S01.E08: Legends

[The Crazed Spruce]

Quote

Zhao leads the Fire Nation into the North with a bold plan to weaken the Water Tribe. When the battle takes a dark turn, Aang enters a powerful state.

 

Edited February 22 by The Crazed Spruce

[Stardancer Supreme]

Poor Zuko. I'm glad that Zhao met the end he rightfully deserved. Time for Season 2!

[thuganomics85]

Glad I was wrong about Princess Yue being a potential turncoat.  Instead, that box with the similar sigil held a dagger that Zhao was going to use to kill the Moon God and just, you know, take out the entire moon.  Yeah, this man had a few screws loose to put it mildly.  I could go on, but I think Iroh's reaction to all of that pretty much said it all.

Definitely spared no expense with the battle, as we got plenty of fire, ice, wind, and water mayhem, and even racked up a bodycount that we really haven't seen since the premiere.  Not surprised that all the leads made it out in one piece, but I was still sad about Hahn and Yue, although at least the latter was due to a sacrifice, so something important came out of it.  Oh, and it looks like Zhao is done for, although I guess since we only saw the outline of his body, it might not be a sure thing.  We'll see, hopefully!  Either way, Ken Leung had a ball with this role.

Zuko vs. Katana: Round 2 was certainly more evenly matched.  I wonder if a Round 3 is in store for the future!

Did not have "Aang turning into a Water Godzilla/Kaiju" on my bingo card, but it certainly got the job done!

So, Ozai never really attended for Zuko to bring him The Avatar.  His sole purpose was to inspire Azula to be the true warrior he can mold into his own little killing machine.  That man certainly loves his games and misdirect, huh?

Took a city getting half destroyed for Pakku to come around on women being able to right, but better late than never, I guess! 

All in all, this was a pleasant surprise.  Definitely want to check out the animated series since I'm sure it is better, but I thought this was actually a really good standalone and succeeds on its own merit.  Loved the world-building, characters, and look of the show, and the cast was on all point.  From the newcomers playing the young heroes (plus Zuko and Azula), all the way to the vets like Daniel Dae Kim and especially Paul Sun-Hyung Lee making the most of their screen time and moments.  Even the recurring/supporting cast was stacked.  I hope this does well enough to warrant more seasons, because I thought this was highly enjoyable.

[AntFTW]

I liked Daniel Dae Kim as Ozai. I thought that was a good choice.

Although I expected the story to be condensed, I wasn't prepared for how much condensing there would be.

The series was good enough that I'd watch a second season.

[MissLucas]

Dang, they actually made me cry. That was great. Angzilla did not disappoint. I could have done without that last bit of dialogue about melons but I've seen plenty of folks complaining that there's not enough goofiness, so they should be pleased.

 

[overtherainbow]

Having finished the show - 

• This ATLA definitely felt more "mature". It felt like there was a lot more at stake. And the whole burning alive thing was pretty brutal. You don't realize the logical implications of firebending in the cartoon.  
• Yes, it was condensed. Pacing did feel a bit off in places. Seemed like there really needed to be another episode or two. What was missing: Aang actually learning waterbending and the teaching moments between Aang and Katara. The little moments of character development that made the characters in the cartoon so loveable, like the Sokka/Katara sibling banter. I guess it's easier when it's animated, harder to develop that chemistry with real actors.
• The exposition could've easily been cut down ~10% (scene with Gran Gran wasn't really necessary). Witty banter could've been upped ~10%. 
• Fantastic set design. The world perfectly replicated Avatar, from the city of Omashu to the icy fortress of the Northern Water Tribe. They even threw in our beloved cabbage merchant! Surprisingly didn't feel overly CGI'ed either. Overall, it looked and felt like ATLA. 
• Ken Leung blew it out of the water as Zhao! What phenomenal acting. Also really enjoyed Daniel Dae Kim as Ozai. Iroh and Zuko were good too. I liked how much more humanized this Zuko was. 
• Interesting choice to have Aang talk to all the previous Avatars at their shrines. The Kyoshi stuff in episode 2 was awesome. 
• Sokka had some good one-liners. I thought excluding his sexism from the OG show was a bit of a missed opportunity, because it was a major part of his character's development. That said, I liked the backstory about his failed ice dodging trip and Hakoda and Bato not thinking he was up to snuff as a warrior. It was a great way of revealing his insecurity and forecasting growth. 
• Katara didn't start off super strong, but she got better and better with every episode. Definitely felt like a flushed out Katara by the end of episode 8. 
• It thought they did a good balance of incorporating things from the OG show without making it into a 1:1 adaptation. 

I can definitely see it being pretty divisive among the fanbase, with people either loving it or hating it. I think the creators do have a genuine love for Avatar, and it showed. I think they'll hopefully take some of the constructive criticism to heart going into season 2 and it'll be a little tighter. There's a ton of potential here. It's far from perfect, but I liked it and look forward to the next installment. 

[Spartan Girl]

“What good is clinging to the past when it keeps us from having a future?” Words to live by.

Zhao was awful, but he was spitting facts at Zuko about how he was just his father’s pawn. And he was right that Ozai is too busy manipulating his kids to see the bigger picture…except the North attack was just a distraction while Azula captured Bhumi and took down Omashu for the Fire Nation. So clearly not that preoccupied with crappy parenting.

This episode was EPIC. Yuen’s sacrifice, Aangzilla, the cliffhanger ending of Azula capturing Omashu…*chef’s kiss*. People were griping that Aang still hasn’t learned to waterbend, but the Elementals possessing him to do it still count!

”So what’s next?” Hopefully Netflix announcing season two (and three)!

[Lugal]

This was a great finale for the series.  They changed a lot from the cartoon, but I think for the most part that it worked.  This show has not been afraid to show what war is and what it does.  The battle was spectacular and I'm sorry we lost Hahn and the acolyte waterbender.  But I'm glad they healed Momo!  And Koizilla was even more spectacular than the cartoon.  Yue's sacrifice was just as gutwrenching as it was in the original.  Interesting that as part of the moon spirit, she still had her waterbending.  And Sokka's face as his girlfriend turned into the moon.  That's rough buddy.

Zhao was even worse here, although he did drop some truth bombs on Zuko. Think about what side you're really on, Zuko!  Nice touch that Iroh blasts him into the water.  We didn't see Koizilla drag him off to the spirit void but I'm going to pretend that it happened.  And Ozai didn't really care!  I would think he would be concerned that Zhao wiped out much of the Fire Navy.  Maybe getting dragged into the spirit void was a better option for him than facing the Fire Lord.

And Ozai was playing things the whole time to take Omashu, or have Azula take Omashu.  She's definitely set up as the main villain for the future seasons.  Further thoughts on Omashu I'll put in spoiler tags.

Spoiler

In the original, Bumi surrendered Omashu without a fight to save lives.  And he would wait for the opportune moment to retake it without any loss of life.  I wonder if they'll keep that in the future or if they'll change it.  Not sure how I feel about that.  I get that unlike a kid's show, it may not ring true to have a war without any loss of life, but on the other hand, it was a key aspect of Bumi's character being a master and patient strategist.

And we saw Sozin's Comet is coming...

As for the series as a whole, I think it was a pretty good adaption, I think one or two more episodes would have been good to add a little extra would have been perfect.  Some of the combinations of elements of the original did not quite work (some of the spirit world stuff), but I did like little touches, like the crew of Zuko's ship being the 41 division which he stood up for at the council meeting.

I feel like Katara's arc was cut short, I think because a lot of her development in the cartoon was in one off episodes that were cut.  We saw her practicing waterbending a few times, but by the time she reaches the North, she was a master, it felt a little rushed.  And I'm sorry we didn't see Aang at least try to practice waterbending.

The changes to some of the backstories like Sokka and Bumi were a divergence, but like so much else, I really can't judge it until the story is done.  But I'm looking forward to seasons 2 and 3.  So hop to it, Netflix!

[Maelstrom]

This was a good episode and a solid finale. I would say overall it felt as though there was more focus on the action of the battle than on the big character moments, and I personally would have been fine with the fighting being trimmed down a but. Though I gotta say Koizilla looked a lot cooler than I thought, they did a fantastic job with the effects there.

Zuko didn't get quite as much screen time as in the original but I loved his goodbye scene with Iroh at the beginning, and his comment about Lu Ten being fortunate to have Iroh as a father (I forget his exact words) was a lovely touch too. Interesting that the original had Iroh explicitly tell Zuko he sees him as his own son since losing Lu Ten, but that was dropped here - I understand it though, since this version has made a point of showing Iroh's unspoken love for Zuko in many instances, so that we didn't need it spelled out. Also, didn't the original finale have Zuko's famous line that Azula was born lucky, but he himself was lucky to be born? Interesting that was left out. And of all the lines they did keep, it was Zuko calling Katara "You little peasant," lol. Zuko's people skills *are* legendary, after all.

And his final scene with Zhao, oh, ouch. Those are some hard truths, and to hear them from Zhao of all people. Poor Zuko. No wonder he's messed up. Ditch your abusive dad! Go with your loving uncle and maybe a few new friends instead.

Ken Leung did a brilliant job of playing a very unlikeable man. "I'm only gonna kill the moon!" Like, duh, don't be silly! Excellent actor, horrible character. Aang's standoff with Zhao was so well done, and I loved that Iroh heard his speech, and saw the sacrifice Aang made. I've enjoyed that this version has had them connect in more scenes. Iroh is, as always, a joy to watch.

The female water benders ready to fight was a powerful scene, even if Pakku did only let them do repairs. I appreciated Pakku's final scene with Katara, about forgetting that water was the element of change. Katara finally felt like the Katara from the original, but honestly I'm really surprised she's already a "master" when so little focus was given to her learning to waterbend. It's a bit of a disappointment,  since her journey to learn bending is a big part of her character development. Same with Aang, though I suppose I could hand wave that he's spent the season learning what it is to be an Avatar, rather than mastering the other elements. Still though. Bending's important! It's in the title!

Momo!! Thank goodness they healed him, I am not up for any of our adorable creatures being hurt. Yue's sacrifice and Han's rewritten-but-inevitable death were both just as tear-jerking as expected, and I thought Amber Midthunder did a wonderful job in her final scenes.

I loved the Spirit Grove! Just like the original, I want to live there. The map of the Northern Water Tribe the Fire Sage showed Zhao in flashback looked gorgeous and I'm sorry we didn't get a better shot of it to freeze frame. Glad Kuruk showed up again.

There's a big bad comet a-comin'! But Bumi's captured already? And the Fire Nation has airships already? Hmmm...

Thoughts on the season overall to come.

[Maelstrom]

Overall thoughts: I feel this remake was a really good adaptation of the original animated series. There were a few missteps and decisions I don't really agree with/fully get why they were made, but there were enough things I loved for the positive to far outweigh the negative.

The Good:

• Casting for most of the main characters. Dallas Liu, Gordon Cormier, and Ian Ousley were all so perfectly cast it's like the animated characters were brought to life as flesh and blood people. All three so perfectly and believably embodied their characters and I loved watching them. Gordon especially impressed me, since he was so young when this was filmed and he so perfectly captured all of the facets of Aang's character. He had a lot of big moments to play out, and he blew me away in every one. And a big kudos to Dallas - Zuko is such a complex character who's just as important to what makes AtLA what it is as Aang, and I wasn't sure if anyone could do what Dante Basco did with just his voice. But Dallas really stepped up and delivered every episode.
• I wasn't sure about Paul SunHyung Lee as Iroh initially just because his voice and general vibe seemed so different from Mako, and it was hard for me to imagine anyone embodying Iroh like him. But holy crap I take it back, because Paul was absolutely freaking fantastic and a total scene stealer. He made me tear up so many times, and I love him for it. If only we all had an Uncle Iroh!
• The adult cast of supporting actors in general was wonderful and all perfectly cast, and Daniel Dae Kim turned in a chilling performance as psychopath Ozai (not that any of us doubted he would).
• The obvious love for and knowledge of the original showed through in so many details big and small, and it just made me so happy to see those little moments and hear those lines taken directly.
• The fleshing out of Zuko, his twisted dynamic with his father and his loving, supportive dynamic with Iroh was one of the things I was most hoping we'd see, and this didn't disappoint. I also really, really loved the extended interactions between Aang and Zuko, and all I'll say on that is that I really really need to see seasons 2 and 3 happen. Please, Netflix. Dallas and Gordon just captured those scenes so beautifully.
• And I really loved seeing more of Iroh's backstory especially with Lu Ten and how that loss changed the course of Iroh's life. I've always felt that Lu Ten's death was a turning point in the lives of the entire royal family, because so much change resulted from it (Perhaps in the future we could have flashbacks with Lu Ten? Please?)
• Visuals were stunning and so realistic looking
• BlueSpiritBlueSpiritBlueSpiritBlueSpirit holy crap just as awesome as I could've hoped and so much was taken shot for shot and I loved it so much!

The Less Good:

• Episode 5 in the spirit world was largely a misstep IMO. The general tone was somewhat incongruous with the rest of the show, and personally I feel it introduced a lot of story elements that just frankly didn't need to be there. And in turn things that should have been given focus (such as Heibai's storyline) were lost in the shuffle.
• The lack of adventure of the week/road trip vibes - I fully understand why they changed that, because 7 1/2 hrs of live action in the streaming age of the 2020s is a totally different creature than 10ish hrs of animation on a kids cable network in the 2000s. But diminishing that aspect also diminished lots of little opportunities to develop Aang, Katara and Sokka's personalities and also show their growing bond. It's a hard line to toe, and while I think this version did the best they could with the time/budget they were given, I do wish we could have gotten more fun adventures.

The Hmmmm

• Bumi. I'm still torn about this since we know there's still more story to come, and so I know it's too soon to judge. But I can't help but feel that the changes made to Bumi's character were a disservice. Here has come across IMO as mean, unbalanced, largely toothless character instead of the weird but hugely powerful ally he was in the original. Totally agree with Lugal's (potentially spoilery) thoughts about Omashu. Time will tell where they take Bumi from here, but... hm. Though I have to give Utkarsh credit for his performance, I love him on Ghosts and I thought he did a good job with what he was given.
• The focus on the devastation of war, and its effects on the world of Avatar was a realistic and mostly well-written aspect of this version that I largely appreciated. However, by season's end I did feel like that aspect was emphasized at the expense of others, and a little more balance (Avatar pun!) wouldn't go amiss in future seasons.
• Katara was the weakest of the main characters, sad to say, and she was my favorite in the original. I do think part of it was Kiawentiio not being perhaps as strong of an actor as Gordon, Ian or Dallas. Part of it though, is the character just didn't get enough focus to get a strong sense of her. Disappointing, though hoping that this will change in future seasons.

Really hoping for a renewal, because I want more! Bring on seasons 2 and 3 Netflix!

Edited March 2 by Maelstrom
typo bending! it's a thing

[tennisgurl]

That season certainly ended with a band! Or, I guess, an Aang...zilla! 

That was a pretty awesome finale, they really nailed the epic nature of the fight. We have fire! We have ice! We have lessons being learned about gender equality and not messing with the primal forces! We have TONS of explosions, they were really showing that big budget off. The spirit grotto was beautiful, it looked even better than in the cartoon, no matter what you think of the show I don't think anyone can deny that it looks amazing. I also really liked Aang being more connected with the past Avatars, I hope we can keep that going.

Yue's sacrifice was even sadder here than in the original, the actors really sold the hell out of it. Poor Sokka was literally forced to watch his new girlfriends become the moon, even if it was for the greater good. That's rough buddy. I was also sad to see Hahn, who I really liked in this version, die, as well as Katara's cute little intern. They're really all about showing the cost of war in this one, even after a victory for the good guys its with a heavy cost. 

Katara finally got to actually do something, but it feels a bit hallow considering how little development she has gotten, as a Waterbender and as a character. One of my biggest complaints about the season overall is that Katara really got shafted, I get that they could only adapt so much of a whole twenty some episodes of a cartoon to an eight hour live action show, but its unfortunate that most of Katara's episodes were the ones that got skipped over. It also meant that we hardly saw any of her teaching Aang how to Waterbend, so now not only does she not get as skilled as she should be, but Aang seems to hardly have any Waterbending skills, which is an issue when that was one of the main purposes of the season! Now the poor kid has to learn Waterbending AND Earthbending at once!

I loved Ken Leung as Zhao, he was such a weaselly little shithead. I was praying that Iroh would just push him right off that airship, but that's not really how Iroh is, although even he was probably temped. I love how he bragged about how they stole their airship designs from Omashu like that was something to be proud of, he's such a sad pathetic shitty little man. No, don't blame about anything you've actually accomplished, brag about how you stole your stuff from smarter people! He's just the perfect example of someone who gets a little taste of power and then it completely goes to their head, he was willing to destroy the whole world just because he wanted to "win" and get to be the biggest big deal. 

That all being said, he wasn't wrong about anything he told Zuko, his father is an utter scumbag and he was never supposed to come home after this "mission". I felt awful for him having to hear that but its what he needed to hear. Zuko and Iroh didn't get a whole lot to do here but I really liked everything they did get, and I am excited for what comes next. I hope that we get confirmation next season that Lieutenant Jee and the crew survived, its not looking good but its certainly possible. I came too really like him and their changing dynamic with Zuko, its one of the changes from the source material that I liked the most. 

Overall I enjoyed this season quite a lot, both as an adaptation and as its own thing, even with its flaws. The pacing was a big issue, one that I am having with a lot of streaming shows lately, they have less than ten episodes to tell a complex story that is clearly made for a longer season so the pacing feels rushed and a lot of characters feel like they hardly have a chance to really shine, let alone develop. I get that they couldn't do all of the village of the week episodes we had in the original, but I wish we had just a few more at least so we could really get to know the characters and build their relationships. Also, while I appreciate that they wanted to show the seriousness of the war and how its affected the world, I don't think they needed to make the show so grim. The original certainly had a lot of seriousness and tragedy, but it also had tons of fun and silliness, which is what made the show so good, we could go from Aang sledding on penguin critters to learning about Zuko's tragic past of parental abuse, and it all fit perfectly, this just seemed to lean way too heavily into the harshness. 

Despite my criticisms though, I had a great time watching this. The acting was great from everyone, both the young cast and the veterans, the visuals were amazing and led to so much interesting world building, and I do like a lot of the changes that they made. I am glad that they have already been renewed for more season, I'm looking forward to what comes next! 

[PurpleTentacle]

I was very sceptical after the first episode, that was veeeeery exposition heavy and employed a lot of "tell, don't show". But this show found its groove pretty quickly and is a damn good adaptation. I still prefer the original, for multiple reasons, but this is not bad. In a few places they even made changes for the better.

The changes I liked this episode were that the ocean and moon spirit only become physical beings for one night a year. Them swimming around each other in that pond 24/7/365 seems weird.

What I didn't like was the Kaijū at the end being Aang fusing with the ocean spirit in a sort of revenge quest. I think it's more interesting if it's just him in the avatar state. I don't know, the show seems a bit confused here. They seem to want to tell us that Aang can't go into the avatar state at all, till he has mastered all the elements, unless controlled by a previous avatar, but then they had him go into the avatar state in episode two, at the southern air temple. Do I smell rewrites?

Also overall I think it was more interesting keeping Ozai and Azula mysterious for the first season. I guess the makers of this show thought most people would have seen the original show anyway and so it wouldn't work quite as well to keep them in the shadows for so long, but it is a bit sad for newcomers.

Still, looking foreward to season two.

[MissLucas]

On 3/19/2024 at 6:15 PM, PurpleTentacle said:

What I didn't like was the Kaijū at the end being Aang fusing with the ocean spirit in a sort of revenge quest. I think it's more interesting if it's just him in the avatar state.

I've read somewhere that it was done that way to deal with the issue of Aang claiming that he had never killed anyone - which some considered a plot hole in the cartoon.

But not sure that theory holds. We'll have to see if live action Aang even claims such a thing - and if he does I'll have to go back to the Blue Spirit episode and check if he cushioned the fall of all those Fire nation soldiers he sent over the parapets.

[Trini]

Pretty action-heavy episode; so I wish we had gotten more build up in the previous episode with Katara supposedly being a master and the recruitment of the women waterbenders -- which was a cool moment, despite being a major departure from the original.

And I guess the opening action scene was good; for showing the Gaang working together (which has been kinda lacking this whole time). Because otherwise, again, I feel like Sokka didn't get much to do. But I did like his scenes with Yue.

Iroh and Zuko continue to be perfect, although I wish Zuko had more time with Aang, and maybe more to do. But this finale was kinda packed.

Wow, Zhao really thought he had chance at being Fire Lord?? LOL -- I wish he had gotten his ending from the cartoon.

Aangzilla was both cool and devestating. Wish we had had more time/interactions with him and the North Water tribe. It sucks that they didn't have him learn (or even attempt!) waterbending this season, since I'm pretty sure that next season it'll most likely get glossed over since he has to learn earthbending as well.

The last scene of Aang, Katara, and Sokka is what we should have had more of this whole time!

I get why they wanted to bring in Azula earlier (than the original), I think her working behind the scenes makes sense in this version; and it has worked so far. But I don't know about them having her already conquered Omashu offscreen. (Although the actress was really working that military look!) I feel like that's something we needed to see her do. Although I'm sure we'll be seeing more of Azula's scheming in the next seasons.

More thoughts on the season overall later....

Edited May 13 by Trini