Cinepals - AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER (Netflix) 1x4 Review & Discussion!

Episode Date: February 23, 2024

This is our honest and immediate thoughts on Avatar The Last Airbender Episode 4 from the new live action adaptation by Netflix. What did they get right? What did they get wrong? Does it work? The live action show stars: • Gordon Cormier as Aang  • Kiawentiio as Katara • Ian Ousley as Sokka • Dallas Liu as Prince Zuko • Elizabeth Yu as Azula • Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, Robocop, Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, Total Recall 2070, Ahsoka) as Uncle Iroh • Daniel Dae Kim (Hellboy, Lost, The Legend of Korra, Saints Row IV, Spider-Man 2, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Crash, 24, ER, Star Trek Enterprise, Hulk, Angel, Star Trek: Voyager, The Practice, Seinfeld, The Pretender, NYPD Blue, Law & Order, The Jackal, Walker Texas Ranger, Cradle 2 the Grave, The Divergent Series) as Fire Lord Ozai • Ken Leung (Rush Hour, The Family Man, Vanilla Sky, Saw, Inside Man, X-Men The Last Stand, Star Wars Episode VII, The Blacklist, Old, Inhumans, Joker: Folie à Deux) as Commander Zhao Join our Patreon www.Patreon.com/JabyKoay for the full length reaction to this show and many others ans subscribe to our YouTube channel for the cutdowns www.youtube.com/@cinepals   SOCIAL MEDIA ~CinePals~ Twitter & Instagram: @TheCinePals ~Jaby Koay~ Twitter & Instagram: @JabyKoay ~Achara Kirk~ Twitter & Instagram: @AcharaKirk

Sena. Pals. What's going on, everyone? I am Jabby Kauai, joined by Acharya Kirk. What's up? We are continuing on our adventure with Avatar, The Last Airbender, the live action adaptation by Netflix. Thanks so much for coming back and joining us again. Wow. Here it is. The heart. The feels. Thank you. Oh, my God. A real strong improvement over episode three. They came in, like, really strong with this. So I'm super happy. So once again, And they've, like, rearrange things and combine stuff here and there. I wasn't bothered by it in this time. I could see what they were going for and why they were weaving things the way they were and placing it where they were.

I'm like, okay, I get what you're doing, showrunners. I'm understanding it. It's been a long time since I've watched the episode where they're going through the tunnels. Yeah. But I think the love thing was the more traditional love before. I think it might have been Ang and Guitar. I can't remember exactly what happened there. Well, I don't remember.

But I don't think it was a brotherly sister. thing i love that though i think they like they basically disnified that like molyphicent and then they did that with something uh uh frozen and so it's like yeah that's right yeah it's cool it's fine it works you know yeah um because you're you're you're strengthening the bond between uh saka and guitar there that's cool they did a really cool job with that little mini story with the hippies i like that a lot yes they were a lot of fun yeah i forgot about them until like they showed up and was like oh yeah that's right yeah we had those guys they were great Bumi, they really did a 180 on me with him, and I was like, okay, where is this going?

I thought for a second they just cut everything out and all the, but they just rearranged it. But they made it where Bumi basically had resentment because he felt abandoned by Eng. And I'm like, that works better for the kind of show they're telling in this Netflix adaptation. Yes. Because the way it was in the cartoon was like, he was kind of just goofing off. And it's like, I'm just helping you and teaching you these lessons. It's like, okay. And then he just sends him.

on his way. But there was more of a motivation to everything here that made more sense with the gravity of the situation. Right. They're really leaning in hard in like the realism of like what is the reality of being at war? What is the reality of being at war for a hundred years, right? How would that change you? And as a leader, Bumi has had to make a lot of choices that are difficult. And yes, I can understand the resentment that he feels towards Ang. But what I really liked as well, And I think this is like just the theme of the show that they're really leaning into hard here is like looking at the world through the eyes of a child and that innocence and that love and that hope of like, yeah, but we can make it better. Being compassionate and being kind to each other and showing love. And so that I found that incredibly moving.

Also, just how they changed it from romantic love to love between siblings, I really enjoyed as well. That stuff really gets me because like I do. feel a deep love for my siblings. And so anything that celebrates that, I'm like, yes, more of that. Because there are so many different colors to love. Sure. The effects were on point. I was amazed by them once again.

The badramal effects, the things that the earthbenders ride on, the martial arts. I thought the earthbending looked so cool as well. The earthbending effects look great. The stuff with Bumi, I was impressed by the sets. It looked like they were actually built sets. I can't tell how much of that is a fax. It looks so photo real. I'm like, yo, if that's CG, if that's just like a green screen they're on, it looks great.

I can't, like that, you know what I mean? Yeah. It feels like they properly built out a whole stage and everything just for that final battle. I'm like, it's like, and it's only used for that one sequence. And then it's done. You pack up and move on to the next thing. I appreciated the nods to the fans of the show, you know, where. they were placed, you know, between the rock candy and then Eng, like doing literally out of the show,

like doing the thing of jumping over the rock. Ra 2.0 said as well that the kick that Zuko does to free the chains from Uncle Iro. What type of kick is that? Axe kick, I guess. Yeah, when he did that kick, that's also straight from the cartoon as well. The emotional weight of the relationship between Zuko and Uncle Iro is, it was really good here. So good.

I was a little bit concerned about it before this episode. I'm like, am I going to feel the same kind of bond? And I was like, they nailed it using the flashbacks to like really root us into, you know, their journey together. Yeah. And it's definitely happening like a little sooner than in the animation. But I like that. You got eight episodes.

Exactly. You got eight episodes. Might as well just make sure that the audience is fully aware about that. I really like that. We're seeing that side to Zoo. And we've already seen that in the previous episodes, but this one just like really cemented it. And I love that scene. And it was performed so well by, by Dallas Liu and by Paul Son-Hung Li because just the juxtaposition

of what he said in that scene. He says the thing that he's supposed to say, which is like, you should feel so proud that your son died for the fire nation. And then he walks away and you see his face and like the shift happens so beautifully. He comes back. shares this like deeply moving story like very personal story which is like what you're supposed to do to help someone who's grieving maybe and it was just like a really sensitive moment you see that side to zuko and you see that duality of like he's just trying so hard to do what he thinks is right

to follow the values instilled in him by his father and by the fire nation and to like uphold everything that he thinks should be right but in his heart but he's like, he's not that. And like, right now, I love him so much. Dallas Liu killed it. Like you just said, he showed the dichotomy of this character. Twice in the episode, he had to choose Uncle Iro over the avatar. The first time was in the prison where he's like,

okay, this way it's to the avatar, this way is to Uncle Iro. He chose Uncle Iro. And then when they're on the boat, he's got to get Uncle Iro back to their ship or whatever to like. So he can seek treatment. Yeah. Yeah. And then he saw the bison fly overhead. he's like, okay, I got to let that go right now

because for all intents and purposes, pops is in the back. Yeah. And he's injured. I got to take him back. Because he is. He is the father that Fritzuco deserves. I really love Paul Sun Heng Li's performance in the last scene as well. He's basically going like, I'm going to go on this adventure with you. And he's saying

everything like really upbeat and like, I have everything I need and all of that. And his eyes are tearing up. But he's you know, trying to hold it back. I'm like, oh, my heart, Uncle Iro, yes, I love you. That for me was a very, like, this is going to sound strange, but just like, let me walk through this. It was a very pen and teller moment for me because pen and teller are the kind of magicians

that will tell you the magic trick they're about to do and then do it and still fool you. And so in that scene, it was telegraphing, right? It's like, I don't need a babysitter. Well, the line is obviously I need a friend. And then he says it and I'm like, no, whoa! What the hell is that? No, put that back.

It felt a thing. And I'm like, no, I'm not ready. What the, stop. Just stop it. Yeah, it got me emotionally more than I was anticipating it would. Well, I think also because, like, initially you were kind of like, I'm not sure about Uncle Iro, but now seeing him like this, how do you feel about the casting? It's, well, I mean, he's, I've always thought he was a good actor.

It's that, like, I always, when I first was introduced to him, I was like, okay, that's, That's a fine interpretation. It works for the show. It's just that like I really, really love the cartoon version of him. Yeah. Who has a different presence and sound to him and all that stuff. But I like watching the scenes that they had here, I'm like, this is exactly what I thought they were going for. Like this is why you choose this guy.

Yes. Because he can hit those emotional moments really, really effectively. And it's like at the end of the day, like that's what counts. It's like, is it going to get you where it needs to get you? And I feel like this episode very much is like what you said. Like that's what counts. This is what we come to watch this show for. You know, like it's about the relationships.

It's about the friendships. And and then like saving the world along the way. It's like, you know, it's like youthful idealism of doing the right thing and everything's going to be all right, you know? Yeah. Well, I have this weird thing with Avatar The Last Airbender, which is, I mean, the cartoon. where every time an episode ends, I almost want to cry because I'm like, I don't want it to be over.

It's like, it has me laughing along the way and I'm feeling this adventure. And it's like this bittersweet thing because of like the music that they have at the very end. It's never like happy. It's just this sort of like sorrowful happy.

You know what I mean? And I'm like, oh God, don't go away. Stay a little longer. Stay with me. The party's not over. Put some more music on. One of the things I seek with Avatar an adaptation is like I want to be touched.

Yeah. And so, like, this episode got me. I still don't like Katara. She's growing on me. Yeah. But I do want to see more of that spice. By the end of the show, I do hope that I like Katara. I'm saying at this stage, with four episodes left, I'm just, I'm not happy with her.

Everyone else is even Boomy where I was like, that's a little over the top, but I like him. It's a version of Boomy. And I'm like, that works, I suppose. Sure. It was fun. And I bought the important parts of what he was doing. There was a resentment there, and that came through. I'm like, okay, cool, that's why you hired that guy.

He was able to communicate that to the audience. I'm still, like, just confused about guitarist casting, and maybe it'll make sense by the end. And I'm sure there's people in the comments, because I haven't seen any comments yet, because we're recording this all at once. I'm sure that people in the comments are going to be like, no, I like her as a, and I'm, yes, cool that you like her, cool that you like her if you do. I'm just like, nah, it's not, I'm not feeling it yet. What work for me is Saka.

Like, you know, Saka's doing a lot of the heavy lifting. not going to lie I think that's being nice I would say Saka's doing the heavy lifting period that's my dumb little guy on the couch opinion you know

it's that's but I just I don't want to dwell on it I like this episode quite a bit yeah this was great it's like really picking up steam now and it's like just more and more the things that I really enjoyed about the original series

but in a way that works for the live action and the type of story that they're telling because it is so much more grounded in a sense of like, you know, war and the repercussions of war and all of that. And while it might not have as much of the whimsy and the goofiness of the animation, it's doing its own thing here and like I'm enjoying what it's doing. You guys, thanks so much for hanging. I'm Jabby Kui. This is.

Achara Cook. Peace out.