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And with that, Avatar: The Last Airbender comes to a spectacular end.

Wait, let me back up. At the end of Book Two: Earth, Aang, Sokka, and Katara had fled the Earth Kingdom, it having been captured by Azula and Aang having been injured critically in battle. Some weeks later, Aang wakes up aboard a Fire Nation ship with a new crop of hair. While he (and we) was in a coma, the world was led to believe that he was dead and his friends used the ruse to infiltrate the Fire Nation via this ship. Aang is distraught by the information but is eventually convinced by Sokka that it’s for the best, and so Team Avatar begins traveling around the Fire Nation seeking someone to teach Aang to bend fire. In their journey Katara discovers a new form of bending and Sokka discovers purpose, meaning and love.

On the other side, Zuko is feeling conflicted about having betrayed his uncle in the Earth Kingdom so that he could regain his status. Eventually he sees the light and leaves the Fire Nation to seek out Aang when the Water/Earth Alliance attacks on the Day of Black Sun. While Team Avatar rejects him at first, he proves his mettle and joins the team.

After finally mastering Fire, Aang becomes the true Avatar just as the Fire Lord anoints himself The Phoenix King and begins destroying the world with the power of Sozin’s Comet enhancing his natural abilities. The Alliance attacks again and Aang takes on the Fire Lord, but is torn because he does not want to kill Fire Lord Ozai although he knows that it may be the only solution.

And with THAT, Avatar: The Last Airbender comes to a spectacular end, although I have my complaints, namely pacing. Every series has standalone episodes that have little to do with the larger arc, but as Avatar progressed through chapters, it became increasingly tied to that arc, with the plot, and required events, becoming more urgent. Minor character development episodes concerning dancing and pollution were issued and as a result, the lead-up to crucial battles in “Day of Black Sun” and “Sozin’s Comet” felt entirely too rushed and almost out-of-the-blue. In hindsight, it’s a minor complaint, however, because the finale was executed with precision and beauty, even if the end result was greatly predictable.

As DVD extras go, the pickings are slim. The same commentaries that were released with the individual chapter DVDs are all in place here, with my chief complaint still that I wanted to know why certain story choices were made by creators DiMartino and Konietzko; instead we’re left with a primary focus of the action on-screen. All of the new content shows up on the fifth disc, the most significant of which is the featurette “The Women of Avatar.” The piece focuses on all of the strong female characters in the show and the actresses that play them. While the strong women in this show have always had a strong prescence, it’s nice to see it acknowledged. Also featured is the San Diego Comic-con panel where Konietzko and some of the actors answer questions and a Nickelodeon rep delivers the most minor of acknowledgments about the extreme delay between episodes in Spring 2008, but no real explanation. Animal voice actor Dee Bradley Baker also demonstrates how he records his dialogue; while initially interesting, that bit is entirely too long. Finally, you can see the initial sketches from the final battle between Aang and Ozai overlaid with the recorded dialogue; that’s interesting for about 30 seconds. Frankly I was expecting more from the final Book DVD. There is no retrospective or extensive interviews that would be expected for a series that left such an impact.

Book Three closes out Avatar: The Last Airbender, but interestingly enough Konietzko left a few doors open if you’re paying attention. While I can come up with several ways to start a new series, the doors provided probably could not lead the way to a new series, but maybe a TV movie at the least. Keep in mind, there is a potential live action feature film adaptation travesty from noted declining director M. Night Shyamalan that could provide a front for a marketing opportunity for a new series. However, even if the film is terrible, and we never get another Avatar-universe installment, then I’m perfectly satisfied with what we were given: one of the most compelling animated series of all time.

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