Avatar: The Last Podcasters

Finally we embark on a discussion over the first volume of the Avatar: The Last Airbender comic book series, "The Promise." But not without the usual preliminary detours to discuss our thoughts on Hamilton, Chris' upcoming videos, and Dave Chappelle. Buckle up, though, because not only is this a particularly long episode, but it also approaches some pretty serious subject matter including justice and infrastructures built upon inequality. As always, we hope you enjoy it and that you'll let us know your thoughts!

We rave frequently about the beautiful, meticulous design and animation in our favorite TV show, Avatar: The Last Airbender. Here we take that mad respect to the max by pinning the series' most iconic characters, head-to-head, in a top-16 bracket to determine who officially, unequivocally, and undisputedly has the best character design in the entire show. Also, here to help for such an integral topic - and to break ties - is the fantastic Jaimee Rindy!

Happy belated father's day! In honor of all our esteemed fathers and father figures, today we're ranking each and every dad from the Avatar: The Last Airbender/The Legend of Korra universe! (Well... all the dads that actually have a real role at some point.) We hope you enjoy the episode, and also that you understand the immense impact you have as parents on your children! (Hint: Don't be like Ozai.)

Nothing crazy here; just a good old-fashioned comparison of Chris and Shawn's Top 10 Episodes from Avatar: The Last Airbender, Book 3: Fire. We start at #10, each giving our pick (based solely on the scores we awarded the episode), and serpentine our way on down through #1.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is the #1 show on Netflix (U.S.) at the time of this recording. It's fitting and particularly timely given the powerful lessons the show preaches, while we as a nation continue to combat racism. We pay homage to the show creators' message for social justice, and ask ourselves what further changes could be made to the live action series - concerning race, sexual orientation (happy pride month!), and more - that would even further empower the already brilliant message of diversity and inclusion in our favorite show.

In a return of the "what if" series, today Chris and Shawn try to understand how different Avatar: The Last Airbender might have been if Toph's dad had been... you know... a good parent. Starting from the moment Toph came clean to her dad, instead of doubling down his efforts to protect (and basically imprison) his daughter, what if Lao Beifong had been good? There's only one way to find out for sure... and even then we're still not sure, but trying to figure it out is a fun mental exercise! So check it out, let us know your thoughts on the "What if?" series as a whole, and definitely let us know what you think might have happened!

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In another mild spinoff episode, these week we're exploring the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and how it would have been different if Aang wouldn't have sleep-wandered off onto a lion turtle in episode 58, "Sozin's Comet Part 1."

In a bit of a spinoff of our usual podcast, today we tackle one of the biggest "What if?" scenarios in the entire Avatar: The Last Airbender series: What if Katara healed Zuko's Scar in The Crossroads Of Destiny?

In perfect coordination with the welcoming of the Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series back to Netflix, Chris and Shawn end the run of series reviews by wrapping up Sozin's Comet Parts 3-4, and giving final thoughts on what we believe to be the best finale in television history! Join us one last time to discuss this masterpiece! ...Then, you know, keep joining us after that as we cover the comics, the Legend of Korra, the live-action series, and whatever else we feel like in the distant future...

It's finally here. The day to end our podcast days. The grand finale of months upon months of labor. Almost. (And not really; we're not stopping at the end of ATLA.)