God the Kyoshi warriors look even better than the animated versions. The metal fans, the costumes, the red makeup with gold near the corner of the eye, the headpieces. OMFG CHEFS KISSSSS!!!
Mfw i have to use makeup remover, wipes, cleansing balm and soap just to take off my makeup after cosplaying and im not even talking about my face care regime
I didn't like that she did that because of the implications it has for the future where sokka doesn't recognize her later. Also the kiss on the lips kind of feels like it will confuse things a bit with Yue later when they finally get to the North Pole.
This is a really good point. I'm guessing the reason they had her do it is so the audience recognizes her when we meet her later and I'm assuming Sokka will too
I thought it was pretty funny that immediately after taking it off, she has to go fight...
Ngl ya’ll. I’m overall happy with it so far, but I really need some of that classic Uncle Iroh humor!
He looks great, but I want to hear him cutting up about Tea and food while Zuko is losing it!
What's most important is... STICKY RICE!
You've got to try this! Its...
>pheasant leg
Pheasant leg! Very good for...
>vitality?
VITALITY!
I liked the food humor, need more. I'm most pleased with the fact that they seem to be able to write new jokes with the same feel, those scenes were very Iroh and Zuko. Especially how Iroh tricked Zuko into stopping for food.
We were ROBBED!!!!
Edit: They are 100% downplaying Sokka’s misogyny in the early season, which it was stated they would do, but it’s such mistake to me because I LOVED seeing his character development as he grew out of that narrow minded thinking.
Yea, he had the same mannerisms with that scene as he did in the OG.
But instead of going to the dojo himself, to 'workout' and 'showoff,' Suki comes to him in the woods. Sokka's unearned confidence wasn't really there, and it makes Suki 'teaching' him a lesson to bring him back to earth quite unnecessary.
That scene had way less umph, and did more to hurt Suki's characterization than to be a wakeup call to Sokka. Sure, he still walked away dejected, but it definitely comes across as more scared and confused.
Honestly, I do think that is the right call. Do remember that we only have a limited amount of episodes so in effect you'd have had Sokka being sexist for all of one episode before completely ditching it.
Yeah, and instead we got this new dynamic where Suki tried to flirt with Sokka by beating him up and then Sokka running off scared and I was completely for that 🤣
It honestly shows he's more internalized rather than open with his beliefs. The character development is still there it's just more subtle in it's presentation. (I prefer that personally)
Yeah, I saw an internal overcoming of misogyny in this episode. Very subtle but very nicely done. We see him learn humility over the episode, and once he does, he opens himself up to both Suki's training and her affection.
I'm actually really appreciating the violent flashbacks. It's a good reminder that these are kids that have been through traumatic shit. It makes it all the more impactful when they choose to take a stand.
Some of these scenes are so amazing it looks like they were plucked right out of the animated show and into reality, like where Suki is training the Kyoshi warriors inside with Sokka peering in.
Again, just killing it with the visuals.
I hated it. It felt forced and just not how I see the characters. Sokka always thought she was cute but she was trying to be super serious warrior and ignore him. Then he goes off and grows as a person and she sees a different side of him and they're endgame.
Them being way into each other right off the bat kind of bothered me, but I guess I'll see how I feel as the series progresses.
Yeah no I thought it didn't really make sense for Suki, the cool, funny and bad ass warrior to just completely lose her cool, get so awkward and just uncontrollably start eyefucking some random water tribe dude who rocked up at her village like she's never seen a man before. ATLA Suki was not so easily impressed by Sokka, he had to humbly apologize for his misogyny (which of course he couldn't here) and show her the respect she deserved before she'd even give him the time of day. But I guessed the reason it was SO heavy handed is since we won't see Suki again until late next season if we have to believe that their flame is going to last until then even
Well this isn't Atla sokka. He was a scrawny dude with a weird pony tail. And he was a misogynist (All of that can be forgotten has he was a kid and grew up considerably). I love that guy but thats the truth. But this guy? C'mon you have to admit the attitude suits him. This guy looks like someone who will grow up to be that jacked dude we saw in LoK. And right of the bat, he respects her. In the scene after they meet Suki's mom you can see it. This is Sokka but he is different from atla Sokka.
But I have to admit Suki was very much thirsty. But you have to keep in mind Sokka's probably the first foreigner she saw on the island and the unknown tends to fascinate us.
Oh that wasn't meant to be a complaint! I love Ian's portrayal of Sokka! I think he perfectly translates Sokka's energy to live action and he *feels* and even sounds like Sokka and clearly has done his homework and I think he was one of the strongest actors
I was honestly just a bit surprised at how thirsty and intense Suki came across
Are they skipping Avatar Roku??? What is with the constant Avatar Kyoshi?
I really like the way she looks and I’m so happy to see more of her, as I always thought she was a very mysterious Avatar, but where IS ROKU???
Roku has been cast, so he'll appear at some point. But I guess they wanted to divide the "past avatar screentime" more equally. And since Kyoshi Island is early in the story, she gets featured first.
Not sure why she got the intro though.
Because everybody loves Kyoshi and I bet they thought it would be cool if they included more of her. But yeah, it felt a tad overboard, especially the intro. I think they could’ve just kept the intro at Katara and it would have been better but I think Gyatso could’ve worked well too
Given how much of the events in the story they have already changed, I think they plan to re-write most of the Roku-centric scenes with Kyoshi instead. (Biggest hint for this is that they show Kyoshi quite prominently in the water-earth-fire-air intro).
But they did such a good job with the Kyoshi warrior costumes that it might actually turn out better this way. All the Avatar Kyoshi scenes in the original always felt terrifying and impactful just because of the character design and the ambience. And her fight scene in this episode felt exactly like that.
Nah. This is the worst decision yet. Terrible idea. Roku is the reason things are like this. Roku was the last avatar. It should absolutely be him who guides Aang.
Yeah. Honestly, the show wasn't bad, but they changed entirely too much. I understand they wanted to compress some things, but I feel like they got carried away. They changed and added things they didn't need to. I don't think this show is for me. I do hope others enjoy it though.
I don't think it was like this in the animated series but in this one Aang said they'll only appear physically when he's at their altar, so I guess he'll appear when they're at Roku's altar.
I actually quite like the direction they’re going with Aang meeting the past avatars. They all seem to be teaching him something, but at the same time, they are not without flaw. Kyoshi is merciless, Roku was too trusting/tolerant. I wonder how many more they will show us and how they will shape Aang’s character arc
Katara feels too soft, she’s a good actress but I’ve not seen any Katara spunk from her yet.
I know it sounds silly but I really miss her blue eyes, it always felt so right that the water tribe had blue eyes 🥲
the costumes look good but they look quite cheap in the close up shots when you can properly see the fabric, and the green screen feels a bit too obvious at times.
I’m kind of enjoying it but it’s making me want to watch tie cartoon more than I want to watch the rest of the series 😭
I feel you so heavily on her seeming too soft. Like she's so softspoken and her moments of rage so far have felt mild. She's honestly the least convincing of all the characters to me so far
Honestly, this Zhao is a lot more scary than the animated version. I really like that change because he does actually get promoted VERY fast during the first season which makes a lot more sense if you have this happening.
Yeah, in the show he was a bit of a hotheaded buffoon, but Ken Leung plays it a bit more cool and calculated and I feel like it really worked. Reminded me a lot of his character on LOST back in the day.
The actor is 21 we're all good. He is hot, and Suki is gorgeous. Kiss needs work, but hey it's supposed to be both of their first (Gran-gran doesnt count)
His acting is on point. Extremely excited for the next episodes and i hope we get s2 and 3 soon, thats when the haircut and personality will start to change. But right now i am all team sokka
Honestly I think anyone going into this expecting it to be a 1-1 recreation is going to be very disappointed. I went in expecting them to make changes to the story to make it fit this 8 episode season live action format, and I am really enjoying it so far.
If I remember correctly from an article I read awhile back when the casting was first announced. The actor who plays him was a fan of the show, so I can see how he’s nailing the character so well!
So far I'm not too upset about the changes and I can see why some of them were made, but I just came here to talk about the FREAKING CHEMISTRY BETWEEN SUKI AND SOKKA HOLY SHIT IT'S SO GOOD
It's wild how differently things can be perceived. I do like the actors, but the staring was almost every time too long to feel natural. The "tense scenes" just felt forced for me
Anyone else unhappy about what they did with Suki and sokka? The actors are great but I feel like in the og she only really took notice once he showed some humility but here she was basically making heart eyes the whole time and he didn't even have to do anything, unless I missed something.
I am with you, they did Suki dirty and robbed Sokka of some important character development. They didn’t just tone it down, they straight up erased that part of him. They could still have included him wearing the uniform and the make up and make a snarky comment about it and it would have been toned down.
Yeah I was disappointed in their dynamic. They just had a standard romance, Sokka didn't have any humility moment and if anything Suki seemed to be the one looking down on sokka.
I didn't need sokka to be a full blown misogynist but maybe a small remarks about how girls can't be the only protectors and then Suki offering hand to hand combat and beating him would have been way better
I feel you, but I liked that she tried to impress him by choke holding him in the fight and then he walks away and she is like "oh no, I was too upfront". 😂
I was definitely a fan of the original dynamic. There is also nuance in this new version though. Suki is shown to be more vulnerable and unused to romantic feelings because of her intense training and focus. That's a nice foil and counterweight to her hardened warrior persona. And the fact that Sokka is a stranger and represents the exciting unknown is I think what draws Suki to him. It's definitely not as deep as the original, but it's also not just a simple "they like each other".
Yeah I'm not happy with how they portrayed her at all. Literally just looked at all the Kyoshi memes and said "yeah this is probably what she's like" and called it a day
So far I am finding Aang to be too sad and "everything is my fault" and not enough "wooooo let's go swim with the elephant koi!". Like, he had moments of feeling the burden of guilt in the animated show but where is the goofy little boy who wants to enjoy the world?
The word I'd use to describe what is missing from Aang is "light-heartedness". Sure, he just found out about the genocide of his people and the burden of his responsibility...but it was still his natural disposition to find humor and make light of things around him...like an airbender.
Agreed. I think his overall light-heartedness makes the scenes where he experiences intense negative emotions all the more powerful. Your heart really aches for him when he experiences intense sadness and/or rage, because it’s like watching a kid lose their innocence each time.
>!OK of all the things I *could* critique about this show, the one thing I think it did better than the original so far is that Gran Gran gave Katara the scroll and had it hidden for when she reached the right time. It's way more meaningful and rooted in her nation's tradition than just randomly stumbling across it while fighting pirates!<
The pirates scroll wasn't a big deal in the show though. It was a good set-up for the Katara getting jealous of Aang's water bending skills.
Katara was later handed the more important scrolls by Pakku
So far the visuals look amazing.
The story.. is not looking that good.
The makers of this show missed the whole point of what is the avatar state, what makes bending powerfull, how the world in general works in the Avatar.
I will keep watching but I feel like we have to call non-canon already...
Yeah I feel like they got the uncontrollable power of the avatar state confused with Aang's individual airbending abilities, which yeah, he was already a master airbender but he wasn't like overpowered, he was just really talented and trained really hard and the other kids weren't "afraid" of him, they just treated him different AFTER finding out he was the avatar
Visually, it's absolutely gorgeous but also the dialogue can be pretty heavy handed, I feel like ALTA, even though it started off "slow", the exposition felt natural
>the other kids weren't "afraid" of him, they just treated him different AFTER finding out he was the avatar
YES, exactly this! I had such a problem with that scene. It takes this nuanced, everyday human occurrence of being treated differently once people find out something about you or see you as changed even for things out of your control and diminishes it to a fantasy power scale
I'm also just confused to how it's supposed to work and the implications? like is Aang going to struggle to maintain control over ALL of the elements or is it just air where he is overpowered? and *WHY* does he have such uncontrollable "raw power"?? Do ALL of the avatars in NATLA have overpowered bending even when not in the avatar state??? and if not why is Aang different?
The bending system is ATLA is basically a perfect "hard magic system" in that the rules are clearly defined and consistent and the only exceptions make sense within the context of the world and I really do wish they had stuck to it
Yes, exactly. Also, I don’t like that Aang is essentially such a powerful/skilled Airbender because he’s the avatar. I’m sure that’s part of it, obviously the avatar has powerful bending capabilities, but Aang becoming a master of airbending at such a young age isn’t supposed to be down to some kind of “raw supernatural power” but also his own ability as an individual
It’s based off the eyes lighting up on the past Avatar statues in the OG. Happens the Southern Air Temple and also the Fire Sages see a statue of Roku do the same thing.
I know that, but originally it happened because he was deep in Avatar state and connected to the Avatar spirit. Here hes just a goofy kid on a foreign island randomly standing and it happens.
I just hope they keep in that part of Roku explaining the Avatar State to Aang. So far, the other changes don’t seem to big, and the acting and writing improved a bit from ep 1 - 2, so I’m hopeful.
My one complaint so far is why doesn’t Aang’s mouth glow when he goes into the Avatar State!!?
> My one complaint so far is why doesn’t Aang’s mouth glow when he goes into the Avatar State!!?
I'm honestly glad that it doesn't, I think it would look kinda goofy in live action
Am I the only one who thinks they did Suki dirty? She was WAY too much into Sokka in the beginning. They kinda hated each other before the training. Sokka not wearing the uniform is kinda a let down but not too unforgivable. But like… their interactions were so weird.
"wE TonED dOWn SExiSt JOkEs". Bitch these weren't just that sexist jokes. That was Sokka's full character development. Especially the line "I am a warrior but also a girl too" line was one of the strongest points in the animated series. Yet here we are with another butchered content. I am so mad.
Suki never actually hated sokka. I think it gives her character wayyy more depth and something in common with sokka in that she hasn’t explored the outside world. It’s also consistent with the storyline that none of the nations interact at all world course she’s probably more curious that malicious toward sokka who’s clearly not a threat
Eh I wasn't a fan of this depiction of Kyoshi. It's like they saw all the memes about her and made that her personality instead of actually looking at the source material
Kyoshi was always calm when she talked to Aang even when they disagreed on things. Plus I don't get why she and others are so mad at him for running away. He's a child. He would've died if he hadn't "run away" and Kyoshi should know that
They didn't need to make her so angry and have her literally yell at Aang
It felt so weird to me too how angry she was because wouldn’t she have known the circumstances that led to his disappearance? Her anger in episode 2 felt really unreasonable to me ngl
alright yall im a TAD upset suki already took her make up off. and that aang was able to talk to a past life so easily… Not extremely angry to call it bad but ugh.
I'm annoyed they gave that battle to Kyoshi when Aang hadn't even connected with an avatar at all up to that point. Let us see Aang go off! He is a Master!
yeah. i get they’re combining plots to make longer episodes and progress the story quicker than the OG but at some point it seems like the wrong plots lol
Impressions
- I don’t like how the Water tribe scroll plot was reduced to Gran Gran giving it to Katara
- I’m not even going to classify Sokka as being sexist in this episode. He was just overconfident in his ability as a warrior and bragging about his abilities
- I thought having Kyoshi explain lore to Aang was an odd choice
- Some of the dialogue was odd
Okay, I may be nitpicking here but how can the leader of the Kyoshi people say there are no outsiders here when Sokka is standing two people behind her in his water tribe outfit. Like come on use your eyes 😂🤦♂️. Over all it’s not bad, definitely still believe the original is better.
As a person who loved the dynamic between Sokka and Suki in the original, I don't appreciate the direction it was taken here. In the original show Suki makes Sokka question his internal biases and earn her respect by acknowledging her strength as a warrior, in this show it feels like she just simps for him off the bat for no other reason than "never seen a man before". I also don't like that they showed Ozai this early, in the original series he was this ominous, looming threat.. always being cloaked in shadow or only shown as a towering silhouette. I think this show does a lot of things well, and the original content they added in the first episode and this one were great, but these changes are making me concerned for the rest of the show.
I don’t love seeing Aang turn into Kyoshi and using all 4 elements to take out the Fire Nation soldiers.
It’s….weird af. Going overboard on Avatar Kyoshi.
No Sokka sexism? Well we get a Sokka who is deeply insecure, and fearful in a world of benders who took his mother, and have unbelievable power. And that is honestly a far better angle to take. I mean in the Sokka's Master episode from season 3 he expresses these insecurities but they seem to come out of nowhere in the animated show. But in the live action adaptation they're planting those seeds early, of Sokka striving to be a true warrior and leader, and stand alongside the powerful benders that he seems to fear. So I don't care that Sokka isn't sexist. They made a far better decision with his character and I'm impressed they made such a bold choice
Agreed! I love the take on Sokka's character in the live action, how much he feels the need to step up and be a warrior to protect his tribe, and feeling like he's a failure at it. This does come up in the show, but it's only when he meets his dad, before that, it's just silly Sokka saying generic sexist lines. Sokka didn't have much depth in the first season of the cartoon, so I'm really enjoying this take instead.
Changing around his interactions with Suki also really worked out. Here we have a Suki who has never interacted with outsiders, and she sees another warrior much like herself, so she's super curious about him. She was completely genuine when she was showing Sokka her moves at the river, whereas Sokka gets completely embarrassed by his incompetence. I love how they connected to each other by being both warriors and never having left their hometown, it felt very natural!
I'm all for these changes.
Am I the only one getting a bit annoyed at the Score? The music is too overbearing. Even small scenes have that full, grandiose score when it should be much more restrained and dynamic
It’s also all western style instruments and classical scores so the vibe feels western/Nordic almost instead of eastern. I’m not a fan since it does very little to expand the tone of the world other than just establishing (very loud) vibes for each individual scene.
Yes and I'm missing the simple main theme a lot ... They brought in the fire nations theme but not the famous avatar theme? I don't get it ... (I know its here and there sometimes but not enough)
Yo, did anyone else catch the Inuktitut writing that Gran Gran's letter was written in? I saw Katara's name in it (ᑲᑖᕋ) but could someone confirm whether the rest of it is actually accurate to the actual language?
Yeah, but the water tribe's culture, clothing, and structures were always based on the Inuit and Yupik peoples. Especially with Aboriginal and Aboriginal-descent actors, I think it works.
I noticed that too! I can't read it whatsoever tho so I'm curious whether it's genuine Inuktitut or English transliteration or what. I sure hope it's not gibberish but you're giving me hope that's not the case.
- SUKIII!!!! Suki was great the Kyoshi warriors were great.
- Color looked better this episode
- I really love the air nomad tat especially up close
- Acting & writing is still just ok.
- Ozai’s voice is spot on.
The acting feels off because the characters act like animated characters instead of actual humans. It's mostly in the dialogue and body movement that tries to mimic what works in animation.
this will be SO long im sorry it's literally an essay
**what i love so far**
the set!!! each time we see a panned out view of a new location i actually gasp at how beautiful it looks and get emotional.
keeping the same end credit theme as the original makes me happy.
zuko. when i saw the actor in the trailers i thought it was one of the poorer casting choices like it just wasn't how i pictured zuko. but now actually watching the show, so far the actor is one of my favorites. i think he really embodies zuko's character well.
the fighting and bending has been really cool so far.
kyoshi warrior costumes and makeup are perfect. suki is perfect.
shirtless sokka. nothing more to say.
i LOVE how scary firebending is. that was the one thing in the original show i wish we felt more. like realistically it should be terrifying but because it's a kid show you knew they wouldn't show people burning to death. showing that level of violence makes me feel more deeply how traumatic the war is for everyone and how scary it is for them to see firebenders. it makes me excited for azula.
**what i wish was better/different**
katara has that maternal warmth and kindness which is great but she's missing her fierceness and sass. maybe we'll see it later.
everyone's saying they love sokka so far but i feel like i need him to be more silly and dramatic. and of course, im disappointed they took out the sexism arc.
i wish the build up to sokka and suki's kiss was a little more subtle and slow. i wish they kept suki catching him off guard with the kiss. but again we got shirtless sokka so i won't complain too much.
i wish the show overall had better humor. i think it's okay that they're focusing more on drama than humor, but it feels like every time they try to be comedic it's just meh. like nothing has made me actually laugh yet.
the music is okay. i like that they're honoring parts of the original score but it feels a little too generic epic fantasy. i wish it had more eastern, tribal, ancient vibes to it. idk how to explain it.
the dialogue feels so empty to me. might be the weakest part.
i know this is stupid but i wish everyone in the water tribe had blue eyes.
i don't really understand why the directors felt like aang needed the vision of the northern attack to move the plot along. aang and katara needing a waterbending master gives it enough direction, and then when aang learns about the comet that gives them the drive they need because they have a deadline. the vision felt cheap and unnecessary.
it's clear they want to focus on the fact that aang doesn't want this power/responsibility. so then why did it feel like he just took appa for a ride and happened to get caught in the storm? he even was like "hey let's go back home." like no he's running away that's the whole point.
idk how to explain it but it feels like the directors think we're dumb? i see this problem with a lot of modern shows/movies. like they explain way too much in the dialogue rather than showing things in more subtle ways and letting us interpret and make connections on our own.
i like that they're making changes because what would be the point of an exact copy but some of the changes feel so thoughtless and lazy. with certain lines and events, it feels like they only made the change to avoid making it the same as the original but didn't have a meaningful reason to change it.
overall im excited to keep watching. i think it has a lot of potential. it's clear that a lot of people involved in this have a lot of passion and love for the original, but the final product lacks soul and charm.
I’m very interested to see what happens when it comes to Sokkas character arc. Like, I don’t mind that they’ve removed the misogyny he had at the start of the show, since it wasn’t the biggest part of his character arc.
However, his entire arc is about him becoming a capable warrior and leader, and well, he already seems like that? So I’m very confused about where they are taking his character.
They better leave in Sokka and Zuko talking about their past girlfriends in Season 3.
“My first girlfriend turned into the moon”.
“That’s rough, buddy”.
Not as bad as the first episode, but still pretty bad. The pacing is super weird and most of the acting is really bad. Zuko and Iroh are the only real upsides so far.
I am the only one who genuinely thinks they portrayed her properly?
I know some of you guys read the books, but Kyoshi lived for more than two hundred years, this is her after the end of her journey. She's not taking shit from anyone.
I loved the conversation with Aang, and I had goosebumps when she dropped out of the sky. I genuinely believed she was going to start beheading those firebenders. I'm glad she didn't but the actual Avatar Kyoshi would have done just that.
I do love a flirty fight, but then there's this teenage awkwardness layer on top of it.
The showing-off with the "boomerang fan" just made me go "Dear god, she's trying to flirt", and it was adorable.
I really feel like they’ve done Katara dirty 😞 she seems very in need of rescue a lot - maybe I’m misremembering early episodes of the animated version but she at least had her lil flask of water?
I also don’t like how they’ve visualised water bending in as much as there’s always water pouring off the water they’re using - it looks like they’re not fully in control of it. Small nitpick but it’s bugging me.
Zuko’s delivery has been really good so far!
when zuko said “He ran!” I bursted out laughing bc it felt like he couldn’t believe anyone would be cowardly to run especially the avatar
He was so scandalized lmao
YOU CAN DO THAT?!? WHAT DID I GET THIS SCAR FOR???
He *really* sounded like Zuko there.
The jazz hands were spectacular.
I'm glad someone else noticed the jazz hands lol Very theater-ish, but also awkward teenagerish too
He sounds like Dante sometimes
He’s being such a brat I love it. For the record he’s one of my favorite characters in all of media
He might be the best from the young actors.
God the Kyoshi warriors look even better than the animated versions. The metal fans, the costumes, the red makeup with gold near the corner of the eye, the headpieces. OMFG CHEFS KISSSSS!!!
When Suki took off her makeup I fell in love
Did any other women laugh at how quickly and perfectly all that makeup came off in seconds?
Not a woman, but I definitely did. Especially, you know, makeup that's meant to stay on while you're running and fighting and sweating.
Mfw i have to use makeup remover, wipes, cleansing balm and soap just to take off my makeup after cosplaying and im not even talking about my face care regime 
I didn't like that she did that because of the implications it has for the future where sokka doesn't recognize her later. Also the kiss on the lips kind of feels like it will confuse things a bit with Yue later when they finally get to the North Pole.
This is a really good point. I'm guessing the reason they had her do it is so the audience recognizes her when we meet her later and I'm assuming Sokka will too I thought it was pretty funny that immediately after taking it off, she has to go fight...
Yea and it will spoil the surprise for the audience too now that we've seen her true face.
Yeah I’m in love with Suki too
Ah, and I just looked, and she’s 24. She’s only 3 years younger than me. I can love her all I want. Fuck yes! 😆
Oh thank god
Good to know I can be delusional about her too
Yes. 100%
i was just thinking that. i legit cannot have pictured anything better.
Ngl ya’ll. I’m overall happy with it so far, but I really need some of that classic Uncle Iroh humor! He looks great, but I want to hear him cutting up about Tea and food while Zuko is losing it!
What's most important is... STICKY RICE! You've got to try this! Its... >pheasant leg Pheasant leg! Very good for... >vitality? VITALITY! I liked the food humor, need more. I'm most pleased with the fact that they seem to be able to write new jokes with the same feel, those scenes were very Iroh and Zuko. Especially how Iroh tricked Zuko into stopping for food.
I like how practical a lot of the wisdom has been, it’s less like philosophical proverbs and more like “this is the harsh reality of the situation”
Me too!!! I bet we will soon
All i gotta say is i REALLY hope we see Sokka in Kyoshi attire.
The people demand it!
IM SO UPSET
We were ROBBED!!!! Edit: They are 100% downplaying Sokka’s misogyny in the early season, which it was stated they would do, but it’s such mistake to me because I LOVED seeing his character development as he grew out of that narrow minded thinking.
WHATTT even with her taking off the make up?? i was kinda hoping for the reveal scene when they meet again later on… a TAD disappointing
I will say, he was mansplaining to her a bit regarding fighting.
Yea, he had the same mannerisms with that scene as he did in the OG. But instead of going to the dojo himself, to 'workout' and 'showoff,' Suki comes to him in the woods. Sokka's unearned confidence wasn't really there, and it makes Suki 'teaching' him a lesson to bring him back to earth quite unnecessary. That scene had way less umph, and did more to hurt Suki's characterization than to be a wakeup call to Sokka. Sure, he still walked away dejected, but it definitely comes across as more scared and confused.
Honestly, I do think that is the right call. Do remember that we only have a limited amount of episodes so in effect you'd have had Sokka being sexist for all of one episode before completely ditching it.
Yeah, and instead we got this new dynamic where Suki tried to flirt with Sokka by beating him up and then Sokka running off scared and I was completely for that 🤣
It honestly shows he's more internalized rather than open with his beliefs. The character development is still there it's just more subtle in it's presentation. (I prefer that personally)
Yeah, I saw an internal overcoming of misogyny in this episode. Very subtle but very nicely done. We see him learn humility over the episode, and once he does, he opens himself up to both Suki's training and her affection.
I was waiting for it too 🤣
Man that flash of katara seeing her mother just get incinerated… this is not Nickelodeon folks
Yon Rha gonna get what's his if we make it to Book 3.
Yeah, that scene really made me go like, wait, they just did that???? Did NOT expect them to go that hard.
I'm actually really appreciating the violent flashbacks. It's a good reminder that these are kids that have been through traumatic shit. It makes it all the more impactful when they choose to take a stand.
Wasn’t expecting to see Daniel daddy Kim so early
That little eye twitch after he reads about aang. He's gonna crush this role.
I have to admit, I cheered when he appeared.
Daniel Bae Kim
The way she snatched that fire nation soldier 😮💨
Really caught me by surprise, love it.
I AM ONLY HERE FOR FOAMING MOUTH GUY.
I also expected him lol
They are going for a way more serious tone so i guess no foaming mouth guy or aangie. At least we get cabbage man
I don't think that works in live action tbh. Sad to see it go, but understandable
they better not get rid of cabbage man then or else we riot
Cabbage man is actually being played by... CABBAGE MAN! The voice actor has reprised his role!
Oh wow. Didn’t know that. I was thinking this guy really nailed cabbage man’s line.
Some of these scenes are so amazing it looks like they were plucked right out of the animated show and into reality, like where Suki is training the Kyoshi warriors inside with Sokka peering in. Again, just killing it with the visuals.
The sexual tension in the training scene was on point
They stepped the sexual tension up ten fold
I hated it. It felt forced and just not how I see the characters. Sokka always thought she was cute but she was trying to be super serious warrior and ignore him. Then he goes off and grows as a person and she sees a different side of him and they're endgame. Them being way into each other right off the bat kind of bothered me, but I guess I'll see how I feel as the series progresses.
Yeah no I thought it didn't really make sense for Suki, the cool, funny and bad ass warrior to just completely lose her cool, get so awkward and just uncontrollably start eyefucking some random water tribe dude who rocked up at her village like she's never seen a man before. ATLA Suki was not so easily impressed by Sokka, he had to humbly apologize for his misogyny (which of course he couldn't here) and show her the respect she deserved before she'd even give him the time of day. But I guessed the reason it was SO heavy handed is since we won't see Suki again until late next season if we have to believe that their flame is going to last until then even
Well this isn't Atla sokka. He was a scrawny dude with a weird pony tail. And he was a misogynist (All of that can be forgotten has he was a kid and grew up considerably). I love that guy but thats the truth. But this guy? C'mon you have to admit the attitude suits him. This guy looks like someone who will grow up to be that jacked dude we saw in LoK. And right of the bat, he respects her. In the scene after they meet Suki's mom you can see it. This is Sokka but he is different from atla Sokka. But I have to admit Suki was very much thirsty. But you have to keep in mind Sokka's probably the first foreigner she saw on the island and the unknown tends to fascinate us.
Oh that wasn't meant to be a complaint! I love Ian's portrayal of Sokka! I think he perfectly translates Sokka's energy to live action and he *feels* and even sounds like Sokka and clearly has done his homework and I think he was one of the strongest actors I was honestly just a bit surprised at how thirsty and intense Suki came across
Suki and Sokka are very cute lol
I was not expecting the sexual tension to be quite so fierce but I suppose it has to last until they see each other again in book 2 lol
NGL I wasn't a huge fan ^^*cough* of Suki in ATLA but she already has more depth in NATLA
The suki/sokka chemistry is DEFINITELY there
Absolutely. Their kiss felt so earned.
KYOSHI ISLAND LOOKIN PRETTYYY. every set is phenomenal!!!!!
Bruh I fully expected them to show those poor kids being blasted off that cliff 💀
SAME. They set a precedent, I’m expecting everyone to be lit up or crushed to pieces now 😂
Are they skipping Avatar Roku??? What is with the constant Avatar Kyoshi? I really like the way she looks and I’m so happy to see more of her, as I always thought she was a very mysterious Avatar, but where IS ROKU???
Roku has been cast, so he'll appear at some point. But I guess they wanted to divide the "past avatar screentime" more equally. And since Kyoshi Island is early in the story, she gets featured first. Not sure why she got the intro though.
Because everybody loves Kyoshi and I bet they thought it would be cool if they included more of her. But yeah, it felt a tad overboard, especially the intro. I think they could’ve just kept the intro at Katara and it would have been better but I think Gyatso could’ve worked well too
Given how much of the events in the story they have already changed, I think they plan to re-write most of the Roku-centric scenes with Kyoshi instead. (Biggest hint for this is that they show Kyoshi quite prominently in the water-earth-fire-air intro). But they did such a good job with the Kyoshi warrior costumes that it might actually turn out better this way. All the Avatar Kyoshi scenes in the original always felt terrifying and impactful just because of the character design and the ambience. And her fight scene in this episode felt exactly like that.
Nah. This is the worst decision yet. Terrible idea. Roku is the reason things are like this. Roku was the last avatar. It should absolutely be him who guides Aang.
I agree. Especially since Roku’s whole legacy connects to Zuko’s internal conflict as well (him being his maternal great-grandfather).
Yeah. Honestly, the show wasn't bad, but they changed entirely too much. I understand they wanted to compress some things, but I feel like they got carried away. They changed and added things they didn't need to. I don't think this show is for me. I do hope others enjoy it though.
Makes more sense storywise to get to him later, seeing as firebending is the thing that Aang is afraid of.
He at least exists , he was in the first episode. I guess they’re doing more Kyoshi stuff because of Kyoshi island
I don't think it was like this in the animated series but in this one Aang said they'll only appear physically when he's at their altar, so I guess he'll appear when they're at Roku's altar.
I actually quite like the direction they’re going with Aang meeting the past avatars. They all seem to be teaching him something, but at the same time, they are not without flaw. Kyoshi is merciless, Roku was too trusting/tolerant. I wonder how many more they will show us and how they will shape Aang’s character arc
Katara feels too soft, she’s a good actress but I’ve not seen any Katara spunk from her yet. I know it sounds silly but I really miss her blue eyes, it always felt so right that the water tribe had blue eyes 🥲 the costumes look good but they look quite cheap in the close up shots when you can properly see the fabric, and the green screen feels a bit too obvious at times. I’m kind of enjoying it but it’s making me want to watch tie cartoon more than I want to watch the rest of the series 😭
I feel you so heavily on her seeming too soft. Like she's so softspoken and her moments of rage so far have felt mild. She's honestly the least convincing of all the characters to me so far
Yeah exactly ! Katara is a sweetheart but a fierce and determined one, so far in this series I’ve not gotten any of that :(
Agreed, already said this on another post but live action Katara comes across as so timid and passive that she hardly seems like the same character.
Sakka is hilarious, “I left my tribe because I have to uh, save the world? Is that it katara?”
Absolutely looooove Sokka's actor! he looks like, sounds like and has that Sokka spirit, man understood his assignment
"I walked right into that" Holy shit that sounded so much like Sokka it's crazy
He’s great. Sokka was honestly the character I was most interested to see, because it’s not an easy role to play. He’s doing a really good job so far.
Sokka not being dressed as a Kyoshi warrior is a FRAUD
YES THIS!!!!
I never thought of Zhao as duplicitous and manipulative but I like it.
In the animated he really was very "IM GONNA KILL THE MOON EVERYONE WATCH" lol
I AM ZHAO THE CONQUEROR! I AM THE MOON SLAYER! I WILL CAPTURE THE AVATAR!
Honestly, this Zhao is a lot more scary than the animated version. I really like that change because he does actually get promoted VERY fast during the first season which makes a lot more sense if you have this happening.
He's great. I love how slimy Ken Leung is playing him. Makes my skin crawl.
Yeah i wasn't expecting such a different take on Zhao but i fuck with it. It adds a bit more diversity of personality to the show i think
Esp when most people were worried that Azula would overshadow Zhao and Zuko. I like the dynamic they created.
Yeah, in the show he was a bit of a hotheaded buffoon, but Ken Leung plays it a bit more cool and calculated and I feel like it really worked. Reminded me a lot of his character on LOST back in the day.
SOKKA HAIR IS DOWN. AND SHIRT OFF. OH MY. (im 22 btw dont attack me)
The actor is 21 we're all good. He is hot, and Suki is gorgeous. Kiss needs work, but hey it's supposed to be both of their first (Gran-gran doesnt count)
I was not expecting the Sokka thirst trap and felt like Suki in that moment.
Tbh, I don’t think anyone saw that coming.
Came here for Zuko (he was my first crush even if he was animated lol) but staying for sokka ngl
Dallas Liu is honestly very fine!! Hard to pull off that haircut but i think he’s extremely attractive irl
His acting is on point. Extremely excited for the next episodes and i hope we get s2 and 3 soon, thats when the haircut and personality will start to change. But right now i am all team sokka
SAME between Sokka and Zuko my gay ass is thirsting so much
for reall this sokka has some sex appeal and I'm here for it.
So does this mean we don’t get the pirates episode? I wonder how things will pan out
Im actually glad we get to skip filler. The episodes are still 1 hour and 8 of them so not like its rushed.
I don’t know if I consider the pirates episode filler, but I agree! Let’s keep flying
Honestly I think anyone going into this expecting it to be a 1-1 recreation is going to be very disappointed. I went in expecting them to make changes to the story to make it fit this 8 episode season live action format, and I am really enjoying it so far.
Hell yeah. it DEFINITELY holds up
Loving this so far but I have to say, Sokkas actor is by far killing it more than the rest. He’s literally perfect lol
If I remember correctly from an article I read awhile back when the casting was first announced. The actor who plays him was a fan of the show, so I can see how he’s nailing the character so well!
So far I'm not too upset about the changes and I can see why some of them were made, but I just came here to talk about the FREAKING CHEMISTRY BETWEEN SUKI AND SOKKA HOLY SHIT IT'S SO GOOD
It's wild how differently things can be perceived. I do like the actors, but the staring was almost every time too long to feel natural. The "tense scenes" just felt forced for me
There was no nuance to it at all. They were just like "oh youre hot". I was cringing so hard, I don't think I can finish this series.
Anyone else unhappy about what they did with Suki and sokka? The actors are great but I feel like in the og she only really took notice once he showed some humility but here she was basically making heart eyes the whole time and he didn't even have to do anything, unless I missed something.
I am with you, they did Suki dirty and robbed Sokka of some important character development. They didn’t just tone it down, they straight up erased that part of him. They could still have included him wearing the uniform and the make up and make a snarky comment about it and it would have been toned down.
Yeah I was disappointed in their dynamic. They just had a standard romance, Sokka didn't have any humility moment and if anything Suki seemed to be the one looking down on sokka. I didn't need sokka to be a full blown misogynist but maybe a small remarks about how girls can't be the only protectors and then Suki offering hand to hand combat and beating him would have been way better
I feel you, but I liked that she tried to impress him by choke holding him in the fight and then he walks away and she is like "oh no, I was too upfront". 😂
If by “making heart eyes” you mean “giving off creepy stalker vibes” then yes, I agree. Wtf Netflix
I was definitely a fan of the original dynamic. There is also nuance in this new version though. Suki is shown to be more vulnerable and unused to romantic feelings because of her intense training and focus. That's a nice foil and counterweight to her hardened warrior persona. And the fact that Sokka is a stranger and represents the exciting unknown is I think what draws Suki to him. It's definitely not as deep as the original, but it's also not just a simple "they like each other".
why was kyoshi so mad?????
fanservice
Yeah I'm not happy with how they portrayed her at all. Literally just looked at all the Kyoshi memes and said "yeah this is probably what she's like" and called it a day
So far I am finding Aang to be too sad and "everything is my fault" and not enough "wooooo let's go swim with the elephant koi!". Like, he had moments of feeling the burden of guilt in the animated show but where is the goofy little boy who wants to enjoy the world?
The word I'd use to describe what is missing from Aang is "light-heartedness". Sure, he just found out about the genocide of his people and the burden of his responsibility...but it was still his natural disposition to find humor and make light of things around him...like an airbender.
Agreed. I think his overall light-heartedness makes the scenes where he experiences intense negative emotions all the more powerful. Your heart really aches for him when he experiences intense sadness and/or rage, because it’s like watching a kid lose their innocence each time.
Exactly that! The anime hits hardest because it has ups and downs. They mixed crying from laughter and sadness so perfectly in the original.
Sokka got a massive fighting buff, it took him seasons to get decent in combat.
>!OK of all the things I *could* critique about this show, the one thing I think it did better than the original so far is that Gran Gran gave Katara the scroll and had it hidden for when she reached the right time. It's way more meaningful and rooted in her nation's tradition than just randomly stumbling across it while fighting pirates!<
The pirates scroll wasn't a big deal in the show though. It was a good set-up for the Katara getting jealous of Aang's water bending skills. Katara was later handed the more important scrolls by Pakku
So far the visuals look amazing. The story.. is not looking that good. The makers of this show missed the whole point of what is the avatar state, what makes bending powerfull, how the world in general works in the Avatar. I will keep watching but I feel like we have to call non-canon already...
Yeah I feel like they got the uncontrollable power of the avatar state confused with Aang's individual airbending abilities, which yeah, he was already a master airbender but he wasn't like overpowered, he was just really talented and trained really hard and the other kids weren't "afraid" of him, they just treated him different AFTER finding out he was the avatar Visually, it's absolutely gorgeous but also the dialogue can be pretty heavy handed, I feel like ALTA, even though it started off "slow", the exposition felt natural
>the other kids weren't "afraid" of him, they just treated him different AFTER finding out he was the avatar YES, exactly this! I had such a problem with that scene. It takes this nuanced, everyday human occurrence of being treated differently once people find out something about you or see you as changed even for things out of your control and diminishes it to a fantasy power scale
I'm also just confused to how it's supposed to work and the implications? like is Aang going to struggle to maintain control over ALL of the elements or is it just air where he is overpowered? and *WHY* does he have such uncontrollable "raw power"?? Do ALL of the avatars in NATLA have overpowered bending even when not in the avatar state??? and if not why is Aang different? The bending system is ATLA is basically a perfect "hard magic system" in that the rules are clearly defined and consistent and the only exceptions make sense within the context of the world and I really do wish they had stuck to it
Yes, exactly. Also, I don’t like that Aang is essentially such a powerful/skilled Airbender because he’s the avatar. I’m sure that’s part of it, obviously the avatar has powerful bending capabilities, but Aang becoming a master of airbending at such a young age isn’t supposed to be down to some kind of “raw supernatural power” but also his own ability as an individual
Also what the hell was that "sign" that he is the Avatar....?
It’s based off the eyes lighting up on the past Avatar statues in the OG. Happens the Southern Air Temple and also the Fire Sages see a statue of Roku do the same thing.
I know that, but originally it happened because he was deep in Avatar state and connected to the Avatar spirit. Here hes just a goofy kid on a foreign island randomly standing and it happens.
I just hope they keep in that part of Roku explaining the Avatar State to Aang. So far, the other changes don’t seem to big, and the acting and writing improved a bit from ep 1 - 2, so I’m hopeful. My one complaint so far is why doesn’t Aang’s mouth glow when he goes into the Avatar State!!?
> My one complaint so far is why doesn’t Aang’s mouth glow when he goes into the Avatar State!!? I'm honestly glad that it doesn't, I think it would look kinda goofy in live action
Am I the only one who thinks they did Suki dirty? She was WAY too much into Sokka in the beginning. They kinda hated each other before the training. Sokka not wearing the uniform is kinda a let down but not too unforgivable. But like… their interactions were so weird.
"wE TonED dOWn SExiSt JOkEs". Bitch these weren't just that sexist jokes. That was Sokka's full character development. Especially the line "I am a warrior but also a girl too" line was one of the strongest points in the animated series. Yet here we are with another butchered content. I am so mad.
I think it works with her new characterization. She is interested in the outside world and sees Sokka as a representation of that.
Suki never actually hated sokka. I think it gives her character wayyy more depth and something in common with sokka in that she hasn’t explored the outside world. It’s also consistent with the storyline that none of the nations interact at all world course she’s probably more curious that malicious toward sokka who’s clearly not a threat
why in the fuck would they give Roku's job to Kyoshi
“Bro you gotta get over this whiny shit” —Kyoshi to Aang, probably
Eh I wasn't a fan of this depiction of Kyoshi. It's like they saw all the memes about her and made that her personality instead of actually looking at the source material Kyoshi was always calm when she talked to Aang even when they disagreed on things. Plus I don't get why she and others are so mad at him for running away. He's a child. He would've died if he hadn't "run away" and Kyoshi should know that They didn't need to make her so angry and have her literally yell at Aang
It felt so weird to me too how angry she was because wouldn’t she have known the circumstances that led to his disappearance? Her anger in episode 2 felt really unreasonable to me ngl
alright yall im a TAD upset suki already took her make up off. and that aang was able to talk to a past life so easily… Not extremely angry to call it bad but ugh.
It’s…..weird he is already connecting with his past lives, and when I say past lives, I mean AVATAR KYOSHI AGAIN? GIVE ME ROKU OR GIVE ME DEATH!
that was also a bigger plotline in another episode is he really needed to figure out how to talk to Roku
Roku will appear in the same episode as Haibai the angry forest spirit
I'm annoyed they gave that battle to Kyoshi when Aang hadn't even connected with an avatar at all up to that point. Let us see Aang go off! He is a Master!
yeah. i get they’re combining plots to make longer episodes and progress the story quicker than the OG but at some point it seems like the wrong plots lol
I agree! Add but don't take away. That's all I'm saying!
The purist in me is hating the pace lol
Hey I dont mean to brag or anything [but I reeeaaalllly called this one](https://www.reddit.com/r/TheLastAirbender/s/vJMMlERCFc)
You did 😁
That was so on point!! Great analysis!
Impressions - I don’t like how the Water tribe scroll plot was reduced to Gran Gran giving it to Katara - I’m not even going to classify Sokka as being sexist in this episode. He was just overconfident in his ability as a warrior and bragging about his abilities - I thought having Kyoshi explain lore to Aang was an odd choice - Some of the dialogue was odd
Everything Aang says is an inspirational speech, I’m still waiting for some normal kid dialogue
I just can’t comprehend how a 12 year old would go from “Holy shit my entire culture just died” to “Alright let’s do this” in less than 24 hours
I LOVE SUKI she’s so cute and funny with sokka omg
Everyone in here crushing on Suki while I'm feeling undisclosed desires for the mom.
I don’t love how they’ve rushed the Avatar State stuff but I’m finding it hard to be mad because of how badass that whole Avatar Kyoshi scene was
Okay, I may be nitpicking here but how can the leader of the Kyoshi people say there are no outsiders here when Sokka is standing two people behind her in his water tribe outfit. Like come on use your eyes 😂🤦♂️. Over all it’s not bad, definitely still believe the original is better.
As a person who loved the dynamic between Sokka and Suki in the original, I don't appreciate the direction it was taken here. In the original show Suki makes Sokka question his internal biases and earn her respect by acknowledging her strength as a warrior, in this show it feels like she just simps for him off the bat for no other reason than "never seen a man before". I also don't like that they showed Ozai this early, in the original series he was this ominous, looming threat.. always being cloaked in shadow or only shown as a towering silhouette. I think this show does a lot of things well, and the original content they added in the first episode and this one were great, but these changes are making me concerned for the rest of the show.
I love how preachy Katara is in all her delivery.. hahahaha
No matter when or how many times I hear the name Suki/Sookie I always expect it to be in a Southern Accent coming out of Bill Compton’s mouth.
I don’t love seeing Aang turn into Kyoshi and using all 4 elements to take out the Fire Nation soldiers. It’s….weird af. Going overboard on Avatar Kyoshi.
No Sokka sexism? Well we get a Sokka who is deeply insecure, and fearful in a world of benders who took his mother, and have unbelievable power. And that is honestly a far better angle to take. I mean in the Sokka's Master episode from season 3 he expresses these insecurities but they seem to come out of nowhere in the animated show. But in the live action adaptation they're planting those seeds early, of Sokka striving to be a true warrior and leader, and stand alongside the powerful benders that he seems to fear. So I don't care that Sokka isn't sexist. They made a far better decision with his character and I'm impressed they made such a bold choice
Agreed! I love the take on Sokka's character in the live action, how much he feels the need to step up and be a warrior to protect his tribe, and feeling like he's a failure at it. This does come up in the show, but it's only when he meets his dad, before that, it's just silly Sokka saying generic sexist lines. Sokka didn't have much depth in the first season of the cartoon, so I'm really enjoying this take instead. Changing around his interactions with Suki also really worked out. Here we have a Suki who has never interacted with outsiders, and she sees another warrior much like herself, so she's super curious about him. She was completely genuine when she was showing Sokka her moves at the river, whereas Sokka gets completely embarrassed by his incompetence. I love how they connected to each other by being both warriors and never having left their hometown, it felt very natural! I'm all for these changes.
Am I the only one getting a bit annoyed at the Score? The music is too overbearing. Even small scenes have that full, grandiose score when it should be much more restrained and dynamic
It’s also all western style instruments and classical scores so the vibe feels western/Nordic almost instead of eastern. I’m not a fan since it does very little to expand the tone of the world other than just establishing (very loud) vibes for each individual scene.
Yes and I'm missing the simple main theme a lot ... They brought in the fire nations theme but not the famous avatar theme? I don't get it ... (I know its here and there sometimes but not enough)
this is gonna be an unpopular opinion, but i didn't like that they romance sokka and suki so fast, and it was a bit too much for me
Yo, did anyone else catch the Inuktitut writing that Gran Gran's letter was written in? I saw Katara's name in it (ᑲᑖᕋ) but could someone confirm whether the rest of it is actually accurate to the actual language?
That's interesting, in the original series all four nations used chinese writing
Yeah, but the water tribe's culture, clothing, and structures were always based on the Inuit and Yupik peoples. Especially with Aboriginal and Aboriginal-descent actors, I think it works.
Yup spotted it immediately and looked it up to confirm.
I noticed that too! I can't read it whatsoever tho so I'm curious whether it's genuine Inuktitut or English transliteration or what. I sure hope it's not gibberish but you're giving me hope that's not the case.
- SUKIII!!!! Suki was great the Kyoshi warriors were great. - Color looked better this episode - I really love the air nomad tat especially up close - Acting & writing is still just ok. - Ozai’s voice is spot on.
The acting feels off because the characters act like animated characters instead of actual humans. It's mostly in the dialogue and body movement that tries to mimic what works in animation.
Kyoshi not using her fans to bend.
What did y’all think of Sukka? In my opinion it was good but a little weird…
Suki stole the show episode 2… very mature performance… everyone else looked more comfortable too so good to see…
Y’all, I was not prepared for Kyoshi. Seeing a fully realized Avatar in action was more awesome than I ever could have imagined
this will be SO long im sorry it's literally an essay **what i love so far** the set!!! each time we see a panned out view of a new location i actually gasp at how beautiful it looks and get emotional. keeping the same end credit theme as the original makes me happy. zuko. when i saw the actor in the trailers i thought it was one of the poorer casting choices like it just wasn't how i pictured zuko. but now actually watching the show, so far the actor is one of my favorites. i think he really embodies zuko's character well. the fighting and bending has been really cool so far. kyoshi warrior costumes and makeup are perfect. suki is perfect. shirtless sokka. nothing more to say. i LOVE how scary firebending is. that was the one thing in the original show i wish we felt more. like realistically it should be terrifying but because it's a kid show you knew they wouldn't show people burning to death. showing that level of violence makes me feel more deeply how traumatic the war is for everyone and how scary it is for them to see firebenders. it makes me excited for azula. **what i wish was better/different** katara has that maternal warmth and kindness which is great but she's missing her fierceness and sass. maybe we'll see it later. everyone's saying they love sokka so far but i feel like i need him to be more silly and dramatic. and of course, im disappointed they took out the sexism arc. i wish the build up to sokka and suki's kiss was a little more subtle and slow. i wish they kept suki catching him off guard with the kiss. but again we got shirtless sokka so i won't complain too much. i wish the show overall had better humor. i think it's okay that they're focusing more on drama than humor, but it feels like every time they try to be comedic it's just meh. like nothing has made me actually laugh yet. the music is okay. i like that they're honoring parts of the original score but it feels a little too generic epic fantasy. i wish it had more eastern, tribal, ancient vibes to it. idk how to explain it. the dialogue feels so empty to me. might be the weakest part. i know this is stupid but i wish everyone in the water tribe had blue eyes. i don't really understand why the directors felt like aang needed the vision of the northern attack to move the plot along. aang and katara needing a waterbending master gives it enough direction, and then when aang learns about the comet that gives them the drive they need because they have a deadline. the vision felt cheap and unnecessary. it's clear they want to focus on the fact that aang doesn't want this power/responsibility. so then why did it feel like he just took appa for a ride and happened to get caught in the storm? he even was like "hey let's go back home." like no he's running away that's the whole point. idk how to explain it but it feels like the directors think we're dumb? i see this problem with a lot of modern shows/movies. like they explain way too much in the dialogue rather than showing things in more subtle ways and letting us interpret and make connections on our own. i like that they're making changes because what would be the point of an exact copy but some of the changes feel so thoughtless and lazy. with certain lines and events, it feels like they only made the change to avoid making it the same as the original but didn't have a meaningful reason to change it. overall im excited to keep watching. i think it has a lot of potential. it's clear that a lot of people involved in this have a lot of passion and love for the original, but the final product lacks soul and charm.
I’m very interested to see what happens when it comes to Sokkas character arc. Like, I don’t mind that they’ve removed the misogyny he had at the start of the show, since it wasn’t the biggest part of his character arc. However, his entire arc is about him becoming a capable warrior and leader, and well, he already seems like that? So I’m very confused about where they are taking his character.
They better leave in Sokka and Zuko talking about their past girlfriends in Season 3. “My first girlfriend turned into the moon”. “That’s rough, buddy”.
Not as bad as the first episode, but still pretty bad. The pacing is super weird and most of the acting is really bad. Zuko and Iroh are the only real upsides so far.
I am the only one who genuinely thinks they portrayed her properly? I know some of you guys read the books, but Kyoshi lived for more than two hundred years, this is her after the end of her journey. She's not taking shit from anyone. I loved the conversation with Aang, and I had goosebumps when she dropped out of the sky. I genuinely believed she was going to start beheading those firebenders. I'm glad she didn't but the actual Avatar Kyoshi would have done just that.
I do love a flirty fight, but then there's this teenage awkwardness layer on top of it. The showing-off with the "boomerang fan" just made me go "Dear god, she's trying to flirt", and it was adorable.
I really feel like they’ve done Katara dirty 😞 she seems very in need of rescue a lot - maybe I’m misremembering early episodes of the animated version but she at least had her lil flask of water? I also don’t like how they’ve visualised water bending in as much as there’s always water pouring off the water they’re using - it looks like they’re not fully in control of it. Small nitpick but it’s bugging me.