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So that’s another episode down. Can’t say I’m hooked, and I still don’t see the big deal about this show. Of course, I’m 15 years too late for it, so this could be a case of Seinfeld is Unfunny. It’s got some funny moments, but never really anything that has me in stitches. Steven Universe and InuYasha both had me on episode 1. Granted InuYasha was when I was in fourth grade and Steven Universe is... Steven Universe. Neither of them are Avatar, and I have to respect that Avatar has a different deal going on.

That said, I do love some things. The Avatar State is interesting. I hope I get a better name for it later. But mostly I’m interested in that ‘control’ issue I’ve been talking about. Everything Uncle Mako wanted for Zuko is what Aang embodies (or tries to.) Obviously, Aang can lose focus, but in battle he has that body control and outside of battle he focuses more on the things that make him happy, like Uncle Mako has his naps and food and tea and such. Focusing only on fighting and power isn’t healthy, and the old man seems to know that.

Aang himself is deeply effected by the idea of being the Avatar, but we obviously know he has no choice. This is likely because he’s so young. I know through the little info I’ve gathered throughout the years that most Avatars don’t get told until they’re older, but Aang was told much younger because of the upcoming war. At that age, really at any age, but especially as young as he is (11 or 12) why would he want to be the savior of the whole world? At that age, he just wants to have fun, make friends, go riding a whole bunch of weird animals. Instead, he’s given responsibility and burden. He’s good spirited, which doesn’t seem like a cover for his hidden sadness, but it is definitely spoiled by that. I hope they don’t take too long to explore the trauma of losing his people, though. Not that I WANT him to go through that, but if a show is worth its snuff it’ll really go through that stuff and not just handwave it with flipflopping emotions like Aang has displayed thus far. It’s only the second episode, of course, but at some point down the line I want to see it.

Looking back at the episode overall, it seems to have a pacing issue. The difference between the scenes in the village and the ship scenes almost feels like a separate episode. I’m not ready to pass judgement on it, though, since that could be a problem with the format that I’m watching it in. It also doesn’t help that not only am I doing the liveblog thing but Avatar episodes are double the length of Steven Universe episodes, so I’m having to deal with more information in a second episode. It’s been a long time since I’ve really had this much focus on a longer episode series, so I can’t fault Avatar for that.

Anyway, it’s still interesting so far. And we’re finally out of the village. Hopefully it’ll pick up from here, but we’ll have to see.

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This kid flipflops emotions so quickly it almost gives me whiplash. He doesn’t want to be the Avatar, he doesn’t know how he can save the world, all he knows is that he’s supposed to Master the other elements. He’s bummed out about it. Of course he is, he’s just a kid.

But then Katara says they’ll go to the North Pole and he can learn there, and he instantly gets happy. They can learn together! But FIRST, they have to go do a whole bunch of ridiculous fun things! They’re super important, after all. Ugh. I hope he gets more likeable. Maybe he will. Sokka kind of turned around quickly, so maybe it’ll get easier.

Anyway, that’s the end of “The Avatar Returns.” I’ll come back in a bit with my final thoughts on the episode!

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“How did you do that, with the water?!”

“I don’t know... I just sort of did it.”

Avatar State Theory confirmed.

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That fireball created an avalanche that stuck the ship in place, nice. Uncle Mako expresses how lucky they are that the Fire Nation’s greatest enemy is just a kid, but this angers Zuko, who basically says “look at all the power he has!”

But I think that’s the point of what Uncle Mako is saying... an adult may very well have not just snowed them in. An adult may have killed them all.

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I don’t know how to properly impress upon you all how tiny that gust of wind was and how implausible it was to have knocked the giant fireball back at a perfectly 90 degree angle with the direction the wind was going...

The physics are wrong and I’m not here for it.

Oh well, Aang saved the day even though he was all worn out a second ago. I feel like that’ll be a reoccuring theme, too, hm?

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Uncle Mako wakes up just in time to witness a flying bison, help his nephew back on the boat (HOW DID HE GET BACK UP THERE???) and do a fun little synchronized FIREBLAST.

Such a delight to see you, Uncle Mako.

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Katara shows some good improvisation here. She first tries to copy what she saw Aang do, but “fails” by accidentally freezing Sokka to the ship. She doesn’t know exactly what she did and how she got it wrong, but she does work out that if she does that same thing again she can use it to her advantage, and manages it! That’s really neat.

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The light fades as he leaves what I have dubbed “Avatar State” and has left Aang exhausted. He asks for his staff, and Sokka has taken up a friendly tone and willingness to help... which he immediately gets punished for by Zuko grabbing the staff.

Also how the heck did Zuko get back up there after falling off the ship?

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As cool as this is, this is clearly Waterbending. Something Aang acts like he can’t do, since he asks Katara to teach him and doesn’t offer to teach her. In the last episode, I wondered if him creating the ice tomb was some sort of mystical drowning response... I wonder the same here. Not a drowning response, but something of an “Avatar State” where, perhaps, the spirit of the Avatar itself is controlling Aang? I mean I know there’s like hundreds of dead Avatars but maybe there’s like a spirit of the Collective kind of situation?

The anger, the force, the way he pushes the soldiers and Zuko away with the water... it just doesn’t feel like Aang. So I’m going to assume there’s an Avatar State situation.

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Zuko knocks his captive off the boat, because of course he does, that makes perfect sense.

We can hear Katara very clearly calling him. I’m hoping that’s for the audience, because that’s not how ears or water or distance work.

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Along with the breathing control analysis I did, I mentioned that Focus was a big part of control. Zuko pulls Aang out of the air, then Appa appears, and Aang loses focus. That momentary distraction is enough to make him lose control of the fight. But now it’s not just Aang vs. Zuko. Backup has arrived, and at the very least they might have a good chance of escaping if they can’t fight.

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I’m gonna be honest here..........

I forgot it could do that.

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Aang’s fighting is also ridiculous. It looks like he’s very good at improvising and adapting. He does things that no other fighters would think to do, especially not in the moment. It helps that he’s a kid, he’s impulsive. Those moments of ADHD I’ve pointed out are a result of him just doing whatever it is that sparks his interest at the time, and it’s really apparent in his fighting, too. That’s really cool.

He’s still kind of annoying though. Probably partially because kids his age annoy me.

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Once again, Aang is scared. But I noticed something else here... Aang is in control of this fight (despite that fear). He knows where he needs to be, and he knows what he needs to do. His feet are quick, his mind is sharp.

Zuko, on the other hand, is just throwing attacks. He’s angry.

Aang is exactly what Uncle Mako was telling Zuko he needed to be. Remember that conversation? About how breath control was the key to firebending, and how I talked at length about how control was more powerful than power?

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“*whispers* Sorry.”

How polite.

And how very lovely that they catch the Avatar and Uncle Mako’s priority is to sleep. I like those priorities.

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The level of precision he needed to execute this flip over the fire at the last second and then using the points of monkey dude’s mask to cut his ties...

Good lord. That’s a frighteningly capable kid.

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Okay, he’s not going after Zuko, he wants his staff. Maybe his father gave it to him? Zuko makes a crack about Aang not knowing of fathers because he was raised by monks. Maybe Aang’s Master (likely a father figure, if not an actual father) gave it to him, and it may be all he has left of the man. Perhaps aside from Appa, who might have also been a gift. Maybe when he was a tiny little bison that could only hover...

Also Aang can run on the walls really fast like Sonic. Not sure what to do with this information, but here it is.

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