2x06 The Blind Bandit

Introducing Toph was the best thing Avatar: The Last Airbender ever did. While the main core trio is great on their own and they have a great rapport going, especially in this episode, Toph introduces an element the show was missing - a true foil to Aang. She is the opposite of Aang in pretty much every single way, and yet they compliment each other almost to a tee. She's sarcastic, feisty, loves to fight, and wickedly talented to the point where she basically has nothing else to learn. Aang is kind, naive, diplomatic, and has a lot to learn. It's this parallel that makes them both great characters to have around, especially with each other.

It helps that her introductory episode is so good. Her debut as a character is nigh perfect, and her showcase of her abilities one of the best visual things on the show so far. The wrestling parodies are equally hilarious in good measure, particularly The Boulder who is a laugh riot. I also like how contained the show remains in this particular episode, with the Fire Nation absent for the first time in the show's entire run - something that would benefit the show in the long run as it becomes more and more character centric.

[8.4/10] Full disclosure, I may be overrating this one because I grew up a pro-wrestling fan, and hearing Mick Foley impersonate The Rock, while the show otherwise melds wrestling tropes with the airbender mythos, was uniquely appealing to me. Including a villain wrestler who is a combination of Andre the Giant and a Punch Out opponent, or an analog of Ivan Koloff who sings the song of the Fire Nation instead of Russia, just tickled my funny bone like crazy. Sokka in particular was in rare form, between being totally invested in the “Earth Rumble” and hooting and hollering his head off on the one hand, and obsessing over whether or not to by an expensive bag on the other.

Even Katara, who had less to do, got a few great moments, particularly the way she dealt with the punks who refused to tell them about the Earth Rumble. Her jibes and threats were great.

The main story was a bit stock, but introduce an intriguing new character. I have to admit, without knowing anything about her, I’d heard A:TLA fans rave about Toph before, so I knew she was someone to look out for. The storyline that introduces her is unique in its pro-wrestling/earth-bending style, but also pretty cliché, with the parents who are overprotective of a child who they don’t realize can take care of herself. The double life aspect of it adds some intrigue, and it at least gives Toph an immediately recognizable character motivation and yet another group out to get the Aang gang, but it’s a little generic.

That said, Toph herself is anything but. I love the animation and design choices in illustrating the use of her earth-bending skills. The Matrix-like time dilation, and the depiction of her feeling the vibrations made for some incredible action sequences. The show has truly honed its action game of late, finding incredible uses for the combination of powers in the series. Watching her dispatch baddies with ease was a treat. And her pugnacious personality is a welcome addition as well, with her insults to Aang in particular making me chuckle.
Overall, some of this may as well have been pitched to me specifically, but I got a big kick out of the comic side of it, really enjoyed the action side of it, and appreciated the character introduction, even if it hewed a little more cliché than I might have liked.