Critical Notes, as always, follow the breakdown.
ONE
The gang camps in a rocky canyon.
TWO
Aang wakes before everyone else, excited that he will finally begin to learn earth bending.
Sokka grumbles and rolls over in his sleeping bag.
THREE
A rock explosion, and Toph cheerfully bursts from her stone tent, ready to teach. Sokka moans, and Toph earth bends his bag into the air. Mumble-cursing, Sokka hops away.
FOUR
Exuberant, Aang anticipates all the cool moves he’s about to learn. Toph says, “Let’s start with . . . move a rock.” She demonstrates a sturdy stance and force-punches a boulder. Aang, ready to give it a try, moves himself backward. The boulder goes nowhere.
A golden pastel dream sequence, a charming father and boy moment. Dissolve to our Iroh at a gravesite for his son. Zuko wakes him. They are in a dilapidated house, recovering from Azula’s attack. Zuko asks for further training so he can battle Azula, and Iroh agrees.
Back to Aang’s training. Katara stands between student and teacher, explaining away Aang’s failure. He decides to approach the rock from a different angle. Brilliantly, Toph knocks him on the skull: there’s no tricky way to do this. Earth, unlike air, is a solid face-off. Toph demonstrates the necessary head-on technique by literally busting the rock with her head.
Katara pulls her aside. Aang responds to positive encouragement, she tells Toph. If he’s doing something wrong, give him a gentle nudge. Smiling, Toph says thanks. “A gentle nudge.” Cut to Aang carrying a giant boulder while Toph earth bends the ground under his feet.
Various techniques follow, some intimidating, some at which Aang succeeds.
Sokka, up a tree, hunts for food. An adorable cub-beast grazes up. As he jumps down on it, he misses and ends up wedged in a fissure instead.
Back to Zuko at the shack. Iroh explains about lightning power. The mind must stay calm. As Zuko watches, Iroh gathers the lightning and sends an electrical burst into the sky. Now Zuko. He releases a fire explosion that knocks him on his butt. Iroh is . . . disappointed.
SWITCH
A boulder perches on a tall rock face. Aang must stop it before it runs him flat. Cue a zoom on Aang’s horrified expression. Katara interposes again, wondering if this is the best way to teach. You’re right! Toph cheerfully pulls out a blindfold and ties it over Aang’s eyes. Much anticipation and build — even a commercial break in the middle of the rock roll — until Aang lightly jumps over the boulder, avoiding the confrontation. Toph rips into him, and Aang ragequits. Katara suggests he work on water bending instead.
FIVE
Meanwhile, Zuko also fails. Too emotional to succeed, he can only produce fire bangs. Iroh, to give him a break, teaches him a fire move that only he knows, because he made it up himself.
And now we’re back to Sokka in the wedge. The cub sleeps on his head. Bargaining, Sokka promises to give up meat if he gets out of this situation. The cub runs away and returns with a piece of fruit for him.
Aang and Katara send a water bead back and forth while they stand in a pond. She counsels him, reminding him that earth is air’s opposite. It makes sense that the bending would be hard for him.
Iroh draws a diagram in the dirt, explaining about the different bending traditions. Tapping into the other bending is the basis for his technique.
While Aang meditates, Toph trolls him, using his glider to smash nuts. He resists the taunt. Katara runs up to tell him she can’t find Sokka. The sun is setting, and they split up to look for him.
SIX
The cub playfully yanks on Sokka’s ponytail. He now negotiates to give up his whole identity. Sokka the meat and sarcasm guy will be no more if he can just get free. Aang finds him.
SEVEN
He can’t pull Sokka from the wedge, so he decides to try air bending. Sokka, hair standing straight up, asks for some earth bending. Aang says he can’t. Well, go get Toph. Aang can’t do that, either.
EIGHT
While Sokka remains trapped, only his head and fingers free, Aang sits next to him for a heart-to-heart about his difficulties. The “baby saber tooth moose lion cub” comes up for cuddles. But it’s so small, Sokka says. It’s hard to recognize them without the fangs and horns, Aang says.
And there — horned and fanged and humongous — is mama. Cut to Zuko.
Iroh, moving in a Tai Chi stance, prepares to teach Zuko how to redirect lightning. (It’s a great description.) Clouds form at sunset. Zuko says he’s ready to try, freaking out Iroh. It’s too dangerous. Zuko, who will find his own lightning, rides away.
Holding the cub, Aang tries to reassure mama. She charges. Aang is able to air bend her over Sokka’s trapped head. She resets, ready to charge again. Sokka begs for Aang to earth bend him out. Aang’s feeble moves don’t work, so he dashes away, trying to distract mama.
And then he holds a stance and stops her. Defeated, she walks away. Toph, sitting nearby, golf claps. She’s been enjoying the show. While Aang rails at her, she tosses down a nut and brings out his glider staff. He stops her: Enough.
Do it now, she says, indicating a boulder. Earth bend. And he does.
As Aang congratulates himself, Sokka drips sarcasm. Feeling confident, Aang moves to free him, but Toph steps in. Lol, he’s not good enough yet to free a human from a crushing position. Toph stamps the wedge and lifts Sokka out by his hair.
NINE
Reunion. A final joke with Appa, who can move anyone no matter how solid their stance.
Cut to rain. As the storm rages, Zuko rages right back. Lightning crackles, but the sky is indifferent. It won’t strike him.
CRITICAL NOTES
The Three/Six, as is often the case with this series, are Sokka jokes. They don’t particularly move the story forward, and they don’t visually mirror, but thematically, Sokka is the connection. It’s okay. I would’ve preferred if the Three showed a ponytail joke. The visual at the Six is so strong. A mirror would’ve been fun. Even an insert of Sokka’s ponytail swinging wildly while he hopped away from Toph would’ve been enough.
The Switch is quite long. The scene of Zuko failing at his training is actually part of the Switch. Running parallel storylines is also a series tradition. The technique is successful in this episode, especially when we get to the Nine. Aang’s success — his joy and support — are counter to Zuko’s anguish. The final moment becomes more powerful because its opposite, Aang’s camaraderie, juxtaposes with Zuko’s solitude.
Good episode.