Okay here goes nothing (If you have not seen this and would like to be suprised do not read on,the spoilers are everywhere)
Avatar: The Last Airbender Book 3: Fire (2007)
Presentation: 20/20 (Once again,same great intro with Mae Whitman taking the helm of narration along with a great montage of the four elements which at this point will always get a 20 in my eyes. Now into the beginning of Chapter 1,Aang wakes up after being defeated at the end of last season to find himself on a Fire Nation ship and everyone in Fire Nation garments and he fains thinking it was a nightmare,when he wakes he finds out he has hair! That's right the bald guy has hair.I really think that was a genius way to start off a new season after those dark and edgy events prior)
Plot: 20/20 (Sokka has devised a plan to end the war,an invasion on the Fire Nation actually during an eclipse which would render all firebenders powerless but in the meantime he along with Katara, Aang and Toph must hide within the Fire Nation. Iroh is imprisoned but has not given hope and realizes that he is destined to conquer Ba Sing Se but no in the way he thought he would. Zuko is wondering if he did the right thing back in Ba Sing Se at the end of last season and starts to wonder if he will ever receive his father's love. Once again Zuko is the second focus after Aang and company and it all comes together so nicely mid-season in which the plot shifts to which Zuko must teach Aang how to firebend before Sozin's Comet arrives and lends too much power to all firebenders.)
Characters: 20/20 (Aang is becoming even more pro-active and more determined after what happened last season to right by everyone he cares about which is such an incredible change from what he was back in Book 1. Don't get me wrong he'll probably still enjoy penguin sledding when he can but he's become the prioritizer. Katara begins to show a much darker side never really examined before and also matures a lot. Sokka becomes a warrior and skilled leader and sheds all rashness from prior books but he still maintains some of the comic relief,but he also shows a tender side. Toph goes to new level in bad-ass in fighting and pushes Sokka out of the comic relief bubble and hogs it,however we finally get a real look into her past in this book as well. Zuko switches sides entirely after having an epiphany in Chapter 9 and becomes the good guy that must redeem himself after all the horrors committed in the preceding Books. Iroh is absent for most of the this section but he is still a mentor figure to Zuko. Azula is put on the side as the secondary antagonist and we see a human side to her at a few points even though she is still a cruel but darkly charismatic character. New to the crew is Fire Lord Ozai,the very demon who scarred and banished Prince Zuko and mentored Azula. He is the villain who like Azula is cunning and merciless but not as vulnerable either to being hurt. Mai becomes Zuko's love interest and plays a very pivotal role at one point,making her more than a goon with personality. Ty Lee however remains a goon. Regardless all characters undergo so much change and that is something you don't see everyday.)
Eisen's Role: 20/20 (Nothing new again,same awesome voice from before. I said his work as Aang at any point is extraordinary and I stand by tha)
Whitman's Role: 19.5/20 (She comes off as a little bit too angry at times when I don't think that was supposed to be the case,but that's barely noticeable and for the record,she's still got the perfect voice for the "motherly" character and still continues the incredible narration)
DeSena's Role: 20/20 (I've said it before and I'll say it again This guy might very well have the coolest and creepiest range of voice pitch,I mean seriously one minute Sokka has the gruffest,most boastful and gusto voice you'd expect from the macho guy he is, but then.....KAZAAM his voice cracks and he's got the most adorable voice when crying at the same time. Sometimes it's the perfect dull other times he's got the most exaggerated reaction to something as simple as "an elbow leach" lets say,this fits incredibly well with Sokka as a character. That can be attributed by a rumor that Jack DeSena actually improvised on the first episode and made him the melodramatic comic relief he his when originally he was going to be much more serious.And that fine print still stands)
Basco's Role: 20/20 (Still great voice,and that tone change I mentioned earlier is even more dramatic and really does wonders to balance out the loudness that is Sokka. I'll never forget how he said "that's rough buddy" to Sokka after they talk about lost girlfriends. No other person could've made that sound so cool and that's what I like about Basco's voice)
Baldwin's Role: 18/20 (He's impressive and really gets into character,but Mako's work in prior seasons is just too hard of an act to follow,for one he lacks the sweet voice Mako could generate when Iroh wanted to relax. However he's fantastic at the lecturing and angry side of Iroh. This switch reminds me of when Michael Gambon replaced Richard Harris as Dumbledore that while Harris was too hard to follow and certainly superior in acting,Gambon brought in a new interpretation. Well same with Greg Baldwin who gave Iroh a more aggressive edge.But Mako's work will always have a place in my heart,may he rest in peace)
Flower's Role: 20/20 (Once again,Flower never ceases to amaze in her work as Toph. Same perfect tough girl voice and now officially one of the coolest laughs too)
DeLisle's Role: 20/20 (Still got the perfect voice of evil that is Azula,but in this book Azula must also have a hard time at regular social life and have a breakdown. On both counts DeLisle is fantastic from the awkward laugh to how she sees everything as an act of war Ex: " Your so good-looking,....your looks could sink a Fire Navy battleship,....that's how sharp you look")
Leigh's Role: 20/20 (Now that Mai has become a more important character,I thought it best to mention her voice actor Cricket Leigh who did a great job at the emo girl that had a secret.Considering Mai has to have a monotone voice,she did a lot to make you feel sorry for her in a way not unlike how Dante Basco did Prince Zuko)
Hamill's Role: 20/20 (At last Luke Skywalker manifests himself unto this crew,except this time he ain't fightin' an emperor that shoots lightning,he is the emperor that shoots lightning.He still manages to capture the evil laughs he excelled at as The Joker and add a very spine-tingling voice as well.Mark Hamill as usual does not disappoint)
Pictures: 20/20 (Even farther improved in this season than before,everything is so well rendered like the colorful flames in Chapter 13, Aang's tattoos, and the stage effects in Chapter 17.But then just when you think it can't get any better,they really go all out in the finale. The battle is so good looking,the water effects are stunning. This show feeds the eyes well before the mind)
Execution: 20/20 (Every episode was perfectly placed. The direction is fantastic once again and the events unfold so well. For example the very end of the series has a well placed dose of deux es machina in which Aang does not kill Ozai after a magnificently done battle,but instead finds a way to strip him of his firebedning.Had Aang killed Ozai he would've compromised his principles. Before the grandiose finale is an episode that is incredibly campy episode in which the Gaang goes to a play based on their adventures but it's horribly potrayed. All in all it's done to prep for the end. Then end is a happy ending yes but's very well written and you've been waiting for it the whole time and it's not forced either which is something few shows are like. Most end because the network tells them to,these guys naturally had one ready)
Final:19/20 (First off all I preferred Book 2's darker premise and I miss Mako's work as Iroh and in both regards,this Book will never be as good as the previous Books. However it's still incredibly executed, the picture quality has increased,and the fun factor never wavers and the dialogue is extraordinary. This truly is the climax if all 3 seasons were a film)
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