The Great Divide


 * This article is about the episode. For the location, see Great Divide.

"water"

- Harsh words won't solve problems; action will.

"The Great Divide" is the 11th episode of Book One: Water of Avatar: The Last Airbender and the 11th of the overall series. It debuted on May 20, 2005.

Overview
''The gang arrives at the Great Divide, the world's largest canyon. Two Earth Kingdom tribes bicker with each other about how to cross the canyon, having been enemies for a century. Aang helps them cross the canyon together, and is able to end the feud by fabricating a story about their ancestors.''

Synopsis


The episode starts with Katara and Sokka arguing over how to set up their campsite, with Aang ending the fight and gloating about his ability to solve problems as the Avatar. The next day, they travel to the Great Divide, the largest canyon in the entire world. Aang and his friends must cross the canyon, and plan to fly across on Appa. Just before they leave, a man runs up to them and warns 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 arrive. While waiting, another tribe, the Zhang, arrives, a tribe that the man claims has been an enemy of his tribe for a hundred years. The Gan Jin tribe arrives, neat, prim and proper in manner, while the Zhang tribe is dirty and barbaric. The canyon guide, an earthbender, arrives, and both tribes get into an argument over who should be escorted first: the Zhangs say that they should because they have sick people, while the Gan Jins say that they should because they have old people weary from travel. 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 not before it breaks both of the guide's arms, which means he cannot earthbend, therefore imprisoning them in the canyon. Both tribes begin to argue again and finally decide to split up. It is revealed later that night that both tribes brought food into the canyon because they believed that the other tribe must have brought it in as well, and justified their actions by stating that they should not 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 Jin Wei's tribe when they wrongfully imprisoned him for twenty years.



The next day, they reach the end of the canyon where they begin arguing again, and prepare to fight to end the feud once and for all. Aang becomes angry and uses airbending to stop them from fighting, but in the process reveals the food hidden by 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 eight, they played a game called "Redemption". Jin Wei was running with the ball when he fell, so Wei Jin picked it up and started running to the other end of the field. However, he stepped out of bounds and was put in the penalty box for two minutes. Finally, the tribes make up and continued their journey to Ba Sing Se, the Earth Kingdom capital, together, followed by the guide. Aang then reveals to his friends that the story was fictional. He then asks where "that egg custard tart" is, as he is starving.

Credits

 * Written by:
 * John O'Bryan


 * Directed by:
 * Giancarlo Volpe


 * Starring:
 * Zach Tyler Eisen - Aang
 * Mae Whitman - Katara
 * Jack DeSena - Sokka
 * Dee Bradley Baker:
 * Appa
 * Momo


 * Also starring:
 * Roberta Farkas - Zhang leader
 * Rene Auberjonois - Gan Jin leader
 * Leonard Stone - Canyon guide
 * Scott Menville - Scout


 * Additional voices:
 * Rene Auberjonois
 * Dee Bradley Baker
 * Roberta Farkas
 * Scott Menville
 * Leonard Stone
 * Mae Whitman

Character revelations

 * According to Aang, Appa has five stomachs.
 * It is revealed in the episode that egg custard tarts may be one of Aang's favorites dishes due to his reaction upon seeing one toward the end of the episode. This also reveals that Aang is, at the very least, an Ovo Vegetarian, meaning he can consume eggs.

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 the Avatar'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.

Goofs

 * When the canyon guide gets attacked by the canyon crawler, the canyon crawler picks him up using its leg, but in the next scene it is holding him with its mouth.
 * The "Avatar Extras" version of the episode explains that Ba Sing Se is first mentioned in this episode. In fact, Ba Sing Se is first mentioned by Iroh in the episode, "Winter Solstice Part 1: The Spirit World".

Trivia

 * When the canyon guide's arms are broken by a canyon crawler, he states that he has no bending. This is contrary to Toph Beifong's bending style, as she is seen on many occasions earthbending using only her legs. There is also the earthbender in the opening sequence, who is seen performing with only his legs.
 * 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.
 * Avatar Extras reveal that canyon crawlers are a cross between crocodiles and spiders.
 * Overall among fans, this episode is one of the least popular episodes in the entire series simply because of its relatively insignificant plot. This fact did not go unnoticed by the creators, and in the play in the episode "The Ember Island Players", the characters chose to fly right over the canyon without stopping, highlighting the inconsequential nature of the episode's events. "Avatar Extras" also referenced it by saying, "This references an episode called The Great Divide", immediately followed by, "...That episode was not a fan favorite."
 * The episode title is one of several episode titles that have multiple meanings. It refers not only to the geographical feature the Great Divide, but also to the great divide that has grown between the two tribes, as well as the literal meaning of Wei Jin's name.
 * In "Avatar Extras", it says that this is the first episode to mention Ba Sing Se. However, in "Winter Solstice Part 1: The Spirit World", the earthbender captain mentions Ba Sing Se as the place that his team will be taking Iroh to see justice.
 * This is the first episode, albeit not the last, in the series to not be seen again in "Previously on Avatar..." The others are "The Fortuneteller", "The Northern Air Temple", "The Painted Lady", and "The Puppetmaster".
 * This is the lowest-rated episode in the series on IMDb.
 * On the old Nick website, the episode was incorrectly titled as "Bitter Work".
 * In this episode, 'Earth spirits' are referenced for the first and last time in the entire Avatar franchise.