Restoring Balance

About Restoring Balance

Listen to the perfect companion podcast for your latest rewatch of Avatar! Lifelong friends Mike and Jim grew up on Avatar: The Last Airbender, and they're ready to dive in again. Join them as they discuss each episode of the beloved series, exploring the show's rich themes, memorable characters, and profound lessons. linktr.ee/mikejimpod

Publisher

Mike + Jim

Category

tv & film

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

4 Apr 2025

Latest episode

25 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

25 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   25 Oct 2026

   Smells Like Team Spirit (Documentary)

   Welcome back to the Restoring Balance Podcast, where Mike and Jim, two lifelong friends, rewatch and discuss why they love Avatar: The Last Airbender! In this special episode, the duo steps behind the curtain to react to the documentary Avatar Spirits, which explores the passion, sacrifice, and craft that went into making the show. Warning: This podcast contains spoilers, jokes, and insights about Avatar: The Last Airbender. Watch it first!  (https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/avatar-the-last-airbender) Episode Highlights Sacrifice for a "Nerdy Hobby": The hosts marvel at how the creators spent months in Korea making the pilot, with Bryan living alone in an apartment without cell phones. They talk about the risk of chasing a dream when you're young, whether you're being paid or not. From Email to Pitch in a Month: Jim and Mike are floored that it took only a month from the opportunity to the pitch, with 15-hour days and takeout for every meal. They also wonder how the order grew from 13 episodes to a 20-episode first season, and note that Korra stayed at 13. The Art of the Voice: Voice director Andrea Romano shows how many different ways she can gasp, and the hosts try a few of their own. They also speculate that her connections helped land Mark Hamill as Ozai. Music, Instruments, and a Very Good Email: The hosts geek out over the unusual instruments in the score, including the duduk and a Chinese lute. They also love the clip of the creators writing to the Nickelodeon president to get live strings for the finale, and Jim's experience seeing a live Avatar orchestra. No Violence, So Bending: Nickelodeon's no-violence rule is what led to bending, and the hosts agree you never miss the violence. They praise the choreographer's arm motions and the martial arts behind each nation: Bagua for airbending, Tai Chi for waterbending, Northern Shaolin for firebending, and Hung Gar for earthbending. Fans, Creators, and Dissonance: Mike and Jim reflect on the gap between how fans see the creators as heroes and how the creators experience the work as a labor of love. The fan appreciation hits them both hard, though in different ways. Specialization and Knowing When to End: The hosts reflect on how the show shows that specialization is one of humanity's superpowers, with Jim's math major as the example that you can't learn it all. They also applaud the creators for ending the show at its original length, and they come away with gratitude for the humanity behind it. Thanks for Listening! - Mike & Jim Contact Us Have thoughts on Avatar or want to share your favorite moments? ⁠Email us⁠ (mailto:mikejimpod@gmail.com) or comment on our ⁠YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@RestoringBalancePod)⁠. Don't forget to subscribe! Also, check Mike out on ⁠Realms of the Lost ( https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/realms-of-the-lost/ )⁠, a fantasy actual-play where portals opened all across the land, letting in the refuse of a thousand worlds, and a few unlucky individuals!

2. 

   9 Oct 2026

   Seven Havens, Zero Expectations

   Welcome back to the Restoring Balance Podcast, where Mike and Jim dive into Avatar: The Last Airbender! In this special episode, the duo breaks from the usual rewatch to react to the trailers for the new series Seven Havens, and Mike admits he broke his golden rule to watch them. Warning: This podcast contains spoilers, jokes, and insights about Avatar: The Last Airbender. Watch it first! (https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/avatar-the-last-airbender) The trailers we're discussing: Seven Havens Trailer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhdh962_ee0) Seven Havens Teaser (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvksPficuOU) Episode Highlights Chanting, Culture, and the Great Divide: The opening chanting reminds Mike of yogic chanting, so he theorizes the new setting is inspired by India. He ties this to the show's pattern of basing nations on real cultures. Jim wonders if the canyon setting, Ellora, is the Great Divide. A Melting Pot in a Low-Tech World: Mike and Jim guess that Ellora may be a melting pot like Republic City in Korra. The world seems low-tech, as if its "tech tree" was reset. Korra, the Fallen God Queen: The trailer hints at a great catastrophe blamed on Korra, including a tsunami hitting a skyscraper city. Both suspect she was framed or acted for the greater good. Mike jokes it could be a "double bluff" to win over Korra haters. A Golden Building and the White Lotus: Mike first likens the huge golden building to the Sydney Opera House, but up close it resembles a lotus flower. Since the trailer also features the Order of the White Lotus, the hosts wonder if the building is a hidden reveal. Animation Style: Jarring, But Maybe Growing on Us: Both love the location designs but aren't sold on the new animation. They feel it has less detail, less shading, and bolder, cleaner colors. Since they grew up with the look of Avatar and Korra, it feels like a different universe. A World Out of Balance: Crystals, weather effects, and destruction suggest the fallout of a spirit attack, and the trailer says the Avatar is needed more than ever. "Seven Havens" might mean seven refuge cities remain, with a Mad Max feel. Animal Companions Old and New: The hosts spot returning bison and debate whether a new animal is a lynx, a bobcat, or an anteater mix. This leads to a debate about Naga's role in Korra, compared with how integral Appa was to Team Avatar. Twins, Prosthetics, and Pavi's Path: They guess Pavi is the Avatar who follows Korra, an Earthbender, and that her twin sister Nisha may bend too. They theorize about a split between elements and spirit, or an evil twin. Spiritual Roots and Chakras: Pavi walking a colorful astral path echoes Aang's cosmic scene with Guru Pathik. Mike and Jim wonder if the Havens are united by connecting with the spirit world rather than by a bending discipline. They hope the show revisits the chakras, which they praised as a clear, non-religious way to show how spiritual connection helps you master yourself. Thanks for Listening! - Mike & Jim Contact Us Have thoughts on Avatar or want to share your favorite moments? ⁠Email us (mailto:mikejimpod@gmail.com)⁠ or comment on our ⁠YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@RestoringBalancePod)⁠. Don't forget to subscribe! Also, check Mike out on ⁠Realms of the Lost (https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/realms-of-the-lost/ )⁠, a fantasy actual-play where portals opened all across the land, letting in the refuse of a thousand worlds, and a few unlucky individuals!

3. 

   28 Sept 2026

   Book 1 Triviapalooza: Part 2

   Welcome back to the Restoring Balance Podcast, where Mike and Jim dive into Avatar: The Last Airbender! In this episode, the duo completes their competition for Book 1 supremacy. I wonder which host had to rap at the end, hmm. Warning: This podcast contains spoilers, jokes, and insights about Avatar: The Last Airbender. ⁠Watch it first!⁠ (https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/avatar-the-last-airbender) Join us for the culmination of our first-ever Triviapalooza hosted by Jack! In this episode, he runs us through Avatar-themed games like "Title Trouble" and "Lost in Translation". Don't forget, the host with the fewest points at the end has to perform a freestyle rap about Avatar! Yikes! Thanks for Listening! - Mike & Jim Special thanks to Jack for running this incredible episode! Watch him cast Overwatch games at United Rogue (https://www.unitedrogue.gg/)! Contact Us Have thoughts on Avatar or want to share your favorite moments? ⁠⁠Email us⁠ (mailto:mikejimpod@gmail.com)⁠ or comment on our ⁠⁠YouTube channel⁠ (https://www.youtube.com/@RestoringBalancePod)⁠. Don't forget to subscribe! Check out Mike on ⁠⁠Realms of the Lost⁠⁠ (https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/realms-of-the-lost/ ), a fantasy actual-play where portals opened all across the land, letting in the refuse of a thousand worlds and a few unlucky individuals!

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

66

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

6 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 22 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

19

Social presence

0

YouTube

63

Engagement

0

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Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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