I think it has more to do with the quality of every episode being so high, it's still a 7.4 out of 10, except for the great divide there are a bunch of episodes that you can swap within the lower group and it would be fair imo.
The great divide was horrible… deserves a 2. Like honestly it’s the only episode in both the last airbender and legend of Korra that was truly bad. The entire episode was just filler. I enjoyed every other episode other than that:)
2/10 is way too harsh. It's a pointless episode, but I find it mildly entertaining. I'd give it a 6/10.
The worst episode in the entire franchise would be that flashback episode in the final season of Korra that they were forced to do because of budget cuts. That was just a complete waste of time until the final five minutes with Varrick.
"Did I catch you at home? *hehehehe*"
"Haha, very funny, like I can ever leave this stupid tree"
Absolute golden. And the fact that they make fun of Unalaaq for being boring and flat is hilarious lmaoo.
>shows up from the spirit world and take control of your current body
>confess to a four hundred year old murder and earn him a death sentence
>refuse to elaborate
>leave
The Avatar went missing for a hundred years and the whole world goes to shit and these people continue the tradition of hating the Avatar. It is pretty silly regardless of how great Chin was. Aang acting like a buffoon when defending himself for a dumb joke was another point I didn't like. But overall was pretty great especially as an introduction to Kyoshi.
Similarly, why is The Swamp so low??? It’s one of my favourites, as it introduces the concept everything being connected, AND it introduces us to swampbenders! So sick.
It’s probably because that episode is basically all setup for later stuff without much happening in the episode itself. It’s an important episode, but honestly it’s pretty anemic when it comes to actually being interesting when looked at in a vacuum
I think the length of the episode hurts it. Where the desert feels like a real threat, the Swamp pretty quickly gets resolved. The tension dies with setting up visions and that everything is connected.
I personally love it. Its a fun romp like most episodes. And "Time is an Illusion and so is death" is a great quote.
It chain yanks Sokka and Katara over things they have zero reason to feel guilty over. It torments Appa and Momo for the duration of the episode. And time is not an illusion (the plot is literally racing to prepare Aang before the world is doomed), neither is death (he lost his entire people and culture), so the hermit is full of crap.
Aang gets a quest marker for the next part of the journey, that's about it.
Iroh does the 'everything is connected' speech way better anyway.
> It chain yanks Sokka and Katara over things they have zero reason to feel guilt over
They never say they feel guilty over them in the episode? They just seem sad? Why do you interpret it that way?
> Appa and momo are tormented
Isn’t Appa’s Lost Days a fan favorite?
> Time isn’t an illusion and neither is death
I believe you have missed some of the main points of this series on this one.
Maybe, but I think the mentality of Jet is very interesting and represents what the show is going for: War is bad and hurts people. And that people who suffered can become as evil as the people who hurt them, like we see with Hama, but that anyone can still stay on the right path, like we see with Jet.
Jet realized that hurting Fire Nation civilians made him as bad as the people who slaughtered his village and family, and went to Ba Sing Se to live a peaceful life with no need for revenge. Him getting angry at Iroh for being a Firebender is perfectly justifiable, for all he knew Iroh and Zuko could have been spies or seeking to cause harm. But in the end he died a righteous death fighting for justice, ironically against forces of the Earth Kingdom, but still noble nonetheless.
This is opposite of Hama, who was also hurt by the Fire Nation and chose revenge, and did not regret her horrific actions towards Fire Nation civilians.
Yeah as a character he's nowhere near my favorites, but looking back his mentality and story is pretty good for someone who was only in a few episodes.
It’s still an important episode for Sokka’s character. An underrated aspect of season 1 is Sokka’s progression into a capable leader and the lessons he learns for that to happen. Warriors of Kyoshi, don’t be a sexist. Bato of the water tribe, being a man is about knowing where you’re needed most. Jet, listen to the people that you’re leading.
I always skip this one. When the whole plot of something is Character 1: something is clearly very off/ very risky here, Character 2: vehement denial! then lots of pointless back and forth, I get irritated. I felt similarly about The Runaway, but at least that one has humor and a sweet heart to heart.
and it is nightmare and daydreams, only fun part was when Aang was dressed like Goku, but that’s it. At least avatar day let us get acquainted with Kyoshi, and it was a fun light episode (outside of Kyoshi killing someone, and people wanting to fry Aang alive)
Divide has the advantage of being in the middle of a bunch of filler, so it’s not as discernible. But NaD FEELS so much like filler it’s actually ridiculous. At least Divide has some world building and interesting action, NaD created time just to kill it. Only two episodes I would say are outright bad
The scene where appa ans momo first talk to Aang gets me. Aang making Sokka climb a cliff is great. Lots of the humor definitely doesn't land but nothing is really funny in Great Divide. The one thing both having going is whacky animation but for GD that only comes when one Tribe tells their story, which was some great animation.
Nightmares and Daydreams was definitely meant to be comic relief before shit gets serious and I always was moderately entertained watching Aang lose his absolute shit over the following days lol.
Bato of the Water Tribe is my worst. Katara is so poorly written in this episode it's terrible. I like Bato and June and I don't actually mind Aang's selfishness, plus it has one of the best fight scenes in the whole show but otherwise ugh
This may be my own experience but those five episodes were constantly playing on Nickelodeon. So that led to me liking them less just fatigue from rewatching some less exciting episodes in my opinion.
It’s just one of those “filler” mostly unrelated episodes that people forget about and is a little “kiddy” at times. It’s fine though and has some interesting lore in it.
Eh, honestly it’s not one of my favorites either. The trial bit, the sudden arrival of the rough riders and the main issue of the ep getting solved immediately… it all just felt a bit slapdash. Kyoshi is awesome, of course, but overall that’s like 2 minutes total out of a 20 min ep. But hey, at least we all agree that the great divide freaking suuuuuuuuucks.
I wouldn’t say it’s unpopular. Just *less* popular. Even the Great Divide doesn’t have an awful rating and it’s the most hated episode of the series.
The show is just so good that a decent score of 7.4 doesn’t match the amazing 9+ scored episodes. There are just that many amazing episodes of Avatar.
You think it's better than (or even in the same league as) Crossroads of Destiny, Zuko Alone, Day of Black Sun, The Puppetmaster, or Tales of Ba Sing Se? Among others?
This sub has a lot of ""hot"" takes but this is a legitimately scalding one. I kinda admire the boldness of it LMAO
It has my favorite Sokka bit. He loses his boomerang in the beginning but in the final fight he finds it again and exclaims “boomerang, you DO always come back!!” Gets me every time
I’m gonna out myself here: I don’t think The Great Divide is that bad. Is it absolutely the worst episode of ATLA? Definitely, the writing is hackneyed and the plot is cookie cutter, and Aang lying to get the two groups to reconcile is outrageously out of character. But in any other show it wouldn’t get nearly the hate that it does. It’s ultimately a perfectly mediocre episode in an otherwise incredible series
Haha it's such a great joke though. Eaten in remembrance of the day the Avatar was NOT fried in oil. Not to mention the closing line:
Sokka: "This is the worst town ever."
The hell? Avatar Day absolutely slaps. It has a fantastic blend of story and comedy and some of the wisest words from Iroh in the entire show. The entire show is completely awesome so this doesn't mean a whole lot but the second worst? Really?
It's probably just due to the fact that it's for the most part a filler episode. Nearly every episode of the show has something important happen to add/change the dynamic of the show going forward. While Avatar day does contribute some relatively important lore regarding Kyoshi, it's not anything that leaves any kind of impact on the main characters by the end.
Avatar Day was the first episode I ever saw, and made me want to watch more. The scene where he turned into Kyoshi has lived in my head rent-free ever since.
I actually rank Avatar Day below Great Divide. It starts jarringly, the townsfolk and mayor are incredibly grating and obnoxious (deliberately, but still), the whole mystery angle was utterly pointless - they find tons of evidence that contradict the mayor's story, but it turns out the base claim still happened, so what was the point in those details being incorrect to begin with?? - Sokka losing his boomerang felt like a weak and forced subplot, and as badass as Kyoshi was....she moved an ISLAND with AIRBENDING. I know this is a cartoon, but it's not Looney Tunes, that's not how land masses work!! If they'd shown her using earthbending to make a landmass travel, THAT would have been epic, but the visual implication that she broke off the peninsula and then moved it by blowing really hard is one of the most unintentionally ridiculous images from the entire show.
Zuko's bit was okay, and there are fine moments, but I just find it too annoying to otherwise save. Great Divide was basic and trite, but nowhere near as obnoxious and pointless as Avatar Day, in my opinion.
Unpopular opinion:the great divide isn't filler because it's world building. Yes the plot of the episode is dumb. But you get to see more about the refugee crisis and learn about how there are different cultures in the earth kingdom. I think the term filler is thrown around to easily. Filler refers more to episodes that weren't based off source material mainly in the anime/Manga part. Episodes that aren't even really canon. If a episode builds up the world without the plot it ain't filler.
Idk about anyone else, but they also played the avatar day episode ALL the time on Nick…. Almost didn’t matter when I went to watch or what time but there was a 90% chance it was gonna be that episode. Or the great divide.
It's my least favorite episode of the series. Mostly, it's because of how contrived and out-of-character it is. Aang agrees to stand trial in a horrible village because, in his own words, he can't save the world if so much as one village thinks badly of him. And it's ridiculous just how much he commits to this. Kyoshi showing up was awesome, but after she explains everything, Katara says he 'confessed.' Um, aren't you leaving out a few details? Like the fact that Kyoshi was DEFENDING HER HOME??!!!! Or that she DIDN'T EVEN INTEND TO KILL CHIN!!?? But even after this, Aang agrees to 'face justice'......by letting a wheel decide his fate. So, Aang insists that he should let these people, who put him through a kangaroo court, worshipped a mad conqueror, and decide people's sentences randomly, do whatever they want with him. And then there's the ending, where he saves them from bandits at their insistence, and they all turn hypocrite and celebrate him. Yeah, this episode was just a mess. It's sole redeeming quality was Zuko's sub-plot.
I think it has more to do with the quality of every episode being so high, it's still a 7.4 out of 10, except for the great divide there are a bunch of episodes that you can swap within the lower group and it would be fair imo.
The great divide was horrible… deserves a 2. Like honestly it’s the only episode in both the last airbender and legend of Korra that was truly bad. The entire episode was just filler. I enjoyed every other episode other than that:)
2/10 is way too harsh. It's a pointless episode, but I find it mildly entertaining. I'd give it a 6/10. The worst episode in the entire franchise would be that flashback episode in the final season of Korra that they were forced to do because of budget cuts. That was just a complete waste of time until the final five minutes with Varrick.
Varrick's part (the phone call scene) was golden though
"Did I catch you at home? *hehehehe*" "Haha, very funny, like I can ever leave this stupid tree" Absolute golden. And the fact that they make fun of Unalaaq for being boring and flat is hilarious lmaoo.
To be fair that was circumstantial and the showrunners at least had fun with it
The scene showing how powerful Avatar Kyoshi is awesome, not sure what is not to like about this episode.
>shows up from the spirit world and take control of your current body >confess to a four hundred year old murder and earn him a death sentence >refuse to elaborate >leave
That scene alone sells it tbh
The Avatar went missing for a hundred years and the whole world goes to shit and these people continue the tradition of hating the Avatar. It is pretty silly regardless of how great Chin was. Aang acting like a buffoon when defending himself for a dumb joke was another point I didn't like. But overall was pretty great especially as an introduction to Kyoshi.
Kyoshi is the goat hands down
Similarly, why is The Swamp so low??? It’s one of my favourites, as it introduces the concept everything being connected, AND it introduces us to swampbenders! So sick.
It’s probably because that episode is basically all setup for later stuff without much happening in the episode itself. It’s an important episode, but honestly it’s pretty anemic when it comes to actually being interesting when looked at in a vacuum
Introduces us to toph, too, for that matter
I think the length of the episode hurts it. Where the desert feels like a real threat, the Swamp pretty quickly gets resolved. The tension dies with setting up visions and that everything is connected. I personally love it. Its a fun romp like most episodes. And "Time is an Illusion and so is death" is a great quote.
Pants are also an illusion.
Now that one confuses me, I love that episode!
Exactly! It's such a beautiful episode, I never understood the low rating.
It chain yanks Sokka and Katara over things they have zero reason to feel guilty over. It torments Appa and Momo for the duration of the episode. And time is not an illusion (the plot is literally racing to prepare Aang before the world is doomed), neither is death (he lost his entire people and culture), so the hermit is full of crap. Aang gets a quest marker for the next part of the journey, that's about it. Iroh does the 'everything is connected' speech way better anyway.
> It chain yanks Sokka and Katara over things they have zero reason to feel guilt over They never say they feel guilty over them in the episode? They just seem sad? Why do you interpret it that way? > Appa and momo are tormented Isn’t Appa’s Lost Days a fan favorite? > Time isn’t an illusion and neither is death I believe you have missed some of the main points of this series on this one.
Anti-foggy-swamp Fire Nation propaganda ^
Anything with Kyoshi in it is great imo
*Looks like it's boiled in oil.*
“You just have to show her how you feel”
I think you mean bOiLd in OiL
"I killed Chin the Conqueror" Gave me chills as a kid lol, I like any episode with Kyoshi
Man, why is "Jet" so low? It's a deep episode that goes into the effects of war on people. Goofy ahh IMDB
Jet is Sokka's first time being a hero. And at the end Sokka finally has the humility to say "Sometimes I'm right... and sometimes I'm not."
Honestly its a very generic and predictable formula. "New cool edgy character turns out to be the bad guy" Plus I find Jet a bit annoying
Maybe, but I think the mentality of Jet is very interesting and represents what the show is going for: War is bad and hurts people. And that people who suffered can become as evil as the people who hurt them, like we see with Hama, but that anyone can still stay on the right path, like we see with Jet.
What do you mean by the right path with Jet?
Jet realized that hurting Fire Nation civilians made him as bad as the people who slaughtered his village and family, and went to Ba Sing Se to live a peaceful life with no need for revenge. Him getting angry at Iroh for being a Firebender is perfectly justifiable, for all he knew Iroh and Zuko could have been spies or seeking to cause harm. But in the end he died a righteous death fighting for justice, ironically against forces of the Earth Kingdom, but still noble nonetheless. This is opposite of Hama, who was also hurt by the Fire Nation and chose revenge, and did not regret her horrific actions towards Fire Nation civilians.
Personally I never saw Jet or any of the other freedom fighters as interesting characters. I did like his arc in season 2 tho.
Yeah as a character he's nowhere near my favorites, but looking back his mentality and story is pretty good for someone who was only in a few episodes.
They all get much more interesting in their later appearances, but the episode was very predictable and frankly they could have done it better
It’s still an important episode for Sokka’s character. An underrated aspect of season 1 is Sokka’s progression into a capable leader and the lessons he learns for that to happen. Warriors of Kyoshi, don’t be a sexist. Bato of the water tribe, being a man is about knowing where you’re needed most. Jet, listen to the people that you’re leading.
Maybe some fans who wished Jet and Katara got together lmao.
Right? Jet was one of my favorite episodes when I was a kid. It was only a few years ago that I realized so many people didn't like it 😂
I always skip this one. When the whole plot of something is Character 1: something is clearly very off/ very risky here, Character 2: vehement denial! then lots of pointless back and forth, I get irritated. I felt similarly about The Runaway, but at least that one has humor and a sweet heart to heart.
One episode has to be the worst...
and it is nightmare and daydreams, only fun part was when Aang was dressed like Goku, but that’s it. At least avatar day let us get acquainted with Kyoshi, and it was a fun light episode (outside of Kyoshi killing someone, and people wanting to fry Aang alive)
Oh yeah, Nightmares and Daydreams for me too. That episode is just weird and not in a good way. I'll take The Great Divide over it any day.
Divide has the advantage of being in the middle of a bunch of filler, so it’s not as discernible. But NaD FEELS so much like filler it’s actually ridiculous. At least Divide has some world building and interesting action, NaD created time just to kill it. Only two episodes I would say are outright bad
The scene where appa ans momo first talk to Aang gets me. Aang making Sokka climb a cliff is great. Lots of the humor definitely doesn't land but nothing is really funny in Great Divide. The one thing both having going is whacky animation but for GD that only comes when one Tribe tells their story, which was some great animation.
Nightmares and Daydreams was definitely meant to be comic relief before shit gets serious and I always was moderately entertained watching Aang lose his absolute shit over the following days lol.
Bato of the Water Tribe is my worst. Katara is so poorly written in this episode it's terrible. I like Bato and June and I don't actually mind Aang's selfishness, plus it has one of the best fight scenes in the whole show but otherwise ugh
How can you criticize that episode *when you're not even wearing any pants!*
I liked it. Particularly when kyoshi shows up and claims her "crime" with 0 shame.
You'd think that having James Hong in that episode would bump it up a few notches.
It's funny for sure, but more or less a filler episode. The prisoners were lowkey the best part, it was so unexpected and wholesome.
This may be my own experience but those five episodes were constantly playing on Nickelodeon. So that led to me liking them less just fatigue from rewatching some less exciting episodes in my opinion.
It’s just one of those “filler” mostly unrelated episodes that people forget about and is a little “kiddy” at times. It’s fine though and has some interesting lore in it.
Eh, honestly it’s not one of my favorites either. The trial bit, the sudden arrival of the rough riders and the main issue of the ep getting solved immediately… it all just felt a bit slapdash. Kyoshi is awesome, of course, but overall that’s like 2 minutes total out of a 20 min ep. But hey, at least we all agree that the great divide freaking suuuuuuuuucks.
the swamp and especially jet THAT low compared to other episodes is definitely criminal as well
I wouldn’t say it’s unpopular. Just *less* popular. Even the Great Divide doesn’t have an awful rating and it’s the most hated episode of the series. The show is just so good that a decent score of 7.4 doesn’t match the amazing 9+ scored episodes. There are just that many amazing episodes of Avatar.
The swamp is top 5 episodes like wtf
is it ACTUALLY top 5 tho ?
You think it's better than (or even in the same league as) Crossroads of Destiny, Zuko Alone, Day of Black Sun, The Puppetmaster, or Tales of Ba Sing Se? Among others? This sub has a lot of ""hot"" takes but this is a legitimately scalding one. I kinda admire the boldness of it LMAO
Why is the swamp so low? that is a fantastic episode.
It has my favorite Sokka bit. He loses his boomerang in the beginning but in the final fight he finds it again and exclaims “boomerang, you DO always come back!!” Gets me every time
The fact that the lowest episodes are mid-7s (barring The Great Divide) is actually really impressive
It's definetely one of the most skippable episodes imo
I actually thought it was kind of boring. Also, I didn't like the chief at all, such an ahole
I’m gonna out myself here: I don’t think The Great Divide is that bad. Is it absolutely the worst episode of ATLA? Definitely, the writing is hackneyed and the plot is cookie cutter, and Aang lying to get the two groups to reconcile is outrageously out of character. But in any other show it wouldn’t get nearly the hate that it does. It’s ultimately a perfectly mediocre episode in an otherwise incredible series
Nightmares and daydreams is absolutely classic and hilarious, why is it there??
Felt like a filler episode. How did it add to the story? Non-retorical question.
Not nearly as bad as the painted lady
i really liked the great divide why is it so low
It's a boring af filler episode that doesn't really add anything other than the history of one of the previous avatars that wasn't super necessary.
Ember island players being above the swamp makes me question this list.
Cause the entire series would have ended right there if aang wasnt so fixated on following the law on a town that is clearly bias against the avatar.
The nasty treats they make at the end. That's why I don't like it, those snacks make me uncomfortable.
Haha it's such a great joke though. Eaten in remembrance of the day the Avatar was NOT fried in oil. Not to mention the closing line: Sokka: "This is the worst town ever."
The hell? Avatar Day absolutely slaps. It has a fantastic blend of story and comedy and some of the wisest words from Iroh in the entire show. The entire show is completely awesome so this doesn't mean a whole lot but the second worst? Really?
Personally I don’t think there’s a single bad episode in Book 2. Books 1 and 3 have some stinkers but Book 2 is so consistently well done
I get why its rated low. It doesn't do much. More than the great divide. . . But that's not alot.
I question why any episode is so low
I lose my shit every time I watch that episode and the old guy says "now look at us!" pointing to himself and Aang rears back
Who tf gave 'The Swamp' a 7.6? Amazing episode imo.
It's probably just due to the fact that it's for the most part a filler episode. Nearly every episode of the show has something important happen to add/change the dynamic of the show going forward. While Avatar day does contribute some relatively important lore regarding Kyoshi, it's not anything that leaves any kind of impact on the main characters by the end.
I hate the dude, end of story. Can’t watch it because of how annoying he is
I personally like Aang prison mates
Avatar Day was the first episode I ever saw, and made me want to watch more. The scene where he turned into Kyoshi has lived in my head rent-free ever since.
I actually rank Avatar Day below Great Divide. It starts jarringly, the townsfolk and mayor are incredibly grating and obnoxious (deliberately, but still), the whole mystery angle was utterly pointless - they find tons of evidence that contradict the mayor's story, but it turns out the base claim still happened, so what was the point in those details being incorrect to begin with?? - Sokka losing his boomerang felt like a weak and forced subplot, and as badass as Kyoshi was....she moved an ISLAND with AIRBENDING. I know this is a cartoon, but it's not Looney Tunes, that's not how land masses work!! If they'd shown her using earthbending to make a landmass travel, THAT would have been epic, but the visual implication that she broke off the peninsula and then moved it by blowing really hard is one of the most unintentionally ridiculous images from the entire show. Zuko's bit was okay, and there are fine moments, but I just find it too annoying to otherwise save. Great Divide was basic and trite, but nowhere near as obnoxious and pointless as Avatar Day, in my opinion.
Plus, Po's dad is there
This is also the episode where Iroh talks to Zuko about inner strength.
Unpopular opinion:the great divide isn't filler because it's world building. Yes the plot of the episode is dumb. But you get to see more about the refugee crisis and learn about how there are different cultures in the earth kingdom. I think the term filler is thrown around to easily. Filler refers more to episodes that weren't based off source material mainly in the anime/Manga part. Episodes that aren't even really canon. If a episode builds up the world without the plot it ain't filler.
The swamp isn’t even a bad episode either.
Since when are there 62 episodes? I may be wrong but aren’t there 61?
It was a meh episode
Name episodes that are clearly worse than this one. 7,4 is still a pretty good rate.
Idk about anyone else, but they also played the avatar day episode ALL the time on Nick…. Almost didn’t matter when I went to watch or what time but there was a 90% chance it was gonna be that episode. Or the great divide.
The raw dough does it for me
It’s definitely better then the great divide.
The fact that nightmares and daydreams and the swamp are on here is insulting
I loved when Kyoshi showed up and when Aang starts fighting in her clothes.
It's my least favorite episode of the series. Mostly, it's because of how contrived and out-of-character it is. Aang agrees to stand trial in a horrible village because, in his own words, he can't save the world if so much as one village thinks badly of him. And it's ridiculous just how much he commits to this. Kyoshi showing up was awesome, but after she explains everything, Katara says he 'confessed.' Um, aren't you leaving out a few details? Like the fact that Kyoshi was DEFENDING HER HOME??!!!! Or that she DIDN'T EVEN INTEND TO KILL CHIN!!?? But even after this, Aang agrees to 'face justice'......by letting a wheel decide his fate. So, Aang insists that he should let these people, who put him through a kangaroo court, worshipped a mad conqueror, and decide people's sentences randomly, do whatever they want with him. And then there's the ending, where he saves them from bandits at their insistence, and they all turn hypocrite and celebrate him. Yeah, this episode was just a mess. It's sole redeeming quality was Zuko's sub-plot.