Book 1: Water

Chapters 1 and 2

The Boy in the Iceberg/ The Avatar Returns

We meet at last…

WHAT HAPPENED?

Sokka and Katara, siblings from the Southern Water Tribe, are on a fishing trip when they come across an iceberg with a strange figure trapped inside. They manage to open it, and a beam of light shoots into the sky. Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, who happens to be in the area, sees the light and directs his ship toward it. After getting to know each other and exploring the tribe, Aang and Katara find an old Fire Navy ship. Aang can’t believe that there is currently an ongoing war, but Katara concludes that the only way Aang couldn’t know about it is if he has been in the iceberg for a hundred years. Aang triggers a booby trap that sets off a flare, but they escape. Zuko sees the flare and the Southern Water Tribe as the first part ends.

Aang is banished from the Southern Water Tribe after accidentally setting off the flare. Zuko arrives and terrorizes the tribe, but Aang returns to help by revealing that he is the Avatar. Katara and Sokka get Appa to fly while Aang confronts Zuko on the ship. Aang’s tattoos and eyes glow and he displays some powerful waterbending to win the fight. They escape, and the trio agrees that they need to journey to the Northern Water Tribe to find a waterbending master.

WHAT TO TAKE AWAY

In the first episode, we get a bit of exposition on why the world is in its current state. Apparently, there are four nations based on the four main elements: the Water Tribes (Northern and Southern), Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and Air Nomads (four temples).

The Avatar (a powerful being that can manipulate all four elements) is purposed with keeping the peace between the four nations, as well as providing a balance between the physical world and that of the Spirit World. However, the Avatar disappears and the Fire Nation begins its world conquest. The show gives you everything you need to know in the form of narration from Katara. Every episode following the first has a condensed version of the narration, but it still works.

The opening theme music is awesome! With simple notes and an uncomplicated, epic nature, the theme song is easy to remember and sets the tone for the overall story of the show.

I should note that ‘bending’ is an ancient art where those born with bending talents can control one of the four elements. Certain martial arts are the basis for the four bending disciplines and it’s cool to see martial arts used in such a creative way. Sifu Kisu of the Harmonious First Chinese Athletic Association worked as a martial arts consultant on the show; providing unique martial arts styles to create the bending disciplines.

The man with the kung fu grip!

Aang is technically 112 years old. He is the Avatar and the last Airbender, but he likes to have fun and is occasionally very irresponsible. You know… like a kid. His own irresponsible nature is what led him to be frozen in a sphere of ice while the world was systematically conquered by the Fire Nation. He even says that he never wanted to be the Avatar. In fact, he was frozen in ice before he could learn the other three disciplines. We’ll learn why that is later.

————————–

Zuko is impatient, headstrong, and arrogant while Uncle (whose name is revealed to be Iroh) is his balance; wise, chill, confident, and peaceful. We’ll explore their relationship a lot more as it’s explored in future episodes, but I should state now that I believe that Zuko is one of the most well-written characters in the show.

One guess as to who didn’t want to be in this photo!

Another thing that should be addressed is Zuko’s disregard for his personal mission. He said his honor depended on the Avatar’s capture. So, why would he purposefully force Aang overboard in their fight? Capturing the Avatar isn’t just some order from his superior. He needs the Avatar alive.

It should also be noted that Katara asks Aang what happened to the Avatar since he’s possibly the only airbender left so far as she knows. That makes sense since, as rumor has it, the Avatar was an airbender 100 years ago. However, it gets a tad confusing when she tells her grandmother that she’s finally found someone who can teach her waterbending. She even asks Aang to teach her waterbending if she agrees to teach him how to catch a penguin. Aang responds by saying that he can’t teach her waterbending since he’s an airbender. Katara didn’t know that Aang is the Avatar at that point. She only knows that he is the Avatar because he exposes himself to lure Zuko away. Katara even asks why Aang didn’t tell them that he was the Avatar. I’m sure it was just a writing misstep, but I’m going to nitpick it anyway.

I enjoyed that Sokka is a ‘I’ll believe it when I see it’ kind of person, and even then, he still doesn’t believe a lot of what he is seeing. Someone who hails from a once proud tribe, Sokka should know all about the other bending disciplines and have some knowledge of their capabilities. That’s not a knock on the writing, by the way. I just think that it’s interesting to see someone so skeptical about bending when we see what he saw as a child later in the show. I do have to counter that by saying that airbenders have been rumored dead for a century. The fact that Sokka is so pessimistic toward Aang at first is justified because of that knowledge.

———————-

All those in favor of dressing warmly?

The first two episodes give way to the evolution of one of Nickelodeon’s most mature shows to date. I don’t mean mature in terms of violence, but in the gravity of the themes addressed (i.e. family, sexism, segregation, inequality, handicaps, traditionalism, evolution, spiritualism, reincarnation, death, murder, selflessness, extinction, genocide, love, honor, acceptance, redemption, etc.). I’m very excited to take this journey with you and I can’t wait to explore this series in depth. Now that the status quo is set, we’ll pick up next time where our heroes travel to the Southern Air Temple.

If you want to discuss this show, stop by our dedicated discussion thread on this show!