The Great Divide


 * This is about the episode. 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 Ba Sing Se, the Earth Kingdom 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!"

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 Bei Fong'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. It is possible that the guide uses a style of Earthbending that is dependent on his arms.
 * 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 the pointless plot. This fact did not go unnoticed by the creators, and in the play in the episode The Ember Island Players, the characters choose to fly right over the canyon without stopping, which is what some would have preferred to occur. Avatar Extras also references it, with the bubbles "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 Avatar 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 up between the two tribes, as well as the literal meaning of Wei Jin's name (see below).
 * In Avatar Extras, it says it is the first episode to mention Ba Sing Se. However, in The Winter Solstice Part 1: The Spirit World, the earthbender captain mentions Ba Sing Se as the place that they [his earthbender team] will be taking Iroh to see justice.
 * This is the lowest-rated episode in the series.

Translations

 * "Zhang" (髒, zāng) means dirty in Mandarin Chinese while "Gan Jin" (乾淨, gānjìng) means clean.
 * Since both sides can agree that the Gan Jin's forefather, Jin Wei, was supposed to deliver the sacred orb, his name can be written as 解衛 (jiè wèi) which translates as 'to transport under guard.' Since no one can agree whether Zhang's forefather, Wei Jin, was there to help or steal, his name can be written as 偉解 (wěi jiě) which translates as 'great divide.'

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 any other products that comes from animals.

Grabenkämpfe De Grote Afgrond Большой водораздел (серия)