Episode 51 - Aang / Warriors (Netflix)

Well. They said they were gonna do it. And they made good on that threat. And WE said we’d be here for it. And we…have paid for our hubris. The time has come for your boys to discuss the first two episodes of the 2024 live-action Netflix series, Avatar: The Last Airbender. As you might expect, we have opinions. Episode 101, “Aang” opens on a literal genocide. Did we need to see that? Episode 102, “Warriors” sands the adolescent sexism off of Sokka. Does that have unintended consequences for Suki’s arc? Can a sophisticated, mature take on a beloved animated property actually come off as MORE cartoonish than its source material? Who could possibly know?!

 

We do, in fact, manage to find some positives in all of this. However, STRUCTURE and DIALOGUE are the watchwords of this review, so buckle up, benders!

 

NEXT: Oh lawd, he comin’! Live-action Bumi is about to happen, and we bear witness in episodes 103, “Omashu” and 104, “Into the Dark.”

THE MUSIC

• “Avatar: The Last Airbender (Premiere Main Title)” by Jeremy Zuckerman, Avatar: The Last Airbender - Book 1: Water (Music From The Animated Series (2023)
• “Avatar: The Last Airbender (End Credits)” by Jeremy Zuckerman, Avatar: The Last Airbender - Book 1: Water (Music From The Animated Series (2023)