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The new episode was filled with many new facts and new occurrences that are sure to keep audiences at the edge of their seats through the ongoing episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
In this episode Aang, Katara, and Sokka make their way to the Potola Mountain Range, and indeed find hidden within the mountain range, the Southern Air Temple. It has been a hundred years since Aang has made his way in and around the air temple, and Katara and Sokka are the very first outsiders to ever be on location or even enter into the Southern Air Temple.
Meanwhile, Prince Zuko and his Uncle Iroh, whom were the firebenders that was after The Avatar in the first episode, decide to dock and have their ship repaired, but suddenly run into Commander Zhao. Zuko is very determined to keep his findings on the Avatar secret due to possibilities that other firebenders will try to go on the hunt for the Avatar. Zuko’s pride, as he said himself in the last episode, stands on the success or failure of capturing the Avatar. Zhao manages to get the information that he needs due to the fact one of Zuko’s crew members let loose information regarding a run in with a twelve-year-old Avatar at Katara’s and Sokka’s water tribe. Zhao holds Zuko and Iroh hostage until he and his crew of firebenders finally leave to search for Avatar, and Zuko makes it very clear before Zhao leaves that he will capture the Avatar before he does. Zhao suddenly makes the comment that Prince Zuko’s Father, Ozai, put him in exile because he was not upholding the proper statutes of prince in his Firebender group. The audience learns that Zuko’s reasoning for searching for the Avatar lies in the possibility of being accepted by his Father if he was to bring the Avatar captured. Tension begins to swell between Commander Zhao and Prince Zuko, and decide to have a basic firebender duel. Zuko does indeed win the duel, however Commander Zhao nearly takes Zuko down amidst bad feelings towards loosing, but Uncle Iroh steps in, and scolds Zhao for his attack. Zuko and Iroh both leave the dueling field, most likely, to return to their search for the Avatar.
Back at the Southern Air Temple, we learn that Aang was actually taught by Monk Gyatso some of the ways of airbending and other techniques of the true Avatar. Aang reminisces about Monk Gyatso after seeing a statue of him, about the discussion of entering the Air Temple Sanctuary when he is old enough, or ready. An interesting fact that’s released is that the monks who told Aang that he was to be the Avatar told him at the wrong time; the proper age, according to Monk Gyatso, was sixteen. Monk Gyatso encourages Aang not to worry, and to be focused on the future, and that all of Aang’s questions will be answered as he learns. Aang, Katara, and Sokka explore the air temple and actually enters the Air Temple Sanctuary. They find a large amount of statues lined up almost in a circular formation from top to bottom floors. These were statues of past Avatar’s, and basically, Aang’s past lives. According to legend within the stories about Avatar’s, each Avatar after passing away is reincarnated into another person who becomes the Avatar, and the cycle goes on. The last Avatar before Aang was Avatar Roku, whose statue also stood in the Air Temple Sanctuary. Later in the search for other beings and remains in and around the temple, Aang is both shocked, saddened, and then angered as he finds remains of firebender soldiers and the corpse of his teacher Monk Gyatso. Aang suddenly goes into literally windy tantrum, and ask Katara and Sokka try to hang on for their lives, proclaim to Aang that he is a part of their family, and that they would not let anything bad happen to him. Before leaving the temple, they run into a Lemer, whom Aang names Momo. Momo is now a part of Aang’s group.
This episode was truly one of enlightenment and left the book open for continuation into the story. After making it to Aang’s home and finding out so much about what happened after 100 years of past, the question now seems to be, what’s next for Aang, Katara and Sokka as they make their journey. Even into this new episode, they still are holding continuity amongst the characters and their attributes. Sometimes it can be easy to slide from the focus of the pilot and the main storyline to something good but completely different. The show is not confusing, and the focus is on the main characters without heavy memory necessary.
The major moments of action and emotion in this episode was located in two spots: the firebender duel scene and Aang’s anger causing not only large amounts of wind to blow out, but also caused lights amongst the Earth Kingdom to glow in different locations. As for the firebender duel, both graceful and very well done. Can’t ask for too much though in the battle scenes… it might be a little too much grazing along the line of other shows like Dragonball Z or Dragonball GT, and besides, the show is just starting. There is plenty of time for the creators of Avatar: The Last Airbender to wow me and the rest of the audience even more. Looking forward to what the next episodes has to hold!
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