New ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ season falls short of and surpasses original

While Avatar isn't based on an actual anime like One Piece is, the pair do draw on similar influences, and as such, face similar obstacles in their transition to live action. They're different enough to ensure this isn't outright war between them though, unlike the one brewing within Avatar's new season. 

Based on Book Two: Earth, aka season two of the original animated series, these new episodes bring Aang (Gordon Cormier) and his friends to the Earth Kingdom, where they seek the help of its ruler in their fight against the Fire Nation. Having mastered the elements of air and water, the Avatar must now train in the art of earthbending and then fire before he can defeat Fire Lord Ozai (Daniel Dae Kim) and save the world. 

Key to this is the introduction of a new character, Toph Beifong (Miyako), who the gang enlists on their way to Ba Sing Se. Aside from Aang's animal companions, Appa and Momo, this feisty Earthbender might just be Avatar's most beloved character, so the show really needed to get her right. And thankfully, it has.

Cast from 6,000 hopefuls, Miyako nails the way Toph uses sass as emotional armor, reflecting the actual walls she puts up around herself in battle. Just like in the original series, Miyako's Toph quite literally grounds the group with a big shift in energy upon joining. Her "neutral jing," as the show describes it, counters the calm passivity that otherwise characterizes the main cast. In doing so, Toph also brings some much-needed laughs along the way.

When Katara (Kiawentiio) suggests using positive reinforcement to help Aang learn Earthbending, Toph agrees before adding, "I'll bear that in mind if he ever does anything positive." In moments like this, it's as if the original Toph has stepped out of the cartoon and into live action, exuding all the same bite that made the original such a fan favorite.

With help from blindness consultant Joe Strechay, the team worked with Miyako (who isn't blind herself) on everything from Toph's movements to the jokes she makes about her disability. A new scene in which Toph discovers she can access mystical books using Braille even improves on the source material, which was already quite ahead of its time in its depiction of blindness.

It's in the addition and removal of various scenes from the original where this version of Avatar excels and falters at the same time. As was the case in season one, a number of side quests have been erased completely, except it's actually worse in season two because the producers were only given seven episodes instead of eight to work with. 

These fun, standalone adventures in the animated series were instrumental to deepening the characters and the lore around them, while also emphasizing how omnipresent the Fire Nation had become since war broke out. While there are still some goofy moments that capture the charm of the original—welcome back, Cabbage Merchant!—even newbies to the universe might feel as if something is missing when it comes to key moments of character development.

To be fair, it's impossible to fit in everything from the animated series, and adaptations must change out of necessity at points. Still, it doesn't help when the writers go out of their way to reference iconic scenes from the cartoon without actually showing them (as they do in episode six when Sokka suggests they distract some guards by pretending Momo is an Earthbender, for example).

This being said, such flexibility also comes with benefits too. Just as Aang must embrace the contradictions of all four opposing elements, there's harmony to be found in the way this adaptation actually improves on the original in certain aspects. 

Especially towards the end of the season, extra depth is added at critical moments, such as when Zuko (Dallas Liu) opens up to Katara in the Earth Kingdom's prison. The Fire Prince's journey has always been one of the most interesting in this franchise, arguably more so than his nemesis, so it's incredibly moving to see him reveal more of the impact his father's abuse has had on him growing up:

"Do you know how hard it is for a Firebender to get burned, really burned? He has to let down his basic instincts…It's like a water bender drowning. My father may have scarred me, but somewhere, deep down, I believed it deserved it."

Liu's heartbreaking performance is driven by extra information that was only hinted at in the more child-friendly cartoon, making this a high point, not just for season two, but for the franchise as a whole.

The game-changing crystal cave fight that caps off this chapter is improved on as well, not just in terms of the visual effects, which are indeed a step up from season one, but also in what it reveals about Aang at the end.

It's a shame then that Cormier still struggles in the lead, often coming across as too serious at the expense of Aang's goofy charm. The issue is more pronounced this time around at points when his version of the character almost comes off as unlikeable, which was never an issue in the original series. 

Kiawentiio's take on Katara doesn't flow quite as well either, although it's certainly improved in the gap between seasons. More consistent highlights include Ian Ousley who plays Sokka to himbo perfection, and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, who was born to play Uncle Iroh in the same way that Aang was born to be the Avatar.

It's a shame that Zuko's mentor gets less to do this season, another unfortunate consequence of the shortened episode run. Still, there's no need to get bent out of shape over it, especially if you're open to enjoying this version of the story on its own terms. 

With new elements of intrigue to be found within the walls of Ba Sing Se, not to mention improved fight scenes that better match the cartoon's fluidity, most fans will devour this season faster than Momo at a moon peach buffet. And if you don't end up agreeing with me? Remember: "There is no war in Ba Sing Se."