The Avatar Returns

This week on The Avatar Returns podcast, Eric and Katara both feel the power of the Dark Side, one to run a marathon, the other to seek revenge (place your bets on which is which) as we take one last Zuko field trip in chapter 316, "The Southern Raiders." And then the show goes all Community on us and channels its inner Dan Harmon for chapter 317, "The Ember Island Players."

Plus we reevaluate that whole Zutara pairing thing, we alienate our gardening fanbase demographic, and there's a minor medical emergency as one host "pulls their Arlo."

Next: the end is here! The comet arrives and we say farewell to Avatar: The Last Airbender with the four-part series finale film event, chapters 318-321, "Sozin's Comet."

 

 

The Breakdown

• Intro / Banter (00:00 - 11:26)
• Main Topic (11:26 - 1:10:52)
• Outro / Next (1:10:52 - 1:13:12)

Apparently prison break stories lead to weird tangents. This week the boys talk about the verisimilitude of Hogan's Heroes, the connections between Avatar: The Last Airbender and Voltron: Legendary Defender, and that one time Paul and Arlo compared Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to Linklater's Boyhood. There's also important stuff, like if bringing Zuko into the main cast and rendering the series essentially a single-plot narrative this close to the finale has affected the tension, and if chapters 314, "The Boiling Rock, Part 1" and 315, "The Boiling Rock, Part 2" really needed to be split into separate chapters. 

And lastly, there's debate over whether to tackle the Dark Horse Comics spinoff series all at once in a single bonus episode, or if we could spread them out over the course of our fast-approaching Legend of Korra episodes. Write in and let us know at tarpodcast (at) gmail (dot) com. 

Next: the penultimate episode of the Avatar: The Last Airbender portion of The Avatar Returns Podcast as we reach chapters 316, "The Southern Raiders," and 317, "The Ember Island Players."

 

 

The Breakdown

• Intro / Banter (00:00 - 16:45)
• Main Topic (16:45 - 52:19)
• Outro / Next (52:19 - 54:13)

Hello, Zuko here. This week on The Avatar Returns, I finally get to join the A-Plot players as the Aang Gang welcomes me in with open arms in chapter 312, "The Western Air Temple." Paul, Eric, and Arlo discuss my journey through the series to this point, including how Avatar: The Last Airbender has actually been MY story all along. Then in chapter 313, "The Firebending Masters," my new best friend the Avatar and I discover the true meaning of firebending, and no it's not dance! Meanwhile, the hosts talk about something called "Zaang?" 

I don't get it. 

 

Next: The Countdown to the Comet continues with chapters 314 and 315, "The Boiling Rock, Part 1" and "Part 2."

 

 

The Breakdown

• Intro / Banter (00:00 - 12:00)
• Main Topic (12:00 - 58:05)
• Outro / Next (58:05 - 1:00:15)

It's the midseason climax as the invasion of the Fire Nation finally begins! But before that happens, your hosts debate the merits of the comedic palette cleanser that is chapter 309, "Nightmares and Daydreams." Say what you will about it, we are forever in it's debt for giving us Momo Yojimbo vs. Appa Mifune!

 

Once all of that is out of the way, it's time for chapters 310 and 311, "The Day of Black Sun, Part 1: The Invasion" and "Part 2: The Eclipse." Despite there being all that, you know, invasion and eclipse business, pretty much all anyone wants to talk about is Zuko, as our favorite emo prince finally confronts his father and accepts his true destiny, giving us what may just be one of the highest watermarks of the entire series. Truly, Avatar: The Last Airbender is in fact nothing more than one big secret backdoor pilot for the inevitable Zuko series.

 

Also, Eric embraces his inner Yuppie, making him the first person since 1991 to invoke that word. And 12 minutes into the show, Arlo "Joo Dee" Wiley has some kind of identity crisis that threatens to completely hijack the entire podcast.

 

Next: one host is off to New York to see some Broadway show about that ten dollar bill guy, so we're taking another week off. But when we return, we jump into the uninterrupted run to the series finale as we discuss chapters 312 and 313, "The Western Air Temple" and "The Firebending Masters."

 

 

The Breakdown

• Intro / Banter (00:00 - 09:55)
• Main Topic (09:55 - 1:23:40)
• Outro / Next (1:23:40 - 1:26:19)

Back from another mini-hiatus, The Avatar Returns finds AJ dying. Again.

But before he expires this time, we manage to squeeze in a discussion of the Fire Nation's Imperialist Japan fetish as chapter 306, "The Avatar and The Fire Lord" reveals the secret history of Roku and Sozin, and the genesis of the 100 Year War. Then chapter 307, "The Runaway" has Toph building a criminal empire, and because you demanded it, the return of the Wang Fire beard. And lastly, chapter 308 introduces us to "The Puppetmaster," in what may be Avatar: The Last Airbender's take on the darkest, scariest damned Scooby-Doo! episode ever!

They would've gotten away with it too, if it hadn't been for those meddling skins filled with liquid.

Next: War! What is it good for? Well, three more chapters at least. We take a look at 309-311, "Nightmares and Daydreams," "The Day of Black Sun, Part 1: The Invasion," and "The Day of Black Sun, Part 2: The Eclipse."

 

 

The Breakdown

• Intro / Banter (00:00 - 14:45)
• Main Topic (14:45 - 1:08:35)
• Outro / Next (1:08:35 - 1:10:50)

Another episode of The Avatar Returns is here to teach you a lesson...ON YOUR FACE! The boys fight over who gets to be Dock, Xu, and Bushi as they critique chapter 303, "The Painted Lady." In 304, "Sokka's Master," our favorite "regular guy" gets a cool meteor sword, and Eric enrolls in Tae Bo by Iroh. And finally, it's Beach Blanket Zuko in chapter 305, "The Beach." AJ is still iffy on Sideways Eye Guy; Eric drops knowledge on the Chakra Theory of bending sub-styles; and is Avatar: The Last Airbender actually just a retooling of Daria?

Next: we get morbid and creepifying with chapters 306-308, "The Avatar and The Firelord," "The Runaway," and "The Puppetmaster."

 

 

The Breakdown

• Intro / Banter (00:00 - 11:15)
• Main Topic (11:15 - 1:15:30)
• Outro / Next (1:15:30 - 1:17:39)

There seems to have been some confusion among the ranks of hosts this week. To clarify, we are only discussion two chapters this time around, not three. Okay, Eric? Only two. But thanks for the enthusiasm, son. The two (not three, two) chapters we discuss this week are 301, "The Awakening," which picks up a few weeks after the tragic events in the Book Two finale, with Aang and Co. traveling on a stolen Fire Navy ship and the entire world believing the Avatar is dead (isn't that great?!), and 302, "The Headband," or as we like to call it, "Footloose in the Fire Nation." The boys chat about Aang's hair, Papa Sokka and Mama Katara, Dance Dance Revolution, and Sideways Eye Guy.

 

ZUKO BOMB!

 

Also, phone lines are open for listeners to weigh in on how Paul should live his life going forward. Vote early and often! [Ed. Note: there are no phone lines, just the e-mail.]

 

Next: okay Eric, NOW we're gonna talk about three chapters. 303-305, "The Painted Lady," "Sokka's Master," and "The Beach."

 

 

The Breakdown

• Intro / Banter (00:00 - 09:00)
• Main Topic (09:00 - 1:04:20)
• Outro / Next (1:04:20 - 1:06:42)

The Earth Kingdom has fallen. Avatar: The Last Airbender Book Two comes to its Earth Kingdom-shattering conclusion. In chapter 219, "The Guru," Aang zips right through chakra training to master his Avatar State, but can't quite close the deal as he is drawn back into helping his friends. Then, in chapter 220, "The Crossroads of Destiny," Azula ruins everyone's lives. Seriously. She lies, she manipulates, she shoots blue fire like she's a jet engine. Things look slightly less dire when we're reminded that Toph is the greatest earthbender in the world. (And don't you dunderheads ever forget it!) But then Aang gets burned. And Zuko takes possibly the darkest, most tragic turn in the entire series. 

 

But hey, we talk about comics, so it's not all doom and gloom. (Although AJ isn't nice about them, so maybe it is.) 

 

Perfection and power are overrated. I think you were very wise to choose listening to this podcast.

 

Next: the final season of Avatar begins as we get into Book Three: Fire! We discuss chapter 301, "The Awakening," and 302, "The Headband."

 

 

The Breakdown

• Intro / Banter (00:00 - 17:00)
• Main Topic (17:00 - 1:16:15)
• Outro / Next (1:16:15 - 1:18:25)

Yeah, let's break some rules! We radically shift the format of the show this week [Editor's note: no, we actually don't at all] as we reach the penultimate episode of our Book Two podcasts with chapters 216-218, "Appa's Lost Days," "Lake Laogai," and "The Earth King." Paul defends Dai Li dickbaggery, AJ identifies with Azula in a really uncomfortable way, and Eric finally likes a Jet storyline. And in a new regular feature [Ed. note: again, not really], the boys pitch spinoff show ideas; AJ imagines the Avatar/Bone crossover, Suki and the Veni-Yan, while Paul reveals his plans for The Young Sweepy Chronicles. 

 

Next: we close the book on the Earth Kingdom with chapters 219, "The Guru," and 220, "The Crossroads of Destiny."

 

The Breakdown

• Intro / Banter (00:00 - 04:53)
• Main Topic (04:53 - 1:07:42)
• Outro / Next (1:07:42 - 1:09:30)

This week gets off to a weird start as AJ raises an existential question which, among other things, reveals Eric's secret desire to totally mess up some random 16-year old kid's life. Pretending we heard none of that, we move forward with Avatar Book Two. In chapter 214, "City of Walls and Secrets," the full splendor of Ba Sing Se finally begins to open up to us. We talk about the peaceful life Iroh and Zuko seem set to build for themselves here, while the Aang Gang are exposed to the '70s-era conspiracy element of the Impenetrable City as they cross paths with Clancy Brown and his Secret Police. And chapter 215, "The Tales of Ba Sing Se" impresses us with how well it manages to tell what are essentially six complete stories, including Def Jam Sokka going all 8 Mile, Momo's graceful monkey dancing, and the heartbreaking homage to the late great Mako Iwamatsu. 

 

Also, a listener ruins everything by pointing our our many errors. And there's some controversy over who actually wrote the vignette "The Tale of Zuko." (Note: there's no controversy, Paul was just straight-up wrong.) 

 

Next: our penultimate episode of Book Two brings us chapters 216-218, "Appa's Lost Days," "Lake Laogai," and "The Earth King."

 

The Breakdown

• Intro / Banter (00:00 - 16:45)
• Main Topic (16:45 - 1:17:55)
• Outro / Next (1:17:55 - 1:19:56)