The Problem With AtLA's Finale (that nobody talks about)
Summary
TLDRThe video script critiques inconsistencies in travel times and distances in the finale of 'Avatar: The Last Airbender.' It points out that characters traverse vast distances impossibly quickly, contradicting the show's earlier pacing. Despite these issues, the script acknowledges the finale's strong character development and emotional moments. The critique suggests that the finale's implausibility in terms of travel logistics detracts from the show's world-building.
Takeaways
- 😐 The finale of 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' has been a topic of debate, with some fans questioning the plot points and character developments.
- 🤔 A particular issue with the finale that few discuss is the inconsistency in travel times and distances within the show's world.
- 🌍 The show's first season establishes a rough scale for travel times, suggesting it takes weeks to travel from the South Pole to the North Pole by Sky Bison.
- 🕒 In the second season, the gang's travel from the southern end of the Earth Kingdom to the North Pole on foot seems to take an unrealistically short time.
- 🚣♂️ The inconsistency in travel times is highlighted when characters manage to cover vast distances in a matter of hours or days, which contradicts earlier established travel metrics.
- 🔥 The finale's plot involving Ozai's plan to burn the Earth Kingdom with a fleet of airships seems implausible given the small number of airships shown.
- ⏱️ The laws of time and space appear to be bent in the finale, with characters traveling across the world in a timeframe that doesn't align with the show's own world-building.
- 🤷♂️ The script questions how such glaring inconsistencies in travel times could have been overlooked by both the writers and the fan base for over 15 years.
- 😢 The script suggests that the finale's pacing and travel inconsistencies detract from an otherwise compelling narrative and character development.
- 💡 Possible solutions to the issue include adjusting the show's timeline or splitting the team up earlier to allow for more believable travel times.
Q & A
What is the main issue the author discusses about the finale of 'Avatar: The Last Airbender'?
-The main issue the author discusses is the inconsistency in travel times and distances within the show's world, particularly during the finale, which contradicts the established world-building and distances from earlier seasons.
Why does the author find Azula's breakdown contentious?
-The author does not elaborate on Azula's breakdown in the provided transcript, but it's mentioned as a point of contention among some viewers of the show.
What is the significance of the winter solstice in the first season of 'Avatar: The Last Airbender'?
-In the first season, the winter solstice is significant because it establishes Aang's deadline to master the elements and defeat the Fire Lord before Sozin's Comet returns.
How does the author use the travel time from the South Pole to the North Pole to establish a scale for the world map in 'Avatar: The Last Airbender'?
-The author uses the travel time from the South Pole to the North Pole, which takes weeks by Sky bison, to give a rough idea of the scale of the world map in the show.
What is the author's concern about the travel time from the southern end of the Earth Kingdom to Ba Sing Se?
-The author is concerned that the travel time from the southern end of the Earth Kingdom to Ba Sing Se is inconsistent with the show's earlier established travel times and distances.
Why does the author find the fleet of airships in Ozai's plan to burn the Earth Kingdom unrealistic?
-The author finds the fleet of airships unrealistic because it only consists of a dozen airships, which seems insufficient to burn an entire continent like the Earth Kingdom in a single day.
How does the author suggest the show's inconsistencies in travel times could be explained?
-The author suggests that the inconsistencies could be explained by the map not being to scale or the characters under or overestimating distances and travel times.
What is the author's critique of the travel times in the third season of 'Avatar: The Last Airbender'?
-The author critiques that the travel times in the third season are inconsistent and unrealistic, with characters seemingly traveling vast distances in a matter of hours or days, which contradicts the show's earlier pacing.
What does the author propose as a potential solution to the travel time issue in the finale?
-The author suggests that the team could have been split up earlier in the season to allow for more time to travel, or the finale itself could have taken place over a longer span of time to account for the extensive travel required.
How does the author feel about the finale of 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' despite the travel time issue?
-Despite the travel time issue, the author feels that the rest of the finale is legitimately great, with compelling character arcs and emotional moments.
What does the author imply about the show's fan base and the overlooked travel time issue?
-The author implies that the show's fan base and writers may have overlooked the travel time issue because the show is highly regarded, and such inconsistencies might be forgiven in well-loved stories.
Outlines
🗺️ Inconsistencies in 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' Travel Times
The paragraph discusses the inconsistencies in travel times within the world of 'Avatar: The Last Airbender'. It starts by questioning the finale's logic, particularly the unrealistic travel times and distances covered by characters. The analysis begins with the first season's timeline, noting the show's start in the South Pole during late Autumn and the establishment of Aang's deadline during the winter solstice. It highlights the travel time from the Fire Nation to the North Pole, which is weeks by sky bison, and the inconsistency with later episodes where similar distances are covered in a fraction of the time. The paragraph also points out the implausibility of the distances covered on foot compared to the initial air travel estimates, and how these inconsistencies affect the believability of the show's world-building.
🚀 Rapid Travel and Narrative Flaws in the Series Finale
This paragraph continues the critique of 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' by focusing on the rapid travel times in the series finale. It questions the feasibility of the Fire Lord Ozai's plan to burn the Earth Kingdom with a small fleet of airships, given the kingdom's vast size. The critique extends to the characters' ability to travel vast distances in short periods, which contradicts the established travel times from earlier seasons. The paragraph suggests that these oversights could have been avoided with better planning or a more extended timeline for the finale. Despite these issues, the paragraph acknowledges the emotional impact and character development in the finale, but ultimately concludes that the rapid travel times undermine the narrative's logic and the show's internal consistency.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Avatar: The Last Airbender
💡Controversial Finale
💡Azula's Breakdown
💡Energy Bending
💡Travel Time Inconsistencies
💡World Map Scale
💡Seasonal Timeline
💡Fire Nation Fleet
💡Character Development
💡Narrative Believability
💡Ludicrous Speed
Highlights
Avatar: The Last Airbender's finale has been a contentious topic among fans.
Criticism often focuses on Azula's breakdown and the introduction of energy bending.
A glaring issue with the finale's pacing and world map consistency has been overlooked.
The show's timeline suggests a start in late Autumn, based on the winter solstice and Aang's deadline.
Travel time from the South Pole to the North Pole is suggested to be weeks, indicating a large world scale.
Inconsistencies in travel time are noted from the start of the second season with the group's boat journey.
The group's travel pace in the Earth Kingdom and to Omashu suggests it is early Spring.
The Serpent's Pass travel time is inconsistent with the show's established distances for Sky bison travel.
Travel to Whale Tail Island and back seems to defy the show's previously established travel times.
Inconsistencies in travel times are even more pronounced in the third season.
Aang's ability to travel vast distances quickly by glider raises questions about the show's internal logic.
Ozai's plan to burn the Earth Kingdom with a small fleet of airships seems implausible.
The finale's rapid travel times defy the show's own world-building and established travel metrics.
The show's finale could have been improved by adjusting the pacing or the scale of the world map.
Despite travel inconsistencies, the finale's character development and moral dilemmas are praised.
The finale's pacing issues are a significant oversight that affects the believability of the story.
Transcripts
as much of a phenomenal show avatar the
Last air bender is its finale has always
been rather contentious some people take
issue with azula's breakdown and
subsequent takedown most have an issue
with energy bending and how its
implementation is so out of left field
but there's another problem with the
finale that nobody talks about a problem
so glaringly obvious that I am amazed it
has never been brought up before and
when I say nobody talks about it I mean
nobody talks about it barring a single
Reddit thread talking about this
particular plot point I have not seen a
single person talk about this in all the
years of atlet discussion and Analysis
but in order to explain what I'm talking
about we need to go all the way back to
the first season at the start of the
show it's difficult to say exactly what
time of year it is given that we're
starting in the South Pole but we know
that the show must start sometime in
Autumn likely mid to late Autumn because
the establishment of Ang's deadline for
mastering the elements takes place
during the winter solstice San's Comet
will return by the end of the summer you
must defeat the Fire Lord before the
comet arrives which was about Eight
Episodes into the season the very next
episode the water bending scroll
establishes that they are currently
weeks away from the North Pole I haven't
even started water bending and we're
still weeks away from the North Pole
this is important because it gives us a
rough idea of what sort of scale
Avatar's world map is operating with we
know that the island where Ang learned
about the end of summer deadline was in
the Fire Nation and given that the gang
are traveling from the South Pole to the
North Pole the island is most like
likely one of these smaller ones at the
end of the Fire Nation archipelago
meaning that it takes weeks by Sky bison
to travel from this collection of
islands to the North Pole now it's not
clear exactly how far away that is but
given that the mode of transportation in
question is flight it's probably quite
far and the show makes a point of
holding to vague distances at the start
of the second season the start of season
2 begins with the group in a series of
boats that are traveling back south it's
unclear where they are how far they've
gone or how long they've been traveling
indeed it's unclear just how much time
they spent up in the north pole but
given their warmer attire and their
stated destination for this part of the
Season being omashu which was the first
major city they visited in the first
season it's reasonable to assume that
they've been traveling for about a month
and it's the beginning of Spring or at
the very least that spring is
approaching and this is where things
start getting a little weird for most of
this season the gang are wandering
around the earth Kingdom first looking
for an earth bending teacher for a and
then finding places to train and take
many vacations then they go to the
library in the desert lose Opa and have
to work their way North to escape at the
start of the episode The Serpent's Pass
Saka indicates that they are in an area
south of bosing SE we just got out of
the desert so we must be around here and
we need to go to bosing se which is here
and the only way across is the titular
Serpent's Pass judging from the map Saka
is using in this scene it looks like the
gang are right about here on the world
map now if you'll recall the sert's pass
ends up taking them more than a day to
cross and there's no obvious indication
that it takes any more time than that so
what's the problem well given that they
established in season 1 that it takes
roughly a few weeks to travel from here
to Here by Sky bison you'd think that
it' take at least a few days to travel
from the southern end of the P to bosing
on foot wouldn't you in fact that's not
the only world traveling inconsistency
this season in Lake Lai the gang are led
to believe that APPA is on whale tail
Island Saka once again points out
specifically which island it is on the
map and qara says it'll take us weeks
just to get to the tip of the earth
Kingdom and then we'll need to find a
boat to get to the island which makes
even less sense than the Serpent's pass
because the distance between bosing SE
and whale taale Island isn't just
comparable to the distance between the
Fire Nation and the North Pole it's
greater possibly double the distance and
that's before you factor in that they
are traveling on foot rather than by Sky
bison don't worry on the way back we'll
be flying this trend of inconsistent
travel time is exacerbated in the third
season the start of season 3 begins with
the gang in the western half of the
Serpent's Pass Lake we crossed through
the Serpent's path a few days ago and
there's nothing wrong with that but by
the end of that episode Ang flies from
the Western half of the lake all the way
to the Fire Nation
overnight how I mean sure it's not as
big a leap as traveling on foot from
bossing state to whale tale Island in a
matter of weeks but he's just finished
traveling a distance that is comparable
to the distance between the Fire Nation
Temple and the North Pole in a matter of
hours traveling by glider you should at
least be a couple of weeks away from the
Fire Nation but okay most of these
inconsistencies could be explained by
the map simply not being to scale or the
character is simply under or
overestimating distances and travel time
that's not that big a deal in the long
run it's misleading but we're not
exactly throwing the baby out with the
bath water in terms of believability
granted it takes them about a third of
the season traveling through the Fire
Nation before they get to the capital
but that's not all that unreasonable
either when you consider that they're
keeping a low profile and not spending
too much time flying all they have to do
is make sure that they're at a given
point on a specific day so they can take
advantage of the eclipse they can afford
to take their time and then things go
completely off the rails in the finale
the first major red flag we encounter in
San's comment is ozai's plan for the
Earth Kingdom when you first hear it it
doesn't sound too absurd it is
appropriately horrific burn the entire
Earth Kingdom with the fleet of airships
but then we actually see the fleet and
it only consists of a dozen odd airships
and I don't know if you all noticed this
when looking at the world map but the
Earth kingdom is kind of a big place how
in the name of Gwen ofir's massive mommy
milkers there's a dozen airships going
to burn an entire continent to the
ground in a single day I mean yeah they
could do some serious damage but I doubt
they could burn the entire Earth Kingdom
down oh and that's just the first
problem with the finale the very laws of
time and space are being drawn quartered
here the gang fly all the way from the
Fire Nation to the Earth Kingdom in a
matter of hours which I suppose isn't
that absurd on the face of it but then
they fly all the way from the Western
end of the Earth Kingdom to bingi within
at least 24 hours Zuko and catara fly
from bosing to the fire nation capital
within a day or so and Saka team were
able to get to well okay Pi andow
doesn't say exactly where the Airship
base is on the map he just says it's a
small island just off the Earth Kingdom
Shore so that could be anywhere but he
also says that they should be able to
reach it within a Day's Journey how is
everybody getting around so fast even if
we give Zuko and qara the benefit of the
doubt in say that they went Southeast
instead of Southwest to get to the Fire
Nation and assuming that Atlas world is
completely represented on this map and
we are just seeing one hemisphere that
still should have taken them several
weeks by the rough metric established in
season 1 and Saka team should have taken
at least a week to get to wherever they
needed to go everyone's traveling with
Ludicrous
Speed
guys am I stupid am I just missing
something really obvious that counts for
all this I genuinely hope so because I
don't understand how the writers much
less an entire fan base could have
missed such an obvious oversight for
over 15 years overlooking travel time is
the kind of major up that other
shows get crucified over and I am very
disturbed by the notion that certain
stories can be held to different
standards simply because they're held in
higher regard and I do want to stress
regardless of what you think about
azula's mental breakdown or how energy
bending is implemented the rest of the
finale is legitimately great Ang
struggling with with his own moral
standards and whether he should kill the
fire lord is legitimately compelling
Sak's mission to destroy the Airship
Fleet does a phenomenal job
demonstrating just how far he's come as
a character I cry like a little
every time I watch Zuko on IU's reunion
I was never angry with
you I don't know how they could have
solved this issue maybe split the team
up earlier in the season so they have
more time to get around and do all the
things they need to do for the finale or
make the finale itself take place over a
longer span of time to account for the
need to travel so much these aren't
Perfect Solutions but I honestly think
that they would have been better than
what we got because what we got simply
doesn't make sense the finale as it is
written could never have happened
according to the show's own world
building and that is a damn shame
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