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Chapter 17: The Ember Island Players. Finally, the final kiss is just. a lot of filler, a rushed plot and characterization. Aang's flying, I understand; the retarded Fire Nation version of flying, with rocket-powered fists, should never, ever have been invented. Chapter 16: The Southern Raiders.
Cons involve a host of small, niggling concerns. And punching. Chapter 18-21: Sozin's Comet. mushy. ugh. (Speaking of Appa. It's embarrassing.
It's almost goofy, the way they "misuse" words in this series to amp up events that really aren't that big (e.g., "invasion" at the beginning of Season 3, when it was just twenty guys lobbing rocks and peanut sauce). And, although I entirely agree with Aang's statement that revenge gains nothing, I could only roll my eyes as he talked; the preaching only made the episode feel like a morality play than actual entertainment. The soft, understated music, the muted sounds of fire and shouting, gives me chills every time even when I think about it. "hopes." (Snerk). Just think: if Zuko hadn't taken over at home, the Mind-Bending would have been for naught (there's still Azula to contend with). As others have NOT stated, much of it is downright boring and slow-paced with no reward.
Whatever you do, don't introduce your friends to Avatar with this. You'll adore the fight scenes and Toph's "Iron Man." You'll giggle at the romance between Sokka and Tsuki. That's not a raid, that's assassination. Not very seriously, right. Perhaps it is best to treat this as one whole episode. Also, Katara's goody-two-shoes melodrama couldn't be worn more thin by now. The fighting only pays off in the latter half, when Aang enters the Avatar State and starts kicking the Fire Lord around like a rag doll. Uneven.
It feels more like fluffy filler than the satisfactory meat of a plot. That's why this relationship creeps me out. Thing is, that's what initially attracted me to the series its maturity and willingness to face death head-on. As other reviewers have so aptly stated, many plot threads remain dangling.
But you'll probably only watch this DVD once a year or during an Avatar marathon. And some fire. (Everyone in the household sniggers every time someone lifts off with fire shooting from fists and feet like a human space shuttle). The unbinding of the 7th Chakra was lame, as was the whole fight with the Fire Lord. You can still find some real gems in there, though some beautiful fight scenes, hilarious dialogue, and wonderful ideas. To sound smart, I suppose.
with all these nightly excursions, the poor guy hasn't had a full night's rest in a year). Still, at least the Fire Lord got his comeuppance. If you wanted some closure in that episode, you would have been disappointed. All things considered, this set contains some rather awkward and unsatisfying episodes. Now, I know what the producers were going for here (a self-aware commentary filling new viewers in about past events and making statements about its fandom), but it's just lame, sad, and just a bit pretentious. Aang running like a wussy. There are some just "sweet" battle scenes in this one; you've gotta see what Katara does with raindrops. Anti-climactic.
Aang constantly whining about facing off with the Fire Lord was realistic, but irritating and hypocritical; Aang HAS killed somebody, and rather nastily, too. I can't tell you how many times my friends and I groaned and covered our faces during this one. The romance is displayed as something "lasting" and central when it is just goofy and awkward and has no grounds in reality. In a year they'll both hate each other. lots of flying. I'm fine with filler episodes if they're good. Ironically, the fight that cannot be missed in this DVD set is not that between Aang and Ozai, but the Agni Kai between Azula and Zuko.
It's mostly tepid. The final showdown is not the epic conclusion I expected, but at least it doesn't sputter out completely. Furthermore, the Fire Lord's still the leader of the darn country, firebender or no. It was as though they were grasping for ideas in these, and I question why they were made when there were plenty of other more nagging plot holes to fill. Yeah.
I imagined something a bit more epic along the lines of, say, a Viking raid against a relatively harmless monastery in the Middle Ages, and many deaths. This episode could have been so, so hilarious and entertaining in many other ways. The "wise words" of the Lionturtle weren't actually wise as much as they were gobbledygook, and you can't even understand him the first time you hear him. it's just not very satisfying or half as interesting as previous episodes. Of course, by now, such maturity is utterly lost. Zuko and Katara soar off on Appa to find Katara's mother's killer. Rather solid, but merely average.
The only redeeming quality is Toph; I guarantee that you'll laugh your lungs out at the super-sonic screaming. Katara is almost robbing the cradle. Aang's final KO of the Fire Lord is anti-climactic. That romance never, ever made sense to me; you know how 12-year-olds approach romance. It's ridiculous. Afterward, why would you ever want to watch it again. This is a shame, since it's that build-up that made the first season so epic in scale, and also since they waste their time with a lot of filler episodes when they could have been building up the plot and characterization in those time-slots.
Speaking of Zhao, forget pacifism and political correctness, I wanted a smack-down along the lines of the final two episodes of the first season. In a word: UGH. This ep was more boring than anything else; if anything, it cheapened the way the first season spoke of Katara's mother's death. For one thing, the way they're able to float around the world so quickly, you'd think it was the size of a football field. However, if you want to see something awesome, Azula's unraveling and eventual madness is downright sweet and can't be missed. Admiral Zhao, anybody.
This final grouping was all right; on a first viewing marathon-style, it manages to keep you on the edge of your seat. I'd say this final collection is a moderate success. What if it were real, honest-to-goodness Fire Nation propaganda, demonizing the Avatar, making him and his friends look like criminals, getting events wrong, and making things up. The whole continent's population could simply move to the other side while he got finished burning one half, and then move back as he made his second and third circuits. In fact, during Aang's fight with the Fire Lord, I was waiting breathlessly to return to the Agni Kai. Parts 1-4: The Phoenix King, The Old Masters, Into the Inferno, Avatar Aang. So what was the point in the first Lionturtle exposition.
Rushed. The one thing that really bugs me about these episodes and about the last season in general is that they just CHARGE for the ending with little to no build-up. Also, for those of you who like hilarious, goofy lines that should never have been written: the Fire Lord's big plan is to remove the Earth Nation's (wait for it). You'll thrill at the sight of the giant Lionturtle.
Then he starts removing those hopes by burning an uninhabited forest, and only attacks with like. In fact, even when you DO finally understand him, you realize that he says something entirely DIFFERENT in the final episode when Aang bends the Fire Lord. And you know how big that gap looks between you and a kid one mere grade above you. However, there's no payoff; it's irritating that Aang won't listen to them. As it was, it was just another really lame filler episode. I would have liked to see it more spread out, as the madness occurs so quickly that it's easy to misunderstand why it occurs. twelve airships. This would have been a more realistic approach, and it would have been more revealing and entertaining, too.
So it really wasn't a very satisfying ending, all things considered. At first, I loved the idea of Aang going to this "mysterious" island and conferring with his past lives. But this was no raid how could it be when ONLY Katara's mother dies. I suppose it wasn't the creators' faults; after the first season, it seemed Nickelodeon laid down the law and death was downplayed dramatically. Yawn. There's some flying. It just seemed.
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