I stop and let the children flee.
The Western Air Temple is a bunch of buildings that are suspended from the inside of a cave…how were they built? Probably Earthbenders.
Zuko has found them too, but he’s been there before, during his first banishment.
If I remember correctly, the female Airbenders lived at the East and West temples.
Before Aang runs off in shame again for failing, Team Avatar reigns him in to talk about a revised plan. Which is basically the same thing as before.
Zuko practices approaching the Gaang in a not-attacking-them kind of way, and it’s harder than it seems.
He's trying his best.
“I have a lot of experience. You know, from when I was attacking you.”
Aang still manages to escape in shame, but there are some cool views.
I wonder if that giant irrigation system has been running for a hundred years.
No time for that.
The group (Mainly, Katara and Sokka) immediately goes “Fuck off.”, even as Zuko tries to explain. Guys, you should have just watched the first 12 episodes of Book 3.
For some reason, “Oh, you sent Combustion Man after us?” “Well, that’s not his name, but -" makes me laugh.
In the end, even Aang is like “No, we can’t trust you.”, though he explains that Zuko freed him during the events of “The Blue Spirit”, ages and ages ago.
Toph is the only one who had no baggage with Zuko and could see things clearly.
No pun intended.
But when she goes to see him, Zuko is startled and ends up burning her feet.
There’s also a few nods to Haru, Teo, and The Duke exploring the temples. I kind of wish we saw more of what they found.
When Toph returns, she seems to finally be convinced that Zuko isn’t good. It was just an accident!
Look who is back.
BEGONE.
When Zuko orders the assassin to stop, he gets tossed aside for his trouble. This time (probably for disabling his power), it’s personal between this man and the youth.
But bending doesn’t take him out - it’s Sokka’s boomerang, which hits him so hard that he blows his own head up. This is not the last time that’s going to happen in the Avatarverse.
Zuko approaches them again and reiterates - My life has sucked but it had to, and now I want to do what’s right.
Aang goes, “You know what…yeah, you get it. Fire is dangerous. Teach me this shit but let me ask my friends.”
Toph: Sure alright.
Sokka: Eh.
Katara: This motherfucker better not try me.
And while Zuko unpacks in a spare room…
“Give me one reason to think you might hurt Aang, and you wouldn’t have to worry about your destiny anymore, because I’ll make sure it ends right then and there.”
Here's the first of two hours of Field Trips With Zuko - a string of episodes where members of our main trio went with him on wild trips. First up - Aang and Zuko.
The lesson starts off with “Firebending doesn’t kill people, people kill people.” from Zuko.
But Aang’s not good at it, and when Zuko demonstrates…
He’s done better.
*Zuko fails*
Aang: “That one felt kinda hot.”
“Don’t patronize me, you know what it’s supposed to look like.”
“Sorry, Sifu Hotman.”
“And stop calling me that!”
Zuko keeps trying to bend like he used to - but he’s no longer spurred on by un-properly maintained anger. Firebending as an art doesn’t come from being angry, but we have to watch the rest of the episode for both Aang and Zuko to learn it properly.
Besides, he doesn’t want to rely on being angry to Firebend.
Toph says “Go back to what the original source of Firebending is.” (Fun fact: For Airbenders, that’s the Sky Bison.)
But what is that for Firebending?
Why, it’s the dragons, of course, which have been hunted to extinction by … Fire Lord Sozin. Which sounds like a shitty thing to do to basically your national animal.
The last dragon to be conquered was by Iroh - hence the honorary title “Dragon of The West”.
But there are Sun Warriors…..thousands of years ago. But the ruins are nearby!
“I thought this thing would be a lot faster.”
*Appa growls*
“Appa’s right, Zuko, typically in our group, we start out our missions with a more positive attitude!”
*Groan* “I can’t believe this.”
Welcome to basically the equivalency of…well, I hesitate to say “A Mayan Civilization” see how heavily rooted in East Asian the show otherwise is, but the Water Tribe is clearly based upon indigenous groups in the arctic so sure, it’s a Fantasy Mayan Civilization that has been remarkably well preserved.
What a cool mural.
The temple inside holds some statues, carved in some kind of dance. when the two imitate their movements…
FUS RO DAH!
And the ground throws up.
And our boys get stuck.
This episode is hilarious.
When Aang yells for help, someone actually shows up.
There’s a group of Sun Warriors still living in hiding. When Aang says that he is the Avatar, they don’t care, but when Zuko says that he is the Crown Prince, how his nation has bastardized the method of modern day Firebending, and he wants to learn the truth.
“Fine,” Says the leader. “You can talk to Ran and Shaw after some tests. Show them a piece of the oldest flame in the world.”
Aang is impressed with the warm little flame. “It’s like a little heartbeat.”
Flame on.
At the summit of the mountain, Aang is worried about who they might meet. “We’re the Fire Prince and the Avatar. I think we can take them, whoever they are.”
Aang is still concerned, fumbles his fire and it goes out, and makes Zuko’s go out too.
Oops.
It’s too late - Ran and Shaw have arrived -
The last of the dragons.
This is a really cool sequence.
This is kind of terrifying. It’s even more so when both dragons breath fire over the two and kill them.
Just kidding.
It’s magic!
The last person who was there was Iroh, who had lied to protect the dragons, the civilization, all of it. Zuko was learning - or at least was trying to be taught - the true basics of Firebending the entire time.
This episode was written by one John O’Brian. I’m not sure what that entails, but this is one of my favorites of the series. I should see the other episodes he might have written.
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