PLOT: Team Avatar heads to Ba Sing Se, the capital of the Earth Kingdom, to find Aang, an earthbending teacher, and make a startling revelation in the process that could turn the tables in the ongoing war against the Fire Nation.
REVIEW: It’s been two long years since Netflix‘s live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender made me feel like I was walking on air, thanks to its efforts to recreate the original animated series. While some critics nitpicked the first season, I basked in the way it brought one of my favorite animated series to life. Thankfully, the feeling remains, even if the second season of Avatar favors drama and emotion above action and intrigue. I joked with my wife as we watched the second season of The Last Airbender, saying it’s the Two Towers of the series, meaning it’s the middle story that capitalizes on the first and moves pieces into place for the grand finale. In many ways, that’s accurate, but it’s also a hell of a ride.
When I say the season favors emotion over action, I mean that. However, those words should not deter you. The Last Airbender has always been about the characters, first and foremost, and the new season does an outstanding job of what makes Aang (Gordon Cormier), Katara (Kiawentiio), and Sokka’s (Iam Ousley) relationships special, while also adding new characters, mysteries, and stakes to the mix. Still, the trio isn’t the only one doing some emotional heavy lifting this season, as characters like Uncle Iroh (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee), Prince Zuko (Dallas Liu), and Toph Beifong (Miya Cech) offer some of the show’s most rewarding and introspective moments.
In short, the sophomore season of Avatar: The Last Airbender finds Team Avatar traveling to Ba Sing Se, the sprawling, impenetrable capital of the Earth Kingdom, while searching for Aang’s would-be earthbending teacher. While exploring the area, Aang, Katara, and Sokka meet Toph, a blind socialite who also happens to be the greatest earthbender the world has ever known. After convincing Toph to join their party, the group, along with several others, unravels the mystery of a secret weapon that could help them destroy the Fire Kingdom once and for all.
Before we get to the heart of this new season, those craving action from the series will find it, though it’s more spread out. The show tends to favor big, CGI-driven skirmishes over peppering smaller battles throughout the seven-episode run, letting the first and last episodes do the heavy lifting. If you’re the type of person who can’t handle being in one place for the majority of the season, this part of the Avatar’s story might not be your favorite. I think Avatar is at its best when it focuses on its characters, their emotional journeys, and their transformation from inexperienced chosen ones to gifted warriors with the fate of the world on their shoulders.
Aang does a fair amount of growing up this season, as the pressures of being the Avatar inform his every move. Add to these emotions his burgeoning love for Katara, and you’ve got a more mature performance from Gordon Cormier that shows how much he’s grown between seasons. Ian Ousley brings more depth to Sokka, who’s still processing the loss of Princess Yue (Amber Midthunder) last season. He wants to move on but doesn’t know how, which makes his new connection with Suki (Maria Zhang) difficult to grasp. Try as he might, Sokka is in his feels for most of the season, walling off his heart to keep it from breaking, and Yue’s memory alive. Depth isn’t exactly what you come to Sokka for, but Ousley does a fine job of bringing inner turmoil to the bend-less member of Team Avatar.
While Cormier and Ousley are fun to watch, it’s characters like Katara, Uncle Iroh, Prince Zuko, and Toph that shine throughout the season. I love Kiawenttio’s portrayal of Katara. She’s fierce, affecting, hypnotic, and graceful. She’s the heart of Team Avatar, and Kiawenttio brings nuance and depth to her character while navigating a world that’s on the brink of being burnt to ash. Her onscreen chemistry with Cormier and Liu (Prince Zuko) is outstanding, making her someone to watch as her career evolves.
Other characters that deliver an emotional gut punch are Uncle Iroh (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) and Prince Zuko (Dallas Liu), who continue to explore the depths of their familial bond as outcasts of the Fire Nation. Being on the run has given Zuko perspective, and Uncle Iroh’s brushes with death (both his own and the victims of the Fire Nation’s destruction) add layers to the duo that feel earned and genuinely emotional. They’re my favorite pair to watch this season, as I love the push-and-pull of Zuko’s allegiances and Iroh’s reckoning with his past transgressions.
Meanwhile, there’s Miya Cech as Toph Beifong, a welcome addition to Team Avatar, whose snark, pessimism, insight, and social standing (being the daughter of an exceedingly wealthy family) bring a unique perspective to the Avatar’s world. When Netflix cast Cech as Toph, fans revolted, saying she’s too old for the part. I’ve never had a problem with it, and Cech is the perfect choice to play my favorite character from the animated series. She embodies everything I love about the spicy earthbender, and even sounds exactly like her animated counterpart. Honestly, I don’t know if that’s on purpose, but she sounds uncannily like Michaela Jill Murphy’s version when she speaks. It’s wild. In addition to looking and feeling like Toph, her story delivers some of the season’s best drama as she searches for her own identity while shedding her family name and reputation. While Cech is older than Toph would be if her character were animated-series-accurate, it hardly matters, as she displays all the qualities that make Toph such a fun and engaging character. That’s what’s important.
Finally, I would be remiss not to mention Elizabeth Zu’s performance as Azula, Prince Zuko’s psychotic sister and daughter of Fire Lord Ozai (Daniel Dae Kim). Azula is unhinged in this season, with her desire to please her father inspiring her to do unspeakable things. Zu plays Azula with conviction, while her companions, Ty Lee (Momona Tamada) and Mai (Thalia Tran), provide a sense of balance and whimsy to Azula’s madness. Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai feel more formidable than Fire Lord Ozai in every way that matters, and whenever the three of them are on screen, it’s fun to watch them play with their food.
Because Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2 is the middle part of Aang’s story, it’s got a lot of ground to cover. I think Netflix does a great job of including the story’s essential parts while glossing over some beats from the animated series that could feel like filler. The new season has something of an ’80s fantasy vibe to it, harkening back to movies like The Secret of Nimh, Labyrinth, and The NeverEnding Story, especially when Team Avatar reaches the hidden library. You’ll see. I could see some fans checking their phones as Team Avatar’s time in Ba Sing Se feels ill-paced, but as I said, this part of the story is mostly about deepening character bonds, discovery, and setting up the final confrontation with the Fire Nation.
I’m grateful that the second season of Avatar leans more into the characters than into elemental spectacle, even though there’s a good portion of that for fans who want to see the actors wield CGI water, fire, earth, and air. I often find the green-screen nature of Avatar to be distracting, but that’s the thorn in a Netflix production. One Piece managed to look different while favoring practical sets, but what can you do? Thankfully, the show’s spectacular costume and makeup design takes center stage over its CGI-ness. In fact, that’s one of the reasons I come to Avatar, for the atmosphere, luxurious wardrobe, and killer makeup effects: that Kyoshi warrior makeup, pure fire!
Overall, Avatar: The Last Airbender remains the best live-action version of Aang’s story, and it’s not even close. The show continues to wash away the stink of M. Night Shyamalan’s horrific adaptation. It celebrates the animated series with nuanced characters, an epic story, and genuine emotion that makes a fantasy world more relatable to our own than most real-world dramas.