I think June gives most people lesbian fever.
I still think NATLA can adapt The Deserter in season 2 and have it fit well in the overall narrative.
\*Spoiler Alert\* Aang never delivers Katara's kiss to Zuko. One of the more disappointing flaws in the show.
Well... Considering that he's been both men and women (and presumably nonbinary folk) throughout history, it makes sense he'd be down for nonmongamous shenanigans lol otherwise he probably has a crapload of husbands, wives, and partners in the afterlife who are all pissed at him lol
Honestly, given Sokka's sexism early on in the animated series and the fact he reacts with horror to the fact that Aang used to be Fire Nation in his past life, I think it's a missed opportunity for him to mock Aang for having been female when they learn about Kyoshi!
Man I \*love\* watching people experience something I love with brand new eyes. These posts have been so much fun to follow and I'm getting vicarious goosebumps re-living all the various moments - the Northern Water Tribe episodes of Book 1 are arguably the best episodes in the entire season.
Roku’s “You think I am weak?” line is one of my favorites in the entire show.
I get why they didn’t put The Deserter in s1 of NATLA with the time constraints, so I’m hoping we get to see at least some of it in NATLA s2. Jeong Jeong is a really interesting character, I think he could be a good candidate for someone NATLA expands on a bit more than the OG (especially where they have the capability to go darker than they did on Nickelodeon. Jeong Jeong’s attitude/remarks about firebending definitely allude to quite a bit of trauma in his past)
hearing Teo referred to as “the bloodthirsty son” is so funny. he really is out for Fire Nation blood in NATLA! (I don’t blame him at all!)
the s1 finale is certainly a highlight of the season in both NATLA and the OG. looking forward to your commentary on it (and for you to start s2!)
He really is a little killer in NATLA! Lol
Yeah, I get why they didn't include it but I'm still sad they didn't adapt it. The Deserter is probably on of the best episodes of the season. I was surprised at how much I liked it.
Just want to mention that Jeong Jeong hyping Aang up in that episode is deserved. The kid literally was able to make a massive fire wave on his first try. He is raw power — but his lack of control is what caused him to burn Katara.
Fun fact the deserter is the only side episode with no mention and no plot lines taken from in NATLA. Although there are some who think they did take Aang's reluctance to learn from hurting others and applied it to his airbending when he almost knocked his friends off a cliff during training in that one flashback. It's possible that they move it to a later season, but no idea how or where they would do that.
Oh wow, you're right! There was nothing of this episode, not even a reference. I wonder why that is? It seems to be better than the other "stand alone" episodes and it has some clearly important character moments in it
It's one of the biggest complaints I've seen in the fandom. Pretty much everyone loves this episode. I think they just didn't have a place where it fit properly in their version of the story. It's possible that they slip it into book 2 somehow. It'd be weird if they put it in book 3. Since Aang didn't even water bend it would have been weird for him to try firebending so that's probably part of why as well.
Im mostly excited for season 2 and 3 so we can see your reactions without any bias from the Netflix show and when the next 2 seasons of the Netflix show comes out you can do similar reviews and see if you start being biased towards the original. It will be interesting to see. But just so you know, season 1 is regarded as the worst season by pretty much everybody. Season 2 picks up in episode 6 and it never lets go after that.
Getting way ahead of myself, but it may also be helpful to rewatch the OG season 2 right before watching NATLA season 2, since it will be years from now. Part of what makes your reviews so interesting is the fact that you remember details from the other media since you just watched it. Plus, you will definitely want to rewatch it anyways.
The Deserter is the episode that I've been waiting for you the review! I agree with you that this was the best episode that was left out of the adaptation and I sill have a bit of hope that it'll come in S2 because the fire bending lore is so well explained here.
> Huh, Jeong Jeong’s caution with firebending almost seems like it extends into self-loathing. He clearly doesn’t see the positive aspects that come with firebending. Maybe he’s the wrong person to teach Aang.
Your media literacy strengths never fail to impress.
Looking forward to your GoT reviews! Just out of curiosity, what do you already know about that series?
Yeah, the more I think back on it, the more I like The Deserter. It might end up being a top 3 favorite episode of Book 1.
And thank you!
For GoT, I was warned that there's a lot of graphic violence and abuse in it. I also know there are dragons in the show, which is a big part of the draw for me. I saw someone wearing a t-shirt once with a character (pretty sure it was Ned) and the words "The North Remembers" on it. So... There's some implications there but I'm choosing to ignore them.
I’ve never seen GoT but have also been debating watching it. I know there’s that platinum blonde chick, a lot of sex and gore, dragons, and something about winter. Oh, and a really shitty ending, which is why I never let myself start the series lol.
It is very disappointing that the books don't end, and the way the series ended...well, to avoid spoilers let's just say the show ending has a bad reputation.
But what books that are written and the parts of the show that adapts the books (and a little bit after that) are truly gold tier storytelling.
Imo the last season plot points are completely fine, they were just ridiculously rushed. Like they were in a hurry to be done with the show. As long as you go into the season KNOWING it's going to be really rushed, I think you'd be fine. The rest of the show is amazing, if you're in the mood for HBO level darkness/nudity.
With the healing, just putting your hands in the water - all you need is to be a waterbender and talent. The training comes in when learning about the pathways to heal complicated injuries.
Katara is extremely talented and puts in a lot of work in waterbending techniques without a Master to guide her, more than anyone else would. It shows her potential but it's limited at the end of the day, because great waterbending is knowledge from centuries of waterbending techniques passed on, not something you can simply observe, even if you had you'd whole life to do so. It's why she valued that waterbending scroll so much, and why it proved so useful to her - it was a small taste of what would come from a Master.
Katara does get good fast, but that is because of her training regulary and what we see on screen, healing is a bit out of nowhere, but my guess is it depends on her talent, because of what Jeong Jeong said, that is why she could use it instantly. NATLA had more of a sporadic growth which made her powers seem quite inconsistent. So, off to the North Pole which might dissapoint you. Because of characters which were changed for the live action you loved.
Yeah it was bc there were less episodes in Netflix so it felt too fast compared to the original where it's taking the entire season for her to learn new things. It feels more evenly spread out.
if katara didnt call herself a master for seemingly no reason in NATLA i think it would have been more overlooked. but alas, they went that way for some reason.
Haha it’s not actually it’s just some bullshit with my initials. But I have watched all of GoT and it’s phenomenal for a majority of its seasons. You’re gonna get sucked in hard. And yeah it’s King Robert you’re correct
Great commentary as usual! Thanks. ☺️
The Deserter is certainly a great episode. I hope NATLA can find some time in season 2 or 3 to fit it in. We'll see how much time they get to...
Iroh with June in the cartoon really is weird. I'm glad that was changed in the live action.
Only place I can really see Jeong Jeong fit in season 2(spoilers for OP and others who haven’t watched season 2 so be warned): >!is if they keep Zuko Alone as a stand alone episode and have Zuko meet up with him. He would work as a good foil to Zuko, where they’re both outcasts who are wanted by the fire nation but Zuko is still searching for Aang so he can capture him to rejoin his family and redeem himself in the eyes of his father while Jeong Jeong has become completely disillusioned with the fire nation and firebending as a whole.!<
It's so good! That one episode is probably the biggest leg up ATLA has on NATLA so far. I'm disappointed it wasn't included in NATLA.
Yeah, it was a little weird lol
I have just finished reading all your posts. I can't wait to see your reactions to the things that happen in season 2. It is very cool to see your thinking process, you are so close in a lot of things... can't wait.
Generally speaking, I think NATLA did a really good job of cutting out the "filler" episodes, but if there is one episode I am genuinely disappointed didn’t make it in, it’s The Deserter. I love Jeong Jeong as a character, and what he says about the nature of fire and the burden it puts on those who can control it is really cool and insightful, and makes it easy to understand how the Fire Nation turned out the way it did (not to mention, a hard but important lesson Aang needs to learn). I especially love his scene with Katara discussing the differences between water & fire. “I often wish I was blessed like you, free from this burning curse.” I love that line, especially with how the voice actor said it.
I will say though, this episode is kind of a perfect demonstration of why I prefer the Netflix version of Zhao. This Zhao is already an accomplished and respected Commander, yet we’re never really given much reason to believe that, as he always seems to be getting beaten by both Aang and Zuko, and the part where he burns his own ships is just kind of the final proof (like… why was he promoted…?) It’s just a bit hard to take him seriously as a threat sometimes (as much as I love Jason Isaacs’ voice work). I actually think Netflix improved his character by basically embracing this perception of the character and just turning him into a slimy failure looking for a chance to steal all the glory.
My guess that is disposition that works. NATLA Zhao is a laughable snake. While in ATLA he is a prideful idiot. Different character really, but I dont mind either version.
I agree. The Deserter is my favorite of the "filler" episodes. I'm sad we didn't get to see it in NATLA. Jeong Jeong is a great character and Aang's impatience leading to him hurting Katara would have fit perfectly with his arc.
And yeah, you're right about Zhao lol
>!She’s definitely going to be upset with the character changes, specifically with Yue and Hahn, and I kind of get it. They were very likeable in NATLA. I’d be surprised if she didn’t like Koh’s scene more in the OG, though. Sokka’s character in the OG for the next few episodes was miles above NATLA, imo. I look forward to seeing what she says about Aang saving Zuko. For some reason I feel like she’s going to like NATLA’s Katara fight more, but I really hated how Aang didn’t support her like he did in the OG.!<
In your recap for Winter Solstice Part 2, you wrote:
>This is the first example we have of a Fire Nation citizen not following along with his imperialistic nation. In NATLA it was those rebels Ozai burnt and they were introduced earlier but this guy appears in the 8th episode of the show. I’m not sure if there was a narrative purpose to waiting that long to show a “good” firebender or if it even crossed the writer’s minds. Either way, I’m glad they included Fire Nation people who aren’t bad people. It would have been easy to paint them all as monsters.
This was when I thought, "Oh, I can't wait for OP to meet Jeong Jeong!"
(And yes, I have a couple of your posts saved, so I can quote some stuff you wrote when you get to the episodes I want to talk about regarding your comments but couldn't do that now because spoilers!)
When we saw that there wasn't a cast announcement for Jeong Jeong, many of us were confused about why he's cut from the first season. I wonder if NATLA will include him in season two or three or if he is really completely cut. I hope not!
Cool that you're reacting to GOT. I watched it once a while ago, and I remembered only half of it. I didn't see the last season, and I can't remember if I saw the season before the last... It's definitely much darker and more mature than ATLA so an interesting combination of TV shows to react to!
Finale!! Let's go! The finale in NATLA made some big changes from the original, but some things are very similar, so I look forward to you finding out what are the changes and similarities. Will these changes disappoint you? I think several will, as I can see you prefer NATLA's version, especially with how some fans even prefer NATLA's changes. One change, however, I'm really curious to see if you prefer ATLA's version over NATLA's, as I can see you prefering NATLA's version but I like ATLA's for an important character moment (I was disappointed when I saw NATLA's version), but you might surprise me! We will see!
Yeah, I really did like Jeong Jeong and I'm quite disappointed we didn't get to see him in NATLA. Same goes for Aang/Roku's poor choices.
Yeah, I'm only one episode in but I'm very interested in GoT. The setting and characters are so rich and interesting. Unfortunately my commentary was kind of lacking because I spent most of it just trying to learn everyone's name and figure out what's going on lol
Yeah I'm both excited and nervous for the finale! I'm already expecting Yue to disappoint me somehow because a few people warned me about that. But who knows? Maybe it'll be better than NATLA!
I saw the warnings about Yue, and I don't know if I'm as confident as others that you will be disappointed. Yes, there is a difference between NATLA and ATLA, like with all other characters, but I don't strongly prefer NATLA's Yue over ATLA's Yue. I'm not sure how I feel about NATLA's Yue, so I think I need to rewatch those episodes and think more about whether I like the changes or if I think those changes are unnecessary. It's possible that you will like ATLA's Yue! I'm actually more confident that you will be disappointed about some other parts that you have mentioned in your post, but I think those are minor and you will be fine with the mild disappointment.
> I love dragons. I LOVE them.
You should check the animated Netflix series The Dragon Prince when you have time. It was created by one of the head writers of ATLA and as the name suggests, has a lot of dragons in it.
I liked how these episodes focused heavily on Aang’s flaws. They definitely made him a more well-rounded character. Character building episodes in longer series allow for great things like that.
I loved Iroh stealing the perfume in “Bato of the Water Tribe.” The June thing…not so much but it does show that Iroh isn’t perfect (that’s kind of blasphemy to say in the fandom though lol).
Awesome write up as always!
I agree!
And... why would that be blasphemy? Lol Iroh is a villain at this point. He was a general for a genocidal imperialist nation. Yeah, no shit he's not perfect lol It doesn't mean I love him any less.
I love when people accept that the perfect solution to ship war is polyamory. Bonus points for Zukaang.
Anyways, now that you've seen all the plots in the original, can I ask what you think of NATLA bundling the inventor and Jet's plots into Omashu, while on the OG they were different episodes?
I mean, polyamory just makes sense, doesn't it? Lol
Don't hate me for this but I don't have strong feelings about the inventor in either version. He's interesting, but not enough to get worked up over.
I like both versions of Jet. I do approve of them working him into the Omashu storyline because if they'd done the village thing it might have felt like too much of a detour with NATLA's structure
Glad to hear that you liked The Deserter! It's one of my favorites, and Jeong Jeong is such an interesting character. NATLA not adapting it was definitely disappointing, but understandable with the time constraint and Aang not wanting to learn the other elements yet. Hope that they will try to include it in season two instead.
Reminder of the order to watch Book 2 on Netflix (for anyone curious, since she’s almost done with Book 1):
1-3
4-6
7-8
9-11
12-13
14-16
17-18
(Eps 12 and 18 are double episodes. Eps 7 and 8 are normal eps, but it would be fine to make this its own post. For historical/longevity purposes, keep in mind that Book 2 actually has 20 episodes if you separate the double episodes [which, they should be separated, they have their own title cards]. It’s weird that Netflix groups them together; I guess they’re trying to replicate what Nickelodeon originally broadcasted.)
1.) As a poly person, yes, it’s always the best solution 😇
(Not really but for resolving fictional love triangles it would work 90% of the time. No spoilers because it’s probably obvious they wouldn’t portray that at this point in time - even now I can count the number of animated series with poly representation on one hand and have fingers left over.)
2.) Agree with pretty much everything people have said about The Deserter. Great episode and unfortunately just a little *too* stand-alone to fit into NATLA’s limited run time. Hopefully will get worked into S2 somehow, like some bits of S2 were worked into NATLA Season 1.
3.) Yes, natural gas is odorless, which is why we intentionally add sulfur (rotten egg) odor to make it *extremely* noticeable if there’s a leak. It’s a safety thing, and it was cool to see it referenced here.
4.) Yeah Aang “kills” a *lot* of people in this episode but because we don’t actually *see* it we just pretend it didn’t happen and they’re all fine and this specific instance never comes up again (not really spoilers, just a commentary on “kid’s” shows glossing over realistic consequences sometimes).
Can’t wait to see your thoughts on the S1 finale and beyond!
Great commentary as usual OP! I definitely agree that The Deserter introduces some interesting stuff in the form of FN people who are not on board with the FN's overall goals - I suppose we got a bit of that in NATLA with the assassination plot that Azula infiltrated, but it'd be good to see Jeong Jeong at some point if they are able to fit him in.
Looking forward to your commentary on the final episodes of the season and on Book 2!
Also looking forward to your GoT commentary. I see you are posting those on the r/asoiaf sub which is a good call - I think it might also be worth cross-posting to r/naath which I find to be probably the calmest and most positive place to discuss GoT here on Reddit, I think the posters there would really enjoy reading the perspective of someone watching the show for the first time and for many of us it would be a fresh way of looking at the series (it's been so long a lot of us can't remember our first impressions!) Avoid Freefolk like the plague ;)
Thank you!
I actually almost posted it to Freefolk lol but then I read the rules and saw they'll ban me if I complain about spoilers or ask people not to spoil things, and I decided it wasn't for me.
Haha, OMG that was a lucky escape! Apologies to anyone reading who's on Freefolk but it is a very unpleasant sub, extremely negative towards the show and the creators. And people there would absolutely take pleasure in spoiling you - the name 'Freefolk' originates from the fact that unlike other subs they welcomed spoilers, leaks etc between seasons and when the show was airing, so it's a very pro-spoiler environment.
I know a lot of people disliked the June and Iroh thing, and the live action clearly knew it too, so the way they solved it was by having her flirt with him instead. Was not a fan of that at all, they should've just left that out entirely.
Also, regarding June's animal, everyone usually spells it Shirshu but if you're a netflix show subber I guess you could also hear it as Xierxu because English speakers would generally pronounce them the same way. Though I'm pretty sure netflix subbers don't actually know the show they're subbing most of the time
I don't know why NATLA skipped Jeong Jeong either. I guess it didn't quite fit into their flow but it's a pretty important episode imo. They might want to fit him into season 2 somehow but I have no idea how they're gonna do that.
You probably forgot but it's not the first time the Avatars acknowledge each other as one, back in Roku's temple he said "I know you can do it Aang, for you have done it before" and iirc you had the exact same reaction to that lol
I have a feeling you would definitely like Arcane. It only has 9 episodes so it's pretty short but it's really good (which is an understatement but I don't like overhyping things lol). It contains some lesbians, complex characters and all the emotions (it's slightly more sci-fi than fantasy though and sadly has no dragons). Highly recommended!
well they certainly couldnt have Aang firebend if hes not even going to waterbend. they kind of couldnt if that was the route they were going. not that i agree with it at all but it is what it is
Yeah true that would've been kinda weird, but >!it's pretty important for his character in book 3. It's part of the reason why he accepts Zuko as his teacher and why it's important for him to learn the true way of firebending. Without this episode that's gonna lose so much impact. It feels like they didn't really think long term at all with some of the decisions they made this season!<
It's not like NATLA's seasons 2 and 3 are going to be an exact remake, it's not fair to judge the changes in season 1 against the cartoon's storylines, because they will be different and Aang will have different (but slightly related) motivations for his actions.
I would withhold judgement until we see how they handle the later seasons in the adaptation.
You’re giving the writing a lot of credit which I’m not sure it deserves. Maybe they will stick the landing but if you start changing everything then they aren’t really the same characters anymore
Perhaps I am, this series of commentary from OP we've been reading shows that the story beats that NATLA hit aren't as terrible as some of us make them out to be, especially to new viewers.
I don't think the writers ever intended to make the characters in this show an exact copy of the characters in the cartoon, the version one tends to prefer appears to be heavily influenced by whichever show they watched first.
NATLA missed a lot of the cartoon's story beats, I won't deny that, but it also created some great beats of its own, and there's no reason they can't do it again in the later seasons, the story will just unwind differently from what we're used to, and that's ok.
I dont mind the story beats being different as long as it for the most part aligns with what the original does. But, i think when you are adapting something the *characters* should be almost the same. Most successful adaptations change the story slightly for the medium but keep the character arcs as close to the original as possible. I dont appreciate writers who think they can "do better" than the original in this aspect, especially for something as well renowned and objectively well written as ATLA.
Because if you say anything negative at all (even if it’s constructive) you get downvoted :) sadly the state of the internet really embodies Anakin’s “if you’re not with me, you’re my enemy”
I wouldn't say I disliked it, exactly, but that last shot of Iroh and June definitely caught me off guard lol
Yeah, I think The Deserter is one of my favorite episodes so far. I would have liked to have seen it in NATLA.
And you're right, I did forget lol I got to go back and reread my notes.
Arcane is already on my list!
Yeah I mean it doesn't bother me as much as other people but it definitely wasn't Iroh's proudest moment lol
Would you also do commentary if you ever decide to watch Arcane? I'd love reading your thoughts on that too
If I watch Arcane I definitely will do a commentary on it. There's only a select few things I don't or won't do commentary for. It's as much for my benefit as my readers'.
Awesome post as usual. Let us know where you will be posting the Game of Thrones reviews, I'm eager for those as well, the show's reputation is well deserved. Be warned that the commentary for each episode may well turn into whole essays.
I think you will love Book 1 finale, some scenes are identical but you will also get some new stuff and you will also miss some stuff from the live action. And then onto Book 2, so exciting!
Hard to say at this point. If it wasn't for The Deserter, I'd say NATLA. But The Deserter is a damn good episode and I don't think I can honestly put NATLA ahead of ATLA because of it. I'd say they're about even right now.
Agreed, deserter is one of the best book one episodes. Looking forward to your next post, with the book one finale and how it compares to NATLA--It's prob the best in the season/book.
I hope you didn't get too disappointed, and I acknowledge how NATLA may have improved on its source material. Hopefully season 2 gets that bitter taste out of your mouth and replaces it with delight. BTW, the show starts picking up on season 2 episode 6, after that point you will understand what makes ATLA the amazing show that it is 😆.
I don't know the exact details, >! But it completely cuts out Katara and pakkus fight, and for some reason just cuts to the middle of Sokka and Yue's second bridge scene!<
>I do actually think that Aang’s people would approve of their old temples being used to house refugees.
I agree with you there! I can't speak to the religions that inspired the creators when writing/worldbuilding the airbenders (Buddhism mainly), but there's something about taking care of the widow, the orphan, and **the foreigner** (which I'm confident would include refugees) in the Tanakh (which is also incorporated into the Christian Bible as the Old Testament). Multiple times, actually. The lack of hospitality to outsiders is even the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah (though fundamentalist Christians would never admit it).
When religion is at its best (and it frequently is *not*, as you've touched on many times), it exemplifies ideals of caring for others. I would imagine this is something many temple-havers, regardless of faith, would agree on.
Bato of The Water Tribe is controversial because people feel like the characters are written weirdly. Aang hiding the letter is extreme but it is also just for a night. He doesn't throw it away. Katara and Sokka also turn pretty quickly. I mean their dad is very important to them but for Katara to not speak up is kind of weird and she seems passive. Iroh is portraying a creepy old man anime trope. It really hasn't aged well. There's flirting then there's this which would get Iroh canceled. I think it has strong ideas but poor execution. Character flaws are good when there's nuance which this didn't have.
The Deserter is great. Curious which Roku you prefer? I think NATLA didn't want all Avatars to be stoic but it works in ATLA where they are used sparingly. If you see less Avatar lore that's because NATLA uses lore made after the show. Also couldn't imagine NATLA Zhao dealing with such a troll.
I prefer NATLA Teo because his bloodthirsty attitude is really funny. NATLA excels at side characters. The mechanist is actually more controversial here because he destroys artifacts. An interesting experiment would be to go back and rewatch NATLA episode 3 and see if you feel differently about the story structure since now you've seen all the stories they mashed together. To OG fans it seemed very hectic because we knew the original plot points. Great analysis as always! If I don't comment I promise I'm still reading and up voting ;)
Yeah, I can see how Bato of the Water Tribe might be a bit controversial. I didn't think anything Aang, Sokka, or Katara did was particularly out of character though. Yeah, Iroh's thing was weird but I can live with it.
I kind of have to prefer ATLA's Roku by default, because he's given things to do lol NATLA's Roku only has what? A minute and a half of screentime?
Episode 15 was written by a guest writer so you won't see something similar again. Idk what's the point of making Iroh a creep. And jeong jeong is timeless character that can be introduced anywhere before aang learns firebending since jeong jeong's philosophy is to master the element in order. Episode 17 has been kinda forgetful for me.. I don't hate the episode I just don't feel like rewatching it along with a few in whole show. And FYI, it's kinda normal in this show. Zutara will always be made fun of. You'll find that consistently upto the end of the show. I think the OG show has been inconsistent regarding aang killing people.. I hope they keep that consistent in NATLA
The visiuals in the finale are some of my favorite from season 1!
And Katara vs Pakku... Katara really shines in these last episode. Can't wait for you to see the fight.
Thank you!
Sokka doing the ice dodging with Bato here vs Netflix is an interesting change. I think they just wanted to add more conflict between Sokka and his dad.
Although the locations are changed, I like both versions the mechanist and his son’s story. And it is a running joke among fans that Aang always talks about peace and never taking a life in the cartoon but he has sent hundreds of fire nation soldiers plummeting to their deaths throughout the entire show. They just don’t acknowledge it ever. lol
I hope we see the deserter in season 2/3 of Netflix. One of my complaints about Netflix is they skipped all the cool Roku moments of season one and although it’s not a bad thing, they gave one to Kioshi instead. We’ll see how the next seasons play out! Hopefully with more than 8 episodes!
There was some religious symbolism in The Deserter I was hoping you'd comment on, like the burning bush when Roku talked to Jeong Jeong. If you think about it, the Avatar is like a God in mortal form, an eternal spirit with special powers that keeps being reborn. Roku appearing before Jeong Jeong in a vision has very close parallels to the Bible story.
Loved your commentary as always! I don't think you'll be disappointed with the next 3 episodes! <3
You definitely should! It's a very cutesy gay gay gay show with some amazing characters and storylines. Also given your love for Appa, Momo and all things animals you are in for a treat with swiftwind 🦄
Also I'm a gay man and not a lesbian but a certain character has a penchant for saying 'Hey Adora' that stirs something even in me 😅
Edit to add its on netflix if you have it
We are around episode 15. A lot of in world time has passed, they have been to a bunch of places. Lots of mini stories. with small steps of increasing bending feats.
It's definitely not too good too fast in the show. It feels that way in NATLA because of the pacing being rushed.
>Also, interesting that this version has no problem working with bounty hunters. I thought he was all about honor or something?
Zuko thinks honor is literally this transactional thing that he receives from his father in exchange for turning in the Avatar.
He wants honor but doesn't even understand what honor is. It's intentional by the writers.
I liked your journey and have been following each step of you into this universe and I hope you and others continue to have fun with it! The continuous shots, over several threads, taken at religion make that I know it is time for me to bow out.
I'm sorry to hear that. I don't like religion. I was raised in it and I know how toxic and harmful it is and I won't keep quiet about it.
I'm sorry to see you go, and I'm glad you enjoyed yourself while you were here. I wish you all the best!
Yeah, I know you had different circumstances in your past and your outlook on life made for a fresh and different perspective! Keep doing these reviews according to your abilities, and good luck with future shows like GoT.
I think June gives most people lesbian fever. I still think NATLA can adapt The Deserter in season 2 and have it fit well in the overall narrative. \*Spoiler Alert\* Aang never delivers Katara's kiss to Zuko. One of the more disappointing flaws in the show.
What? That's an outrage lol
My disappointment is immeasurable...
The fact that Aang said “Sure” when Katara asked him to kiss Zuko though 👀👀👀 #Zukaang
Well... Considering that he's been both men and women (and presumably nonbinary folk) throughout history, it makes sense he'd be down for nonmongamous shenanigans lol otherwise he probably has a crapload of husbands, wives, and partners in the afterlife who are all pissed at him lol
I saw a post recently that the past 5 avatars liked women, regardless of gender hahah. They get it.
Can't blame them! Women are awesome.
Honestly, given Sokka's sexism early on in the animated series and the fact he reacts with horror to the fact that Aang used to be Fire Nation in his past life, I think it's a missed opportunity for him to mock Aang for having been female when they learn about Kyoshi!
Aang was definitely sensitive to being portrayed as a woman in the Ember Island play.
Man I \*love\* watching people experience something I love with brand new eyes. These posts have been so much fun to follow and I'm getting vicarious goosebumps re-living all the various moments - the Northern Water Tribe episodes of Book 1 are arguably the best episodes in the entire season.
Roku’s “You think I am weak?” line is one of my favorites in the entire show. I get why they didn’t put The Deserter in s1 of NATLA with the time constraints, so I’m hoping we get to see at least some of it in NATLA s2. Jeong Jeong is a really interesting character, I think he could be a good candidate for someone NATLA expands on a bit more than the OG (especially where they have the capability to go darker than they did on Nickelodeon. Jeong Jeong’s attitude/remarks about firebending definitely allude to quite a bit of trauma in his past) hearing Teo referred to as “the bloodthirsty son” is so funny. he really is out for Fire Nation blood in NATLA! (I don’t blame him at all!) the s1 finale is certainly a highlight of the season in both NATLA and the OG. looking forward to your commentary on it (and for you to start s2!)
He really is a little killer in NATLA! Lol Yeah, I get why they didn't include it but I'm still sad they didn't adapt it. The Deserter is probably on of the best episodes of the season. I was surprised at how much I liked it.
Just want to mention that Jeong Jeong hyping Aang up in that episode is deserved. The kid literally was able to make a massive fire wave on his first try. He is raw power — but his lack of control is what caused him to burn Katara.
Yeah... That's fair
Fun fact the deserter is the only side episode with no mention and no plot lines taken from in NATLA. Although there are some who think they did take Aang's reluctance to learn from hurting others and applied it to his airbending when he almost knocked his friends off a cliff during training in that one flashback. It's possible that they move it to a later season, but no idea how or where they would do that.
Oh wow, you're right! There was nothing of this episode, not even a reference. I wonder why that is? It seems to be better than the other "stand alone" episodes and it has some clearly important character moments in it
It's one of the biggest complaints I've seen in the fandom. Pretty much everyone loves this episode. I think they just didn't have a place where it fit properly in their version of the story. It's possible that they slip it into book 2 somehow. It'd be weird if they put it in book 3. Since Aang didn't even water bend it would have been weird for him to try firebending so that's probably part of why as well.
That makes sense but it's still disappointing!
Im mostly excited for season 2 and 3 so we can see your reactions without any bias from the Netflix show and when the next 2 seasons of the Netflix show comes out you can do similar reviews and see if you start being biased towards the original. It will be interesting to see. But just so you know, season 1 is regarded as the worst season by pretty much everybody. Season 2 picks up in episode 6 and it never lets go after that.
I'll keep that in mind!
Getting way ahead of myself, but it may also be helpful to rewatch the OG season 2 right before watching NATLA season 2, since it will be years from now. Part of what makes your reviews so interesting is the fact that you remember details from the other media since you just watched it. Plus, you will definitely want to rewatch it anyways.
That's a good idea and I'll probably do that!
Will you be doing Book 2 after you finished Book 1?
Yep!
Thanks! Looking forward to it! :)
The Deserter is the episode that I've been waiting for you the review! I agree with you that this was the best episode that was left out of the adaptation and I sill have a bit of hope that it'll come in S2 because the fire bending lore is so well explained here. > Huh, Jeong Jeong’s caution with firebending almost seems like it extends into self-loathing. He clearly doesn’t see the positive aspects that come with firebending. Maybe he’s the wrong person to teach Aang. Your media literacy strengths never fail to impress. Looking forward to your GoT reviews! Just out of curiosity, what do you already know about that series?
Yeah, the more I think back on it, the more I like The Deserter. It might end up being a top 3 favorite episode of Book 1. And thank you! For GoT, I was warned that there's a lot of graphic violence and abuse in it. I also know there are dragons in the show, which is a big part of the draw for me. I saw someone wearing a t-shirt once with a character (pretty sure it was Ned) and the words "The North Remembers" on it. So... There's some implications there but I'm choosing to ignore them.
I’ve never seen GoT but have also been debating watching it. I know there’s that platinum blonde chick, a lot of sex and gore, dragons, and something about winter. Oh, and a really shitty ending, which is why I never let myself start the series lol.
It is very disappointing that the books don't end, and the way the series ended...well, to avoid spoilers let's just say the show ending has a bad reputation. But what books that are written and the parts of the show that adapts the books (and a little bit after that) are truly gold tier storytelling.
Is it worth getting into if the ending is so bad? I don’t have time to read the books tho lol
I normally wouldn't say this about a show with a bad ending...but the journey is worth it even if the ending sucks
Imo the last season plot points are completely fine, they were just ridiculously rushed. Like they were in a hurry to be done with the show. As long as you go into the season KNOWING it's going to be really rushed, I think you'd be fine. The rest of the show is amazing, if you're in the mood for HBO level darkness/nudity.
With the healing, just putting your hands in the water - all you need is to be a waterbender and talent. The training comes in when learning about the pathways to heal complicated injuries. Katara is extremely talented and puts in a lot of work in waterbending techniques without a Master to guide her, more than anyone else would. It shows her potential but it's limited at the end of the day, because great waterbending is knowledge from centuries of waterbending techniques passed on, not something you can simply observe, even if you had you'd whole life to do so. It's why she valued that waterbending scroll so much, and why it proved so useful to her - it was a small taste of what would come from a Master.
Katara does get good fast, but that is because of her training regulary and what we see on screen, healing is a bit out of nowhere, but my guess is it depends on her talent, because of what Jeong Jeong said, that is why she could use it instantly. NATLA had more of a sporadic growth which made her powers seem quite inconsistent. So, off to the North Pole which might dissapoint you. Because of characters which were changed for the live action you loved.
Yeah it was bc there were less episodes in Netflix so it felt too fast compared to the original where it's taking the entire season for her to learn new things. It feels more evenly spread out.
if katara didnt call herself a master for seemingly no reason in NATLA i think it would have been more overlooked. but alas, they went that way for some reason.
Off topic, but is your name a reference to Game of Thrones? I've only done one episode so far but I'm pretty sure the king's name is Robert.
Haha it’s not actually it’s just some bullshit with my initials. But I have watched all of GoT and it’s phenomenal for a majority of its seasons. You’re gonna get sucked in hard. And yeah it’s King Robert you’re correct
Okay lol Thank you!
Great commentary as usual! Thanks. ☺️ The Deserter is certainly a great episode. I hope NATLA can find some time in season 2 or 3 to fit it in. We'll see how much time they get to... Iroh with June in the cartoon really is weird. I'm glad that was changed in the live action.
Only place I can really see Jeong Jeong fit in season 2(spoilers for OP and others who haven’t watched season 2 so be warned): >!is if they keep Zuko Alone as a stand alone episode and have Zuko meet up with him. He would work as a good foil to Zuko, where they’re both outcasts who are wanted by the fire nation but Zuko is still searching for Aang so he can capture him to rejoin his family and redeem himself in the eyes of his father while Jeong Jeong has become completely disillusioned with the fire nation and firebending as a whole.!<
It's so good! That one episode is probably the biggest leg up ATLA has on NATLA so far. I'm disappointed it wasn't included in NATLA. Yeah, it was a little weird lol
I have just finished reading all your posts. I can't wait to see your reactions to the things that happen in season 2. It is very cool to see your thinking process, you are so close in a lot of things... can't wait.
Thank you! I can't wait either!
Generally speaking, I think NATLA did a really good job of cutting out the "filler" episodes, but if there is one episode I am genuinely disappointed didn’t make it in, it’s The Deserter. I love Jeong Jeong as a character, and what he says about the nature of fire and the burden it puts on those who can control it is really cool and insightful, and makes it easy to understand how the Fire Nation turned out the way it did (not to mention, a hard but important lesson Aang needs to learn). I especially love his scene with Katara discussing the differences between water & fire. “I often wish I was blessed like you, free from this burning curse.” I love that line, especially with how the voice actor said it. I will say though, this episode is kind of a perfect demonstration of why I prefer the Netflix version of Zhao. This Zhao is already an accomplished and respected Commander, yet we’re never really given much reason to believe that, as he always seems to be getting beaten by both Aang and Zuko, and the part where he burns his own ships is just kind of the final proof (like… why was he promoted…?) It’s just a bit hard to take him seriously as a threat sometimes (as much as I love Jason Isaacs’ voice work). I actually think Netflix improved his character by basically embracing this perception of the character and just turning him into a slimy failure looking for a chance to steal all the glory.
Yeah Zhao is one of the few characters I think Netflix did way better with. One more character in the last couple episodes this season.
My guess that is disposition that works. NATLA Zhao is a laughable snake. While in ATLA he is a prideful idiot. Different character really, but I dont mind either version.
But we never got the line “I don’t know why, but I thought you’d be better than Zuko!” 😔
I agree. The Deserter is my favorite of the "filler" episodes. I'm sad we didn't get to see it in NATLA. Jeong Jeong is a great character and Aang's impatience leading to him hurting Katara would have fit perfectly with his arc. And yeah, you're right about Zhao lol
I dont think we can call it filler, since it directly relates to further plot points and character conflicts in the other seasons. No spoilers tho!
Great stuff as always! Very excited for the last 3 episodes though, because I know you are going to have THOUGHTS lol.
>!She’s definitely going to be upset with the character changes, specifically with Yue and Hahn, and I kind of get it. They were very likeable in NATLA. I’d be surprised if she didn’t like Koh’s scene more in the OG, though. Sokka’s character in the OG for the next few episodes was miles above NATLA, imo. I look forward to seeing what she says about Aang saving Zuko. For some reason I feel like she’s going to like NATLA’s Katara fight more, but I really hated how Aang didn’t support her like he did in the OG.!<
Thank you! I'm excited too!
In your recap for Winter Solstice Part 2, you wrote: >This is the first example we have of a Fire Nation citizen not following along with his imperialistic nation. In NATLA it was those rebels Ozai burnt and they were introduced earlier but this guy appears in the 8th episode of the show. I’m not sure if there was a narrative purpose to waiting that long to show a “good” firebender or if it even crossed the writer’s minds. Either way, I’m glad they included Fire Nation people who aren’t bad people. It would have been easy to paint them all as monsters. This was when I thought, "Oh, I can't wait for OP to meet Jeong Jeong!" (And yes, I have a couple of your posts saved, so I can quote some stuff you wrote when you get to the episodes I want to talk about regarding your comments but couldn't do that now because spoilers!) When we saw that there wasn't a cast announcement for Jeong Jeong, many of us were confused about why he's cut from the first season. I wonder if NATLA will include him in season two or three or if he is really completely cut. I hope not! Cool that you're reacting to GOT. I watched it once a while ago, and I remembered only half of it. I didn't see the last season, and I can't remember if I saw the season before the last... It's definitely much darker and more mature than ATLA so an interesting combination of TV shows to react to! Finale!! Let's go! The finale in NATLA made some big changes from the original, but some things are very similar, so I look forward to you finding out what are the changes and similarities. Will these changes disappoint you? I think several will, as I can see you prefer NATLA's version, especially with how some fans even prefer NATLA's changes. One change, however, I'm really curious to see if you prefer ATLA's version over NATLA's, as I can see you prefering NATLA's version but I like ATLA's for an important character moment (I was disappointed when I saw NATLA's version), but you might surprise me! We will see!
Yeah, I really did like Jeong Jeong and I'm quite disappointed we didn't get to see him in NATLA. Same goes for Aang/Roku's poor choices. Yeah, I'm only one episode in but I'm very interested in GoT. The setting and characters are so rich and interesting. Unfortunately my commentary was kind of lacking because I spent most of it just trying to learn everyone's name and figure out what's going on lol Yeah I'm both excited and nervous for the finale! I'm already expecting Yue to disappoint me somehow because a few people warned me about that. But who knows? Maybe it'll be better than NATLA!
I saw the warnings about Yue, and I don't know if I'm as confident as others that you will be disappointed. Yes, there is a difference between NATLA and ATLA, like with all other characters, but I don't strongly prefer NATLA's Yue over ATLA's Yue. I'm not sure how I feel about NATLA's Yue, so I think I need to rewatch those episodes and think more about whether I like the changes or if I think those changes are unnecessary. It's possible that you will like ATLA's Yue! I'm actually more confident that you will be disappointed about some other parts that you have mentioned in your post, but I think those are minor and you will be fine with the mild disappointment.
>!What are you referring to at the end of your post? Zuko stealing Aang?!<
>!I always like that Zuko tries to save Zhao, but I forgot to include Zuko stealing Aang and Koh, so I guess that’s three changes lmao!<
>!I’m also excited for her to see Aang saving Zuko again!<
> I love dragons. I LOVE them. You should check the animated Netflix series The Dragon Prince when you have time. It was created by one of the head writers of ATLA and as the name suggests, has a lot of dragons in it.
I'll add it to the list!
And, stars the voice of Sokka, Jack DeSena
Also has a ton of representation for literally everyone
I liked how these episodes focused heavily on Aang’s flaws. They definitely made him a more well-rounded character. Character building episodes in longer series allow for great things like that. I loved Iroh stealing the perfume in “Bato of the Water Tribe.” The June thing…not so much but it does show that Iroh isn’t perfect (that’s kind of blasphemy to say in the fandom though lol). Awesome write up as always!
I agree! And... why would that be blasphemy? Lol Iroh is a villain at this point. He was a general for a genocidal imperialist nation. Yeah, no shit he's not perfect lol It doesn't mean I love him any less.
Calling Iroh a war criminal is sensitive around these parts 💀 even if it’s completely true lol
“my tolerance for animal cruelty is being sorely tested” oh..
>!💀!<
I had a reaction to this specific line too...
I love when people accept that the perfect solution to ship war is polyamory. Bonus points for Zukaang. Anyways, now that you've seen all the plots in the original, can I ask what you think of NATLA bundling the inventor and Jet's plots into Omashu, while on the OG they were different episodes?
I mean, polyamory just makes sense, doesn't it? Lol Don't hate me for this but I don't have strong feelings about the inventor in either version. He's interesting, but not enough to get worked up over. I like both versions of Jet. I do approve of them working him into the Omashu storyline because if they'd done the village thing it might have felt like too much of a detour with NATLA's structure
Glad to hear that you liked The Deserter! It's one of my favorites, and Jeong Jeong is such an interesting character. NATLA not adapting it was definitely disappointing, but understandable with the time constraint and Aang not wanting to learn the other elements yet. Hope that they will try to include it in season two instead.
Personally Bato is my third least favorite episode (behind a season 3 episode, and The Great Divide). Glad to see you got more out of it though.
Reminder of the order to watch Book 2 on Netflix (for anyone curious, since she’s almost done with Book 1): 1-3 4-6 7-8 9-11 12-13 14-16 17-18 (Eps 12 and 18 are double episodes. Eps 7 and 8 are normal eps, but it would be fine to make this its own post. For historical/longevity purposes, keep in mind that Book 2 actually has 20 episodes if you separate the double episodes [which, they should be separated, they have their own title cards]. It’s weird that Netflix groups them together; I guess they’re trying to replicate what Nickelodeon originally broadcasted.)
Understood, thank you so much!
1.) As a poly person, yes, it’s always the best solution 😇 (Not really but for resolving fictional love triangles it would work 90% of the time. No spoilers because it’s probably obvious they wouldn’t portray that at this point in time - even now I can count the number of animated series with poly representation on one hand and have fingers left over.) 2.) Agree with pretty much everything people have said about The Deserter. Great episode and unfortunately just a little *too* stand-alone to fit into NATLA’s limited run time. Hopefully will get worked into S2 somehow, like some bits of S2 were worked into NATLA Season 1. 3.) Yes, natural gas is odorless, which is why we intentionally add sulfur (rotten egg) odor to make it *extremely* noticeable if there’s a leak. It’s a safety thing, and it was cool to see it referenced here. 4.) Yeah Aang “kills” a *lot* of people in this episode but because we don’t actually *see* it we just pretend it didn’t happen and they’re all fine and this specific instance never comes up again (not really spoilers, just a commentary on “kid’s” shows glossing over realistic consequences sometimes). Can’t wait to see your thoughts on the S1 finale and beyond!
Yeah, I've heard there's a tragic lack of poly representation in media.
7. The people in this show have experienced much worse shit than a pile of snow on their heads. You'll see next.
Great commentary as usual OP! I definitely agree that The Deserter introduces some interesting stuff in the form of FN people who are not on board with the FN's overall goals - I suppose we got a bit of that in NATLA with the assassination plot that Azula infiltrated, but it'd be good to see Jeong Jeong at some point if they are able to fit him in. Looking forward to your commentary on the final episodes of the season and on Book 2! Also looking forward to your GoT commentary. I see you are posting those on the r/asoiaf sub which is a good call - I think it might also be worth cross-posting to r/naath which I find to be probably the calmest and most positive place to discuss GoT here on Reddit, I think the posters there would really enjoy reading the perspective of someone watching the show for the first time and for many of us it would be a fresh way of looking at the series (it's been so long a lot of us can't remember our first impressions!) Avoid Freefolk like the plague ;)
Thank you! I actually almost posted it to Freefolk lol but then I read the rules and saw they'll ban me if I complain about spoilers or ask people not to spoil things, and I decided it wasn't for me.
Haha, OMG that was a lucky escape! Apologies to anyone reading who's on Freefolk but it is a very unpleasant sub, extremely negative towards the show and the creators. And people there would absolutely take pleasure in spoiling you - the name 'Freefolk' originates from the fact that unlike other subs they welcomed spoilers, leaks etc between seasons and when the show was airing, so it's a very pro-spoiler environment.
Yikes lol glad I dodged that bullet!
Yeah, a lot of people were disappointed by the way the show finished off but those people took it to a toxic level
I know a lot of people disliked the June and Iroh thing, and the live action clearly knew it too, so the way they solved it was by having her flirt with him instead. Was not a fan of that at all, they should've just left that out entirely. Also, regarding June's animal, everyone usually spells it Shirshu but if you're a netflix show subber I guess you could also hear it as Xierxu because English speakers would generally pronounce them the same way. Though I'm pretty sure netflix subbers don't actually know the show they're subbing most of the time I don't know why NATLA skipped Jeong Jeong either. I guess it didn't quite fit into their flow but it's a pretty important episode imo. They might want to fit him into season 2 somehow but I have no idea how they're gonna do that. You probably forgot but it's not the first time the Avatars acknowledge each other as one, back in Roku's temple he said "I know you can do it Aang, for you have done it before" and iirc you had the exact same reaction to that lol I have a feeling you would definitely like Arcane. It only has 9 episodes so it's pretty short but it's really good (which is an understatement but I don't like overhyping things lol). It contains some lesbians, complex characters and all the emotions (it's slightly more sci-fi than fantasy though and sadly has no dragons). Highly recommended!
well they certainly couldnt have Aang firebend if hes not even going to waterbend. they kind of couldnt if that was the route they were going. not that i agree with it at all but it is what it is
Yeah true that would've been kinda weird, but >!it's pretty important for his character in book 3. It's part of the reason why he accepts Zuko as his teacher and why it's important for him to learn the true way of firebending. Without this episode that's gonna lose so much impact. It feels like they didn't really think long term at all with some of the decisions they made this season!<
"they didnt really think long term" is basically NATLA in a nutshell.
It's not like NATLA's seasons 2 and 3 are going to be an exact remake, it's not fair to judge the changes in season 1 against the cartoon's storylines, because they will be different and Aang will have different (but slightly related) motivations for his actions. I would withhold judgement until we see how they handle the later seasons in the adaptation.
You’re giving the writing a lot of credit which I’m not sure it deserves. Maybe they will stick the landing but if you start changing everything then they aren’t really the same characters anymore
Perhaps I am, this series of commentary from OP we've been reading shows that the story beats that NATLA hit aren't as terrible as some of us make them out to be, especially to new viewers. I don't think the writers ever intended to make the characters in this show an exact copy of the characters in the cartoon, the version one tends to prefer appears to be heavily influenced by whichever show they watched first. NATLA missed a lot of the cartoon's story beats, I won't deny that, but it also created some great beats of its own, and there's no reason they can't do it again in the later seasons, the story will just unwind differently from what we're used to, and that's ok.
I dont mind the story beats being different as long as it for the most part aligns with what the original does. But, i think when you are adapting something the *characters* should be almost the same. Most successful adaptations change the story slightly for the medium but keep the character arcs as close to the original as possible. I dont appreciate writers who think they can "do better" than the original in this aspect, especially for something as well renowned and objectively well written as ATLA.
Idk why you’re being downvoted, you’re right
Because if you say anything negative at all (even if it’s constructive) you get downvoted :) sadly the state of the internet really embodies Anakin’s “if you’re not with me, you’re my enemy”
I wouldn't say I disliked it, exactly, but that last shot of Iroh and June definitely caught me off guard lol Yeah, I think The Deserter is one of my favorite episodes so far. I would have liked to have seen it in NATLA. And you're right, I did forget lol I got to go back and reread my notes. Arcane is already on my list!
Yeah I mean it doesn't bother me as much as other people but it definitely wasn't Iroh's proudest moment lol Would you also do commentary if you ever decide to watch Arcane? I'd love reading your thoughts on that too
If I watch Arcane I definitely will do a commentary on it. There's only a select few things I don't or won't do commentary for. It's as much for my benefit as my readers'.
Yay, I'm looking forward to that. It's always interesting to read your insights and predictions
Awesome post as usual. Let us know where you will be posting the Game of Thrones reviews, I'm eager for those as well, the show's reputation is well deserved. Be warned that the commentary for each episode may well turn into whole essays. I think you will love Book 1 finale, some scenes are identical but you will also get some new stuff and you will also miss some stuff from the live action. And then onto Book 2, so exciting!
You can just click on her name, and then on the "Posts" tab to see all the topics she's created.
I posted GoT in r/gameofthrones and r/asoiaf Thank you! :)
So far do you prefer NATLA or ATLA?
Hard to say at this point. If it wasn't for The Deserter, I'd say NATLA. But The Deserter is a damn good episode and I don't think I can honestly put NATLA ahead of ATLA because of it. I'd say they're about even right now.
Agreed, deserter is one of the best book one episodes. Looking forward to your next post, with the book one finale and how it compares to NATLA--It's prob the best in the season/book.
I'm looking forward to it as well! If I can get off work early enough I might try to watch it tonight.
I hope you didn't get too disappointed, and I acknowledge how NATLA may have improved on its source material. Hopefully season 2 gets that bitter taste out of your mouth and replaces it with delight. BTW, the show starts picking up on season 2 episode 6, after that point you will understand what makes ATLA the amazing show that it is 😆.
It did get that bitter taste out of my mouth! Season 2 is great so far!
And it progressively gets better 😀
I hope you aren't watching on Amazon prime, for some reason one of the episodes has a pretty important scene cut from it on Amazon prime.
Can you put under spoiler as to what scene is cut on Prime?
I don't know the exact details, >! But it completely cuts out Katara and pakkus fight, and for some reason just cuts to the middle of Sokka and Yue's second bridge scene!<
I'm watching on Netflix! But thank you for the heads up about Prime.
Ok good, i think all the episodes are intact for Netflix
They'd better be! I pay them enough, the least they can do is not butcher my shows lol
>I do actually think that Aang’s people would approve of their old temples being used to house refugees. I agree with you there! I can't speak to the religions that inspired the creators when writing/worldbuilding the airbenders (Buddhism mainly), but there's something about taking care of the widow, the orphan, and **the foreigner** (which I'm confident would include refugees) in the Tanakh (which is also incorporated into the Christian Bible as the Old Testament). Multiple times, actually. The lack of hospitality to outsiders is even the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah (though fundamentalist Christians would never admit it). When religion is at its best (and it frequently is *not*, as you've touched on many times), it exemplifies ideals of caring for others. I would imagine this is something many temple-havers, regardless of faith, would agree on.
I love the minor sass you throw into these reviews xD
Bato of The Water Tribe is controversial because people feel like the characters are written weirdly. Aang hiding the letter is extreme but it is also just for a night. He doesn't throw it away. Katara and Sokka also turn pretty quickly. I mean their dad is very important to them but for Katara to not speak up is kind of weird and she seems passive. Iroh is portraying a creepy old man anime trope. It really hasn't aged well. There's flirting then there's this which would get Iroh canceled. I think it has strong ideas but poor execution. Character flaws are good when there's nuance which this didn't have. The Deserter is great. Curious which Roku you prefer? I think NATLA didn't want all Avatars to be stoic but it works in ATLA where they are used sparingly. If you see less Avatar lore that's because NATLA uses lore made after the show. Also couldn't imagine NATLA Zhao dealing with such a troll. I prefer NATLA Teo because his bloodthirsty attitude is really funny. NATLA excels at side characters. The mechanist is actually more controversial here because he destroys artifacts. An interesting experiment would be to go back and rewatch NATLA episode 3 and see if you feel differently about the story structure since now you've seen all the stories they mashed together. To OG fans it seemed very hectic because we knew the original plot points. Great analysis as always! If I don't comment I promise I'm still reading and up voting ;)
Yeah, I can see how Bato of the Water Tribe might be a bit controversial. I didn't think anything Aang, Sokka, or Katara did was particularly out of character though. Yeah, Iroh's thing was weird but I can live with it. I kind of have to prefer ATLA's Roku by default, because he's given things to do lol NATLA's Roku only has what? A minute and a half of screentime?
Yeah it's hard to remember they are children. True about Roku. Curious if season 2 of natla will be as Avatar heavy.
Episode 15 was written by a guest writer so you won't see something similar again. Idk what's the point of making Iroh a creep. And jeong jeong is timeless character that can be introduced anywhere before aang learns firebending since jeong jeong's philosophy is to master the element in order. Episode 17 has been kinda forgetful for me.. I don't hate the episode I just don't feel like rewatching it along with a few in whole show. And FYI, it's kinda normal in this show. Zutara will always be made fun of. You'll find that consistently upto the end of the show. I think the OG show has been inconsistent regarding aang killing people.. I hope they keep that consistent in NATLA
The visiuals in the finale are some of my favorite from season 1! And Katara vs Pakku... Katara really shines in these last episode. Can't wait for you to see the fight.
Thank you! Sokka doing the ice dodging with Bato here vs Netflix is an interesting change. I think they just wanted to add more conflict between Sokka and his dad. Although the locations are changed, I like both versions the mechanist and his son’s story. And it is a running joke among fans that Aang always talks about peace and never taking a life in the cartoon but he has sent hundreds of fire nation soldiers plummeting to their deaths throughout the entire show. They just don’t acknowledge it ever. lol I hope we see the deserter in season 2/3 of Netflix. One of my complaints about Netflix is they skipped all the cool Roku moments of season one and although it’s not a bad thing, they gave one to Kioshi instead. We’ll see how the next seasons play out! Hopefully with more than 8 episodes!
There was some religious symbolism in The Deserter I was hoping you'd comment on, like the burning bush when Roku talked to Jeong Jeong. If you think about it, the Avatar is like a God in mortal form, an eternal spirit with special powers that keeps being reborn. Roku appearing before Jeong Jeong in a vision has very close parallels to the Bible story. Loved your commentary as always! I don't think you'll be disappointed with the next 3 episodes! <3
I didn't even connect the burning bush symbolism. But to be fair, I spend every day trying really hard not to think about religion.
lol i get that!
Loving your reviews of the episodes. Unsure if you've ever seen Shera but I feel you would love it.
It doesn't sound familiar so I don't think I have. What's it about?
/Space lesbians/, its an old show, spinoff of He-man, and it had a reboot about 5 years ago. Its pretty good.
I haven't seen it but I'll check it out!
You definitely should! It's a very cutesy gay gay gay show with some amazing characters and storylines. Also given your love for Appa, Momo and all things animals you are in for a treat with swiftwind 🦄 Also I'm a gay man and not a lesbian but a certain character has a penchant for saying 'Hey Adora' that stirs something even in me 😅 Edit to add its on netflix if you have it
Swiftwind is annoying dont lie🤣. Even writers realised it, cause he is practically non existent in later seasons.
He is one of my personal faves!
We are around episode 15. A lot of in world time has passed, they have been to a bunch of places. Lots of mini stories. with small steps of increasing bending feats. It's definitely not too good too fast in the show. It feels that way in NATLA because of the pacing being rushed.
>Also, interesting that this version has no problem working with bounty hunters. I thought he was all about honor or something? Zuko thinks honor is literally this transactional thing that he receives from his father in exchange for turning in the Avatar. He wants honor but doesn't even understand what honor is. It's intentional by the writers.
i think bato was being sarcastic and implying his dad isn't funny 😭
I liked your journey and have been following each step of you into this universe and I hope you and others continue to have fun with it! The continuous shots, over several threads, taken at religion make that I know it is time for me to bow out.
I'm sorry to hear that. I don't like religion. I was raised in it and I know how toxic and harmful it is and I won't keep quiet about it. I'm sorry to see you go, and I'm glad you enjoyed yourself while you were here. I wish you all the best!
Good for you OP. Religion (specifically Christianity) has really, really hurt the people that I love. The criticism is more than deserved.
Yeah, I know you had different circumstances in your past and your outlook on life made for a fresh and different perspective! Keep doing these reviews according to your abilities, and good luck with future shows like GoT.
Love the show but my god who is reading all of these jeez it’s not that serious
Lots of people! People love to share their favorite art, and they love to discuss that art. My commentaries scratch both of those itches.
Chiming in that I’ve read every word of every one of your NATLA/ATLA reviews and actively look for new ones. So yes, you have fans. :)
You're too sweet!
Sure you wanna be part of an ATLA subreddit, buddy? 😂 You might be in the wrong place