Creators: Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko
Cast: Dee Bradley Baker, Zach Tyler, Mae Whitman, Jack De Sena, Dante Bosco, Mako, Jessie Flower, Grey DeLisle
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Nickelodeon/Paramount Home Video
Release Date: January 22, 2008
It’s hard to believe that it is time to review the next volume in the Avatar: The Last Airbender season three set of DVDs. This volume is Avatar: The Last Airbender – Book Three, Vol. 2. You can check out my review for Avatar: The Last Airbender – Book Three, Vol. 1 to catch up on everything you might have missed in the first five episodes of Season Three aka Book Three. I have to say I’m really digging this new season. What I’m not fond of is Nickelodeon’s hesitancy to air future episodes.
YTV in Canada has been airing everything up through episode 3.13, but even then it’s been more than a few weeks since that episode aired. Fans of the show (including myself) are disgruntled. We want our Avatar and we want it now! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard…”I don’t want to see another Zoey 101 rerun. It says in the TV guide on my television that Avatar: The Last Airbender is supposed to be on, so where’s my Avatar?”
Seriously, Nickelodeon! Quit saying Avatar is going to be on if it’s not, and let the fans know when the next new episode is going to air. That being said, let’s commence with the review.
Release Information:
Avatar: The Last Airbender has been airing on Nickelodeon since February 21, 2005. Now in the middle of its third season, Avatar: The Last Airbender seems to be in a stagnant state that might (or might not) be affected by the writer’s strike. The biggest complaint by fans, including myself, is the sporadic airings of the show, which gets some of the highest ratings for the network. With no static schedule, the series is libel to lose viewership since no one is sure when the next episode of Season 3 is going to air. Nevertheless, the second set of five episodes in the third season, episodes 3.6-3.10, are available in Avatar: The Last Airbender – Season Three Vol. 2.
Avatar: The Last Airbender – Season Three Vol. 2 features the episodes that aired on the U.S. Nickelodeon station from October 26, 2007 to November 30, 2007. It is unclear how the current Avatar schedule will affect the release of Avatar: The Last Airbender – Season Three Vol. 3, at this point. Paramount and Nickelodeon are releasing Avatar: The Last Airbender – Season Three Vol. 2 on January 22, 2008. You will be able to find this on the Nickelodeon website and at local retailers after this date. Avatar: The Last Airbender – Season Three Vol. 2 can be purchased on Amazon for $14.49.
The Avatar: The Last Airbender – Season Three Vol. 2 Plot
Avatar: The Last Airbender is, as Nickelodeon likes to say, about ‘a boy who can bend air, with no hair’. That pretty much sums up the show. Aang (Zach Tyler) is the Avatar, and as you might of guessed…he’s bald. The Avatar is the only person in the world who can master all four elements. The world is split up into four parts. There are the Air Temples where the Air Nomads once lived. This is Aang’s home, but as the show’s name implies, he is the last of the Airbenders. They were all destroyed in a raid by the greedy army of the Fire Nation, who wished to take over and unite the world into one, vast empire.
The other two areas are the land of the Water Tribes at the North and South Poles and the Earth Kingdoms. When the series began, Aang and his flying Bison, Appa (Dee Bradley Baker), had be trapped in an air bubble, frozen for 100 years. They were found by two teens from the Water Tribe, Katara (Mae Whitman) and her brother, Sokka (Jack De Sena). Katara is a water bender. Each kingdom has benders, who can manipulate the element most prosperous in their land. Water Tribe benders can bend water and other liquids. Fire Nation benders can bend fire. Earth Kingdom benders bend the Earth, rocks, and anything solid like that. They can even bend coal. Finally, air benders use the air to bend. Aang is the only person who can bend all four elements. Unfortunately, before he disappeared he never learned the other elements so he sets out with his new friends, Katara and Sokka, who is just a warrior not a bender, to learn the three other elements.
Along the way, the trio finds MoMo (Dee Bradley Baker), a lemur, who seems to be the last living thing at the Air Temple where Aang grew up. They also meet Toph (Jessie Flower), a blind Earth bender, who is going to teach Aang to bend Earth-like materials. In the third season, Aang has mastered all of the elements but Fire. The team has a plan to invade the Fire Nation on the day of Black Sun (when a solar eclipse happens). Since Fire Benders get their power from the sun they will be weak and unable to attack. Unfortunately, the Earth King has unknowingly informed Princess Azula (Grey DeLisle), daughter to the Fire Lord (leader of the Fire Nation) of the attack in Season Two. She will be able to warn her father of the upcoming attack now that she and ZuZu, as she likes to call her brother, Prince Zuko (Dante Bosco), have returned to the Fire Nation.
Zuko had been exiled and would only be readmitted back into the Fire Nation if he caught the Avatar. In season two, Azula badly injured Aang. Had Katara, who has healing abilities, not saved him he would be dead. At the start of Season Three, Azula has told everyone he is dead and that Zuko is the one who killed him. In the Avatar: The Last Airbender – Season Three Vol. 2 set, the second set of five episodes, episodes 3.6-3.10 are included on this disc. In the set, it’s pretty clear that Zuko has mixed emotions. His Uncle Iroh (Mako), who has taken care of him during his exile, has been imprisoned for helping the Avatar try to escape and he is not sure whether his father really ever loved him. Zuko’s mother mysteriously disappeared and that upsets Zuko though any answer he gets from Azula about it is that she deserved it.
Here is a breakdown of the episodes included in this set and a synopsis of each of them.
Episode 3.6: “The Avatar and the Fire Lord” – This episode fluctuates between both present day and flashbacks. Aang has found a way to contact Avatar Roku, the fire bending Avatar who was the incarnation right before Aang (the Avatar has many incarnations, each one born in a cycle, so each nation gets an Avatar every 4th lifetime). At the same time, Zuko finds a mysterious scroll that tells him he must learn about the history of his great-grandfather.
Thinking that whoever sent the message, and he assumes it is his Uncle Iroh, means his great-grandfather, Fire Lord Sozen, he makes his way to a hidden library, where he reads about the story Aang is being told by Roku. It seems that Roku and Sozen were once best friends, until the duties of the Avatar for Roku and the power hungry greed of wanting to rule the world for Sozen split up their friendship and eventually lead to Roku’s death. This story has even more meaning to Zuko, as he will get more from it than he ever could have anticipated.
Episode 3.7: “The Runaway” – The Avatar gang have been hanging around in the Fire Nation disguised as Fire Nation travelers. When they come to a village where gambling and other games of chance seem to be prevalent, Toph discovers a way to make a lot of money. Katara doesn’t approve of this and the rift grows between the two, until Katara decides to plan the ultimate scam, with disastrous consequences for everyone.
Episode 3.8: “The Puppetmaster” – The crew find themselves the unwilling guests at the home of an innkeeper who has quite the secret about who she really is. When people mysteriously disappear from the nearby village, the Avatar gang begins to suspect the Innkeeper, but with little proof to back them up, it will take a full moon to learn her true secret.
Episode 3.9: “Nightmares and Daydreams” – The invasion is quickly approaching. In the days leading up to the attack, Aang continuously has nightmares, to the point where he decides he will not sleep until the invasion is over. Unfortunately, Avatar or not, Aang is still human and he begins to have delusions that make Katara, Sokka, and Toph worry about whether he’ll be in any condition to fight the Fire Lord on the day of the invasion. Meanwhile, Zuko, who is already having doubts about himself and the Avatar’s demise, is feeling the pressure of being the Prince of the Fire Nation and Azula is definitely not helping him.
Episode 3.10: “The Day of Black Sun: Part I – The Invasion” – Aang, Toph, Katara and Sokka meet up with some of their old allies from past adventures, including Sokka and Katara’s father. There are some surprises for Aang and the gang to help in the battle, but with the Fire Lord prepared thanks to Azula, will the preparations taken and executed in this episode be worth it?
Overall, these episodes were supplementation to build up to the Invasion. While they may not be the most important in the series, they were still quite enjoyable. I love Avatar and am anxiously waiting to find out what is going to happen next. While Season 3, Vol. 3 has been announced for a release in May, let’s hope the episodes that will be included on the following disc will have aired on Nickelodeon before the DVD comes out.
Storyline/Plot: 
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:
Audio/Visual:
Like most animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender – Season Three Vol. 2 is presented in a full frames format. Likewise, it’s transferred at an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. This is the original format for when the show aired on television. The quality for Avatar: The Last Airbender – Season Three Vol. 2 is as good if not better as when these episodes aired on Nickelodeon. There isn’t much to complain about. The colors come through vibrantly and the animation flows smoothly.
Audio is also typical for a television show. While I always love the Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks, the track provided for Avatar: The Last Airbender – Season Three Vol. 2 in Dolby Digital Stereo sound suits this animated show nicely. It isn’t as impressive as a 5.1 track could have been, but it also doesn’t have any audio errors, sound problems or volume issues.
Visual:
Audio:
Bonus Features:
Like all the other individual volumes released for other seasons of Avatar: The Last Airbender, the primary bonus feature is Audio Commentaries for each episode. The commentaries provide some extra information about the show, the creators’ vision for the show and the ideas behind each episode. It’s interesting to turn the commentary on and re-watch the episode right after you first watch it as the commentary provides insight into any questions or ideas you’ve garnered from watching the episode.
Certain DVDs of Avatar: The Last Airbender – Season Three Vol. 2 offer a limited edition, Avatar Comic Book. While the current DVD will have the comic book, I’m not sure if all future releases of Avatar: The Last Airbender – Season Three Vol. 2 will include it so if you want the comic book, pick this DVD up as soon as possible.
Bonus Features: 
Bottom Line:
I love Avatar: The Last Airbender. You should already know that by now. I’ve done several reviews on past seasons and have even done recaps of past episodes of the show. That being said, you should already know I’m going to recommend it. So what are you waiting for? Go buy Avatar: The Last Airbender – Season Three Vol. 2. It’s not worth the wait until Season Three comes out in a full set. With the current lag of episodes on Nickelodeon, who knows when that is going to be available anyway?
Overall Rating:
Technorati Tags: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Season Three, Volume 2, Aang, Fire Lord, Roku, Sokka, Katara, Toph, Prince Zuko, Princess Azula, Nickelodeon, Paramount
Written by Dominick Evans – Visit Website
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Dominick is in his late 20s. He lives in Michigan with his life partner, Ashtyn, their 14 year old son Robert, and their Shih-Tzu, Oliver. Dominick is a writer and the head editor for both LI Kids and Literary Illusions. He enjoys composing music and is an aspiring director/screenwriter. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, playing and watching sports, playing video games, watching movies, and singing.
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