As with the two episodes that began this season, these last two episodes should be looked at as one overarching Enneagram. Since they have the same title, let’s roll them into one post rather than break them apart. They mesh very nicely. Good structure when they’re looked at holistically.
PART ONE
ONE
We’re in the very shiny and beautiful Northern Water Kingdom. Dueling in Master Pakku’s class, Katara defeats everyone else and wins Pakku’s praise. Cut to Aang, kicked back in class, who bends snow onto himself, becoming a snowman. Serious vs. Silly.
TWO
Sokka takes Yue for a glorious ride on Appa. Just as they’re about to kiss, ash starts raining around them. Back at class, Aang stops his antics to notice the falling soot mixing with snow. From his vantage point on Appa, Sokka looks out and sees the armada. Fire Nation, a lot of them.
At the flagship, Admiral Zhao brags to Iroh of his great upcoming victory. He also tosses in a dig about Iroh’s loss at Ba Sing Se. As magnanimous as always, Iroh takes the hit, then finds Zuko and tells him to be ready.
The Water City rings the alarm. As Sokka parts from Yue, she says she can’t see him anymore. She likes him too much, and she has her duty to her people.
THREE
The Water Tribe Elder gives his speech to the troops, calling on the spirits of Ocean and Moon to assist them.
FOUR
The rest of Part One is the Four.
Sokka volunteers for a dangerous mission that turns out to be an infiltration of the Fire Nation ships. The Water Tribe is woefully uninformed, and Sokka knows all the latest intel. However, when he learns his fellow soldier is Yue’s fiance, an utter knob called Hahn, he ends up fighting him and getting kicked from the group.
The Fire Nation begins lobbing fireballs at the city walls. Aang on his glider tries to air bend them away. He really wants to make a difference this time, he says. Too many ships, though, wear him out.
Meanwhile, Iroh explains for our benefit that the Fire Nation is more powerful under the sun, and the Water Tribe will gain power at night under the moon. Zhao drops anchor to wait out the dark. During all this, Zuko prepares a skiff for a solo mission. Iroh hugs him, saying, “I think of you as my own son,” and tells him to remember his breath of fire. Zuko sets out through the icy back channels, swimming with seal turtles for secret passages, until he arrives inside the wall.
In order to save the Kingdom, Aang realizes he needs the help of the spirits. Yue leads him through a little door to a hidden oasis, warm and grassy. In a pond swim two koi fish, yin and yang in coloring. He meditates next to them, going into an unconscious Avatar state.
And then Zuko arrives, heating his way through a frozen tunnel. He and Katara battle, the power of the night favoring the water bending. You’ve found a master, he hisses. She freezes him against the wall.
SWITCH
When day breaks, though, Zuko melts his ice prison, defeats Katara, and takes Aang’s body. And Zhao’s ships break through the Water City’s walls.
PART TWO
FIVE
Sokka, Yue, and Katara ride Appa, looking for Aang, while Zuko, trudging below unseen, carries Aang’s body through the snow.
Aang’s consciousness is in the spirit realm. He finds Master Roku, who advises him to seek out an ancient spirit, Koh. But show no emotion when you see him, or he’ll steal your face.
His body, with Zuko in a cave, is tied and unconscious. Zuko says something about his sister being a prodigy like Aang, someone born lucky. Apparently, bending has not come easy for Zuko. Or, lol, he just feels sorry for himself. Zuko’s very brave and bold in this episode, though, so he really isn’t a natural. He’s just indefatigable.
On the ship Iroh reminds Zhao that the moon clock is ticking. The city is losing, but not fast enough. Zhao says he’s got a plan: he’ll remove the moon from the equation, literally. He found a hidden library and read in an ancient text where to find the Moon spirit. (This is a plant that will become relevant in a future episode, as well.)
Throughout Zhao’s pursuit, we crosscut with Aang’s meeting with the very creepy Koh. Aang manages to get his answer without losing his face: the Ocean and Moon spirits circle each other endlessly, like yin and yang. He puts it together — the koi! — and leaves the spirit world.
His body, though, is gone. As a beam of spirit light he chases after it. On Appa, the gang sees the beam and recognizes it, following. Aang is rescued, and they all return to the spirit pond. Refusing to leave Zuko to freeze to death, Aang brings him along.
Zhao’s already there, and he’s got the koi in a bag. Yue feels faint: the Moon spirit saved her life when she was a baby. The connection is still there.
SIX
Bragging he’ll be a legend, Zhao threatens the Ocean and Moon spirits with fire. Iroh, who’s shown up, tells him if he destroys the moon he hurts everyone, not just the Water Tribe.
SEVEN
Zhao kills the white Moon spirit koi.
EIGHT
Only the black koi remains. Aang goes into the Avatar State and binds with the Ocean spirit. He becomes an enormous blue fish creature, larger than some of the city, and flows out to the battle. All the water benders prostrate themselves as he goes by on his way to decimate the armada.
Meanwhile, Zuko attacks Zhao, fighting out of the oasis and into the city.
And Iroh notices Yue’s white hair. You’ve been touched by the Moon spirit, he says. She does her duty: she touches the dead white Moon koi, transferring back the life she was given, and dies. As she becomes spirit and kisses Sokka goodbye, the moon returns to the sky.
Zhao, grabbed by the Aang spirit as it returns to the oasis, refuses help from Zuko and dies.
NINE
A new morning. Pakku has plans to go help the Southern Water Tribe rebuild. Aang says, Who will train me? Master Katara, says Pakku.
The Northern Elder is so proud of his daughter and her sacrifice.
Iroh and Zuko, exhausted, sail away on a small raft.
The team on Appa is up and away.
The last shot of Season One is in the Fire Lord’s throne room. His daughter, Azula, is given a task, the one her brother failed at. It’s a compelling end that catapults us into the next season.