Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender will return for seasons 2 and 3, leading many to question which episodes from the original show will be skipped in the adaptation. Avatar: The Last Airbender‘s Netflix renewal came as a surprise to many in that two more seasons were ordered instead of the expected one, proving that the entire original show will be adapted to live-action. That said, despite Netflix’s show finishing its story – unlike the canceled The Last Airbender 2 by M. Night Shyamalan – not every moment of the original Nickelodeon show will be included.
This was proven by the skipped episodes of Netflix’s The Last Airbender season 1, from the original show’s “Imprisoned” to “The Waterbending Scroll.” While skipping these episodes undoubtedly upset some fans of the original Avatar: The Last Airbender, it makes sense for an eight-episode adaptation of a 20+ episode season to omit some elements entirely or combine them into one storyline. With that in mind, it should be expected that the combination of storylines will continue in Avatar: The Last Airbender seasons 2 and 3 on Netflix, as will the removal of some original episodes.
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Missing Original ATLA Episodes | Brief Description |
|---|---|
Season 1, Episode 6, “Imprisoned” | Aang, Katara, and Sokka free a group of Eerthbenders from an all-metal Fire Nation prison |
Season 1, Episode 9, “The Waterbending Scroll” | Katara steals a Waterbending Scroll from pirates to begin learning Waterbending. |
Season 1, Episode 11, “The Great Divide” | Aang, Katara, and Sokka aid two warring Earth Kingdom tribes in crossing the treacherous Great Divide. |
Season 1, Episode 14, “The Fortuneteller” | Aang, Katara, and Sokka save an Earth Kingdom town from being destroyed by a volcano after a Fortuneteller’s misread visions threaten their safety. |
Season 1, Episode 15, “Bato of the Water Tribe” | Aang, Katara, and Sokka meet up with Bato, a member of Hakoda’s Water Tribe warriors. |
Season 1, Episode 16, “The Deserter” | Aang learns Firebending from a Fire Nation deserter, the former master of Admiral Zhao. |
10
“The Avatar State” – Season 2, Episode 1
Elements of the episode are important but could be included in a plot more connected to the show’s overarching story.
The first episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender Book Two: Earth is titled “The Avatar State.” In the episode, Aang, Katara, and Sokka travel to an Earth Kingdom outpost in hopes of securing an escort to Omashu. The general in charge of the outpost, General Fong, begins questioning why Aang cannot defeat the Fire Lord sooner, given the power he displayed in the Avatar State during the Siege of the North. This episode is fairly self-contained in that regard, as it centers on Aang and Fong figuring out how to trigger the Avatar State at will.
As such, this episode will likely be skipped given its self-contained nature. The only elements of the episode that will need to be adapted pertain to the Avatar State itself, namely a scene in which Roku contacts Aang to deliver vital details about the Avatar State. Roku explains to Aang that if Aang is killed while in the Avatar State, the Avatar Cycle will be broken forever. This element is vital to the show’s story and is the only part of “The Avatar State” that is needed for Netflix’s The Last Airbender season 2.
9
“The Cave of Two Lovers” – Season 2, Episode 2
The core plot of this episode was already included in Netflix’s The Last Airbender season 1.
Season 2, episode 2 of the original Avatar: The Last Airbender involved Aang, Katara, and Sokka traveling through the titular Cave of Two Lovers to reach Omashu. In Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender season 1, episode 4, this cave was included beneath Omashu itself. Sokka and Katara explored the cave in Netflix’s live-action, with their familial love helping them escape and taking the place of Aang and Katara’s romantic love from the original show. As such, it is unlikely this storyline will be revisited in Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender season 2.
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8
“Avatar Day” – Season 2, Episode 5
The majority of this episode’s important aspects have already been explored in Netflix’s The Last Airbender.
Avatar: The Last Airbender season 2, episode 5 saw the show’s trio celebrate “Avatar Day” in an Earth Kingdom village. However, this celebration quickly turns sour when the trio realizes the village despises the Avatar and uses the titular occasion to burn statues of the prior beings. This stems from Avatar Kyoshi once killing Chin the Conqueror, an Earthbending tyrant who originated from the village. Aang is then arrested and, to settle the conflict, Kyoshi assumes Aang’s body and saves the town from Firebenders.
While some changes were made, the broad strokes of the story of “Avatar Day” were covered in Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender season 1, episode 2. From Kyoshi taking control over Aang’s body to defeat Firebenders to the painting depicting her defeat of Chin the Conqueror, Netflix’s live-action has already included several elements of “Avatar Day.” With the rest of the original show’s episode being seen somewhat as filler, it is unlikely to be included in Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender season 2.
7
“The Chase” – Season 2, Episode 8
A fantastic episode that will likely be combined into other elements of Netflix’s live-action show.
“The Chase” is an episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender season 2 that will likely be subject to the same treatment as season 1’s “The Storm” for Netflix’s live-action adaptation. The latter episode was split between flashbacks of Aang fleeing the Southern Air Temple and saving a fisherman from a similar storm in the present. Netflix’s show took the flashback elements – the important parts of Aang’s backstory – and placed them at the beginning of season 1 while omitting the present-day story. This will likely be the same with “The Chase” in Netflix’s The Last Airbender season 2.
In the original The Last Airbender, “The Chase” saw Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai using a metal tank to endlessly pursue Team Avatar for days on end. The titular chase eventually culminated in a confrontation which saw Iroh and Zuko briefly team up with Aang and his friends against Azula. As was the case with the important aspect of “The Storm” for Netflix’s adaptation, the live-action Last Airbender season 2 will likely take the vital elements of Iroh and Zuko’s tentative alliance with Aang and include them in the story, while omitting less than necessary aspects like Azula’s endless chase.
6
“The Serpent’s Pass” – Season 2, Episode 12
This episode’s character development will likely be combined with other, more important season 2 episodes.
Avatar: The Last Airbender season 2, episode 12 was the first installment of a two-episode arc, featuring Team Avatar traveling through the titular Serpent’s Pass on the way to Ba Sing Se. For the most part, the episode is focused on further developing characters like Sokka, Suki, and Aang via their choice to aid Earth Kingdom refugees by escorting them through The Serpent’s Pass. This character development should be included in Netflix’s The Last Airbender season 2, though it will likely be moved away from the overall story of “The Serpent’s Pass” in favor of a more story-intensive episode.
5
“The Tales of Ba Sing Se” – Season 2, Episode 15
This episode’s nature as an anthology means it is unlikely to be adapted into live-action.
Despite becoming iconic among the Avatar fanbase, The Last Airbender season 2, episode 15, “The Tales of Ba Sing Se” will likely be left out of Netflix’s season 2. This is because “The Tales of Ba Sing Se” is an anthology episode, telling six short-form vignettes of the various main characters’ lives in the titular city of Ba Sing Se. “The Tale of Iroh” especially is a now-iconic aspect of the original show, meaning this could be adapted to live-action. Similarly, “The Tale of Momo” advances the show’s main story and could feature in Netflix’s The Last Airbender season 2.
Each Vignette In The Tales of Ba Sing Se | Brief Description |
|---|---|
The Tale of Toph & Katara | Toph and Katara take a girl’s day out at a spa, before encountering bullies who tease the former about her appearance. |
The Tale of Sokka | Sokka unwittingly enters a haiku competition in Ba Sing Se. |
The Tale of Aang | Aang visits a rundown zoo in Ba Sing Se, before building a new one outside the city limits so the animals can live better lives. |
The Tale of Zuko | Zuko meets a girl named Jin at his and Iroh’s tea shop and takes her on a date in Ba Sing Se. |
The Tale of Momo | Momo searches Ba Sing Se for signs of Appa, who was lost earlier in the season. |
The Tale of Iroh | Iroh goes through Ba Sing Se helping people with various issues before holding a mournful remembrance for his son, Lu Ten. |
4
“The Headband” – Season 3, Episode 2
Book Three: Fire includes an early episode that could be omitted from Netflix’s live-action show.
Like the season 1 episode “The Storm” and the season 2 episode “The Chase,” Avatar: The Last Airbender season 3, episode 2 includes some great elements that will likely be used in Netflix’s The Last Airbender season 3. This episode provides a lot of context to the lives of Fire Nation civilians, exploring how they are different from the Fire Lord’s soldiers and humanizing “the enemy” of Team Avatar. These aspects will almost certainly be included in Netflix’s The Last Airbender season 3, though it is unlikely to be via the core story of “The Headband.”
In this episode, the context of Fire Nation civilians is provided through Aang. Aang accidentally enrolls in a Fire Nation school, learning of the indoctrination, brainwashing, and propaganda the Fire Lord uses to win civilians over with his war. The episode culminates in a Footloose-inspired dance party, with both this and the school likely being removed in favor of more mature storylines for Netflix’s The Last Airbender season 3.
3
“The Runaway” – Season 3, Episode 7
This Toph-centric episode is unlikely to be adapted due to its self-contained nature.
In “The Runaway,” Toph, Sokka, and Aang become somewhat addicted to scamming citizens of the Fire Nation. This brews conflict with Katara who disagrees with their actions, specifically Toph whose trauma surrounding her parents causes her to clash with the motherly nature of the former. While the development provided for Toph, Katara, and their relationship is fantastic, it is unlikely that the scamming aspect of “The Runaway” will be included in Netflix’s The Last Airbender season 3.
2
“Nightmares and Daydreams” – Season 3, Episode 9
The episode largely serves as the set-up for episodes 10 and 11, meaning Netflix could skip it.
“Nightmares and Daydreams” focuses on Aang experiencing the titular phenomena due to his fear of the impending invasion of the Fire Nation. Through the nightmares, daydreams, and visions Aang experiences, his mindset is established for the invasion, meaning the episode acts as a “deep breath before the plunge.” As such, Netflix could forego the episode when it comes to Avatar: The Last Airbender season 3.
1
“The Ember Island Players” – Season 3, Episode 17
An iconic episode, yet its format would not suit a transition to live-action.
“The Ember Island Players” was Avatar: The Last Airbender‘s variation at a clip show episode in which Team Avatar watched a play of their journey before the four-part series finale. The episode has become iconic among the fanbase and is perhaps the most-referenced episode of the entire show due to its humor and refreshing way of including a clip show. That said, the episode simply would not translate well to live-action. While the titular Ember Island Players could have a cameo, it is unlikely the entire play will be shown in Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender season 3.
