I found that after the pure disappointment that was the first season, I actually didn’t mind the second season. Sure, there was quite a few instances of badly written dialogue, the worldbuilding was lacking and I still prefer the original but once you forget the original and view this as just another trashy teen fantasy drama, it’s not the worst. It’s actually quite engaging at times.
While the Avatar universe has never held back on its exploration of trauma, I think this is the first time it’s truly been centre stage. And while there have been disabled characters before, this is the first time a main character has had a debilitating injury (shown on screen) which caused them to relearn how to walk.
The characters are from a range of different ethnic backgrounds, they have vastly different body shapes and vastly different personalities. This show represents actual people rather than cardboard cutouts of the ideal Eurocentric person.
This show is an embodiment of the progress we have achieved in terms of representation of not only LGBTQ+ characters but also characters of vastly different body types and skin colours. Each character is a unique individual with an established back story.
