[7.6/10] We saw the original Team Avatar as kids, all full of potential and talent and a bright future ahead of them. But now we only hear the echoes of their lives as adults, and we learn that as great as they were, as many impressive deeds as they performed to make them chiefs of tribes and police forces and to have statues in their honor, they weren’t always great parents. We saw that with Aang and his three kids last season, and we’re seeing it with Toph and her two daughters here. It’s a nice approach, to show that even though our lovable heroes grew and won our hearts in *AtLA*, they weren’t perfect and did things that left lasting scars on the next generation. It makes sense that Toph would be a wanderer, someone hard to impress and gain the attention of, even as her child. So I like the grude between Lin and Su Jin here. Both wanted Toph’s attention and affection and each presumably feels like the other had it easier. There’s also a nice undercurrent of Lin seeming a bit resentful that Su Jin has a family. There’s a little too much “here’s the backstory” time, but the conflict between the two is relatable and understandable. At the same time, the metal city is very cool. On the surface it’s a veritable utopia, with safety, art, culture, and decency. I love that Su Jin is the first person in this show to say, “hey, maybe we shouldn’t have a monarch.” The notion of the Metal Clan as a more progressive place is an interesting one. But that doesn’t seem to be what interests Bolin as he has instant chemistry with Opal, one of Su Jin’s daughters and a new airbender. Their part of the episode is short but sweet, with Bolin being naturally charming when he’s not trying to be, and then nearly messing it up when he tries to turn it up to eleven. Bolin’s been a favorite of mine for a long time, so it’s nice to see him succeeding in the romance department (rather than creepily hitting on disinterested co-stars or being attacked by domineering water tribe love interests). And the final bit with Zahir trying to infiltrate Air Island feels a little too obvious for the deception to work, but it’s enough to give him some intel to set up an assault on our heroes, and the ensuing battle between him and Kya is quite thrilling, so it works well enough. Overall, yet another good episode!

And her son that makes sculptures looks a lot like Sokka!