[8.5/10] I’m not sure I ever wanted or needed to know how The Avatar started. Shows can run into trouble when they over-explain their origins. This franchise’s spiritual predecessor Buffy the Vampire Slayer managed to wring some interesting stuff out of it, but too often it turns the magic and lore that gain force from their being mysterious into boring, contrived connections with the story in the “present day.”
Thankfully, “The Beginnings Pt. 1” avoids that by basically turning into a fable. The story of Wan (Steven Yuen!) not setting out to accomplish some mystical journey, but just scraping by, and inadvertently finding a place with the spirit world feels more like something Aesop would come with than the show’s typically more semi-serious lore. It’s a nice touch, showing the humble, rough-hewn origins of this sacred lineage rather than something stuffier or hushed.
That extends to the art style, which has a nice pop-up book style that distinguishes it from the harsher angles and more clearly-defined lines of TLoK. The design work here is great, from the adorable yet nicely motley crew of spirits that Wan runs into in the forest, to the tussling uber-spirits, to the grand city on a lion-turtle’s back. There’s a distinctive character to this time and place, and it helps make Wan’s story feel like it’s own thing rather than mere backstory to the adventures of Aang or Korra.
(Incidentally, I started out with a pretty strong Aladdin vibe from this one. Seeing Wan trying to nab food and escape from some troublesome guards, only to bring it back to his secluded hideout, feels of a piece with the 1992 classic. But then, you know, he started talking to a deep-voiced lion-y creature who starts him on his destiny, and that pretty well clinched it.)
It’s a neat story of Wan hunkering down with his friends as streetrat, “stealing” the ability to firebend in order to rebel against the upper crusty/food-hoarding Chus, and then getting banished to “The Spirit Wilds” where the spirit creatures prey on humans, leaving some half-transformed after possession.
That’s another thing I really enjoyed about this one. There’s very little exposition. TLoK just throws you into this world and expects you to keep up. You watch Wan and others receive the ability to firebend, with the expectation that they’ll give it back and just have to follow along. You see a guy who’s half tree without some wistful recollection of how it happened, instead seeing a later possession-transformation gone wrong that explains it with few words. Nobody has to tell us that The Spirit Wilds are a dangerous place, you just hear Wan ask to keep his fire so he can defend himself and then watch his close shaves and misadventures there.
The fable part of the story comes when he seeks refuge in a spirit oasis, is refused entry for his humanity, but then gains admittance after showing mercy to a deer-cat caught in a snare. It’s a simple morality tale, but it helps explain The Avatar’s connection to the spirit world and how he learns to bend (fire at least) better than anyone else. Again, seeing the diverse and interesting designs of the spirits helps, but it’s neat to see his little montage that sets him on his way to becoming a master.
The other side of the coin is that him interfering in the Rava/Vaatu battle that represents the struggle between Good and Evil is a little too cheesy and straightforward for me out of the gate, but I’m willing to see where they go with it.
Overall, a really interesting episode that delves into the deepest depths of Avatar lore, but does its own thing and doesn’t feel like a contrived vignette to explain Korra’s predicament, which is impressive.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2017-08-04T18:08:18Z
[8.5/10] I’m not sure I ever wanted or needed to know how The Avatar started. Shows can run into trouble when they over-explain their origins. This franchise’s spiritual predecessor Buffy the Vampire Slayer managed to wring some interesting stuff out of it, but too often it turns the magic and lore that gain force from their being mysterious into boring, contrived connections with the story in the “present day.”
Thankfully, “The Beginnings Pt. 1” avoids that by basically turning into a fable. The story of Wan (Steven Yuen!) not setting out to accomplish some mystical journey, but just scraping by, and inadvertently finding a place with the spirit world feels more like something Aesop would come with than the show’s typically more semi-serious lore. It’s a nice touch, showing the humble, rough-hewn origins of this sacred lineage rather than something stuffier or hushed.
That extends to the art style, which has a nice pop-up book style that distinguishes it from the harsher angles and more clearly-defined lines of TLoK. The design work here is great, from the adorable yet nicely motley crew of spirits that Wan runs into in the forest, to the tussling uber-spirits, to the grand city on a lion-turtle’s back. There’s a distinctive character to this time and place, and it helps make Wan’s story feel like it’s own thing rather than mere backstory to the adventures of Aang or Korra.
(Incidentally, I started out with a pretty strong Aladdin vibe from this one. Seeing Wan trying to nab food and escape from some troublesome guards, only to bring it back to his secluded hideout, feels of a piece with the 1992 classic. But then, you know, he started talking to a deep-voiced lion-y creature who starts him on his destiny, and that pretty well clinched it.)
It’s a neat story of Wan hunkering down with his friends as streetrat, “stealing” the ability to firebend in order to rebel against the upper crusty/food-hoarding Chus, and then getting banished to “The Spirit Wilds” where the spirit creatures prey on humans, leaving some half-transformed after possession.
That’s another thing I really enjoyed about this one. There’s very little exposition. TLoK just throws you into this world and expects you to keep up. You watch Wan and others receive the ability to firebend, with the expectation that they’ll give it back and just have to follow along. You see a guy who’s half tree without some wistful recollection of how it happened, instead seeing a later possession-transformation gone wrong that explains it with few words. Nobody has to tell us that The Spirit Wilds are a dangerous place, you just hear Wan ask to keep his fire so he can defend himself and then watch his close shaves and misadventures there.
The fable part of the story comes when he seeks refuge in a spirit oasis, is refused entry for his humanity, but then gains admittance after showing mercy to a deer-cat caught in a snare. It’s a simple morality tale, but it helps explain The Avatar’s connection to the spirit world and how he learns to bend (fire at least) better than anyone else. Again, seeing the diverse and interesting designs of the spirits helps, but it’s neat to see his little montage that sets him on his way to becoming a master.
The other side of the coin is that him interfering in the Rava/Vaatu battle that represents the struggle between Good and Evil is a little too cheesy and straightforward for me out of the gate, but I’m willing to see where they go with it.
Overall, a really interesting episode that delves into the deepest depths of Avatar lore, but does its own thing and doesn’t feel like a contrived vignette to explain Korra’s predicament, which is impressive.