7.7/10. This show isn't always super complex, but at its best, it can be quite fun even when the conclusion seems inevitable. I like what the arc the show attempted for Aang here, with him initially seeing these people in the titular Northern Air Temple as interlopers, before appreciating them as, to use a word the episode practically abuses, carrying on the "spirit" of the place nonetheless. The hermit crab metaphor at the end lays things on a little too thick, but it's a nice though, and a nice story about Aang reconciling the past and the present.
I also liked all the great design elements and action in the episode. The various flying contraptions swirling around the temple were great, with a great sense of imagination in all the various steampunk-esque modern improvements to the temple itself. Plus, the war against the Fire Nation attackers was great and made excellent use of the same sorts of designs, with the gyroscopic tanks climbing the peaks of the mountain giving me flashback to Game of Thrones's "Watchers on the Wall" battle.
Plus, there was a lot of nice character stuff as well. It's nice having Rene Auberjonois back on the show in a better role, and his inventor character had the right blend of cheerfulness, sad pragmatism, care for his son, and a certain out there quality that's paradigmatic for this type of role. His instant rapport with Sokka was a nice touch, and shows how Sokka's lateral thinking can come in handy. There may be a future for him yet. And while the idea of the inventory coming up with all of this stuff to help out his disabled son is a little cheesy, it's not overdone or belabored, and works as something to help Aang appreciate his newfound friends.
Overall, it's a very solid and enjoyable "island of the week" episode, with great performances and a lot of very inventive visual design elements.
The next progression in Aang’s understand of the world as it is. In Southern Air Temple he had to confront what was done to his people; in Northern Air Temple, he must recognize the progress of the world that came after. It’s a moment of thinking about change as positive, rather than reflecting on and preserving what was lost. And of course there’s also a heavy war aspect, especially the disheartening last image of the Fire Nation gaining the technological advances it came for anyway, despite the refugees’ small victory. A beautiful episode that highlights so much of what this show is about.
This could have been preachy, but I wanna applaud the show looking at the complex ideas surrounding the concept of appropriation and cultural genocide. Aang's reactions to seeing his people's history almost tossed aside is powerful, even if by the end he recognizes that the people there do actually wish to carry on their legacy and will keep the temple intact. The people at the temple are likable as well, especially the scientist who is voiced by the ever great Rene Auberjonois whose rapport with Sokka is fantastic.
Plus, the action scene at the end of the episode is clever and tons of fun. The tanks in particular are such a great design, and the little touches like how they can't be flipped over makes for great action cause the means of taking them down has to be more creative and unique. Plus the cliffhanger is aces - might be one of the show's best, now that I think about it, and the show has had some aces cliffhangers.
The Northern Air Temple is a mixed episode for me. I love some of the conversations its having. We give space to Aang's rage at the desecration of his culture in the name of industrialization. And the weight of the loss of the air nomads is felt when sacred murals are wantonly disstroyed by people with no real respect for that history.
However I don't think the episode adequately addresses this tension between Aang and the Mechanist. The Mechanist never actually apologizes for destroying the northern air temple. He explains why he did it and his motivations are understandable and he's certainly sorry for working with the fire nation. But I don't think the episode satisfactorily engages with his very cavalier attitude towards "upgrading" the temple to suit his purposes.
This isn't to say the episode gets everything wrong. I love how Aang grows to see the spirit of airbending in Teo and appreciate the fact that airbending still lives on in some ways. And the way this episode exands on the worldbuilding of Avatar by introducing industrialization was really cool. The one two punch of seeing Sokka and the Mechanist's wicked innovation and its swift appropriation by the fire nation in the end was a brilliant writing choice.
I like how this episode pays off in Season 3.
7/10
Shout by anzoBlockedParent2022-04-05T03:03:54Z
How did Katara get so much better suddenly with water bending?