I was more into Aang/Katara in the beginning of this season by the end. I still can't quite believe that they outright voiced the issues of that relationship in 3x17 and then just skipped over them at the end. I really would have liked to see them work through it.
I can see that Zuko/Mai was resolved too quickly, but the end scene with them basically mimicked their entire relationship pattern (teenagers!) so actually, I was okay with it. I was more annoyed that Mai was presented as a Gift With Purchase for Zuko getting the throne. They could have written that with more elegance--I never before regarded Mai as a 'prize' style female character but that's what they turned her into.
I liked a lot of things about Aang (badass avatar fighting!), but I was disappointed that he never confronted his issues with letting go of the people like KAtara he's dependent on, and the only reason he faced Ozai alone was because he was unconsciously/unwillingly separated from them. I also agree with the folk who say that Aang wasn't ultimately required to sacrifice his beliefs or change or grow. I consider this a flaw by the writers, for having Aang's personality too much embody the main philosophy of the show. Aang's philosophy = the show's philosophy from day 1, so he never had to grow into it. It shaped itself around him. It was, actually, a very "shonen manga" way to end it. He didn't change. Zuko had to change. Katara had to change. Sokka did as well, to a lesser degree, and in some ways Toph had ALREADY changed before joining the group.
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I can see that Zuko/Mai was resolved too quickly, but the end scene with them basically mimicked their entire relationship pattern (teenagers!) so actually, I was okay with it. I was more annoyed that Mai was presented as a Gift With Purchase for Zuko getting the throne. They could have written that with more elegance--I never before regarded Mai as a 'prize' style female character but that's what they turned her into.
I liked a lot of things about Aang (badass avatar fighting!), but I was disappointed that he never confronted his issues with letting go of the people like KAtara he's dependent on, and the only reason he faced Ozai alone was because he was unconsciously/unwillingly separated from them. I also agree with the folk who say that Aang wasn't ultimately required to sacrifice his beliefs or change or grow. I consider this a flaw by the writers, for having Aang's personality too much embody the main philosophy of the show. Aang's philosophy = the show's philosophy from day 1, so he never had to grow into it. It shaped itself around him. It was, actually, a very "shonen manga" way to end it. He didn't change. Zuko had to change. Katara had to change. Sokka did as well, to a lesser degree, and in some ways Toph had ALREADY changed before joining the group.