Now that the first season of Avatar has been Enneagram reviewed, let’s look at the entire arc.
ONE
The first episode is basically the season’s One. It’s so funny to think of a time when I knew nothing about bending or the Avatar cycle. The showrunners did a good job establishing everything clearly, and our three characters are distinct and engaging. And Appa! Don’t forget our good boi! Because the believability of the Avatar is so strong, I forget how easy they made the worldbuilding of this IP look.
TWO
And episode two is basically the season’s Two. The Avatar has been missing for one hundred years, leaving the world vulnerable to the Fire Nation. Aang is now ready to tackle his destiny, go North and learn the other bending disciplines, but . . . first there’s a laundry list of distractions. Also in this section is a Zuko vs. Aang battle. How these guys will manage their relationship is definitely part of the Trouble.
THREE
The world has two Air Temples. At the Three they visit the Southern one. Aang confronts a lot of pain here, and in Zuko’s storyline Commander Zhao is introduced and even battles an agni kai against him. Everyone’s wounds are here, and the Air Temple is the visual.
FOUR
We have episodes with the Kyoshi Warriors, King Bumi, Haru the Earth Bender whose dad is on the prison barge, Aang’s trip through the bear totem and into the spirit world, Roku’s calendar, and the flight into the Fire Nation for the meeting.
SWITCH
At this point Aang meets with Roku in the calendar room and learns about Sozin’s Comet. This is a huge event and feels very Switch-y, but it’s not. The comet is the Two Trouble for the entire series. When I think about the finale, I know that the weight of this moment refers forward to the Fire Lord battle. It’s a story milestone coming about halfway during this season — a Switch position — but it doesn’t change any details for this particular season. It reaches beyond that.
So what’s the Season One Switch? It’s immediately after this that Katara offers to teach Aang water bending. She’s not good enough, though, and she becomes irate and frustrated. Our very honest heroine resorts to stealing a scroll. Even with this instructional text she still fails. It’s a humiliating moment for Katara.
FIVE
We have episodes with Jet, the bug canyon with the fighting tribes, the fisherman who hires Sokka in a storm, the Blue Spirit, Aunt Wu, Bato, and the fire bending master.
SIX
And then we’re at the Northern Air Temple. At the Three, the temple has been desecrated by Fire Nation soldiers. Here it’s desecrated by survivors of the Fire Nation attack. It’s still awful, a reminder of devastation, but the world is moving onward from it.
SEVEN
At the temple Aang, who’s angry at first, forgives. It’s not just these specific characters he must forgive, but really everybody who’s moved on since the air benders disappeared. And he must forgive himself and how he abandoned the world most of all.
EIGHT
The rest of the season is the Eight. Aang’s decision to go North at the Two, and his reluctance and foot-dragging, come to fruition here. He’s ready to be the Avatar after the events of all the episodes.
The journey also includes travelling from the Southern Water Tribe to the Northern, from rustic and decimated to urban and thriving. This is also Sokka’s arc, going from local yokel to worldly warrior.
In some ways this is Katara’s arc as well. In the Four, her water bending was home-grown and weak. After her realization at the Switch that she wasn’t professional enough, she learns to be better. The healing side of water bending comes to her, and she finally trains with a master, becoming one herself. Katara is now the equal of Aang: accomplished at her own discipline. Her failure at the Switch lets her learn and grow in the Five.
Aang also becomes stronger, but within that is fear at what his power can become. At this Eight, when he merges with the Ocean Spirit and manifests as a super being, he is overwhelmed by his capabilities. His caution gives us a hint at what plotlines next season might tackle.
It’s also just a great Eight. Zhao, really quite horrible, gets his just desserts. And Zuko, although not friendly with Aang, respects him. Their complex relationship ends in an interesting place.
NINE
The last moment of the final episode is our gang on Appa, heading out. That’s all we need. This season wrapped neatly with no leftover confusion, just glorious questions and excitement.