Clark, if there's one lesson I've learned from you ...

With little fanfare, I finished season one of Avatar last month. Now with life easing up again I have the time to talk about it!

Aang is probably the most complicated character given he's like Captain America in that he was frozen and now in a time not of his own.  I enjoyed his reunion with his old friend, Bumi - now the King of Omashu and their trips down the chute mail delivery system. It's fun whenever Aang tries to impress Katara and how clueless she is of his intentions.  I like the aspect of being able to talk to his Avatar predecessor and I hope Roku has more advice for Aang in following seasons.  Seeing how much Aang cares is also a big theme, him telling Katara about his relationship with Monk Gyatsu or when they come across Bato of the Water Tribe and Aang keeps the message away from them for awhile as he was scared to lose their companionship. His fun attitude is addictive, and I loved the episode with the two feuding Earthbending tribes and crossing the great canyon and the story Aang created about the two characters at the center of the age old feud.

Katara is just as amusing as Aang when it comes to crushing on someone and while I'm heavy Kataang fan I didn't mind when she found herself investing in the cause of Haru and the imprisoned Earthbenders or the rogue Jet and his band of fighters. I also liked showing that despite her calm, thoughtful way to life at times she'll let her impatience and do rash things like steal the water scroll from those pirates or how she attacked the Northern Water Tribe's waterbending master when he refused to teach her because she was a girl.

Sokka is easiest the most shippable character.  When they crossed paths with the Warriors of Kyoshi I loved how his and Suki's perceptions of each other changed over the episode.  I hope there is a reunion in following seasons.  And even more I loved Sokka's time with Princess Yue of the Northern Water Tribe.  I really wish there hadn't been the need for that sacrifice because I instantly became a fan of those two together.  That was probably the most emotional moment of Book One.

Zuko has fallen into the character I don't like one bit category that I have with several series to differing degrees.  I'd probably relate him to Sasuke from Naruto with the amount of distaste I have for the character.  I don't know how I feel about his escapades as the Blue Spirit, feels like a way the creators are trying to create a thread of redemption for Zuko, but watching the Blue Spirit episode I don't think it's possible for him to be the Spirit given where you first see the Blue Spirit and then where Zuko is.  I was really confused by that.

Overall, I can't wait to start on the next season of the show, and I really wish that the movie had captured the spirit of the show.  Hopefully maybe in five to ten years Nickelodeon can give it another try and create a live-action version of Avatar the Last Airbender that everyone would be happy to see.  I'm excited about the news of the sequel series that they're working on and I can't wait to see the shorts with the chibi versions of the characters that I have seen and I guess are in the last two seasons because there wasn't anything on the Book one DVDs.

All of these new shows/summer shows are flooding my TV watching time.  I've even tried to resist some of these shows and it's impossible for me not to watch.  Like Covert Affairs, I wasn't planning on watching but the preview was awfully tempting, the music they tied with it is catchy, and then watching the pilot I couldn't help but have fun.  It's definitely show that you have to let go of reality a bit, but I think a critic labeled it correctly as "Escapist Fun".

I've also been following Allison Scagliotti on Twitter ever since she showed up on Smallville as part of the Wonder Twins and as a result learned that she was on a Syfy show called Warehouse 13.  Since then i'd been meaning to watch the show and when the S2 premiere arrived two weeks ago I decided that was a great jump on point.  So far it's been an interesting show and I don't feel like I've lost much by not seeing the first season.  The problem comes with the fact that it's on a Tuesday (just like Covert Affairs) and now I find myself with a night filled with 4 hour long (dramas?) to watch: Warehouse 13, Covert Affairs, NCIS & White Collar.

The other show that's sucking me in is Rizzoli & Isles on TNT which is pretty much like the other hour long detective/criminal investigation/procedural shows but focusing around one detective & one medical examiner and their friendship.  At this point I'm watching so many damn shows like this type that I try to stay away but one way or another a show ends up in the background distracting me from doing anything productive.

And I still haven't had a chance to catch up on anything ------ WAIT NOT TRUE!!!   I've been watching Season 1 of Avatar the Last Airbender.  I only have two episodes left until it's done and I absolutely adore the show like I knew I would.  I'll have to keep a lookout for deals on the next two season sets and I'll write up some thoughts on the show like how surprised I am with the shippyness of the show so early on its life.