The Last Airbender

Like most effective visual entertainment such as plays, movies, or even magic tricks, The Storm is comprised of three acts. The first act introduces the characters as normal people, but hints at their flaws, fears, and mistakes. The second act explores those flaws through flashback scenes and other artistic imagery. The third act bring it all full circle into the present moment by challenging the characters and giving them the chance to set things right.  So far in the series, Zuko is seen as a cut-and-dry antagonist. Aang tries to fulfill his destiny as the Avatar, while Zuko always attempts to capture him. And that has been the extent of it... until now. What makes The Storm so amazing, from a character development perspective, is that it shifts the ENTIRE SHOW over the course of one episode. How?! In just 22 minutes, ATLA transforms from a protagonist/antagonist story, to a dual protagonist story. Zuko is no longer just "a bad guy." Both Aang and Zuko's stories...

Eagle screech* The Great Divide is an interesting episode to say the least. Unlike most of the Avatar saga, this one is complete filler, meaning, it doesn't really develop our main cast or introduce recurring characters. It's the only episode you could   skip and be completely fine. That being said, I think there's more substance here than most people realize, and in fact, the majority of the episode is pretty decent! I would never recommend skipping an episode of Avatar. Like many other episodes, the opening scenes foreshadow future events and conflicts. Katara and Sokka fighting over whether or not to put up the tarp is actually a perfect reflection of the squabble between the two tribes. In both cases, the conflict is petty at best, and it leaves Aang in no-man's land to mediate and find a solution. Over the course of The Great Divide , Aang developed and matured as he fulfilled his role as peacekeeper and conflict solver. Part of the reason--and I have to co...