Avatar: Seven Havens season 1 review: a strong first season

Avatar: Seven Havens has wrapped its first season, and it proved me wrong. I went in with low expectations, and I came out convinced it was an excellent first season. I know Paramount is a bad company and its platform is bad too, but I'm begging you to give this show a chance. If you loved the two earlier shows, you'll love this one as well.

My doubts weren't random. I don't trust Paramount these days, I didn't like the Aang movie much, and the trailers for this series looked ordinary to me. I love this world, from Avatar: The Last Airbender to The Legend of Korra, so I wanted nothing more than a great third show. Several elements came together well to make a strong first season. Spoilers follow.

Seven Havens wipes out the world Aang and Korra built, and I think it works

The premise has grabbed the attention of many Avatar fans, positively and negatively. Mostly, I think it works, and I understand the criticism. I love the worldbuilding of Avatar, the idea of the four nations and their different cultures. Aang saved the world from a hundred year war. Korra did a great deal to bring the spirit world closer to the human world and to rebuild the Air Nation. So is it disappointing that all of that has been erased in Seven Havens? Yes, definitely.

We see this often in franchise storytelling these days: a new series follows an older one and risks undoing what the original achieved. The Star Wars sequel trilogy is a great example. But not all of it is lost. Much of the old world clearly shapes the new one, and I think one of this show's themes will be rediscovering the past.

No series has told an apocalypse story this way before. Usually the end of the world happens on Earth, or it's the basic premise of the series. With Seven Havens, we had two shows, a movie and many books set in the old world of the four nations, and we grew attached to it. I've never seen another franchise abandon its legacy like this. I don't mean that negatively. For me, it's a fascinating direction.

The mysteries around Korra and the catastrophe keep me hooked

The main reason this change works is the mystery surrounding the end of the world, or in this case, the catastrophe. At least for me, the writers are using my love for the previous series, specifically The Legend of Korra. What caused the catastrophe? What exactly was Korra's role, since she obviously didn't destroy the world for fun? Why are there two Avatars? Does it have something to do with Raava and Vaatu? What exactly survived from the old world? Why is bending declining, and why are fewer benders being born?

Sometimes all a story needs is a good hook to pull you in, and then it can develop its characters and themes later. As an Avatar fan, I'm invested in these mysteries. I want to know what happened, so I'll keep watching until I get answers. Luckily, the characters and the rest of the story are engaging enough to keep me around.

Unfortunately, season one doesn't give many answers, and every answer or hint raises more questions. Asami and Future Industries seem to have a role in this. What that role is, we'll see. I understand why the show holds back. At this point, the characters aren't looking for these answers. From their point of view, Korra caused the catastrophe, and that's all they need to know. The twins don't seem bothered that there are two Avatars, and nobody knows anything about Raava or Vaatu. If the characters aren't asking, the story doesn't need to answer yet. The questions the sisters do care about, like what happened to their parents, get answered, even if those answers led to more questions.

Seven Havens risks becoming The Force Awakens

The danger is that the longer the show pushes these mysteries into future seasons, the more pressure builds for satisfying payoffs. You could say this series risks becoming The Force Awakens. When that film came out, many people loved it and were drawn in by the mysteries around Rey, Snoke and Kylo. When the last two films arrived, many didn't like the answers, and those questions lost their shine for them when they looked back at The Force Awakens. We'll have to wait and see what kind of answers we get, and hope they're satisfying, or the show could end up failing.

The animation is the fair criticism, but the art style and score are excellent

Probably the biggest criticism of the show is its below par animation, and that's completely fair. The Last Airbender gets something of a pass because it's 20 years old, but The Legend of Korra isn't much younger and it's still high quality. Some of its fight sequences remain stunning about 15 years later. The biggest reason for the rough animation is obviously the budget. The Aang movie has some of the best 2D animation I've ever seen, so Avatar Studios clearly has the ability. Fair or not, the weaker animation is definitely noticeable at times, especially in fights.

That said, the animation is up to standard at times. The final fight with the anomaly was great. So the animation isn't a big problem for me. It isn't bad; it's simply not at the level of The Legend of Korra or even The Last Airbender. And while the animation may not be great, I think the art style is, and many people confuse the two. Animation is about how things move; art style is about how they look. The end of the world has never looked as beautiful as this catastrophe, and the cosmic plane material was gorgeous too. If you're an animation fanatic, I understand your frustration, but for me it barely deserves a mention.

Anyone complaining about the animation should praise the soundtrack just as much, because I feel it's one of the best in the franchise. I think Jeremy Zuckerman has scored the whole franchise, and he delivers every time. The pieces where an Indian woman sings give me chills, and the cosmic plane music whenever the hero is there is a standout. The actress who voices the lead also has a beautiful voice. Her character sings often on the show, and it adds a lot to her.

Why the young hero of Seven Havens is so lovable

The characters are the show's main strengths, and the young hero has been my favorite from the start. The word I've seen many people use for her is lovable, and I completely agree. She has plenty of quirks and reasons for her life to be miserable, yet she has a positive, optimistic outlook that makes her the sweetest character on the show. She lives in the junkyards, has rocks for friends and is covered in dirt, and she loves it. The show opens with her doing her best to save a bug.

She's definitely eccentric. She loves dirt, sleeping on the ground and stale bread, has rocks as friends and gets dramatic about certain things. I loved when she waved at the TV. She can't stop repeating her portable sports phrase, which is catchy. The love and support she shows Nisha early on is great too.

I feel one of the best ways to make a character lovable is to keep them from complaining much. In her case, she complains about almost nothing, even things she probably should complain about; she either loves them or jokes about them. She's missing a leg and mostly jokes about it, like when she tells an injured person she can't be the Avatar because the Avatar has two legs and she has only one. But the writers don't ignore how someone might realistically feel about losing a leg. She has phantom pain and some insecurity about accepting help because of it. That's one of the best parts of her writing.

She's also funny, and I'm not lowering my standards because this is a kids show. She isn't like Bolin, whose humor I felt was childish. She made me laugh on several occasions. Asked if she's scared, she replies that she's a nine year old being chased by the government, so of course she's scared. That made me laugh out loud. When Nisha mentions a broom, she says she has a friend who's a broom and he's a little bossy. She's the best, and she's fun to root for.

Fear drives the hero's arc and the season finale twist

More importantly, she has real depth. The season's main theme is fear and how it drives people. Before the series begins, she probably realized she's the Avatar, and probably heard stories of how Korra destroyed the world. So it makes sense she'd fear becoming like Korra. That's perhaps why she lives outside the city, avoiding the corps and avoiding people learning she's the Avatar. It's also why she's so peaceful. She tries to help people and animals rather than fight them, all from that deep fear of becoming like Korra.

As the season goes on, we learn she's driven to find her family. She fears her parents abandoned her because she's the Avatar, so finding them could prove that wrong. That's also why she's so drawn to Nisha. She wants family warmth, a sister appears, and it doesn't hurt that the sister is also an Avatar.

The big twist at the end is that her parents didn't abandon her. They tried to abandon Nisha, and Nisha accidentally killed them. The writers clearly wanted the twins separated by the finale, which was hard given the hero's personality, and I thought they handled it cleverly. The parents trying to abandon Nisha in front of her was brutal. It was obvious the parents would die, but I didn't expect Nisha to kill them. I think it would be unusual for the hero to leave Nisha for that alone. Clearly the bigger reason for her anger is that Nisha lied to her. That's deeply personal, and since they're nine, I think it's a realistic portrayal.

Knowing she wasn't abandoned, and angry at Nisha, she finally overcomes her fear of being the Avatar. She unlocks her root chakra and faces the anomaly head on. Her arc was great for a first season, and I can't wait to see more of her now that she's eager to continue her journey.

Nisha is the opposite of her sister, and I have a feeling she's the dark Avatar

Nisha's dynamic with her sister was great to watch because she's the exact opposite. One fears what happens if she accepts being the Avatar; Nisha fears what happens if the world doesn't accept her as the Avatar. She uses being the Avatar as a way to seek validation. She's terrified of abandonment, and if she's the Avatar, she matters and nobody will abandon her. That's why she's so eager to prove herself early. When her sister finds her, she hopes to bond over being Avatars.

When the rest of the White Lotus shows up, they say she isn't ready and must go with someone to finish her training, which terrifies Nisha. From the White Lotus perspective, she's a potential world destroyer like Korra, so if I were in the White Lotus, I'd probably be cautious too. On the other hand, she's a nine year old girl with feelings who's afraid of being abandoned. Many may see her revealing she's the Avatar as stupid, and it sort of was, but of course she would do it. Later she learns she killed her parents and hides it as long as she can, but the truth comes out.

Nisha may not be as lovable because she's far more reckless, but she has more potential given how the season ended. Her sister overcame her fears, while Nisha's worst fear came true. From her view, her sister is abandoning her over something she did with her Avatar powers, and it was her sister who saved the day. The whole city may be praising Nisha, but she knows that isn't what happened. She wanted to save the city because she thinks it's the only way to have value, so if her sister can save everyone, why would the world need the lesser, weaker Avatar?

Many predict Nisha is the dark Avatar, and I have a feeling that will be the case. Turning evil only because she's the dark Avatar would be lazy. But if it comes from what happens to her and her worst fears coming true, I'd be fully on board. I can see her growing insecure about her sister's powers, building something like an Anakin and Obi Wan dynamic, which would be a great direction. I can't wait to see more of the two of them.

The supporting cast of Seven Havens has untapped potential

The twins are the best written characters, which is ideal, and the rest range from average to good. The third most important character goes from a rule follower who fears the Avatar to breaking every rule and joining her mission. I like him, and he has quirks that make him likable, but his arc happened too fast. If his core idea is fearing the Avatar and ending up joining her, that fear needed far more development. By the end of the third episode, he'd already accepted the twins, so accepting them again at the end didn't land. Near the finale he seems to betray Karthik, but everyone knows it's a trick. More time on his struggle would have made his final choice much more powerful.

Karthik was probably my next favorite after the twins. He has a sweet dynamic with the girls. He's a bit like Tenzin, but I think he's gentler in a way. By the end, he genuinely cares about them, especially Nisha. He seems like a good person, not a secret villain, but his top priority seems to be helping the city or saving the world. So far helping Nisha lines up with that, but there's a strong chance it won't last. If Nisha is the dark Avatar, will he turn his back on her and help her sister? With both characters, I'm more excited for their future than for anything they did this season. That's still good writing; they just need to use that potential.

The other key characters are the chancellor and the leader of the Faceless. The chancellor fears the Avatar, and I understand the criticism. She became a bit cartoonish by the end, especially after pushing a scientist into the fear pool or whatever it is. A character driven only by a misunderstanding is also hard to engage with. Her fear driving her mad makes sense, but it's still frustrating to watch. The Faceless leader was more interesting. I enjoyed how the season explored conscription and its injustice, and it worked hard to show why benders resent the corps and join a gang. Given the state of the world, I understand both sides. The missed opportunity is that this story didn't matter much to the twins. Every season of The Legend of Korra tied its main plot directly to Korra. The twins never struggled for their freedom or their place in the corps. It felt aimed more at the rule follower, and even he didn't struggle enough. Still, these were good additions.

Seven Havens is built like The Last Airbender, and that excites me

Seven Havens is structured more like The Last Airbender than The Legend of Korra, with one plot across the whole series rather than a new one each season, and I love that. There's much more potential for stronger storytelling. People have complained about the 13 episode seasons, compared with 20 for The Last Airbender, arguing filler episodes let characters grow. I don't think Seven Havens has character development problems. The pacing is sometimes fast, but I don't think more filler would make it better, so I disagree with that criticism.

I also like the chakra theme. It makes the show feel more structured. Aang had to master four elements; this Avatar has to unblock seven chakras. I do hope for less energy bending. It's always been one of my least favorite parts of Avatar. I didn't like Aang beating Ozai in an energy clash or Korra defeating Unalaq through energy battles, and I don't like the end of the Aang movie because it felt like one giant energy battle. I liked what the anomaly's defeat symbolized, but it still looked like a giant laser fight. I hope for much less of that and more real fights.

The dialogue could also improve. In the cosmic plane, the hero asks how she unlocked her chakras, then answers that she overcame her fears and accepted being the Avatar. I get that it's a kids show, but it doesn't need to be that direct.

The standout is clearly the twins' relationship. If the show follows the path of Jinx and Vi in Arcane, its peak could reach the peak of The Last Airbender. That isn't the only way for it to be great, but I think it would be amazing if it happened.