The Storm is a great episode for a few different reasons, so I broke them down here. Enjoy!

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It’s not like I did it on purpose.

Book 1: Water

Chapter 12

The Storm

WHAT HAPPENED?

The team needs money, so Sokka gets a job on a fishing boat right when a vicious storm is about to hit. Aang runs away because he is reminded that he wasn’t around when the war first started and he’s still coming to grips with it. While Katara learns of how it all happened, Iroh decides to tell the crew the story of why Zuko was banished and how he got his scar after a heated argument almost turns violent. Once the storm hits, Aang and Katara go out to rescue Sokka’s boat at the same time that Zuko’s crew struggles through the storm. The two cross paths, but they part ways due to the storm. Aang comes to terms with the fact that he can’t change the past and that he’ll work toward the future.

WHAT TO TAKE AWAY (There are four stories being told in this episode)

1. the team dealing with the storm
2. Zuko and his crew dealing with the storm
3. how Aang dealt with learning that he was the Avatar
4. how/why Zuko got his scar and was banished

I’ll talk about them one at a time. Aang is suffering from his guilt of running away 100 years ago and it’s nice to see this story play out. It reminds me that even though he is the Avatar with a huge responsibility on his shoulders, he is also young and inexperienced. When the fisherman berates him for disappearing, he completely breaks down from the guilt he already felt when he went to the Southern Air Temple only to learn that the Fire Nation killed all the Air Nomads.

Dark stuff for a kid’s show, right?

Zuko, on the other hand, is having trouble dealing with his crew because of his blind ambition. One of the crew members calls him on it and he loses his cool to the point of wanting to fight. This is the reason I feel that Iroh is necessary as Zuko’s balance. While Zuko is still teeming with anger and shame due to a need to satisfy his father, Iroh understands this and acts as Zuko’s compassionate interpreter. So when he explains the story to the crew in a heart to heart, he is acting on Zuko’s behalf to help the crew understand him better. There is also a message of hope. Now that Aang has returned, hope has been kindled in the world, but more importantly, it gives Zuko hope that one day he will be able to return home.

So… shots?

As an aside, why does Zuko even have a crew? Just by sailing with him, they renounce themselves as part of the Fire Nation since Zuko has been banished. Is it possible that they were ordered to sail with him? Iroh cares about Zuko and wants to look after him, which is understandable, but I don’t get why the crew is there. I’ll just go under the assumption that they were ordered to operate his ship.

Oh, and did Iroh redirect lightning? Where the heck did that come from? This was a cool bit, but how can Uncle do that? Fortunately, this is one of the things that will be explored later, but it certainly comes out of nowhere in this episode.

I’ve been struck by lightning!

In Aang’s flashbacks, we learn that GYATSO WAS ONE OF THE ELDERS THAT TOLD AANG HE WAS THE AVATAR. This contradicts his smack talk in episode 3 (The Southern Air Temple) about it being a mistake to tell Aang too early, but I’m sure this was another one of those writing hiccups.

They say they’ve known about him since he was a toddler. They have a whole testing process where the child chooses from a bunch of toys, and if the child chooses four specific toys (that happen to be Avatar relics), then that child is most likely the Avatar. I’m not one to complain about that since the Avatar cycle is based on reincarnation, and there is a big spiritual presence in this world. However, what is the purpose of the tradition to wait until the person is 16 to tell them that they are the Avatar? By letting this person grow up like everything is normal, you risk making that person resentful because everything they knew was a lie. Also, that person is ripped from the life they knew so suddenly, and who knows what kind of damage that can cause? Case and point: Aang.

We’re all bald and grumpy by choice.

If the child is put through the process and found to be the Avatar, then wouldn’t it make more sense that the child is raised as the Avatar? Perhaps this comes from wanting to raise the child as one of the people first. Maybe if the Avatar is raised as one of the people, that person will grow to have compassion for humanity and living things rather than thinking he/she is above them. This can lessen the risk of creating a tyrant as we see with the Firelord later on, as well as a little bit with Zuko. Because he was raised to expect people to be below him, Zuko had a hard time relating to the problems of others.

But it can be argued that if the elders hadn’t told Aang early, he might not have run away. Despite Gyatso’s contradiction, the elders actually saved Aang’s life. Then again, the plan was to send Aang to another air temple to complete his training, and it was said that the attack didn’t happen until after Aang ran away. Is it possible that Aang could have survived and gone into hiding back then? Or what if Gyatso was already planning to take Aang away? Either way, Aang could have learned the bending disciplines in secret and stopped the Fire Nation a lot sooner. Of course, this is just speculation, but it’s interesting.

The last story is that of why Zuko was banished. His ambition to be Firelord is what actually led to his current predicament when he wanted to enter a war meeting. Iroh tried to turn him away, but Zuko was eager and Iroh let him in. Zuko then spoke out against a plan to use fresh recruits as cannon fodder. He was right to question the general’s plan, but wrong in that he spoke out of turn.

This was perceived as a challenge, which was to be resolved in an Agni Kai. As we saw in episode 3 (The Southern Air Temple), Zuko would have a one-on-one duel with the one he insulted. The boy thought he would have to face the general, and that he might have a chance. Unfortunately, Zuko crumbled when he saw that he’d have to duel his own father, as the Fire Lord felt that he had been disrespected in his own war room.

Zuko refused to fight and begged for his father’s forgiveness, but the Fire Lord took this as a sign of weakness and attacked him. After scarring his face, he banished Zuko and said that he could only return and regain his honor if he captured the Avatar, whom hadn’t been seen in 100 years.

It is great to finally get more background information on Zuko. He has been slightly mysterious up to this point, and now we have a better understanding as why he is who he is now. Because of this incident, he was banished, and put on the path to greatness. He is now a great swordsman, and on his way to becoming a firebending master. But he’ll have to wade through anguish and a bit more suffering first.

Young Zuko refusing to fight his dad.

Just as the elders saved Aang from being killed, I think Iroh might have damned Zuko by letting him into that meeting. Yes, it’s good that Zuko was so eager to learn what it takes to run his country, but Iroh was almost too compassionate in this moment toward Zuko. It can almost be argued that he is the reason for Zuko’s banishment. Or perhaps Iroh may have put him on the path to greatness by allowing him to enter that meeting. I’ll leave that up to you. And who is that girl smirking at Zuko’s torment? Maybe we’ll find out later.

I forgot my camera!

And yes, it’s great that Aang saved Sokka and gained the fisherman’s respect, but there is one final thing I want to touch on. Zuko has been seen as a headstrong, arrogant young man who only cares about himself, but I believe that this is the second time in the show where he proves that this just isn’t true. By rushing to the aid of his helmsman, he not only proves his capacity for kindness to his crew, he also proves it to the audience. It doesn’t justify some of his cruel actions, but it does mean that there is more to him than a scowl and a scar. By taking his uncle’s counsel, he saves his crew and takes it upon himself not to chase after the Avatar for the second time in the show so far. Although, the glance they share is a great moment of nonverbal communication that happens multiple times within the show.

Another thing I forgot to mention is that Aang’s eyes and tatoos glow once again out of convenience to save them from drowning. Does this just happen when he’s in trouble? Why didn’t it happen in the canyon with the canyon crawlers? Or when the pirates attacked? Is this just to show a parallel between what Aang did before and how he can save his friends now? It’s not done very well in an episode that explains so much about the characters.

I AM JESUS!

Now that the characters have passed through the storm, it’s time to speed things up when Aang meets the Blue Spirit.

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