Episodes
Sunday Jul 10, 2016
Sunday Jul 10, 2016
Six months later...we rejoin our regularly scheduled Avatar universe, already in progress.
The Breakdown
- Intro / Banter (00:00 - 09:00)
- Main Topic (09:00 - 1:14:05)
- LISTENER MAIL! (1:14:05 - 1:18:50)
- Outro / Next (1:18:50 - 1:21:03)
Friday Jul 01, 2016
Episode 29 - M. Night Shyamalan's 'The Last Airbender'
Friday Jul 01, 2016
Friday Jul 01, 2016
M. Night Shyamalan directed a movie. Arlo made us watch it. We didn't like it. We talk about it. We're sorry.
The Breakdown
- Intro / Banter (00:00 - 14:45)
- Main Topic (14:45 - 1:23:35)
- Outro / Next (1:23:35 - 1:26:55)
Thursday Jun 16, 2016
Episode 28 - The Search
Thursday Jun 16, 2016
Thursday Jun 16, 2016
This week The Avatar Returns returns to the Avatar. We continue our discussion of Dark Horse Comics' ongoing Avatar: The Last Airbender graphic novel series with Volume 2 - The Search. We talk about how the shift from the larger, more epic story told in Volume 1 - The Promise to this much smaller, more intimate tale works for us, and more importantly for the characters. Whereas the previous book explored issues we didn't even know we wanted to explore, such as colonialism and cultural appropriation, this book focuses on the bonds of family, born and found, particularly the relationship between brothers and sisters. It also addresses ideas of identity, be they physical, societal, or emotional. We praise writer Gene Luen Yang's astounding gift for continuing and building on this world and these characters we've come to love so much. And we wax embarrassingly rhapsodic about the work of art duo Gurihiru, which just keeps getting better with every volume, every chapter, every page.
The Breakdown
- Intro / Banter (00:00 - 16:30)
- Main Topic (16:30 - 1:52:42)
- Outro / Next (1:52:42 - 1:54:56)
Friday Jun 10, 2016
Episode 27 - Skeletons in the Closet / Endgame
Friday Jun 10, 2016
Friday Jun 10, 2016
Book One of The Legend of Korra closes with a bang as Team Avatar and the United Forces face off against Amon and the Equalists. Chapter 111, "Skeletons in the Closet" finally reveals the true identity of Amon, and reminds us just how truly horrific bloodbending can be. And chapter 112, "Endgame" rings out the season with Asami confronting her father, Korra getting "unbent," and an argument for why villains should invest in oil-based makeup. Through all of this the boys defend murder suicide, compare The Legend of Korra to Speed Racer (Amon is Bender X?!), and explain why that ending is NOT just another "deus ex Aang."
The Breakdown
- Main Topic (00:00 - 1:34:50)
- Outro / Next (1:34:50 - 1:37:24)
Sunday Jun 05, 2016
Episode 26 - When Extremes Meet / Out of the Past / Turning the Tides
Sunday Jun 05, 2016
Sunday Jun 05, 2016
This week on The Avatar Returns it's action, action, and more action! In chapter 108, "When Extremes Meet," we get a full-speed car chase, and a villain stands revealed as Korra goes one-on-one against Tarrlok...the bloodbender! Dun-dun-duuuun! Then in chapter 109, "Out of the Past," Lin Beifong suits up, and we learn that Tarrlok is Yakone's son. (He's whose what now?) It all makes sense at last! (Wait, does it?!) And finally in chapter 110, "Turning the Tides," Team Avatar takes on more mechatanks, Lin and the kids defend Air Temple Island, and Naga bitchslaps the Moustache Guy. Through it all we discuss superhero tropes, fascism vs. due process, and the physics (and genetics) of bending, be it blood-, zipper-, or fartbending.
The Breakdown
- Intro / Banter (00:00 - 07:35)
- Main Topic (07:35 - 1:09:40)
- Outro / Next (1:09:40 - 1:12:11)
Saturday May 28, 2016
Episode 25 - The Spirit of Competition / And the Winner Is... / The Aftermath
Saturday May 28, 2016
Saturday May 28, 2016
Ugh, teenage love triangles. Or quadrangles. Polyhedrons? Whatever they are, ugh! Even in the world of Avatar, kids have hormones. Fortunately, The Legend of Korra manages to deal with the bulk of this well-worn plot device in a single episode AND make it actually quite interesting, as chapter 105, "The Spirit of Competition" uses the backdrop of the Pro-bending Championship Tournament to examine the relationship between our three main heroes. Tenzin's daughters offer the wisest romantic advice, Bolin gets noodle drunk, and Pema is a home wrecker. Then, in chapter 106, "And the Winner Is...," we find out who the winner is. Duh. Who wins the tournament? Who wins the romance? How badass IS Lin Beifong? Those answers and more could only lead to "The Aftermath," as chapter 107 brings us Republic City's "Tony Stark," the return of the cabbage merchant (sort of), and freaking mechatanks!
The Breakdown
- Main Topic (00:00 - 1:11:00)
- Outro / Next (1:11:00 - 1:13:06)
Thursday May 19, 2016
Episode 24 - The Revelation / The Voice in the Night
Thursday May 19, 2016
Thursday May 19, 2016
Amon wants a revolution, but first we get a revelation. Chapter 103, "The Revelation" to be precise, wherein we learn that the leader of the Equalists, while really scary and kind of a dick, might possibly have a point? Paul and Eric are in full-on fanboy mode, but Arlo is initially uncomfortable with the muddy moral waters this new series is treading in, with "villains" that are actually the oppressed and "heroes" that could in fact be the oppressors. But Amon has a plan, and it involves taking away people's bending abilities! And in chapter 104, "The Voice in the Night" haunts Korra with the fear of that very thing. We talk again about how The Legend of Korra is the Angel: The Series to Avatar: The Last Airbender's Buffy the Vampire Slayer, exploring more mature, challenging, and morally ambiguous subject matter than perhaps its parent series. Also, we meet the wonderful Asami (we'll get through this love quadrangle stuff, I promise), the adorable Pabu (he's a friend, not a snack), and we jump to some disturbing conclusions about the Republic City Council, start to get really worked up about it, and then realize that we may already be falling for Amon's propaganda crap.
The Breakdown
- Intro / Banter (00:00 - 10:05)
- Main Topic (10:05 - 1:21:00)
- Outro / Next (1:21:00 - 1:23:23)
Thursday May 12, 2016
Episode 23 - Welcome to Republic City / A Leaf in the Wind
Thursday May 12, 2016
Thursday May 12, 2016
It's a new age, and there's a brand new Avatar! 70 years have passed since Aang and his friends ended the Hundred Year War, and the world has moved on. Paul, Eric, and Arlo get the bend back together (get it?) to discuss the legend (and attitude) of Korra of the Southern Water Tribe. In chapter 101, "Welcome to Republic City," our new hero leaves her frozen homeland behind for the pseudo-steampunk '20s era New York-meets-Shanghai industrial revolution of the capital. We talk about how different Korra is from her predecessor, what kind of man Aang's youngest son has grown up to be, and whether non-benders can really survive in a city filled with bender gangs and metalbending cops. And in chapter 102, "A Leaf in the Wind," Korra struggles with her spiritual side, we're introduced to the sport of Pro-bending, and good lord the voice cast of this series!
The Breakdown
- Intro / Banter (00:00 - 12:15)
- Main Topic (12:15 - 1:06:05)
- LISTENER MAIL! (1:06:05 - 1:11:11)
- Outro / Next (1:11:11 - 1:13:25)
Monday May 02, 2016
Episode 22 - The Promise
Monday May 02, 2016
Monday May 02, 2016
The show may have come to an end, but the Aang Gang lives on as we take this opportunity to discuss "The Promise," the first collected volume in Dark Horse Comics' official graphic novel series continuing the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Written by Eisner and Harvey Award winner Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese; Boxers & Saints), with art by Japanese duo Gurihiru, "The Promise" picks up right where the animated series left off, but quickly demonstrates that the happily ever afters we saw in "Sozin's Comet" may be a lot more nuanced and complicated than we thought. We talk about the book's exploration of colonialism and cultural appropriation; how Aang's true role as the Avatar, maintaining balance between four autonomous nations, may prove a greater challenge than defeating a single clearly-defined enemy; how well the author captures the voices of the characters, and how it all transitions from fluid animation to the static art form of comics.
The Breakdown
- Main Topic (00:00 - 1:10:45)
- Outro / Next (1:10:45 - 1:13:00)
Thursday Apr 28, 2016
Episode 21 - Sozin's Comet
Thursday Apr 28, 2016
Thursday Apr 28, 2016
Endings are hard. Storytellers have struggled with bringing narratives to a satisfying conclusion for as long as there have been storytellers. And audiences love to debate how well even the most venerated series have pulled it off. On this episode of The Avatar Returns Podcast our hosts have their say on whether, with "Sozin's Comet," the four-chapter series finale film event, co-creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino have successfully completed the epic tale of Avatar: The Last Airbender, or if the whole thing goes down like a shattered war balloon. Topics discussed include the emotional grandeur of Zuko and Azula's final Agni Kai, the resolution of Aang and Katara's "will they/won't they," the music of The Track Team, and of course the ol' deus ex Lion Turtle. Midichlorian-bending has come at last!
The Breakdown
- Intro / Banter (00:00 - 07:12)
- Main Topic (07:12 - 1:43:54)
- Outro / Next (1:43:54 - 1:47:51)