Avatar makers admit most criticized episode of The Last Airbender was bad

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Avatar: The Last Airbender creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko admit they agree with fans when it comes to “The Great Divide.”

The creators of Avatar: The Last Airbender admit that the series’ most criticized episode is far from the best. The past year has seen a resurgence of Avatar content between the show’s release on Netflix and the founding of Avatar Studios. Even now, over ten years after the original series ended, Avatar remains one of the most beloved animated shows of all time. By creating a fantasy world where the four elements are represented by different nations, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko enchanted fans around the world.

While much of Avatar is praised by fans, there is one episode that is often referred to as one of the weakest in the bunch. Season 1’s “The Great Divide” sees young heroes Aang, Katara, and Sokka embroiled in a long-standing conflict between rival clans. The Avatar episode has been criticized for focusing on a plot that had little impact on the rest of the series, and also for playing with Aang’s characterization by making him lie to both groups at the end.

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Related: Avatar: The Last Airbender Timeline Explained (Including The Legend Of Korra)

DiMartino and Konietzko recently appeared on Avatar’s official podcast, Brave the Elements, and revealed new details about the series to hosts Dante Basco (Zuko) and Janet Varney (Korra). In the second part of their interview, the creators confronted the fragile legacy of “The Great Divide” by discussing the concept of filler episodes, which are often seen as minor installments. “The most famous one is from ‘The Great Divide’ which, I’ll give them, I’ll say it’s pretty filling,” DiMartino said. Konietzko summed it up faster by saying: “This is terrible.” He then elaborated by explaining, “You got that big gap. It’s a big empty hole, but it’s infill … Yeah, I wasn’t happy with that.”

“The Great Divide” is not without a few followers, however, as Basco has said he has come to enjoy the episode. He praised the episode’s changing artistic styles, and even Konietzko acknowledged that “even the episodes that I wasn’t so thrilled about, there were always moments that I really liked.” Varney also addressed Aang’s point of lying, saying it was not the only time “as a child he made a choice that is not true”. Overall, however, the consensus is in agreement with what Avatar fans have been saying for years: “The Great Divide” is one of the worst episodes of the series’ impressive series.

When it comes to filler episodes, it seems audiences tend to cancel chapters that don’t advance the plot in any meaningful way. However, as the creators pointed out on the podcast, that doesn’t mean the episodes aren’t worth the effort. There are examples of wonderful filler episodes (with Avatar’s “The Ember Island Players” being a popular choice), but “The Great Divide” just isn’t one of them. It doesn’t do much to light up the main Avatar trio, and it ends with an act of division from the main hero. Now the creators have spoken, and fans can continue to skip the episode as much as they want.

More: Last Airbender: Every Avatar Confirmed Before Aang

Source: Braving the Elements

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About the author Rachel Labonte (2212 published articles)

Rachel LaBonte is a short story, feature film and film review writer for Screen Rant with a deep passion for film and television. A graduate of Emerson College, she specialized in media arts production while specializing in screenwriting. She’s been a writer since high school, when she realized she was pretty good at it and joined as many entertainment clubs as she could while studying. Most notably, she wrote for the Emerson Emertainment Monthly website, and one of her film reviews won an Evvy (Emerson’s Student Award) for best review. Her deep love for the cinema led her to work in a movie theater for five years, which she loved despite angry customers. An avid reader who constantly buys books before reading the ones she already owns, Rachel is a huge fan of superheroes (especially of the Marvel variety) and wizards and will likely never be able to catch up with any of the movies / shows from television that she wants. Look.

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