The Day of Black Sun, Part 2: The Eclipse

Writer: Aaron Ehasz

Director: Joaquim Dos Santos

Guest Stars: 	Carlos Alazraqui (Tho, Due), Rene Auberjonois (The Mechanist), William H. Bassett (Huu), Michael Dow (Haru), Mick Foley (The Boulder), Kevin Michael Richardson (Tyro, The Hippo), André Sogliuzzo (Hakoda), Richard McGonagle (Bato), Kristoffer Tabori (War Minister Qin)

Synopsis
Aang rejoins the invasion force and reveals that the whole city has been abandoned. Sokka concludes that the Fire Lord must have expected the invasion and is hiding somewhere nearby. After some deliberation, they agree to continue with the invasion: the invasion force will continue towards the palace while Aang, Toph, and Sokka search for the Fire Lord.

With the help of Toph's ability to see underground, the group locates a secret bunker inside a nearby volcano. However, instead of finding Ozai, they come face-to-face with Azula. Azula reveals she has known about the invasion for months and is not surprised to find Aang alive. Meanwhile, Zuko enters the chamber where his father is hiding.

Zuko approaches Ozai and explains he is there to "tell the truth." In amusement that Zuko chose the moment of an eclipse to face him, Ozai dismisses his guards. Zuko explains that it had been Azula who supposedly killed the Avatar in Ba Sing Se, and that the Avatar is probably leading the invasion. Outraged upon hearing this news, Ozai orders his son to leave. However, Zuko refuses and says that he will no longer take orders from his father. Ozai threatens to kill Zuko for his disobedience, but Zuko pulls out his swords and forces Ozai to listen to him.

Azula refuses to tell Aang, Sokka, and Toph her father's location. Toph's lie-detecting ability proves ineffective on Azula, being that she is an expert liar. Two Dai Li agents Azula brought back from Ba Sing Se drop from the ceiling, and use Earthbending to protect her as Aang and Toph attack. The invasion forces start to take the capital city as all the Firebenders are surrendering at the loss of their power.

Zuko confronts his father and tells him that all he had ever wanted was for Ozai to love him, and that he had spent his days in exile trying to please his father. He angrily berates Ozai for cruelly challenging Zuko to a duel when he was only a child, and then banishing him from the Fire Nation for simply speaking out of turn. Ozai claims the act was to teach Zuko respect, but Zuko retorts that it was cruel and wrong. He also reveals his beliefs that the Fire Nation is doing wrong in the world, and that they lie to themselves into thinking they are benefactors spreading their greatness to other nations. However, Zuko really knows they are hated for it and that they deserve that hatred. Zuko explains that they, the Fire Nation, have a responsibility to bring about an era of peace if the world is to survive. Ozai openly mocks him, saying that his uncle has apparently influenced Zuko, to which Zuko proudly agrees.

Aang, Sokka, and Toph continue to fight Azula and her Dai Li agents, both of whom they eventually incapacitate. Though powerless, Azula proves far too agile for Aang to pin down. Sokka stops Aang and Toph from pursuing Azula any further, as she is just baiting them into wasting all their time. As they attempt to leave, Azula taunts Sokka by hinting that she has captured, imprisoned, and possibly tortured Suki, which enrages Sokka into rushing at her. Azula prepares to harm him with a concealed weapon of Mai's, which Toph senses and promptly disarms her of. Sokka seizes Azula by her throat and orders her to tell him Suki's location; she simply smiles.

Zuko now realizes that his uncle Iroh was more of a father to him than Ozai had ever been, and he tells Ozai that he plans to free Iroh from his prison and beg for his forgiveness. After Ozai continues to mock him, Zuko openly states that he is going to fulfill his destiny and join the Avatar, helping him to defeat Ozai. Ozai calls Zuko a coward for telling the truth during the eclipse, challenging Zuko to strike him down now, while he is powerless. Zuko replies that defeating Ozai is Aang's destiny, and not his. As he heads for the exit, Ozai baits Zuko back again with the knowledge of what happened to his mother.

Ozai reveals the circumstances regarding the disappearance of Zuko's mother, Princess Ursa. When Ozai mocked the death of Iroh's son, Fire Lord Azulon ordered Ozai to kill Zuko as punishment so that Ozai would feel the loss of a child. However, Ursa swore to protect Zuko at any cost, and came up with a plan to which Ozai agreed. Ozai implies that Ursa arranged Azulon's death so Zuko would be spared and Ozai would become Fire Lord. As a result, Ursa was banished for her treason.

Ozai then states that banishment is a far too merciful punishment for treason and that Zuko's punishment for betraying the Fire Nation will be far worse. Sensing the end of the eclipse, Ozai lashes out and shoots a powerful bolt of lightning at Zuko. Zuko, however, redirects the lightning back towards Ozai, blasting him into the back wall. Zuko quickly escapes the chamber before Ozai can recover. Meanwhile, Azula also realizes she has regained her Firebending and escapes from Sokka and the others. She reveals he father's location and claims that he is more than willing to confront them now that the eclipse is over. Sokka feels ashamed for wasting their time, but Aang insists he can still face the Fire Lord. However, Sokka and Toph disagree with Aang and argue that the invasion has failed.

Aang, Sokka, and Toph return to the battle site, as fleets of hot air balloons and zeppelins emerge from behind the palace and attempt to attack the invasion force. Zuko attempts to free Iroh from prison, but discovers that Iroh has already busted out from his cell and is long gone, leaving behind dazed and unconscious guards.

The airships obliterate the submarines, thus making the invasion team's escape impossible. Hakoda tells Aang and the younger fighters to flee while the adults remain behind to be taken as prisoners. After saying their good-byes, the rest of the gang, along with Haru, Teo, and The Duke, get onto Appa; as they rise into the air, Aang states that the Western Air Temple will be a safe place for them to stay for a while. Azula watches from one of the airships as the group escapes, but she chooses not to pursue them, confident that they will return someday. At the episode's closing, Zuko is seen following Appa on a hot air balloon, with a look of determination on his face.