What about the idea of an epilogue?

Dude I totally agree, I almost had this feeling during season 2, it was saved when I saw the finale. However I feel that this season has been disappointing I watched over and over online, saw boiling rock several months ago, and I was just disapointed. This was writers strike disappointing. The three good moves this season were hiding in the fire nation/zuko's transformation, the take bending away trick, and the failure on the day of black sun. So much was left unused the boiling rock brought out tons of new possibilities, Sokka's training, the dragon fire bending, Katara's mom plot was underplayed, the dad, and just everything.

I used to like anime as a kid this came on when I was in seventh grade and I couldn't resist it. I hide my enjoyment of three anime shows because I am embarassed by my love of good plot which only in my opinion 3 currently running series have Avatar, Naruto, and One Piece putting its antics aside.

Naruto is the best example of how to make a great story even with a couple bad decisions, sage really?, it can still be cool and awesome. The key to this is drawing you in and feeling for the hero and villain, no one matched Aangs power or came close or rivaled him. Firelord Ozai never seemed too strong since he was the second pick but he had no weapons we hadn't already seen he was a mix of Azula and Zuko. Zuko almost kills him in day of black sun and could have due to this it wasn't scary at all. We needed something to match the Avatar the creators said they don't want to use these same characters but might continue with a new season still avatar not a spinoff but in my opinion we need Aang to face the face stealer, Azula with i don't know bright red or black flames, Zuko's mom and I don't know. Point is 20 episodes wasn't enough and having 4 elements, naming each book after one at one point bringing up two other elements of dark and light or good and evil then doing nothing with any of this NO FREAKING AIR BOOK and a weak ass villain, I am angry and sad, and its still better then most stuff 2.5 stars.

I agree. The episode was not terrible, but it wasn't good either. The ending was unsatisfying. End of story.

I'll give it a generous 5/10.

- The lion turtle and sapping of Ozai's firebending came off to me as little bit of a cop-out, like the writers took the easy route rather then either killing Ozai or doing something really clever and awesome in a stroke of writing genius. Also, the way his Avatar state was turned on was a bit too simple, like the wound was just a button that was pressed which turned on the Avatar state. But that's alright, I'll let that go.

- The stance of the fire nation citizens was never properly shown. It was demonstrated in EIP there view of Zuko, the Avatar, and what they thought of the idea of Zuko taking the throne, but when he does just that they just go along with it. It seems like the fire nation civillians were never really patriotic about the war and Fire Lord Ozai's reign, like it was just "Well, okay, he's the fire lord and who are we to argue?" and then when Zuko becomes fire lord the attitude remains, "Well, okay, he's the fire lord and who are we to argue?" No patriotism, no loyalty to Ozay, no un-brainwashing or debunking of propaganda, nothing. Just "Well now that the Fire Lord's defeated, the fire nation who revered him and idolized his cause and villainized the fire prince and the avatar are now on our side". The dreams of Ozai's father and his father's father, and the ambitions of a nation, ambitions that have engulfed the world in war and shaped life for everybody for a full century, just dies, just ends right there just like that? No transitional phase? No Ozai loyalists? A war in which people have grown old and died within it's duration without seeing it's beginning nor its end, a war known simply as the state of affairs for many, a war that many have grown up with and more importantly, adapted to, and it's like it never happened? Think of the Fire Nation soldiers and governers who spent 20, 30, 40 years of their life fighting for the victory of the Fire Nation, conquering cities, their lives revolving around this war, and they feel so close to their goals, and then it's all over. And then that's it. 20, 30, 40+ years of their life was wasted, a chunk of their life was for nothing, I think many would not adapt to peace time so easily after adapted for so long to a climate of war.

- The end felt too tidy and simplistic like the end of any old movie aimed at children like Ice Age 2 or Dr. Dolittle. Ty Lee just appears as a Kyoshi warrior all cute and on their side and then there's that disney-esque kiss in the last moments which I only found to be cliche. Everything was a bit to happy and peachy for a world that had only just come out of the devestation wrought by 100 years of war. But I guess it made sense that they'd be all happy, I just wish it wasn't so carefree. Ty Lee and Mai betray Azula and then just like that there on the Avatar's side. It never show's Mai realizing how Zuko wasn't "betraying his country" as she accused him in TBR and Ty Lee is automatically ready to be a Kyoshi warrior just because she betrayed Azula. I would've preferred to see Mai/Ty Lee in prison, perhaps revealing that they never really cared for the war from the beginning, to better explain the last scenes with them. Also, I would've liked to see the Kyoshi warriors, Mai & Ty Lee, and the army from DOBS released from their cells. Also, it would've been cool if Mai & Ty Lee appeared at the fire lord's palace and faught Azula.

- Speaking of Azula, I thought she went down to easy. In the Day of Black Sun she was restrained to the wall with rock; something she easily broke through when her firebending turned back on. I think she could've easily used firebending to escape those chains and/or attack Zuko and Katara

- It's already been mentioned so I'm just gonna say it in one word; Ursa. And I would've liked other things to have been resolved as well. It would've been nice for Toph's parents to re-unite with Toph and congratulate them. For all we know they STILL think the Avatar kidnapped their daughter. Also, and I blame the episodes leading up the finale for this rather then the finale, but Chit Sang was a bit too much of a backdrop. Since he came back with Sokka and Zuko to the Western air temple I would've liked to know where he stood on the war and the Avatar, and what he was in prison for in the first place. And what happened to Hawky is only speculated about; he was like the kind of thing other cartoons do where a cartoon has something happen in one episode and then it's just forgotten as if it never happened.I imagine there are probably other loose ends I would've liked to see addressed that I haven't thought of yet.

- Aang didn't actually fight the firelord. Ozai chased Aang, then Avatar state Aang chased Ozai. Not only that, but it was like Aang's character hadn't developed from the timid, fun-loving pacifist he's always been. He's faught other characters before, but he didn't really take the offense with Ozai outside the Avatar state. He was still the type to run away, to flee from danger rather then face it.

Overall, it was unsatisfying. It did have some great action scenes, awesome bending, memorable humor, and everybody from Zuko to Bumi was awesome. The musical score was effective, and Azula's breakdown into insanity was profound. Although, I was more on the edge of my seat in the season 2 finale.