The Avatar Returns

The Avatar Returns returns! We're back, having survived our various chemically altered holiday adventures. And due to some odd digital episode numbering, we end up with a bonus chapter this week which we hadn't anticipated watching yet. But perhaps it all works out for the best, since it turns out chapters 210, "The Library," and 213, "The Drill" bookend this discussion with more action-oriented, event-based stories, whereas the two middle chapters, 211, "The Desert," and 212, "The Serpent's Pass" are transitional, getting-from-place-to-place stories. We talk about giant owl-faced dick spirits, Aang almost going all Anakin Skywalker on some dudes, AJ asks Paul to dance (it gets awkward), and we forgo the usual Buffy the Vampire Slayer comparisons in favor of our first Doctor Who, Tarantino, Princess Bride, and Lost references. 

The Breakdown

• Intro / Banter (00:00 - 11:07)

The Avatar Returns returns! We're back, having survived our various chemically altered holiday adventures. And due to some odd digital episode numbering, we end up with a bonus chapter this week which we hadn't anticipated watching yet. But perhaps it all works out for the best, since it turns out chapters 210, "The Library," and 213, "The Drill" bookend this discussion with more action-oriented, event-based stories, whereas the two middle chapters, 211, "The Desert," and 212, "The Serpent's Pass" are transitional, getting-from-place-to-place stories. We talk about giant owl-faced dick spirits, Aang almost going all Anakin Skywalker on some dudes, AJ asks Paul to dance (it gets awkward), and we forgo the usual Buffy the Vampire Slayer comparisons in favor of our first Doctor Who, Tarantino, Princess Bride, and Lost references. 

The Breakdown

• Intro / Banter (00:00 - 11:07)

A rare celestial event on The Avatar Returns this week as all three hosts agree on all three chapters. In what could conceivably be dubbed the Zuko Cycle, chapters 207-209, “Zuko Alone,” “The Chase,” and “Bitter Work” focus almost exclusively on everyone’s favorite banished emo prince as he pulls a Caine from Kung Fu and walks the Earth…Kingdom. The boys talk about the obvious homages to classic westerns like Shane and High Noon, the care and transport of Jesus lizards, and the dramatic heft of characters with deeply emotionally rooted conflicts like Zuko and Azula. Fears that perhaps Book Two might flounder under the sophomore slump turn out to be unwarranted! 

Next: we take a month off to wage war on Christmas like Fire Lord Ozai. Once the holidays are over, we pick up right where we left off, continuing Book Two with chapters 210-212, “The Library,” “The Desert,” and “The Serpent’s Pass.”

The Breakdown

• Intro / Banter (00:00 - 05:14)

Man, rednecks ruin everything! This week, Avatar: The Last Airbender goes all Deliverance on us, and at least two of our hosts ain't down for that. Chapter 204 takes us to "The Swamp," and introduces us to the Duck Dynasty of the Avatar world. Then we drain the muck our of our boots and celebrate "Avatar Day" with Sokka Holmes and some really friendly townsfolk in chapter 205. And finally, the episode Paul has been waiting for since the beginning is here at last as chapter 206 brings the Boulder-breaking debut of "The Blind Bandit." There's some talk about whether the show and/or the characters are treading a bit of water at the moment (complete with all the terrible puns you'd expect from that). And we close it all out talking about which bending style we each imagine ourselves practicing. 

The Breakdown

• Intro / Banter (00:00 - 02:15)

Sleep deprivation, unpopular opinions about lava, and oblique references to midichlorian-bending take us into the Holiday season and mark the beginning of our journey through Avatar Book Two: Earth. The chapters guiding us this week are 201-203, “The Avatar State,” “The Cave of Two Lovers,” and “Return to Omashu.” It’s definite hard to follow the explosive finale to Book One we discussed last time, but these three chapters give us some truly great moments with Zuko and Iroh, including the proper introduction to the REAL bad seed of Zuko’s family. There’s also a new twist on firebending, the Joseph Campbellian hero’s sewer journey, and the boys officially join the fandom by debating that kiss. 

Oh, and there’s that whole Berry Gordy’s The Last Dragon thing. 

Next: three more chapters, including what Paul and Eric agree is one of the big ones. We will explore 204-206, “The Swamp,” “Avatar Day,” and “The Blind Bandit.”

The Breakdown

• Intro / Banter (00:00 - 09:00)

The boys are back, closing out the first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender discussing chapters 18-20, “The Waterbending Master,” “The Siege of the North, Part 1,” and “The Siege of the North, Part 2.” Our intrepid heroes have finally reached the Norther Water Tribe, but their troubles have only begun. Cheer as Katara kicks some misogynist butt! Shudder at the horror that is Koh, the Face Stealer! Gasp at the fishy power of Koizilla! And run in terror from…Paul singing?

(You have been warned.)

Next: We kick off Book Two - Earth with chapters 1-3, “The Avatar State,” “The Cave of the Two Lovers,” and “Return to Omashu.”

The Breakdown

• Intro / Banter (00:00 - 07:52)

It’s a light week this week as not much happens in chapters 15-17. The kids meet up with an old friend of the family (and Uncle Iroh reveals a bit of his freaky side?) in “Bato of the Water Tribe.” We get an inside look at the power of the Dark Side (i.e. firebending) in “The Deserter.” And at “The Northern Air Temple” we meet the multi-eyed flying bison Cthulhu god. There’s also a bit of discussion about the preservation of ancient cultures vs. the progress of technology, whether Aang gets let off the hook for his mistakes a bit too easily, and Katara being the Wolverine of the group.

But mostly we just mock AJ for being a world-class hipster that objectifies cartoon women.

Next: we come to the end of Book One as we discuss chapters 18-20, “The Waterbending Master,” “The Siege of the North, Part 1,” and “The Siege of the North, Part 2.”

The Breakdown

• Intro / Banter (00:00 - 07:55)

Another four chapter episode of The Avatar Returns sees our hosts debating chemical castration, the ‘Shipper Wars, and whether it’s okay to lie sometimes. Its look at the larger context of the Avatar in microcosm (and some creepy canyon crawlers) earns “The Great Divide” more respect than expected, while meaningful character moments and truly hilarious dialogue don’t quite raise “The Fortuneteller” up as high as you’d think. The two middle chapters this week, however, stand out as Paul, Eric, and AJ all agree “The Storm” and “The Blue Spirit” are truly among the finest chapters in the series to date.

Next: we take another week off before heading into the home stretch of Book One with chapters 15-17, “Bato of the Water Tribe,” The Deserter,” and “The Northern Air Temple.”

The Breakdown

• Intro / Banter (00:00 - 04:45)

How is Avatar: The Last Airbender like Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Well they both favor stylish yet affordable boots, obviously. But there’s more to it than that. The guys discuss the ideas of chosen ones and found families as we reach our first two-parter with chapters 7 and 8, “The Spirit World (Winter Solstice, Part 1)” and “Avatar Roku (Winter Solstice, Part 2).” Meanwhile, “The Waterbending Scroll” and “Jet” divide our hosts. One favors the story execution in the former, another prefers the character development shown in the latter. The third host just wanted it all to end in blood and misery and crippling failure. Because that host is evil.

Also…Monkey Yahtzee. You heard me.

Next: four more chapters, 11-14, “The Great Divide,” “The Storm,” “The Blue Spirit,” and “The Fortuneteller.”

The Breakdown

• Intro / Banter (00:00 - 04:26)

Aang rides a fish. Sokka fights like a girl. Katara speechifies. A lemur earthbends! This and so much more as we continue our journey through the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender. This time we discuss “The Warriors of Kyoshi,” “The King of Omashu,” and “Imprisoned.” One host forgot that one of these episodes even existed, while another positively loved it and puts the fandom on notice. There’s talk of bending as industry, the dangers of rock candy, and what it’s going to take for AJ to find Zuko interesting. (Hint: it involves hip-hop.) 

Next: we continue Book One with chapters 7-10, “The Spirit World (Winter Solstice, Part 1),” “Avatar Roku (Winter Solstice, Part 2),” “The Waterbending Scroll,” and “Jet.”

The Breakdown

• Intro / Banter (00:00 - 08:01)