The Deserter

Writer: Tim Hedrick

Director: Lauren MacMullan

Guest Stars: Jason Isaacs (Zhao), James Garrett (Avatar Roku), John Kassir (Chey), Keone Young (Jeong Jeong)

Overview
''After a festival, Aang is brought to Jeong Jeong, a Firebending master who rejected the Fire Nation. Jeong Jeong refuses to teach Aang Firebending, though he gives in after Avatar Roku appears to him in a vision. During instruction, Aang accidentally burns Katara, and afterwards Aang vows never to Firebend again. Zhao locates them and attacks. Aang remembers what Jeong Jeong taught him, and outwits Zhao into destroying his own fleet.''

Synopsis
Aang is still venturing through the Northwestern Earth Kingdom when he and his friends decide go to a "Fire Days" festival in a Fire Nation town so that Aang can see some Firebending firsthand. However, Sokka points out they are wanted criminals. To ensure they're not discovered, they disguise themselves (although they acquire festival masks soon after their arrival). At first, the three enjoy the festivities (although they bear witness to a puppet show where Fire Lord Ozai is presented as a great hero, facing off against "evil" Earth Kingdom soldiers). They then see a Firebending show, which has the audience dazzled. Unfortunately, the performer, Malu, calls up Katara to the stage, making her a damsel in distress (even tying her to a chair). Malu creates a dragon of fire and makes quite a show with it. But he soon seems to be losing control of it, and as a result, it flies directly towards Katara. Aang, fearing for Katara's safety, jumps up on stage in front of Katara and uses Airbending to stop the fire dragon, but realizes that it has all been just an act. Regardless, it is obvious to the crowd that Aang is the Avatar, and the three friends quickly attempt to escape from Fire Nation soldiers. Fortunately, their escape is aided greatly by a man named Chey.



As they fly away on Appa, Chey explains he serves a Firebending master named Jeong Jeong who has abandoned the Fire Nation. He says that Jeong Jeong was the first to leave the Fire Nation army and live, while he himself is the second (however, Chey admits that being second doesn't make him famous). Chey leads the group of three to Jeong Jeong's camp within a forest, but are intercepted by Jeong Jeong's followers, led by Lin Yee (Chey greets them as friends, although the followers are quite indifferent). They are then led to camp, and there Aang attempts to try to learn how to Firebend from Jeong Jeong. However, the Firebending master refuses to even see Aang. Aang barges into Jeong Jeong's hut anyway to try to persuade him to teach him Firebending. Jeong Jeong still refuses, as he says that Aang must first master Waterbending and Earthbending. However, when he sees a vision of Avatar Roku, who tells Jeong Jeong that he will teach Aang Firebending, he begrudgingly acquiesces.

Jeong Jeong starts teaching Aang slowly, focusing exclusively on breathing exercises, but the young Avatar desires to learn more advanced Firebending techniques. Jeong Jeong is greatly angered with Aang's lack of discipline, telling Aang vehemently that without control, Firebending will bring nothing but unnecessary destruction, using a former student of his who displayed similar impatience and lack of discipline as an example. Aang quickly apologizes, and says that he is ready to learn Jeong Jeong's way. Jeong Jeong then proceeds to teach Aang to use real fire (much to Aang's enthusiasm). However, his enthusiasm is quickly deflated when Jeong Jeong only assigns him the simple task of preventing a leaf from being completely burned. Jeong Jeong then leaves to other matters, and Aang, still feeling restricted, takes his exercise to the next step and creates fire. Aang plays around with it for a little while, although Katara insists that he be careful. Then he accidentally burns Katara's hands when he attempts to imitate a move the performer made at the festival. Katara runs away crying, and Sokka becomes enraged at Aang as a result. Jeong Jeong, having returned, follows Katara into the forest.



Katara tries to cool her hands from the burn in water, and somehow miraculously heals herself. Jeong Jeong tells her that Katara possesses vitakinetic healing powers, with water as the catalyst. Jeong Jeong then confesses of his desire to be a Waterbender like herself, due to its ability to heal, while fire only destroys. However, during this time Admiral Zhao (who is revealed to be the former student of Jeong Jeong) and his men locate the camp, and in turn battles Jeong Jeong (although the master's attempt is half-hearted).



Aang, hiding away in Jeong Jeong's hut in order to reflect over his error, is urged by Katara to aid Jeong Jeong. Although Aang feels terribly guilty and promises to never Firebend again, Katara's revelation of her healing restores his battle spirit. With a fiery display, Jeong Jeong and his men make their escape, while Aang confronts Zhao. Recalling Jeong Jeong's lesson of control, Aang provokes the Firebending master, goading him into destroying his own ships. Zhao can only watch as his ships burn and sink into the river as Aang escapes.

With Jeong Jeong gone, the three resume their journey and leave the forest, a hard-learned lesson of fire's destructive power fresh in their minds.

Chey returns to the campsite only to find it deserted.

Allusions

 * When Roku visited Jeong Jeong in his vision, he lit up a small tree to emphasize his instructions. This is most likely a reference to Biblical tale of Moses and the burning bush, in which the then outcast, then future prophet also received instructions by means of a spiritual epiphany. (http://www.tv.com/avatar-the-last-airbender/the-deserter/episode/520469/summary.html)

Goofs

 * When at the Fire Festival, Katara, though wearing a mask, is still wearing her Water Tribe necklace, which if noticed, could have got them captured.
 * During the Taming the Dragon part of Malu's act the wall behind Katara is perfectly intact, but when the gang runs away the wall is partially destroyed, even though nothing happened that could have blown up that part of the wall.
 * When Katara switches Aang and Sokka's masks at the festival, her necklace disappears. Throughout the festival her necklace disappears and reappears multiple times.
 * The Firebending Magician's clothes change several times during his scene.
 * Before Zhao steps through Jeong Jeong's wall of fire, an outline of his figure should have been seen through the flames, but it wasn't.

Series Continuity

 * This is the first episode where Aang Firebends. He keeps true to his promise to refrain from Firebending until the episode The Firebending Masters, where he finally becomes comfortable with Firebending.
 * Jeong Jeong is spoken about in "The Western Air Temple", when the group is talking about the chances of finding a Firebender willing to teach Aang. He is not seen again in the series until Sozin's Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters
 * All four wanted posters later show up in the episode The Desert, along with new ones for Iroh and Zuko.
 * This is the first episode in which Katara uses Waterbending for healing, and is also the first episode where it is revealed Waterbenders have healing capabilities.

Trivia

 * The Firebending magician, Malu, is voiced by Scott Menville, who voices Robin in the animated series Teen Titans. He also does the voice of actor Sokka in The Ember Island Players.
 * When Aang saves Katara from the firebending magician, he uses the same move that he did in the opening sequence.
 * The scene with Avatar Roku and Jeong Jeong closely mirrors the Biblical event with God, Moses, and the burning bush.
 * This episode was inspired by the book Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad; Jeong Jeong could be seen as the Kurtz figure (abandoning his official post to live with "savages," though as Jeong Jeong says later in the episode, it is Admiral Zhao - and by extent, the Fire Nation military - who are savages), who is perceived as a god by the local tribe (Lin Yee and Jeong Jeong's other followers).

De Deserteur Die Macht des Feuers Дезертир