The Great Divide


 * ''For the location, see Great Divide

Writer: John O'Bryan

Director: Giancarlo Volpe

Guest Stars: Leonard Stone (Canyon Guide), Scott Menville (Gan Jin Scout), Rene Auberjonois (Gan-Jin Leader), Roberta Farkas (Zhang Leader).

Overview
''The gang arrive at the Great Divide, the world's largest canyon. Two Earth Kingdom tribes bicker to themselves about how to cross the canyon, being enemies for 100 years. Aang helps them cross the canyon together and is able to end the feud by fabricating a story about their ancestors.''

Synopsis
The episode begins with Katara and Sokka arguing over their campsite. Aang ends the fight and begins bragging about his ability to solve problems as the Avatar. Aang and his friends must cross the largest canyon in the world, and are planning to fly across on Appa. Just before they leave, a man runs up to them and starts yelling that they better not leave with the guide because he was there first. He is holding a spot for the rest of his tribe (the Gan Jin) until they can arrive. While waiting, another tribe (the Zhang) arrives, a tribe that the man claims has been an enemy of his tribe for 100 years. The Gan Jin tribe arrives, and we can see that this tribe is neat and prim and proper, while the Zhang tribe is dirty and barbaric. The Canyon Guide, an Earthbender, arrives, and both tribes get into an argument over who gets to go first: the Zhangs say that they should because they have sick people, the Gan Jins say that they should because they have old people. Aang reaches a compromise and suggests that Appa carry their sick and elderly across, while the two tribes travel together across the canyon.

The canyon guide warns them not to take any food into the canyon, as it will attract dangerous predators. After he has broken a rock shelf so that potential Fire Nation soldiers cannot follow them, a Canyon Crawler attacks. Aang and his friends fend it off, but the guide's arms are broken, which means he can't Earthbend and there is no going back. Both tribes argue some more and finally split up. We learn that both tribes brought food into the canyon because they believed that the other tribe must have brought it in, so why should they go hungry while the other tribe eats? Katara and Sokka each learn one side of the story of the feuding tribes. The Gan Jins tell Katara that the forefather of their tribe, Jin Wei, was attacked while transporting the sacred orb during their redemption ritual and robbed by a thief, Wei Jin, from the Zhangs. The Zhangs tell Sokka that their ancestor, Wei Jin, saw Jin Wei passed out on the ground and was returning the sacred orb to Gin Wei's tribe when they wrongfully imprisoned him for 20 years.



They reach the end of the canyon, where they argue some more and prepare to fight and end the feud once and for all. Aang becomes angry and uses Airbending to stop the fight, but in the process reveals the food from both tribes and attracts many Canyon Crawlers. By working together and throwing bags over the Crawlers' heads while the Crawlers are distracted with food, everyone is able to ride them up the wall and out of the canyon. Aang, upon hearing the names of the two tribes' ancestors, reveals that he knew them, and that they were twins. He says that when they were 8, they played a game called "Redemption". Jin Wei was running with the ball when he fell, and Wei Jin picked it up and started running to the other end of the field when he stepped out of bounds and was put in the penalty box for two minutes. Finally, the tribes make up and continue their journey to the Earthbender capital together. Aang then reveals to his friends that he made up the whole thing. He then asks "Where is that egg custard tart? I'm starving!".

Series Continuity
In the Season 3 episode " The Ember Island Players" when the group is watching the play about themselves, characters in the play fly right over the canyon in reference to the overall dislike of this episode.

Production notes

 * The situation between the two tribes provides an example of a Rashomon effect, in which multiple individuals who are witnesses to an event are able to produce substantially different but equally plausible accounts of it, commonly used in episodes of television programs. The concept was popularized by Akira Kurosawa's 1950s film Rashomon, in which a crime witnessed by four individuals is described in four mutually contradictory ways.
 * Overall, this is one of the least popular episodes in the entire series.

Real-World Connections

 * In the real world, the "Great Divide" most commonly refers to the Atlantic/Pacific continental divide, a mountainous ridge that separates the watersheds that drain into the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The "Great Divide" of Aang's world is the exact opposite—a canyon analogous to the real-world Grand Canyon.
 * The Canyon Guide is a parody of Grand Canyon tour guides. His explanation of how the Great Divide was created is a parody of the explanation such guides give about the Grand Canyon.
 * The art and direction style of the Zhang's version of the story is similar to that of the animated film Dead Leaves.

Character revelations

 * According to Aang, Appa has five stomachs.


 * Although Aang is a vegetarian, his reaction to the egg custard tart reveals he has no qualms about eating eggs and milk (both of which are ingredients in egg custard). However, it should be noted that vegetarians are generally more likely to eat animal products like milk and cheese. It is vegans that are strictly against meat and all food products that come from animals.