Sozin's Comet, Part 1: The Phoenix King

Writers: Michael Dante DiMartino, Aaron Ehasz

Director: Ethan Spaulding

Guest Stars: Mark Hamill (Ozai), Jennie Kwan (Suki), Grey DeLisle (Azula), Nick Jameson (Colonel Shinu)

Synopsis
The episode starts with Aang practicing his Firebending, while Zuko watches and demands more ferocity. Aang makes a feeble attempt but does better the next. Katara then asks who wants watermelon juice, which Aang excitingly wants, but Zuko holds him back and berates them all for being lazy. Knowing this, Sokka and the others go to a beach to goof around at. After Sokka makes a hideous sand sculpture of Suki, Zuko appears and attacks Aang ferociously with fierce firebending. Having had enough of Zuko, Aang airblasts Zuko out of the house and everyone comes to berate Zuko for attacking Aang senselessly. Zuko argues back by rebuking them of why they are all relaxed when Sozin’s comet is about to arrive in three days. The group believes that the Fire Nation pretty much won the war after conquering Ba Sing Se and they can just wait after Sozin's Comet comes so Aang can defeat Ozai. Zuko tells them of the day before the eclipse (in episode “Nightmares and Daydreams") he attended a war meeting, where he was excited and happy that his father finally accepted him. The people in the meeting discuss that there is a rebellion caused by the Earth Kingdom and they must be stopped. Zuko explains the nature of the Earth Kingdom’s people where they are strong and proud as long as they have hope. Fire Lord Ozai believes that they must destroy their hope and Azula suggests burning down the Earth Kingdom. Ozai accepts this idea and decides to use the comet to end the Earth Kingdom, just as Sozin himself burned the Air Nomads 100 years ago. After burning Ba Sing Se, the Fire Nation will rebuild their nation, spreading more Fire Nation population. Zuko explains that he wasn’t being himself after hearing this plan. Because of this horrid and evil plan, Zuko tells Aang he must kill Ozai before the comet comes.

Aang is extremely downhearted by this news and is lost for plans. But his friends suggested that they will never turn on him and they will fight with him to the end. They all engage in a group hug (Katara tells Zuko that "being part of the group means being part of group hugs"). Later, Zuko teaches Aang the technique of lightning redirection. Zuko explained that lightning redirection is terrifying because of holding all the energy is great, but one wrong move could be fatal. In training, Sokka makes a dummy, naming it the "Melon Lord". Suki and Sokka will distract the puppet while Zuko and Katara will attack while Aang delivers the final blow under all the distraction. Toph will act as the Melon Lord’s attacks. The training goes well until Aang has to deliver the finishing blow to the Melon Lord, which he fails to do because of his Air Nomad nature. That night, Katara finds a picture of what she thinks to be of Zuko when he was a baby and shows it to everybody. The picture, in fact, was not of Zuko, but his father Ozai. Aang argues with the group that there has to be another way to stop the Fire Lord without killing him. Furious, Aang decides to meditate to find a way, but falls asleep in the process. Soon, he hears haunting music and he sleepwalks/sleepswims to the source without taking his staff or Appa.

The next morning, the others cannot find Aang anywhere in the house. They decide to split up to find Aang (Toph wants to go with Zuko because everyone went on a "life-changing field trip with Zuko"). The search is futile as no one found Aang and realize Momo is gone as well (Sokka believes Momo is eaten by Appa, and climbs into Appa's mouth). They all look at Zuko as he is the "expert on tracking Aang". Soon they are all flying to the Earth Kingdom. Meanwhile, Fire Lord Ozai demands that he is going to the Ba Sing Se alone while Azula stays in the Fire Nation. Azula is angered by this news, but Ozai assures that she will be happy now that Ozai declares Azula Fire Lord, while Ozai becomes Phoenix King. The group appears in a tavern where they find June, the bounty hunter to track Aang. Somewhere, Aang wakes up in an island in the middle of a sea.

Series Continuity

 * When Katara and Suki are looking for Aang, they see the actors playing Aang and Toph from the play in The Ember Island Players.
 * The music in the bar in which the gang finds June is the same music from the dance party in The Headband.

Trivia

 * The chanting that can be heard while when The Island/Lion Turtle calls to Aang causing him to sleepwalk/swim to him is a Buddhist chant, "Na Mo A Mi Tuo Fo" (spellings vary), and can also be heard during "Winter Solstice, Part 2: Avarar Roku", when Zhao and his soldiers are about to attack Aang.
 * During the bar scene, June is seen fighting a man who she throws into a table, this character bares a striking resemblance to "Ryu", the protagonist of the "Street Fighter" game series.

Animation Errors

 * Whenever we see Sokka's sword, it's the color of a regular sword instead of black.