Avatar: Seven Havens Ep 1-3 Review
Fire, air, water, earth. I’ve been a fan of Nickelodeon’s Avatar franchise from day one, and I stuck around for The Legend of Korra. And while I am willing to accept that Korra isn’t Aang, I have never understood how fans could hate her so passionately. So when we learned that the sequel series, Seven Havens, would be taking place in a post-apocalyptic world that now hates the Avatar, I couldn’t help but think, “Michael, Dante, is this because of the Korra haters?” It feels like a logical conclusion to come to. So while I am supremely bummed that the world we grew up knowing is forever changed, I intend to throw my full support behind Seven Havens. Because, if nothing else, I want to see Korra get vindicated and shut those darn haters up. And the best part? We don’t have to follow just one Avatar this time.
WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED!?!?
If you saw the ending to The Legend of Korra, then you know how things ended on a cautiously optimistic note. Civilization had progressed into the 1920s of our world. Humans and Spirits were starting to adjust to being permanent neighbors. Everything was looking good. Yet when we start Seven Havens, everything has gone to hell over the last 225 years. Some sort of apocalyptic event took place called the Cataclysm that almost destroyed humanity. Now the survivors are living in seven cities meant to shelter them from the storms and dangers of the rest of the world. And the worst part? Everyone thinks that this is all Korra’s fault, hence why the world now hates the Avatar.
There is an overall sense of mystery to the setting of Seven Havens that sucked me in. What could have possibly happened that turned the world into the fantasy equivalent of Fallout? Also, Korra being held responsible for it? I don’t buy that. Korra was a lot of things, but i don’t think she would purposefully subject the world to something like this. I’m sticking with the fan theory that while Korra did cause the Cataclysm, it was only because the alternative would have been far, far worse. Either way, I refuse to hold it against her.
Also, I should point out that a big, recurring theme to the franchise is that every Avatar has to deal with the mistakes of their predecessors. It’s an inherent part of the role. The question is, how are the new Avatars supposed to fix this?
TWO AVATARS?!?!
From the moment we learned what Seven Havens would be about, the marketing wanted us to believe that Pavi, the girl with the stone peg leg, was the Avatar. However, many fans theorized that Nisha, Pavi’s long-lost twin sister who’s supposed to play a big role, was also an Avatar. If not the Avatar of Raava, then of Vaatu, the spirit of darkness? As it turns out, the fans were right. By the end of the first episode, we learn that Pavi and Nisha are both the Avatar. And I’m sorry that I accidentally spoiled myself by going on Twitter before I could watch the premiere.
So, not only are Pavi and Nisha twins who got separated at a very young age, they are both the Avatar. And this raises even more questions. This is the first time that there have ever been more than one Avatar. How is this possible? Did whatever happen to Korra somehow split the Avatar Spirit in two? Did Raava decide to reincarnate as twins, or was it an unexpected anomaly? Most importantly, why did it happen two hundred years after Korra died? Did Raava hold off on reincarnating, or did something happened that delayed the process? These are questions that we need answers to, and I hope that the showrunners do a good job!
Pavi is to Aang as Nisha is to Korra
While this whole situation is confusing to us as it is to the people who know about the twins, I think Seven Havens is trying to let us have our cake and eat it, too. I say this because Pavi and Nisha are each similar to the Avatars of the previous shows. Pavi is a girl who’s grown up never understanding why she is the way she is, is reluctant to become the Avatar, and doesn’t want to hurt anyone. If that doesn’t remind you of Aang, I don’t know what will. In contrast, Nisha takes after Korra, embracing her role as the Avatar and wanting to be the hero the world needs. By having them both be the Avatar, we have the chance to see how they compare and contrast with each other, and how both of them are needed to bring balance to the world.
Did I mention that they’re also 8, even younger than Aang was? And they have to fix the mess the world is in.
Speaking of which…
Bittersweet Way to Reset the Board
It goes without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway: the world we’ve known for 20 years is gone. The nations we spent years romping around are no more, and there’s no telling if they’ll ever be restored. The people we came to know and love are dead, either of old age or from the Cataclysm. Most of the world remains uninhabitable due to storms, while the titular Seven Havens seem to only look out for themselves. And to top it all off, Benders are in fewer numbers than ever.
It’s a throwaway line that Jae, our main airbending character for the series, drops in the first episode, but it was something that got my attention. Bending was always something only a portion of the population could had, but they weren’t exactly rare. The fact that fewer Benders are being born means that something must have really gone wrong. And now the surviving Benders have to shoulder the burden.
Enter the Brigade, a military organization that all Benders in Ellora must join. On the hand, having people who use all four elements seems like a good way to bring them closer together. On the other hand, though, there’s a dark undercurrent to it. Having every Bender get forced to join feels like an excuse to monitor for the return of the Avatar. In addition, the fact that Jae, a member of the Brigade, leads a team with Benders from all four elements feels sus. It’s like Ellora is saying that they don’t want the Avatar, but they want their control of the four elements. Which, again, makes me doubt that whatever happened to Korra was entirely her fault.
For the moment, though, that can wait. For now, it’s time to train.
Reunion in the Sand, Trial by Fire
These first three episodes have to do a lot of the heavy lifting needed to adjust us to this new world. Over the course of events, we see Jae discover Pavi is an Avatar, her and Nisha reunite and help save Ellora from the shadows, and then everyone has to adjust to the new status quo. It’s a lot for everyone to process, and it is not without growing pains. Pavi and Nisha clash over their differing personalities. It’s only when they work together, combining the best aspects of both of them, that they are able to become the heroes they have the potential to be. And if the ruined state of the world didn’t already clue us in, the Avatar(s) are needed. Not just to restore the world to some semblance of what it once was, to clear the Avatar’s name and ensure the past is not forgotten (it breaks my heart to think that the stories we grew up with might be lost), but to fight new threats.
In the second episode, Pavi and Nisha are forced to enter a trial by fire as a raging storm unleashes a new threat, the glowing red diamond…thing from the trailer. We still don’t know what it is, with the leading theory being it’s somehow connected to Vaatu. However, the way it acts feels nothing like what Vaatu, the spirit of chaos and darkness, could do. Plus, it seemed to make everyone besides the two of them go crazy with fear.
There’s more, though. At the end of the third episodes, mysterious visitors appear just outside Ellora, wearing masks. We don’t know who they are, but it’s likely that it’s bad news for the Avatars. Plus, they can’t keep their identities secret forever. When Ellora finds out about them, they’ll be after them out of misguided fear. So, there are a lot of threats that our heroines are facing. At least they won’t have to do it alone. Jae joins fully onboard as their airbending teacher, despite having to keep quiet to his team-mates and boyfriend. Hopefully, they can win over everyone.
Welcome back, Avatar
Overall, this is a good, solid start to a return to the world of Avatar. I may still be bummed about how Seven Havens has wiped away the board, but that only makes it a good starting point for newcomers. Plus, I’m eager to find out the truth about the Cataclysm and if it’s possible to undo it. The last thing I want to see is the world I’ve loved for two decades stuck in the fantasy equivalent of Fallout forever. Let alone the efforts of the characters from the past being for nothing, or Korra’s name be dragged through the mud!
At least we’ve learned that the series has been renewed for two more seasons. And we’re getting another prequel series covering the teen years of one of the most overlooked Avatars, Avatar Kuruk.
I Give “On the Horizon”, “Into the Storm” and “The Order” a 4/5 Each
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