It's a mark of how much improvement Season 2 is over 1 that even the frivolous village-of-the-week stuff like "Avatar Day" is snappy and actually funny; in general, the humor means actual gags now instead of childish pandering.
"You must never give into despair. Allow yourself to slip down that road, and you surrender to your lowest instincts. In the darkest times, hope is something you give yourself. That is the meaning of inner strength."
Kyoshi was the best to ever do it. Shout out to a big footed queen
they did all that just to kyoshi to came back and said she actually did it will always be funny
7/10
While it can be seen as nothing but a filler episode, "Avatar Day" is actually incredibly intelligent and it's placement in the series is nigh perfect. For starters, it's the first real time we see the history of the Avatar actively confronted - the mythos is, for the first time, stripped back and we how each Avatar is still their own person and sometimes makes decisions that another wouldn't. This is most obvious with Kyoshi, who is clearly a much more pragmatic character then Aang is and ever will be. And because of that, Aang must deal for sins that he never even committed - showing how sins of the past will always influence those in the present and future, shaping us into who we are as a people today. Zuko's own B-story parallels this well, with him unable to move on from his own sins and refusing to accept his new situation, leaving him to go on his own in a tragic scene.
Of course, it's also just really, really funny. Sokka's detective bits are a laugh riot, and the actual trial itself is a ton of fun. The absurdity of the actual events on screen are laid bare and it's clear the creators are having a ton of fun mocking actually law trials and the way we conduct them. It's intelligent stuff, and it mixes the comedy and drama almost immaculately.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2017-02-21T02:21:10Z— updated 2022-10-17T18:41:56Z
[8.7/10] If there’s one thing about A:TLA that’s grown on me as I’ve gotten more into the show, it’s the humor. Tons of jokes in the show’s early going made me cringe, but in an episode like “Avatar Day,” one that is fairly centered around comic set pieces, I enjoyed the laughs greatly.
That’s particularly true for Sokka’s portion. His losing his boomerang and sulking about the lack of his defining implement was amusing, as was the way Aang and Katara puffed him up about being a great detective. His commitment to his Sherlock Holmes by way of Asia hat and bubble pipe was amusing, as was his grand intent to be the one to declare the solution to any mystery, even if Katara had figured it out too. It was an episode that definitely leaned into the comedy, and Sokka was the star.
But there were good laughs all around! Aang finding solace with the other prisoners in the city of Chin over his girl troubles was brief but chuckle-worthy. The entire city of Chin’s disdain for the Avatar and bizarre kangaroo court (where the Aang gang is relying on the Sideshow Bob defense) brought on plenty of laughs. Even the guy from Kyoshi Island who fawns over the Avatar gang so much that he foams at the mouth and passes out got a laugh out of me. Throw in Avatar doing his best Kyoshi impression, the ending food joke, and inimitable comic stylings of James Hong, and you have one of A:TLA’s funniest episodes yet.
But amid the great comedy, there was some superb action and even some heavier stuff as well. Avatar Kyoshi’s brief return to tell the story of why she really killed Chin, and how she split Kyoshi Island (which, like Monster Island, was actually a peninsula) using her Avatar powers was pretty badass. The fight with the rough rhinos had some cool sequences, including Sokka using his detective implements and getting his boomerang back. And Zuko trying to pamper his uncle and then deciding he has to go on his own was strong emotional material.
Overall, it’s a superb episode, that brought the laughs and, when necessary, brought emotional and mythos-heavy stuff as well.