NEW Vol. 2-book 1: Water (DVD)

Traveling from the South Pole to the North Pole would be a tricky business in the best of times, but it's even worse when you've got a vast empire out to catch you. "Avatar The Last Airbender - Book 1 Water, Vol. 2" continues the one-off tales of peril for the Avatar and his little gang, but it also kicks off a potential story arc that might span a good portion of the series.

The gang visits the Earth kingdom of Omashu, home of countless mail chutes and delivery tracks -- but after an unfortunate incident involving a cart of cabbages, Aang and his buddies are arrested. Unfortunately the eccentric old king of Omashu soon reveals that Aang is the Avatar, and forces him to undergo three perilous challenges -- and if he doesn't overcome them, his friends will be encased in gennamite crystals. Just what is the king doing, and why does he seem so familiar?

Then the gang travels to a village where Earthbenders are all taken captive by the Fire Nation and transported to an offshore prison. When Katara gets a young man named Haru to Earthbend after a mining cave-in, the boy is arrested and taken away -- and she feels responsible for what happened. So she fakes Earthbending to get herself captured, and taken to the Fire Nation prison.

And a small village asks Aang to help when a spirit beast attacks their village... only to have Sokka dragged away by the beast, and Aang himself ends up stranded in the spirit world. The late Avatar Roku's spirit dragon shows him that on the day of the winter solstice, Aang will be able to speak to his late mentor -- but the temple he must reach is in the Fire Nation. And he's still got the spirit beast to deal with.

But at the same time, Zuko and Zhao are racing to find the Avatar, and they follow him into Fire Nation waters. As his enemies close in and treacherous sages try to betray him, Aang learns of a terrible event that may give the Fire Nation even more power.

The first couple episodes in "Avatar The Last Airbender - Book 1 Water, Vol. 2" are solid standalones, with some uplifting Messages Of The Day about thinking outside the box ("like a mad genius!") and standing up against oppressors. But the story really blossoms with the "Winter Solstice" two-parter -- it's all build-up for a massive revelation from Avatar Roku, which clearly is intended to form an overhanging plot arc through at least the rest of the season.

The writers also seem to be getting the hang of epic fantasy, showing vast Fire Nation blockades, ancient temples and glimpses of a spirit otherworld where ghosts, dragons and vast beasts roam. And the conflicts between the Fire Nation and its oppressed enemies is drawn out in more detail, along with plenty of slam-bang action (Zuko's chain-shattering rescue of Iroh) and an explosive climax... well, more like a VOLCANIC climax.

The writing has also become far steadier. These episodes are peppered with comic relief (Iroh's rambling monologues after being taken prisoner), slam-bang action (Zuko's chain-shattering rescue of Iroh) and slightly tongue-in-cheek ("Take them to the refurbished chamber that was once bad!").

Aang's rather nebulous save-the-world destiny is outlined in a little more detail here, showing a specific disaster that he must avert -- and he's got a strict time limit too. Katara gets to show off her charisma, while Zuko's anti-villain status is cemented by a nasty choice he's given: rescue his beloved uncle, or nab Aang. And Iroh -- seemingly a pleasant old lazy goof -- shows just how clever and dangerous he actually is.

"Avatar The Last Airbender - Book 1 Water, Vol. 2" smooths out some of the early wrinkles in this classic series, and kicks off an overhanging story arc. Definitely a must-see.