Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender

I must remind myself of the first part, The Boy in the Iceberg, and that this episode is a continuation, a part two. This is to be the second half of the Story Enneagram, the arc of both parts together.

SWITCH

I assumed that the episode break would be the Switch, and that seems to be true. Katara and Aang inadvertently signaled Zuko on his Fire Nation ship, revealing the Avatar’s location. When they return to the village Gran-Gran tells Aang he must leave. Katara knew not to go on the derelict, and now Aang is banished. He walks away.

FIVE

Zuko arrives, his ship breaking through the ice wall that surrounds the village. Out he comes, down the ramp, and Sokka attacks him. It’s futile. Riding a penguin, Aang slides in to save the day. He saw the ship arrive from a distance. The villagers, especially the children, are in danger from his bending fight with Zuko, though, so Aang surrenders. The Fire Nation ship, with Aang aboard, pulls out.

So far, everything up until now feels like the momentum from “Iceberg” is finishing up. The confrontation between Aang and Zuko is what we expected. Sokka, using regular warrior skills, is basically powerless in an arena of bending. A world without the Avatar is powerless against the Fire Nation.

SIX

During the skirmish we have positive confirmation that Aang is indeed the Avatar. He says, “Looking for me?” We get the great moment when Zuko, who’s been seeking a one hundred year old man, realizes his adversary is a child.

At the Three, Aang in the iceberg is revealed. He’s got the glowing forehead arrow and the beam of light. Clearly he’s special, different. At the Six we now know why. The penguin-sledding boy is more than he seemed.

SEVEN

Aang, looking around at the vulnerable villagers, surrenders to Zuko. Zuko honors his promise, takes the Avatar on board, and leaves. “Set course for the Fire Nation.”

We don’t know enough about Zuko yet to realize what a triumphant moment this is for him. Yes, the villain has won, but we’ll learn so much more about his character and what drives him. This is a taste of Zuko’s storyline.

EIGHT

Katara and Sokka will follow after Aang in their canoe. Of course Appa comes in and becomes their transport. It’s a nice little moment. Also, it’s a call-back to the Two when their canoe crashed. Good continuity.

The rest of the episode is a bang-up battle with Aang on the ship. “I’m guessing you’ve never fought an air-bender before.” And we’ve never seen an air-bender fight. It’s amazing! Fire — punching fireballs at someone or throwing an arc of flame on a roundhouse kick — makes sense. It’s just a continuation of regular martial arts technique. Air bending, though, is more magical. It’s based in aikido — using your opponent’s strength against them — but wind is used in creative, unexpected ways. It’s a great scene, a great Eight. I won’t spoil it with jaw-jaw.

Zuko doesn’t quit, though. A key character trait of his, his indomitable will even when he’s losing, leads him to inadvertently knock Aang into the ocean. Aang, sinking, starts to glow. In later episodes we’ll learn that he’s entered the Avatar state. Right now, though, he just goes to another level of power. He water bends a whirlpool that lifts him from the ocean. As an air bender he’s been winning the fight. As the Avatar, he’s a destructive force who can’t be stopped. 

He’s quickly exhausted, though, depleted. Katara and Sokka help him onto Appa, and they all escape. Zuko’s ship, bow crushed under an ice block, is left behind. “I won’t underestimate him again,” he says. Beautiful climax, beautiful resolution. Very satisfying.

NINE

Now we have our team, flying through the sky. They’ll head to the Northern Tribe where Aang and Katara can study water bending together from a master. 

First, though, some fun stops along the way are planned. Aang is a reluctant Avatar. His psychological journey to accept his destiny is already clearly a main arc. A lot of questions started in this first double episode, a lot of excitement and delivery. You’re totally hooked.

As the very first episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender this one contains a lot of Rules of the Magic events. We have a fantasy world that needs explaining. The introduction before the credits carries a lot of weight, but we’ll need more for this initial look.

ONE

We meet Katara and Sokka, sister and brother, as they fish ice-laden water in a canoe. This entire episode is very good at summing up a character in one scene. Sokka’s humor, how he becomes the slapstick butt of the joke often, is introduced. Katara as sincere, serious, and unsure of her abilities, are shown right away. And we learn something about water bending. Boom.

TWO

An unexpected flow of water puts the canoe in danger, then crashes it. Certainly this is Trouble, but is it enough? After Katara and Sokka become stranded on a little iceberg they argue. As Katara becomes angrier, she unconsciously bends water behind her, making large waves. A sizable iceberg rises from the ocean. This is also Trouble.

Perhaps the combination of these events is the Two. Perhaps only one of them. Because this episode is continued, and this is not a complete Enneagram story arc, I can’t know for sure. Often the Two and Three can’t be labeled until I can look at the end and see the whole movement.

THREE

Inside the large iceberg is another, a blue bubble with a boy suspended in the middle. The arrow marking on his forehead glows. He’s alive. This discovery of Aang could be the Three.

Katara attacks the berg, breaking it open, and it explodes with a beam of light shooting into the sky. This magical moment could also be the Three.

FOUR

I think those are our only options, because the next scene shows Zuko and Uncle Iroh on their Fire Nation ship, searching for the Avatar. Again, each character is perfectly introduced. At this point we only know Zuko as a villain, but we see his drive. Iroh’s gentility helps soften Zuko’s obsessiveness.

And then we officially meet Aang and Appa. (Appa!) We learn the magic of air bending. We sense that Aang is avoiding something.

Everything we see is information we’ll need later in the series. The Southern Tribe has no men in the village and no benders. The war with the Fire Nation has been going on for one hundred years, and Aang knows nothing about it. Zuko must find the Avatar to restore his honor and return home. It’s all presented in a way that feels organic, not like exposition.

SWITCH

Again, I’m guessing without the rest of the story, but it seems natural that the episode break would come at the Switch. Aang and Katara accidentally trip a trap in an abandoned Fire Nation ship, sending a beacon into the air. Zuko, using a spyglass, sees them and the village. He is headed right for them. Cliffhanger! Stay tuned until next week.