The Paramount+ series “Avatar: Seven Havens” quite literally brings the saga into the future. Specifically, it’s been more than two centuries since the conclusion of “Avatar: The Legend of Korra,” the sequel series that wrapped its run in 2014. “Seven Havens,” also created by DiMartino and Konietzko, uses the leap forward to fundamentally alter the composition of this fictional world. (Longtime animation hand Ethan Spaulding, who executive produces, and co-executive producer Sehaj Sethi also form the creative team.) Gone are the four nations, corresponding to the elements, who coexisted in harmony that was disrupted and then, episode by episode, restored. In their place is a world reduced to a wasteland by an environmental cataclysm, supposedly caused by Korra herself. The namesake havens are city-states that offer refuge from sandstorms, bandits and other threats — and the Avatar, a quasi-messianic figure able to “bend” all four elements, is a stigmatized bogeyman who hasn’t appeared for generations.
Enter Pavi (Saheli Khan), an orphan from the haven of Ellora who spends her days scrounging for food, trying to keep her multi-element bending abilities under wraps and talking to the inanimate objects she keeps around in lieu of friends. Pavi’s name is an indication of another way “Seven Havens” expands the Avatar mythos: by incorporating South Asian culture to the universe’s pre-existing blend of Chinese, Japanese, Inuit and other influences. Pavi’s favorite snack are the kachoris knowingly left out by a local shopkeeper, herself voiced by veteran actor Sakina Jaffrey. Food, in general, is an object of concern for “Seven Havens”: Mochi, kimchi jjigae and bitter melon are all cited by name in the first few episodes alone.
“Seven Havens” introduces another quirk to the Avatar legend I’m forbidden from disclosing, though it takes some pressure off Pavi as Karthik explores his theory that the Avatar can help revive the dying art of bending. (There are fewer benders born to each successive generation, we’re told, even as manipulating the elements is a vital defense against an onslaught of lightning and wind.) Combined with the imagery and an expanded pool of references, “Seven Havens” successfully makes clear that it’s a new and different kind of Avatar series, while maintaining the transportive world-building that’s helped the franchise endure.
The first three episodes of “Avatar: Seven Havens” are now streaming on Paramount+, with remaining episodes airing weekly in batches of three on Fridays.
