Nick Karpach

Let me preface by saying this review and the 2-star rating are in comparison with the masterpiece that was the original ATLA. As a standalone show, I would likely give this a 4-star rating. The action was good, the acting was decent, the characters were somewhat interesting for the most part, good CGI, and an interesting plot. But, unfortunately for the writers and producers, the OG show does exist and it's an impossible standard to which this show did not come close to reaching in my opinion. I've watched the original show probably close to 40 times by now. I grew up watching it and it will always be my favorite show ever created. So here's why I feel this new show did not live up to the standards set. I'll start with the good. The casting was fantastic. Each cast member looked the part and did well in their roles. I really liked Gordon Cormier as Aang, I feel that he represented the character very well. No contest between him and the movie which shall not be named. The CGI was also significantly improved from the last attempt. The bending looked amazing, Appa and Momo were realistic, and the scenes were very well done. The choreography in the fight scenes was also very well done. I also welcomed the addition of a "prologue" to show how the war began. The darker storytelling also added to the brutality the fire nation brought. "Masks" was by far my favorite episode, as it filled in some details the OG tv show did not touch on and it was the closest to the original plot. Now for the not-so-good (spoilers ahead). I knew they were going to be changing up the plot but wow, they REALLY changed up the plot. My biggest issues with the overall plot were, for one, that Aang did not bend a single drop of water outside the avatar state. It's called book 1: water for a reason. Why was he not training with Katara? This leads to my second issue. How did Katara just learn water bending overnight? I know she practiced off-screen, but by the time the northern water tribe arc rolled around she was dubbed a master by Pakku after having zero formal training. Not sure how that one worked. Also, major missed plot point, what happened to Grampakku?? No mention of him being their gran-gran's ex-fiance. Next up is the personality changes. Bumi is the one that made me the most upset. His challenges and riddles were a core part of the beginning of the series and made him a very enjoyable character. But he was kind of a jerk to Aang without any good reason. Roku becoming a touch more light-hearted was unexpected but not unwelcomed. Kyoshi was much more intense than I had expected. Not sure why Hahn was turned into a good guy but that was fine I suppose. That said, it did lead to a rather large discrepancy in the shows, which was that Yue and Sokka's relationship was too easy in this show and there was no conflict for Yue at all. And what was up with Yue having the choice to call off an arranged marriage? What happened to the northern tribe having very strict traditions? I have a theory about why it is, which leads to my next criticism. Trigger warning for this part. Why are we bringing political agenda into this show? In the original show, women had a lesser role in the northern water tribe, which was on par for the time period in which the show was set. Also, in "Into the Dark" when Oma and Shu were both female, I had to do a double take thinking I misheard it. Don't get me wrong, I have no issue with these ideas. However, I don't think they should be forced into places they don't belong. A TV show that has nothing to do with those ideas is such a place, especially one that, again, is set in a time when these ideas did not exist. Hopefully s2 will be better