I'm reviewing an episode of Avatar every day until the Netflix premiere
I started watching Avatar: The Last Airbender in elementary school when it first came out on Nickelodeon. My Nicktoons days are long gone, but I must have re-watched the series a dozen times since. As I’ve watched Aang and his friends grow, I have grown, and my understanding of the series has grown. This show has been a nostalgic and comforting presence throughout my life, and for a while I’ve wanted to share my own take on each episode.
On February 22nd, 2024, Netflix will premiere its live-action remake of Avatar: The Last Airbender. I think now is the perfect time to reminisce with episode-by-episode recaps before we enter a new chapter in the history of the franchise.
Many fans are apprehensive about the upcoming remake. They have reason to flinch reflexively, having been burned once before by another not-to-be-talked-about spinoff. And the situation seemed dire after ATLA’s original showrunners, creative duo Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino, publicly walked away from the project, citing creative differences (they would also announce the founding of their own studio). Hopefully, producer Albert Kim and director Michael Goi can prove that any fears are overblown. At the very least, fans can hope for more realistic bending with Netflix’s expertise and modern CGI techniques. Visual effects will be provided by Jabbar Raisani, who is credited for work on Stranger Things and Game of Thrones.
There’s only 64 days left until the premiere, and 61 episodes of The Last Airbender. So thanks to my poor planning, I’ll need to write a review every day. Sounds like a fun challenge. Let’s do it!
Starting tomorrow, I’ll be uploading a recap a day, every day, until we run out of show. These will be critical reviews in the style popularized by Alan Sepinwall and the A.V. Club (both massive inspirations). Expect analysis of characters and themes, close observations, and connections across episodes and seasons. They won’t be especially long, given that I need to write one basically every day. Although Avatar isn’t The Sopranos, it’s not just another kids’ cartoon either. The show touches on mature themes including grief, redemption, fate, free will, tribalism, and even genocide. And it has complex, evolving, lovable and sometimes contradictory characters whose arcs have been dissected over and over.
Won’t you come along for the ride? Watch with me — each episode is only 23 minutes on Netflix. First-time watchers and seasoned fans are both welcome! If you don’t have time, you can still read the recaps to jog your memory before the remake.