Aang and Prince Zuko’s respective groups both took a much needed vacation this week in “The Beach.” But, neither group can keep their noses out of trouble for too long. This episode was more of an interim episode than a plot pusher. However, there were some character revelations in regards to Zuko, Ty Lee, Mai and Azula.
While engaging in water sports, Aang exposes his identity to members of the fire nation army. The army sends a message by bird to Fire Lord Ozai, alerting Ozai to the fact that the Avatar is still alive. Before the bird can reach Ozai, the mercenary hired by Prince Zuko to kill the Avatar intercepts the message. The man with the third eye (he has a tattoo of an eye on his forhead) proves to be too hot for our bending team to handle and they make a swift escape on Appa.
While fighting the man who can bend fire with his mind (he projects fire from the tattoo on his forhead), Aang uses water, air and earth bending. Our young Avatar still has yet to learn the art of fire bending. It’s becoming more and more apparant that Uncle Iroh may play a role in Aang’s journey to fire bending mastery, especially since Iroh has been locked away in prison preparing for war.
Prince Zuko, Princess Azula, Mai and Ty Lee, journey to a remote island beach while Fire Lord Ozai holds a private counsel. The island has the mysterious power to reveal the truth about one’s inner feelings.
Even simple things like beach volleyball and dating become acts of war for Princess Azula. When she lands the final spike in their beach volleyball match, she yells, “We defeated you for all time you will never rise from your humiliation.”
Ty Lee tries to teach Azula the art of meeting guys at a party: just smile and laugh at their jokes. This works for Princess Azula for a short time… until she bursts out in blue flames.
Zuko and Mai break up when Zuko accuses Mai of being emotionless and talking to another guy. He retreats to the childhood house his family grew up in. There, he finds an old family portrait with his father, mother, Azula and himself. Azula finds him and takes him to the beach where the rest of the group is gathered.
In a tell-all moment, each of the four fire nation teens explain why they act the way they do. Azula hates that her mother liked Zuko more than her. Zuko’s mad he doesn’t know right from wrong. Ty Lee likes being called a circus freak because in a family of eight sisters that looked alike there was no other way to stand out. And, Mai was always told to shut-up and not cause trouble by her parents.
Long story short, each of them had a bad childhood. Boo-hoo. They accept their emotional weak points and decide to take their anger out on the teenagers of the island by burning down their house.
In the end, a new portrait is shown of Zuko with Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai, presumably his new family.
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Be sure to tune in next Friday for an all new Avatar the Last Airbender at 8:30 pm on Nickelodeon.
ah but he is less buff tis sad
zuku is HOt in his bathing suit.