Avatar: The Last Airbender - Season One

For the past several years I've ventured into many retrospective series watch-throughs. It started years and years ago when I first saw Twin Peaks. A TV show which blew my mind in it's depth not in it's characters but in it's audacity. A TV show that was at first blush a simple mystery about the murder of a young woman, but unfurled into the realm of dreamscapes full of illusion and mystery in a way I had until then only seen on film.

Then I moved onto Six Feet Under. This, too, impressed me. This series was the polar opposite of Twin Peaks. Where Twin Peaks found it's footing in it's innovative storytelling, Six Feet Under was always more comfortable as it delved deep into the psyches of the Fisher family.

The most influential series watch of my life would come next in the form of The Sopranos. And after that I watched The Wire. Now I'm currently in the midst of a plethora of shows that are yet to wrap up - Girls, Justified, Breaking Bad, Dexter, Homeland, etc.

Oddly, this year may be the year I've found myself the most impressed by TV. I watched The Shield in it's entirety just a few short months ago. In December of last year, I began my watch of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. A show for teenagers. By the time I had finished it in February, I was calling it the best show of all time - dethroning The Sopranos from it's gilded position atop the TV show pyramid. 

And now I'm watching another show for a(n even) young(er) audience. Avatar: The Last Airbender. 

I've heard a lot about this show. Unlike Buffy, my expectations for Avatar have been a little on the high side. I've found myself rather critical of the show at times. Dramatic storylines are rushed, Aang and the gang are captured and escape so often that the hunt for the Avatar does not bring with it a sense of danger.

But the show consistently dazzles with it's action sequences. And while the village-of-the-week storylines are often played out far too quickly, the overall arc has been well paced and never rushed. There is a great deal of mystery evident in the abilities of not only Aang but in all the benders in the world. Katara, Zuko, Sokka, and of course Aang are all well-written and interesting characters.

As with Buffy, the most compelling element to the story is the hero's self-sacrifice in his/her quest to save the world. Neither Buffy nor Aang asked for their respective responsibilities, but watching them as they learn to accept their fate is what makes both these character's so enthralling.

Where Buffy excelled in part due to its metaphorical representations of real world problems, Avatar excels with it's old-time Squaresoft (or Square-Enix) RPG feel. The compelling minor characters, videogame-style plots and whacky-creature-inhabited world make for a rich viewing experience. The humor is often on-point as well.

One third of the way through Avatar, I'm giving the first season a big thumbs up. 

8/10