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*SPOILERS FOR ALL THREE SEASONS SO IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED IT, THINK YOU MIGHT AND DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED DON'T READ THIS*
I mentioned earlier that I had gotten all three seasons of Avatar: the Last Airbender on DVD for Christmas. Well, for the past two days, I've been rewatching Season One (which really should've only taken a day seeing as how there's only twenty episodes and each one is half an hour long--less without commercials--but I've been watching it with my mom who can only watch one show for so long without needing a break). It's been a while--a long while--since I've seen the first season, and it's really interesting to go back and see how everyone's changed--especially Prince Zuko. I had rewatched the series finale only a couple of days ago, so to go from the very end to almost immediately back to the very beginning was great.
I had almost forgotten how child-like Aang was in the beginning. In the first episode, "The Boy in the Iceberg," Katara mentions the war with the Fire Nation which Aang (having been trapped in an iceberg for the last hundred years) has no clue about, and at first he's concerned and confused, but then the next second, he sees a penguin and runs off after it. In episode ten, "Jet," Sokka makes a comment about how Aang's just a goofy kid, and there Aang is, hanging upside down off Appa's horn and says, "He's right. I am." Nothing like that happens in Season Three. I had forgotten that that kind of humor tappers off after the Season One finale which is also Aang's first full blown battle with the Fire Nation, the first time he truly understands the kind of power he wields in the Avatar State (and his lack of control in it, as well), and his first face to face encounter with death (I know that Aang's entire race--the Air Nomads--were completely wiped out by the Fire Nation, and that he saw Gyatso's skeleton in "The Southern Air Temple," but he never saw them die like he did with Yue). I know that Aang has never really expressed regret or a sense of responsibility for Yue's death like Sokka has, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Aang did feel at least particial responsible and just never talked about (he's hardly ever talked about the destruction of his entire race either). After all, he's the Avatar, and he took that trip to the Spirit World to find a way to save the Moon Spirit; he was right there when Zhao killed the Moon Spirit, and he couldn't stop it, and Yue paid the price.
Another thing that's interesting, is how much Aang's attitude changes towards learning to Bend. In episode sixteen, "The Deserter," Aang is completely impatient with Jeong Jeong; he doesn't want to take the time to learn the breathing exercises and basic disapline needed for Firebending. He tells Jeong Jeong to "stop wasting my time." Even after Jeong Jeong explains the importance of control and Aang agrees to be more patient, he still goes ahead and tries to take things too fast and ends up burning Katara. When Zuko finally joins the group and starts teaching Aang Firebending, Aang is never impatient. Even before that, he's never impatient with Toph's teaching even though Earthbending is extremely difficult for him and Toph herself is rather impatient, blunt and combative. He is, of course, impatient with Toph sometimes but when she's teaching him, he never tells her to "stop wasting my time" and is more willing to do what needs to be done to learn Earthbending--the right way.
Also, Aang's crush on Katara was really cute in the beginning. When I was watching the first episode, I thought it was funny how the first thing he does after being freed from the iceberg he's been trapped in for a hundred years (not that he knows that yet) is ask a pretty girl on a date--and she accepts (this is future foreshadowing for when we discover in "The Headband" that Aang is really quite smooth with the ladies, me thinks). I absolutely loved the scene in "The Fortuneteller" where Aang makes a necklace for Katara to replace her mother's necklace (which Zuko still has at that point in time) and Sokka gets mad because Aang used his fishing line to do it. The best parts of that scene are when Aang gives her the necklace because he's so nervous and so frikkin' adorable, and when she puts it on and asks Aang how she looks, we get to see her in Aang vision.
It was a little weird watching the show before Toph and Azula come in, though. Toph because throughout the last two seasons she's a part of the group, and they all just seem to fit together--so much so that it seems like if you took away one of the members of the group it just wouldn't work as well. They wouldn't fall apart because--and this is one of the things I love about this show--there's no single person who holds the group together. They all have their own connection with each other. So it was a little weird to go back and watch the show B.T. (Before Toph--because everyone knows the show's time line is split into Before Toph and After Toph).
The reason it was a little weird to watch the show before Azula came into the picture is because Azula was manipulative, cruel, cunning, and totally badass. As a villain, Zhao just doesn't measure up to Azula, in my opinion. He's not a bad villian, no, just no where near as good. BUT I'm going to start watching Season Two this afternoon, and she shows up in the first episode! I can't wait! *is giddy with excitement* I'll probably do another one of these...review type things for each season, and you'll probably have to put up with a little bit of Azula (and Toph) fangirling from me. I'll try to keep it to a minimum, though. >.>
I also forgot that I really liked Gyatso; I know all the 'old people' in Avatar (King Bumi, Master Pakku, Jeong Jeong, and Iroh) are all really cool, but Gyatso has earned himself his own special little place in my heart with his concern for Aang's wellbeing and belief that Aang should have a normal childhood regardless of being the Avatar. Also, I absolutely loved the flashback where Gyatso and Aang Airbended a bunch of pies off a balcony and onto the heads of some of the elders. That was fun. ^_^ It's too bad that he died with the rest of the Airbenders since Benders in the Avatarverse seem to have longer lives than normal people. King Bumi is 112 and still going strong, and Avatar Kyoshi, I believe, lived to about 200 years old. Gyatso would have been cool to have around.
Also, Jun is totally badass and amazing even if she was only in one episode. I wish we had seen her again sometime before the series finale, but I'm so glad they brought her back even for a little while!
There's just one more thing I need to add before ending this: the animation on this show is amazing. Absolutely frikkin' amazing. That is all.
Er...this was really all over the place, I know. I'll try to make the next one more...organized?