Mark Watches ‘Avatar’: S03E11 – The Western Air Temple

In the eleventh episode of the third season of Avatar: The Last Airbender, FINALLY. FINALLY. FINALLY. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Avatar.

NO, SERIOUSLY, I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS EPISODE FOR A REALLY LONG TIME. And I can faithfully report that it has exceeded my expectations.

This was never going to be an easy thing, and I would have cried foul had Zuko’s acceptance in Team Avatar been a simple, joyous occasion. It would have been a great disservice to the layers of characterization that the writers had piled up over the course of the two and a half seasons prior. It’s still funny to me that I believed Zuko was this huge villain to be used for the entirety of this show, and now I just watched him rehearse lines about asking for forgiveness from Team Avatar….to a toad. this is everything I could have hoped for.

Even with the predictable nature of this story (Zuko would have to ask to join the team eventually, and the kids would obviously pitch a fit about it), the writers still manage to keep me guessing and to give us a story that isn’t wrapped up all neat with a tiny bow either. Things start off well when we’re introduced to the final Air Nomad temple, this one in the west. Oh, and it is built upside down underneath a cliff. And it’s not even hanging from the cliff: the buildings are literally upside down.

The first sign that we’re going to given a much more fascinating story than we could have hoped for is when Zuko arrives at the Western Air Temple. In a blurry flashback, we learn that just a week after Zuko’s banishment from the Fire Nation, he and Iroh came to this very place first in order to search for the Avatar. What a long journey Zuko’s been on for the last three years. Aside from making me miss Iroh (WHERE IS HE), it’s an interesting way to show us just how far this young man has come. Unlike Zuko’s transformation in “The Guru” and “The Crossroads of Destiny,” the happiness Zuko does show here never seems fake or disingenuous. At the same time, he’s now filled with apprehension. He knows that he’s finally on the right path, that he is going to follow his own destiny, but he’s not foolish. This new direction in life is not going to be easy, and it’s surely going to come with its own problems. The very immediate problem Zuko has is one of forgiveness: How is Zuko going to get these people to believe him? After all the pain and torment he’s caused, he can’t simply walk up to them and just ask to be on the team, right?

For the kids who escaped from the battle with the Fire Nation, it’s an awkward point in their lives. Their parents are captured, shame is creeping into their minds, and they’re stuck again without a plan. Sokka suggests what seems to be both the obvious answer and the only one: Aang needs to learn fire bending, master all four elements, and face the Fire Lord before Sozin’s Comet passes by again. Unfortunately, this is met with a whopping dose of sarcasm from Aang, who recognizes the futility of such an idea. BUT AAND, ZUKO IS LIKE…30 SECONDS AWAY FROM YOU. Katara suggests finding Jeong Jeong again, and I actually had to look him up because I forgot about him. Where the hell is that man? I remember I used to think he would eventually be the one to teach Aang fire bending, but that’s not the case anymore.

I was a bit dismayed that Aang was so unwilling to deal with the situation at all, but only until I knew that it was kind of hopeless to discuss it right then and there. They’re in a new temple they haven’t explored, they have plenty of time, and they at least deserve a small break after their long journey to the temple. Well, that’s not going to happen! Because Zuko decides that just waiting around for the “right” time is a waste, so he finally confronts them.

holy. awkward. It’s even more awkward than I could have expected, despite that Zuko’s body language suggests his guilt and shame. Which is not to say that I think it was wrong for anyone to suggest Zuko wasn’t to be trusted. It’s kind of neat that they almost trot out a luandry list of the various offenses that Zuko unleashed upon them over the past half of a year. It’s weird seeing Zuko be bashful and shy and not immediately give in to anger. There are flashes of it, but they are fleeitng. And for once, anger isn’t controlling his actions.

Still, it’s not an easy situation. They all see Appa treat Zuko friendly (since Appa would remember who freed him), but everyone aside from Toph isn’t buying it. I was glad to see Zuko never once take the defensive, apologizing for what he could, but then…ZUKO. WHY. WHY WOULD YOU TELL THEM YOU HIRED COMBUSTION MAN. (Which is not his real name, so….I wonder if we’ll learn it later. Just a thought.) At the very mention of the assassin’s nickname, they immediately shut down. DAMN IT. HE WAS SO CLOSE! Katara lashes out in bitter anger, attacking him with a wave, and tells him never to return.

Well. Zuko’s off to a good start!

It’s fitting that Toph’s the one who thinks that her friends are being a bit too emotional about the situation. Aside from Combustion Man, she has no history with Zuko like the others do. She points out that they were just whining about not having a fire bender to teach Aang, and one just waltzed into their camp! It literally could not be easier for them! But I have to admit that simplifying someone’s history this way isn’t a fair thing to do. The guy has chased them all around the globe and one day, they’re just supposed to forget all that? Though I’m sure to them, that’s what Toph’s suggestion feels like. The truth is that Toph intends to propose some sort of middle ground, acknowledging Zuko’s flaws, but finding a way to be accepting in order to benefit the whole group from the process.

And yet, even THAT doesn’t go well. When Toph storms off to see Zuko, Zuko is in the forest, chatting with his friendly toad, lamenting the fact that he can’t even be a good guy without royally messing it up. That night, Toph secretly comes to visit him and, again, it gets even worse than before. Startled, Zuko lets out a blast of fire and ends up burning the soles of Toph’s feet, effectively rendering her completely blind. CAN SOMETHING PLEASE GO RIGHT FOR ZUKO.

I actually really like the progression of this episode, which goes from hopeful, then to awkward, then to frustrating, then to head-to-the-wall, then to WHYYYYYY, then to HOLY SHIT COMBUSTION MAN FOUND THEM. When that third-eye-tattooed beast shows up, I dearly hoped that Zuko would take this sliver of an opportunity to show Team Avatar that he truly wants to join up with them. Thankfully, as Combustion Man begins to sends rays of destructive fire on the kids down below, Zuko swings in Indiana Jones-style to try and attack the very assassin he hired to kill Aang. He does this loudly, enabling the others to hear him trying to help, but the man’s supreme power blasts him off the side of a cliff and he returns to trying to send the entire temple crumbling into the mist below.

Good ol’ Sokka and good ol’ boomerang. I always love when he gets a chance to use his own talent to help save the day for Team Avatar, and this is no exception. It is sort of weird that no one ever found out that you needed to hit Combustion Man’s third eye to block his chi, but this time, Sokka lands a perfect hit, and it causes him to FUCKING EXPLODE. I mean, I understand Nickelodeon can’t actually show that on their network, but I’m assuming that since we saw the man’s arm fly off into the mist, that means it separated from his body. Right???

It’s here that Zuko meets with Team Avatar again; they all witnessed him doing his best to stop Combustion Man, and that’s about as good of a sign that he’s “converted” as they’re going to get. I can’t help but think that Zuko channels a bit of his uncle here, speaking plainly and honestly about his past transgressions, giving a sincere apology, and telling Toph that he will be as careful as he can about fire bending so that he does not unintentionally harm someone again. It’s this last bit that triggers Aang’s memory of harming Katara during “The Deserter.” They now share a direct parallel in their past, and Aang is ready to accept Zuko as his teacher. (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) He asks each of his friends if they’ll accept this too, and each one is less excited than the last about the idea, with Katara only doing so because she trusts Aang.

It’s painfully awkward, I must admit. When Sokka shows Zuko to his new room at the temple, you can see that the entire idea that Zuko is now on their side is just too surreal for him. It was nice to see Zuko smile again, though, because he is finally on the right path. It’s fitting that he pulls out a portrait of his uncle, too. If only Iroh was here right now, I thought. I bet this all would have been easier.

So you can imagine my surprise when Katara appears in the room. It’s clear she still feels personally betrayed after the events of “The Crossroads of Destiny,” and she communicates that to Zuko: If he so much as slips up in any way, she will kill him. The end.

GOOD GOD. Well, that’s not a lot of pressure at all, right???

THOUGHTS

• “It’s my throat hole flap!” Even with context, it might be the most absurd thing Sokka has ever said.
• “You’re right, Toph. Let’s go find him and give him a medal: the ‘Not-As-Much-Of-A-Jerk-As-You-Could-Have-Been’ award.” OH KATARA. YOUR SASS IS APPRECIATED.
• I’m actually glad Toph brings up the fact that Zuko’s upbringing probably shaped who he came to be, and I wish that was explored more by the kids.