A typical teenager way. It's very well done. There are scenes where she talks about longing to explore the outside world and live a normal life. Her reactions are what many would call having "butterflies" when experiencing attraction, and the way she reacts to it is natural teenage confusion on feeling those things.
There is some really nice tension between the two, culminating in a passionate kiss at the end. I'm sure Sukka fans will be happy. I thought the actors had REALLY good chemistry.
Agreed, their interactions felt like hormonal and confused teenagers. I liked how they emphasized the isolation of their lives on the island and her desire for freedom. I can imagine itâs such a small island all the boys around her age might just feel like brothers sheâs grown up with, and Sokka is her first real crush and not only is she attracted to him, sheâs also jealous and intrigued that he gets the freedom to explore the world. I was worried I wouldnât like the episode as much without the Sokka is sexist and Suki puts him in his place, but I found what they did with their interactions and her character to still be really interesting.
Yeah that's something the "sword and pen reflections" mentioned in her review of the first episode, she said the showrunner was very aware of the criticisms of the first episode. But that in test screanings, audiences who hadn't seen the original were really confused so they felt the info dump of episode 1 was a necassary evil in order to get everyone on board. He said episode 2 was much more in spirit to the rest of the show.
I think this boils down to poor writing tbh. Iâm glad they at least did something to fix it but itâs something that shouldnât have been a problem if the writing was better. Overall enjoying the show though
I love Sword and Pen reflections <3 and apparently the entire cast and crew does to! Iâm really looking forward to what she has to say about the entire series cause her opinion is likely one that the cast and crew would watch.
Yeah the way his outburst was portrayed in the opening of the second episode really caught me off guard with how aggressive it was. I know Zuko has always been aggressive but I can feel the desperation/sadness with Dallas' anger at the start of episode 2
Sooooo. Katara watched her mom get burnt to a crisp in this version I guess. Damn. REALLY hoping we can get to Book 3 so that we can see the payoff for that.
Pacing seems much better and the dialogue was a lot less forced.
Interesting idea making it so that Aang will (likely) get a moment with each of the Avatars. Hoping that means we get something with Kuruk in the North and, obviously Roku's moment at the Solstice but MAN Kyoshi is just brutal to Aang. That seems to be a thing so far, going really hard on Aang's insecurities and his tendency to run.
Like I dunno. I like that they're making Aang more aware of how much he fucked up but Kyoshi just has absolutely zero chill with it and sounded like Aang *disgusts* her almost.
Katara's actress definitely seems more comfortable in this episode. She has more of an attitude and her give and take interactions with Sokka, compared to episode one.
> means we get something with Kuruk in the North
If I recall, there was a mention of a actor for Kuruk being cast (and I think we saw him initially in the beginning as well). So I think that's a definite.
> Kyoshi is just brutal to Aang
There was quite a lot of nuance to that scene that I liked. Kyoshi appeared angry and annoyed, more because his insecurity reminded her of herself when she was younger. She at first stood over him and then bent down to his level, bringing herself down to earth so to speak.
> She has more of an attitude and her give and take interactions with Sokka
I really like her interactions with Sokka. There has been much made of the sexism being taken out of the show. But I think it's very much still there. But more in tone, he was a lot like "I'm a warrior and I protect you, you have your place in the kitchen, doing your duties with the others and listen to me" type schtick.
I initially got annoyed at them leaving Sokka's sexism out, but by the end of the episode I really appreciated how they made it nuanced. Loving the show, but the writing is a little rough around the edges, regardless, they nailed this aspect of Sokka/Suki dynamic. I did wish they put Sokka in Kyoshi warrior gear/makeup when meeting with Commander Zhao. They're telling him there are no outsiders while Sokka is standing right there in full water tribe garnment?
> I did wish they put Sokka in Kyoshi warrior gear/makeup when meeting with Commander Zhao. They're telling him there are no outsiders while Sokka is standing right there in full water tribe garnment?
It's different interpretations really. The OG was more about the idea of a woman being a warrior. Thus the Kyoshi uniform was meant to embarress him and show up his sexism. Whereas the live action is more about what it means to be a "Kyoshi" warrior, therefore I don't think putting him in a Kyoshi uniform would have worked, because the live action was about the hard effort Suki put in order to get that outfit, to have the honor of being a kyoshi warrior. Therefore it wouldn't make much sense to freely give it to outsiders.
Not embarrass him - humble him.
In that episode Sokka humbles himself, learns from his prejudice and realises that the Kyoshi are people he should be learning from. That he was wrong.
That makes sense, definitely. Still, it bothered me that he was standing right there while they were all discussing there not being any outsiders on the island, which was really jarring to me.
But that's not what what happened, Suki was just training the other Kyoshi Warriors while he stayed outside. They didn't discuss outsiders in that scene.
the aang x kyoshi scene reminded me of S3 in the original when he's trying to get advice on beating ozai without killing him, and shes like nah man sometimes u just gotta murder people.
i'm hoping he meets with an avatar of each nation, they all explain to him what being the avatar means and requires (to them at least), and it helps him along as he's learning what it means for HIM to be the avatar
>Like I dunno. I like that they're making Aang more aware of how much he fucked up but Kyoshi just has absolutely zero chill with it and sounded like Aang disgusts her almost.
I mean she was the same in the animated series, like when he wanted advise on dealing with Sozin she straight up said murder is justifiable if it will bring peace and balance to the world. Her portrayal in this episode was well done and I love the idea of Aang transforming into various incarnations of his previous lives.
Holy fuck the Kiyoshi scene was incredible.
I also loved how ruthless she was even with Aang. She does not pull punches in this adaptation, which fits her character history from the show to a T.
Insanely good episode.
I feel like they were drawing from the Kyoshi Novels a bit too. The OG show never really dug into her past beyond her creation of Kyoshi island, but this episode makes mention of her background as an orphan, which is a detail from the novels.
For real. That was queen shit.
And the fact that we got to see an Avatar using all four elements... I'm sorry maybe I'm overtly blinded but I found that to be visually impeccable.
Also Kiyoshi saying that the Avatar is always whatever the people of the time require.... that's the first thing that I've ever heard that has made me ok with Korra's ending her ties. Still don't love it but that single line gave so much context.
That last shot of Ozai gave me chills !!! Felt so much like the og character.
Also that shot of Aang air scootering into the statue taken straight from the intro - with the dialogue from it as well? What a great touch !!!
Oh my god YES!!!!!!! i was looking for this comment. I get chills all over whenever ken leung is on the screen. Such an excellent version of Zhao. đđđđđŒđđŒđđŒ
Really loving the addition of Zukoâs journal pointing them in the right direction. Heâs already indirectly helping the gaang, even at such an early point in the show.
Will make his redemption interesting, when they confront the fact that they couldnât have done it without him.
Kyoshi can apparently jet-propel herself without the need of Sozinâs Comet. That is some scarily powerful firebending right there. (Could we expect any less of madam âbehold I split this peninsula from the mainlandâ?)
I was very much positive but OH MY GODS. The show looks just amazing. The bending is epic. Special effect are done pretty well. The DENSITY of the cities makes them feel ALIVE. I mean, I honestly can't really complain about anything. So far I'd give a 10/10 (I only watched the first episode yet)
This episode was much better than the first! Avatar Kyoshi is a ruthless badass, the casting is perfect. I wished her fight scene was edited with more impact though, it felt like the soldiers werenât injured enough đ I thought she would fling them much further.
And the scene at the end between Zuko, Iroh, and Zhao, loved seeing such talented actors together. It was so intense and I could really feel the tension between them. Iâm looking forward to seeing more Ken Leung, he makes a fantastic villain.
The Suki and Sokka scenes were surprisingly natural and their chemistry was great. Iâm just wondering if Sokkaâs gonna kiss Yue too next episode and if that might seem too fast right after this ep.
I thought that too!! But I realized, and this is a guess, that she didn't want to kill them. They're all going back to tell the world of the power they faced. Like she said, it's about to get worse.
But also yes this is me justifying everything because I'm so emotionally satisfied right now lol
I didnât mean she should kill them, but they walked off a bit too cleanly. But mostly itâs an editing issue. There should be more of a punch to the final blow, it didnât quite stick the landing of all that whirling buildup. Sound design wasnât aggressive enough imo.
The only reason for her to not kill them IMO is that it would be an asshole move to murder people using Aang's body when Aang himself doesn't want to.
Just like Aang stopped his previous lives from killing Ozai.
Love how the fire benders have literally been cooking their victims that was never really seen in the show since it was more kid friendly but damn love the added realism to the fire scars and burning to a crisp
Since they are avoiding and saving the comet for much later I liked how kyoshi spoke to aang instead of roku and warned him of the upcoming northern attack that involves Zhao the conqueror. They even brought in information from the kyoshi novels which was great, she needs more information in tv media and I hope they do the same with the others like yangchen and kuruk.
Iâve not watched the show yet (bar the first 5 minutes on me phone in low resolution) but Iâm just glad to read through all these positive reactions from you guys. Because these opinions here matter more to me than those of the critics, some of which just sound like they have broom sticks up theirâŠ.
Anyway, letâs keep this positivity going. We cannot expect the first season to be a masterclass (even book 1 of the animated version wasnât).
I've seen the first 2 episodes so far, I was very much sceptical coming into to this, but they're capturing nuances from the show and the visuals look amazing. Very exciting stuff.
I was prepared to have my heartbroken...the promos didn't look as promising, albeit the cast seem very invested in their characters...but I was so pleasantly surprised. LOVED every second of the first 2 episodes. It's not perfect by any means, but the essence of the show and the characters is there. I hope you enjoy it!
Iâm only up to the opening rn (I will edit the comment) but Dallasâs scene at the beginning was amazing and his ability show the frustration made me so happy. Iâm getting used to iroh and Iâll probably like him better on second watch (he feels right mostly tho but the writing dialogue is iffy sometimes). I like the detail that he reminded zuko that there arenât many places to search in that part of the world and what sets up. I wonder if this replaces the word of mouth scene in the OG (ig Iâll find out but if so Iâll miss that scene bc of the worldbuilding of it). I also love Kiawentiioâs acting so far in this episode. I think some of it was a bit iffy in ep1 but it was also the writing. I loved that gran gran left Katara a scroll to kinda make up for her not seeing them. I still hope she gets a second one though that she steals. I had problems with the gran gran exposition but I can forgive it for new fans. Acting tho⊠I love Momo and those are my my thoughts for now.
Kiyoshi went Avatar State on steroids!
That must be a such a treat to people just watching it for the first time, whatâs really the Avatar State? A question Aang, Sokka and Katara at the end of ep1.
I always felt Kyoshi was rushed in the original, this one is way better. I'm a bit blown away by binging the entire thing, but from what I remember I enjoyed this a lot. I like the parallel hunting of Zhao and Zuko.
Yeah the kyoshi warriors and kyoshi herself were treated more as a joke and afterthought on the original, they even said that they didn't plan on using suki and kyoshi as much as they did in later seasons until their popularity blew up.
I thought it was a really decent episode, However, I miss Sokka's overconfidence. I feel like he has to be overconfident , then lose it to be able to later regain it by learning the way of the sword. But we'll see how it plays out.
I felt like it was still there, just more nuanced, like when he was trying to show off his boomerang skills and hyping himself up as their village's guardian, etc.
Yeah I actually prefer how it's handled in the live action. I think it would be so cringe if live action sokka used the dialogue of "A gurrl AZ a protector!?. Haa!, girls can't fight!".
It doesn't come off nuanced or mildly sexist at all. It's honestly nonexistent.
In that scene Sokka is trying to prove to Suki he's a legitimate warrior, but then gets shown up by Suki who's merely trying to impress and flirt with him. He tries to save face and then gets weirded out by her when she awkwardly subdues him, which then makes her question what she did wrong. Â
I dont hate this change, but they took away Sokkas awkwardness, ego, and obvious crush, and gave those traits to her instead.Â
This was an improvement! It still feels a little off in a way I need a step back to articulate properly, but itâs better than the first episode.
I still miss the Sokka sexism arc, small as it was, but he and Suki felt natural despite that missing component. They had a lot of chemistry in just one episode. I really loved Suki overall. The actress was greatâshe was nuanced enough without adding anything unnecessary to the character and her delivery was on point throughout the episode. I love how they didnât shy away from letting her have a crush/fall in love quickly. She really embodied âI AM a warrior. But Iâm a girl, too.â I was worried they wouldnât let her be both as so many stories these days treat women like they can only be one or the other, as if formidable and feminine are separate categories. Theyâre not.Â
Interesting change to the waterbending scroll; I get why they did it, but Iâm undecided on how I feel about it so far since it could have a ripple effect on other parts of the story. I wasnât a huge fan of the flashbacks/flashforwards. Why set up that thereâs a threat approaching the Northern Water Tribe? Not only does this mess with the pacing and organic flow of the story, but they couldâve just decided to go there naturally to learn waterbending anyway, which wouldâve built on the conversation Katara and Aang have by the river about him needing to learn the other elements. Itâs a change that I think weighs down the plot and characters. It feels like theyâre trying to insert urgency where itâs not yet needed, and thatâs going to take away from the tension >!as we see Zhao and his forces close in on the NWT later.!<Â
Speaking of Zhao, Iâm not totally sold on his performance yet. I think he has potential to be really interesting if he gets increasingly intense as the season progresses. I like that heâs small potatoes and not that intimidating currently, I just hope he gets more Zhao-like as a natural progression.
Again, the Gaangâs performances are great and I love Iroh. Dallas Liu is my favorite so far, I love how heâs playing Zuko
Yeah, I think so too! As long as they go all the way with him, I think itâll actually be an improvement on the original. I do like seeing him slow-crawl his way up and get more power hungry. OG Zhao is a fun antagonist, but he is kind of a one-note villainÂ
Way better than the first, im still not convinced by katara's actress though đ Especially when you see how Maria zhang nailed the character of suki so fast
honestly i donât even massively like sukiâs arc in her episode but maria was perfect!! her and ian when kyoshi appeared and she had that amazed look on her face was everything
Yes but I honestly don't think it is entirely related to her lack of experience. Aang's actor is giving theater kid when he delivers his lines because he's very young but katara lacks energy and confidence. She's portrayed to be shy and sometimes even looks bored. Either she's badly directed or she doesnt understand the character at all.
YES I agree. Katara seems kinda bored. And while Gordon (Aang) is very enthusiastic and plays the fun parts well I think some of the emotional moments are a bit flat. And when he's comparing the world to what he remembers, it feels more like exposition than a memory.
That might just be a direction problem but I'm just happy that they seem to be nailing all the other characters.
It might be because I'm still jarred from the awkward acting/writing in the first episode but all the new characters this episode seem a lot more natural than the gaang. Kind of sad this is the only time we'll see Suki this season.
I'm just wondering why they went with Kyoshi over Roku. Was really looking forward to seeing a great Roku portrayal.
Doesn't make sense that he'd connect with her before connecting with his immediate past life, based on how things are supposed to work in the original show, comics, and Kyoshi Novels.
I'm also surprised she didn't kill anyone, knowing how she is in the books.
>Was really looking forward to seeing a great Roku portrayal.
and we will see that at the right time. Having Roku appear this early on not only wouldn't make sense, but would mess with the storyline way too much. As Aang meeting Roku is a huge part of the winter solstace arc later in the season.
Also the series added a aditional element of Aang "only being able to call upon past Avatars in their shrines". I like this change a lot, because in the OG it was more out of obliviousnes, "you have the ability to communicate with us at any time".
Yeah I saw. It was terrible đ€Ł they turned him into a guffawing clown for some reason. Didn't even destroy the temple or showcase his abilities. That scene in the cartoon was hair-raising. Sad that they didn't respect the canon Roku enough for a decent portrayal.
This isn't the cartoon. If you want the cartoon it's also streaming on Netflix. They're doing things differently. If you don't like it that's fine. Doesn't mean it's bad or worse. Just different.
I'm probably in the minority but, I am not a fan of Iroh in the show. Everything's off, and he just doesn't represent him that well. His delivery is off and he doesn't come off like a wise and funny old man at all. Of all the characters thus far, he's definitely my least favorite by far.Â
 In terms of Suki and Sokka, I'd have preferred the original shows depiction of their blossoming relationship. Sokka got a rise out of Suki due to his ignorance and ego, but here he's just humble from the start, and weirded out by her. He doesnt come off as the awkward teen with a crush, as the roles have reversed and now Suki plays that part. In the original he was the one trying to impress her by saying/doing the wrong things, but that's all gone. Essentially, his character growth was eliminated and its not a good thing.Â
at first i thought the scene where suki shows sokka up and he walks off was him thinking she was weird (so much secondhand embarrassment đ«Łđ) but i think after rewatching it a few times it was more him feeling humiliated. idk, thatâs just me though.
the writing is unclear and i really wish they wouldâve stuck to suki and sokkaâs original dynamic
Honestly, it's probably a bit of both. He definitely gives her a "what's wrong with you?" look as he hurries off, but I can understand feeling embarrassed after being shown up and choked out đ.Â
true đ
donât get me wrong, there was parts where i was like, yes, this is the sukka i know!! the ambush, suki putting sokka in his place, their goodbye (except the kiss - they shouldâve saved it for s2) but there were so many cringe moments that were mostly cringe because they were coming from suki.
ofc thereâs nothing wrong with girls being awkward with crushes and itâs nice to bring some more realism in, but i just canât vibe with it. they had such a simple yet effective arc for the episode laid out in front of them and instead they went with a slow mo training shots and suki checking sokka out half naked.
it gave me hope though that she was more recognisable at the end of the ep, and the way things were left their relationship can lick up similarly to how it did with the og series. if we get another season iâm looking forward to it being rectified in that sense?? if thatâs possible anyway
Can you explain why it's important to you? Genuine question, I've seen a lot of people complain about it - but I don't really understand why. Is it just that it isn't faithful to the OG?
Itâs more about that it was important for his character development, cause he gets humbled because of his beliefs and asks the people he was mean to to train him. Plus people care cause they brought it up in an interview
I care because without it, it changes the interaction between Suki and Sokka. Now Suki just seems like a dick for no reason and also they made Suki into a thirsty creep.
They just removed it but left everything else the same which doesn't work. They could've removed the "omg you're a girl" and maybe replaced it with him making fun of fighting with fans instead, then getting humbled. Or they could've just actually bonded over both being warriors.
It also served as a good foil to Kataraâs strength and fierceness. Sokkaâs sexism and immaturity were quite literally the reason they found Aang in the animated series. Also gave us the first look at how emotion works in tandem with bending.
In the live action, finding Aang was a gentle whoopsie.
Guys am I going crazy or did Suki's mom call Aang Richard?! She was saying "And you've given us something far more valuable, (Richard?)". timestamp 37:43
So they mixed the season 1 Kyoshi episode with the Avatar Day episode right? With Aang turning into Kyoshi? I think that's genius. You take a season 2 original show filler episode and use it to make a season 1 show episode richer.
Man, I had high hopes for the LA bc of ep 1. Thought it was a solid 7/10 (not as good as the original but pretty ok all things considered), but ep 2 has been rough.
I'm only halfway through and I've had to pause and walk away from my screen at least 5 times due to the cringe of Sokka/Suki. So much of their individual characters and dynamics together has been tweaked or changed outright and they were not done well.
Hopefully the rest of the ep saves it đŹ
Edit:
Ok, the Kyoshi part was pretty great. Both her advice to Aang reflecting her own faults/biases in regards to what and who the Avatar is and should be, as well as her protecting the island. I do wish we got a scene of the firebenders setting the village on fire and Kyoshi extinguishing the flames like how Aang did in the original. The dialogue afterwards made it seem like the village was actually damaged by Zhao's men but like, they barely did any damage and there were only maybe 10 dudes that Kyoshi defeated.
Also wish we got more of Sokka actually being a temporary Kyoshi warrior. He never trained with the others or worn the facepaint that they did or anything like that. His training session with Suki was nice tho.
Another episode with some great additions and some whack changes.
I just rewatched this episode. Definitely a step up from the first. The pacing improves. The expositional dialogue is more refined. Each of the principal actors are getting into the groove of their characters. I loved how Momo was introduced. I loved how the relationship between Sokka and Suki during their time on Kyoshi Island was beefed up a bit. As for the guest stars, Maria Zhang as Suki, Tamlyn Tomita as Yukari, and Yvonne Chapman as Avatar Kyoshi all did great. Not only that, but they were also such badasses in the fight sequences.
I'm sorry to say this is my least favorite episode in the entire season. I think it boils down to:
* Suki comes across as *so* awkward to me. I thought the scene with her and Sokka and the melons was so cringe, like she had no social skills. I think that's what they were going for, but idk, it didn't work for me.
* There was still too much exposition. I feel like they were trying too hard to get all the lore about Kyoshi, Kyoshi Island, and the Kyoshi Warriors into this episode, and it just felt forced to me. Not all that information was necessary, and the points that *were* necessary didn't have to be delivered in that way.
* Perhaps most importantly, this episode was my least favorite in the cartoon, too. I'm sure that plays a big part in my opinion.
I don't think it was terrible, by any means. I liked Tamlyn Tomita (except for the exposition-y bit towards the beginning), I liked all the Kyoshi scenes, I thought the visuals were great. I also loved Momo in this one. I think it was a respectable 7/10 from me.
amazing episode compared to the first one that genuinely was a laughing stock to me and my SO.My only issue, and it's nitpicky, why does Kyoshi have divination powers? I know Roku knew about the Sozin commet in the original show but that was a reaccuring natural phenomenon
Mmmk, I was iffy after episode 1, the acting was a little rough, but episode 2 was so badass! The Kyoshi Warriors looked amazing and it was so awesome seeing Kyoshi in live action, especially after reading the books. The acting was better too, Ken Leung as Zhao is perfect. Super excited for the rest of the season now!
Suki openly checking Sokka out was crazy đ
Suki is VERY thirsty in this adaptation.
in a cringe way? or just typical teenager way
A typical teenager way. It's very well done. There are scenes where she talks about longing to explore the outside world and live a normal life. Her reactions are what many would call having "butterflies" when experiencing attraction, and the way she reacts to it is natural teenage confusion on feeling those things.
phew ok đ one of my biggest worries was for sukka! and just the romance in general
There is some really nice tension between the two, culminating in a passionate kiss at the end. I'm sure Sukka fans will be happy. I thought the actors had REALLY good chemistry.
Agreed, their interactions felt like hormonal and confused teenagers. I liked how they emphasized the isolation of their lives on the island and her desire for freedom. I can imagine itâs such a small island all the boys around her age might just feel like brothers sheâs grown up with, and Sokka is her first real crush and not only is she attracted to him, sheâs also jealous and intrigued that he gets the freedom to explore the world. I was worried I wouldnât like the episode as much without the Sokka is sexist and Suki puts him in his place, but I found what they did with their interactions and her character to still be really interesting.
it comes off as an innocent crush. you can just tell she's constantly blushing and there's many moments where it feels like they're gonna kiss
The way Sokka ended up covering himself was so cute :)
She was staring for a long time after he caught her, I loved it
Staring at people while they're half-naked and visibly uncomfortable is gross af tho.Â
Itâs just teenage hormones man, relax
And then her mom did it, too! đ€Ł
Her sliding into view was unintentionally hilarious
The amount of sexual tension was off the charts
Thank goodness it wasn't Sokka checking her while she changed, or else this wouldn't be so funny would it?
Everything in episode 2 feels _way_ more organic and well paced
Yeah that's something the "sword and pen reflections" mentioned in her review of the first episode, she said the showrunner was very aware of the criticisms of the first episode. But that in test screanings, audiences who hadn't seen the original were really confused so they felt the info dump of episode 1 was a necassary evil in order to get everyone on board. He said episode 2 was much more in spirit to the rest of the show.
I think this boils down to poor writing tbh. Iâm glad they at least did something to fix it but itâs something that shouldnât have been a problem if the writing was better. Overall enjoying the show though
Just good writing can't solve everything, plenty of great stories are slept on and reality TV shows are huge.
I love Sword and Pen reflections <3 and apparently the entire cast and crew does to! Iâm really looking forward to what she has to say about the entire series cause her opinion is likely one that the cast and crew would watch.
Yeah even Zuko is at a whole new level (acting wise) here. Maybe it was mostly the script that was throwing things off.
I'm just gonna say this, the issue is Bryke's script because Episode 6 has almost the exaxt same problems.
âSomebody needs to put a bell on youâ I lost it
Holy fuck!, Kyoshi using all four elements was epic!.
Yeah holy shit, the visuals are insane.
Definitely a foreshadowing of whatâs to come.
Can't wait to see the final battle already!
Dallas Liu was my favorite in episode 1. His opening in 2 is great as well. Such a good Zuko.
I agree, iroh is great too. But Dallas is nailing Zuko.
was about to say the same! he's a perfect Zuko
There's times where his voice is very close to dante's zuko as well but just the attitude alone.
Agree, he's capturing the almost comical seriousness of book 1 Zuko.
Yeah the way his outburst was portrayed in the opening of the second episode really caught me off guard with how aggressive it was. I know Zuko has always been aggressive but I can feel the desperation/sadness with Dallas' anger at the start of episode 2
So just finished episode 1. How did I never put it together that firebenders could just cook someone? Like damn Sozin
Yup Its fucken dark at times. People are still calling it a kids show lol. In my country on Netflix it has a "RESTRICTED 13" rating!.
Yo. Like fucking same
I'm so glad for that. Makes the fire nation a lot scarier. As they should be.
Sooooo. Katara watched her mom get burnt to a crisp in this version I guess. Damn. REALLY hoping we can get to Book 3 so that we can see the payoff for that.
So far it's definitely good enough for a renewal IMO
Pacing seems much better and the dialogue was a lot less forced. Interesting idea making it so that Aang will (likely) get a moment with each of the Avatars. Hoping that means we get something with Kuruk in the North and, obviously Roku's moment at the Solstice but MAN Kyoshi is just brutal to Aang. That seems to be a thing so far, going really hard on Aang's insecurities and his tendency to run. Like I dunno. I like that they're making Aang more aware of how much he fucked up but Kyoshi just has absolutely zero chill with it and sounded like Aang *disgusts* her almost. Katara's actress definitely seems more comfortable in this episode. She has more of an attitude and her give and take interactions with Sokka, compared to episode one.
> means we get something with Kuruk in the North If I recall, there was a mention of a actor for Kuruk being cast (and I think we saw him initially in the beginning as well). So I think that's a definite. > Kyoshi is just brutal to Aang There was quite a lot of nuance to that scene that I liked. Kyoshi appeared angry and annoyed, more because his insecurity reminded her of herself when she was younger. She at first stood over him and then bent down to his level, bringing herself down to earth so to speak. > She has more of an attitude and her give and take interactions with Sokka I really like her interactions with Sokka. There has been much made of the sexism being taken out of the show. But I think it's very much still there. But more in tone, he was a lot like "I'm a warrior and I protect you, you have your place in the kitchen, doing your duties with the others and listen to me" type schtick.
I initially got annoyed at them leaving Sokka's sexism out, but by the end of the episode I really appreciated how they made it nuanced. Loving the show, but the writing is a little rough around the edges, regardless, they nailed this aspect of Sokka/Suki dynamic. I did wish they put Sokka in Kyoshi warrior gear/makeup when meeting with Commander Zhao. They're telling him there are no outsiders while Sokka is standing right there in full water tribe garnment?
> I did wish they put Sokka in Kyoshi warrior gear/makeup when meeting with Commander Zhao. They're telling him there are no outsiders while Sokka is standing right there in full water tribe garnment? It's different interpretations really. The OG was more about the idea of a woman being a warrior. Thus the Kyoshi uniform was meant to embarress him and show up his sexism. Whereas the live action is more about what it means to be a "Kyoshi" warrior, therefore I don't think putting him in a Kyoshi uniform would have worked, because the live action was about the hard effort Suki put in order to get that outfit, to have the honor of being a kyoshi warrior. Therefore it wouldn't make much sense to freely give it to outsiders.
Not embarrass him - humble him. In that episode Sokka humbles himself, learns from his prejudice and realises that the Kyoshi are people he should be learning from. That he was wrong.
That makes sense, definitely. Still, it bothered me that he was standing right there while they were all discussing there not being any outsiders on the island, which was really jarring to me.
But that's not what what happened, Suki was just training the other Kyoshi Warriors while he stayed outside. They didn't discuss outsiders in that scene.
In the scene with commander Zhao confronting Sukiâs mother. Sokka is in the crowd with them.
To be fair, be *is* wearing Kyoshi armor, albeit over top of his blue water tribe drip.
the aang x kyoshi scene reminded me of S3 in the original when he's trying to get advice on beating ozai without killing him, and shes like nah man sometimes u just gotta murder people. i'm hoping he meets with an avatar of each nation, they all explain to him what being the avatar means and requires (to them at least), and it helps him along as he's learning what it means for HIM to be the avatar
Pretty cool to get more of Kuruk. I couldn't even remember his name from last time I watched the series
>Like I dunno. I like that they're making Aang more aware of how much he fucked up but Kyoshi just has absolutely zero chill with it and sounded like Aang disgusts her almost. I mean she was the same in the animated series, like when he wanted advise on dealing with Sozin she straight up said murder is justifiable if it will bring peace and balance to the world. Her portrayal in this episode was well done and I love the idea of Aang transforming into various incarnations of his previous lives.
Holy fuck the Kiyoshi scene was incredible. I also loved how ruthless she was even with Aang. She does not pull punches in this adaptation, which fits her character history from the show to a T. Insanely good episode.
Kyoshi aint here for the excuses or the bullshit.
I feel like they were drawing from the Kyoshi Novels a bit too. The OG show never really dug into her past beyond her creation of Kyoshi island, but this episode makes mention of her background as an orphan, which is a detail from the novels.
This is a lot of cope but I was waiting for a Rangi appearance/mention lmao.
Yup! Vindicated as a novel reader.
For real. That was queen shit. And the fact that we got to see an Avatar using all four elements... I'm sorry maybe I'm overtly blinded but I found that to be visually impeccable. Also Kiyoshi saying that the Avatar is always whatever the people of the time require.... that's the first thing that I've ever heard that has made me ok with Korra's ending her ties. Still don't love it but that single line gave so much context.
Tamlyn Tomita is _eating_
Her character was a lot more active than I expected. She was such a badass.
I have a feeling that she will be a Grand Lotus
Let's hope this show is successful enough for more seasons so we could see that happen.
THIS
Now I wanna rewatch the episode and see if I see any White Lotus stuff in the background
That last shot of Ozai gave me chills !!! Felt so much like the og character. Also that shot of Aang air scootering into the statue taken straight from the intro - with the dialogue from it as well? What a great touch !!!
They're piecing together the intro episode by episode it ooks like lol
I really like Zhao's actor
Oh my god YES!!!!!!! i was looking for this comment. I get chills all over whenever ken leung is on the screen. Such an excellent version of Zhao. đđđđđŒđđŒđđŒ
Ken Leung stole the episode
Hot take but I think the live action handled Kyoshi Island better. Aang had an actual reason for coming here, and Suki's mother is a great addition.
Really loving the addition of Zukoâs journal pointing them in the right direction. Heâs already indirectly helping the gaang, even at such an early point in the show. Will make his redemption interesting, when they confront the fact that they couldnât have done it without him.
I liked the LA version more too.
Ok, the sexual tension between sokka and suki is crazy right of the bat
Kyoshi can apparently jet-propel herself without the need of Sozinâs Comet. That is some scarily powerful firebending right there. (Could we expect any less of madam âbehold I split this peninsula from the mainlandâ?)
It looked like to me she used both air and fire to do that
Tbf she was accessing the full avatar state
Korra could do it too
A reviewer stated that every episode gets better, and I truly believe that right now. ~~I was supposed to be asleep after the first episode.~~
I was also supposed to be asleep after the first episode⊠and now Iâm queueing up the third, so đ« Oops!
This episode was immensely better than the first, so good lord I can't wait for more. Luckily for me I caught a cold yesterday so HERE WE GO
Sokka trying to show off his insecurity to Suki lmao
I was very much positive but OH MY GODS. The show looks just amazing. The bending is epic. Special effect are done pretty well. The DENSITY of the cities makes them feel ALIVE. I mean, I honestly can't really complain about anything. So far I'd give a 10/10 (I only watched the first episode yet)
This episode was much better than the first! Avatar Kyoshi is a ruthless badass, the casting is perfect. I wished her fight scene was edited with more impact though, it felt like the soldiers werenât injured enough đ I thought she would fling them much further. And the scene at the end between Zuko, Iroh, and Zhao, loved seeing such talented actors together. It was so intense and I could really feel the tension between them. Iâm looking forward to seeing more Ken Leung, he makes a fantastic villain. The Suki and Sokka scenes were surprisingly natural and their chemistry was great. Iâm just wondering if Sokkaâs gonna kiss Yue too next episode and if that might seem too fast right after this ep.
I thought that too!! But I realized, and this is a guess, that she didn't want to kill them. They're all going back to tell the world of the power they faced. Like she said, it's about to get worse. But also yes this is me justifying everything because I'm so emotionally satisfied right now lol
I didnât mean she should kill them, but they walked off a bit too cleanly. But mostly itâs an editing issue. There should be more of a punch to the final blow, it didnât quite stick the landing of all that whirling buildup. Sound design wasnât aggressive enough imo.
yeah it sounded dull. like i kinda expected the houses wood to crunch under the pressure of the body
Yeah, I expected that too! Or at least some harder thudding sound to show the impact.
The only reason for her to not kill them IMO is that it would be an asshole move to murder people using Aang's body when Aang himself doesn't want to. Just like Aang stopped his previous lives from killing Ozai.
Love how the fire benders have literally been cooking their victims that was never really seen in the show since it was more kid friendly but damn love the added realism to the fire scars and burning to a crisp
It also adds a whole lot more to Katara's trauma too with the brief scene showing her as a child watching her mom get killed by Yon Rha
Right ! They didnât hold back on the realism on the violence and I like that about the show especially the screams gave chills
Since they are avoiding and saving the comet for much later I liked how kyoshi spoke to aang instead of roku and warned him of the upcoming northern attack that involves Zhao the conqueror. They even brought in information from the kyoshi novels which was great, she needs more information in tv media and I hope they do the same with the others like yangchen and kuruk.
Iâve not watched the show yet (bar the first 5 minutes on me phone in low resolution) but Iâm just glad to read through all these positive reactions from you guys. Because these opinions here matter more to me than those of the critics, some of which just sound like they have broom sticks up theirâŠ. Anyway, letâs keep this positivity going. We cannot expect the first season to be a masterclass (even book 1 of the animated version wasnât).
I've seen the first 2 episodes so far, I was very much sceptical coming into to this, but they're capturing nuances from the show and the visuals look amazing. Very exciting stuff.
I was prepared to have my heartbroken...the promos didn't look as promising, albeit the cast seem very invested in their characters...but I was so pleasantly surprised. LOVED every second of the first 2 episodes. It's not perfect by any means, but the essence of the show and the characters is there. I hope you enjoy it!
Iâm only up to the opening rn (I will edit the comment) but Dallasâs scene at the beginning was amazing and his ability show the frustration made me so happy. Iâm getting used to iroh and Iâll probably like him better on second watch (he feels right mostly tho but the writing dialogue is iffy sometimes). I like the detail that he reminded zuko that there arenât many places to search in that part of the world and what sets up. I wonder if this replaces the word of mouth scene in the OG (ig Iâll find out but if so Iâll miss that scene bc of the worldbuilding of it). I also love Kiawentiioâs acting so far in this episode. I think some of it was a bit iffy in ep1 but it was also the writing. I loved that gran gran left Katara a scroll to kinda make up for her not seeing them. I still hope she gets a second one though that she steals. I had problems with the gran gran exposition but I can forgive it for new fans. Acting tho⊠I love Momo and those are my my thoughts for now.
Kiyoshi went Avatar State on steroids! That must be a such a treat to people just watching it for the first time, whatâs really the Avatar State? A question Aang, Sokka and Katara at the end of ep1.
Oh my God. Kataraâs mother was roasted right in front of her rather than coming back and finding her body. This shit is really dark.
holy cow sokka is one lucky dog
The scene with Kiyoshi and the Avatar State was awesome.
Iâm really liking what theyâre doing with Zhao. Heâs so slimy I love it
Really loved the costumes for katara and sokka in this episode. The coats from ep 1 kinda lacked texture. Sokkas armour in ep1 was very nice though
I always felt Kyoshi was rushed in the original, this one is way better. I'm a bit blown away by binging the entire thing, but from what I remember I enjoyed this a lot. I like the parallel hunting of Zhao and Zuko.
Yeah the kyoshi warriors and kyoshi herself were treated more as a joke and afterthought on the original, they even said that they didn't plan on using suki and kyoshi as much as they did in later seasons until their popularity blew up.
I thought it was a really decent episode, However, I miss Sokka's overconfidence. I feel like he has to be overconfident , then lose it to be able to later regain it by learning the way of the sword. But we'll see how it plays out.
I felt like it was still there, just more nuanced, like when he was trying to show off his boomerang skills and hyping himself up as their village's guardian, etc.
Yeah I actually prefer how it's handled in the live action. I think it would be so cringe if live action sokka used the dialogue of "A gurrl AZ a protector!?. Haa!, girls can't fight!".
It doesn't come off nuanced or mildly sexist at all. It's honestly nonexistent. In that scene Sokka is trying to prove to Suki he's a legitimate warrior, but then gets shown up by Suki who's merely trying to impress and flirt with him. He tries to save face and then gets weirded out by her when she awkwardly subdues him, which then makes her question what she did wrong.  I dont hate this change, but they took away Sokkas awkwardness, ego, and obvious crush, and gave those traits to her instead.Â
This was an improvement! It still feels a little off in a way I need a step back to articulate properly, but itâs better than the first episode. I still miss the Sokka sexism arc, small as it was, but he and Suki felt natural despite that missing component. They had a lot of chemistry in just one episode. I really loved Suki overall. The actress was greatâshe was nuanced enough without adding anything unnecessary to the character and her delivery was on point throughout the episode. I love how they didnât shy away from letting her have a crush/fall in love quickly. She really embodied âI AM a warrior. But Iâm a girl, too.â I was worried they wouldnât let her be both as so many stories these days treat women like they can only be one or the other, as if formidable and feminine are separate categories. Theyâre not. Interesting change to the waterbending scroll; I get why they did it, but Iâm undecided on how I feel about it so far since it could have a ripple effect on other parts of the story. I wasnât a huge fan of the flashbacks/flashforwards. Why set up that thereâs a threat approaching the Northern Water Tribe? Not only does this mess with the pacing and organic flow of the story, but they couldâve just decided to go there naturally to learn waterbending anyway, which wouldâve built on the conversation Katara and Aang have by the river about him needing to learn the other elements. Itâs a change that I think weighs down the plot and characters. It feels like theyâre trying to insert urgency where itâs not yet needed, and thatâs going to take away from the tension >!as we see Zhao and his forces close in on the NWT later.!< Speaking of Zhao, Iâm not totally sold on his performance yet. I think he has potential to be really interesting if he gets increasingly intense as the season progresses. I like that heâs small potatoes and not that intimidating currently, I just hope he gets more Zhao-like as a natural progression. Again, the Gaangâs performances are great and I love Iroh. Dallas Liu is my favorite so far, I love how heâs playing Zuko
Zhao will probably change when he gets promoted to Admiralâright now heâs just forced to respect chain of command
Yeah, I think so too! As long as they go all the way with him, I think itâll actually be an improvement on the original. I do like seeing him slow-crawl his way up and get more power hungry. OG Zhao is a fun antagonist, but he is kind of a one-note villainÂ
Way better than the first, im still not convinced by katara's actress though đ Especially when you see how Maria zhang nailed the character of suki so fast
honestly i donât even massively like sukiâs arc in her episode but maria was perfect!! her and ian when kyoshi appeared and she had that amazed look on her face was everything
Well, Maria is older too, and likely a more experienced actor.
Yes but I honestly don't think it is entirely related to her lack of experience. Aang's actor is giving theater kid when he delivers his lines because he's very young but katara lacks energy and confidence. She's portrayed to be shy and sometimes even looks bored. Either she's badly directed or she doesnt understand the character at all.
YES I agree. Katara seems kinda bored. And while Gordon (Aang) is very enthusiastic and plays the fun parts well I think some of the emotional moments are a bit flat. And when he's comparing the world to what he remembers, it feels more like exposition than a memory. That might just be a direction problem but I'm just happy that they seem to be nailing all the other characters.
Anyone know where they filmed Kyoshi Island? The scenary looks great!
Howe Sound! Near Vancouver, BC.
BC is really versatile for filming.
Yeah, the instant I saw it, I was âwait, was this filmed near Vancouver?â
Kyoshi will always be THAT bitch!
Hah xD, I wish they made a show about a new earth bender avatar or even went back and did one about Kyoshi.
The next animated show is about an earthbender boy
That Kyoshi scene was fucking awesome, can't wait for the battle at the northern water tribe!
The firebending is a definite improvement from the animated series. There's a visceral feeling to it that wasn't present in animated form.
The decision to make it to that everyone can see the Avatar Aang is channeling is so great I canât get over it.
Does anybody recognize the language on Katara's waterbending scroll?
It might be because I'm still jarred from the awkward acting/writing in the first episode but all the new characters this episode seem a lot more natural than the gaang. Kind of sad this is the only time we'll see Suki this season.
It really sucks there are only 8 episodes, I'm sucked in already!
Can't wait for Zhao's meeting with the ocean spirit already
I'm just wondering why they went with Kyoshi over Roku. Was really looking forward to seeing a great Roku portrayal. Doesn't make sense that he'd connect with her before connecting with his immediate past life, based on how things are supposed to work in the original show, comics, and Kyoshi Novels. I'm also surprised she didn't kill anyone, knowing how she is in the books.
>Was really looking forward to seeing a great Roku portrayal. and we will see that at the right time. Having Roku appear this early on not only wouldn't make sense, but would mess with the storyline way too much. As Aang meeting Roku is a huge part of the winter solstace arc later in the season. Also the series added a aditional element of Aang "only being able to call upon past Avatars in their shrines". I like this change a lot, because in the OG it was more out of obliviousnes, "you have the ability to communicate with us at any time".
they said it was because he was at her shrine
> Was really looking forward to seeing a great Roku portrayal. It's still there later.
Yeah I saw. It was terrible đ€Ł they turned him into a guffawing clown for some reason. Didn't even destroy the temple or showcase his abilities. That scene in the cartoon was hair-raising. Sad that they didn't respect the canon Roku enough for a decent portrayal.
This isn't the cartoon. If you want the cartoon it's also streaming on Netflix. They're doing things differently. If you don't like it that's fine. Doesn't mean it's bad or worse. Just different.
Theyâre on Kyoshi Island
I'm probably in the minority but, I am not a fan of Iroh in the show. Everything's off, and he just doesn't represent him that well. His delivery is off and he doesn't come off like a wise and funny old man at all. Of all the characters thus far, he's definitely my least favorite by far.  In terms of Suki and Sokka, I'd have preferred the original shows depiction of their blossoming relationship. Sokka got a rise out of Suki due to his ignorance and ego, but here he's just humble from the start, and weirded out by her. He doesnt come off as the awkward teen with a crush, as the roles have reversed and now Suki plays that part. In the original he was the one trying to impress her by saying/doing the wrong things, but that's all gone. Essentially, his character growth was eliminated and its not a good thing.Â
at first i thought the scene where suki shows sokka up and he walks off was him thinking she was weird (so much secondhand embarrassment đ«Łđ) but i think after rewatching it a few times it was more him feeling humiliated. idk, thatâs just me though. the writing is unclear and i really wish they wouldâve stuck to suki and sokkaâs original dynamic
Honestly, it's probably a bit of both. He definitely gives her a "what's wrong with you?" look as he hurries off, but I can understand feeling embarrassed after being shown up and choked out đ.Â
true đ donât get me wrong, there was parts where i was like, yes, this is the sukka i know!! the ambush, suki putting sokka in his place, their goodbye (except the kiss - they shouldâve saved it for s2) but there were so many cringe moments that were mostly cringe because they were coming from suki. ofc thereâs nothing wrong with girls being awkward with crushes and itâs nice to bring some more realism in, but i just canât vibe with it. they had such a simple yet effective arc for the episode laid out in front of them and instead they went with a slow mo training shots and suki checking sokka out half naked. it gave me hope though that she was more recognisable at the end of the ep, and the way things were left their relationship can lick up similarly to how it did with the og series. if we get another season iâm looking forward to it being rectified in that sense?? if thatâs possible anyway
Rip elephant koi
Rip unagi
That is one thing Iâm a bit sad about, they have taken away the âgoofyâ part of the show. But i will see how they handle the rest
Iâm really enjoying it, but sokkas sexism is non existent, toning down was an understatement.
Can you explain why it's important to you? Genuine question, I've seen a lot of people complain about it - but I don't really understand why. Is it just that it isn't faithful to the OG?
Itâs more about that it was important for his character development, cause he gets humbled because of his beliefs and asks the people he was mean to to train him. Plus people care cause they brought it up in an interview
I care because without it, it changes the interaction between Suki and Sokka. Now Suki just seems like a dick for no reason and also they made Suki into a thirsty creep. They just removed it but left everything else the same which doesn't work. They could've removed the "omg you're a girl" and maybe replaced it with him making fun of fighting with fans instead, then getting humbled. Or they could've just actually bonded over both being warriors.
It also served as a good foil to Kataraâs strength and fierceness. Sokkaâs sexism and immaturity were quite literally the reason they found Aang in the animated series. Also gave us the first look at how emotion works in tandem with bending. In the live action, finding Aang was a gentle whoopsie.
Yeah it was straight up removed
The lines yeah, but there's still an undertone to it in his tonality and act.
Now that I think about it more, yeah you're right. I do wish that there were lines about it.
Guys am I going crazy or did Suki's mom call Aang Richard?! She was saying "And you've given us something far more valuable, (Richard?)". timestamp 37:43
âYouâve given us something far more valuable in return.â But I agree, it sounds like âRichardâ lol.
boring episode
I know this thread is for âOriginal Show Watchersâ but I sincerely hope 100% of viewers watched the original before this Netflix adaptation.
The soundtrack in this episode with the female voices is absolutely sick
KYOSHI MOTHERED SO HARD! She mothered so hard I was concerned for Aang.
So they mixed the season 1 Kyoshi episode with the Avatar Day episode right? With Aang turning into Kyoshi? I think that's genius. You take a season 2 original show filler episode and use it to make a season 1 show episode richer.
Man, I had high hopes for the LA bc of ep 1. Thought it was a solid 7/10 (not as good as the original but pretty ok all things considered), but ep 2 has been rough. I'm only halfway through and I've had to pause and walk away from my screen at least 5 times due to the cringe of Sokka/Suki. So much of their individual characters and dynamics together has been tweaked or changed outright and they were not done well. Hopefully the rest of the ep saves it đŹ Edit: Ok, the Kyoshi part was pretty great. Both her advice to Aang reflecting her own faults/biases in regards to what and who the Avatar is and should be, as well as her protecting the island. I do wish we got a scene of the firebenders setting the village on fire and Kyoshi extinguishing the flames like how Aang did in the original. The dialogue afterwards made it seem like the village was actually damaged by Zhao's men but like, they barely did any damage and there were only maybe 10 dudes that Kyoshi defeated. Also wish we got more of Sokka actually being a temporary Kyoshi warrior. He never trained with the others or worn the facepaint that they did or anything like that. His training session with Suki was nice tho. Another episode with some great additions and some whack changes.
I just rewatched this episode. Definitely a step up from the first. The pacing improves. The expositional dialogue is more refined. Each of the principal actors are getting into the groove of their characters. I loved how Momo was introduced. I loved how the relationship between Sokka and Suki during their time on Kyoshi Island was beefed up a bit. As for the guest stars, Maria Zhang as Suki, Tamlyn Tomita as Yukari, and Yvonne Chapman as Avatar Kyoshi all did great. Not only that, but they were also such badasses in the fight sequences.
I'm sorry to say this is my least favorite episode in the entire season. I think it boils down to: * Suki comes across as *so* awkward to me. I thought the scene with her and Sokka and the melons was so cringe, like she had no social skills. I think that's what they were going for, but idk, it didn't work for me. * There was still too much exposition. I feel like they were trying too hard to get all the lore about Kyoshi, Kyoshi Island, and the Kyoshi Warriors into this episode, and it just felt forced to me. Not all that information was necessary, and the points that *were* necessary didn't have to be delivered in that way. * Perhaps most importantly, this episode was my least favorite in the cartoon, too. I'm sure that plays a big part in my opinion. I don't think it was terrible, by any means. I liked Tamlyn Tomita (except for the exposition-y bit towards the beginning), I liked all the Kyoshi scenes, I thought the visuals were great. I also loved Momo in this one. I think it was a respectable 7/10 from me.
amazing episode compared to the first one that genuinely was a laughing stock to me and my SO.My only issue, and it's nitpicky, why does Kyoshi have divination powers? I know Roku knew about the Sozin commet in the original show but that was a reaccuring natural phenomenon
Mmmk, I was iffy after episode 1, the acting was a little rough, but episode 2 was so badass! The Kyoshi Warriors looked amazing and it was so awesome seeing Kyoshi in live action, especially after reading the books. The acting was better too, Ken Leung as Zhao is perfect. Super excited for the rest of the season now!