Avatar: The Last Airbender has always been regarded as a masterpiece. For those who have made it, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, there is a lot that went into the process. The critical thinking, analytical understanding, and connecting between the fans and their characters set up the foundation of their show to make it the magnum opus that it now stands as.
Anyone who makes art, when looking upon it again and again, flaws tend to surface even when there may be none. Michaelangelo found himself destroying his own sculpture as Pietà now sits in pieces. There may be many different reasons for the many artists who come to hate their own works. However, for DiMartino and Konietzko, one particular episode is like a thorn in their side.
Avatar: The Last Airbender’s Regretful Episode
During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko got candid about the episodes they found to be problematic and those that are close to their hearts. Avatar: The Last Airbender is a near-perfect show, near being the keyword. The series has its ups and downs, especially with certain episodes fans find as fillers.
The most famous one is ‘The Great Divide’ one, which I’ll give them, I’ll say that’s pretty ‘filler-y.’
The episode, The Great Divide doesn’t have much going for it. As an episode with not much plot progress, many fans find it to be a filler, the least necessary of the lot. The showrunners seem to find themselves in concurrence with the audience.
The episode was through and through a filler, one without any salvageable capabilities. The creators even agreed as to how nothing was too striking enough for it to be anything more than a filler.
The Great Divide of the Creators
Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko agreed that The Great Divide was completely terrible and one that could not be fixed no matter how much they tried. Even an attempt to change the ending of season 1 episode 11 would not be enough.
Nah, I don’t think that would have saved it.
They found it to be simply filling a hole. There was space that needed to be occupied and the episode became the perfect way to do so. However, neither of them was fond of it, thinking of it to be rudimentary in the grand scheme of things.
There was no other way but to simply let it go. However, both the creators understand that it was far from their best work, being the opposite instead. Fans too were underwhelmed by the episode, unable to understand what part it played in a show that was telling such a beautiful story.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is available to watch on Netflix.
