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In this episode Patrick and JT chat about PRIDE, changes in Genie+ and the Lightning Lane system in the Disney Parks, and the 30th anniversary of The Lion King.
In the main segement they review Pixar's latest movie, Inside Out 2
As always they close out the show with some Quick-D.
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Welcome back, Nuktukkers! This week on The Avatar Returns we’re throwing a good old fashioned Zaofu pajama party! We’ve got fresh Kalenutsco smoothies, air bison steaks, a game of Chekhov’s Pebble, and Bolin dolls for everyone. Oh, and chapters of The Legend of Korra to discuss. We ease into things with 307, “Original Airbenders,” which features that adorable little psychopath Milo winning hearts and minds, and begins the official Book Three #TattooWatch. Then in 308, “The Terror Within,” Zaheer and the older kids crash the party and try to bring us down, while in 309, “The Stakeout” Pabu finally breaks the UPST (Unresolved Pai Sho Tension) between Bolin and Asami.
Is Zaheer a Mary Sue? Is Mako boring and useless? Are Paul and Eric drinking the Red Lotus Kool-Aid? Tune in to learn this and so much more!
Next: yet another buy week in the schedule as an unidentified member of our team goes off for a walkabout. When we return we’ll be taking on chapters 310, “Long Live the Queen,” and 311, “The Ultimatum.”
The BreakdownIntro / Banter (00:00 - 18:35)Main Topic (18:35 - 1:41:50)Outro / Next (1:41:50 - 1:46:34) -
Benders and non-benders rejoice, The Avatar Returns is back like Varrick! We’ve been lost in the Spirit Wilds for longer than any of us care to think about, but we fought our way out, through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, to be here with you tonight as we continue at last our exploration of Nickelodeon’s award-winning Prison Break reboot, also known as The Legend of Korra, Book Three. Picking up right where we left off nearly four months(?!) ago we discuss chapter 304, “In Harm’s Way,” which sees our heroes casually violating the sovereignty of a foreign nation to free some new airbenders. Then we get serious with chapters 305, “The Metal Clan” and 306, “Old Wounds,” which takes us to a brand new location, the shining city on the hill (actually it’s in a valley) Zaofu, home of, you guessed it, the Metal Clan. Also home to Lin Beifong’s estranged half-sister Suyin. The family drama gets thick.
Thrill to the adventures of Zaofu’s own action acupuncturist! Cheer as the Earth Queen sneezes till her internal organs fall out! Ponder the intricacies of inflection! (Is it combustion lady POWERS or combustion LADY powers?)
Next: our long hiatus left us weak and out of shape, and all this heavy podcasting has really taken it out of us. So we’re taking another (much MUCH shorter) break before returning in two weeks for chapters 307, “Original Airbenders,” 308, “The Terror Within,” and 309, “The Stakeout.”
The BreakdownIntro / Banter (00:00 - 15:05)Main Topic (15:05 - 1:33:00)Outro / Next (1:33:00 - 1:37:04) -
All great journeys have their obstacles, detours or delays. For Avatar: The Last Airbender it was a literal hole in the ground known as "The Great Divide." For The Legend of Korra, let's be honest, it was an entire character named Unalaq. And for The Avatar Returns it's that old hobgoblin known as the real world. Circumstances outside of our control have left us with no choice but to take a temporary break in our recording schedule. This one will be a bit longer than our previous little hiccups, as we won't be returning till mid-January 2017 (!!!), but I want to emphasize the words 'temporary' and 'returning' because we will most definitely be back. You have our word, once we clear these spirit vines out of the way and kick this so-called real world's butt into submission, The Avatar Returns will return!
We apologize for the timing and hope that all our fans will stick with us through these dark, podcastless days. Trust us, we're pumped to get back into production in the new year. The best of The Legend of Korra is still to come.
(The Avatar Returns is scheduled to resume with Episode 37 - In Harm's Way / The Metal Clan / Old Wounds on or around January 18, 2017.) -
This is a big one, kids. Team The Avatar Returns assembles to breakdown their thoughts on the final four chapters of The Legend of Korra, Book Three: Change. There’s a lot to cover, starting with the typical children’s television tropes of on-camera assassinations and Boxer Rebellions when Zaheer proclaims “Long Live the Queen” in chapter 310. In 311, “Ultimatum,” he may possibly have bitten off more than he can chew when he challenges Tenzin to a slap fight after airbending school. Bolin learns that the answers were inside of him all along in 312, “Enter the Void.” And Korra She-Hulks out all over Zaheer’s face in the final showdown of 313, “Venom of the Red Lotus.”
Paul gets weepy over the incredible fight choreography this season. Eric is positively giddy with anticipation for Book Four: Balance. And Arlo drops the knowledge we’ve all needed about Shadow the Hedgehog.
Next: as always the break between seasons of Korra gives us another opportunity to revisit old friends by exploring the official Avatar: The Last Airbender graphic novel series from Dark Horse Comics. This time we reconnect with the Aang Gang as they face Vol. 4 - Smoke and Shadow.
The BreakdownMain Topic (00:00 - 1:57:10)Outro / Next (1:57:10 - 2:00:03) -
This week, a break between seasons of The Legend of Korra means a return to the days of old as we look at the fourth collection of the Dark Horse Comics Avatar: The Last Airbender series, Volume 4: Smoke and Shadow. Having reunited with his long lost mother Ursa, Zuko returns with her to the Fire Nation Capital City (which really needs a name) and wackiness ensues, some of which serves to remind us that Avatar has actually really always been the Zuko Show. Even with mom back in the picture daddy (and uncle) issues continue to dominate the story. Mai, Ty Lee, and Suki finally get some much-needed page time, even as we lose Katara and Sokka (and the comic relief that Sokka provides). We discuss how relevant this volume feels today with its look at totalitarianism and the struggle to balance security and freedom. And Azula is back and feelin’ good with a brand new Sisterhood of Evil Mental Patients in tow.
Speaking of character development, Arlo finally achieves his own Avatar State as a podcaster. And Eric makes a Hamilton reference! I’m Paul Smith and you’re listening to All Benders Considered on NPR.*
(*) Not really, but…yeah.
Next: the end is coming. This is it, we begin our exploration of the final season of The Legend of Korra with Book Four: Balance. We’re kicking it off with chapters 401, “After All These Years,” 402, “Korra Alone,” and 403, “The Coronation.” (And we are so deeply, deeply sorry for Arlo’s predictions on what those episodes will be about.)
The BreakdownIntro / Banter (00:00 - 08:15)LISTENER MAIL! (08:15 - 18:30)Main Topic (18:30 - 2:08:08)Outro / Next (2:08:08 - 2:13:00) -
Book Four: Balance begins as we move into the final season of The Legend of Korra. Time jumps in fiction tend to be something of a mixed bag, but as our story picks up three years after the end of Book Three it quickly becomes apparent the device works like a charm here, in what Arlo dubs the strongest start to any season in the entire Avatar Universe. In chapter 401, “After All These Years,” Korra is missing and former Zaofu Captain of the Guard Kuvira has become “The Great Uniter,” using military force to bring order to the chaos in the Earth Kingdom in the wake of the Queen’s death. Chapter 402, “Korra Alone” answers where exactly the Avatar has disappeared to, and why. (Hint: it involved Nega-Korra.) And finally it’s Toph love in chapter 403, “The Coronation” as the O.B. Original Beifong returns to go all Yoda on Korra’s ass.
Paul introduces the podcast’s version of Cousin Oliver. He and Eric both wax rhapsodic about Star Wars Rebels. And Arlo compares Mako to Vin Diesel. Not in a good way. (IS there a good way?)
Next: the next three chapters of Book Four; 404, “The Calling,” 405, “Enemy at the Gates,” and 406, “The Battle of Zaofu.”
The BreakdownIntro / Banter (00:00 - 15:20)Main Topic (15:20 - 1:42:53)Outro / Next (1:42:53 - 1:46:23) -
This week on The Avatar Returns, it’s a Badass Bender Beatdown as The Legend of Korra Book Four continues. In this corner, wearing the simple green tunic, the Ever-Lovin’ Blue-Eyed Avatar (we still have one of those?), Korra! And in this corner, sporting a stylish Earth Empire ensemble of death metal, dancin' and singin' and movin' to the groovin', the Great Uniter herself, Kuvira!
But first we take a road trip with the Air Kids in chapter 404, “The Calling” as Aang’s grandkids finally get the spotlight. And Toph proves why she’s a master storyteller. Then in chapter 405, “Enemy at the Gates,” Zhu Li does the mecha suit thing better than anyone else, and poor dim Bolin slooooooowly starts to figure stuff out. And finally, in chapter 406, “Battle of Zaofu,” Kuvira smacks the taste right outta Korra’s mouth. LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE!
Paul murders Cousin Oliver after only one week. Eric murders a decades-old Brady Bunch meme. And Arlo murders any sense of even the most basic professionalism and respect for our audience. (Turn off your damn phone notifications, you ass!)
Next: for hopefully the very last time we take a week off to catch our breath. You guys just don’t understand how difficult it is to sit still for two hours once a week and talk into a microphone about things that we love passionately. It’s exhausting and just way too much to expect us pampered podcasters to pull off with any kind of consistency. So we’ll take one last pause in the action to prepare ourselves for an uninterrupted run through to the end. Back the week of April 12th we will be discussing The Legend of Korra chapters 407, “Reunion,” 408, “Remembrances,” and 409, “Beyond the Wilds.”
The BreakdownIntro / Banter (00:00 - 14:40)Main Topic (14:40 - 1:21:40)Outro / Next (1:21:40 - 1:25:21) -
The Avatar Returns phone tree has been activated and we’re answering the call as we head into the back half of The Legend of Korra Book Four. In chapter 407, “Reunion,” the band is back together…mostly. And it feels so good…mostly. Wu is down; Korra and Mako are on each others nerves; and Bolin lavabends the taste right out of some mecha suit mouths. In 408, “Remembrances,” cue the twinkling flashback music as, you guessed it Golden Girls, it’s a clip show. But oh what a glorious clip show it is! Chibi Mako tells his romantic origin story to Chibi Wu; Korra and Asami share some tea and reminisce; and Varrick shares the tale of the Greatest Mover Ever Made! And finally, in 409, we journey “Beyond the Wilds” to poke things with sticks while Korra finally confronts her inner demons, which bear a striking resemblance to a hippie prison sage Zaheer.
However the bulk of our discussion tonight focuses on the hundreds of possible spin-off properties we hosts are dying to see in the future, including the possible Varrick/Bolin road movies, the anarchist PSA’s of Zaheer, and the “Fearsome Foursome Phone Tree Saga!” (We also talk a little about the new Mystery Science Theater 3000 revival and the anime juggernaut that is Your Name. But really it’s all about that phone tree.)
Next: the penultimate episode of our show discussions. Only two more podcasts focused on The Legend of Korra before we put a bow on the whole TARP project with our big blowout wrap party episode. So next week we’ll be looking at chapters 410, “Operation Beifong,” and 411, “Kuvira’s Gambit.”
The BreakdownIntro / Banter (00:00 - 15:00)Main Topic (15:00 - 1:29:00)Outro / Next (1:29:00 - 1:34:05) -
It’s the ante-penultimate episode of The Avatar Returns and the boys are a little punch drunk. Paul shares a Star Wars/The Legend of Korra mashup that goes over like a lead balloon; Arlo makes a Thelma Schoonmaker joke that gets crickets for a response; and Eric makes a Step Up All In reference that goes completely over Arlo’s head. Oh, and there are chapters to discuss, too. In 410, “Operation Beifong,” it gets all Paul Simony with a genuine mother and child reunion between Toph and Lin, while Opal introduces us to Juicy (yeah, Juicy), and Bolin eats noodles like a boss. And in chapter 411, “Kuvira’s Gambit,” the Great Uniter has herself a Megazord, and Meelo has gas. (Hashtag Defend the Fart.)
As a particularly sad bonus, this episode features the very last time Arlo will get to make predictions based on upcoming chapter titles. The end of an era.
Next: all good things must come to an end as chapters 412, “Day of the Colossus” and 413, “The Last Stand” put a punctation mark on The Legend of Korra. But will it be a question mark or an exclamation point? Tune in and find out.
The BreakdownIntro / Banter (00:00 - 07:30)Main Topic (07:30 - 1:17:08)Outro / Next (1:17:08 - 1:22:50) -
The secret is out! The truth about all of the crazy breaks and pauses and hiatuses The Avatar Returns has endured over the past year-and-a-half can finally be revealed. The truth is…we didn’t want this to end. But end it has, and we must fight our way through the heartache and the pain to discuss, one last time, these final chapters of The Legend of Korra. Chapter 412, “Day of the Colossus” sees all our gathered heroes marshaling what resistance they can against Kuvira’s Platinum Gundam of Spirity Death. There’s a marriage proposal; Hayao Miyazaki makes a surprise (if short) return; and Meelo bends with something other than his butt. And then in chapter 413, appropriately titled “The Last Stand,” Bolin throws a building at Kuvira; Mako bends his shirt off; and Korra and Kuvira have possibly the most viscerally satisfying battle in the history of the series. Plus that marriage proposal leads to an actual wedding, and our beloved Avatar indulges in some very significant hand-holding.
And now, at the end of all things, we finally, FINALLY try and give the extraordinary series composer Jeremy Zuckerman his due. (In case we don’t make it clear in the episode, he is one of the most amazing and criminally under appreciated composers working.)
Next: the shows are over but you still get one more podcast from us. Join us as we laugh, cry, and probably drink our way through a look back on the long, strange journey we’ve taken through these amazing shows. There could be games; we might try and stump each other with pop quizzes; it’s almost guaranteed we’ll argue over “Imprisoned” or “The Swamp” again. You’re all invited to The Great TARP Wrap Party!
The BreakdownIntro / Banter (00:00 - 07:00)Main Topic (07:00 - 1:40:35)Outro / Next (1:40:35 - 1:45:40) -
Goodbyes are hard. That’s why we drink. In this episode your sad hosts are sad. In the absence of new Avatar: The Last Airbender or The Legend of Korra chapters to discuss, we get slightly inebriated and try to make it a party. There’s trivia, “Who Said It” challenges, lists (because everyone loves lists), and lots of self-indulgence and time-wasting. We really do go out on the top of our game.
In all seriousness, we have had a tremendous time sharing this journey with each other and with all of our listeners. No one could have predicted how important this silly little project would become for all of us, and so reaching the end and having to step away is truly bittersweet. We’re all proud of what we’ve done, but we’re going to miss coming together every week to have these discussions. We will of course return from time to time with new episodes as the graphic novel series collected editions come out, so this isn’t goodbye forever.
Thanks to each and every one of you who has joined us along the way. It’s been an honor and a pleasure.
“The greatest illusion of this world is the illusion of separation.”
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We’re baaaaack. But there’s no cause for celebration as we’re forced to bid a sad farewell to our beloved comics creative team. One last time writer Gene Luen Yang and art duo Gurihiru spin a tale of Team Avatar for the official tie-in graphic novel series from Dark Horse Comics. Vol. 5: North and South sees Sokka and Katara return home to the Southern Water Tribe for the first time since setting off with Aang to end the Hundred Years War. But what they find may not be the quaint, egalitarian village they remember. As each volume before it, North and South explores issues of modernization, nationalism, societal and technological development. But for the first time our hosts don’t all necessarily agree on the quality of the story and/or art. One of them may or may not spend much of the podcast talking about loving the book while consistently nitpicking practically everything about it. Which one of them is being an Arlo? Press play and find out!
Also, there’s talk of “therapybending,” David Lynch’s inevitable contribution to the World of Avatar, spoilers for Lion King(?!?), and Tattoo Watch is officially over as someone earns their ink.
Next: there’s a change coming as the boys talk about how to continue the podcast in light of the glacial pace of new comics being released. There’s quite a bit of discussion at the end of the episode about what to do about that, but I’ll go ahead and spoil some of it for you now and let you know the next thing we’ll be discussing will be the first individual volume of the Legend of Korra graphic novel series Turf War. Date TBD.
The BreakdownIntro / Banter (00:00 - 15:15)Main Topic (15:15 - 1:48:15)What Does the Podcast Become Now? (1:48:15 - 1:57:05)Outro / Next (1:57:05 - 2:00:12) -
We’re back for a brand new year with a brand new comics series! Following on the successful heels of their Avatar: The Last Airbender graphic novels Dark Horse Comics introduces the official Legend of Korra continuation series. The first story arc is called “Turf Wars” and it’s written by original series co-creator Michael Dante DiMartino with art by Irene Koh. To go along with all the new we here at The Avatar Returns are trying a slightly new format in that we’ll be reviewing these books as they are initially released rather than waiting for the hardcover Library Edition collections. So in this episode we tackle Part One (of Three), and I confess that we struggle just a little bit. Picking up immediately where the animated series left off we follow Korra and Asami on their getaway into the spirit world, and while it’s wonderful to see these characters again the return isn’t quite as smooth as we may have hoped. Paul and Arlo are worried about a seeming return to Book One hotheaded impetuous Korra; Koh’s art is a significant change from Gurihiru in the ATLA books; there’s talk of the Dumbledoring of Kya; and Eric will not condone a course of action that will lead us to Turf War. (That’s a joke, he actually loves this book.)
The Breakdown
Intro / Banter (00:00 - 04:00)Main Topic (04:00 - 1:11:23)Outro / Next (1:11:23 - 1:13:50)Links
The Ungrounded Turf Wars of Legend of Korra -
Guess who’s back, back again…
A little flying lemur told us it was the 15th Anniversary of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and we thought, “Hey, we liked that show.” So here we are, Team TARP together again. We discuss our memories of the series, how it’s influenced pop culture, and whether or not that Netflix live-action series is ever gonna happen. We also talk about all the various ways this podcast could reincarnate in the future, be it for books, comics, or other animated series.
Also, our resident boozebender Eric Sipple creates an Avater-themed cocktail. (See the recipe below.)
Next: TBD
THE BREAKDOWN
Total Run Time: 01:40:55
00:00:45 - Intro00:09:45 - AtLA 15th Anniversary00:43:33 - Netflix live-action update01:05:16 - Books & Comics01:10:30 - Animation01:20:06 - Speculating about new podcast projects01:37:20 - Outro / NextTHE MUSIC
“Avatar: The Last Airbender (Intro)” by Jeremy Zuckerman (2005)“Airbending” by Mak11, Airbending (Single) (2019)THE LINKS
Wyrd Crafts Chit-Chat Episode 2 - Jessie FlowerHoopla - Streaming Audiobooks, Music, Video & eBooksAvatar: The Last Airbender - The Rise of Kyoshi (The Kyoshi Novels Book 1) by F. C. YeeTHE AVATAR STATE Recipe
1 oz London dry gin (Air)1 oz Campari (Fire)1 oz Punt e Mes (Earth)Fill an old fashioned glass with ice (Water). Add all ingredients to the glass and stir. Garnish with a thin slice of orange.
