Avatar - The Last Airbender (2024) Is One Of The Shows Of All Time

"Please let me die!" - The desiccated corpse of the Avatar franchise
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00:00 - Introduction
06:50 - Episode 1
19:41 - Episode 2
26:17 - Understanding The Assignment
29:27 - Episode 3
36:14 - Episode 4
44:38 - Episode 5
50:15 - Episode 6
59:40 - Episode 7
1:02:54 - Episode 8
1:07:23 - The Part Where I Get Annoying
1:21:07 - Credits
#avatar #avatarthelastairbender #thelastairbender

[@echofairy3162]

Fun fact! You can actually still watch the original show! It's still good, you don't need more. Please, stop making more bad Avatar, please god it's already dead

[@Kritical16]

Avatar is in not dead, while the original show will never be renewed the Fandom will never die

[@raze2012_]

Nick: "no, I don't think I will" Also Nick: "hmm, this is costing money. Better cancel it"

[@millfilm1]

Saying Avatar is dead is like saying Star Wars is dead.

[@dianehallmeyer8901]

"do you have a plan?" "The plan is to take back what's rightfully mine!" "So no plan?" "... I'm working on it uncle 😢" Okay that is GENUINELY funny. I love it so much.

[@GREATGAIWAIN]

Was it worth this show existing?

[@dianehallmeyer8901]

@@GREATGAIWAIN I mean... yeah. Tbh I was expecting the show to be worse than what Lily described. I might actually watch it now.

[@Gaming2DMX]

@@dianehallmeyer8901yeah same. And it’s definitely better than the movie they made so that’s already good

[@GREATGAIWAIN]

@@Gaming2DMX Wow. Better than one of the most movies of the 2000's is enough? That is kind of sad.

[@Gaming2DMX]

@@GREATGAIWAIN ain’t no way your defending the live action last airbender movie.

[@Rylocand]

Honestly the actors in interviews had more of the animated show's chemistry than in the Netflix show.

[@ShangoTheGod]

That’s cause they had about 4-5 years together as opposed to the 1-2 when they where filming

[@Rylocand]

@@ShangoTheGod yeah that's probably a big reason for it, the acting was getting better the further the plot continued

[@skatykw]

Holy cow the Zuko thing is way worse than I've heard anyone talk about. That's super important

[@Olivia-mm3vf]

What's sad to me is, that while Zuko and Iroh have a lot more scenes together this time, giving them a lot more chemistry, team Avatar at the same time had SO MANY character moments taken away, that they really don't feel like friends at all. The scenes they had in the cartoon were often disconnected from the war arc wich is why the writers ignored them here because "hurr durr filler is baaaad" but these scenes were important for the actual characterization of the MAIN FUCKING TRIO.

[@Lily_Orchard]

Honestly, it's not "filler is bad" that this shit got cut. It was Netflix cutting costs. Episode counts going down because of "filler" is just a lie the studios peddle to hide that they're cutting costs so more money goes into the CEO's pocket instead of the worker's.

[@Olivia-mm3vf]

@@Lily_Orchard okay yea, fair point. Still means that at the end of the day, Aang/Katara/Sokka feel a lot less deep/interesting in this version :(

[@Lily_Orchard]

They always will so long as they continue pushing for serialization. Avatar was 90% Monster of the Week, and so long as that format continues to be sneered at, Avatar will never happen again.

[@Oscar_Lasco]

Thanks for your hard work... and for crediting Oats Jenkins for this masterpiece! (0:31)😂 About Azula being depicted as too one-dimentional evil, I was thinking about the Beach episode where she says something like "my mother thought I was a monster. (gleefully) She was right of course but it still hurts". Some would intepret it as proof that she's indeed rotten to the core. Like Iroh's "she needs to go down" quote. I can't be sure but I think this quote is more revealing about Ozai's gaslighting than Azula's evilness. Even when Azula's mother is shocked by Azula's behaviour, "what is wrong with this child?" sounds more like concern than disgust. Even in the final episode when Azula is hallucinating about her mother "tormenting" her, the worst thing the hallucination says is "you had such beautiful hair". I'd like to think Ozai was the one who convinced Azula her mother truly hated her to have her seek his approval and keep her under his thumb. Telling her that people who don't worship her and her father must be terrorized into submission. That if you don't become a monster you're a loser and nothing is more despicable than being weak. This reflexion is based on my almost 10 year-old memories of the show so I might have forgotten some elements. Anyway, thanks for listening to my Ted-talk.

[@cass7448]

I never really read "she needs to go down" as Iroh thinking Azula was irredeemable - to me it was more pragmatism than anything else; they just didn't have the means or the time to reach out to her properly, but she was still an immediate threat which needed to be removed.

[@TubeTAG]

"Genocide *Aangst*." That's horrible. I love it.

[@catboymothman2495]

The end, where you talk about how a lot of people want big action set pieces for the sake of big action set pieces, reminds me of something HBomberGuy said in his video on RWBY. If he wanted to watch big fight scenes with good choreography, he'd just watch Monty Oum's stand alone fight videos on youtube. I wonder if media would get better if more audiences became willing to admit they just want to look up those scenes on youtube to rewatch

[@mosesmm5473]

Thinking back, I would say that Azula Vs Zuko is an Epic Tragedy as the action, music, sound design animation is top tier, but then you're shown you before, during and after the fight what it is, a shattered sibling relationship between two deeply abused and hurt people. And when Zuko and Katara win, they'll not celebrating, they not smiling. They're just....there, watching Azula break down because everything their father taught her was crumbling around her. Her bastard of a father made her think her mother hated and feared her when she hated and feared him and she's still dealing with that mental block. Taught her the wrong lessons about siblings, which ruined her relationship with her brother. Taught her fear was better then love, which she used in her friendships with Mai and Ty Lee as she threatened Ty Lee to join her in the first place. Honestly, it's why I like fanfics that explore her and go 'what if she got time to develop, show off that humanity which we know she still has'

[@NerdyGamerReacts]

Well said, love this pov, so true. 💯

[@kalebthecreator0613]

I like how she added the "I'm completely calm!" to end the Katara montage on a wholesome note.

[@bleakautomaton4808]

Katara being "motherly" wasn't understood well. You could see her as "roaring angry bear mom" and not even that was all she was.

[@bethanymcmurtrey9542]

I agree with Friendly Space Ninja. The cinematography and costumes are pretty, the actors are well cast and mostly good, and the fight choreography was very well done. The whole show, however, is overall mediocre and doesn't justify its existence.

[@Urmomsaredpanda]

😂😂

[@AviciPerry]

5:35 "Avatar fans are like Potterheads in a way the emotional investment in the franchise has nothing to do with its actual quality" Honestly what a line i feel like I've been slapped into a different dimension (in a positive way)

[@paloma4444]

It is a silly line

[@InternetNonsense]

The originals are timeless classics for a reason, they're satisfactory stories with very few hiccups that would throw you off a little. The worldbuilding and characters are great because they're only mildly tropey (not full on cliche), their actions affect the story, you could meet people like that, while the world is something that makes you imagine being in it and that's engaging. The franchise has later become abused as a mindless passionless money grab, but it got popular beyond belief because it had quality and that IT factor in the beginning works.

[@raze2012_]

​@@paloma4444 yup, even if it was just "it was quality for its time, for its demographic", there is SOME reason for the emotional investment. But yeah, most things don't age well when you're viewing it in the same critical lens as Citizen Kane. ATLA had its far share of mistakes but nothing a 7 year old would catch. Korra had it's issue but not as much a 15yo would catch. It did amazingly for it's demographic's competition, but it's not like anyone's giving these shows an Oscar. I guess I'm part of the problem but my reasoning is simple. I loved the animation, I loved the bending system and its blending of magic and martial arts, I like the clashing of the philosophies, even if the philosophies explained in show aren't ironclad. ATLA did that great, Korra did is mostly good, the comics appeals are "fine" but limited due to its medium. I'd love more of it but nothing in the west has really tried. Maybe I'll check out the dragon prince one day, but I wasn't a huge fan of the animation I saw in trailers/clips.

[@beeziebubs2756]

Not to go off on a completely separate tangent, but this reminds me of the time someone had asked Mac Walters during an N7 day interview how he was able to come up with such an expansive lore for the world of Mass Effect, and his response was, “I wrote the characters first, then wrote the world around those characters.” And it frustrates me just how easy writing a decent story is while every person who grew up with these stories went on to get it completely backwards. It harkens back to the new Avatar series how the story and lore were written first and the characters second *despite* the fact that more than half the work had already been done for them.

[@raze2012_]

Hmm, it's kind of mixed. Focusing on characters first is how you get an *engaging* story, but engaging doesn't necessarily mean a good one. Entertaining, yes. Mass effect is what you get out of this mantra, but you can also get Kingdom Hearts. Whose world building is more loosely based of of "what do we want Sora to do?" rather than what makes sense with the established mechanics. So YMMV

[@CrazyRabbit525]

From the whole video the one thing that still got me laughing the most was "FIFTY TWO D!&* PUNCHES!!!"🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@edalynclawthorne5877]

You know, another really good detail around making Zuko’s ship the 41st (kinda, forestory not withstanding), is that it’s persistent defiance, not a single act of it. In the original it was a single act of disobedience that sparked this consequence cascade, simply telling off the generals in Ozai’s war room. Presumably the 41st still got sent and killed. In the remake, it’s not just a single act. It’s a chain of them, all fuelled by Zuko’s honour. He chose to speak out against the generals, he chose to not fight and then to hold back against Ozai in their Agni Kai. And he would’ve been allowed to stay even then, if he hadn’t kept fighting. Even after being shamed in front of the entire fire nation, and even after being mutilated by his own father, and expressly shown that he was hanging by a thread, he still pushed back against Ozai’s bullshit. It was that consistent defiance that secured the 41st’s lives, yet doomed his own. And it’s why I like it enough to ignore the guilt caveat; because after being given multiple chances to back out, Zuko didn’t. It is a shame the forestory doesn’t really follow through much on this, but I do like that detail.

[@cencent2189]

​@shuyuka5651 Wait, I missed that. Where do they say it in the show? I'd like to rewatch that :)

[@cencent2189]

​@@shuyuka5651I missed it when watching avatar 😮 Where do they say it in the show? I wanna watch that part :)

[@sarahel8596]

I also think it could explain why zuko would be so much more nasty to his subordinates than in the original. He sees their actions as disrespectful after everything he did to save them and likely harbors some resentment.

[@ghostlyshame6065]

28:24 this is unironically the best summary of ATLA core themes. People underestimate the importance of themes, it gives stories narrative weight. Its like the glue. Characters are expression of themes too

[@eanna3781]

1:10:50 "Like playing DnD when your Dm has DID" I had to take a moment to appreciate that Wordplay

[@fairlyoddenginecreations]

Thank you for talking about the Agni Kai finale and how much fandom has misconstrued the purpose of it. Quite the contrary, the SOUNDTRACK ALONE tells me this is not a battle I should be happy for. This isn't a good guy trying to take down a villain. This is a depressing aftermath of two siblings having lost all restraint and feel the need to eradicate each other's existence. Gripping stuff.

[@WafflesX3XD]

it is such A Show. i got halfway through and.. i’d describe it as “a show characters would be watching within a different show”. it’s flashy but not the kind of thing you can give too much attention without noticing the cracks in the foundation .

[@reidwithoutacause]

“Either that or you’re a avatar fan boy and you’re the problem” Hey that’s me!

[@raze2012_]

I guess kinda me too. I don't enjoy all parts of the extended universe, but I enjoyed 90% of Korra and maybe 50% of the comics lol. I'll get around to reading the Kiyoshi novels one day. Ive seen WAY worse seasonal rot, so if Korra mecha nukes is the worst so far, we aren't as bad off as other Fandom lol. Just try to stomach any of Fairly Odd Parents after Season 7 (though you can argue the rot started Season 5)

[@XainRussell]

Damn. Seeing that list of Ws honestly pisses me off more than the Ls. I expected the show runners of this adaptation to miss the mark on the characters and allow fandom culture to corrupt Zuko and Katarra, but I wasn’t expecting so many legitimately good ideas to slip through all the rot. It just makes it more obvious that they shouldn’t have remade The Last Airbender, they should have made a new show and applied all these lessons to something original. Something that didn’t have fandom brain rot interpretations to spoil the characters. But as you said at the end Lily, people can’t let this story be done.

[@cass7448]

I couldn't make it past the third episode, not because it was bad, but because it was so *frustrating*. The writers clearly were capable of doing great things with the show, but for every scene that I loved, there was a scene which immediately brought me down from that high.

[@raze2012_]

Original IP'S don't get their views though. That's all that matters to Netflix. That's why all of media these days are more concerned with remaking 20-30 years ago, rather than trying to improve upon 20-30 years ago with a new IP. Nostalgia is powerful.

[@dekufiremage7808]

​@raze2012_ Sure but you can still tell a new story within the Avatar IP without doing a tired remake or adaptation

[@yourmourningstar]

Fandom plays such a massive role in how much people enjoy media these days that some will unironically say that they enjoy being in the fandom more than consuming the actual show. People will judge a piece of content based on the fandom, or people will refuse to watch it because of the fans. And I think that’s why so many want to drag out avatar for decades after the fact. The show was good, it will always be there, and because it’s over it will stay good. But people are scared of the fandom dying. So they want new content that’s just a mistranslation of old content, instead of just finding something else they enjoy.

[@Lily_Orchard]

Reminds me of my days covering MLP, seeing people celebrate the fandom to an almost cultish degree.

[@raze2012_]

Interesting. It's not my place to judge, but I do feel there is a core societal issue if people feel more a desire to connect with what people are taking about, over forming their own tastes and then seeking others who share their likes. Most Fandom where the latter but it does feel the former happens more as of late.

[@SecondFloor2311]

@@raze2012_ Yeah, I think I could be pondering this topic for a while, but from the top of my hat I'd say that in this time there is a great lack of 'sense of belonging', and we just happen to be seeking that belonging in ways like this. We want to be our authentic selves but are still in the phase of desperately wanting to be validated in that, not quite there. One good thing about may be the clear desire to connect with people and share in experiences and perspectives but... for better and for worse. It's a journey I guess.

[@scarletletter4900]

*quietly Googles July 20th Plot* Oh... Ohhh... OHHHH!!!

[@lizzienora678]

Admiral Zhou is the best character in both live action adaptations becuase cartoonishly evil villian was the closet thing to the cartoon.

[@cass7448]

I absolutely love how *slimy* Zhao is in the Netflix version. Everything he does and says is just so disgustingly self-serving.

[@thatguygold]

"From the river to the sea, giant robot laser beams." Not the most accurate comparison, but fuck it that line was beautiful.

[@maximmorshin7446]

it is accurate...

[@manuba_]

Kuvira was fighting to reclaim stolen land so yeah.. the writers really didn't know what direction they wanted to take her

[@cass7448]

@@manuba_ I don't care whether the land was stolen or not - she was just as much of an imperialist as the Fire Nation was. Kuvira didn't care about people, she cared about arbitrary lines on a map.

[@manuba_]

@@cass7448 there's a big difference between killing indigenous people to claim their land and BEING part of the indigenous people whose land was stolen and fighting to reclaim it. yeah she was terrible person and was a fascist, however her point about reclaiming republic city is perfectly valid. the problem is the writers couldn't understand that so they just made her pure evil, probably not realizing they were portraying indigenous people and the landback movement as villains for wanting their homeland back after the colonizers came in, committed several crimes and then never left the point is not "Kuvira is good, actually" it's "the writers are so ignorant about politics they decided to merge a totalitarian fascist with an indigenous activist to make their villain" hope that clarified it

[@aiiscool6118]

Is it okay if said " indiginous" people claimed the land after a previous group got it taken from them ans decided to then reclaim it?

[@kaykay8855]

Potter-heads need to read a new book Avatar fans need to watch a new show.

[@DillionPresident-vw7yu]

Ninjago

[@kaykay8855]

@@DillionPresident-vw7yu love that show

[@_amberine_]

​@@DillionPresident-vw7yu ninjagos fine how it is

[@DillionPresident-vw7yu]

@@kaykay8855 Oni Trilogy is the best saga

[@DillionPresident-vw7yu]

@@_amberine_ I know but Crystalized just sucked.

[@YaBoiiMarz]

1:15:15 I discuss this with my friends all the time. They want me to watch all these different shows with all these different great looking or awesome action scenes. I always tell them that showing me those doesn't interest me, I can respect a good action scene but without good character writing and the quite moments that come with it fight scenes become just noise. I always get this look like im the crazy one. I mean a fight scene can be very good from a visual standpoint and I can respect it in that aspect, however without good and involved character writing and stakes fight scenes become hollow and boring and I get disinterested.

[@ShowerWithSocks]

Those things always remaind me of that meme of the farmer milking a "dry" cow saying "good morning sunshine". The cow being "fight cenes"

[@iliveontheinternet1009]

This is becoming the biggest problem with anime and why I've pretty much checked out of action ones

[@ShadowRoadX]

Just imagine how many more great stories we might have if the fans who say they loved the series so much actually took the things that made them good and used them as a basis for entirely new stories, instead of chasing an impossible benchmark to recreate the original. Maybe once people finally get fed up of all the remakes, they'll take a crack at it.

[@Thenewtoon23]

It's time to get in the f****** death robot is one of my favourite lines Lily you never fail to make me laugh

[@paticornio9592]

19:06 Genocide Aangst😭😭

[@leviHeichou]

1:15:00 Funny. The first word that was coming to my mind when you asked about the Last Agni Kai was just "sad". And you are so right about the music. It came to my mind immediately and only proved the point more. I think the show does a very good job to make the scene heartbreaking. I don't understanding how people can miss that. The music doesn't give you an "cool, awesome end battle" vibe but a "why are we fighting? Please just stop" kind of vibe. And I think so many people don't get Azula because 1. the show only has her breaking down at the end and 2. she is a villain throughout the show and especially horrible to Zuko so people tend to overlook that she was just abused in another way. Meanwhile Zuko wasn't really a villain but an antagonist and even stopped being that by season 2. You are right that the show it to blame for not giving her character the time to show what was clearly intended but that doesn't excuse fans overlooking what is actually there.

[@turquoisepebbles8572]

I agree about siblings, I am constantly searching for shows, movies, books, comics, ANYTHING with healthy sibling relationships! But 98-99% of the time, they’re terrible and it stinks ! I would definitely watch that show Lily is describing about a shy avatar and their protective sister! I love that a healthy sister relationship is the focus and not romance! I love that the stakes are smaller and it’s more about characters! Please make that story available. I’d buy a copy for all my friends with siblings and all my friends who like ATLA.

[@Tabby112]

I’m only 13 mins into the video but I did wanna say this: As someone who grew up on ATLA and have rewatched it many times I was always hesitant about this live action. I’m a firm believer in that ur show should b able to stand on its on if it’s any good. When I first watched the live action, in the beginning, I felt like it was decent but was still highly annoyed. The problem with live actions like this one is that they could never be good or decent on their own. So many scenes left me feeling hollow. Though the scenes that did actually affect me I had to ask myself: “do I care because the live-action makes me care or because the OG did?” Watching Uncle Iroh at his son’s funeral with Zuko made me want to cry. It was a beautiful scene but I had zero connection to THIS version of Iroh. This thought kept hitting me throughout the viewing until I got to the momo sacrifice scene. That’s when it hit me…. I don’t care for momo. I don’t care for Appa. I don’t care for any of these characters. Then I started to dread them attempting the missing Appa arc. The live action moves as if you are already suppose to love these characters while also trying to treat you as if you know nothing. It pieces together parts of the journey like a check list while leaving out all the meaning, care, themes, and emotion. I hate that they spent all this time working on it just to come back with this. It’s well casted but some things just aren’t meant to be a live action. I’d have preferred it if they just made their own avatar, there’s so many of them, and told their own unique story. That’s the beauty of ATLA. Since the lore is so expansive they could’ve gone to one prior to Aang and told their own story. Only reason I say prior is cuz I hate the industrialization of LoK and prefer the Asian aesthetic n rich culture that’s explored. OR make it about a non-avatar character. I want to see a depiction of the Air nomads before Aang. How the world was like before. What conflicts did past Avatars deal with? Let me stop my ramblings there. 😅 As you can see I really love the world of ATLA.

[@Tabby112]

I also love your videos! Keep up the good work!✨

[@Tabby112]

Coming back after watching the whole thing. First: I LOVE YOUR AVATAR STORY! It gives loving slice of life. I also have a strong gripe with the rest of the ATLA fandom and how they see Azula as a villain. I saw a voting one time where people put Azula as a more evil villain than her FATHER and that honestly pissed me off. It’s only of the few true issues I have with ATLA and what makes certain characters harder for me to love… namely Iroh and their mother. I always saw Azula as a sadder case than Zuko. Mainly for the reason that he actually had people in his corner to nurture his best qualities. His mother was always loving to him. His uncle who stood by his side in the worst of times. Though who did Azula have? If she wasn’t willing to break her back being the perfect child her father wanted she didn’t get any affection. Her mother, while being loving to Zuko, would say things like “what is wrong with that girl?”. Her uncle, who loves Zuko, gives her a doll as a gift because she’s a girl and must love dolls. He shows no attempt to even get to know his niece. One of the craziest parts to me is how Uncle Iroh explains to Aang that two brothers fighting each other for the throne would just be more senseless choas and not lead to peace….. then two seconds later encourages Zuko to fight his sister for the throne because she’s a crazy bitch. Iroh you actively abandoned your niece from birth and now you’re encouraging violence on her??? While we don’t get too many looks into how Azula really feels until the end her seen in the Beach episode really got to me. It was small but so impactful. Her looking into the flames n thinking how her own mother saw her as a monster. Are we surprised that she became one? She’s 15! From the moment she came out the womb she had no one but her manipulative psychotic father. Her mother saw her as a monster and her uncle never thought of her. So I say again: Zuko and Azula were abused kids. What saddens me further is that her abuser was also her mother, her uncle, the writers, and fandom.

[@MysticDiamonds5566]

54:20 and to think I heard that dude was given a pat on the back by social services because even some people in government have these lapses in judgement on blatant child abuse. and yeah years ago I may have gotten some schadenfreude but that was 12 years ago. I had actually forgotten about this and it hasn't aged well. You look at the video now and you still got people praising the dude because what most people care about was how much of a spoiled brat the daughter is.

[@lanceshadow5582]

So for a long time I never understood why you kept saying zuko was never a villain with a redemption but with this in depth explanation I finally get it.

[@Darkmint6]

Honestly, only good thing to come out of Avatar post the original show is the Kyoshi novels. And guess what? Its adventure fantasy involving running around the Earth Kingdom with her friends and girlfriend to take down a capitalist monster who abuses children, then an ex friend who is trying to kill kyoshi's girlfriend's mother. The Yangchen novels are a political drama, and is a mess. Its almost like Avatar isn't built for political drama (LoK, comics, Yangchen novels) and is better when it's sillier (AtLA, Kyoshi novels, Korra game). But hey, pattern recognition is clearly not in the writing rooms.

[@paylongwell5308]

Oh boy, I've never left a comment like this but here goes. Avatar came out when I was only 2 so it was already over and on Netflix when my older sibling found it. I liked it it was fun and watching it was one of 2 things my older sibling and I could do together without fighting. I rewatched it a bunch of times because I suffered from hyperfixation. Eventually, my brain moved on, and I never gave the show a second thought unless my grandmother asked about it. I think she enjoyed it more than my sibling and I. Watched the movie with my sibling when it came out we both hated it. I watched Korra and didn't really like it but I watched it because I didn't have access to what I actually wanted to watch but due to my health issues there wasn't a lot for me to do so it was better than nothing. When that ended I never thought about it again. Until I got involved with fandom at 13 because if you're in fandom you'll inevitably find something about Avatar even if it has nothing to do with the fandom you're in. All I remember thinking whenever I saw something about it was "if you want more of the show so badly then pirate it or buy a DVD and rewatch it!" I think I'm going to end it here I was gonna say more but this is super long and the rest of it doesn't have anything to do with Avatar.

[@pkmnherofan22]

Frontloading this comment to just say I was not a fan of the joke about "Playing DnD with a DM who has DID" I'm friends with multiple systems and they're all lovely people and would probably run a fine DnD game cause DID doesn't work like it does in the TV Shows and Movies. Kinda left a bad taste in my mouth I watched these all on patreon and I noticed the joke about Azula's characterization was changed from the patreon version and I'm just imagining you occasionally changing this upload to have one of the 10 other takes you did of it in that jokes place and that amuses me. Speaking on Azula I definitely was guilty of parroting that Iroh line about her too but as I'm coming to terms with my own scapegoat/Golden Child dynamic with my family I'm realizing how messed up it is to treat a teenager brainwashed by her genocidal father with the same contempt AS her genocidal father. It reminds me a lot about how in Helluva Boss in order to make the fact that Stolas cheated on his wife less gross they retconned her in the second season to be a shrill vindictive bitch who has always hated and abused him, having Stolas constantly say it didnt count as cheating cause they never loved each other. When confronted with a situation that requires care and nuance some writers will just take a short cut through misogyny alley and shaft the female characters. Your video plus the one from mothers basement really enforce the idea that Netflix Avatar has some interesting ideas but nothing interesting enough to make it worth beyond maybe accepting the 41st division is Zuko's crew as a headcanon or imagining Daniel Dae Kim's Ozai in Mark Hamil Ozai's place. I love the idea behind Niva and a more personalized story cause the personal moments are the ones that people remember most fondly from the OG series. Maybe someday they'll finally get someone onboard who doesn't do giant robot laser beams but until that day I have the OG series and your vignettes on tumblr to fill the gap. Well done Lily!

[@delinquentxia]

yeah i wasn't a fan of that joke either. DID and OSDD are stigmatized heavily in media and pop culture so it'll never go down easy to hear someone treat it like it's a character flaw. hopefully lily apologizes in some way.

[@robinrabeos7130]

to the "great" Parent talk my dad always sayd to me and my siblings "you need me i dont need you" like Sir its a 4 year old child that want to watch more TV and actin like a child with ... well youre guide and not some wierd dude that try to screw you over

[@Lily_Orchard]

My father said that to be as well. It's a vile thing to say to your own child.

[@robinrabeos7130]

@@Lily_Orchard In retrospect its a bit funny how stupid it is well funny if it werent so sad Great Viedio! It a bit of a random point but i really enjoy the way you express yourself it which makes listening to you a bliss I Hope you have a good day

[@therotryzit]

The more i witness how avatar's fandom became so attached to this fictional property, the more i'm glad that after watching it as a kid and loving it i never really went back to it and get myself unhealthily attached to it like so many others on the internet have. They let their obession of this show dictate their personal tastes, beliefs and whatnot that they only want more and more of avatar but they should've put a healthy distance between it and themselves. It's not good to be unhealthly attached to a property like this, move on there's much more interesting stuff out there.

[@Paytonzane]

"From the river to the sea, giant robot laser beams" reads like deleted lyrics from Bohemian Rhapsody.

[@Ryukoreed]

I'm tired, just soooo very tired of studios remaking shows/films/games. It's boring, unoriginal and needs to end. Stop trying to capture "the magic" and just go out and make your own.

[@Zedd.y]

i feel that it's understated by you how much of an impossible situation Aang is in regarding hurting/killing people. Aang is the last air nomad, the last of his culture, if he kills hurts a person, then the air nomad way of life truly is dead, and he is very painfully aware of this. It's like you said, cultural genocide is still genocide. That being said, i do still agree that Aang should've killed Ozai and felt bad about it later, because even if he betrayed those principles, he was still taught the principles so he can still teach them. Anyway, i don't comment much and now i feel exposed, so i'll end it off here. Great video as always, can't wait for the next one!

[@SherbertLand]

thanks to the talk about Zuko, Jet, and many other victims being portrayed in extremely stupid ways, i actually realized while watching this that a character im writing had a very similar problem. she was the same as Jet in that sure, they were a victim of some crappy circumstances, but it fell into the category of *victims being characterized as ruthless psychopaths.* it wasnt that she was characterized as wrong, but was just much more intense than i wanted and would have sabotaged the rest of their arc entirely. so i fixed that up. despite how amazing it is talking about good writing, ill never stop loving how endlessly insightful the deconstruction of bad writing can be.

[@Jarakin]

“Kiyoshi was something of a diva”. Well that definitely tracks with the old show.

[@herestoustx6123]

Omg omg you barely made me realize the irony of the fact THEY REMOVED THE VERY REASON AANG WAS FREED ESSENTIALLY REMOVING THE PERFECTLY COMEDIC OUTCOME OF SOKKA’S SEXISM SAVED THE WORLD! Im actually even more mad realizing this.

[@PreciousTheShinyShuppet]

What you ask is unthinkable. Avatar: The Last Airbender has passed. Let it rest. Man, if you're really that thirsty for BEEG, BEEGER and even BEEGERER Kaiju sized fights, just watch Ultraman or Godzilla.

[@Not_Vakama_303]

Aanger made me laugh pretty good.

[@loonu1991]

It always comes back to that one line... "You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain..." I didn't finish Korra (Pissed me off halfway), never read the comics, but had to suffer through the shyamalan disaster and now the netflix one but I refuse to believe that those has anything to do with the Avatar. It died a hero, it died a legend, it died a masterpiece and that's it. I can always go back and relive that masterpiece over and over again (Which I am doing) and it will make me happy each and every time.

[@loonu1991]

When you win an argument but bro deletes the comments 😵🤣🤣

[@Lily_Orchard]

I banned that guy on another video. That's what happens when we do that, all their comments vanish

[@loonu1991]

@@Lily_Orchard lol 😅

[@rayenmemelord784]

@@Lily_Orchard what happend ?

[@heatran1919]

"From the River to the Sea, Giant Robot Lazer Beams" is the funniest 1 second cutaway joke ive ever seen

[@Armaggedon185]

Dang. Feels so good to hear it put into words. To me, even at the time, Avatar was made in the quiet moments and the set piece battles felt like necessary filler. I hope we either get the quiet character story pitched, or finally be done with it. We need to move on, like Lily said.

[@Kalle_Demos]

I haven’t really cared for any subsequent entry into the franchise post the original series. But I am glad that it was renewed and that Asian and Indigenous actors are getting work. It’s worthy of support for that reason and probably for that reason only but here’s hoping it gets better. Enjoyed the cast atleast.

[@thegongoozler3374]

I am what you'd call an "avatar fan," but i still agree with you completely that everything after the original show has been shit and only exists to tarnish its quality. I die a little inside every time someone gets excited for these sad attempts to re-capture lightning in a bottle and defends korra.

[@SuperPianogirl123]

Honestly, it’s the Yangchen books that broke me. Someone took Yangchen saying we have to put the needs of the world above our own comfort in order to protect it and said “she’s a total sociopath who didn’t give a shit about spirits and was a generic bad ass.”

[@bch7905]

I wanna say that actually a large part (maybe not the majority) of the active fandom are very much not big fans of the material after the original, maybe sans the novels, but from my experience, there are a few sect of fans within the community- casual people who remember it for the better and/or popular parts, those who hyper-consume all content and praise without criticism, and those who are critical of the material yet enjoy the show and call out the hubris of regenerating lightning in a bottle. It also depends at what capacity the fandom is involved that aligns with their opinions of the franchise (I hate that it's a franchise now ugh), because I see tons of critique thrown at the creators both for current AND past decisions.

[@waifu_png_pl6854]

i wanted to give the remake a shot. i wasnt hyped at any time, but i mean, even if it would be just one episode. to see what its like to satisfy my own curiosity. that curiosity died the moment i read that game of thrones headline. i saw it first on a reddit post and people were coping, hard, havent seen anything in a very long time. people were saying things like "well its netflix, has to be a serious drama" like my guy youre talking about a series where elemental wizard children ride a sky mammal around the world to make more friends and help them, what the hell do you mean serious drama. does not compute but one thing i noticed is that... nothing happened. im fairly active in avatar fan communities. its a bit of a drain on the soul telling people that character development and theme exploration arent actually filler and thats something that exists for a specific kind of adaptation and a show made originally for tv has no reason to have it but if even 1 person reads that and goes "hey maybe theres something to what this idiot is screeching about" id say its worth it. what im trying to get to, there was the initial wave of posts and videos about NATLA, but now... its quiet. nobody gives a shit, at all. maybe the occasional post but the vast majority of discussions are still about the OG series or even about korra. the stupid fortnite collab is more popular than the actual remake (seeing toph with a gun is the best thing ive seen this month). went on reddit, counted and i had to scroll down 27 posts to even get to any NATLA stuff and those posts were either about the og series, fan arts and 3 were about the fortnite thing, even 1 post about the comics. and that post about NATLA was still mostly about the OG series. ive been scrolling for a bit and i cant find any more posts about NATLA. i dont know if this is a reflection on netflix and their stupid dumb release schedules (go suck it, binge model) or the show itself, most likely both if we are being completely honest

[@Zerathenezot]

Aang isn't freed by Katara's justified Aanger. Haha, I see what you did there. That made me laugh when I read it

[@MCRick-yj8jf]

I think this is the most balanced review of the live action I’ve seen. Most videos I see just talk about how the first 3 episodes are bad to ok and not much else. I don’t agree with everything but I’ll give credit where credit is due.

[@scarlette_rose]

My love for this franchise has largely died over the years with the decline in quality of cartoons trying to emulate Avatar. Nostalgia has largely colored how most of the fandom perceives the show and frankly... I just want Avatar to end. I'm not excited for the next Avatar. I'm not excited for this series or any other Avatar-esque show. We've been retelling the same Last Airbender story 3 times now. Korra flooded its show with high stakes and nostalgia. Everything the creators have made subsequently has sucked. Avatar needs to be laid to rest. And If we must tell another Avatar story, let it be a small, slice-of-life story. The pitch at 1:10:54 sounds like a perfect story.

[@reienna5616]

Another big issue is that the costumes look incredibly fake. They have the appearance of being straight from a cosplay store, and not that it is something these characters wear everyday. You cant adapt a cartoon aesthetic 1:1. It makes the character and the world they are interacting with looking incredibly fake.

[@nazahernandez6574]

Ngl, I'd fkn love a Slife of Life Avatar setting, literally no stakes, just a wholesome avatar journey about learning life lessons

[@akirarose3947]

My god! I am i actually liked this show when i was a kid but now as an adult every time they put out anything new i seriously want to puke because every time they shove it so hard down my throat its like some kind twisted rollplay will they just let this show just.....die I actually started branching out into new games and stories reasently (mostly for asstetics) But ended up loving the characters and sticking to it Example: i have never played Leauge of Legends but i knew about it after the release of the "heartsteel" skin line i got hooked and now my favorite character (unironicly) is like a fusion dance between Zuko, Shepharoh, and a demon who i love because hes funny

[@shepherd8171]

When it comes to the modern fantasy obsession with "Lore" im reminded of Tolkien, what made the Hobbit and LOTR good was that they had great characters, a band of cooky charactesr going on an adventure, theres just enough lore to fire the imagination and provide backstory but not drown you in exposition, you can read the LOTR and the Hobbit and not give a monkeys about the Silmarilion, people want lore of the world because they love the characters

[@smilesthroughfandoms5595]

My best friend and I are about 3/4 of the way done with an AtLA rewatch. I watched the show as it aired as a kid and have very fond memories of watching it (hell my parents liked watching it and they generally didn’t like most of the cartoons I watched) and my best friend discovered it later in life and holds the box set she has of the series near and dear to her heart. We both cautiously awaited news on the reboot. But then we heard the news and took the “There is no live action series in Ba Sing Se” route like a lot of people did. Seeing that the live action series did a few things right and even better is honestly refreshing, especially since a lot of what Lily said is something my friend and I brought up, especially about Zuko and Azula being just as abused as the other but in different ways. We’re not quite at the finale yet, but I will be taking Lily’s words about Azula with me to the finale

[@8Makes1]

I, for one, would absoutely watch every season of Avatar Niva and her sister. That sounds like a phenominal story and I'm sad we won't get to see it.

[@RammerHammer]

Tragedy. That's what the Last Agni Kai is.

[@irritatedlibrarian9057]

55:24 That is so cathartic to hear. Really. And also kinda sad because of how prevalent emotionally immature parents seem to be.

[@LPSpineappleinc]

Lily, I just watched KP's video about you and I'm very conflicted on whether or not to believe it, do you plan on making a video and/or a post somewhere explaining your side of the story, and clarify the situation?

[@Lily_Orchard]

That would depend on what it is you want me to clarify, because I've had flimsy accusations hurled at me for twelve years. What is it this week?

[@LPSpineappleinc]

Well, they're saying that you wrote the Stockholm fanfic that is published under your former name, that you were creepy and manipulative towards people in your past, and that you are lying about being Cherokee, I read all the screenshots they put up, but you seemed pretty normal in most of them, all the ones were you supposedly said bad things were in a different format with a blank profile pic, and no name attached which leans towards them being fake, but when they talk about they seem so genuine, with most of these videos I just ignore, but idk I felt like I should give kp the benefit of the doubt I don't want to believe it. You have helped me learn to articulate my feelings so much better, and you explain things in a way that makes sense like no one else does. Sorry if I'm not being clear I'm still not the best at articulating complex/conflicted feelings. I just don't understand why so many people who seem good would lie about such serious things, but you seemed genuine too in your call with KP, All of the people involved seem to be telling the truth, but that's not possible, sorry if I sound stupid, I'm autistic (not an excuse, but an explanation) and have a hard time understanding people sometimes

[@Lily_Orchard]

So let me see if I have this right. You've seen the evidence for yourself, and what is tied to me I was normal in, and the things where I'm saying shady shit have no name or profile picture attached. All of this screams "lie." But because they sound genuine and you want to give KP the benefit of the doubt, you're conflicted. Think about that. The proof says innocent, that's all you need.

[@LPSpineappleinc]

Yeah, and I seen enough of your videos to know what tone that was meant to be in, I just have such a hard time processing that a person like kp, could lie, but seem so genuine, does she even know she's lying?! This whole thing is making my brain spin, I don't deal with conflicting information well, the American school system absolutely stunted my social development so I'm 23 with the social skills of an 8th grader, but I'm really trying, maybe I'm just too naive

[@Saiyusa]

Aangst 👍

[@jesusrox4u]

The song picked for Azula’s hilariously accurate and it’s from someone who’s from the same state at me which is nice

[@tappyokamaniok210]

Well, to be fair the only time Aang met someone who was not happy about meeting the Avatar, the fisherman from The Storm, he ran to hide in a cave.

[@izanblancoqureshy]

Not really the topic of the video obviously but the references to what's happening in Gaza made me both want to laugh super hard and also cry really hard at the same time 😭 but yeah really enjoyed this lol even though I haven't actually seen the show

[@The_Firevenus]

Love how this came out just in time for tlok 12 anniversary (or maybe it's been a day idk timezone) happy to see you still talking about atla cuz for some reason your video essay of this franchise is the only hope I have left lol

[@pedmonds2011]

Hi Lily, how can someone analyze a show like Avatar to get to the “heart,” to it. I feel like I have hard time understanding what makes a story good.

[@musicman24X]

Learn writing theory. Structure, character, and general writing craft.

[@haruhirogrimgar6047]

On a bit towards the end. It is wild to me that people would say "Awesome" about the final Agni Kai. The word that came to mind for me was "depressing" or "tragic". Also this video was a bit heavy on Korra slander imo. But I understand it is a very different tale than TLA.

[@BlackKyurem5]

Whenever you complain that your favourite show flew under the radar and doesnt get the fan recognition it deserved. Remember how that recognition has damaged to Avatar.

[@ThatNerdKM]

6:40 Sad thing is, I watched Korra before Avatar. And even before I watched avatar to compare, with every rewatch I liked Korra less and less.

[@vividdaydream1516]

I'd love to read the full pitch of Avatar Niva, is there a link to it?

[@andenvelez7142]

This is why I love ur stuff. It’s nice seeing someone’s point of view on a series that is not affected by fan goggles. Keep making great videos.❤

[@franzoloranzo7302]

Imagine if they took the budget and told an original story in the avatar universe. Then there would at least be a reason to watch it even if it‘s mediocre.

[@TumbleroseStudios]

Idk if I've laughed harder at a half second visual gag than "From The River To The Sea, GIANT ROBOT LASER BEAMS" I said most of my thoughts when this premiered in the discord but this is a really good video, and it's too bad the show itself is very bad at writing main characters because the side characters seem rather interesting with good changes, if having 4 sticks of uncooked tofu for a main cast wasn't such a deal breaker it might have been an interesting watch

[@marqusmedina5983]

19:23 As always Lily gives praise where it's do and doesn't sugar coat the bad

[@SecondFloor2311]

This person talking in the video is... Lily?

[@marqusmedina5983]

@@SecondFloor2311 yes

[@purplepie04]

3:20 "like if Goku fought the IDF and lost" LMFAOO

[@josephhall1610]

in the intro you summarized my entirely avatar stance perfectly

[@qwery123844]

Amazing work as always.

[@thequestingbunny]

The cartoon for ATLAB is my 16 y/o's favorite childhood cartoon. She had me watch it with her a lot on Netflix over the years. I didn't grow up with it, so I have no nostalgia for it aside from bonding over it with her. We were hyped but a little skeptical for this when it was announced. And... the title of this video sums up how I felt about it when we were done watching it. I didn't understand why it was made, other than to exploit that fear of enjoying a cartoon must invalidate being an adult.

[@khalidsirad6555]

Love you always this video help a lot. Iron being a war criminal is something y I thought of a lot but nice to know I am not the only one

[@Sekainoowaride]

Loved the video...minus a few "quirks"...what do you have against BG 3 again?

[@Lily_Orchard]

That it's just a porn parody of BG2

[@blockyuniverseproductions6587]

7:54, so, the Airbenders pulled a "fleet week".

[@allisonpanzica9253]

Ooof listening to you talk about parents breaking things and the implied threat it came with made me schedule another therapy appointment. Can I hire you to explain that to my parents for me 😅

[@marquistf1996]

One thing og avatar did that no others did imo was give me a sense of closure in a children's show. So many kids show dont have a plot and end abruptly/ambiguously but Avatar was unique and I think thats apart of its legacy and hype. Unfortunately people miss all the other great adpects of it and just want plot and epic fights.

[@Lily_Orchard]

Not having a plot needs to stop being treated as an objective failure

[@fern1009]

Thank you for coming back to us with another wonderful episode! :D

[@AG-es7re]

good video! i hope the ATLA fandom starts taking a lot of what you said to heart

[@markpula91]

Your pitch for an Avatar sounds amazing!

[@sallywinston5305]

Honestly, you're right about Azula and Zuko's relationship. For me personally, the way the show showed her I found it hard to sympathize with Azula. I think it was only one single episode where I did realize that well, what happened to her was messed up (it was the beach scene where she expressed her thoughts about how her own mother felt about her or at least what she thought her mother felt about her and then again when she tries to flirt with a guy and it goes horribly wrong). Like it showed how she wasn't fully cold and uncaring cause if she was, why was she still thinking about her mom who she hasn't seen for years? Why did she try to brush it off by saying that her mom was right for thinking she's a monster and then add in "but it still hurt"? But it was ONE episode so I pretty much forgot about Azula having feelings or doubts or a soft side. Even when she and Zuko (when he joined team Avatar) fought and she was basically falling to her death and only stopped herself by grabbing part of the flying ship, I wasn't even thinking "oh snap, Zuko's gonna lose his sister" and being relieved when that wasn't the case. It was "oh snap, is this it? Did he defeat Azula?" and "Dang, she's so bada**!". Course, she mentioned being glad for getting the chance to be an only child before she dropped so that might have helped influenced me a little (such chilling words but for Azula, that was just usual for her). Honestly, I never realized how the original skewed how characters could be seen and I'm not talking about the victims of war. I mean, in the Netflix show with the moment with Iroh and the captain and the story about the 19 year old, that gave me pause regarding Iroh despite the fact that I knew that Iroh was the brother of Ozai who was basically the Fire Nation heir and who went going to war with Ba Sing Se. I forgot that he only stopped and lost his position as the heir when his son died and that if he didn't, he would have continued. The original painted Iroh so much as a calm, wise man and Azula as a cold and calculating princess who was ready to murder her own brother to achieve her goals that I never looked past it despite hints being dropped.

[@baykkus]

from what you said it seems this was the best possible outcome for this show when the premise was making it like game of thrones, just like not breaking any bones is the best possible outcome when you fall from a tall tree.

[@roryaphunter]

Hey, did something happen to your tumblr.

[@Wolfgirl2828]

lol my favorite thing to come from Avatar after the original series is just watching people react to the original series for the first time and seeing them fall in love with it

[@AVRGWIBWTHACN]

22:25 "I'll be outside if you're man enough to fight me" Oooo that goes hard, Katara was so awesome

[@will_the_warlord8913]

Great video lily

[@karenroque3583]

Im going to eagerly consume this along with all of my snacks during my breaks today.

[@markthomaskiec2453]

If this version of Avatar has taught me anything, it's that people need to understand the difference between an antagonist and a villain. An antagonist is someone who presents challenges and obstructions to a protagonist, whereas a villain is someone with evil or malicious intent in the story. Zuko was never a villain redemption, he was an antagonist redemption, and I really hope someone understands that at some point when they have control over this series.

[@Lily_Orchard]

Zuko was a protagonist getting an arc about recovering from abuse. Not a villain, and not an antagonist. He was always, first and foremost, a PROTAGONIST.