The Northern Air Temple
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| The Northern Air Temple | |||||
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| Book | Water | ||||
| Episode # | 17/61 | ||||
| Original airdate | 4 November, 2005 | ||||
| Episode guide | |||||
| ← Previous | Next → | ||||
| The Deserter | The Waterbending Master | ||||
Writer: Elizabeth Welch Ehasz
Director: Dave Filoni
Guest Stars: Daniel Samonas (Teo), Rene Auberjonois (The Mechanist), Kristoffer Tabori (Emissary), Clyde Kastatsu (Storyteller)
[edit] Synopsis
After hearing rumors about flying people, the kids journey to the Northern Air Temple to see for themselves. Upon arrival, they find not Airbenders, but an Earth Kingdom colony led by a mad inventor and his paraplegic son. The inventor has defiled the ancient landmarks with technological "improvements," similar in style to the Industrial Revolution. Aang is at first disheartened by the many changes to the temple, though he develops a degree of respect for The Mechanist's son, Teo. Sokka begins to work with the Mechanist and came up with ways to detect natural gas leaks through use of rotten eggs.
This state of relative happiness was not to last. Aang notices that the Temple is being destroyed by machines, pipes, and gadgets. Aang soon discovers that the Mechanist is supplying the Fire Nation with weapons inside the temple sanctuary in exchange for the safety of his newly settled village. He unearths a room filled with monstrous weapons of war, like self-propelled war wagons and attack balloons, all destined for use by the enemy. Later Aang demands to know when the Fire Nation would come for their weapons, the Machinist states that soon. After that the War Minister Qin appears demanding for his weapons. Aang closes the door and traps the minister. Aang tells him that the deal is off and slaps him in the face with an airbending move. War Minister Qin states "the destruction of this temple would be on your head". However, Aang realizes that they have something the Fire Nation don't have, Air power. Sokka and the Mechanist plan on how to improve the war balloon and how to fight back the Fire Nation using their gliders and the prototype war balloon. Sokka states that there are four different types of bombs; smoke, slime, fire and...stink. The machinist states, "Never underestimate the power of stink!" The gliders fight with courage, but the Fire Nation tanks overwhelms them. Every time Aang flips them over, the cockpits also flip. Teo states that the tanks have a water balancing system. Katara use this to fight them, but there are too many. Appa arrives and retrieves Aang and Katara out of the battlefield. Out of explosives, the people lose hope, but the war balloon appears. The Fire Nation doesn't attack it, seeing the Fire Nation emblem. Sokka drops several slime bombs, but that doesn't stop the advancing army. Ultimately, Sokka, in a desperate maneuver, throws the balloon's hot air engine into a crack with explosive gas emanating from it. The resulting explosion crushes the invaders. Deprived of power, the balloon consequently dropped into the Fire Nation campgrounds. Qin and his soldiers find it, saying "This defeat is the gateway to many victories" as firebenders inflate the balloon.
[edit] Production Notes
[edit] Series Continuity
- On the desk in The Mechanist's office are plans for the Fire Nation Drill that was seen in The Drill.
- The captured war balloon is the prototype for the war balloons that were used by the Fire Nation in "The Day of Black Sun, Part 2: The Eclipse".
