See my Critical Notes after the breakdown for how I would fix a mistaken Three in an otherwise smoothly-structured episode.
ONE
Appa and the gang rest at a campsite.
TWO
Appa’s fur covers the ground. Aang blames the spring season as Appa shakes loose more of his coat.
THREE
From the fur Sokka makes a silly wig and Aang a beard. Rolling her eyes, Katara says she’s glad there’s now another girl in the group. Toph steps between the guys and lifts her arms to show off her “hairy” pits. A beat, and then Katara joins in the laughter.
FOUR
The gang sets up camp while Toph relaxes. With that very helpful face, Katara comes over to explain to Toph how everyone kicks in to help. I’m good to go, Toph says. I can carry my own weight. Boom — her rock tent is done. Walking away, Katara says, Never mind.
Later, though, she returns to apologize. They’re all tired. Toph accepts the apology but owns no part of the disagreement, which frustrates Katara.
In her rock tent, Toph feels a vibration that wakes her. Something’s coming, she tells the crew. In the distance they see a dirty cloud. Cut to a tank barreling closer. Back to the gang as Appa, his eyes weary, flies them away.
Another camp, another attempt by Katara to get Toph to pitch in. Tensions escalate, and Toph calls Katara “Sugar Queen” (heh).
More sleeping, more disruption. The tank, towing a trailer, is relentless. “How does it keep finding us?” They fly far and up a mountain, sleeping where they lie rather than making camp. It could be Zuko, they speculate. Here it comes, though, when they thought they were safe. “Maybe we should face them.” The tank stops and out comes Azula with Ty Lee and Mai. They ride incredibly fast lizard mounts, and come at the gang like a nightmare. “It’s those girls from Omashu!” As Azula blasts lightning at them and Mai throws spears, the gang climbs on Appa and flies away.
SWITCH
The sun rises, Appa can barely keep his eyes open, and they fly on.
The tank, meanwhile, drives, crushing daisies in its path. Farther behind, following the tank tracks, is Zuko on his ostrich-horse.
FIVE
Appa falls asleep while in the air. Aang implores him to wake up, and everyone in the saddle holds on for dear life as they free fall. He crashes through the trees and into a landing, sleeping through it all.
The Katara and Toph Battle over who helps set up camp continues. When Aang comes between them as a peacemaker, Toph reiterates that she carries her own weight. Because tempers are high, she lashes out that if anyone’s to blame for their trouble, it’s “Sheddy”. Appa’s leaving a trail. Aang goes off: How dare you blame Appa. You’re not carrying your own weight, Appa’s carrying it. Toph leaves.
Following the fur, the tank continues to pursue them. Meanwhile, Aang is crushed. He can’t believe he yelled at his teacher. The gang makes a plan to find her, apologize, and lose the tank.
They give Appa a river bath. Now he no longer sheds. Gathering a bag of fur, Aang flies away, leaving a fake trail. On Appa, Sokka and Katara take a different direction. However, Appa, still tired, tops a tree on his way up.
Cut to Toph walking. She hears someone behind a rock and hits out with an earth bend. It’s Iroh.
The girls arrive at the campsite. Azula notices the tree damage and sends the other two in Appa’s direction. She follows the fur trail left by Aang.
Emptying the bag, Aang glides into a deserted town, like an Old West location with banging shutters, and sits at the end of the main street, waiting.
Appa, so tired, barely can make it across the river while Mai and Ty Lee chase after. Just when the gang feels safe, the lizards rise up and dash across the water surface. Here comes Ty Lee with her pressure point attack. Katara dodges but Sokka is completely jelly-limbed. Mai, throwing her knives, pins Katara’s hands to a tree, taking away her bending. Then, in quintessential Mai style, she declares that she’s bored by how easy it was. Behind her, Appa flips his tail and thwacks the girls away and into the river. He gives Sokka a big wet kiss.
SIX
Back to the showdown street at sunset. Azula dismounts and strolls up. Who are you and what do you want, Aang asks. Don’t you see the family resemblance, Azula toys with him. Aang, dark circles under his eyes, is too tired to care.
SEVEN
At a makeshift campsite, Iroh serves Toph a cup of tea. She reiterates she can take care of herself, and Iroh says, You sound like my nephew. They share a friendly, peaceful moment and give each other good advice about how to help friends and family.
EIGHT
Back to town at the showdown. Azula is triumphant, Aang exhausted. Suddenly Zuko takes a stance between them. “Zuzu?” Azula says. (That gives Aang a laugh.) The three begin to fight, Azula throwing her blue fire and Zuko with his yellow. Aang spends the fight dodging and spinning away until he’s trapped under a beam, fire all around. Azula charges her fingers for a final blow . . . and Katara rushes in behind her with a water whip.
Now it’s the original gang with Zuko and Iroh, all fighting against Azula. She’s ready to take them on, but Toph comes and earth bends her off her stance. Azula, surrounded, lifts her hands. “A princess surrenders with honor,” she says, just before striking Iroh with lightning and running out. Zuko screams in horror. “Get away!” Katara offers to help with her healing power, but Zuko throws fire and chases them off. Over the town, a black mushroom cloud of smoke rises.
NINE
They fly at night, Appa landing gently. In the saddle on his back are all four, sleeping peacefully side-by-side.
CRITICAL NOTES
The beats are very measured, very even. One-Two-Three-boom, Six-Seven-Eight-boom. It’s satisfying to watch that rhythm. The Seven, Toph’s decision to return to the group (and Iroh’s to approach Zuko), lands so smoothly between the Six and Eight. It’s a distinct moment that snaps into place.
However, sadly, the Three and Six have no connection at all. The humorous Three, an almost slapstick moment, can’t possibly mirror with a gunfight reference at the Six. Azula’s so overpowered at the climax it’s unsettling. Can the Three even prepare us for such a showdown? All I can think is that if Aang’s power, in a playful way, were emphasized at the Three, fluff swirled and shaped by him, it might contrast with Azula’s destructive skill. Butterflies, birds, and happy clouds of fur might find a way to negative-mirror with a desolate desert town at the end of the line.
As it stands, the Three offers a joke about Toph’s masculine style versus Katara’s femininity. The showrunners tried to use this beat to hint at the coming conflict between the characters, but that’s a mistake. The shedding fur is the Trouble, the problem that moves the plot and leads to the Eight. That’s the money moment. The girl fight is just a story bit in the Four. This throwaway Three doesn’t point at the Six and drive us forward. We needed a Three with more teeth, more weight to balance out that heavy Six.