The Avatar Returns

Episode 5 - Bato of the Water Tribe / The Deserter / The Northern Air Temple

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)
• Main Topic (07:55 - 1:04:20)
• Outro / Next (1:04:20 - 1:06:53)

 

Episode 4 - The Great Divide / The Storm / The Blue Spirit / The Fortuneteller

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)
• Main Topic (04:45 - 1:08:34)
• Outro / Next (1:08:34 - 1:11:02)

Episode 3 - The Spirit World (Winter Solstice, Part 1) / Avatar Roku (Winter Solstice, Part 2) / The Waterbending Scroll / Jet

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)
• Main Topic (04:26 - 1:03:45)
• Outro / Next (1:03:45 - 1:05:51)

 

Episode 2 - The Warriors of Kyoshi / The King of Omashu / Imprisoned

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)
• Main Topic (08:01 - 1:04:30)
• Outro / Next (1:04:30 - 1:11:46)

Episode 1 - The Boy in the Iceberg / The Avatar Returns / The Southern Air Temple

Welcome to the pilot episode of THE AVATAR RETURNS. It seems as though a hundred years have passed since we first committed to do this, but at last…we’re here to save the world! Or at least watch and discuss every chapter of the award-winning Nickelodeon series Avatar: The Last Airbender and its sequel The Legend of Korra. Each week (or so), your humble hosts Paul Smith and Arlo J. Wiley (of the Gobbledygeek podcast) and Eric Sipple (of the Making the Scene podcast) wax rhapsodic about 2-4 chapters, working their way from the epic’s humble beginnings in the frozen southern wastes to the dramatic final battle in…well, that would be telling.

This episode, we talk about “The Boy in the Iceberg,” “The Avatar Returns,” and “The Southern Air Temple.” Paul and Eric have seen both series before, but this is AJ’s first visit to the world of Avatar. Join us as we bask in his coming of age.