But we'll get to that. Let's focus on what the show did well and for that, we have the lovely concept of the filler episode.
For those of you who don't know, filler episodes are episodes in the series that don't have any relation to the main plot. They're usually used for wacky, one-off comedy villains or beach episodes with low stakes, easily resovable conflicts, and little consequence. Used effectively, however, they can be explorations of character and themes that otherwise couldn't be done because of plot demands.
What season three essentially does is split itself in half with two segments of filler arcs- one where the Gaang explores the Fire Nation before their invasion of the Fire Nation capital with the second half comprised of the Zuko field trip episodes.
This works extremely well for the show as a whole because it allows us to explore the Fire Nation as it exists beyond the trappings of its army while also giving time to deal with the burdens of Katara's team mom characteristics and Sokka's insecurity of being the one normal guy on a team of master-level benders. The work done in these episodes are why people remember the characters of the show as fondly as they do, they do the actual meat-and-potatoes work that give the bigger, spectacular moments their heart and weight.
All that said, the show fumbles the balance between the individual episodes and the larger plot demands in the back half of the season. Namely, it's decision for Zuko to withhold the information about his father's plans to burn the Earth Kingdom to the ground throws everything off, leaving the four-part finale as the weakest written episodes in the series.
I can understand the choices behind withholding that information until the very end; dropping a bomb like that threatens to overshadow every other conflict and can make the stories in the field trip episodes feel irrelevant- who cares about a random ship captain when the world is about to end? The Zuko field trips are some of the best in the entire series so I don't blame the writers for wanting to make sure that their crown jewels were overlooked because the audience was focused on something else.
However, doing things this way means that when you do reveal the endgame, you have a much smaller time frame to deal with the characters to process, then attempt to counter whatever the evil master plan is. It's a thin rope for the show to walk with such an enormous load on its back.
The burning of an entire continent is simply too big, too horrific on scope, to deal with in just four episodes. Every one scambles to do something, anything, in the face of such a genocidal ambition so the finale feels rushed, underdeveloped, and arbitrary. These are the last things you want the conclusion of your narrative to feel like, especially one the has such careful setup along the way.
To be clear, I don't think the concept of energy bending is a bad one. Having the hero kill their way out of their problems isn't as mature a storytelling technique as its made out to be, especially in a show where one of the core underlying themes is that trying to resolve conflict by escalating violence only perpetuates that conflict under new, brutal terms.
Devising a third way out of this based on a deeper understanding that all things are connected, that the separation of people's, nations, and elements is an illusion, isn't bad writing. On the contrary, it's how the show fulfills its premise that compassion and empathy are ultimately the tools to defeat the roots of violence.
No, the thing that ruins this idea is how little time Aang spends looking for it. On top of that, he doesn't earn it or discover it himself, it is simply handed to him at the last minute. Then, right when he needs it most, he gets pushed into a rock that removes the block keeping him from going into the Avatar state, allowing him to use the new technique gifted to him a half-hour before he needed it.
It's all just very convenient, which, behind being boring, is the second worst sin a story can commit. Every thing in the finale happens because it must happen, there's no time for anything else so everything's good now, yay.
So how could they avoided this? First thing, is Zuko spills the beans much, much, sooner. To be specific, it should happen in the same and Aang learn the true roots of fire bending. It could be an end of the episode stinger of "Good thing you know all four elements now, you'll need it when the comet comes and my dad literally burns the world to the ground."
Even if you're worried about this threat overshadowing the arcs in the individual episodes, that, too is easy enough to avoid. It wouldn't take much to establish that this news has driven Aang into a panic-induced isolation from the group as he tries to figure out what he's going to do. As for why Sokka and Katara would pick this time to run off on their own, well, if you found out the world could end in a matter of weeks, wouldn't you want to tie up as many of your loose ends as you could?
Sidelining Aang like this let's us know he's obsessing over the problem so when we do get his direct deliberations in the finale, it's with the sense that he's been doing this for weeks, cycling through his past lives looking for something, anything, which will allow him to keep his soul and save the world at the same time.
Disappointing as it is that the show didn't stick the landing cleanly as it could have, it's still a masterclass in long-form storytelling, with character and theme development as pretty much any other classic you could name. For all the nitpicky quibbles, the show is still one of the best to come out of the mid-00's, and I think it's worth watching start to finish at least once, just to experience it for yourself.
Oh, right, Korra is better, go watch that if you can find it.
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