Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2 is confirmed – and I want to see plenty of things happen in it.
When Netflix's live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender released to the public, the reactions varied—some people loved it, and others found fault with some of the show’s changes. But, through it all, we watched enough that it scored a coveted Season 2 at the streaming platform.
Now that it's confirmed, there are some things from the original Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series that I need to see in Season 2, so let's get into it.
Actually Seeing Aang Learn The Elements
I can't be the only one who was thrown off because we didn't see Aang learning to bend in Season 1, right?
A big staple of the original is that Aang learned a new element each season – Book 1: Water, Book 2: Earth, and Book 3: Fire, and he didn't need a fourth because he already knew air. For some reason, we didn't see him learn waterbending during Season 1 of the live-action show.
Maybe that means they'll include it in the second season, but it was an essential plot point in the show, where he learned it so easily, and Katara really had to work hard to become the master she is. Instead, in the live-action, we see Aang not bending water at all, and Katara is skilled as heck with it against Zuko. Can we see him learn next time?
Katara's Feisty Nature To Grow
I love the live-action Avatar: The Next Airbender cast, but can we talk about how Katara was really toned down from the animated one? Her feisty personality and fierce nature are really what made her character so great. She was willing to do anything for her friends and was powerful in her own way.
Live-action Katara feels a little too calm. Yes, she's always acted almost as a compass for Aang in both shows, but the animated character had so much more emotion connected to it. In the live-action, she feels stale – and I want to see the fiery way she presents herself grow more.
Seeing Zuko And Iroh Cut Their Hair
Zuko's character arc is unmatched in many ways, and a huge moment in Book 2 of Avatar: The Last Airbender is when Zuko and Iroh cut their hair – symbolizing the fact that they're fugitives now.
It's such a pivotal scene for the two of them, but especially for Zuko, and I hope that Season 2 does it justice.
Toph's Proper Entrance As A Fighter – And All Her Humor
Toph is a fan favorite for a reason. Aang's Earthbending teacher, Toph is a blind twelve-year-old who makes fun of herself and doesn't let anyone tell her what to do. She has a tough way of teaching and never backs down from a fight.
Please, for the love of God, keep Toph the way she is. Don't tone her down. People love Toph so much because she doesn't let her disability—her blindness—stop her from achieving greatness. In fact, she makes jokes about herself and others because she's so confident in her skills. We need those kinds of representations in modern-day TV for little girls and boys, the same way we had them growing up. Keep her the same, please.
Ba Sing Se In All Its Glory
Ba Sing Se always stood out as the city to be in when it came to Avatar: The Last Airbender, and I don't want this place to be toned down in any way.
In the animated series, Ba Sing Se is giant. It takes up so much land, has three separate walls to separate social classes (much like the anime Attack on Titan and many other movies and shows), and has so much culture and richness. It'll be some of the show's best episodes if it's brought to life properly.
They did a decently good job with Omashu, so here's hoping Ba Sing Se is even better.
Toph Learning To Metalbend
Toph learned how to Metalbend through spite. She wanted to get out of a cage and used her abilities to find tiny pieces of rock in metal to escape, and it's one of the most badass scenes of the entire original show.
If this is not kept in, I am suing for emotional damages, because it will only lessen Toph's fantastic story. She created a new bending ability, which we need to talk about.
The Tales Of Ba Sing Se
I'm not tearbending right now; you are.
But actually, I think the Book 2 episode, "The Tales of Ba Sing Se," was the first time many people of my generation sobbed for hours on end due to a TV show.
Six separate stories follow the main characters in Ba Sing Se, and while some push the plot forward, others deliver potent messages and emotional scenes that still sit with us to this day. Heck, some of Iroh's best wisdom lines come from this episode.
Think about "Leaves From The Vine." Now think of live-action Iroh actor Paul Sun-Hyung Lee singing it. Yeah, I'm crying already.
The Cactus Juice
This is such a random thing to put in here, but I really want them to keep the cactus juice sequence with Sokka in the live-action. When they get lost in a desert, Sokka drinks strange juice from a cactus, which essentially sends him on a bad trip.
I know it's wildly animated, but I would love to see Ian Ousley tear this up. I think this could be hilarious in live-action, and it's one of the funniest parts of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
The Library
Something that surprised me in Season 1 is that we saw the owl spirit, Wan Shi Tong, a whole season earlier. Maybe that means we're going to get the library to a bigger extent in Season 2 of the show.
The library – otherwise known as Wan Shi Tong's Library – is a huge plot detail in Book 2 of the animated series and sets up a lot of story for the rest of the show, and I want to make sure Season 2 brings it forward in all its glory. I want to feel mesmerized by this library. I want to feel like I am in a sea of knowledge, and I want Wan Shi Tong to feel as intimidating in live-action as he did animated.
Zuko And Katara Trapped Together
There are plenty of moments in Zuko's timeframe that need to be included, but one that I have to see is Zuko and Katara trapped together in Ba Sing Se.
It happens in the finale of Book 2, where Zuko and Katara actually have a heart-to-heart – to the point where Katara offers the chance to see if the spirit water from the Northern Water Tribe might help heal Zuko's scar. Not that long after, when Azula hangs the possibility of going back home again over Zuko's head, he betrays Katara after gaining her trust just for a moment.
Not only does it set up their dynamic in Book 3 (which many fans, including myself, love), but it also sets them up on their paths of character development. With Azula's early entrance into the series, the relationship between Zuko and Azula could be expanded to make that betrayal more heartbreaking.
My colleague Rich Knight said that Season 2 of the show can be good without drawing too heavily from the animation, and I agree. There were certain moments in Season 1 of the show where it felt like one-for-one recreation, but the changes they made were so…interesting.
However, there are moments from Book 2 that have to be in Season 2, and these are just some of my picks. I'm curious about what others would be, but I'll wait patiently for Season 2 – whenever that comes.
