Avatar: the Last Airbender Review - "The Avatar Returns" · 1:17am Aug 10th, 2020
Back at it again.
After re-watching last week's episode, The Boy in the Iceberg, I can't say I enjoyed it all that much. Most of the characters were annoying/idiots, and it really got on my nerves by the end of the episode. Yes, I realize the characters are young. Yes, I realize they're supposed to grow and develop as the series progresses. However, explanation is not justification. If them being immature/annoying is the point of the first episode, that doesn't save them; they still got on my nerves, and that did not make for a pleasant viewing experience.
But, that was only episode one. I can't judge the entire series over the first episode. That would be unfair. So, after a weak start with the first episode, can the second start putting my view on Avatar in a better light?
Let's find out.
"The Avatar Returns"
-Zuko and his crew invade the Southern Water Tribe to look for the long lost Avatar. In order to save the small tribe, Aang reveals he is the Avatar (what a twist) and surrenders to Zuko. Katara and Sokka chase after Zuko's ship in an attempt to rescue Aang. How does is play out?
- Aang and Katara return to the village after setting off the flare. Sokka and Gran-Gran scold the two for entering the Fire Nation ship and possibly signaling them. Aang accepts the responsibility and is banished by Sokka. (I'd be entitled to take that part more seriously if Sokka didn't call the village children warriors). I would still like to point out that Zuko was going to invade the village, anyway. The characters did not know that, and I can't blame them for it. However, with that mind, Aang getting banished from the village for setting off the flare seems like it's just there to add drama. Zuko was coming with or without that flare. This just sets the scene up for Aang to return after banishment to make a save. Seems rather unnecessary.
- Katara says she's banished, too and tries to leave. Real mature girl...
- Thankfully, Sokka and Aang knock some sense into Katara's head and she stays. Almost immediately, however, Aang makes a joke on not cleaning his room for 100 years. Eh... I didn't cringe, so there's that.
- I'm sorry, but I really just don't like "yip-yip".
- Little girl cries (a little humorously
) and begs him to no go in the most emotionless of deliveries. I don't know if they were trying to, but that entire bit legitimately made me laugh - With that, Aang leaves to return to the Air Temple and Katara scolds her grandmother for missing her chance to learn waterbending. Geez. I understand Katara's frustration and don't blame it on her, but I feel bad for Gran-Gran
- Sokka tells the kids to prepare for battle, and we get another potty joke. They only get worse every time...
- Evidently, Aang decided to rest before traveling back to the temple. I can see it. Appa hasn't been able to fly, so maybe they're just building up their energy. However, it's very convenient that Aang chose a resting spot that gave him a clear view of Zuko's approaching ship. I can think of less convenient ways to make this happen.
- Aang leaves Appa behind as Zuko and Sokka prepare for battle.
- From the fog arrives Zuko's ship. Huh... the warriors of the Southern Water Tribe kind of left their women and children to die after they left, didn't they? I get the village is pretty small and the warriors couldn't take the normal civilians with them, but did they really have to just leave them right there? I get the village is small and there would be little interest to invade, but that doesn't mean it could never happen (as we see in this episode). The closest thing the village had left to a warrior was Sokka, meaning if the Fire Nation ever decided to attack (as Zuko was doing) for whatever reason, the Southern Water Tribe would be screwed. Couldn't the civilians of the Southern Water Tribe been relocated somewhere safer by the warriors? The Northern Water Tribe comes to mind. I'll get back to this at the end of the episode.
- Zuko lands and Sokka stands his ground. I admire Sokka's fortitude and determination, but he clearly does not belong in battle with Zuko. Sokka's boomerang makes me laugh, though
- Aang's entrance on a penguin is... interesting? I find myself questioning why he didn't just fly there on his glider. Was it really more time efficient for him to find some penguin bait, catch a penguin, find a good slope with the right angle, and sled back to the village? My gut tells me "no".
- Zuko finally reveals that Aang is the Avatar. Sokka and Katara are surprised. I can forgive Sokka, but I'm still not letting Katara off the hook for not connecting the dots.
- Aang surrenders himself in exchange for sparing the village. I like that. First real thing I support Aang doing đź‘Ť
- Zuko's "I'm going home" is a lot more emotional after watching the series and knowing his story. I feel for you, Zuko. Your time will come
- Sokka's view on Aang changes and decides to embark on a journey with Katara. Gran-Gran bids her grandchildren farewell by giving them supplies and speaking of having hope now that the Avatar has returned. This scene could've been longer and a little more emotional, but I guess time in the episode forbids it.
- Back on Zuko's ship, Aang has his arms tied to his back. Come on, Zuko. I know you haven't dealt with an Airbender before, but couldn't you have secured him just a bit more? Even for a regular person, that seems like a pretty weak way imprison somebody. I figured Iroh would've at least said something.
- Well, Iroh makes me laugh with Aang's staff.
- Appa flies. "Yip-yip" helps save the day... I still can't get behind it.
- When get some action sequences between Aang and Zuko while Aang tries to escape. Enjoyment of the action is subjective. For me, this is okay. Nothing spectacular, but it's kind of interesting.
- Zuko nearly defeats Aang, but Aang awakens the Avatar State.
- Soon enough, Katara and Sokka join, and Team Avatar escapes. Zuko makes me laugh with "FOLLOW THEM!... as soon as you're done with that."
- In a solid emotional moment, Aang explains that he didn't tell Katara and Sokka his identity as the Avatar because he never wanted to be the Avatar. Responsibility. Solid. But then it's immediately followed by Aang going on a rant about traveling the world to do fun stuff after rather well preserved map (seriously, wasn't that thing frozen in ice and submerged in water?). You almost had it, episode, but you let me down in the end.
Okay, back to point #10 up top. Does anyone else realize just how vulnerable it is to leave the Southern Water Tribe as it is? And I don't just mean for its villagers; just hear me out. Imagine a scenario similar to this:
Fire Nation Soldier #1: Hey, did you hear? The Avatar has returned!
Fire Nation Solder #2: Really? He has?
Soldier #1: Yeah, he's traveling with two kid members of the Southern Water Tribe.
Soldier #2: He is? Hey, I got an idea! The Southern Water Tribe is small, right? And all of their warriors are off fighting the war somewhere else, right? Then how about this: we go to the Southern Water Tribe and hold all of its citizens hostage and/or kidnap them? Unless the Avatar surrenders himself to the Fire Nation, we will burn the village and all of its citizens to the ground, and if he tries to be a hero or try something else even remotely funny, we'll kill them right then and there.
Soldier #1: That's a great idea! Since two of the Avatar's teammates are also members of the Southern Water Tribe, there's bound to be some emotional connection! They'd be great for hostages! That's a great idea! You deserve a promotion!
Soldier #2: Ah, don't give me too much credit. It only took me two minutes to come up with that idea.See, why didn't Team Avatar ever consider that scenario? Heck, why didn't the FIRE NATION consider that scenario? The Southern Water Tribe is easy prey. They don't have any warriors! They don't even have Sokka, anymore! Why doesn't Zuko (who is still very near South Pole) or any other member of the Fire Nation go and capture the Southern Water Tribe for ransom? It seems like a pretty big bargaining chip if you ask me. I mean, it already worked in this episode when Aang surrendered himself to Zuko to protect the village.
I mentioned before in a previous blog that I found some logical errors in Avatar, and this is one of them
Okay, those were my thoughts for this episode. My thoughts: better but marginally. The characters feel less annoying here than in the first, but there is still an air of stupidity floating around. I'd be willing to forgive some of them, but the others are just too big to ignore. Even Zuko, my favorite character, fell victim to this (he really needs to learn how to properly secure a prisoner. If their legs are free, they can run). The episode had its moments for sure, but some heavy things just turn me off.
My arbitrary grade: C+
Sentence: DON'T LEAVE YOUR WOMEN AND CHILDREN ALONE TO DIE!
So, what are your thoughts on this episode? What are your thoughts on my thoughts of the episode? Was there something I missed that could've made me enjoy it more? Did I give you more food for thought? I'd really like to know!
See you next time!
Ehhh, your scenario for the how the Southern Tribe’s vulnerability can be exploited feels like a bit of a reach.
The world at large doesn’t learn Aang is back until all those statue temples light up, and they’ve gotta be some distance away from the south pole by that point. And long distance communication is still by messenger hawk or ship. It would take time to reach the south pole and take the tribe hostage, *and for team avatar to hear about it being taken hostage* (if they ever do) and **then fly all the way back**. And most fire military have to know Zuko is going after the avatar. In the time it takes to reach the south pole, the team to find out and fly back, Zuko, or someone else, might catch him already.
And I think Zuko and Zhao are the only ones who’d know they specifically came from the south, Zhao because he interogates Zuko’s men, and Zuko isn’t telling anyone anything so he can be the only one on Aang’s trail. I don’t think they’d use up their time going in the opposite direction of where Aang went.
And in a later episode we see that not everyone sees the avatar’s capture as a priority. A colonel says Zhao’s mission of capturing aang is a vanity project. “We’re fighting a real war here, and I need every man I’ve got.”
*They also have no idea where the team is stopping, maybe not even that they’re heading for the north pole. They’d have to send word out everywhere in the hopes of the team finding out (more use of time and resources), and that opens up the possibility of anyone in the fire navy trying to catch Aang, and Zhao and Zuko definitely wouldn’t want that.
**I’m certain this hostage plan would have to involve luring the team back to the south pole. They find out after leaving, that would probably make them consider if it’s not just a lie. And while I’m sure Aang would chance it and surrender, they would then either find out the whole thing was a lie and escape or make sure the ones they surrendered to can’t send word to kill the village (which would take time). And if there’s a threat of sending this word if they do escape, they just have to stop whatever method of word sending is being used. Catch the messenger hawk and destroy the message, sink their ship, tie them up and/or hand them over to non fire nation authorities.
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The world becomes aware of Aang's return rather quickly. In The Kyoshi Warriors, word of Aang's return spread rather quickly around the island simply by mouth. The Fire Nation doesn't need to capture the Southern Water Tribe while Team Avatar is within the area; they just need to capture the Southern Water Tribe. So long as the Fire Nation has a hold on the Southern Tribe, all they would need to do is spread the word (tell one area, that area tells two areas, etc.). No matter where in the world Team Avatar is, they will eventually hear of capture, and that is where the Fire Nation holds more power: with them having custody of the Southern Tribe, they can force Team Avatar to wherever they want (some base set to self-destruct, some active volcano with poisonous gas, a wine cellar built because of a bad marriage, the Fire Nation would hold all the keys). Sure, most of the Fire Nation knows Zuko is chasing the Avatar, but the entire nation can't rely on the just the prince. There has to be another plan. The Avatar is the Fire Nation's greatest threat. If there is no Plan B, you have failed. Create another plan, one that plays the Avatar's emotions and morals. If Team Avatar is still running amok and causing problems for the Fire Nation, use the Southern Water Tribe as leverage. Make them go to a location of your choice. If Zuko or anyone else captures Aang before the Southern Tribe plan goes full circle, that's great! The Fire Nation still wins (Zuko is just sad but I'm sure Ozai doesn't mind that much). Just hold on to the Tribe until the Avatar is chained up at the bottom of a cellar with both his arms, legs, and vocal chords broken. Afterwards, do whatever you want with them. You've already beaten the Avatar.
Word spread that Aang is traveling with two members of the Water Tribe. The fact that it's the Water Tribe is reason enough to at least consider a bait plan (the more I type, the more I think about Katara's bait for the penguins
). The Water Tribe is the weakest of the four nations. There would not have to be as much effort to get some bait. In fact, if one wants to get the easiest bait, one would not have to think too hard to realize that the Southern Pole is much weaker than the Northern. So, down we go.
Yes, not everyone sees the Avatar's capture as a priority, but at least some of the higher ups do. Fire Lord Ozai, Azula, Zuko, Zhao chase Aang. Even if some members of the Fire Nation do no prioritize the Avatar at first, once word spreads of the Avatar's constant inclusion in Fire Nation failures, officers will realize just how important it is to stop Aang. Iroh himself said the Avatar is the Fire Nation's greatest threat.
The Fire Nation not knowing where the Avatar is going might be a bit of stretch. It's possible, but since it's known Aang is an airbender, the logical conclusion would be that he would try to learn the next cycle of elements: water. Where is the best place to learn waterbending? The North Pole. However, let's go with the other scenario and assume the Fire Nation doesn't know where Aang is going. Simply put, it doesn't matter; so long as someone has the Southern Tribe at their mercy, the Fire Nation can make Team Avatar rendezvous wherever they want. All they have to do is spread the word of the Southern Tribe's capture. Put effort. Let it be known. Just talk. Sure, I'm certain Zuko and Zhao wouldn't like that, but I don't Ozai would mind. So long as the Avatar is in Fire Nation's custody, does it really matter to him who caught him?
The hostage plan can lure the team anywhere. In fact, I would encourage the Fire Nation to relocate the Southern Water Tribe to a location of their advantage (how about that wine cellar?
) and bide their time to make all the preparations for booby traps or whatever they want. Once everything is ready, spread the word of the capture with a time limit on how long the Fire Nation will wait for the Avatar before executing the Southern Tribe and go from there.
5332748 I still think it’s a bit too much time and resources and a slim chance. You’d have to involve everyone in the the team’s path between the north and south pole, and plenty of them have to be busy. Fighting the war, mainting prisons or occupations, leading an attack, etc. To just put everything on hold to spread word and set up probably a large amount of booby traps a large majority of which won’t be sprung? And give opposing forces to opportunity strike at their distracted foes? What good is capturing the avatar if you give the thousands, probably hundreds of thousands of enemies even a small, brief chance of getting the upper hand? I don’t buy it.
There’s also periods of time where the team is in/over uninhabited areas, or places with a smaller or non existant fire nation presence. In forests, over water and stretches of just land, towns with no enemy soldiers, the great divide, etc. They probably do at least know their main destination, but not their stopping points before that.
“They will eventually hear of the capture” Emphasis on eventually. Word might reach a place right after they leave. And if there’s a time limit there’s still no way of knowing whether the team learning of it and Aang’s surrender will be soon enough to send word to not kill the village. This whole scenario just sounds like the there’s no way the southern tribe won’t be slaughtered and the process of it is just a huge distraction fron the main plot of aang learning the other elements and defeating the fire lord before sozin’s comet.
Thinking about all this, if the writers considered it and decided not to go with it, I definitely understand why. I don’t need the main characters to go through any more devastation than they already did throughout the whole show, or a distraction that forces them to get back to square one.
I’m not arguing that it’s a bad strategy, though I don’t consider it the best either, it just doesn’t sound like something that would work well for the story. Either the village gets slaughtered and devastates the main characters or there has to be a massive backtrack to return and make sure it won’t get slaughtered. This would have to be done very early on to avoid such a backtrack, and I don’t think it would happen soon enough in universe for that to be the case.
As far as capturing the members of the Southern Water Tribe, I can see it not happening simply because Zuko wasn't exactly in a sharing mood with anyone from the Fire Nation. He would have sailed all the way back to his father without telling anyone anything, and maybe not even then, simply deeming it not worth mentioning.
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Sorry for the late reply. Was celebrating a relative's birthday.
All the Fire Nation has to do is spread the word of having the prisoners. They can choose whatever location they like (to their most benefit) and prepare it, but spreading the word of capturing the Water Tribe wouldn't require a lot of resources. Just put public posters and make public announcements (granted, I don't know the Fire Nation's budget on printers
). With the threat of them eliminating the entirety of the Southern Tribe, word is bound to get out. Sure, most people would not know that's a small population, but that hardly matters. Team Avatar will want to save Gran-Gran.
It doesn't matter if Team Avatar goes through uninhabited areas; they will go through Fire Nation occupied territories eventually. If they didn't have to, there wouldn't have been much conflict in Book One.
The time allowed for the Tribe's ransom doesn't have to be immediate; a month give or take should be enough. Spread the word, wait for a while, and either Aang travels to the location or surrenders himself to the nearest Fire Nation settlement. If there is no response, the Fire Nation could either extend the time period or kill a few of the Tribe members to make a point. And, yes, distracting Aang from learning the elements would be great for the Fire Nation. I don't see why they would want to allow Aang to become more powerful and thus a bigger threat to them. Distraction from the main plot is not a good reason for the Fire Nation; by all means, they should be looking to take down their biggest threat, and throwing him off his trajectory is probably a good thing for the Fire Nation, anyway.
Again, the reason that the writer's didn't want to do that is not a good excuse. From a lore standpoint, it is much more beneficial to take advantage of Team Avatar's emotional weaknesses. You can't use real life to excuse most things that happen in the actual show.
It doesn't matter if it wouldn't work well for the story. That's not how things work. You can't sacrifice obvious elements/problems for the sake of plot. That just leads to some bad things. If you want a good example, I refer you to The Legend of Korra.
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I completely understand that Zuko would not tell anyone, but word would still get out that the Avatar is traveling with two members of the Water Tribe. The info doesn't have to come from Zuko. And if he decided to not give a potentially gold opportunity a second thought, then that's just poor thinking on Zuko's part.
5333938 I still don’t buy it would actually happen, mostly because of zuko and zhao. Them and their crews are the only ones who’d know and hold onto the fact that sokka and katara are specifically from the south. And I’m certain both would ensure their crews wouldn’t talk.
Word could still spread that they’re water tribe, but without the knowledge of which pole it ends up a 50/50 chance. What if they were from the north? They had to send a massive invasion force to combat their forces, so I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t go with this plan in that case.
Let’s say it is somehow found out that the south is the one ripe for use, or they take the chance on it. Their method of travel is much slower than appa. There’d be a lot of time taken up just getting there. And then they’d have to send word confirming they’re there, which then indicates that word can be spread out about the tribe being taken hostage, which I still think would take some amount of time depending on how far apart the settlements and towns are. By that point, the team could’ve made massive progress, maybe even gotten to the north already.
Now let’s say they don’t wait to get there, they start spreading word immediately after sending their hostage takers. Word reaches the team, whether aang surrenders or not, they would still end up going for whoever is heading for the south, likely catch up before they get there, and stop them.
I really really can’t see this anything more than a stategy that wouldn’t be considered for restriction/lack of info or prioritizing the war, or wouldn’t be carried out because it’s risky, a massive time waster, and is very likely to fail.
I’m really can’t see myslef budging on this. Sorry. I say we just agree to disagree.
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I was about to reply with my own long text, but then I read your last sentence. I still have plenty of reason to go on, but I'll respect your point of view. Agree to disagree.
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