Avatar: The Last Airbender (TV Series) The Blind Bandit (2006) User Reviews

The introduction of Toph!

[berry-54430 · 10/10 · 11 January 2021]

I just had to say something about this episode because not only is it great but we meet the next member of Team Avatar, Toph! She is a great character who plays off our bunch so well and is integral in helping them get where they need to go.

Possibly the template for all great animation to come

[A_Different_Drummer · 10/10 · 22 September 2013]

For this entry, the IMDb rating scale should go to 20 and then at least you would be in the ballpark. There are many challenges with animation. First, you have to deal with those critics who think that all great animation stopped in the 1940s. Then you have to deal with those who assume that all animation stories are naturally inferior to live action. Then you have to find a way to reach the adult audience effortless and invisibly while appealing to a younger audience. Then, as if the above were not enough, you need to case pitch perfect voice actors and the best designers and directors and you have to be able to execute. There is great animation and then there is perfect animation. This series is not merely at the top of the heap it sets the bar for generations to come. The story is better than, for example, the Matrix because the principles are universal and resonate with some sort of ancient religion that may indeed have existed but is long forgotten. The series effectively meets all the challenges set out above. Quality is uniformly high with only the odd episode missing the beat. This episode however is perfect, flawless and a template for future artist. Astonishing. You need to know the characters so don't see it alone, see it in sequence. One day Hollywood will take another shot at a live action version of this story after the 2010 mess is just a memory. Wow.

Toph: making the most of your situation

[poseyfan · 10/10 · 12 February 2023]

I think Toph's story in The Last Airbender is one we can all look up to. She is blind yes, but she is so much more than her disabilities. In fact, she would not be the same person without them. She can get a little arrogant sometimes, but not every character is without his or her faults.

Aang finds his earthbending teacher in the most unlikely of places, and it turns out to be for his good.

Other than that, this is a great episode with some enjoyable moments. Toph and Aang have a mini rivalry, Sokka continues his Sokka-ness, and Katara gets to kick some boys butts.

I'll leave you with this now: "Water Tribe" -Sokka.

Best episode

[dyeace · 6 June 2020]

I can't get over how expertly everything in this episode was done. Every scene in this episode will wow you. This is IMO the best episode in ATLA, and that's saying something. Toph's introduction is also the single best character introduction in the show.

Peak episode

[lefteriska-27159 · 10/10 · 27 June 2022]

Probably the best episode of the first 6 in S2. Toph's introduction was amazing and imo she really is one of the most badass characters in any animated tv show. Overall a very entertaining and funny episode.

"Toph because it sounds like tough"

[matitya-33937 · 10/10 · 15 February 2024]

In my review of King of Omashu, I said that it wasn't a filler episode. That's because it introduced King Bumi and Omashu and established the former as "the most powerful Earthbender you'll ever see" such that it makes sense for Aang to go to him to learn Earthbending like he does in Return to Omashu. And in Return to Omashu, King Bumi tells Aang to find an Earthbender who listens to teach him.

That advice leads Aang to seek out The Blind Bandit/Toph Beifong who (spoilers) does become his Earthbending teacher and a major character in the show. None of that would have worked if it weren't set up as far back as King of Omashu in Season One. (So, no, it wasn't a filler episode.)

This was excellent pay-off for that set-up. Toph is an entertaining and likeable character (in addition to being well-written) and this episode makes me interested in seeing a lot more about her.

The one flaw in this episode is that it's unclear why Toph is the only character with a last name (I know that's a complete nitpick.)

I highly recommend this episode.

Great Introduction for Toph

[adamlewxs · 10/10 · 22 April 2024]

Toph is one of the most interesting characters introduced so far in the series.

I love the way they show her disability as something that enhances her earthbending and gives her an advantage in fights. Interesting commentary on how the constraints society places on her (through her overbearing parents infantilising her) hold her back for more than the disability in itself.

Goes without saying the fight scenes are amazing. Great use of slow motion and camera angles to give the intense moments more of a punch. Also really creative with the way she uses the dust cloud to her advantage in the final fight.

Think the only (minor) flaw is that a couple of the jokes didn't land v well, but not to the point where it drags there episode down.

Overall a iconic episode for an iconic character in the series.

A focused character profile

[thegreendrinker · 9/10 · 22 March 2024]

This episode introduces us to Toph and manages to, in just half an hour, display her personality, give her some depth, make her sympathizable, and demonstrate her unique and powerful style of earth bending. We also get one of the best fights of the show thus far where Toph calmly and patiently utilizes her hyper-sensitivity to the vibrations in the earth to single-handedly defeat an entire horde of earth benders. Instead of the hyper kinetic fights that Avatar excels at, the fight at the end of the episode vacillates between slow motion for when she is tracking her enemy and regular speed when she flings them off the stage. It is a more measured "turn-based" approach to a fight scene- a style of fight scene that will reoccur later. An incredibly entertaining and efficient character study.