We've got a two-part episode today, which plays a significant part of the story.
Part 1: The Spirit World
I'm getting a real Hayao Miyazaki vibe from this particular episode.
Continuing their journey to the North Pole, our friends discover an area of woodland which has been torched by the Fire Nation. The party is subsequently approached by an elder from the nearby village seeking aid: A spirit known as Hei Bai is attacking the village every night and abducting people. Aang's attempts to parley with the spirit are fruitless, Sokka is abducted when he tries to intervene, and Aang ends up in the spirit world when he pursues them. Meanwhile, Iroh is taking a break at a hot spring when he gets captured by Earth Kingdom soldiers who seek to put him on trail for war crimes at the Earth Kingdom's capital at Ba Sing Se. As Zuko follows his trail, he's forced to choose between pursuing the Avatar and saving his uncle.
This episode introduces one of the Avatar's other responsibilities: being the bridge between the human world and the spirit world. It offers much greater depth to the world and has the potential for some great designs. There's also a subtle environmental message as Katara finds acorns in the desolated woodland region, showing us that the land can heal given time. This also helps Aang pacify the spirit.
In the other story, we're offered some depth to Zuko and Iroh, especially the latter. While he presents himself as an eccentric old man, his discussions with his captors hint at a darker past while he also leaves clues for Zuko to follow. This culminates in a great fight scene as the pair battle the earthbenders.
As for further continuity, Aang is visited by a dragon spirit who shows him a comet and directs him to a temple dedicated to Avatar Roku on an island in the Fire Nation. It turns out that he has to be there on the winter solstice to make contact with his past life, leaving the episode on a cliffhanger.
Part 2: Avatar Roku
This is a suitably tense and action-packed one.
It's the day of the winter solstice, and Aang must reach the temple in his vision before sundown to contact his past incarnation, Avatar Roku. Unfortunately, that's easier said than done: the island where the temple is located is in the Fire Nation, Zuko's in hot pursuit, and there's a blockade being overseen by Commander Zhao. To make matters worse, the Fire Sages at the temple are hostile to the party.
The ticking clock aspect provides some excellent tension as the party have to run the Fire Nation's blockade while dodging fireballs. It creates a cool chase scene as Zuko risks being arrested in his pursuit of the Avatar, and Zhao won't hesitate to sink his vessel. It also shows how cunning our antagonists can be. When Aang and his friends bypass the blockade, Zhao allows Zuko to pass in order to follow him in a bid to capture both him and the Avatar. Zuko and Iroh draw the same conclusion, and Zuko uses his vessel as a decoy while he slips away in a launch under the cover of smoke from an engine fire.
There's some quiet drama at the temple as one of the Fire Sages, Shyu, defects and helps Aang evade the others. It's the first time we see a firebender helping the party, and demonstrates that not everybody is willing to serve the regime back home. He leads them to an equally impressive door which can only be opened by the five Fire Sages simultaneously. Sokka once again proves his ingenuity and adaptability by putting bags of lamp oil in the five openings that Shyu can ignite simultaneously. When the plan doesn't work, both Sokka and Katara use the scorch marks it left to their advantage by getting Shyu to trick the other sages into opening the door. It's nail-biting as Zuko's arrival almost hampers the plan.
Ultimately, this episode fleshes out Aang's ultimate goal. While Bumi previously told him he has to defeat the Fire Lord, Aang now learns there's a time limit. A hundred years earlier, Fire Lord Sozin discovered a comet which enhances the power of all firebending when it passes over the world, which he used to start the war and wipe out the Air Nomads. The comet, dubbed "Sozin's Comet", is due to return at the end of summer, and Fire Lord Ozai intends to use it to end the war. Aang must now master the elements and defeat Ozai before that happens.
All in all, these were both good episodes, but the second part was definitely the stronger of the two.
