Toph being portrayed as a big buff dude, possibly being a way of Fire Nation propaganda coping that they got beaten by a blind 10 year old, and Toph also absolutely loving it, is one of the highlights of this episode.

This episode has my single favorite joke of the entire series. The one joke that will play through my head on my deathbed, when every other aspect of the series has left me. The best moment of ATLA. "Wait, what's that? I think it's your honor!" "Where!?"

mostly because it's one of the only 'recap episodes' that's actually an episode instead of a 20 minute long clip compilation

Can't believe they're turning this single episode into a three-season long live action adaptation!

fun fact, in the brazilian dub the line "just sit next to me" is turn to "just sit on my lap", and is said in such a big brother way that si cute and funny.

The moment 'Toph' says: "There, I got a pretty good look at you." I will still crack up about this in 20 years.

I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t even know it was a recap episode. It was just so good

The fact i never realized the guru was a recap episode until now shows how amazing this show was written

Atla's recaps are always the best. "Previously on avatar..." *Proceeds to show you all the foreshadowing that led up to that episode.* Especially in "Puppet Master," book 3 we got a recap from all the way in book one when Katara and Yue talked about the moon granting power to the water benders.

Something I never really understood until my recent watch through is why Aang was so hung up on Katara. I get it now. Aang is on the cusp of having his biggest battle and wants to know how Katara feels because when he fights that battle he may never see her again. Katara on the other hand has her priorities straight but I think she is afraid too. Katara lost her mom. I think Katara is afraid that if she commits and loses Aang she would feel devastated so she is keeping her distance.

The fact they took a tired (and often lazy) way to make an episode without much effort and turned it into a meta retelling of the series was a brilliant move on the writing teams' part. I can always appreciate a recap episode as long as it's an actual episode and not just a compilation of past shows. Ed, Edd, n Eddy and It's Always Sunny also had clever and similar ways of doing the "Recap Episode", in a sense that the episode started off that way, but then they characters started remembering things that never even happened.

My favorite unintentional fourth wall break in this episode was when the kid was talking about how zuko's scar was supposed to be on the right side of his face as opposed to the left I really like this particular moment because it shows that the writers knew that during this time a lot of people were uploading all the Avatar episodes on KZfaq but flipped to get around copyright

Another thing that makes this recap so good, it almost feels like director commentary done through the characters. Especially when zuko asks if Jett died and Sokka simply says “eh it wasn’t clear.” It’s a clever level of awareness.

funny thing, i just got done rewatching atla and korra. when i watch the ember island players the fact of it being a recap episode completely escapes me. but when i watched korra's recap i literally skipped it the moment i understood what old timey speaking announcer man was saying lol

I think that many of the changes/creative choices the playmakers chose show parts of Fire Nation ideology. First of all, Katara and Sokka are represented with stereotypes to show how the Fire Nation is racist. Katara in the play is like the "Latina bimbo" trope, and Sokka in the play is like the "funny Black guy" trope. Emasculating Aang is making fun of him, that it's bad (for him) to be girly. The "traitors" Zuko and Iroh are portrayed as weak and dishonorable to show what the Fire Nation thinks of defects from the royal family. Toph is shown as a buff "not blind" guy because hypermasculinity is viewed as strength and vice versa, and it's really embarrassing for a blind girl to destroy her opponents. Finally, the royal family of the Fire Nation is shown as incredibly strong, clearly meant to be who the audience should have allegiance to.

I think Ember Island Players served two purposes, not just as a Recap/Breather Episode prior to the finale. But also to go balls deep on the at the time upcoming Last Airbender movie by M. Night Shamalamadigdong.

ATLA is like "How to make a good series 101"

I didn't even realize Ember Island Players was a recap the first time I saw it. The writers hid in plain sight.

The thing that makes this recap episode perfect for me, is that it essentially is not a recap episode, it's a mockery of the characters. Like mentioned, it reminds us how far these characters have come albeit in a jesting way, and by mocking their actions and personality the episode actually recaps all the important things while keeping the audience engaged with comedy and an actual storyline, all the while also giving the characters a chance to reflect upon themselves. It was incredibly well thought up.

Honestly, now I want a show to do a recap episode that’s masquerading as a reaction video, and they start with the intro and then say “But first, a word from our sponsor - Attack: Myths of Darkness.”

Regarding Korra's recap: it wasn't originally planned. Nickelodeon cut the show's budget by an entire episode in the middle of production, so the creators had to either do a recap episode or let some animators go early. They never considered the second option.

I also love how Sokka describes the play as like their previous "wacky nonsense" because thats exactly what it is, but nobody comes back feeling the way they did in season one because everything changed (like when the fire nation attacked haha) Its both linear and cyclical, like the Avatar cycle, or me when I restart the show again

I am surprised it wasn't mentioned that in the DVD commentary the creators said the writers used the critique at the end of the episode as a jab at the upcoming (at the time) live-action movie

I’ve watched ember island players so many times. Anytime I want the feel good of avatar without jumping into a rewatch, it’s ember island, nightmares and day dreams, or the beach (book 3 superiority).

Really loved how they acknowledged the chemistry between Zuko and Katara and how the fans were shipping them. Fans like me 🤣

Hell, I would go so far as to say Ember Island Players is just one of the best episodes of television in any facet.

"Look! It's the Great Divide! The biggest canyon in the Earth Kingdom!" "Eh, let's keep flying." Amazing humor and really understanding the audience... Yeah, this still is the best recap episode ever. [Edit]: Watching the video more, I'm loving how deep this episode got without me fully realizing it.

the absolute worst thing to happen to this franchise is the James Cameron Avatar IP existing and persisting for so long

I love it because it's basically fire Nation propaganda

This is still one of my favorite episodes ever. Part camp part painful realism. Whenever I think avatar the last airbender, this episode comes to mind

What I find interesting about the alternate Final Battle from the Ember Play is, that it is how it really happend till the last episode, as in the play zuko goes up against azula and he loses and aang goes up against the firelord and gets beaten up. Where it differs is the very last episode where katara beats azula and aang unlocks his avatar mode again and turns the tides against the firelord.

I think one of the main problems (other than workload) is the level of creative liberties they have when producing anime. They aren't getting paid or were given the copyright to create original content on an existing story but to make an anime series based on the original manga. Obviously, it's different if it's an original anime.

17:38 Not sure if you know Gintama, but they literally do this in their recap episodes. The 4th wall breaking comedy the series is known for lends itself perfectly for this kind of setup. I'm not sure if that would work with non comedic shows, however.

I love the aspect of them reacting to themselves and their journey, it’s incredibly fun and endearing to watch their reactions

The giant toph scream will be in my head for years 😂

I love the fact that they admit the Great Divide is bad XD "Look, it's the Great Divide! The biggest canyon in the Earth Kingdom!" "... eh, let's keep flying."

One of the creators (I think Bryan) actually posted something on his personal tumblr warning Korra fans about the clips episode before it aired and apologizing stating that they were forced to do that episode because of budget cuts

anytime i watch a video about atla it just convinces me that it’s one of the best shows i’ve ever watched

Zaheer calling vatu was kinda funny ngl

It's not just a recap episode, it a perfect blueprint for every adaption of the show going forward

The whole team talking about it fits perfectly with moments in the infamous movie.

You can tell it’s a good recap episode when, on first watch, it doesn’t feel like a recap episode

One thing I think people should look to for a "good recap" is actually The Lion King 1 1/2. The entire movie was basically the first Lion King, but from someone else's perspective, and that's why it was so much fun. Recaps can be genuinely enjoyable if you do them right, and both spoofs and alternate perspectives can be really good ways of doing that

I also love how we get to see the Fire Nation´s perspective on everything, while we know it is not like that

Kill La Kill also has an interesting "recap episode". They do the entire recap in about 2 min, and says "HAH, I bet you rolled your eyes when I said recap episode. Kill La Kill is such a fast paced show that we did our recap in the length of an intro. Anyway onto the real episode"

Regarding recap episodes, Stargate SG-1 also has an interesting one at the end of season 1 right before the finale (S1.E20 "Politics"). The episode includes clips from older episodes, probably for budgeting reasons. However, the clips are part of a meeting where the protagonists (SG-1) have to justify their actions to a senator who wants to shut down the Stargate program. In the end, the program is actually shut down and SG-1 have to go rogue, thus leading directly into the finale. The episode is tense, introduces a new recurring character and is very plot relevant despite being a recap episode. If studios have the resources to avoid recap episodes, I think it's often better to not do them at all, but if they have to, this is an interesting approach.

DUDE ITS A RECSP EPISODE???? i had never realized that damnn, thats how good it is lol

They basically parodied themselves in this episode they took the time to make fun of their story

I don't think any One Piece fan will defend the padding of the anime 😂. We still love it though :)

The whole time my husband and i were watching the series we kept making fun of Zuko's hair changes. It was so satisfying to see the overly dramatic long flowing hair in the play. I had to pause the episode because i was laughing too hard. I'm glad the writers included jokes that weren't necessarily pointed out in the show but resonated with the audience.

Thanks for not criticizing Korra for being a more traditional clip show. Originally Bryke had every intention of making an episode like The Ember Island Players but Nick cut their budget in half so they were forced to do a clip show or otherwise they would need to fire half their staff which they weren't going to do. People often forget that Korra was overly screwed by the network with them not even knowing if there would be another season during the making of Air and Spirits, putting the show on a 7 O'Clock Death Slot and, like I said, cutting the budget in half so a planned recap had to be scrapped.

My favorite Ember Island Player would have to be the one that plays Toph lmao I was laughing so hard especially when Toph loved it! 😂

Whoa! I never realised The Guru was a kind of recap episode!!!!

I haven’t seen too much anime in my lifetime, but my favorite recap episode is definitely “Interlude Party” from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Its dreamlike quality and philosophical discussions on the qualities of humanity are so good, and its ending will always make me emotional. Top-tier stuff!

It is one of my favorite episodes of the entire show.

On top of being a great episode in its own right, it actually does also serve the true, best purpose of a recap episode. By coming right before the finale, even those who've been binging the series will have likely forgotten some details. And also, by coming right before the finale, it will catch those who are coming in, possibly with friends insisting they see it, just before the finale. The best and most legitimate purpose of a recap episode is to bring everyone up to date and speed on what has happened so far, so everyone is familiar with the stakes, the characters, and the purpose of the story. Putting it right before the finale is akin to a review session right before final exams. I know this is probably obvious, but few series seem to plan their recap episodes this way. Yes, this is because they're really just doing a clip show to fill time due to production issues, as mentioned, but the point I'm driving at is that this recap episode was purposeful on every level, _including being a recap episode._ It wasn't "just" all this video says. It was not bringing up these past elements of the story just to contrast them with the present. It was also bringing them all up to cram 60 episodes of events into 20 minutes so that everyone getting ready to watch the finale knows how we got here.

All signs have been pointing to a rewatch of this, I shall abide

AAAAAA so happy to see you cover this. Ember Island players is my favorite episode in the series XD

I feel like the new Live action is actually the Ember island adaptation.

I just finished this episode with my siblings a few hours ago and we really enjoyed it. ❤

One bit of cool world building with the play to think about vs most entertainment being bending based is this is a feasible job for non benders who are often forgot when talking about avatar

Clerks TV did a very good recap episode. It was the second episode of the series it started by flashing back to scenes that were earlier in the same episode, followed with flashbacks from the singular prior episode followed by flashbacks that did not add to the plot but pulled from episodes that never existed introducing characters that are never mentioned again

In the DVD commentary for this episode, Mike and Brian stressed that they felt it was important to poke fun at themselves before anyone else did. Also, it’s a reprieve between Southern Raiders and Sozin’s Comet, the two heaviest episodes of the series.

5:13 i am baffled by how long i looked at this picture thinking something wasn’t quite right before i realized what it was

when I used to watch atla with my friends, this was our favorite episode. A RECAP EPISODE!

i literally look forward to that korra recap episode every single time. Same as avatar to be honest

I vaguely remember mob psycho 100 having a special or something that was just Regein retelling the whole story but He was the cool one and his face was just badly photoshoped onto mob Definitely entertaining

You forgot the BEST part of the play; When they fly over the big divide and Sokka says: "Nah lets keep flying" this had my laughing so hard man.

This episode is literally the reason I finally decided to watch ATLA. I had heard about it for years both from irl friends and online communities but never found the time to sit and watch it. Then I saw a clip of this play that I found so funny that I kept on watching it over and over until I finally decided to sit down and watch the whole thing. And now its one of my favourite shows of all time. It's a really good introduction to both the story and the comedy of the show.

I JUST told my brother that the Live Action NEEDS to touch on this episode come Book 3

It really is one of the best recaps cool to see you talk about this show more

i binge was avatar and i like the filler episode because after watching a bunch of episodes of new story and information this episode helps me kind of organise my thoughts and the information given through out the show

Everyone : look for making fun of the characters Korotos : they are doing a deep meaning

Also, keep in mind that recap episodes were vital before we could stream anything anytime.

I still can't appreciate enough how well they utilized recap, obviously in this episode but throughout the series as well. I'd never even considered The Guru to be a recap! How well-disguised it was. And of course you had the "Previously On" segments that are still some of my favorites in television to this day (although I will admit, as others have, that they could occasionally spoil segments of the episode). They knew the audience might need an episode to get caught up for the finale, and they gave it to us in the best possible way.

Not the first time I see this episode analysed, but a great analysis nonetheless. Thank you! Also I'm curious on that video on Korra's episode as it was a retelling episode that personally doesn't compare to Ember Island Players. Looking forward to it! ✌🏼

It would be Insane if they casted the actors from the Shamalan movie for the ember island players in the live action series

I completely agree and I think the fact that they have changed and grown makes it better.

I'm pretty forgiving of the One Piece flashbacks. It has been on for over 20 years and not everyone starts at episode one in Japan, which is their primary market. Gotta have a way for people to jump in and still follow the story elements. Plus imagine the long-time weekly watchers. If you started watching when you were seven you're 30 now, and that's a long time to remember all the details. It just feels like a lot to us bingers (granted I haven't been able to binge for 14 years now)

Such a good video. Keep it up dude 🤘

Amazing episode, possibly my perdon second favorite. My favorite being the beach episode.

In lok the recap episode was actually due to not having enough money for the extra animation. It was suppose to be govera's origin episode, but due to those reasons they decided to cut it and just use lots of clips to recap things instead to save money. They did well, but it was still kinda obvious it was a recap episode for production reasons. Now atla on the other hand, i never even thought of this episode as a recap!!!!!! 😮 You had so many great points and it makes so much sense, but i never thought of it that way! I always wondered why it was right before the ending. This makes so much more sense now!!!. 😅 But your right they did it so epically i still rewatch it cause its great! Soakka even interacts with his ember iskand character! 😂 And toph freaking loved hers. I actually didnt know that was an easter egg! I never knew she was suppose to be a boy. And the kaang vs zutara shipping was just the writers messing with us and it was great. It was almost like an incredibly written fanfiction. By professionals. All coming down to aangs having to face the fact that he had to possibly kill and that is just something that again puts this show as top tier cartoons/shows. Never afraid of the realness, especially in things like war.

love all the analyses

ATLA is so good ефрфе I rewatch it each year, before the Christmas. And, yeah, this is always about looking back) God damn, how have I change from the kid I used to be, who was looking at "Wow, Bom, Cool! Fire". Thank you for the new video, your words resonate with me)

I love clip shows, but its because I consume spirits and more while watching so a recap does help lol

Have you seen the Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood recap episode? I think that one does alot of special things at once.

Have been a fan my entire life, read comics, etc. and didn’t even know it was a recap episode

Me: oh cool a nice video summarizing a tv series i havent thought of in a while, would be cool to watch it Me later, seeing my recommended page: *what have i done*

The recap was so good I didn't even notice it was a recap

The recap examples you gave, it is exactly how Gintama did it. And that episodes were hilarious and did play with the budgeting issues and even explained us what is filler.

This recap ep was absolute gold

for me, this episode is one of the best in whole show

And it also makes a serious point at the end by telling team avatar how wrong things could go if they don’t have the power to stop Ozai.

I love this episode, cuz it shows that the people of the fire nation aren't evil by nature, they could have easily done a "sonserine" but instead they decided to show that they are just as inocent as any other nation sufering by the war, they have been endocrinated, manipulated, gaslighted, etc, since childhood to think that the "great" firelord ozai was doing good for them, that he was salvation, etc, etc, so this play shows all the manipulation he done, for the fire people there that play wasn't scary, or uncanny, its was just a hero beating a villain in their eyes, the scary part comes from the roles reversed.

Two of my favourite parts of the episode was the commentary about the widely disliked Great Divide episode. But also how they cleverly didn't recap most of the third season, that would still be fresh in the viewers minds, by having Aang not be present

Okay but you have to admit that Kill la Kill's recap episode is pretty damn amazing too.

1:27 i actually don’t mind eva’s recap episode. it’s only half recap and even the recap has an interesting framing device. plus, we get a bunch of interesting lore in both the recap and plot halves.

Buying the Tekkaman Blade DVD's, I was not only surprised that there was four recap episodes out of 50, but that two of them took place within 2-3 episodes of each other (43 and 45 iirc). To be fair, there wasn't much overlap surprisingly with each focused on one side of the conflict right before the finale arc. And (again iirc after a few years), the episode 43 reminiscing was more Blade and Aki trying to reinforce his rapidly deteriorating memory, so at least there was a story purpose, as sad as it was. Martian Successor Nadesico did an interesting one too, with the ending reveling it was a recap episode within the anime's in-universe anime, Gekiganger....where Nadisco is the in-universe anime and the Gekiganger characters are complaining that it's just recap this week.

How can this guy make so many high quality analysis videos so often. Love it

Finally someone mentioning Samurai Champloo's recap which, IMO isn't quite as good as ATLA, but still loads better than the majority of others. Thank you!