Like many others, I really loved Avatar: The Last Airbender.

I was working on a project, and one of my colleagues told me about it. I was so fascinated that Oneal and I started watching right away, and we were instantly hooked. To this day, the writing of that show holds up. The character development is amazing, and the stories teach so many valuable lessons cloaked in very effective and entertaining storytelling.

(I regret I didn’t really enjoy The Legend of Korra, but I may give it a try again soon.)

It was during the pandemic that we first watched it with Lucas. I don’t think it made much of an impact on him, but maybe he was too young. When we heard about about the Netflix adaptation, we tried the animated series again, and he was quite happy.

As I said before, it’s interesting to revisit old favorites with your child. I sobbed and laughed in ways I’m sure I didn’t when we first watched the show years ago. I was amazed at how quickly the story moved in the first season alone, and how massive and sophisticated were the themes they tackled: war, xenophobia, propaganda, cruelty, generational trauma, gender. Told in simpler terms, with Aang’s wonder, Katara’s empathy and Sokka’s cynicism, these stories hit me hard.

I particularly loved Uncle Iroh. I think for many viewers he was a pillar of strength and support, and just thinking about his selfless love for Zuko makes me cry all over again. And who can forget his love for his own son? Ugh I’m crying now.

So yes. We love this show, which is why I was skeptical when I heard about the Netflix adaptation. The trailer won me over, though. It seemed cool that it looked so much like the animated show we loved so much.

When the show was released this year, we all sat down together to watch it, and I have to admit I was sobbing through the first episode. Then we watched the second episode and I sobbed through half that too!

I wanted to love it

But after those episodes, my enthusiasm waned a bit. I was disappointed with Kiawentiio Tarbell, the actress playing Katara, who seemed too timid for the role, and lacking in emotional depth. Sokka had his moments, and Ian Ousley sure looked like his animated counterpart! But I see what other critics were saying, about how the way the live action character was written sort of weakened his development.

I quite enjoyed the performance of Gordon Cormier as Aang though! I read a comment somewhere saying that he was overacting, but I thought he quite captured the essence of a young boy with far too much on his shoulders. He was certainly animated too!

I wanted to love Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Uncle Iroh, but I feel like his acting fell flat, and I regret I feel the same way about Dallas James Liu as Zuko.

Daniel Dae Kim as Fire Lord Ozai was rather distractingly hot, and I don’t think I should say anything more about that! I quite liked Maria Zhang as Suki, and I wish we could see more of her. And Elizabeth Yu as Azula was so much fun! Deliciously devious, and I’m so eager to see more of her.

The writing was uneven

One of the strengths of the animated series was the excellent writing, and here’s where the Netflix adaptation flopped. There was a lot of story packed into each episode. Sometimes it worked okay, and other times it didn’t. I can see the value in combining storylines, but not to the point of confusion. There also seemed to be a rush towards introducing characters but not enough time spent developing them.

And then there was the characterization of the different peoples of the world. I found the Fire Nation intense and kind of scary. They were ruthless, and I was a bit shocked by that. I think that flew over Lucas’s head though, which is a bit of a relief. I enjoyed watching the Airbenders in battle in the first episode, but I think the script botched Aang’s motivation for being trapped in ice for a hundred years.

All that said, I felt the show wasn’t as bad as some people seemed to think. Lucas enjoyed it, but he can’t seem to decide what kind of bender he would be.

What comes next?

The show’s been confirmed to have a second and a third season, and I can only hope the writing and the acting improve. I wonder if we’re going to see the White Lotus, and Katara’s blood-bending!

But more than that, I hope Lucas picks up the things I loved in the animated series. I hope he appreciates the strength of the friendship between Aang, Katara and Sokka, and later on Toph. I hope he learns from Zuko’s redemption arc, and Uncle Iroh’s, well, everything! I hope he recognizes the Azulas and Ozais that may pop up in the real world, and learns from Aang’s determination and mercy.

Or maybe we’ll just watch the animated series all over again!