Random Thought: The Avatar - Too Young For a Relationship?

I finished reading Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Promise last night. I'll talk more about that in another post, but it made me want to watch the series again, so I fired up the ol' Netflix queue.

As I was watching it, I was reminded of how cute it was to see Aang crushing on Katara and all the other characters dealing with teenage problems as they get ready to fight the Fire Lord, but then I remembered something very important. Aang was only supposed to be about eleven or twleve years old when he came out of the ice. He's way too young to be putting serious moves on Katara! What is up with that?

I understand that this is a cartoon but in some ways, doesn't that make it worse? Young kids watched or are going to watch it. At that age, do they really need to be thinking about how to put the moves on a possible crush?

Maybe I'm being a grumpy old lady shaking her cane yelling at the kids to get off her lawn, but even if the kid shows remarkable maturity and wisdom beyond his years, they are still a kid. Also, eventually, there are still those pesky little things called hormones that will rear their ugly head at some point. So why push a pre-teen into a relationship with a teen?

Don't get me wrong, I grew up on Disney and rom-coms, so I always end up rooting for the 'ships that seem to make sense (even when they don't), and I loved that Aang got the girl, but come on, he's twelve! I can't be the only one thinking this, can I? 

In an ideal world, I would have them have a sweet, young "romance," but then break them up, and give them a chance to experience other relationships. Then I'd bring them back together because they've matured enough to really understand what a relationship is, and they are each other's first and last love. Maybe I'm asking too much from a children's cartoon, but given that Legend of Korra exists, maybe I'm not. What do you think?

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[IGH] Tackles TV: The Doctor Returns

As I mentioned in earlier post, I recently became a Whovian, so it would be silly of me not to talk about the newest episodes of Doctor Who.

We're three episodes in to season seven, and already it's been a bumpy ride.

*Warning: Mild Spoilers (Nothing that hasn't already been announced)

Ep1 Asylum of the Daleks

What a way to start the season. I've watched it four times. It gives us a quick glimpse into the lives of Rory Williams and Amy Pond without the Doctor, and then throws us right into the crazy. It also introduces us to Oswin. I can't talk too much about her because that would give away too much, but she is amazing. She's like a female version of the Doctor, but human. She's who I imagine a child between the Doctor and Amy would turn out to be. Sassy, funny, brilliant, emotional, and wonderful. But if Amy and the Doctor had a kid, it would be a little too weird and complicated even for the Whoniverse. She's played by Jenna-Louise Coleman, who is slated to play the Doctor's next companion. How that is going to work out I have no idea, but I'm sure it will be good.

Ep2 Dinosaurs on a Spaceship

I wanted so much more from this episode. It has dinosaurs, a spaceship, Queen Nefertiti, Finch (David Bradley) and Arthur Weasley (Mark Williams) as Rory's dad. This screams storytelling gold, but unfortunately, it fell flat. The characters were underutilized or used poorly, and the story lacked substance. I don't need all of my stories to be deep and poignant like "A Good Man Goes to War" or "Vincent and the Doctor", but give me something like "Let's Kill Hitler." There was so much more they could have done with this. There were a few really great moments. I enjoyed meeting Rory's dad, Brian Williams, and seeing the interaction between the two of them, and there's a wonderful moment at the end with Brian looking at Earth that is just so touching. It's exactly what I would want to do if I ever had the chance to go to space (a gal can dream.)

Ep3 A Town Called Mercy

And we are back. This is a much stronger episode than Ep2. The tone of the episode is interesting. You'd think with the setting being the Wild West there'd be more humor, but no. There was more humor in Asylum of the Daleks than this. There's a darkness to the story. You get to see more glimpses as to why the Doctor should not travel alone. It's reminiscent of the 10th Doctor in "The Water of Mars." There's also an ambiguity to the story that I would love to see explored more in different episodes. Does someone's good deeds cancel out their bad ones? That said, I think the best part of the episode is Susan. You'll know it when you see it.

My biggest complaint about these episodes is the underutilization of the Ponds. It's established that they are not traveling with the Doctor as much as they used to, but when they are there, they feel like bit characters. The emotional vein is there. You can see how much everyone cares about each other, but let them talk and do stuff. Also, I miss River Song. I want more River.

I really like how they are setting up the Ponds' leaving. I know it will have a fantastic Whovian twist, but right now it's about growing up and growing apart. Everyone can relate to that.

I can't tell if the next couple of episodes are the ones that will really set the tone for the season, or if they will just be a conclusion to a wonderful ride with these companions. Either way, I'm confident that we're in for a ride.

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