through the finale and into the comics. But they do evolve a lot over the course of the series, and "Kyoshi" is an important early step for both characters IMO.

 

[Toothless]

While the sexism angle in particular skirts close to Very Special Episode territory, I hesitate to apply that label since the show is exploring character traits that were already established in the characters in the prior episodes and that for the most part continue on afterwards. Granted, Sokka pretty much learns his lesson about misogyny and moves on, but he does continue to grapple with what it means to be a man and how to express his masculinity, and Aang keeps struggling with responsibility and maturity all the way through the finale and into the comics. But they do evolve a lot over the course of the series, and "Kyoshi" is an important early step for both characters IMO.

Sokka expresses his sexism in the pilot and The Avatar Returns, but Aang really doesn't ever have the attention whoreness he ever shows in The Warriors of Kyoshi ever again or ever before. His attempts to impress Katara in Kyoshi do reoccur throughout the show, and I'll admit that I think his awkward attempts at impressing end after this episode, but ultimately, I think the episode takes the idea way too hardcore and without enough subtlety to be really an intriguing character study. It's early Book 1 Avatar, which means it's not that great necessarily, but still worth watching on a full rewatch (for obvious reasons).

 

[Jintor]

Yeah but Katara has always been a very earnest character. She doesn't strike me as a person who would just tell someone what they want to hear even if she doesn't mean it (that's more of a Sokka thing).

They left their home and tribe on a quest at a pretty young age; they're not just travelling companions, y'know

 

[Jacob]

Sokka expresses his sexism in the pilot and The Avatar Returns, but Aang really doesn't ever have the attention whoreness he ever shows in The Warriors of Kyoshi ever again or ever before. His attempts to impress Katara in Kyoshi do reoccur throughout the show, and I'll admit that I think his awkward attempts at impressing end after this episode, but ultimately, I think the episode takes the idea way too hardcore and without enough subtlety to be really an intriguing character study. It's early Book 1 Avatar, which means it's not that great necessarily, but still worth watching on a full rewatch (for obvious reasons).

The episode is certainly anything but subtle -- you're very right about that. That was something they were clearly still working on early in Book 1. I think that it touches on elements of Aang's character that are present elsewhere, though. Because he's the avatar, he's used to having adults respect him and getting his way a lot, and while this doesn't turn him into an asshole for the most part, he does get uncharacteristically frustrated and/or hurt when he runs into characters who disregard that, such as

Spoiler

the fisherman in The Storm or Long Feng in Book 2

, though of course there were other factors at play in both of those cases. But I think this episode is a step towards those more developed portrayals, while also reflecting Aang while he's still in his least mature state (

Spoiler

not even being aware of the comet and still having almost no firsthand experience of the war

). His avoidance of responsibility is a theme here as well and that is still present in the finale when

Spoiler

he is part of the decision to put off fighting the Fire Lord until after the comet in favor of beach parties and more leisurely training

.

 

[williamsan]

But y'know, I can kick back and listen to, say, Peace (full) and for a few minutes I don't even care.

One of my favorites from the series. Have you heard this live version? I wish I could have been there when they played this.....The live version has so much warmth in that buildup.

The first time I watched ATLA was in a four part marathon on Nick, where at the beginning I was making fun of it and by the end I was shaking for more lol. The first two episodes are very loose, like any pilot episodes would be, but they're ok for what they are.

I can remember watching the end of The Southern Air Temple and thinking/feeling this show was really good. The statue room was so cool. But the ending of the episode when Aang is looking back at the temple as they're flying away, the kalimba playing softly, the purple sky...so good. I became hooked right then, I'm pretty sure.

 

[Toothless]

The episode is certainly anything but subtle -- you're very right about that. That was something they were clearly still working on early in Book 1. I think that it touches on elements of Aang's character that are present elsewhere, though. Because he's the avatar, he's used to having adults respect him and getting his way a lot, and while this doesn't turn him into an asshole for the most part, he does get uncharacteristically frustrated and/or hurt when he runs into characters who disregard that, such as

Spoiler

the fisherman in The Storm or Long Feng in Book 2

, though of course there were other factors at play in both of those cases. But I think this episode is a step towards those more developed portrayals, while also reflecting Aang while he's still in his least mature state (

Spoiler

not even being aware of the comet and still having almost no firsthand experience of the war

). His avoidance of responsibility is a theme here as well and that is still present in the finale when

Spoiler

he is part of the decision to put off fighting the Fire Lord until after the comet in favor of beach parties and more leisurely training

.

I can't really argue with anything you're saying, even though I do believe the other factors in play in those other two examples are much more important than just "disregarding the Avatar status" ideas. Although, and I'll admit that I haven't watched the finale in quite some time, but I though

Spoiler

that in the end, it's a joint decision between the core four at that point (Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph) to hold off until after the comet to face Ozai. Yes, Aang's desire for fun might play a bit into that, but ultimately, I think the decision was more with the other three who thought Aang might not be up to par with facing the Fire Lord.

I'm getting hung up on small things though, so really, I do pretty much agree with you (except that I'm not a huge fan of Warriors of Kyoshi in characterization, at least.)

 

[Jacob]

One of my favorites from the series. Have you heard this live version? I wish I could have been there when they played this.....The live version has so much warmth in that buildup.

I'm not sure if I have heard that before; it is a really great rendition of the piece though. Thanks for the link!

I can't really argue with anything you're saying, even though I do believe the other factors in play in those other two examples are much more important than just "disregarding the Avatar status" ideas. Although, and I'll admit that I haven't watched the finale in quite some time, but I though

Spoiler

that in the end, it's a joint decision between the core four at that point (Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph) to hold off until after the comet to face Ozai. Yes, Aang's desire for fun might play a bit into that, but ultimately, I think the decision was more with the other three who thought Aang might not be up to par with facing the Fire Lord.

I'm getting hung up on small things though, so really, I do pretty much agree with you (except that I'm not a huge fan of Warriors of Kyoshi in characterization, at least.)

We are sorta hashing over minutiae, but I don't think you're necessarily think you're wrong about what you're saying. I look at a few things from a slightly different angle but you make some good points. And there is certainly an element of subjectivity here.

Edit: speaking of The Southern Air Temple, this showed up in my related videos while listening to the ATLA soundtrack on YouTube and I had to share it with you guys.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BfYQRVKItk

 

[BKatastrophe]

The Southern Air Temple is one of my favorite episodes in the series, but man is it a gem in the rough at that point.

One forgets how rough of a first season this show had.

 

[Jacob]

105 "The King of Omashu"

Original airdate: March 18, 2005
Written by: John O'Bryan
Directed by: Anthony Lioi

Perfect timing here after BKatastrophe's comment as we see two episodes that definitely demonstrate the growing pains the show experienced early in its first season. Both episodes this week introduce memorable characters (especially "Omashu") who will play a role later on, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired.

106 "Imprisoned"

Original airdate: March 25, 2005
Written by: Matthew Hubbard
Directed by: Dave Filoni

I do want to give these episodes their due with more detailed comments, but that's going to have to wait because I have a really full schedule today. I do just want to highlight though that the Warden in this episode is voiced by guest star George Takei, which I didn't learn until years after I first saw this episode.

 

[Toothless]

We are sorta hashing over minutiae, but I don't think you're necessarily think you're wrong about what you're saying. I look at a few things from a slightly different angle but you make some good points. And there is certainly an element of subjectivity here.

Yeah, sorry about that... I sometimes do that without even realizing it, heh...

Anyway, today's episodes!

The King of Omashu

My cabbages! The real purpose of this episode is to introduce fan favorite Cabbage Merchant, and there’s not much else of virtue here. Well, King Bumi is introduced which is kinda cool, but two things never brought up again of interest are too. The crystals, although made of rock candy, are a pretty cool concept that we never see again, and the tornado move Aang uses on Bumi near the end of their duel is quite affective, but I don’t believe we ever see it on that level again. Bumi is a fun character, but he can get pretty annoying in an episode entirely dedicated to him. Also, the freeze frame of the cart in the house is one of my all-time favorite Avatar jokes. Still, this episode (along with Bitter Work) was one of the final episodes I saw in my first, out-of-order viewing of the show, and I can’t really say there’s much I really love about it.

Imprisoned

This episode is okay, but is greatly overshadowed by a season 3 two-parter that takes the same basic premise and does it a lot better. I just want to talk about two interesting things in this. First off, currency in the Avatar world. This went through my head the whole time watching this episode as it’s the first time we ever see currency in this place; its copper and other metal coins, which makes sense since it’s the rare material that no bender can manipulate.

Spoiler

However, I do wonder what occurs with Toph when she learns metalbending. We never once see her bend and make her own counterfeit coins; however, we can presume this isn’t out of the question. By the time of Korra, the world has switched to paper currency for the obvious issue of metalbending, but it’s just an interesting I thought of.

Secondly, George Takei. I love him in this episode, and frankly, he’s the only reason to rewatch this episode in a more relaxed rewatch of this show. So gloriously hammy. Also, do we ever see that cool machine gun air thing Aang makes again? It also seems pretty useful. I also love the cliffhanger with Zuko; super-effective considering the rest of the episode.

 

[Shadow_FFVI]

Best animated series. Superb from beginning to end.

 

[Jacob]

Yeah, sorry about that... I sometimes do that without even realizing it, heh...

Don't apologize for it, man! Discussing all the little things is one of the best parts of this thread.

First off, currency in the Avatar world. This went through my head the whole time watching this episode as it’s the first time we ever see currency in this place; its copper and other metal coins, which makes sense since it’s the rare material that no bender can manipulate.

Spoiler

However, I do wonder what occurs with Toph when she learns metalbending. We never once see her bend and make her own counterfeit coins; however, we can presume this isn’t out of the question. By the time of Korra, the world has switched to paper currency for the obvious issue of metalbending, but it’s just an interesting I thought of.

That's a really great observation, and one that had never occurred to me. I just sort of brushed off paper currency as part of the general modernization that happened between ATLA and Korra, but your bending explanation is a lot more satisfying.

 

[PBalfredo]

The King of Omashu has a special place in my heart because it's the episode where Avatar really clicked for me in my original viewing. It's our first look at earthbending and they jump into it in a big way. Omashu itself shows us how they use earthbending in how they design their cities and how they use it in their everyday life. The duel with Bumi is our biggest bending battle yet and really showcases how creatively bending can be used, especially the ways Bumi would use earthbending.

 

[WrenchNinja]

How can you not crack up at "Lettuce Leaf?"

 

[Toothless]

Don't apologize for it, man! Discussing all the little things is one of the best parts of this thread.

Oh, well in that case, I take it back! I actually love discussing Avatar; it's one of the few things I can get really nerdy about. And yeah, the bending observation is something I felt surprisingly when I rewatched Imprisoned.

 

[Mr. Sam]

Imprisoned, for me, is just really a rather dull episode. The earth bending kid pops up again, if I remember correctly, and still fails to leave any sort of impression. There are a couple of laughs - mainly from the warden - and the Zuko subplot establishing Iroh as Someone Who You Don't Wanna Mess With is alright, but otherwise... eh.

 

[Jintor]

We don't need to worry about spoilers in a rewatch thread, right?

I think the other thing Imprisoned does is set up the seed for

Spoiler

metalbending

later.

 

[Hamlet]

Episode 5: The King of Omashu
Alright episode but not the best. Still there are quite a few amusing moments in it and it did give us earthbending and the cabbage merchant. One of the best things in this episode for me is when the gang takes a little joy ride with the earth shutes. A lot of fun and once again the music throughout it is great. Loved all the gags throughout it also.
The Bumi/Aang fight was pretty good and gave us a nice view of what eathbending during fights would be like.

Episode 6: Imprisoned
“That lemur! He’s earthbending!”

Imprisoned is fun alone in just seeing George Takei play such a great hammy over the top villain. The design of the prison is also very cool and well thought out.
"You! Wake up the captain. Search the entire rig!"
"Uh, sir. What!!?"
"That was, the captain you just threw overboard, so ..."
"Then wake up someone I haven't thrown overboard and search the rig! There's something going on here and I don't like it."

 

[Jacob]

107 "The Spirit World" (The Winter Solstice, Part 1)

Original airdate: April 8, 2005
Written by: Aaron Ehasz
Directed by: Lauren MacMullan

108 "Avatar Roku" (The Winter Solstice, Part 2)

Original airdate: April 15, 2005
Written by: Michael Dante DiMartino
Directed by: Giancarlo Volpe

So here we have the season 1 two-parter that's kinda not a two-parter. They tell mostly separate stories and they didn't air on the same day, but these two episodes do follow pretty close on one another and they give an indication of the tighter season-long plotting that would come in season two. We continue to get more a look at the Earth Kingdom but also see part of the Fire Nation for the first time. Most importantly, however, these episodes set up the series-spanning myth arc. For as episodic as Book 1 can be, I do think it's noteworthy that they got this much of the overall plot in place so early.

Also, please note that on Wednesday we've got three episodes coming up ("The Waterbending Scroll", "Jet", and "The Great Divide"). Just a head's up.

 

[williamsan]

Imprisoned is fun alone in just seeing George Takei play such a great hammy over the top villain.

Ahhhhhh, it was bothering me but I couldn't place a face to the warden's voice. But it's so insanely obvious now. hahahahaha

 

[Toothless]

The Spirit World

First off, I’ll tackle the really fun part of this episode; the Iroh/Zuko subplot. It’s pretty fun for what could be a distraction in a worldbuilding episode, and the joke with Zuko trying to avoid seeing Iroh naked is pretty funny. The ultimate decision of Zuko to chase his uncle instead of the Avatar is the first of many in this vein, and the last fight is pretty cool. Iroh seeing Aang fly by in spirit form is an all time of the show moment, and really the highlight of the episode. Ultimately, it’s a pretty great B-plot for the more serious main plot. On the main plot, it’s a pretty good introduction to the Spirit World with a good cliffhanger. Aang does seem to take a while to figure out how the Spirit World works (especially with the “being invisible and unhearable” thing), but besides that, it’s good, if a bit easy for him to achieve his goals. I do wonder how Hei-Bai responds

Spoiler

to the eventual industrialization of Korra, but who knows? Maybe that’s mentioned post Book 2.

It all leads up to the best bathroom joke in the entire show, and the aforementioned cliffhanger that makes you realize, really, this episode is just setting up the good stuff.

Avatar Roku

The first truly great episode; there’s really not much I can complain about. There’s great moments for everyone, from Zhao’s first interaction with the Gaang and Zuko invading the Fire Nation firsthand. I’m especially a fan of Sokka’s fake firebending which, although it does indeed fail. This is also the first episode where we truly get to see a good guy in the Fire Nation, which is interesting, especially considering how all five of them punished at the end, and then we never see them ever again in the show, sadly. I also really forgot how great the conversation between Aang and Roku is; I thought there was a lot more visual stuff to it, but no, it’s essentially just the two of them talking “shot” pretty dynamically. Roku is instantly great in his appearance, and the sinking of the temple is a really nice ending to the episode. The last shot of the whole episode is great too, letting this go down as an all-time great episode.

 

[JadedWriter]

Ep 4:

God Sokka is so sexist until Suki beats it out of him. Aang really likes being the center of attention. Aang's really ripped for an 11 year old. The Kyoshi Warriors took them down efficiently. Don't get mad Sokka you're getting your ass kicked because you need the character development, because his sexism is pretty annoying. One of my favorite aspects of the Avatar universe is the wild life, it was always nice how the wild life took part in some of the storyline. Zuko isn't Azula tier, but he's still a credible threat with his fire bending. He has some nice break dancing like moves that he works into his style. And he still gets air bent through a wall. Aang really should've kept a set of those fans because they're a really good air bending medium. Kyoshi must have been a devastating Avatar to fight in her time.

Ep 5:

Omashu guards are like, "fuck yo cabbages." Aang really works as a comedic lead though. How did someone as batshit as Bumi become king? Bumi bulked up like he was on Bane's Venom serum. Bumi vs Aang was fucking bad ass.

Ep 6:

That fucking old ass man sold out Haru after he saved his life, that's messed up. That Lemur, he's earth bending!! Is George Takei in this episode? Fire Nation establishments look like pure mechanical evil. Fire Nation lighthouse reminded me of this:

Aang's machine gun vortex thing was quite inventive.

 

[Bacon]

Been following along and watching this show for the first time. Totally loving it so far, and all the posts talking about how much better it gets are getting me excited for what's to come!

 

[Jacob]

Omashu guards are like, "fuck yo cabbages." Aang really works as a comedic lead though. How did someone as batshit as Bumi become king? Bumi bulked up like he was on Bane's Venom serum. Bumi vs Aang was fucking bad ass.

I always figured that Omashu must have some sort of royal family that Bumi was a part of, though it's possible it was an elective monarchy. I figure that he must have had an interlude of sanity between his crazy childhood and senility kicking in, but it's funny to imagine that he was always that nuts.

Been following along and watching this show for the first time. Totally loving it so far, and all the posts talking about how much better it gets are getting me excited for what's to come!

I'm glad you're enjoying the show! I hope you'll stick around post some impressions in the thread; it's always a lot of fun to hear the thoughts of people watching the show for the first time. I wish I had clearer memories of my first time watching Books 1 and 2. You're in for a treat.

 

[JadedWriter]

I always figured that Omashu must have some sort of royal family that Bumi was a part of, though it's possible it was an elective monarchy. I figure that he must have had an interlude of sanity between his crazy childhood and senility kicking in, but it's funny to imagine that he was always that nuts.

I would like to believe he was always that nuts. He doesn't strike me as the type to be briefly normal for a job like Toph when she became chief of police.

 

[88random]

I don't normally rewatch shows but you guys made me watch this again. I'll probably catch up by the end of the week.

 

[renegade_dewitt]

Every once in a while, I just get the urge to binge the entire show and I seem to never tire of the characters, the story, or the comedic moments in the show. Something special about it that keeps it age-less, time-less.

I have at least rewatched the show 6 or more times easily. Great show.

 

[Kotetsu534]

Thanks for the lengthy impressions, I enjoyed reading what you thought of the episodes! I've thought about trying to do episode rankings too, but I change my mind so much on this sort of thing that I dunno if it's worth trying to do before the end of the season. I might give it a shot though.

I've ranked my favourite 10-15 or so episodes before. I'm interested in seeing how a full list would turn out if I did it naturally as I watched through.

S1E3: The Southern Air Temple

- This episode sees two separate dramatic arcs build and climax in tandem, which is a surprisingly complex structure for a 20 minute episode aimed at children.
- These arcs are, of course, Aang returning to his home and gradually realising the truth behind what happened, and Zuko hopelessly trying to hide the truth about the Avatar from Zhao.
- Nice touch having Zuko address Zhao by the wrong title and Zhao correcting him - implicit that he's an arrogant careerist.
- Zuko's introduced as a villain in the first two episodes, but it's here where we see another side to him. It's immediately established that he's naive to the political trickery of the fire nation proper, as he doesn't even have an answer for Zhao as to how his ship was damaged. He also doesn't suspect Zhao's underhanded interrogation of his crew, so he lies to him.
- When Zhao goads Zuko about his scar, Iroh warns Zuko about the consequences of challenging a master to an Agni Kai. Zuko points he can never forget them, remarking on the physical scar he carries, but the implicit reference is to the intense shame he endures daily.
- The Agni Kai is, much like Aang/Zuko in the previous episode, an excellently choreographed fight. I love how the blows strike in time to the music beats, and the red light of sunset adds to the drama. It's interesting to see Zuko absorb Zhao's relentless aggression before turning the tables, as if he'd learned from his earlier loss.
- Iroh plays the conciliatory, clumsy uncle throughout the episode, but gradually becomes more serious as the tension ramps up. When he intervenes to block Zhao's cheap shot, he is, for the first time in the series, deadly serious.
- The Aang arc is the weaker of the two, in my opinion, as Aang is far too playful upon arrival at the temple, and there's still a lot of the early rawness in the Air Temple scenes. That said, the scene where Aang discovers Gyatso's skeleton among the fire nation soliders' - surprisingly striking image for a Nick show - and enters the Avatar State in a rage, is startling.
- Katara's desperate plea to Aang, trying to calm him, would normally come off a bit melodramatic, but I actually think the situation sells it well enough. There's a genuine need to calm him down as he threatens to blow them off the mountain, and well, they are alone together for the forseeable, united in loss caused by the fire nation.
- Toothless called this the first real classic, and I'm inclined to agree. I'm pretty sure it was one of only two or three S1 episodes which made my overall list of favourites when I first watched the show. Shows the ambition, world-building and tension building which would come to characterise the shows greatest stretches.

S1E4: The Warriors of Kyoshi

- This episode is the first of the stand-alone "island/town of the day" type. These do tend to be centred around a "moral of the day", and this one is no different. It does manage to be significantly more interesting than might be expected due to being bookended by Zuko (I appreciate the little cross-fade from Zuko to Aang via the map, linking and contrasting their mindsets).
- Aang just wants to play around and show off to Katara (and his fangirls). He ends up getting the group captured and, after exuberantly winning the affections of his captors by revealing himself, gets their village destroyed after news spreads like wildfire of his whereabouts. It all goes to show that Aang hasn't mentally adjusted to either the world at war, filled with suspicion, or his own status as a prized objective by the biggest belligerent.
- Sokka is portrayed as even more of an idiot than Aang, mouthing off with sexist ramblings even as he's captured by strangers in a strange land. Thankfully his character is soon taken in a different direction, and he gets his come uppance delivered by Suki and her friends, bringing him to his knees and dressing him in their gear. "The best warrior in my village!", cried Sokka. Perhaps, but it's one tiny village.
- The writing is noticeably wittier here than before. I especially like the Aang/Katara exchange which runs "That's ridiculous."; "It is a little ridiculous, but..." True of so much, Aang. On a related note, Suki's voice actor excels in conveying just how much she enjoys taking revenge on Sokka. Their scenes together are compelling.
- While this episode is far too on-the-nose with it's overarching theme - Aang directly states "I was a jerk. - I do appreciate how Zuko's appearance brings it to a much more serious conclusion than it ever could have otherwise. An earlier poster commented that his march through the village was reminiscent of a western, and I'd agree - the beige filter and the twangs of the string instrument really sell it. I like how the statue of Kyoshi - beautifully shot in close up earlier, as it was cleaned and painted - is set alight.
- "That was stupid and dangerous."; "Yes, it was." Katara hugs Aang after he does a little makeshift waterbending of his own. Aw. The development of their relationship is one of this episode's stronger suits, although I'll note the series' first kiss is actually Suki's, snatched onto Sokka's cheek before he flees Zuko's men.

Episode Ranking:

1. The Southern Air Temple
2. The Avatar Returns
3. The Warriors of Kyoshi
4. The Boy in the Iceberg

 

[Sheik]

I finally got around to watching Avatar for the first time just a few months ago. I always thought it looked really childish and boring. Boy, was I so, so wrong. Adored the entire show. The writing is so clever, and the animation is so fluid and wonderful. I loved LoK, too, even though they were such different shows. Can't believe it's been 10 years! I wasted so much time.

It's definitely a show I'll re-watch many times in the years to come.

 

[Jacob]

I don't normally rewatch shows but you guys made me watch this again. I'll probably catch up by the end of the week.

I'm glad you're joining in! We're all going at slightly different [aces based on our availabilities. I've had a really busy week so I'm still catching up on my longer episode posts.

The King of Omashu

First of all, there was some truly horrendous off-model art in this episode. Like, seriously painful to look at. One of the shots of Aang looking up at Bumi towards the end was probably the worst. Anyway, in terms of story, there's not much to say. The premise is ridiculous, and while much of it can be explained away as part of Bumi's mad genius, it's kinda weird that in this episode and this episode only (IIRC) does Aang try to hide his identity as the Avatar when in Earth Kingdom-controlled territory. Perhaps that's a response to how easily Zuko found them in the previous episode, though I'm not sure I would give the writing in this episode that much credit.

Bumi had some genuinely funny jokes in this one (and Sokka's Rocky one wasn't bad either -- well, it was a "bad joke", but in a good way, if you know what I mean). And Bumi showed some impressive and inventive earthbending moves off in that final fight, so it was definitely a nice introduction to that form of bending. But otherwise the episode really has little to recommend for it beyond introducing characters that would be better utilized in the future. The weakest episode so far by a significant margin, IMO. It's also the first episode to demonstrate that not having a Zuko/Iroh B-plot is a significant setback; said B-plots would salvage otherwise weaker episodes in the future.

Imprisoned

Toothless commented that this episode is overshadowed by season three's

Spoiler

The Boiling Rock, which has a similar presence but much better execution

. I agree, but given where the characters were in their arcs and the writer still finding their feet, I think this was a pretty decent episode nonetheless. Katara gets shit sometimes for the frequent "hope" speeches, but it's a well-developed part of her character and we get to see why it means so much to her here. Relatedly, the ending shot of Zuko with the necklace is great.

Despite this being the "Water" book, most of the episodes of the season are set in the Earth Kingdom due to the geography of the Avatar world, and it's cool to see more of that country. There seems to be little pattern to which coastal areas are under Fire Nation rule and which are controlled by Earth Kingdom forces -- it seems to largely depend on which plot the writers wanted to use that week. Nonetheless, the whole concept of the prison rig is a really good one, and we get more insight into the psychology behind the Fire Nation's war through the character of the Warden (George Takei expertly hamming it up). The details about earthbending aren't for this book, but just going by the basic question of when the element is available, we get a nice set piece, even if the action isn't showcased as much as it sometimes is.

This is actually the episode of Avatar that I have seen the fewest times. Most of the time (including in my initial viewing) I watch the episodes out of order, and to the best of my memory, this was only my third time seeing this episode. I'm not really sure why this is; it's hardly my least favorite, but for whatever reason it's one that I've often skipped over or just happened to miss. It's still in the training wheels phase of the show, but I do think it shows the writers starting to find their feet even when dealing with episodic plots, especially after the mis-step (IMO) of the previous episode. BTW, did anyone else notice (what I think is) the Mike DiMartino cameo?

Hopefully I'll have time to cover The Winter Solstice after work tomorrow and be entirely caught-up.

I've ranked my favourite 10-15 or so episodes before. I'm interested in seeing how a full list would turn out if I did it naturally as I watched through.

I had a similar thought. It's fun to see what other people make of the same episodes. Here are mine so far, completely subjective and potentially subject to change in the future (though I'm gonna try and keep this list reflective of my thoughts after watching each episode).

1. The Warriors of Kyoshi
2. The Southern Air Temple
3. The Boy in the Iceberg/The Avatar Returns*
4. Imprisoned
5. The King of Omashu

*Before I started making this list I decided to count the following episodes as two-parters -- 101/102, 119/120, 219/220, 310/311, 314/315, 318-321 -- and to list the rest individually. I think these are the episodes that feel most like a single story spread over a longer runtime, though I can see how others might disagree.

 

[Kotetsu534]

S1E5: The King of Omashu

- Second consecutive episode where Aang wants to go play at a place he used to frequent. It doesn't have Zuko - he doesn't appear once, a very rare occurrence indeed -, but it does have King Bumi! And it introduces the cabbage guy, the best recurring joke character. Have to feel sorry him.
- Aang again gets the group captured by messing around with the mail system - nice bit of world building here, about how an Earth bending city's infrastructure can be fundamentally different. Only this time Bumi knows who he is and decides to take the opportunity to mess around with them with his three challenges.
- "Let us leave!"; "Lettuce leaf?" Love it.
- The first two challenges are designed to test Aang's lateral thinking, and he proves more than up to them. He's pretty quick on the uptake! He gets a bit too smart for his own good though when he gets the choice of who to fight and picks Bumi.
- Bumi turns out to be by far Aang's hardest opponent yet, not caught off guard by Aang's "avoid and evade" approach to combat, taunting him every step of the way. Bumi is quite wonderfully creative in his combat, using quicksand, ground spikes, the roof, "boomerang rocks", which he pulls back to him, clearly a master earthbender, able to force Aang to attack him.
- Bumi explains himself to Aang once he works out who he is, that a) it was fun and b) Aang's task, of defeating Fire Lord Ozai (first name drop of the Big Bad!). Bumi hopes Aang will think like a mad genius when he fights him. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure he does.
- The episode is very nakedly of the "moral of the day" type, lighter and fluffier than average, but at least it's a moral Aang needs to learn, and Bumi is the sort of character - witty, overbearing, unorthodox - who adds a lot when taken in small doses.


S1E6: Imprisoned

- It's an episode about (one of) the group being captured, then trying to get free! Well, at least this time it isn't Aang getting them caught by playing recklessly.
- Joking aside, this is the protagonists' first visit to the world under the fire nation. Kyoshi and Omashu were clearly autonomous territories, albeit living in fear of attack. The town where this episode is set has been under fire nation control for five years, and life is truly grim, the people ruthlessly subjugated. Young Haru is told by his mother never to use his abilities lest he be imprisoned, but of course he wants to fight. Katara makes an immediate connection with him via their shared loss at the hands of the fire nation, similar to how she tried to appeal to Aang in S1E3. She also seems to have something of an attraction to him, which while not being of much importance, does foreshadow her meeting with Jet, later.
- But of course, not everyone shares Haru's enthusiasm, and the man Haru saves - inspired, as Aang points out, by Katara - turns out to be a collaborator with the fire nation, who gets Haru imprisoned. A harsh lesson for Katara in betrayal.
- Sokka does something intelligent, designing the ruse by which the fire nation will conclude Katara is an earthbender. The staged argument is fun - I especially like "You giant eared cretin!". What a line. Aang still can't focus for two minutes though.
- There's a subtext to this episode that's been chugging along underneath, but comes right to the front during Katara's impassioned address to the prisoners - the effects of prolonged occupation and continued intimidation as often lead to submissiveness, alienation and fear as fearless resistance, which Katara doesn't yet understand. She steadfastly refuses to leave when Aang and Sokka come for her. Sokka's knows her propensity to silly determination - "I hate when you get like this."
- "That's not really the point, is it? [Guards arguing whether Appa's a buffalo or a bison]; "I'll decide what the point is!" [Warden throws captain overboard]; "But that was the captain you just threw overboard!" Funniest scene so far.
- Even given the means to take the Warden on, none of the Earthbenders react. Only when the Warden, malevolently voice acted by guest star George Takei, explicitly goads the prisoners as pathetic wretches, Haru strikes him, and he's attacked, are they provoked to action.
- I like how Momo airbends the fire nation's weapons away. For the most part he doesn't do too much, but the writers' remembered him here. The fight is pretty one-sided, the fire nation's troops quickly overwhelmed.
- And with the closing shot - Zuko clutching Katara's necklace against an angry sun - we know there will be revenge for this victory.
- While nothing too special, I definitely appreciate the serious look at life in fire nation occupied territory, the wittier writing, and Katara's character.

Episode Ranking:

1. The Southern Air Temple
2. The Avatar Returns
3. Imprisoned
4. The Warriors of Kyoshi
5. The Boy in the Iceberg
6. The King of Omashu

 

[Jacob]

Thinking more about Imprisoned and the old man who rats Haru out. My first thought was that he was a collaborator, spy, or just plain opportunist who turned Haru in at the first opportunity. But thinking on it a little bit more, I wonder if he had a choice in the matter. It would have been hard for him to explain how he escaped from the mine collapse (especially if there had been anyone trapped deeper), and the Fire Nation soldiers might well have suspected earthbender involvement once they inspected the site. Did they force the old man to say who had saved him? I don't want to read too much into the show beyond what it presents or actively implies, but it's a thought that had occurred to me.

 

[Kotetsu534]

When the fire nation soldiers show up that night to arrest Haru, the man shouts - with some relish - "That's him! That's the earthbender!". Certainly doesn't seem like he was pushed hard to reveal him (I assume he was trading the info for some kind of reward).

 

[Jintor]

Well, that was mildly unpleasant. Sorry.

 

[Jacob]

When the fire nation soldiers show up that night to arrest Haru, the man shouts - with some relish - "That's him! That's the earthbender!". Certainly doesn't seem like he was pushed hard to reveal him (I assume he was trading the info for some kind of reward).

I'm not sure I heard the relish on his voice, but you're probably right that the old man got a reward. That's more in line with what the show actually shows.

 

[Jacob]

109 "The Waterbending Scroll"

Original airdate: April 29, 2005
Written by: John O'Bryan
Directed by: Anthony Lioi

110 "Jet"

Original airdate: May 6, 2005
Written by: James Eagan
Directed by: Dave Filoni

111 "The Great Divide"

Original airdate: May 20, 2005
Written by: John O'Bryan
Directed by: Giancarlo Volpe

And so we reach the mid-way point of Book 1, or a sixth of the way through the entire series. This week we have another fairly kiddy episode, the introduction of a fan favorite, and what is almost universally considered the worst episode of the entire franchise. By this point the crew seems to be finding their feet and much of the Avatar identity has been established, though the show continues to follow the morality lesson of the week model and is still refining its sense of humor.

 

[Toothless]

The Waterbending Scroll

A lot of people I know really don’t like this episode, but I can’t really fathom why. Yes, there’s a major moral to it, and it’s kinda filler-y

Spoiler

since we never see the Pirates after Book 1 finishes

. Also, there’s a good argument to made that it’s a got a weird moral to it. Really though, who cares when the episode is this fun? Sokka gets a few good quips, and he shows more of his good responsible nature of the group. There’s a Momo fight. We get the joy of seeing Aang haggle and the fantastic gag where he airbends the smoke away and sees himself surrounded. Katara’s frustration is understandable and also enjoyable in the sense that it makes her a more rounded character. We even get some foreshadowing of Zuko’s skill with a sword in his fight with the pirate chief. MVP of the episode goes to Iroh, who consistently is hilarious throughout the whole thing. I’ve randomly quoted “The lotus tile was in my sleeve the whole time!” way too often throughout the years. So yeah, all in all, this episode is super underrated.

Jet

Not to be derogatory to the previous nine episodes, but I think this episode is when the show really hits its stride for the first time. It’s Sokka’s first “episode” and has a great main antagonist in Jet. Now, the best thing about this episode is the Peter Pan motif. Jet and the Freedom Fighters are obviously the Avatar universe’s version of Peter Pan and the Lost Boys, with their black and white viewpoint of the world and their true immaturity. Thus, I’d like to propose that the real purpose of this episode is to look at the maturity of the three members of the Gaang. Katara and Aang are instantly into the romance of Jet’s world, but Sokka is iffy with his cynicism. However, as soon as he’s offered a mission, he jumps in. Sokka wants the romantic vision of Jet’s world to be true, but knows it can’t be. As soon as he finds out Jet is attacking a defenseless old man, Sokka turns on Jet, knowing (the first of any protagonist in this show, I believe) that just because someone is Fire Nation doesn’t make them evil. It’s rather striking that Sokka, the comic relief character of the show, is truly the most mature. He doesn’t factor into the end Jet vs. Aang fight at all, but as for the emotional core and true resolution of this episode, it’s all about Sokka, as he begins proving himself to be A:TLA’s unsung best character.

The Great Divide

Yeah... this episode has a reputation for being the worst A:TLA episode ever. Can’t really say I disagree with that assessment. The episode starts off with Sokka and Katara arguing over literally the most banal thing imaginable, whether or not their tent should be tarped. This makes absolutely no sense seeing how Sokka just saved an entire village in the last episode; Katara shouldn’t be getting so mad over a tarp. In fact, Sokka and Katara’s animosity towards each other this episode is really out-of-character, so yeah. The other real issue I have with the episode is the rule that the tribes can’t bring food in the canyon, which they smartly disagree with. Yeah, it puts them in danger, but they’re refugees. They need to hold onto food in general. The rule is utterly ridiculous when taken outside of the canyon situation. There are a few good aspects of the episode: the animation style shifts are neat and the canyon guide is actually pretty good comic relief when he’s not being obnoxious,

Spoiler

but no one will say that they wish the two tribes should’ve cameoed in Ba Sing Se.

They should’ve just kept flying.

 

[Trey]

The Waterbending Scroll

Really nice episode, but I think the most notable thing is how we see the precursor to Korra's outfit.

I guess the rough mercenary leprechaun ear look is appealing to some.

Here we see Katara trying to snatch the story from our protagonist, and she kind of succeeds. AtLA is really nothing without the supporting gang, because they are just as full characters as Aang - some more so. Katara is obviously upset that the avatar is a natural bender - a little plot quirk that is brought up in a lesser degree in LoK. It makes sense Katara is a little jealous, considering that mastering waterbending is a large reason why she's journeying with the Avatar; she's getting upstaged by a kid two years her senior. It's a fun little dynamic that doesn't overstay its welcome. The gags that result are pretty good too, much to Sokka's chagrin.

A nice full episode, and I can always appreciate those. Even Momo gets in on the action.

 

[PBalfredo]

A few quick thoughts on each episode.

The Waterbending Scroll

I came into Avatar late, well after the series had finished. This is the one episode that I stumbled into back during its original airing on Nick. I remember being fairly entertained by it, but also seeing that they had a "Morale of the episode" (to the point that Sokka even asked "And what did we learn?") made me dismiss the show as overly kiddie. Looking back now that was silly of me and I've come to really appreciate the episode now.

Also, this scene never fails to amuse me when they cut to Sokka immediately eating shit and the skinny pirate casually complimenting the big pirate on how good he hurled that guy into the mast.

I've been keeping an eye on Iroh so far this rewatch, and while sometimes Iroh plays up his retired uncle shtick to subtly influence Zuko, it seems genuine here. Nothing to be gained by forcing a detour on Zuko, I guess Iroh actually forgot his lotus tile in his sleeve.

Jet

For as much abuse Sokka receives, one of my favorite things about the show is that they know not to go too far with making him the universe's whipping boy and remind us that he's actually pretty competent. It goes a long way distinguish Sokka from other characters of the same archtype that appear on other shows. Also, the art for the airbending in Aang's fight against Jet is top notch.

The Great Divide

It's been a while since I watch The Great Divide as I usually skip it in rewatches. Usually because my rewatches involve binge watching the series with someone I'm introducing the show to in a weekend and we got no time for the chaff. My opinion has not changed on this episode. If any episode of Avatar could be considered filler, it's this one. One little moment I did like in an otherwise dull episode is how the leader of the Xangs launched into her reasoning for the feud at absolutely no prompting at all from a disinterested Sokka.

 

[Sora_N]

I actually finished watching it the whole month of January...for the first time, fucking amazing show. I loved it so much.

 

[Triggerhappytel]

I'm not watching this slowly alongside the rest of GAF, but my five year old daughter has started watching it and she really loves it. We've just done

Spoiler

The Firebending Masters in Book 3 and both she and my two year old boy liked the dragons

. I think it's a really interesting show for someone as young as her, because there's a lot of moral lessons, bad guys, Aang is a pacifist who doesn't fight unless necessary, there's lots of strong female characters, and so on. There's tons of fighting but obviously as a kids' show it makes a point of showing that

Spoiler

no-one ever gets hurt, and particularly later in the third season they rarely use the word "kill" even when saying Aang's going to have to finish off Ozai.

She doesn't understand a lot of stuff and I need to explain it, but she asks to watch it all the time and loves the principal cast, and we keep playing games where she's either Aang or Katara and I'm a Fire Bender, and we have to fight

I've seen some episodes with her, but have not re-watched the whole thing. I don't know who my favourite character is, but I love so many of them and I think

Spoiler

Azula is a really terrific villain who would have made an awesome Fire Lord. Iroh is definitely one of my favourite characters too, and in the episode Stories from Ba Sing Se I get a little bit choked up at the end when it's dedicated to Mako

.

Edited spoilers out. I'm really sorry if I ruined that for anyone.

 

[88random]

Maybe you should spoiler some of that stuff, not everyone has seen it.

Anyway, I can't watch this slowly, I'm already done with the 1st season, it's as good as I remembered it.