1x01 The Boy in the Iceberg

5.3/10. I'm excited to watch this, because of how much fandom buzz there is for it, but I can tell it's going to be tough sledding for me (no pun intended) until I get acclimated to the series. The anime art style has never really clicked with me, and it results in a lot elements in the episode leaving me cold. For instance, there's a stop-and-start quality to the animation that makes things like Aang and Katara's penguin sledding sequence feel like a particularly fleshed-out animatic rather than full-fledged and fluid scene. In addition, the exaggerated expressions from the characters at various emotional moments--what I would call mugging from live action actors--strikes me as cheesy and makes it harder for me to connect with these characters as real people. Still, director Dave Filoni had similar growing pains and bumps in the road with The Clone Wars and Rebels in the Star Wars franchise, so I'm willing to give him some time here to get everything right and to get used to the show's style of presentation.

There is, as you expect from a pilot, a lot of exposition, which comes off as pretty clunky but is also a necessary evil in establishing a setting like this. I have to admit, I like the idea of the world more than the way it's presented here. The concept of four "nations" of peoples across the world, with different types of magic-wielders is a neat idea, and the notion of a hundred-years long war that has left the magic-wielders scattered and possibly extinct in the face of an evil force creates an interesting sense of a generational, historical context to everything we see now. (It retrospect, with that premise, it makes total sense that Dave Filoni was tapped to work in the Star Wars Universe after working on this show.)

I also like the interesting theme that there is, in effect, a missing generation here. Everyone we meet in "The Boy in the Iceberg" is very young or very old. There's the sense that this war has decimated the people who should be leading the world right now. Instead, you have a bunch of kids who are too young to have the maturity or wisdom to know how to handle the difficulties of life trying to hold things together, and a bunch of older people with the wisdom, but not the vigor, to keep their descendants safe and well trying to guide them. Aang being over a century old, but mentally only twelve, works as an interesting way to put a character on both sides of this notion.

That said, the actual setup of the characters and immediate conflict didn't really grab me. Aang, Sokka, and Katara are all pretty basic archetypes, with semi-annoying qualities grafted onto them for good measure. The impish chosen one, the doubtful and pesky big brother, and the preternaturally sharp normal person thrust into this situation leaves a lot to be desired as a main trio coming out of the gate. Plus the Fire Prince kind of feels like a G.I. Joe villain with his evil evilness and single-minded plan. (Though I do like his sort of world-weary, somewhat impish great uncle.) Still, there's time to develop all three of them (and those same criticisms basically apply to the main Harry Potter trio and their antagonist in the franchise's early outings) so I'm trying not to put too much stock in the failings on this front just yet.

Overall, the premise of the show is great, and I like how quickly the intrigue of the mythology locks into place (not to mention the pretty adorable flying fluffy bison), but I'm still not quite on board with the characters who are populating the world just yet.

Very interesting coming back to this one having finished the whole series. What's funny is that I expected to have more affection for this episode given how much I came to care about and enjoy these characters in the subsequent 60 episodes of the show, but I ended up pretty well agreeing with my original review. If anything, I probably feel even more strongly that this is a pretty subpar introduction to a superlative series.

Oh sure, it sets up the basic dynamic of the show well enough. Aang is a spritely kid. Katara is determined but a little lost. Sokka is...way more of a jerk than he would later develop into. And Zuko is intense and angry and determined to catch the Avatar. But everyone on the show seems much more childish and caricatured than they would become. The animation is less finished and there's less aesthetic beauty than the show would hone later. And above all this just seems like a paint by numbers chosen one story to kick off a series that is anything but.

Rest assured, if you heard the hype and walked away from this opening chapter underwhelmed, you're not alone and not unjustified, and the show gets much, much better.

Basically a pitch perfect first episode. All of the main dynamics are set up immediately and with very little in the way of clunky exposition. Sure there needs to be a lot of setup done in order to get from point A to point B, but that setup is nigh seamless as we are transported into a unique world with it's own fantastical elements and creatures. The world building is immaculate, giving you just enough but all you need to know right now to get invested in what is actually important - the story and characters.

And thankfully, the show understands the importance of character and how to properly convey interactions between said characters. Aang is immediately a fantastic protagonist, showcasing a ton of hidden depth in a few simple glances and visuals, setting us up for a ton of great development with him. Sokka and Katara also have a ton of personality themselves, with Katara in particular really carrying this episode thematically and emotionally. As for Zuko? Well, Zuko is a character that immediately sticks out with his scars both internal and external, a conflicted soul whose half nature is obvious even in his face. These traits aren't noticeable just yet, but even so he remains a wonderful early antagonist and a great introduction to the Fire Nation threat. Flawless stuff to a nigh flawless show.