Andrew Robinson
At the end of May, Netflix added Avatar: The Last Airbender. The TV series featuring a young boy who awakens from a decades-long coma to find himself as the only person able to restore balance to a world of elemental magic was a hit on Nickelodeon from 2005-2008. What makes Avatar special, though, is that it is not just a children’s show.
Aang, the boy who awakens from the coma, is the Avatar destined to save the world. If he fails, a war that has gone on for 100 years will end with a victory for the Fire Nation. The world features four nations: the Airbenders, Firebenders, Earthbenders, and Waterbenders. Sokka and Katara are two teenage waterbenders who find Aang, thus beginning the quest to save the world.
Along the way, the trio meets new friends, enemies, and allies. Riding on top of Appa, a cross between a manatee and a buffalo, the three travel the world.
Aang, Katara, and Sokka are often met with ethical dilemmas that may go over children’s heads, but adults will appreciate. Zuko, another character, is tasked with finding the Avatar. He is a main villain of the show, yet he is not always treated as such. Avatar allows the viewer to sympathize with Zuko at points, humanizing him in a way that most children’s shows don’t even attempt to do.
In the world of children’s animation, shows such as Spongebob, Peppa Pig, The Amazing World of Gumball, and Phineas and Ferb reign supreme. While these shows are all good in their own right, none of them present the adult engagement that Avatar does so brilliantly. For a Y/7 show, Avatar is unafraid to venture into potentially adult topics, such as the spirit world, genocide, love and, yes, death.
Most importantly for a show based largely on a single ongoing storyline, Avatar ends brilliantly. The final four episodes – all of which are lumped together in parts – are some of the finest episodes of children’s animation one will find. The final two episodes are some of the finest episodes of any television show one will find.
Avatar does what Game of Thrones could not; it ends a popular show in a way that left the public in awe. The final two episodes of Avatar both have 9.8/10 ratings on IMDb, proving the public’s adoration.
With over 200,000 votes on IMDb, the entire series – which features 61 20ish-minute episodes over the course of three seasons – has an impressive 9.2/10, good for 14th on the all-time TV list (5th if one is excluding mini-series). It is by far the highest-rated show marketed for children.
In Avatar: The Last Airbender, there is something for everyone. The kids will love Sokka’s jokes and Aang’s innocence, the teenagers will find themselves sympathizing with Zuko and Katara, and the adults will appreciate the ethical dilemmas presented to the kids in the series. While there are certainly some filler episodes in there, the overarching storyline is present in nearly every one of them.
Some episodes that stand out are:
“Zuko Alone” (S2 ep7), “The Crossroads of Destiny” (S2 ep20), “The Puppetmaster” (S3, ep8), “The Day of Black Sun, Part 2: The Eclipse” (S3, ep11), “Sozin’s Comet” Parts 3 & 4″ (S3 eps 20 & 21)
During this time of quarantine and boredom, watch Avatar: The Last Airbender with your kids. You will get just as much out of it as they do.
