ONE
As always, Avatar sets the scene quickly. Where is our team now? They’re resting in a forested area. Sokka can only find nuts for dinner. They’re hungry, pickings are meager, and Sokka is the butt of the jokes. Remind me to look back sometime and see how many episodes begin with this formula!
TWO
The next thing that happens is Momo, who holds a rock that was mixed in with the bag of nuts, tries to break it open. Slam. Only the sound is a huge SLAM. The gang goes to see what’s making such a noise.
THREE
The next thing that happens is an earth bender, Haru, practices on the sly. When Katara says hello he runs away.
You probably have guessed I have a problem with these two beats.
The Three must follow the Two in storytelling, so I’ve labelled these moments accordingly, but they’re in the wrong order. The introduction of Haru, a key character in this story and an essential element at the Eight, needs to be the Two. He is the Trouble, or his dilemma is. A quick peek at him in the Two slot, just an insert, would’ve been enough to lock in the Story Enneagram.
Momo and the rock is the Three. A Three is more thematic than story-driven. No one really cares that Momo tries to crack a nut. The notion that a rock is critical to this episode is what counts. An “A-ha!” moment at the Six involves rocks. These complimentary beats must align for great storytelling. I’m talking about an easy edit shuffle here. The Momo joke would probably land harder, too, if the order was proper.
FOUR
The circumstances of Haru’s village is the Four. The Fire Nation holds the whole village hostage, demanding a tax payment in exchange for safety. All of the village’s earth benders have been captured and removed. This is why Haru practices in secret.
With Katara’s encouragement, Haru emergency bends to save an old man’s life. The old man turns him in and Haru is taken away in the night.
Because Katara feels responsible, and because injustice is intolerable to her, she insists on being captured as an earth bender, too. She’s going to rescue Haru. The team devises a scheme using vents, boulders, and air bending, to trick the Fire Nation guards.
SWITCH
A ship delivers Katara to a prison barge in the middle of the ocean. The others on Appa follow.
FIVE
The shipyard is made completely of metal so that the earth bender prisoners are powerless. Katara meets them, particularly Haru’s dad, and rouses them to resist. They feel defeated, though, and won’t rebel.
When the team comes to rescue Katara she refuses to leave. They will come up with a plan to save these villagers.
SIX
The plan — the “A-ha!” moment — is the recognition that the shipyard, down in the bowels, burns coal. Coal is rock.
SEVEN
Aang agrees to close all smoke vents but one, send an air blast into the coal storage, and bring the rock onto the deck.
EIGHT
Now the earth benders have earth. They still won’t engage until Haru attacks. He inspires them, or they must defend him, so they act. Their freedom is easily won, and they’re headed back to their village to defeat the Fire Nation there, too.
NINE
Goodbyes are said. After they leave, Katara realizes that her necklace, something precious from her mother that we saw earlier in the Four, is missing.
And the final shot of the episode is the necklace on deck as a hand picks it up. It’s Zuko’s hand.
Great reveal. Killer Nine.