Comedy
Dead Boy Detectives
Dead Boy Detectives targets teens in style and story. But it comes with very adult, problematic content.
Water. Earth. Fire. Air.
For millennia, the Avatars kept these four nations in harmony by wielding and controlling all four elements, called “bending.” When one Avatar would die, a new one would be born into the next nation in the cycle, carrying the spirits of all the Avatars before.
So when Avatar Roku of the Fire Nation passed away, his spirit was reborn into Aang, one of the Air Nomads.
For twelve years, Aang trained with the airbending monks, impressing his teachers and his fellow Airbenders with his mastery of the wind. But when Master Gyatso finally told Aang the truth—that his abilities weren’t just a coincidence but destiny—Aang got scared and ran away.
He didn’t want the responsibility of being the Avatar. He just wanted to keep playing Airball, eating banana cakes and goofing off with his friends.
He just needed a bit of time to clear his head. But while he was gone, Fire Lord Sozin attacked the Southern Air Temple, where Air Nomads from around the world had congregated to celebrate the Great Comet Festival.
On any other night, the Airbenders would have prevailed against the Fire Nation. But the comet gave the Firebenders great power, allowing them to overpower the monks and slaughter every man, woman and child.
Sozin continued his genocide of the Air Nomads, eventually travelling to the rest of the Air Temples and razing each one, along with their citizens, to the ground.
And where was Aang, you ask? Why didn’t he help his friends and stop the war?
Well, that wouldn’t be discovered for another hundred years.
After obliterating the Air Nomads and believing the Avatar to be dead, Sozin turned his attention to the Water Tribes. According to the Avatar cycle of reincarnation, they were the next nation into which the Avatar would be born.
But unlike the Air Nomads, the Water Tribes knew the Fire Nation was coming. They were prepared, and for the past 100 years, they’ve fought back.
Because the comet has since moved on, the Firebenders have no advantage against their Waterbending adversaries. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean they haven’t wreaked havoc on the Water Tribes.
Katara and Sokka, siblings from the Water Tribe, lost their mother to the Fire Nation, along with every Waterbender in their tribe.
Their father gathered what non-bending warriors were left and pursued their attackers, leaving Sokka in charge of their village. But nobody has seen them since.
So when Sokka and Katara stumble upon a frozen ice bubble not far from their village, they’re shocked when a still 12-year-old Aang pops out.
Turns out Aang has been frozen for the past century, a result of his Avatar powers taking over when he was injured in a storm. While the world has been at war—while his friends were massacred by the Fire Nation—Aang was unconscious, kept preserved by the powers of Avatars past.
Aang is dismayed when he’s told what has happened since his disappearance. He feels guilty for what happened in his absence, grieved for the friends he’s lost, and overwhelmed by the duty that now sits on his shoulders.
But he is the last Airbender—and the Avatar to boot. He doesn’t have the luxury of shirking his responsibilities anymore. He must study the other bending disciplines, master the Avatar state (which will allow him to channel the power of all the previous Avatars) and stop Fire Lord Ozai, Sozin’s grandson, from conquering the world.
Based on the Nickelodeon series of the same name, Avatar: The Last Airbender is a live-action recreation—and that comes with some troubling differences.
Although the series’ main character is just 12 years old, he and his new friends are dealing with some very grown-up problems. These are children affected by war. They’ve watched their loved ones die, and they’ve been forced to take up arms themselves. They’re repeatedly asking the questions of who should live and who should die, who deserves saving and who deserves punishing. Children are constantly forced to make decisions they’re too young to fully comprehend. And many of them are hardened by the tough choices they’ve had to make.
That’s not different from the animated children’s show, but the brutality we see here is far less sanitized than the cartoon version.
Firebenders burn people to literal crisps. Fireballs destroy entire cities. And when bending won’t do, a sword or arrow will. Aang is devastated to discover the skeleton of his former teacher, who died while protecting airbending children (who we learn were also killed in the attack). And seeing those oh-so-realistic charred corpses onscreen is far more disturbing that anything the original show could have ever depicted.
But Aang, Katara and Sokka aren’t the only children affected by war. Even Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation has seen his share of tragedy. He’s been banished from his home until he can track down and capture the Avatar—a punishment for speaking against the plans of his father, Fire Lord Ozai, to sacrifice an entire division of recruits in an upcoming battle. Zuko wants to be an honorable man, and he doesn’t agree with his father’s penchant for killing in the name of peace. But in case Zuko ever forgets his charge, Ozai used his own firebending skills to scar his teenage son’s eye.
The original Avatar series never avoided romantic entanglements—albeit in a very cutesy, coming-of-age manner—but it was void of LGBT plotlines (excepting the sequel series The Legend of Korra). The same can’t be said here. In the fourth episode, “Into the Dark,” Sokka and Katara hear a legend about two “lovers” who were both women. And future episodes may feature more prominent LGBT storylines and characters.
And then there’s the show’s spiritual elements. Once again, this isn’t all that different from the original series, but parents should note that every fantastical element is drawn from Eastern and Native American spirituality.
Bending—in all its forms—requires a balance of “energy” found within each individual wielder. The Avatar serves as a “bridge” between the Spirit World and the real one. So Aang learns how to separate his spirit from his physical body in order to visit the place and talk to other spirits (who sometimes have godlike powers). And, of course, the Avatar is a reincarnation. Aang is able to channel the power of all the Avatars who came before him. He can talk to them by visiting shrines built in their honor. And sometimes, he can even take on their physical forms and personalities.
Ultimately, the show tries to teach viewers about bravery, friendship, defending the defenseless, self-sacrifice, standing up for what’s right and love. But the show’s more troubling elements give families a lot to consider. And for some, those elements may be nonstarters.
However, for those who may have seen the animated series and are considering this live-action remake for those positive attributes, I’ll just say this: Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender is much more mature than Nickelodeon’s. What was suitable for younger children in the animated series might be frightening or disturbing in this more realistic depiction. And even older children may need some hand-holding and supervision if you decide to let them watch.
A century after the Avatar’s disappearance, he reappears, frozen in ice near the Southern Water Tribe.
“Benders” manipulate the elements of earth, fire, air and water, wielding it as a tool, shield or weapon based on the user’s current needs. Most often, they battle, and many people die. We see many people engulfed in flames wielded by Firebenders, and sometimes we see their burnt corpses after. We learn that the Fire Nation killed every member of the Air Nomads, including children, and in flashback we see that tragedy unfold. In the present, we also see flashes of the Fire Nation attacking the Water Tribe, killing people and destroying homes.
Non-benders use more traditional weapons to fight as well. Nearly everyone uses a form of martial arts at some point. There are quite a few non-lethal falls and scrapes. Many children are forced to become pseudo-soldiers in order to protect themselves when their parents are taken away or killed. We hear about the travesties of war.
We hear a bit about bending—namely that it requires a balance of energy in the user. But we also learn about the Avatar, a person with immense bending powers and spiritual connection who is reincarnated every time he or she dies. Aang rides an “air bison,” a large, six-legged beast with the ability to fly.
Aang’s Avatar powers take over him twice, once when he nearly drowns and he’s preserved in ice for a hundred years, and once when he sees his destroyed home and creates a tornado that puts his friends in danger. When he emerges from the ice, a great beacon of light shoots into the sky.
A comet grants Firebenders immense power as it passes by. Airbenders are called monks due to their peacekeeping ways (though they fight to the death to protect their people when attacked).
People lie. Zuko’s soldiers disrespect him. Some characters are driven by a sense of loyalty and duty to a fault.
Characters risk and even give up their lives to protect the ones they love. Aang and other children learn lessons in bravery, honor, hope and sacrifice. Katara yearns to preserve her tribe’s culture. Aang has a great respect for life and aims to solve problems peacefully.
When Aang is imprisoned by King Bumi of the Earth Kingdom, Katara and Sokka face their fears to rescue him.
A bomb explodes in a city square, injuring many innocent bystanders. Orphaned children become insurgents, attacking their own nation to send a message to the complacent king. Benders use their powers to fight and sometimes kill others. A few fights involving melee weapons and martial arts also occur.
We hear that Zuko’s uncle Iroh laid siege to a city for 600 days. A man whose brother died during that battle punches Iroh in the gut and face, saying Iroh knows nothing of loss. However, flashbacks show us that Iroh abandoned the siege after his own son was killed there. And he hasn’t led a single battle since.
A badgermole (a large creature with sharp teeth and claws that can burrow through mountainsides) attacks Katara and Sokka when the siblings argue. However, it’s placated when they demonstrate their love for one another.
We hear a story about two “lovers” who are both women. And we learn a city is a monument to their love. A man removes his cloak to fight, revealing his bare chest.
A man betrays his kingdom to protect his son (though he later atones for this by rounding up the spies he was helping). Characters can be rude or outright mean.
Katara learns that if she must fight, she should fight for what she loves, not because of who she hates. Aang restores King Bumi’s hope for peace after refusing to take the older man’s life. Flashbacks show Zuko comforting Iroh after the death of Iroh’s son. Zuko gives up a chance to capture Aang (which would end his exile and restore his honor in his father’s eyes) in order to save Iroh. There are lessons about friendship, sacrifice and love.
Aang uses his powers to travel to the Spirit World. But he inadvertently pulls Sokka and Katara along with him, putting their lives in danger.
Aang explains that the Avatar is meant to be a bridge between the Spirit World and the real one. He’s able to use his powers to cross over in what had once been a forest, where the barriers between the two worlds have weakened due to the Fire Nation burning it to the ground (for no other reason than they wanted a faster path to the mountains beyond). For a moment, Aang appears as a ghostlike being as his spirit separates from his body, but then he’s pulled into the Spirit World, along with the spirits of Sokka and Katara.
While there, the three friends are attacked by fearsome beings, including the spirit of the forest, which is hurt and angry by the Fire Nation’s actions. They’re each forced to relive their worst memories when they stray into the “Fog of Lost Souls.” Aang is able to fend those memories off because of his powers, but Sokka and Katara become paralyzed by their despair. That allows Koh, a spider-like monster that “steals faces”, to drag them to his lair where he plans to feast on their souls (which would kill them in the real world as well).
Aang is able to visit his old teacher, Gyatso, in the Spirit World. Gyatso says that while most of the Airbenders “went on in the cycle,” he chose to become a spirit when he died. Koh releases Sokka and Katara after Aang returns a totem (stolen by a previous Avatar) of the monster’s mother—a godlike, multifaced being said to have created faces for everyone. Katara tells Aang that life is a cycle—that out of death comes new life. There is a manmade shrine to the spirit of the forest.
Benders use their powers and martial arts to fight each other. One Firebender, tired of being overlooked by her superiors, is particularly ruthless. A bounty hunter uses a tiger-like creature with a tongue that can paralyze to attack multiple people. Katara relives the memory of her mother dying: Her mom hid Katara because the Fire Nation was attacking their village, hunting for Waterbenders. To protect Katara (a Waterbender), her mother said that she was the Waterbender instead, and the firebending soldier engulfed her in flames.
Azula, Zuko’s sister, tries to impress Ozai with fake flattery. But Ozai sees through her façade and insults her instead. Someone attempts bribery. Zuko is upset to learn that the Fire Nation allows mercenaries to roam free and even employs them from time to time. People drink alcohol.
Aang says that protecting the natural world, such as the burnt forest, is just as important as helping people.
Aang and his friends help defend the Northern Water Tribe stronghold, Agna Qel’a, from a Fire Nation attack.
We learn that the Water Tribes believe their lifeforce comes from the spirit of the ocean, and that their waterbending abilities come from the spirit of the moon. Once a year, during the Ice Moon (when the barriers between the Spirit World and real world grow thin), the two spirits, which are mates, take on physical form and become mortal in order to understand the “balance” between light and dark, yin and yang, life and death.
Admiral Zhao, a Fire Nation leader who hates Zuko, tells Zuko’s uncle Iroh that he plans to kill the moon spirit during this phenomenon, knowing it would drain the Waterbenders of their powers. One of Aang’s past Avatar forms appears to him as a ghostlike apparition to warn Aang of Zhao’s plans, telling him that Zhao has possession of a blade made from materials of the Spirit World (which would make this possible).
When Zhao grabs the moon spirit, which took on the form of a fish (we briefly see the two spirits as fish in a pond, swimming in a yin-yang pattern), the moon turns red. And when he later stabs it, the moon disappears, and Waterbenders instantly lose their powers. (Zhao says he won’t kill the ocean spirit since that would kill every member of the Water Tribe worldwide. However, he has no problem throwing off the balance of the world by destroying the moon.)
Aang tries to save the Water Tribe by surrendering himself to the ocean spirit. He and the spirit join together to form a giant, Godzilla-like monster made of water. They wipe out the Fire Nation’s soldiers and ships.
It seems that Aang will never be able to return to his own form since the anger of the ocean spirit is too fierce, but Yue, priestess of the Water Tribe and daughter of their chief, sacrifices herself to bring the moon spirit back to life. (She had been sick as a child and the moon spirit saved her, so she carries part of its spirit within her.)
Waterbenders use their powers to heal wounds, and there’s an emphasis on joining the energies between the wounded and the healer in this.
A fierce battle occurs between Waterbenders and Firebenders. Non-bending warriors fight with weapons and martial arts as well. Many buildings in Agna Qel’a are destroyed by fireballs. A Fire Nation ship crashes through the stronghold’s ice wall, causing many Water Tribe warriors to fall to their deaths. Warriors are consumed by flames or fall into the ocean. We see folks covering dead bodies with sheets after the battle ends.
Smaller fights unrelated to the larger battle occur throughout the episode. Aang urges Katara not to harm Zuko when she fights him. There are other moments of sacrifice and heroism.
Zuko is devastated by acts of betrayal. Ozai says that if Zuko died during the attack on Agna Qel’a, that meant he was weak, and Ozai has no problem sacrificing the weak to make himself stronger.
A teenage couples kisses. There’s a single use of “a–.”
Katara convinces Master Pakku, leader of the waterbending forces, to allow female Waterbenders to participate in the upcoming battle, something that has never been allowed before. And Pakku realizes that while traditions are important, sometimes change is a good thing.
Aang doubts his abilities, asking how he’s supposed to save the world without causing more pain. However, his friends reassure him that he isn’t the cause of pain: The war is. They reaffirm their resolve to stick by him as he figures out how to be the Avatar and save the world.
Sokka feels ashamed that during the battle, he was forced to sit on the sidelines to protect Yue. However, Yue’s father tells Sokka that you don’t have to be a warrior to be a hero. Sokka was by Yue’s side when she was afraid and gave her the courage to do what she needed to.
Someone gives a speech about life and how it’s worth the risk to be alive even if it’s just for one night—especially if it’s just for one night—which shows a great respect for life in a very secular show.
Emily studied film and writing when she was in college. And when she isn’t being way too competitive while playing board games, she enjoys food, sleep, and geeking out with her husband indulging in their “nerdoms,” which is the collective fan cultures of everything they love, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate and Lord of the Rings.
Dead Boy Detectives targets teens in style and story. But it comes with very adult, problematic content.
An elf mage contemplates on connection and regret as she watches her human friends grow old and pass away.
