Avatar: Seven Havens has finally debuted on Paramount+. The hotly anticipated Nickelodeon series serves as a follow up to Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. Original creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino executive produce, along with previous Avatar collaborator Ethan Spaulding and Sehaj Sethi.
Set 225 years after The Legend of Korra, Seven Havens follows Pavi (Saheli Khan), a young girl with the ability to bend all four elements: water, earth, fire, and air. Residing in the city of Ellora, she hides her bending abilities for fear of being discovered as the next Avatar. Years ago, an apocalyptic calamity supposedly occurred due to Avatar Korra and anti-Avatar sentiment is at an all-time high by Pavi’s era.
Aside from Pavi, central characters include a young airbending Ellora city guard Jae (Major Curda) and Captain Karthik (Akshay Khanna). The rest of the cast features Aishu Devan, Darren Barnet, Tobit Raphael Capat, Xanthe Huynh, Clyde Kusatsu, Jennifer Sun Bell, Topher Ngo, Andrew Kishinoas Hamka, Anjali Bhimani, and Avatar mainstay Dee Bradley Baker. From episode one, it is clear that this Team Avatar will be nothing like Gaang due to a major twist on the Avatar reincarnation cycle.
Coming 21 years after The Last Airbender and 14 after The Legend of Korra, Seven Havens has a difficult task. The series must satisfy original fans and recruit a new audience. Striking this balance can be hard; The Legend of Korra is still divisive among The Last Airbender diehards. Full disclosure, I am a lifelong The Last Airbender enthusiast, landing me firmly in the first category of viewer.
That said, Seven Havens has a lot to offer both camps. Its post apocalyptic setting acts as a differentiating factor compared to the more fantasy world of the original series and the steampunk inspirations behind The Legend of Korra. Yet, despite being distinct in its worldbuilding aesthetic, Seven Havens manages to feel like Avatar, both due to its execution and nods to beloved characters such as Uncle Iroh.
Prior knowledge is not a prerequisite to Seven Havens. However, some moments will pack a mightier punch if you know Aang and Korra’s stories. Consequently, not every story beat feels wholly original, but they don’t have to. Much of the strength found in the Avatar canon comes from how each Avatar goes through similar trials and tribulations.
At the heart of this iteration of Avatar is the theme of family, something that has been woven into the franchise’s DNA from its very first episode. Similarly, Seven Havens appears to set up conflicts involving authoritarianism, propaganda, and implicit submission. While both The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra have explored all of these topics, there is much more to be said, and Seven Havens has laid the groundwork to do so.
To that point, the production of the series evolves the style of its predecessors well. The animation is beautiful and lively, with its action scenes meeting the standard set all the way back in 2005. However, there is another element to the Avatar universe that Seven Havens bends with ease: music.
Composer Jeremy Zuckerman, an Avatar veteran, is at his absolute best in Seven Havens. He weaves familiar motives with a modern synth score to create a soundtrack that reads as distinctly Avatar yet fresh. His work heightens the storytelling, bringing back feelings of hope and possible foreshadowing.
As with The Last Airbender, there is also diegetic music in Seven Havens, a welcome addition given the emotionality of original series songs such as “Leaves from the Vine.” This is emblematic of this series’ biggest promise: how it will take the familiar and blend it with the new.
DiMartino, Konietzko, and their production team have set up a compelling twist on a familiar premise, with a fresh setting and interesting characters. Seven Havens is a worthy bearer of the Avatar name. The series has pitfalls, but as a longtime fan, I found myself invested and at points, quite emotional throughout the first six episodes I have seen.
Episodes one through three of Avatar: Seven Havens are currently available to stream on Paramount+. Episodes four to six premiering on October 16, episodes seven to nine on October 23, and episodes 10 through 13 on October 30.