ASN Wants Your Episode Reviews!

[Water Rae]

I would be more than happy to write up a quick review. It gives me a chance to re-watch an episode of Avatar, anyway. But I think it would be best if I knew what episodes needed to be reviewed. Anyone care to fill me in on that?

[SMBH]

I would be more than happy to write up a quick review. It gives me a chance to re-watch an episode of Avatar, anyway. But I think it would be best if I knew what episodes needed to be reviewed. Anyone care to fill me in on that?

You can find the episode reviews in this page on ASN's main site. That table tells you which episodes have been reviewed, links to the reviews for each episode, what average grade each episode was given, and what episodes have not been reviewed yet.

If you're going to write some reviews, please don't forget to take a look at the review guidelines in the opening post of this thread

[familyyguy]

I might do one just for the fun of it.

[NeeNee]

Hey guys, just to let you know that we're still looking for reviews for the last four episodes (others are welcome too, but these are most urgent).

Just leave your reviews here, and if they're good, they'll get posted on the mainsite of ASN.

[Master_Waterbender15]

I have reviewed the last four episodes of the series. I hope you find these usable and well-done. Message me if you want me to modify anything.


Avatar Episode Reviews

Episode: 318, Sozin’s Comet: The Phoenix King
Grade: A-

The first part of the Avatar series finale is likely overshadowed in the collective memory of us fans, well, because the rest of the four-part finale is packed full with fan-service and awesomeness. Nevertheless the episode stands out amongst its preceding chapters as it adds dynamics to the finale and provides an interesting exposition to the epic conclusion of the story we grew so attached to in our viewing experience.

Several of the most attractive aspects of this exposition include the plot thickening that Zuko presents to the group when he tells them all of his father’s plan. The way in which Zuko brings this up is incredibly entertaining and appropriate of his character: rather than berate the group for ignoring the impending doom of the Comet’s arrival or explain the need to fret, he attacks Aang, full on. This chase scene, coupled with the training the group undergoes in preparation for a joint assault on The Firelord and the Royal Palace, sets the precedent for the action to come.

Another one of the demarcating characteristics of this episode in particular is the smattering of jokes the writers peppered into this episode. Whereas the mood in each of the consecutive segments of the finale is increasingly emotional, tenebrous, and apocalyptic, this episode begins with a beach party – a gratuitous opportunity to show off the characters in their swim gear one last time – and proceeds with Toph’s Melon Lord line and a quite humorous search for Aang.

To address Aang’s character development: his issue with violence is founded in previous episodes and absolutely logical here. The argument he has with the group about what seems to be an imperative to kill Ozai and his reluctance to do so makes perfect sense in serving as an impetus for his disappearance and subsequent soul searching.

Overall, the expository nature of this episode leaves the viewer wanting, which is ideal for dragging he or she into the rest of the finale. This episode brilliantly sets up those to come. Nevertheless, as a sort of overture, this episode doesn’t exactly fulfill the viewer, and as such I cannot rate it as highly as I would its sister segments. A solid episode, an excellent entrée, yet nothing compared to the main course.

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Episode: 319, Sozin’s Comet: The Old Masters
Grade: A-

I am trying to be unbiased in rating this episode, because I was one of the fans who absolutely died when the assembled members of The Order of The White Lotus revealed themselves to Zuko and friends, seeking out Iroh as the last hope against Ozai. Nonetheless, it is important to stay detached from these overpowering feelings, and this is quite more easily accomplished now that the series has been over for so long. Regardless, there are some problems with this episode.

The return of many beloved secondary characters – especially June’s role in finding Iroh and The Order – is undeniably one of the greatest features of this episode, yet many fans had problems with the plot, namely the introduction of the deus ex machina of The Lion Turtle. By some mysterious, ancient power, Aang is summoned in a trance to this massive, island-sized creature, where he finds himself the next morning with no recollection of ever arriving there. Marooned with Momo, he seeks assistance from his past lives in attempts to resolve his inner conflict. Aang’s trusted advisor, Roku, laments his own part in failing to preempt the War, and Avatar Kyoshi expresses her preference for directness and force as well. The official introduction of Avatar Kuruk (Water Tribes) and Avatar Yangchen (Air Nomads) is absolutely delightful, yet they both concur with the previous sentiment.

Aang then realizes the “island” he is on is moving when he notices a shoreline growing in the horizon. He investigates, discovers the Lion Turtle, and is provided with a bit of arcane wisdom, which isn’t obviously intelligible at first. Nevertheless, as is revealed later, the Lion Turtle functions as a perfect solution to the unsolvable dilemma, telling Aang just what he needed to hear, and this seems contrived, and it upset quite a few fans.

In my opinion, this deus ex machina makes sense, though it isn’t exactly creative genius. Aang most clearly has the forces of the universe on his side throughout the entire series. After all, the slightest chance saved him from certain death one hundred years ago and preserved him, almost saving him for this future purpose. Perhaps, then, this encounter with the Lion Turtle was predestined, scripted from Aang’s birth. This idea of fate seems not entirely unfounded.

In any event, to further critique the episode: though it presents highly emotional and watchable material – Zuko’s reunion with his uncle and Aang confiding in his previous incarnations – as well as valuable character development, the episode, again feels like a preamble and leaves the viewer on the edge of their seats. As a note, this can be both a good and a bad thing, but after two episodes of preparation the average viewer is more than ready for the action. The continued build-up, coupled with the deus ex machina issue, makes this episode slightly less scintillating than the concluding chapters.

***************

Episode: 320, Sozin’s Comet: Into the Inferno
Grade: A+

A fan favorite, this episode is loaded with action, which is admittedly one of the most attractive aspects of the series overall. This episode shines in its display of not only more action in one episode than ever before, but also in its presentation of an indisputably eclectic array of battles and duels. Yet the much-anticipated arrival of The Comet brings more than just breathtaking bending.

I speak of Azula’s character development, of course, though character deterioration may be more apt. With the Comet’s arrival and her father’s decision to name her the new Firelord, Azula begins to really crack under the pressure. Whereas previously her suffering wasn’t exactly clear, in this episode her paranoia is glaring the viewer dead in the face. She ditches all her security guards and servants suspecting betrayal. Megalomaniacal and deluded by her new station, she is a totally different persona. Once calculating and perfect, she now exhibits countless flaws and devolves into emotional meltdown. The scene where she hallucinates her mother presence in the palace is chilling. Nevertheless, when Zuko comes to challenge her we are provided with a rare exhibition: an Agni Kai fueled by The Great Comet. Not only that, but Azula’s insanity makes for a refreshing twist to the fight, thrilling many who love to hate the perfect princess. The music accompanying this duel is possibly the best of the series.

Other exemplary aspects of this episode: Toph, Sokka, and Suki commandeering the air ship to destroy the others and prevent The Fire Nation from decimating the lands of The Earth Kingdom. This is one of the most unexpected kinds of action you find here, reminiscent of the GAang’s successful takedown of The Drill. Sure there’s bending involved, but this part of the finale is more about successfully executing a plan against all odds. One of the things I’ve always admired about this series is the storytellers’ collective ability to juggle so many different plot strains in one episode, and this episode provides a prime example.

My personal favorite part of this episode is the actualization of Iroh’s destiny. A spiritual and learned man, alongside his international league of extraordinarily hardcore gentlemen, Iroh brings to fruition a prophetic vision of conquering Ba Sing Se, capital of The Earth Kingdom. Yet, true to his character, he reconquers it in the name of its rightful inhabitants. Amazing comet-fueled Firebending and masterful bending displays from our favorite old people aside, this part of the episode was awe-inspiring. An international coalition acted against the jingoism of The Fire Nation and worked to assist the Avatar in his duties: this gives the viewer hope.

Overall, this episode is obviously a masterpiece. The animation is painstakingly seamless, the action is eclectic and pervasive, and the concluding drama of the episode is as alarming as it is compelling. Excellent episode, plain and simple.

***************

Episode: 321, Sozin’s Comet: Avatar Aang
Grade: A+

The concluding chapter of this enrapturing tale that attracted millions of viewers and fans is one of its best. I’d say the conclusion doesn’t leave its fans wanting, but Avatar is such a loveable story, set in such a well-crafted fantasy universe that us fans never want to leave. The final chapter does, for the most part, provide the closure and finality you’d expect from a finale and the result is universally moving.

One of the things I’ve always adored in the series is the theme. This isn’t a typical tale of good versus evil or surmounting adversity. Yes, that is the backdrop here, but the themes of Avatar are transcendent. This tale is about personal growth in adventure, the preeminence of universal justice, and the power of love, serenity of spirit, and hope. Despite the colossal misfortune of Aang’s loss, the scars The Fire Nation dealt the world, the impossible task at hand, and the series of events presented in the preceding episodes, Aang, in all his innocence, prevails. It is impossible to not empathize with the characters. By time the dust settles and the action has ceased, the episode allows its viewers to finally stop holding their breath, release a few tears, and sigh, “We did it! It’s over, we won.”

To address the specifics, “Avatar Aang” is a perfectly balanced episode. Drawing all battles to a close with remarkable flair, Aang basically “glows it up and stops that Firelord,” and Katara tags in for Zuko to finish off Azula. The initiation of Aang’s Avatar State rampage is another much disputed happenstance: its convenience screams contrivance, yet I beg to differ. Aang was running on so much adrenaline in this fight that his Avatar State defense mechanism was long overdue in this fight; any contact to his scar would have done the trick, and perhaps his interaction with the Lion Turtle helped to initiate the chakra unlocking process.

The two action sequences in this episode were flashy and epic, and their conclusions were truly awing. Katara’s victory – her finishing more is tactical brilliance – and Zuko’s recovery is relieving. Aang’s success in taming the Avatar State and unlocking the secret of “energybending” is to be expected of the prodigious Avatar, and for me there was almost no other way of ending it. Aang’s spirit soars: his purity is beautiful and untouchable despite the tragedy that befell him and his people. When Aang found his nonviolent solution and sucked all of Ozai’s immense power directly into the Avatar Spirit, I could do nothing but rejoice. It was the most deserved ending.

The rest of the episode is an overflowing fount of emotion. Zuko’s promise to the world is beautiful and hopeful: his coronation, ideal. We’re teased for a bit with the prospect of finding Zuko’s mother, but it slips away as the scene changes to a calm, twilit gathering in Iroh’s Ba Sing Se teashop, The Jasmine Dragon. I cannot imagine a more perfect ending: the sky ablaze, the characters reunited and finally at peace, and Aang and Katara, together at last. A picture perfect ending to the greatest animated series ever to grace American television.

[guyw1tn0nam3]

I'll take a shot. *hopes not to get shot at my grading*

Edit: Here we go. I have NO idea how long it was supposed to be, but I think I wrote a bit much. I'll edit grammar as needed later, but I have class!

The Phoenix King - C+

It’s strange to have thought that Aang almost never considered that “beating the Fire Lord” would inevitably mean having to kill him. Foreshadowed in The Southern Raiders, The Phoenix King opens up this four episode finale with Aang’s final obstacle: a moral dilemma that pits his duty as an Avatar against his moral compass and Air Nomad teachings. This episode does a very good job of emphasizing Aang’s moral dilemma. Not even being able to strike down a makeshift Fire Lord with a watermelon head was a great way of depicting how deep Aang’s accordance with his teachings from Gyatso really are.

Unfortunately, that’s really all that the episode does well. While Aang’s questions about the morality of killing a human beings that he doesn’t like are well taken and reasonable for a pacifist, the episode does a poor job of presenting an opposing case. There’s little discussion of Ozai as a terrible person, having killed hundreds of thousands of people, many of them dear and close to the members of Team Avatar. There’s an inherent deontological and utilitarian debate here: is it right to sacrifice a life to save millions or is it the right of one life absolute and undeniable? Yet, the quandary is undermined by how lousy the rest of the group tries to solve Aang’s problems, especially considering how inconsistent it is.

Take for example, the scene where Sokka slices open the Melon Lord’s head. It’s clear to everyone at that point that Aang is having a hard time with this kill-the-Fire-Lord business. Yet, in the dinner scene right after that, the group is seen having fun, joking with Aang, and making fun of Aang’s problems. It’s hard to imagine that even though he’s a joker, Sokka, who was busy yelling at Aang that afternoon about how to kill the Fire Lord, would be spurring on Aang even though Aang clearly told him that he wasn’t feeling himself. The same goes for Katara, who hasn’t spoken up once or confronted Aang about his problems, even though on a regular basis she’s seen at Aang’s side when he’s alone.  Katara says that “we do understand”, but does the group really step up and acknowledge that Aang has real problems on his hand? They don’t. The bouncing around from comedy to seriousness is done in a way that it feels that the group is acting without really paying attention to anything else, as if the episode is another throw away meant to grease the wheels of the finale with jokes before jumping into anything serious.  

On top of that, I found it strange that the group just decided to let Aang sort out this problem by themselves. I can definitely see it in Zuko’s character to solve issues alone; it’s been a forefront of his character. Still, on issue as important as killing the most important man in the world, I would have thought that the group would want to talk it out with Aang. Instead, the group goes against its group hug five minutes before, and forces Aang to confront a problem that they should have known was difficult and complicated.

In other words, the episode does a great job outlining the Avatar’s moral problems. All of the elements, the Melon Lord scene, the picture of baby Ozai, all of them contribute to Aang’s vision of Ozai as not some potential casualty of war, but a human being with rights, ideas (albeit bad ideas), and a beating heart. On the other hand, the episode is inconsistent with the rest of its cast. They’re too volatile, jumping from one emotion to the other inconsistently to the point that they almost seem out of character with jokes that are poorly timed and their complete unawareness of Aang’s emotions when it’s right in front of them.

The rest of the episode is purely expository in nature. Ozai has outlined his finals plans and proven that again he’s a maniacal dictator, Team Avatar acknowledges that the comet is mere moments away and they should no longer be goofing around, Azula’s psychological state is questioned even further, and Aang meets the legendary Lion Turtle. I have complaints about some of these elements, especially the sudden presence of the deus ex machine Lion Turtle, but those are complaints more appropriate for later episodes.  


The Old Masters - B+

I think this episode proves that Zuko is most complete character in the entire show.

The Old Masters opens up with a nice suspenseful scene. Jun is forced by Zuko to use her Shirshu, Nyla, to look for Aang. When Nyla can’t find him, Jun claims that Aang no longer exists.

There are a few problems that I had with Jun’s encounter. How did Zuko know where to find Jun? Was it certain that she was going to be in a sleazy Earth Kingdom tavern? Jun has been known to be a bounty hunter taking jobs and tracking people down all over the Earth Kingdom, so was Zuko just going to wait in the cavern until Jun arrived? It’s a dangerous gamble, but I guess it’s because Zuko had little choice in the matter anyhow.

This episode is much better than the previous, because it actually debates the conflicts that Aang is facing. Aang tries to consult with his past lives to come up with a solution, and there’s quite a bit of good dialogue. Kuruk’s dialogue seemed pretty forced and he really didn’t give any advice that Aang hadn’t heard before, but Yangchen’s dialogue with Aang was without doubt the most powerful and well worded argument.

The episode also does a great job of bringing in the Order of the White Lotus. Although not much is ever known about it, I didn’t really think they needed to expand on it a lot. The Order was simply an order designed as a society for beauty and philosophy. It just so happened that these same people who belonged in this society and appreciated such things also turned out to be great benders.

If anything, The Old Masters should get a good grade for just showing how good of a character Zuko is. He’s complained, he’s been annoying, he’s been hated, but it's hard to deny that from the entire show, Zuko, as a character, is just flat out more well-rounded than anyone else. He’s gone through an entire arc of events and has changed so much. His confrontation with Iroh near the middle of the episode is one of the most emotional confrontations that I have watched in most animated works, and I’m pleased to say that it was probably my favorite and most memorable scene of the entire series. There was nothing more gratifying than seeing Zuko finally hugging Iroh after all this time.

That being said, this episode still had the occasional problem. While I agree that Iroh fighting Ozai would only be seen as an act of violence, Iroh’s suggestion to Zuko seemed silly. Iroh wants an idealist with a pure heart to lead a country through political turmoil, inevitable settlement engagements, and the lurking threat of assassination? Does he want to kill Zuko? I know, the stage was always set for Zuko to become Fire Lord, but the ramifications of him becoming Fire Lord at such a young age are clear, present, and most of all dangerous. Does Iroh really have no better idea of a transition of power than to just beat Azula into a pulp and install Zuko to the throne? Isn’t that still a fight between siblings, a representation of familial infighting, and a fight for control and political power? 

And then of course, is the Lion Turtle. While my comments on him will be explored in the final review of the finale, I have to say that the Lion Turtle is what really killed the episode here. What I love about Avatar is that it always gave a sense of magnitude and importance. The minute we saw Ba Sing Se’s walls, all of our expectations from previous episodes just made the sight of the city that much more magnificent. When we first the other Avatars, we were bestowed with a sense of awe, because we had seen so many art drawings, statues, and other such homages to the Avatars that we knew that these were great people who had accomplished so much.

The Lion Turtle? Aang just goes up to it, says “A lion turtle”, with an amazed look on his face and bows. The audience is given no context to its importance other than the fact that it looks ancient, is really weird looking, and has an awesome deep voice. 

Still, even with all these faults, The Old Masters was a great joy to watch for a variety of reasons. If anything, it was better than the exposition to this finale.

[guyw1tn0nam3]

Couldn't fit the entire review into my first post, so here's the other part.


Into the Inferno - A-

What they did with Azula in this episode was great, nothing short of a spectacular look at what betrayal did to the one that betrayed the most.

On top of that, this episode was an episode of pure action, and as a show that was influenced from the likes of Samurai Champloo, Cowboy Bebop, and FLCL, an episode filled with action is always incredibly fun to watch.

Now before I go on and praise the rest of the episode, I do want to touch on Ozai’s plan to “crush the hope” of the Earth Kingdom.

Ozai’s plan is basically to burn the Earth Kingdom to the ground, and from the ashes, his new Fire Nation empire will be born. Now, that’s cool and all, but the plan itself is littered with so many flaws that it’s almost sad to hear that the plan was inspired from Azula.

Ozai opts for what appears to be the worst strategy ever. The general that gives Ozai a report states that there are a number of Earth Kingdom rebellions that are still roaming around the Earth Kingdom. Ozai seems dissatisfies with this, which is reasonable. But the methodology in which he wants to achieve this surrender is impractical. Here’s why.

The first is that there are much better “hope-breaking” strategies that have been used. Let’s remember the episode Imprisonment, where martial law literally broke the hope of Haru’s village. Now granted that was solved by Aang, but how many more Earth Kingdom towns were in such a dilemma? People in the Earth Kingdom seem to have a chronic problem of hopelessness. Heck, when Azula rammed the drill into Ba Sing Se, after Ty Lee defeated a band of Earthbenders who were trained to destroy the drill, the general at the top of the wall gave up hope too.

So wouldn’t a better policy just be to capture every Earthbender and subjugate them to slavery in metal factories? That could be accomplished by what the general had originally planned, to supplement the forces in the Earth Kingdom with more soldiers. It’s true that Zuko suggests that the Earth Kingdom can survive anything as long as hope exists, but I don’t see a lot of hope for a kingdom when all of their prized benders have been captured and enslaved.

Let’s also look at the practicality of burning the Earth Kingdom. The first is that it’s so large that destroying a small part of land wouldn’t even matter to the Earth Kingdom. There’s also no way that Ozai could have gone through the entire kingdom and burned it down in the span of time that we saw the comet flying over the sky.

Even if the entire world burned under Ozai’s burning fury, what then? What would he be ruler of? A burned wasteland that won’t be ready for at least ten years? Where will his new subjects be? Fertilizer for the ashes of a new kingdom that Ozai might not even live to see? What was Ozai planning to do with burnt land, burnt trees, burnt animals, burnt everything? 

I’m sure this can all be answered by the statement “Well, maybe Ozai just came up with a dumb plan”, but the fact that Ozai is a primary antagonist just makes the whole scenario kind of dramatized for an effect that really wasn’t there.

Now that being said, everything else in the episode was just great to watch. The animation was top notch. The focus on Azula was great, honing in on how crazy she was getting. The scenes with Toph, Sokka, and Suki battling against an armada of Fire Nation ships were fast paced and seemed perfectly complemented by the beautiful clash of blue and red in the fights between Zuko and Azula. And of course, there was the fight between Aang and Ozai, and we got to see just how much Aang paled in comparison with the might and power of the Phoenix King.

These animations were just so fun to watch, I forgot about a lot of things that might’ve been drawbacks to the episode.


Avatar Aang - B-

As the conclusion of this show drew near, I was expecting that Aang’s resolution was coming to a beautiful close. Unfortunately, instead of a resolution, I got a solution that did nothing to solve the ultimate moral questions that had been riding throughout this entire show. Aang’s steadfast determination as a pacifist is rewarded without a single sacrifice, a much too ideal of an outcome that undermines the struggles necessary to overcome the Fire Lord.

But let’s start at the beginning. We get the finishing to Toph, Sokka, and Suki’s stories. For the most part, I was satisfied with how it all played out. The emotion that played into a near death scenario was nicely portrayed. That part played out really well, and the ending of the battle gave such a nice sense of relief. There was no real deep meaning to Toph, Sokka, and Suki’s role in the finale other than “stop the air fleet”, which is okay. These three people were always going to be delegated to supporting characters in the first place, and for the large part that they did play, I think I was happy.

We then get to the most face palming moment in the show. Ozai blasts apart Aang’s rock shelter and Aang is sent flying backwards, until a small spike stabs into the wound where Azula shot him, suddenly unlocking his Avatar State again.

Now, Azula taking away Aang’s Avatar State with that shock of lightning was understandable. It was electricity, and electricity often has properties that can disable and maim people permanently. Aang was also on the verge of death, and the shock of that potential death could have easily triggered his Avatar State into a state of remission. All of these make sense, given to the context of the Avatar world.

However, a spike stabbing into Aang’s back and retriggering his Avatar State made almost zero sense. In The Awakening, Katara attempts to heal Aang and senses a huge buildup in energy in his back. That tells me that the problem with Aang exists on not only a physical level, but also perhaps a spiritual level as well. The idea that a rock stabbing Aang in the back somehow retriggers the spiritual properties and channels needed to get into the Avatar State are questionable at best, and if anything, the likelihood and convenience of the event just made the fight between Aang and Ozai less impressive.

And then comes the final minutes of Ozai’s battle with Aang, where the biggest deus ex machina comes into the picture.

I wouldn’t be so mad at the Lion Turtle’s reappearance if he had been mentioned more heavily. If Aang was recollecting on the words that the Lion Turtle had said in the previous episodes, then that would’ve been fine. Instead, the Lion Turtle says something entirely new, which somehow gives Aang the ability to take away someone’s bending. There are a few problems with this.

The first is that the Lion Turtle specifically mentions “the era before the Avatar”, which suggests that either the power was lost to the ages or was replaced by a more superior methodology of bending. Whatever the case, it seems clear that the ability to bend “energy” wasn’t readily available. So how did Aang learn it? Why does bending energy equate to bending someone’s ability to bend? Are the two interconnected? These questions go unanswered, and they’re perhaps the most important questions regarding the ultimate climax and ending of said show.

Second, the Lion Turtle gave Aang deep lines that he never referred back to. If the Lion Turtle was going to be something more than just a random creature, the episode should have at least acknowledged the words that the Lion Turtle said, because I thought those words were really deep.  It sounded like he was talking about how no matter what decision Aang made, if his intentions were pure and for the best of the world, then it would all be okay. Instead, the Lion Turtle’s words are ignored and replaced by an entirely new line that gives Aang a solution that he always wanted without a single sacrifice.

Avatar the Last Airbender was a great series, and I love the show. I am, however, disappointed in the finale, and definitely thought that Mike and Brian could have done a much better job getting to the finale.

[SMBH]

The reviews in this page have been uploaded to the mainsite. If there are more reviews in previous pages that have yet to be added, they'll be added later after I've had time to read through the thread and check.