Maybe it can be considered an atrocity when you compare it to the excellent work in seasons 1 and 2 ... at least in their eyes. All these comments are subjective so let's keep that in mind.
The creators set the bar very high for themselves with their early excellence. It's up to them to meet expectations. The fandom can't do it for them. I thought the Awakening could have been better in so many ways that it certainly ended up on my list of worst episodes of Avatar. That's just my opinion of course, just like what you're saying is your opinion. We all see it through our own eyes and with our own expectations.
But if CoD and Awakening are watched back to back, I think one would have to say there was an extreme drop in quality.
Just because it's better than most other animated shows on TV doesn't mean the fandom isn't allowed expectations. Seriously. That's exactly what
gives us expectations in the first place.
Besides, this question is about Worst
Avatar Episode, not worst animated episode of any show on TV. Comparing Avatar to other shows outside of the parameters of the question is useless for this thread.
I understand where you're coming from but surely we can debate opinions on the board. I see no reason not to. If I say that Linkin Park is the best band that ever lived...does it just sit out there or does someone come back at me and say no, you're wrong [insert band here] is the best band ever ? The fandom unfortunately has had too high of expectations over the last 10 months so if someone says it sucks then Boom! here I am to defend the show. There is no extreme drop in quality from CoD to The Awakening, I can't find any evidence to support that. What, Bryan and Mike just suddenly lost it and can't make a good series anymore? That's a bit hard to swallow right there.
As for countlessrachel, I'm sorry you feel that way. Season 3 has been great so far so I can't be angry and disappointed right along with you. I'd love to know what "bad" you've seen that is separate from the good that I have witnessed.
I know you're addressing countlessrachel but I'd like to explain my fellow disappointment myself.
"The Awakening" had all the makings of a memorable and awesome episode, there was plenty of emotional turmoil to work with and yet all of this- stuff was crammed into 24 minutes and came out like a fizzle instead of a BANG!
What if
The Fellowship of the Ring had been turned into a one hour movie instead of the three or so hours it was. All of the amazing-ness of TFOTR would have had to have been wrung out, squeezing out all the greatness, so it could be squeezed into such a small time. There was so much epic stuff going on and none of it was shown to its potential.
If "The Awakening" had been an hour special it would have been marvelous, but it wasn't.
Edit: Take for example the appearance of Duke and Pipsqueak: only recently did I learn that they too were explained in the comics. But that doesn't make their appearance okay, because they did nothing and Aang didn't respond to their presence at all. In "Jet" Aang joked around with Pipsqueak, that probably doesn't make them friends, but Aang is a nice, sweet guy so at the least he should have made a curious face at their sudden appearance. But no, Sokka just keeps explaining what's happening. If the creators couldn't even spare three seconds for Aang's response to Pipsqueak and the Duke then they shouldn't have even appeared.
Personally, I loved "The Headband" sure its flaws still annoy me when I watch it but the episode is still so good I can ignore its flaws. Like how the fact that the gaang is in the FN is taken as “… okay, that’s cool” instead of as “HOLY ****** we’re in enemy territory”. The North Pole and Ba Sing Se- even Omashu- were shown in scenes of plain scenery, showing us the culture and people with drama galore, yet the gaang just pops into an FN town where they apparently went to for meat… which they could have hunted for...
There was no reason to even enter the town.
Despite that and Hide who was so typical, I think this episode has a first season Avatar feel, simple but deep. There was no overly complicated scheme in the works, just Aang trying to spread the love. I do kinda agree that Zuko's appearance was odd but the romance for both Zuko and Aang were meant to contrast each other. If Zuko's role tried to share the spotlight in "The Painted Lady" then we'd have an even messier episode.
"The Painted Lady"... what was the point!? I would think the episode was about saving the
environment but instead it was about Katara helping the
people who were too lazy to even move away or protest or do
anything. How could a fishing town who sell mutated and disgusting fish still be in business after so many years of pollution ruining the ecosystem? People being hurt by pollution is a terrible thing, but this is Avatar, its about the elements- the
environment; yet no mention was made of how the pollution was hurting and mutating the fish or the plant life.
Instead, all of the attention was about Katara who- despite doing questionable things for the villagers- was not punished and was instead praised for stealing, lying, poisoning Appa (he was SICK), and destroying the factory. Directly after Katara confessed to making Appa sick Aang happily exclaimed his enthusiasm and praised Katara which contrasts Aang's ticked off attitude towards Toph when she brought up the point that Appa's shed fur was leading Azula to them (though his anger may have been magnified as a result of his tiredness).
And Aang, why didn't he care more about those people, he helped those FN students who in comparison to the villagers were perfectly happy and yet Aang doesn't care (at least not nearly as much as Katara) for the starving and sick villagers.
Sokka was treated like Zhao; Sokka just didn't want to spend time helping some (stupid) villagers when a MUCH larger task lay ahead and they only had so much time to... (I think) prepare for it. Despite this reasonable logic, Sokka was called "cold and heartless" and no defended him. In the end, Katara is shown to be right despite all the questionable acts she has done and Sokka helps bail Katara out of her mess and even defends her from what should have been the reprimanding she deserved.
All the attention was about the villagers so my complaints about the lack of environmental concern may seem unfounded, but when the poor villagers do nothing then you don't care for them either. So why should Katara? Surely after the first day- especially after Sokka brought up the point that the villagers were relying on the river spirit- Katara would realize how stupid these people are. They aren't the same as third world countries where the entire country is poor, these villagers live in the most technologically advanced nation but didn't try to leave (as far as we know).
The third season has jumped around very erratically, from deep, emotional, and angsty, to funny and free, to a confusingly distorted plot. A lot of important questions have been neglected and plot points lasting for the past two seasons have been dropped dead with no explanation as to why these significant plot points are no longer important.
It's like watching "The City of Walls and Secrets" waiting a week in anticipation from the dramatic and cool cliffhanger, and then seeing the first couple of seconds of "Tales of Ba Sing Se", except this behavior has been repeated in all three episodes.