21 – Nightmares and Daydreams (Episode 9)
Some of the experimental episodes work better than others. On paper the concept of Aang’s anxiety about facing the Fire Lord causing nightmares, insomnia and hallucinations is solid. The execution of some of it works. The execution of other moments like Aang’s dream that’s basically a Dragonball parody, or hallucinating a fight between Appa and Momo with the Guru singing and dancing is more dumb than funny. The direct references to Aang forgetting his homework and the final scene punchline of the Fire Lord not wearing pants? Not enough to make me chuckle. Thankfully Aang’s anxiety is still a good enough idea to create some tension leading into the very important Day of Black Sun 2 parter that follows. Zuko’s side story as he adjusts to life being welcomes back as the Prince partly saves the episode.
20 – The Headband (Episode 2)
A light episode that has Aang behind enemy lines and enrolled in a local fire nation school. The stakes are entirely innocent, with Aang encountering some local bullies, and Katara being slightly jealous as Aang gets attention from other girls. Underneath this there are some subtle mature moments dealing with the Fire Nation’s suppression of history and culture, but it doesn’t really go hard on those themes as it culminates in a pretty uneventful game of disguises. Iroh’s imprisonment and vow of silence were brought about by the circumstance of Mako’s death between seasons, but the writer’s more than made the best of it. Even some good emotion out of Iroh isn’t enough to win out over a secret dance party from the kids.
19 – The Painted Lady (Episode 3)
One of three episodes this season that focus primarily on Katara, the others being the Puppetmaster and The Southern Raiders. All three episodes work better when you view them from Katara’s overall character arc than just on their own. Avatar usually played the themes of episodes out a little subtler than here. The industrial pollution killing the town is a little more on the nose than other episodes, but I actually really love how it plays out. Katara’s character’s purpose and humanity is the clearest it’s ever been. I do have complaints about the ending though. Although I love the twist of Katara’s deception being discovered, and then Toph’s deception tricking the town into cleaning up, I could have done without the final moment of Katara seeing a real spirit of the fictional alter ego she just created. It’s kind of like in movies or TV where you do a story on Santa, have characters denying Santa exists, and then they look up in the sky, hear sleigh bells and a “ho ho ho” from off in the distance.
18 – The Puppetmaster (Episode 8)
I’m aware that throughout the first two seasons I would frequently post that I wasn’t opposed to lighter or sillier episodes, and then frequently I would rank all of those near the bottom. Now it’s fair to do the same with a darker more serious episode. There are some daring moments written into The Puppetmaster, but for me personally, it just gets a little too grim and despressing for my taste. To the shows credit, one of the reasons the last few minutes hits so hard is because of how well they built the Hama character, from frail and broken old lady to the scariest bender you’ve seen yet. This plays out like a horror movie near the end, and there’s little indication throughout that the show will go there. I completely get why many would love and appreciate this episode. I appreciate the writing, animation, direction and themes, but I just have no desire to feel like garbage everytime I watch it.
17 – The Awakening (Episode 1)
The end of the previous season had a huge cliffhanger. As the final season starts we have a time jump of a few weeks, which we know because of the hilarious exchange of Katara saying she likes Aang’s hair and he replies “I have hair? How long was I out?”. The entire season would be filled with emotional ups and down for Katara, and it really starts here with her attitude towards her father and what she views as his abandonment. My only real disappointment is with the twist of being on a fire nation ship. This episode starts like Lord of the Rings, with the heroes being in enemy lands, undercover, and trying their best to pose as the crew aboard a Fire Nation ship. I loved this idea, but I feel it would have been great to play out a little longer. Even for two episodes as opposed to one.
16 – The Beach (Episode 5)
This is as light and low stakes as the show ever got. While the heroes had been given multiple filler episodes, The Beach is unique for focusing almost exclusively on the villains. Zuko, Azula, Mai and Ty Lee take a vacation to Ember Island. I would normally say the show taking a breather to have characters go on vacation would seriously damage the tension, but from the POV of the villains, they don’t realize there’s an invasion coming. From their perspective they won at the end of season 2. It’s fun to have Azula as a bit of comic relief. Her poor attempts at flirting and fitting in have her literally going psycho villain on a guy. Then on a dime the episode gets very Dawson’s Creek like with sad mopey teenagers. That might sound like I’m taking a shot, but in all honesty, the villain teenager weep session is way better than anything you would get on any teen soap opera. Then just when you think you’re about to get a sympathetic emotional side of Azula she slips right back into her usual self. While this story is mostly about Zuko getting his emotions out, you can read a little into Azula’s harsh comments on her mother when her eventual breakdown comes at the end of the season. As it should be, though, this is only something to read into on repeat viewings.
15 – The Runaway (Episode 7)
One thing the show always did well was make stories that were less made for kids, and more about how kids would respond in a certain scenario. Toph starts out by cheating a con artist, and that quickly evolves into her becoming a bit of a con artist herself. The real theme of the episode isn’t some after school special either. It’s more about Katara’s role as the responsible motherly one, although even she breaks her responsible role which leads to the climax. After a few teases of “The Combustion Man” we get the first big confrontation with him. And who would have ever thought sweat bending could be a thing. One of my favourite funny moments comes as Sokka tries to show Toph her wanted poster. I honestly never get tired of other characters forgetting Toph is blind, and her sarcastically reminding them.
14 – The Day of Black Sun, Part 1: The Invasion (Episode 10)
I feel I should preface by saying I’m not as big of a fan of the Black Sun double episode as many seem to be. It’s not that I have many big issues with it. I just prefer other stories over it. As many of your favourite minor characters from the first 2 seasons return, so does Haru (who I guess is supposed to be more interesting now that he has a mustache). This is the most action heavy episode of the series, and like so often happens in Avatar, the strongest moments are the quietest and calmest scenes. In this case it’s probably less than 2 minutes of screentime throughout from Zuko. All we really get is him silently getting ready for his meeting with his father in the second part. While the expectation was always that this would be a meeting between Aang and the Fire Lord, the twist ends up being that he’s not there at all. What we end up getting as a great substitute is Sokka taking command, which acts as the bridge for his character arc of the season.
13 – The Firebending Masters (Episode 13)
Alternatively could be called ‘How Zuko Gor His Groove Back’. Similar to season 2’s ‘The Guru’ as it’s more about the spiritual side of fire bending. Throwing in the unexpected dilemma that Zuko’s fire bending has weakened due to him not being fueled by rage is a great was of extending his redemption arc. By the end of the episode the audience is given a new way of viewing fire bending as an art form. I love the visual sequence of Aang and Zuko doing kata while being swarmed by dragons. In the end it’s the visuals that hit bigger than the dialogue, drama or themes.
12 – The Boiling Rock, Part 1 (Episode 14)
This is the 2nd big action 2 parter in only a few episodes. The show is definitely ramping up the excitement towards the finale. Comparing this to The Day of Black Sun is interesting, because I feel like the stakes in Black Sun are much higher, but overall the story and execution of Boiling Rock is much stronger. I end up way more invested in the outcome here than I was with the invasion and eclipse only a few episodes prior. Breaking into the Avatar world version of Alcatraz is still pretty exciting. This is the first in a series of someone tag teaming with Zuko stories. It would have been a cop out to have Zuko join the team and have everything bad he did in more than 50 prior episodes just be forgotten, so I’m glad they took several extra episodes to have everyone come around on him completely. Suki comes back for the 3rd time, and going forward will remain a main character until the end. As Katara had her own character arc that played out, Sokka’s was about doubt and feelings of inadequacy, it reached the mid way point in Black Sun, and ends with the Boiling Rock double episode. While Sokka’s arc isn’t as complex or emotional as Katara’s, I feel it was better executed overall.
11 – The Day of Black Sun 2, Part 2: The Eclipse (Episode 10)
I’m sure some people are scratching their heads that I have both Black Sun episodes ranked in the bottom half. Both parts are fantastic, but if I had to pick any of the bigger mid season double parters that didn’t quite live up to my expectations, it would the Day of Black Sun. Everything I say is less nitpicking and more explaining why I personally don’t regard it as highly as most do. It mostly comes down to the build up to it being so big, and for some reason I always feel like the stakes aren’t being played up enough. Everyone knows that the series wouldn’t end here, but from the characters point of view, this should be the last stand, and it just never feels that way. Minor complaint is the voice acting during the lowest moments of the characters is a little too casual. The words say one thing, but the delivery and the tone sort of communicates “Hmm. It was worth a shot. Live and learn”. For the positives, the character animation as Aang and the children flee from the Fire Lord really does sells the drama. And obviously the highlight and biggest moment is Zuko’s final turn. You don’t really know for sure that Zuko is going to turn in this episode, and you definitely can’t predict the bombshell Fire Lord drops.
10 – The Southern Raiders (Episode 16)
Season 3 was able to avoid the dilemma of one off episodes being viewed as filler solely by allowing character arcs to play out instead of story arcs. In this case it’s the multi episode character arc of Katara’s mistrust of Zuko. I can also add the multi episode story arc of Katara’ brush with the dark side. As some added drama they built in Katara’s grief over her mother’s disappearance before the show began, and tied it into the mistrust of Zuko. I already said it before, but I feel Katara’s overall story arc is one of the stronger ones in the series. None of the individual episodes stand out as much, although this one being the climax of that arc is by far the best. Ideally this episode should have aired before The Boiling Rock, as you’re coming off of a much bigger story, but maybe there could have been a way to work the father into this. It just feels weird to have him return and then immediately start an episode about his wife’s rescue that he has no part in. Between Katara and Sokka it’s obvious Katara had the more important issues to deal with. These issues only exist when you watch the series back to back. As a stand alone episode this is really solid. It’s the final scene that hits the nail on the head. The show addresses forgiveness over vengeance, but Katara accepts it without really feeling any better about it. This is the type of dramatic maturity you couldn’t find in most live action network shows.
9 – Sozin’s Comet, Part 1: The Phoenix King (Episode 18)
It was tough to rank the episodes of the Sozin’s Comet four parter on their own. It really is one big 90 minute movie. This first part is the calm before the storm. It’s mostly training for the final battle, and Zuko increasing the stakes by fully revealing the Fire Lord’s plans for the first time. As he does before every big finale, Aang disappears to go off on a spiritual quest, and hilariously the show even makes a passing joke about that being a running gag. Of all the Sozin’s Comet acts this is easily the least exciting, yet its great to have all the hero characters together for one last time. Fire Lord Ozai’s crowning himself as the Phoenix King and appointing Azula as the new Fire Lord brings the tension and ominous tone that will perfectly set up the remaining 3 parts.
8 – Sokka’s Master (Episode 4)
Sokka is one of my favourite characters in the whole series. He’s brilliant comic relief and brings lightness to some of the heaviest scenes without ever weakening the drama. However, the fact is that he’s useless in terms of action. I also love his uselessness, so I couldn’t be happier that there was finally an episode dedicated towards his short comings. As Katara tries to encourage him with “No one can read a map like you” Sokka continues to feel sorry for himself. I know I worried throughout the series that they would eventually cop out and give Sokka some bending ability, I’m so glad they kept him as a regular relatable hero. He still gets growth here, and by the end we get a wiser and fight worthy Sokka. These points of his character get to come back in both Black Sun and Boiling Rock. Meanwhile…. silent Uncle Iroh starts doing crunches and chin ups to get jacked. They had to get clever to give Iroh a role after Mako’s death, and somehow relegating him to a silent imprisoned role actually worked out for the best.
7 – The Ember Island Players (Episode 17)
As a the last episode before the four part finale, this is not only the ultimate filler episode, but it’s also the most clever series recap compilation ever assembled. Instead of just doing your standard “clip show” everyone is attending a stage play based on the events of the series up until this point. There’s so much brilliant comedy as the bad reenactments play out on stage. Even though its a cleverly disguised filler/ “clip show” this is one of my favourites. The show pokes fun at it’s own moments (choosing to skip over ‘The Great Divide’, audience members yawning during ‘The Drill’ the poor execution of Jet’s death). There are also plenty of moments making fun of their own characters such as Katara being weepy, Sokka making bad jokes. Even with all the parody of the show itself there’s still time for 2 amazing dramatic scenes, one between Zuko and Toph and the other between Aang and Katara. I typically don’t care for romance being added, and especially couldn’t care when they do that for a kids show, but the scene between Aang and Katara is written with such maturity, and it ends in a way that genuinely makes you sad.
6 – Sozin’s Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters (Episode 19)
The second part starts to bring all the main and supporting characters together, while splitting up others. The title ‘The Old Masters’ works on both Aang’s side of the story, as he communes with all the past Avatars, and the revelation of the Order of the White Lotus being many of the older supporting characters from throughout the series. If I have one major complaint about ‘Sozin’s Comet’ it would the disappointment in the execution of the White Lotus storyline. After several subtle references to the Order throughout the series, it might have been impossible to live up to. It’s not the return of Pakku, Jeong Jeong, Bumi and others that I have a problem with, and thankfully we have nobody as dull as Haru coming back, but it’s the constant jokes about it being the old guys club. That’s a joke that could have played once, maybe twice, but the amount they make old guy jokes start to strip them of all the epic hype. Zuko’s reunion with Iroh is hands down the highlight of the episode, and maybe the highlight of the season. I mentioned in previous seasons that the Spirit World scenes were often hit and miss for me. I’ll openly admit that the first time I watched this I downright hated the reveleation of an island being a giant floating turtle, but this has grown on me more than anything else in the series, and I can now say it’s one of the moments that hits the best for me on every rewatch.
5 – The Avatar and the Fire Lord (Episode 6)
Flashback episodes of Avatar never disappoint. They always exceed expectations, and this might be the best of them all. Aang and Zuko concurrently discover the history of Avatar Roku and Fire lord Sozin as they go back further in time than the series had ever gone. And to add to that, the show really started with flashbacks that were closest to the main timeline, and each time they go back further after that. It’s almost like Avatar Memento. One of the things I love the most about the series was how patient the writers were in revealing the backstory of the whole world. We had seen Avatar Roku’s spirit many times, but never even had a hint that a back story was necessary. We also have been hearing about Sozin’s Comet for half of the season, and at least I never felt I needed to know anymore about who Sozin was. What you get here is a flashback you didn’t think was necessary, and you walk away from it understanding everything about the world better. The greatest way this enhances the series is being able to see a fully grown Avatar at full strength facing an obstacle. This makes Aang’s upcoming encounter with Ozai seem that much more impossible to overcome.
4 – The Western Air Temple (Episode 12)
Despite some of my issues with The Day of Black Sun, this episode immediately starts with the lonely walk of defeat from all the best heroes (and Haru). This is exactly what I wanted more of in Black Sun. A total sense of loss and despair. After seasons of Zuko being the ultimate nemesis to the heroes, he finally meets up with and tries to join the group as Aang’s firebending master. One of the most fun things is viewing this from the different characters POVs. The audience has seen the slow redemption of Zuko, but the characters have none of this knowledge. I love Zuko rehearsing his speeches, and even his eventual delivery which comes across as incredibly rehearsed. Even as he pleads his case everyone learns for the first time that Zuko had dispatched Combustion Man as an assassin, which gives us the hilarious reply from Zuko of “Well, that’s not actually his name, but….” I also have to call out Combustion man as being a classic silent henchman. Katara even gets to touch on being burned by Zuko before when she thought she could trust him back in season 1. The back and forth debate over whether they should accept Zuko has Aang confessing his own faults, but it’s Toph in the end who comes to Zuko’s defense before she too gets burned (literally) by him. Zuko’s line of “Why am I so bad at being good?” might be better than every angsty self doubt line Zuko had in more than 50 episodes leading up to this There are so many subtle call backs that make Zuko’s turn worthwhile. The main one being Aang addressing the accident when he burned Katara in season 1, which was last addressed near the end of season 2. And then Katara still being the hesitant one despite always being the most sympathetic and optimistic of characters. To my surprise Zuko’s redemption arc didn’t peak with him turning on his father, it peaked with an episode almost all about awkward conversations as he tries to win over everyone.
3 – The Boiling Rock, Part 2 (Episode 15)
Some of my favourite episodes are the ones that can surprise you more than once. The first part of Boiling Rock ended with the cliffhanger of Sokka’s father being brought to the prison, and that alone would have been enough to keep me invested in the second part. Then the surprises just keep coming. Suki returns, Mai and Ty Lee show up, Azula shows up. and the surprise turn of Mai against Azula might be one of the best executed twists in the whole series. It’s not just the surprise of Mai and Ty Lee turning that is such a treat, it’s how this continues to alter Azula going forward. For a non complex clear cut villain I feel there are several well hidden moments that foreshadow her final breakdown at the end of the series, such as her poor attempts at fitting in during ‘The Beach’ her loose and almost dismissive mention of her mother in ‘The Beach’ and then Mai’s one line to her during the turn here about loving Zuko more than fearing her. I could write an essay on why Azula is such a perfect villain, but instead I’ll just say to watch this episode, and then read what I have to say coming up with Number 2 on this list.
2 – Sozin’s Comet, Part 3: Into the Inferno (Episode 20)
This is where it gets very hard to separate the individual episodes, as parts 3 and 4 are really the finale as a whole. There had been so many epic fight and battle scenes throughout the series, but each one individually in this and the following episode really can’t be touched. The Order of the White Lotus retaking of Ba Sing Se, complete with the biggest display of firebending ever from Iroh. Zuko and Katara’s Agni Kai confrontation with Azula, with an absolutely brilliantly delivered line from Zuko saying that something was off about Azula and she was slipping. I’m admittedly biased towards Azula as a villain, but this and the final episode are one of the main reasons why. Very few TV shows or movies anymore really allow a villain to be a true villain without having to throw some sob story or redemption arc in. She was a true villain before, and now we have her accelerated descent into madness. And of course Aang and Fire Lord Ozai’s fight more than exceeds every expectation. Very few movies have had action this cinematic and exciting. You can’t forget about Sokka, Toph and Suki crashing air ships to destroy the Fire Nation’s fleet. That should be the lesser battle, but it’s just good as any of the bending fights.
1 – Sozin’s Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang (Episode 21)
Number 1 could never be anything other than this. 3 seasons and 61 episodes so perfectly building towards one massive confrontation, and its pulled off better than anyone could expect. The final moments of the fight between Aang and Ozai will forever be on repeat in my head. The blasts of flame from Ozai as Aang is trapped inside the rock. The score and visual of Aang soaring through the air surrounding himself with air, water, earth and fire. The final moment of Aang discovering energy bending. I know it’s not just me, as this episode has an average rating of 9.9 on IMDb. That’s higher than the finale of Breaking Bad. It’s arguably the greatest finale in TV history. Of course you always know Aang will save the world (I mean every episode intro has Katara telling us he will) but they left a bit of a surprise with how he would actually accomplish that. Lets forget about the fact that Aang has gone on about not being able to take a life, even though I’m sure many people died because of him in previous stories. Even after his spiritual quest leading into the fight, there are no clues given about how the conflict would be resolved. The resolutions ends up being something you don’t expect, and yet still satisfies. The hardest thing about ending a series where so much is mapped out and setup through multiple seasons is tying up all the loose ends. The most impressive thing about Avatar is how not every loose end is tied up, and yet you don’t necessarily care. On screen we get the unresolved issue of Zuko’s missing mother, which would later be addressed in comics, but we never learn if Toph reunites with her parents, or if Ba Sing Se will be rebuilt, or what happens with Azula. Somehow the resolution of defeating the Fire Lord and Aang and Katara’s final moment is all you need to walk away satisfied.
As I said at the start of the season 1 rankings, I am not a huge fan of animation. While there are some other shows I really enjoy, Avatar stands so far above every other animated series I’d ever seen. I hold it in the same regard as the biggest sci fi and fantasy movie sagas that exist. Coming soon I will start on a rewatch of The Legend of Korra, eventually leading into the debut of the upcoming 3rd series Avatar: Seven Havens.
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