All 8 episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender ranked from worst to best

1. Episode 6, "Masks"

The cream of the crop in this eight-episode batch is "Masks." But every episode so far has had its share of flaws and this one is no different. Aang's visit to Avatar Roku's temple comes with another slew of annoying missteps. Instead of sneaking into the temple, Aang waltzes in the front door and expects the fire sages to be friendly. My guy, you are in the Fire Nation, these are bad guys. Then we get a heinous portrayal of Roku; he feel more like a children's entertainer instead of a badass Avatar.

But this episode stands out for a lot of reasons, mostly for how it brings Zuko and Iroh's backstory full circle and fleshes out Aang and Zuko's early relationship. After Aang is taken by Zhao, Zuko disguises himself as the blue spirit and busts him out. Like in the animated show, Aang figures out his true identity and saves him from capture. But the Netflix version has Aang and Zuko spending much more time together.

With Zhao's soldiers nearby, Aang and Zuko are forced to hole up in an abandoned building where they bond about having immense pressure on their shoulders. Aang is the Avatar and Zuko is the heir to the Fire Nation throne forced into exile unless he finds the Avatar. Aang also admits that Zuko's notebook — which he stole earlier in the season — has taught him more about the nature of being the Avatar than anything else so far.

These scenes serve as fantastic foreshadowing for their future friendship and how they come together to fix the world later on. They learn from each other and Aang sees the good in Zuko just like Iroh does. Speaking of Iroh, the flashback of him being the only one comforting Zuko after Ozai burns his face was a touching way for him to return Zuko's empathy at Lu Ten's funeral two episodes ago. Another one of the better changes was Zuko's crew being the same soldiers whose lives he advocated for in the war meeting. Iroh informs the crew that Zuko gave up his honor and received a permanant scar on his face to save their asses, making them finally show respect to him for his admirable sacrifice.

This episode again underlines the fact that the best changes to the source material came to the Fire Nation characters. Zuko and Iroh specifically felt more dimensional, fleshed out and had satisfying arcs compared to where they were in season 1 of the original show. But those changes don't change my overall opinion on this show.

Netflix's live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender falls short of capturing the magic and charm of the original series. While there are some redeeming qualities in certain episodes, the overall execution leaves much to be desired. From rushed pacing to lackluster character portrayals, the live-action adaptation fails to capture the heart and soul of the beloved animated series. As a massive fan of the original show, I can only hope that future projects from Avatar Studios can re-capture the original show's magic, or that the remake improves in future seasons.

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