Avatar: The Last Airbender (animated) season three

Avatar: The Last Airbender originally aired on Nickelodeon. It’s animated, and the characters frequently behave/react childishly. Does that combination mean its a kid’s show? We can have a long discussion on what constitutes a kid’s show and what doesn’t and find many examples of shows that blur the lines. I can’t imagine any are more blurry than Avatar.

Avatar has relatable characters who must face challenging psychological issues, both their own and those around them. I can’t say with confidence how a young child might react to the lessons that are presented in the show. It seems like they are presented in a way that a maturing individual might relate, but you would have to ask many children to know for sure. I can say that the lessons aren’t lost on myself—a middle-aged man. The insights that the characters have of themselves, and others is refreshing and educational.

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But besides all that, the show never gets buried in trying so hard to present a lesson and forgetting to be entertaining. Sure, some episodes are better than others, but they are all fun and advance a plot that we know is headed toward an inevitable showdown.

S3.E1 ∙ The Awakening

I was surprised by how the writers decided to demonstrate Katara’s relationship with her father and vice versa. She was angry and insulting, but the father never fought back and took her verbal abuse. In my experience, it’s uncommon to see a child unleash verbal abuse on a parent who doesn’t retaliate. Of course, there is a reconciliation between the two when the father asks Katara why she’s angry. His response helps her understand the sacrifice that he made for them, which was has hard on himself.

S3.E2 ∙ The Headband

I got a kick out of this one. It’s Footloose meets Avatar.

S3.E3 ∙ The Painted Lady

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What Avatar consistently does well is display characters doing the right and wrong things simultaneously. Katara wants to help the locals, but she tricks her friends in the process. In the process, we get to see Sokka voice his support for his sister and strengthen their relationship.

S3.E4 ∙ Sokka’s Master

This is two episodes in a row that illustrate characters simultaneously doing the right and wrong things. It was a little odd that they compressed a decade of study to become a master into two days, but I guess the reality of the show is that they need Sokka to level-up and there is only a short time remaining before the eclipse occurs. They are on the clock. I love that Sokka was successful, but then recognized that his achievement came at the cost of deceiving his master/teacher and confessed.

S3.E5 ∙ The Beach

If there’s a weak link in any of the character motivations it would have to be Azula. Her character appears to be evil for the sake of evil. There’s no obvious cause for her relentless pursuit of domination. Zuko’s character arc is my favorite. I think it shows the most depth and conflict. I wonder if there will be some revelation for Azula as well.

S3.E6 ∙ The Avatar and the Fire Lord

We discover more about the cause of Zuko’s internal conflict. This will clearly play a pivotal role on the resolution of the final conflict.

S3.E7 ∙ The Runaway

This was brilliant. The conflict between Katara and Toph has been building from the very beginning. It’s a cheap trick to resort to character growth by overhearing a private conversation, but it works and sometimes it’s the quickest and most direct method to advance the story and the character development.

Kudos to the animators/director for using the dolly zoom technique in the scene where Katara comes face-to-face with the Boom-Boom-Sparkle-Man—as Sokka called him.

S3.E8 ∙ The Puppetmaster

I’ve always believed that what defines a superhero isn’t their power, but the cost that comes from gaining/using that power and the vulnerabilities that it creates. Now Katara has a powerful new ability, but it comes at a cost. Clearly we’re setting her up to have a necessity to use bloodbending in the future, but what will it cost her?

S3.E9 ∙ Nightmares and Daydreams

And I thought I was the blind one.

—Toph

Why am I so bad at being good.

—Zuko