The opening chapters to AVATAR Season Three are a triumph, highlighting the virtues of friendship, helping others, and self-accountability. The writing, characters, and artwork are all compelling. However, parents should know, that the series openly explores paganism, the spirit world, and other Eastern ideals. There are traces of Christian morality such as, characters fighting to protect innocent civilians and are willing to sacrifice their lives. It features action-packed magical battles between users of fire, water, earth, and air magic. As such, MOVIEGUIDE issues major caution for older children.
CONTENT:
A strong Eastern worldview with traces of Christian morality, characters fight to protect innocent civilians and are willing to sacrifice their lives, the arch rival questions his betrayal of his uncle, characters practice “magic” martial arts to manipulate elements like fire, the corporeal world and the spirit world are heavily intertwined, characters interact with ghosts of past characters, the main character speaks to his “Avatar” predecessors, and overt romantic scenes of hugging and kissing between the teen characters;
None;
Moderate action violence throughout, characters can “bend” the elements of fire and water for combat, the Fire Nation guards are frequently knocked out of battle, two characters sabotage a metal weapons facility, and a boy almost drowns to death;
None,
None;
None;
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A boy abandons his friends without alerting them, a teenage girl plays mind games with her brother, another girl impersonates a “water spirit” to uplift a Fire Nation slum town, and a boy fake-enrolls into a state-sponsored school
MORE DETAIL:
AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER, a 2005 fantasy adventure series created by Nickelodeon, follows Aang, a teenager who awakens from his century-long slumber and sets out to master all the magical elements, defeat the Fire Nation, and save the world. In “Book Three” / Season Three, Aang and his friends infiltrate the home territory of their biggest enemy. Aang struggles to wield the fire magic while recovering from his defeat in season two. Meanwhile, Prince Zuko, son of the Fire Lord, questions not only his family’s morality but also his actions. Can our heroes defeat the Fire Lord once and for all?
The opening chapters to AVATAR Season Three are excellent, highlighting the virtues of friendship, helping others, and self-accountability. The writing, characters, and artwork are all compelling. However, the series openly explores paganism, the spirit world, and other Eastern ideals. It features action-packed magical battles between users of fire, water, earth, and air magic. As such, MOVIEGUIDE ® issues major caution for older children.
Book Three begins with “The Awakening.” Following his near-fatal injury from Book Two, Aang struggles to emotionally (and literally) get back onto his feet. While hiding inside a Fire Nation freighter, Aang and his friends pivot to a new goal: infiltrating the Fire Nation homeland undercover. The Fire Nation assumes Aang is dead but continues to hunt down his closest allies. The injured airbender buckles under the guilt of letting the Fire Nation conquer another country in Season Two. Will he succumb to despair, or will his friends lift him back up?
“The Awakening” is a marvelous season three opening. The episode expertly explores Aang’s inner turmoil. Aang exemplifies a strong moral duty to save the world, protect his friends, and atone for past mistakes. Initially abandoning his friends, he realizes he can only succeed by relying on them. The episode has an excellent navy battle scene, great dialogue, and outstanding vocal performances. It also serves as a great plot recap for new and returning viewers.
Throughout the series, the narrative jumps between two perspectives: the hero Aang and his archrival Zuko. Prince Zuko, an angst-ridden teenager, was banished by his father, Fire Lord Ozai. Zuko vows to capture the Avatar and regain honor within his family. In season three, Zuko “bends” the truth concerning Aang’s “death” in Ba Sing Se. Zuko knows that the Airbender escaped but keeps it a secret. As Zuko seeks redemption, he wrestles with betraying his allies, and ultimately, his own morals.
Without revealing spoilers, Zuko serves as a great foil to Aang. Zuko undergoes the classic “villain redemption” arc, expertly showcased in this episode. Zuko acknowledges his inner conflict but wants to prove his family wrong. This review will not spoil Zuko’s best moments. But know this: Zuko’s journey could inspire a dozen “character study” articles on this very platform.
The story continues in episode 302, “The Headband.” Aang and his gang of misfits, known in-universe as “Team Avatar,” attempt to blend in with a Fire Nation village. During the trip, Aang is mistaken as a transfer student from the Fire Nation colonies. He enrolls in the state-sponsored school to learn about the nation’s history. Aang’s antics with the school children run the risk of blowing his cover.
“The Headband” provides a light-hearted break from season three’s dark tone. Aang gives the Fire Nation school kids a taste of dancing, creative arts, and freedom. The episode has great visual gags, a fun premise, and showcases the future romance between Aang and Katara, the team’s Waterbender girl. The story is light on “moral content,” but is worth a watch.
In episode three, “The Painted Lady,” Team Avatar visits a fishing village, plagued by water pollution from a nearby Fire Nation factory. The town’s poisoned population is powerless to fight back. Inspired by the local legend of the “Painted Lady” spirit, Katara, Aang’s waterbending yet kind-hearted friend, impersonates the spirit to help, but at the cost of alerting the nearby factory. Can the team save the town in time?
“The Painted Lady” offers an excellent moral exercise for our heroes. Is it better to covertly help the townsfolk as a false spirit or should they leave the town to fulfill the original mission? Katara dresses up as “The Painted Lady” and heals the townsfolk with her water magic. However, she keeps this act a secret from Team Avatar, who are under a time crunch to defeat the Fire Lord. Katara convinces her friends to stay and to destroy the nearby metal factory.
At the end of “The Painted Lady,” Katara apologizes to the village for impersonating the water spirit. She encourages them to not wait for a savior but to take the initiative to clear the pollution by their own choice. It is another great addition to season three.