I Don’t Have High Hopes for How Netflix’s ‘The Last Airbender’ Will Handle Toph

Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender is now streaming—and earning terrible reviews. Despite Netflix’s habit of canceling wildly popular and well-made series, though, Airbender has been renewed for two more seasons.

That means that fans of a certain pint-sized earthbending badass will get to see her make her live-action debut. But considering the quality of the series, is that a good thing?

I’m talking, of course, about Toph, daughter of the wealthy Beifong family and self-taught earthbender. Here’s why Toph isn’t in season 1 of the Netflix adaptation, and when we can expect her to arrive.

Season 1 of Netflix’s Avatar covers Book One: Water

The original Airbender series on Nickelodeon consisted of three seasons, or books: Water, Earth, and Fire.

Book One: Water began with Aang waking up after a hundred years frozen in an iceberg, and culminated with Team Avatar’s journey to the North Pole so that Aang and Katara could master waterbending. Although they had plenty of diversions along the way, and we did meet new characters, season 1 was mainly focused on the burgeoning friendship between Aang, Katara, and Sokka.

Season 1 of Netflix’s live-action remake follows the same course as the animated series, beginning with Aang waking up after a hundred years, and ending with him defending the Northern Water Tribe from the Fire Nation.

Toph’s first appearance in the original Avatar: The Last Airbender

In the original Nickelodeon series, Toph doesn’t appear until season 2 (or Book Two: Earth). Her first appearance is in episode 6, “The Blind Bandit.” As a blind child, Toph is kept sequestered by her overprotective family, but she secretly learns earthbending and becomes a formidable fighter. When she meets Aang, Katara, and Sokka, she fits right in, and teaches Aang earthbending.

That means that Toph will probably appear in season 2 of the Netflix adaptation, assuming that it follows the same course as the animated series. However, although the season has been greenlit, there have been no casting announcements yet, so we don’t know who will play Toph.

Could season 2 of The Last Airbender turn things around? Could the quality improve at all? Hey, anything’s possible. You may be better off revisiting the original series, though.

(featured image: Nickelodeon)