NOTE: I tend to repeat myself and say things like "Seriously" "I mean" "Also" and "Anyway" a LOT. Also, this is unedited so spelling and grammar mistakes are expected...sorry.

Ok, ok...some of you may be kind of confused by the journal title so let me provide a quick explanation.

When season 3 first aired on Nick, I only watched up to the Day of Black Sun...after that, I quit. I was so pissed off that I refused to watch the rest of the series. Then I went to the Avatar panel at SDCC 08 and I got to see the final two episodes of the series...and that only made me mourn the series even more.

Anyway, I finally got my hands on season 3 and I figured since it's been a year that I should give it a second chance, see if maybe I will see it differently...and of course to watch all those episodes I skipped.

I watched all the episodes in order and I have to say...the only episode I really loved was The Ember Island Players. Sure, it was mostly filler, but it was a really well done filler. For one, it parodied the show itself and made you very much aware of all the character faults that everyone has. Secondly, it emphaized the very possible outcome of the war in which Firelord Ozai really wins. Seeing the scene in the play and then the characters' reactions to it was very chilling and it reminded me of most of the adult themes that played out in season 2 when the show started to take on a really serious tone.

Now for every other episode/plot point:

-The rest of the episodes were mostly filler as well really...sure some of the themes came back like Katara blood bending the new captain of the Southern Raiders, but really...none of them were too important to the plot. I think what happened was that the writers didn't know how to fill in the last few days leading up to the invasion and then to the comet.

-Things progress far too quickly even though they should have taken months or at least a few weeks. My main example for this is Sokka's training with Pian D...I can't remember his name he was so unimportant to me. Anyway, Sokka has ONE DAY of training with the guy and suddenly he is a master swordsman...WHAT? There is a reason that knights were trained from the time they were 9. Sure, I'm willing to give Sokka some wiggle room because he does know how to fight...but fighting with a club, spear, and boomerang is a lot different than fighting with a sword. Getting used to the weight is a challenge in itself. Also, most swordsmen don't even get real swords until they are done with a year of training with wooden props.

Yeah, maybe I'm being nit-picky with this episode, but this is the one that's really pushing the time frame.

-There were a lot of useless characters in this season as well. For example: Combustion Man. He just was there to attack the Avatar so that the episodes would have a few fight scenes in them. Really...that was his only purpose guys.

-Even the past characters were useless. Haru, Teo, and The Duke were just...there and yet we all know from season one that they are all skilled fighters and have personalities. I guess the writers just didn't know what to do with them. Same with Hakoda...he really had no personality and didn't add to the story at all. I mean, even BATO had a better role than he did and he isn't the father of two main characters...

-The lack of character development was appaulling as well compared to season 1 and 2. The Beach was the worst episode in the season in my opinion because it seems like the writers tried to cram character development in a giant group therapy session where everyone, (EVEN AZULA!) actually publicly admits their own faults. Let the characters reveal their insecurities and problems through their actions and don't just force it into their lines. I mean COME ON.

-Another forced character development was Azula going nuts at the end. I actually really liked the idea for that...but the problem is she goes nuts within one episode. And I don't mean like, just a little insane...she goes from calm and collected to laughing madly and cutting her own hair in less than 20 minutes...no joke.

Now if they had shown her losing it when Mai and Ty Lee betrayed her or just after Ozai announced she would be staying behind I wouldn't have minded it...the problem is the time scale.

-Outside of character development, it seemed that even the humor was forced. It was really obvious in The Firebending Masters (I think that's the name...) when Aang just kept spouting all these ridiculous lines. I don't think he had a single line of serious dialogue in that entire episode. Sure, it's funny, but in that awkward, not sure whether or not to laugh way.

-Ozai...Ozai was a BIG problem for me. In the past seasons when we only knew so much about him, he was interesting. I mean you knew he had issues because he had burned his own son's face off and the fact that he was willing to sacrifice all of his family to become Firelord...but WHERE did this power lust extend from? I mean really...even SOZIN gets more backstory than him and he's in one fucking episode! ONE.

Also, the whole thing with him wiping out the Earth Kingdom...it seems so simplistic. It was so typical of all the other Big Bads I've seen that I quickly grew bored with the guy. What made it worse were the war balloons. Way to be subtle with the Nazi comparison, writers...

Now you could argue in favor of Ozai, but the guy is just boring. Take Zhao and Azula for example. Both of them were supposedly small time compared to Ozai in Big Badditry, and yet they had a lot more character development and they were so much more interesting! Zhao wanted to make a name for himself and wanted to be remembered for all of time, Azula was used to being the favorite and the special one so she went out of her way to humiliate and ridicule her brother and uncle.

-If you think I had a rant on Ozai...just wait until I get to ZUKO.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh boy...I've got a beef with the writers on this one. I mean seriously, they take an awesome, 3-D character who almost everyone at least sort of liked for his diligence and effort...and just kind of ripped all of that to pieces at the end of season 2 and then into season 3.

Zuko switching sides at The Crossroads of Destiny really irked me and not because of the fact that it led to Aang and everyone losing...it irked me because it tossed out EVERYTHING that Zuko had done in season 1 and most of season 2. Sure, it was a pretty big plot twist to see him change sides, but the show has enough suspense and plot-twists to keep us interested. I mean when Zuko saved Aang in The Blue Spirit, that was the biggest plot twist I've seen in a long time! Was that just not enough?

Anyway, things got a lot worse in season 3. Zuko and Mai's random lovey dovey romance made me want to puke. I understand people are idiots when in love, but it seemed to forced compared to Sokka and Suki's relationship or Katara and Jet's brief one. I think they were trying to make it funny...but really it was just pathetic.

Then Zuko realizing everything he had thought about his home being wrong...yeah, this was really stupid. For one, it wasn't well executed and two, it was predictable. I mean, who DIDN'T know that once Zuko got home he would be sorely disappointed? We all knew that Azula and Ozai were just a bunch of manipulative pricks...

(Sigh) Him switching sides AGAIN bugged me. It seems like it took him hardly any time to decide where he wanted to go. It was almost as if he was trying on shoes or something: as soon as he realized the first pair didn't fit, he went to the next.

Then the group accepting him so easily.....yeah, that bugged me. Only Katara seemed to hate him and even then, it was only because he betrayed her in the season 2 finale.

There were two good things that came out of season 3 Zuko. One is Dork!Zuko which never gets old for me. The poor kid is so socially inept that it's actually a lot more entertaining than I thought it would be. Plus, we do get a glimpse of him being awkward around people his own age in season 2 so him being really dorky here makes sense. The other was the teary make up with Iroh. I have to say that was one of my favorite parts of the entire season. Personally, I wish Zuko had betrayed him in a different way so that that scene could be kept, but so we wouldn't have had all of this flip-flopping.

This season seriously lacked Iroh...it made me sad T-T

Zuko's ending was actually not bad also. I didn't mind him becoming Firelord, but I would have preferred Iroh just because it would be more fitting to see the prince who was pushed from the throne to rule...but meh. This is also where I liked Zuko and Mai's relationship. The Boiling Rock scenes and the ending kiss was actually really well done and their relationship FINALLY felt realistic.

Yeah, it took them only half a goddamn season, but I digress.

-They tried to humanize the Fire Nation far too much. Normally I wouldn't have a problem with it, but the thing is, for the past 2 seasons, we've gotten no glimpse outside of a few characters what the Fire Nation was all about....and yet they try to do a 1-180 for season 3. I'm picking on this for consistancy...EVEN THE ARMOR CHANGES! In seasons 1-2, the Fire Nation had very protective armor that didn't allow anyone to see their faces...and yet in season 3, all you see are faces and that bugs me. They could have just used certain characters to show that the Fire Nation isn't bad...like the boy from the circus in Appa's Lost Days. Don't try to change things halfway through a series just because you feel that the viewers aren't empathizing with the enemy enough. THAT'S WHAT YOU HAD ZUKO AND IROH FOR YOU DUMB BASTARDS!

-Ozai's bending being taken away. For starters, what was up with the lion turtle...seriously, WTF? Personally, I think Aang speaking with his past lives should have happened before the invasion and that the rest of that episode should have been spent with the lion turtle actually speaking with Aang. I mean, no one knew what was really going on with the lion turtle until Aang revealed he had taken away Ozai's bending. I wouldn't have minded that ending if it had been properly explained and if Aang hadn't announced what he had done. I mean, it's pretty obvious what he did once Ozai tried to bend and nothing happened...why say it?

-Aang and Katara's kiss at the end. Sorry, but I still find that creepy. As said when she first got into Avatar and was only 14, "EW! It would be like me dating one of the 6th graders or my brother's friends!" If they got together when Aang was older (Aang: 14 Katara: 16ish...) then I wouldn't mind...but the fact of the matter is that Aang hasn't even hit puberty yet...so their relationship is just too weird for me. No, this does not mean I hate Kataang, guys, I just wish that the writers had either made him a little older or had made Katara the same age.

-Another thing I really hated was the fact that everyone was so...wrapped up at the end. I mean, the only things left unsolved really are Azula's fate after her capture and then Ursa. And when I say everything is wrapped up...I MEAN EVERYTHING! For example, even the tiff between Pakku and Gran Gran is resolved! WTF? Of course we never see how it happens either..

I mean, it kind of undermines all of the struggling and fighting they did. It makes it seem like the writers are just saying, "SEE? THIS MEANS EVERYTHING IS OK NOW FOREVER AND EVER! DON'T BOTHER THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE. THINGS ARE GOOD NOW, SEE?" It's also incredibly boring. Sure, it gives everyone some closure, but I'd rather have a series that didn't close like that...that gave you something to think about. My best example would be the ending to The Giver (Yes, the book you were forced to read in school). That ending was so amazingly done because you felt like the author shouldn't have ended it any other way and yet it left you thinking about the book for hours on end about what would have happened.

With Avatar, the only thing I'm left thinking is how season 3 sucked...

Ok...I'm finally done. Sorry for the REALLY long and boring journal, but I wanted to get this out. I really loved this show guys. It was my obsession for almost two years and it's what got me interested in animation, story development, characters, etc.

Hell, this show got me WRITING. I know I wouldn't be where I am today without the inspiration that got my ass onto the internet almost 5 years ago. The reason I'm so angry is because season 3 let me down a lot after all those good times. It may seem stupid and it probably is. After all, as one of my friends loves to tell me, "It's just a kid's show".

(Sigh) Well, at least I can say that I tried to look on season 3 with an open mind and now that I've seen all of the episodes, I can give my overall review:

Season 3 of Avatar the Last Airbender is watchable. The jokes are forced, but will get you laughing as with the previous seasons and the art has become a lot more fluid. Character development and story are not its strong points, but if you've watched the rest of the series, then you might as well finish it off. The ending is severely lacking and it's overall a disappointment compared to the rest of the series. Still, compared to most shows on TV, American or foreign, it's a great deal above the current entertainment bar.

Season 1: 9.5 out of 10
Season 2: 9 out of 10 (Points taken off for the finale)
Season 3: 6.5 out of 10

And that, folks is my final verdict.