Like many of us, I’ve been excited but also dreading the premiere of Avatar: Seven Havens. Not because I think twin protagonists can’t be the avatar. They absolutely can be. I’ve been dreading this series because whatever we were going to face, Korra’s name was going to be dragged through the mud. Also, the animation, from the trailer alone, it just wasn’t hitting right. After watching Episodes 1 through 3 of Avatar: Seven Havens, I was right to fear the animation and what they were going to say about Korra. But the two avatars feel like a refreshing start with major potential.
At the heart of Avatar: Seven Havens you have Pavi and Nisha. They’re twin sisters who were separated when they were very young. And they ended up on two vastly different paths, Pavi on the streets struggling and Nisha in a training facility with all her needs met. But when they meet face-to-face, the connection is instant. Almost cosmic. And though there are some bumps along the way when it comes to their relationship in these first three episodes, they’re already committed to each other and it shows.
Grounding Avatar: Seven Havens in sisterhood is the right move for this continuation within the Avatar world. We saw sibling relationships in Avatar: The Last Airbender between Katara and Sokka. And then in Avatar: The Legend of Korra we saw a sibling relationship between Mako and Bolin. But we haven’t seen a sisterly bond like the one between Pavi and Nisha before. And that opens Avatar: Seven Havens to a lot of potential new (and relatable) emotional moments, conflicts, and room for growth. But if I’m being honest with myself, their bond might be the only strong thing in this show to keep me watching.
Everything else about Avatar: Seven Havens falls a little flat. A little one-dimensional. And I’m not just talking about the stilted animation that feels like it lacks depth and consistently has me looking at background characters to see if they’re moving or just standing there because no effort was made for them. I’m also talking about the additional characters like Jae. Only three episodes in and I don’t understand anything about him besides one moment he’s very willing to help and then at the drop of a dime he feels waves of self-doubt that makes him want to just bail.
Then there’s the Korra of it all. In Avatar: Seven Havens she’s the big scary monster that supposedly led them to this fractured world. I think it’s a red herring, of course. Korra cared deeply for this world and if she had to make a choice that would have shattered the world but saved it, she would have done it. Also there’s the fact that the showrunners have defended Korra and say that the hate against her is rooted in misogyny. (More on that to come as I have interviewed them myself.) So I have faith in whatever is about to unfold for Korra.
I will admit though… it’s sad to see how they paint Korra as this villain where they’re happy she’s gone because “she can no longer hurt them.” And it makes me wonder who were the survivors that decided to paint this story after whatever Korra did. To add to that mystery, what disconnect between the spirit realm has happened to make it so less and less benders are appearing in this world? This mystery and the sisterhood between Pavi and Nisha are the only things keeping me watching. And my hope is that if we’re getting four seasons of Avatar: Seven Havens, that the animation gets an upgrade in Season 2.
Avatar: Seven Havens drops new episodes every Friday on Paramount+.
