Book 1: The Southern Air Temple

Fun fact; This is the only episode in the series that does not have it's title card against a plain white background.

So Aang was a little caught up in the excitement of waking up, making new friends, and fighting the Fire Nation to fully realize that he was asleep for a hundred years, and that everyone he knows is dead.

Oops.



The thing about this particular thread, with Aang realizing exactly the gravity of his situation, it maybe ends around episode 5, whichever one The Storm is, but it just stays its welcome. If you have to stop a war, you don't have time to wallow in your mistakes.

He realizes what happened, and later on, Aang is guilty because he thinks he could have stopped the genocide of his people if he hadn't run away. In reality, he probably could not have.


But onto the episode.

They're on their way to the Temple, and Katara cautions Aang to keep his expectations in check. Because no one has told this boy still that he is the last of his race. I guess it's not an easy conversation to have.


Zuko and Iroh are at a Fire Nation port to repair their ship.

It even looks teeny.

Zuko warns his uncle to keep quiet about the Avatar's reappearance - but someone overhears.

You may recognize Zhao's voice - that's Jason Isaacs. AKA; Lucius Malfoy. I know!

 Iroh and Zuko fuddle through a lie.

This shot looks rather CG ish. It's noticeable because CG isn't something that really happens in this series. At least I can't think of another instance!

They're at the mountain range, and Katara finally tries to warn him, and drops a very important piece of information - "They killed my mother." Remember that.

Aang still has his optimism when Katara tells him, "Your people are probably dead my guy." - "They probably escaped!" Which is interesting, because there's another young character who, for a long time, people suspected of being the offspring of an Air Nomad and perhaps a Fire Nation refugee camp that borders the Earth Kingdom because she looked remarkably like an Airbender. You'd have to read more into the comics that bridge between Last Airbender and Legend of Korra.

In the end, that character, Ty Lee, is more or less debunked when it's stated that she comes from a large, prestigious, Fire Nation family. Maybe there was Air Nomad in her family a hundred years ago, but not now.

Back in this season, Zhao and Zuko are talking. Well, the former is talking about the Fire Lord's plans, how he should be close to conquering Ba Sing Se by year's end.  But that's a problem for future us!

The Earth Kingdom is that big land to the right.

Despite the cover-up, Zhao learns that the Avatar is indeed alive, and that Zuko lost him.

Said Avatar is at the Air Temple, sad at the emptiness. Then they play airball.

Way to prove me wrong minutes later, show.

Katara covers up evidence of Fire Nation activity, there's a flashback after Aang introduces them to a statue of his father figure, Monk Gyatso, as he is telling Aang that alerting him of his Avatar destiny so young was a mistake, but they cannot change the past.


But he opens the door to an Air Temple Sanctuary, which has statues of all the Avatars past. Or most of them, anyway, there's got to be a limit.


He stops in front of the previous Avatar, Roku from the Fire Nation. The cycle goes Fire - Air - Water - Earth, but the statues don't seem to be in that order, as Avatar Kyoshi from the Earth Kingdom should be before Roku. Instead, it's a man.

One Avatar we only see in an interactive comic that was once on Nick.com but you can find the .amvs pretty easily in the previous Air Nomad Avatar, Yangchen.

Back in the Fire Nation Port, Zhao holds Iroh and Zuko hostage until he has time to gather his troops to look for Aang. You also get information about Zuko;

• Banished by his own father on a once-thought fruitless quest to hunt for the Avatar for two years
• His father hates him. 
• I never pointed it out, but Zuko has a scar on his face. Maybe you noticed? Well, his dad did that in an Agni Kai, which he immediately challenges Zhao to right here.
• Zuko's passion and enthusiasm overwhelm his knowledge, and Iroh tells him to remember the basics. He wins, and tells Zhao to stay out of his way in his search.
• Zuko doesn't realize that his father hates him (Well, he knows he gave him the scar) and still wants to make him proud.

It gets a lot deeper and uglier than that. There's a reason why this is considered one of the best redemption stories in a modern-day show, animated or not.

So Aang finds a lemur, Momo, and the remains of Gyatso, the clothing of which is still visible, as well as a telltale amulet. 

Understandably distraught, Aang goes into the Avatar State once again, this time setting off the lights in the eyes of the Avatar statues in the hall...and several beacons on and within temples in various locations in the other three kingdoms.

I don't believe we ever see the Water one again, but there is an upcoming episode that might be the same Earth citizen. The Fire acolytes alert the Fire Lord. 

Everyone reacts with shock - assuming these are religious devotees who man the temple, did this not happen when Aang went into the state in the previous episode? They just realized this?

Katara calms him down after he whips up a windstorm of hurt and fury, saying that she and Sokka are his family now, that she knows how hard it is to lose the people you love.

***

This episode sets up the bones of a backstory for Katara, but most of it goes to Aang and Zuko, the latter of which will spend most of the second season growing and changing.

Again, season one is definitely not unenjoyable, but it is a lot more child-oriented with the jokes, and seasons 2 and 3 get a lot better at a mature balance. I'm going to try not to speed through it, because I need to refresh myself upon the material and there's decent setup and worldbuilding.