The Avatar’s mission is to bring balance to the world, but unfortunately, he couldn’t do the same for the second season of Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender. When the series premiered in 2024, I wrote here that the live-action adaptation allowed itself to dream, while still keeping its feet on the ground. Now, it feels like the production slipped on a banana peel and can no longer stay perched on the narrative fence it built for itself.

The show’s first season understood its place in the world. Its purpose was to entertain the streaming service’s subscribers while winning over loyal fans of the Nickelodeon animated series. And yes, that may not be the noblest mission of all, but that’s how the market works. On the other hand, the production’s artistic quality stood out, serving as a good example to follow in the live-action market. But all of that falls apart in the second year.

After a non-canonical time jump, we find Aang (Gordon Cormier), Katara (Kiawentiio), and Sokka (Ian Ousley) venturing through the Earth Kingdom as they search for a master for the Avatar, who needs to learn how to bend all four elements. The beginning of the first episode is nostalgic, I’ll admit, and the opening scene is also well directed, but that’s where the season loses itself by trying to serve two masters: nostalgia and hype. Every episode of the second season follows that same formula, trying to craft an epic adventure full of easter eggs and niche memes, but the drama — the franchise’s main draw — gets pushed into the background.

Not even Toph’s story (Miya Cech) does justice to the original material — or, at the very least, it fails to be well built in any other way. The character, historically known for her biting humor, sharp intelligence, and adaptability, is now just annoying. A formula that works when applied to child prodigies feels strange when replicated in a teenager, as is the case in this adaptation. The character’s lines clearly try to wink at converted viewers without alienating new audiences. An avoidable mistake.

This problem repeats itself in other central arcs, such as those of Zuko (Dallas Liu) and his uncle Iroh (Paul Sun Hyung Lee), who now have confusing development. Here, the issue isn’t even the lack of similarity to the original work, something that can be easily overcome in a loose adaptation. The mistake lies in the script’s carelessness in making this duo truly charismatic enough to justify a future redemption. On the other side of the family, Azula’s circle (Elizabeth Yu) didn’t help either. The antagonist’s interaction with Mai and Ty Lee felt awkward and unnatural. Not even Daniel Dae Kim’s experience as Fire Lord Ozai produced a good scene for the character.

In general, all the performances were average. Still, that does not absolve the technical teams of responsibility. The direction fails in several moments, as does the post-production. In one scene, Azula launches lightning at characters who were sitting at a table. The camera cuts, and we see some of them simply passed out over it. Many cuts are abrupt, and some scenes end up unfortunately theatrical, breaking the magic of the atmosphere the episodes try to build. Finally, the soundtrack doesn’t help either: the fights lose emotion, and the dramatic moments feel shallow.

Avatar: The Last Airbender chose to ignore its own example, opting for canned formulas dressed up as references. By making several wrong choices, the second season of the live-action adaptation is left with very little to offer, casting doubt on the quality of its future.

Avatar: O Último Mestre do Ar

Created by: Michael Dante DiMartino e Bryan Konietzko

Where to watch: