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noperopesaredope · 6 months

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Ramblings About Ep. 1 of the New ATLA Adaptation

Okay, so the other day, I watched the first episode of the new live-action ATLA adaptation (only episode 1, I haven't seen the rest and don't really plan to), and I felt like I should probably share my thoughts (a large part of this is just me hyper-analyzing story-structure stuff).

I'm not quite sure how to feel about the fact that they started before the Air Nomad genocide and at the start of the war, but I kinda like it. It is a major change from the OG show and affects the flow of it, but it's not a terrible decision, and is actually kind of interesting. It also adds something very interesting to the viewing experience and perspective of the show's story.

On the one hand, starting with Sokka and Katara added a bit of mysticality to Aang's appearance as an airbender. We start with the knowledge that airbenders are rare/unfamiliar to a lot of people now, and the idea that they haven't been seen for 100 years is less of a surprise. But that makes Aang all the more surprising. He is a mystery, someone only heard of in stories. It makes airbenders as a whole a more grand reveal.

"The Storm" is also an excellent episode, and makes our perspective on Aang change in an interesting way. We start out viewing him from Katara and Sokka's perspective. He is a silly kid who is slightly mysterious, but is also the savior people have been waiting for for generations. But then the episode "The Storm" comes, and we see a whole new side to him. He goes from "goofy kid" to a really tragic character.

Imagine if we were first introduced to Katara when she was a kid and before her mother died, then saw the Southern Water Tribe raid. Or if we were introduced to Zuko starting at the meeting where he yells at the general, then see the Agni Kai with his father. The emotional impact of both those events would be very different, and out perspectives on those characters would be very different.

Instead of seeing Katara as a motherly and kindhearted, yet inexperienced young girl, then slowly realizing there is a lot more under the surface that she is hiding from everyone, we would start out seeing her as a tragic character who is hiding a great loss. Instead of seeing Zuko as some asshole prince, then learning his backstory after establishing him as an asshole, we would start out on his side and see his downward spiral from there. Our expectations for who they are as characters would be completely different, because our introductions and starting points would be completely different.

But the fact that those would be different doesn't mean that those would be inherently bad. Just a different way of telling a story. It gives the viewer a completely different perspective of the character as a whole despite telling all the same events. Telling the events in a different order changes the viewing experience drastically, but it doesn't mean either method is wrong.

The fact that we start out with the war makes for an interesting plot-twist for those who haven't seen the original show and know nothing about it. When we start out with the war and the Air Nomads, it makes airbenders feel like a part of the norm. They are not quite as mysterious, and are much more familiar to the audience. When we learn of the war, that obviously becomes the point of interest for us. However, if you go in completely blind, you may expect for the plot to partially be about stopping the war before it starts, or preventing the Air Nomads from getting attacked. Your expectations for what will happen in the show are completely different.

We see the Air Nomads as a natural part of the world, and our starting perspective/main introduction to the world (the first two scenes before that are a bit to vague to be used as proper introductions to the world, while the Air Nomads are a bit more solid). They are the norm, and while we likely don't expect to stay with the Air Nomads forever, we likely expect them to remain a part of the world. They are essentially "home" to us, the same way the Southern Water Tribe felt like "home" in the original, even though we were only there for two episodes.

They are still home to our main characters and the starting setting, and thus, us. It is the familiar since it is the strongest point of introduction to the world. So every new location introduced after that will feel unfamiliar, while the starting location will not. This is the case with the Air Nomads. Everything outside of them feels unfamiliar because they are not our starting point of reference. So when the Air Nomad genocide occurs, it is a lot more shocking and upsetting.

Imagine if, in the original show, the reason Katara and Sokka had to leave with Aang wasn't just because they were helping him, but because Zuko and the firebenders burned down the entire village after beating Sokka in the duel. This killed everyone inside, and left Katara and Sokka homeless, with nowhere else to go. It would be a whole new degree of horrifying.

Going back to the point on the Air Nomad genocide and the airbenders in general. We were introduced to Monk Gyatso early on, not as a mysterious mentor we hear about secondhand or in flashbacks, but as one of the major characters who we know a bit more personally. Maybe we expect him to die, but not exactly like this. And more importantly, we don't expect for all the other airbenders to die (unless you guessed based on the title of the show).

These were our main characters. This isn't supposed to happen. And yet, it does. We can understand the anguish that Aang feels, because we lose our main point of reference at the same time he does. Monk Gyatso's death also has a tiny bit more impact and feels more like, say, Obi-wan's death. While I think his death-reveal was a bit more emotional in the original, that's because the acting and music and directing was better. If those elements stayed the same, then I think his death would likely be even more emotional than the original (I will touch on this more later). He is our starting point not just for Aang, but for the viewer as well. He feels like our mentor rather than "Aang's old teacher." He is not a past-tense or flashback, but a present tense character who is killed off.

This all puts us into Aang's shoes a bit better, and we experience the loss alongside him. It feels less like seeing a loved one grieve and hearing about the one's they lost secondhand, and more like grieving with them. But that's not the only thing we experience alongside Aang, or the big value of starting before the timeskip.

Remember how I brought up plot-twists? Well, this is the other interesting advantage of starting with the beginning of the war and the Air Nomads. First, we have already experienced the loss and tragedy of the Air Nomad genocide. While Aang doesn't know about it until a bit later, we are still essentially grieving the loss alongside him.

But not only did we not expect the Air Nomads to all get killed off, we definitely did not expect a 100 year timeskip. And the best part (which I was hoping they would do as soon as I realized they were starting with the Air Nomads) is that they don't actually tell us until they tell Aang. We get a period of time where we don't realize that that much time has passed. We are likely expecting it to take place soon after the Air Nomad genocide, and that it will be a recent event. At most, it could be a couple of years or so. Maybe even just a year. They've been at war, but not for that long.

We can even assume for a bit that maybe this small village is just so remote that they've never met other benders before, or at least airbenders. Maybe they heard about the genocide, and didn't expect there to be survivors, but it would still be relatively recent. We think that they are in the same period as us, and maybe not the same exact situation, but generally a similar international one. We expect Aang to still be in his time. The framing is actually perfect for this. Sure, there will be a few moments that will feel...off...but everything can be excused.

So when they reveal that actually, this is a 100 year timeskip, it is worldshaking. Imagine that in most other shows. A character gets knocked out and is found in a new location by a few other characters, and things seem mostly normal. But then they throw us and the character a curveball by revealing that they've been missing/unconscious for 100 years and everything has completely changed. That's absolutely wack.

I will admit, based on how things were set up, I was a little disappointed with the payoff of the "plot-twist". The most interesting part of starting at the beginning of the war before the genocide is that the 100 year timeskip becomes much more shocking. We are mainly seeing things from Aang's perspective, so the shock of this revelation should be just as impactful for us as it is for him.

But it doesn't feel like a big enough moment. It feels a little rushed over. I think this is due to the same problems as Monk Gyatso's death. The music/sound design, direction, and acting aren't as good and don't have the same punch to them, thus taking away the impact of what should be a powerful moment. I think it was an interesting idea, but the payoff kinda defeated the point.

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While going to the air temple makes sense in terms of character logic, I feel like the story-structure automatically took away the impact of Aang discovering Gyatso's body. Yes, as I've been saying, I kinda like them starting with the Air Nomads and then showing the genocide, but since they changed the story structure and emotional beats, it changes what scenes are and aren't necessary.

The episode "The Southern Air Temple" is very specific in how it tells its story, and the buildup to discovering Gyatso's body really only fits with the original episode. I think that maybe this could have worked if Aang coming back to the Air Temple was its own episode like in the original show and it took place a few episodes after episode 1. Like, we've already been on one or two adventures with Aang, Katara, and Sokka, and while they aren't besties yet, they are still beginning to establish a bond. We also see Aang still being at least slightly hopeful about there still being other airbenders around, which could be pretty sad since we already know that they're gone and it hasn't hit him yet.

Then, there is an episode where he is wandering around the Air Temple like in the original, and there is an intense tension throughout the episode as he gets closer and closer to Gyatso's body. We know Gyatso's dead, but Aang doesn't. We know that him seeing Gyatso's body is inevitable, but there is still a lot of tension in waiting for the inevitable. So it could be a really heartbreaking episode, because we know exactly what's going to happen, but we can't stop it.

So when he finally discovers Gyatso's body, it's like a gutpunch. And that's when the OG scene plays. The fact that it's a few episodes later also adds an impact to Katara's line about her and Sokka being Aang's new family. We experienced the loss of Aang's old family, and then we realize that the water tribe siblings have become Aang's new family. It makes it more heartwarming. Yes, Aang has lost, but he has also found.

~~~~~

I will admit, despite the controversy, Sokka's actor is pretty good. Maybe that's just because the movie lowered my expectations by a lot, but he was the most entertaining character. I laughed at a few of his jokes, and he was fun.

I do see people's problems with the sexism being taken away. The first episode works well enough without the sexism, and introduces a new, pretty interesting arc for Sokka (being a teenager expected to lead when he's not ready. That was slightly the case in the OG, but it more focused on other elements of this) which slightly parallel's Aang's arc of responsibility and putting expectations on kids/teens that they shouldn't have to handle. But Sokka's sexism arc was already pretty interesting and unique, and his toxic masculinity made his arc very intriguing. His character was very fun to look at through that lens, and slightly played into the idea of expectations.

I'm also unsure how this will work for the rest of the series. I mean, Kyoshi Island. What will they do with that? Legitimately. What is there to do? That was half the point of that episode, and it was awesome.

~~~~~

People were right when they said the special effects looked great, way cooler and cleaner than the movie. The opening scene with the earthbender is a great example of how to adapt bending into a live action form that captures the spirit of bending and does it service. It feels just as grand as in the original show. While I know the the bending moves in the OG were based on real martial arts, it can be hard to recognize just how natural the movements looked in relation to bending when watching a cartoon. But the live action bending made me realize and appreciate the way the elements actually flowed with the movements. They didn't felt random, they felt like there was legitimate physics to it.

I still have one problem with the airbending, though. I know Aang is the Avatar and a prodigy, but he was basically flying at multiple points, specifically when he was first introduced. I feel like he should only be able to do stuff like that with either his glider or when he's in the Avatar state. I was really getting into the episode and was slightly enjoying his introduction, but then he started floating down way too slowly without anything to fully support him (like a glider or even parachute), and it immediately broke my immersion and suspension of disbelief.

Despite being a show about people with either hyperspecific telekinesis or pyrokinesis, as I mentioned above, ATLA feels surprisingly realistic and grounded in its magic system, and bending feels natural with a physics of its own. I don't actually have to suspend my disbelief too hard, because though it can't happen in the real world, it doesn't feel unbelievable. Aang gliding around without a glider or other device to help carry him? Far less believable. Also, where's the airscooter? That made more sense for Aang and felt a lot less weird, and was more in-character. It's also very fun to watch and I'd look to see him do it. Give us back the airscooter.

So bending in the show still has a few minor flaws, and we're only on Episode 1.

~~~~~

Now, obviously, I do have some criticisms. I just like to get the positives out of the way first (though even then, I did mention a few negatives). The main problem that immediately stood out to me (and even my ever optimistic mom) is that the acting felt really stiff most of the time. That was one of the major problems with some of the emotional scenes I mentioned, like Aang finding out how long he'd been in the iceberg, or him discovering Monk Gyatso's body. I think everyone has probably already mentioned it, but I still felt the need to mention it. I respect the actors and feel bad saying this, but the acting lowkey ruined a lot of the first episode for me.

Like, do these characters feel anything ever? I get subtly in acting, but for characters like Aang, he often wears his heart on his sleeve and is very expressive. I actually wouldn't mind at least a little bit of exaggeration, at least for Aang. And while I said Sokka was okay, he could be a little bit better, and like Aang, he could be a little more exaggerated. Like when he's frustrated or annoyed (or most anything really), he seems like the type to have big, physical reactions. He talks with his hands and does things like throwing them up in the air in exasperation. He lets out big groans as he slouches and throws his head back. He's a silly guy, even when he is trying to act tough and serious. Basically get the most naturally funny guy you know and cast him as Sokka.

Katara, like in the movie, basically felt like she wasn't even there, or was standing around all the time. At this point, it feels like nobody will be able to capture the essence of the OG Katara, or they don't know how to. I saw a post recently that mentioned that Katara is actually a pretty angry person sometimes, and while she is very sweet and caring, she is a 14 y/o girl who is prone to outbursts and moments of pettiness. I actually like her best when she is yelling at people and getting annoyed and emotional. She is very flawed and more than just the motherly caretaker.

It feels like they need to add more emotional Katara, and not just the kind who cries. A Katara who is still a teen girl at the end of the day and has childish behaviors like the others. She will have moments of emotional immaturity. She will get overeager and impulsive (like when she stole the water scroll). She will be playful and silly. She will be angry and protective in a way that makes her reckless. She will make poor decisions. She will become strong and badass. She is so many things.

And yet, it feels like she is never given the spotlight, attention, and variety she deserves in these adaptations. Sorry for rambling about Katara, I just have so many Thoughts™ on her.

~~~~~

I don't have too much else to say, but there is one moment that unintentionally made me giggle, and I need to mention it. In the final few minutes of the episode (possible part of the final shot or something), Zuko runs over to his desk and starts furiously painting something on a piece of paper. He pins it to the wall in front of him, and it is a very shitty ink painting of Aang. And I find it so funny for some reason? I think it was because he was painting with such passion and intensity like it was the most important thing in the world, only for it to be contrasted by a poorly drawn scribble.

~~~~~

Anyways, that's all I have in my brain rn (or at least all that I care about enough to say anything about). These were just random, slightly disconnected ramblings rather than a properly written review, but I hope you related to them anyways or at least think they are interesting.

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