TV Review: AVATAR: SEVEN HAVENS: Season 1, Episodes 1-3: A Soft Start [Paramount+]

Avatar: Seven Havens Season 1 Episodes 1-3 Review

Paramount+ʻs Avatar: Seven Havens: Season 1, Episodes 1-3 TV Show Review. 12 years after the finale of Legends of Korra aired, Avatar Studios returns with Avatar: Seven Havens, set over 200 years after the events of the previous series. In the first three episodes, we see a lot of what this show can offer, and some of the pitfalls that it can fall into. The first three episodes open the curtain to fun characters, an interesting world, and a new mystery that could be held back by brisk pacing and a simpler art style. Then, of course, this is the first episode of a new show, so growing pains are to be expected.

Right off the bat, the first episode presents the world as a post-apocalyptic wasteland, with everything outside the Havens strewn with ruins and twisted, corrupted landscapes. While Avatar: The Legend of Korra (2012)’s first episode showed how much time has passed since Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005), Seven Havens shows how different this world is from either of them. The world has kind of regressed. Where once the world was building steam-powered mechs and airplanes, with big, gleaming cities and sprawling towns, it has now fractured, with people living in oversized shelters. Anyone born with the power to bend any of the elements is taken from their homes and forced to join the military. It’s an interesting new premise and world, and the first three episodes show just enough to give the audience a taste and make them want to see more. 

Now, the tone of these first three episodes doesn’t reflect the direness of this new setting. Characters banter, quip back at one another, and overall seem pretty optimistic. Sure, they live in a wasteland, but they seemingly have enough resources to feed starving children; sure, kids are taken from their homes, but they are so cool and awesome that the kids want to go and join. Sure, the storms are massive but not quite destructive. So the day-to-day doesn’t seem too desperate, but it’s best to keep in mind that there is still so much of this story left to tell, and there is still time to show how dangerous this new world is.

In the first episode, we are introduced to Pavi, the new Avatar. Played by Saheli Khan, Pavi is a socially awkward orphan girl whose best friends are her Cat Monkey and a collection of rocks. All she wants to do is talk to other bugs and rocks because she believes they are the only oneʻs who will accept her. She may come off as “quirky,” but come on, she is an 8-year-old who just wants to be left alone, but not really, and Khanʻs performance really sells her adorable awkwardness. She really shines in these first three episodes; one canʻt wait to see how she will change and grow over the course of the show. Then there is her long-lost twin sister, Nisha. Who is also the new Avatar? There is a lot of mystery behind that setup. Played by Aishu Devan, Nisha is similar and very different from her sister. While Pavi is hesitant to step up to the responsibilities as the Avatar, for Nisha there is nothing she wants more. She is eager to step up and prove herself, but because of the reputation the Avatar has gotten, she is isolated and trained in secret. She is more confident than her sister, but they share similar anxieties about wanting friends.

Together the sister are adorable, and their childish chemistry has been the highlight of the show so far. The sisters together are just fun. Beyond their dynamic, the two symbolically reflect the two different protagonists of the Avatar Universe. Nisha, like Korra, is headstrong and eager to prove herself and not be tied to her previous incarnations. At the same time, Pavi, akin to Aang, resists becoming the Avatar and initially runs away from the role. It’s a fun parallel, and it will be interesting to see how that divide in their belief will bring them closer or split them up. While they are together and happy now, there seem to be narrative seeds that will pit them against each other sooner rather than later. How that comes about will definitely play into more of the series’ ongoing mysteries: about themselves, Korra, the origin of Cataclysm, what gave them powers of the Avatar, and how they got split up in the first place.

What holds these episodes back from being a stronger opening is both their brisk writing choices and the less-than-detailed shots. The show doesnʻt look bad by any means, but given the Oscar-worthy art in Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender (2026), it’s hard not to expect more mind-blowing animation in the showʻs opening episodes. Plus, the pacing and dialogue, especially in the first episode, felt off-putting and more directional than character-driven. Other writing and pacing stumbles pop up here and there; the 3rd episode, in particular, seemed to struggle to decide on an episodic arc for Jae (Major Curda). They set up the episode with him feeling guilty about lying to his friends and family about his knowledge of the Avatar’s return, but halfway through, they change his arc to him being upset that the twins don’t listen to him. Hopefully they will keep Jae’s initial arc, struggling to keep Pavi and Nisha’s secret, more present through the rest of this season.

What really sells this show, though, is a moment in the first episode where Pavi has to save Jae. And in a world so different from what came before, the moment Pavi reveals her bending abilities, a faint orchestral rendition of the original series opening plays. Reminding fans that there is still hope and that this show is about how the Avatar will save the world. It’s a simple musical cue, but it meant everything.

Now, the first three episodes of Seven Havens isnʻt perfect, but they have so much going for them. Both Pavi and Nisha are endearing and adorable, and their journey is just beginning.  With newer, badder things teased for next week, perhaps we will get the chance to see more of the pros and cons of this new world with our twin Avatars. And find the clues that will save it.

Rating: 7/10

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