To uncover a mythic library that could hold the key to defeating the Fire Nation, the team is forced to ally with an old enemy.
Team Avatar has gained an ally in General Sung. However, she wants to know that the team has a plan. She has trust in the Earth King. She can never speak with him. She also sees the Kyoshi Warriors as honorable. She doesn't know she's being misled. Azula immediately deduces that the Earth King is actually weak. He's propped up by a system with a secret ruler actually in charge. She knows she can exploit that to her advantage. It simply requires Long Feng fearing he will lose control more than the threats from the Fire Nation. She sets things in motion. It's no longer good enough for Aang to go along with Long Feng's pleasantries either. They both know the ruse has been revealed. It's time to take action. Team Avatar believes answers can be found in the spirit library Professor Zei seeks. He has formed a quick friendship with Sokka over their appreciation of knowledge. The team has dealt with the spirit world before. It allowed friends to reunite. It also allowed new terrors to be unlocked. It's a dangerous place for humans. The team needs a plan though. They can't believe everything will just work out in the end. They need more to address the threat from Sozin's Comet. The library provides what they are looking for. A solution has been found. It also unlocks what's been happening with each of these characters during their journeys this season.
Toph doesn't want to speak with her parents ever again. It doesn't matter that her mother will be arriving in Ba Sing Se soon. She has a mission to complete with her friends. Iroh's tea connects to a memory. Toph knows how sweet and caring her mother can be. That doesn't align with the woman she has been revealed as. Toph hopes her parents know who she is. She doesn't know for sure. Similarly, Iroh believes he is doing right by Zuko by protecting him. Yet he doesn't know if that's what Zuko actually wants. It was painful when Zuko lashed out at his uncle on the farm. He called him weak. Iroh is willing to accept that blame. He caused so much pain. He aims to do better now. He strives to make a difference. That means embracing Zuko for the man he wants to be. It can't simply be swaying him away from Ozai or trying to raise him as Lu Ten. It must be honoring what's special about Zuko. That conversation is crucial in determining what Zuko does when he has a chance to kill the Avatar. All of his goals are suddenly within his grasp. He can't do it. Instead, he returns home to his uncle who will care for him. That's enough despite continuing to feel lost. All of that clarity is immediate for Iroh and Zuko. Meanwhile, Toph quickly gets busy with the adventure in the library.
Aang isn't the only one who receives guidance from a former Avatar. Toph is inspired by Kyoshi. She remarks on how incredible she was when simply reading her story. And then, her spirit appears. She's stunned that a child is teaching earthbending to the Avatar. She doesn't like the Beifong family despite all appearances to the contrary. She informs Toph that she doesn't have to be defined by who her parents are. Kyoshi forged her own path that had nothing to do with what came before. She was connected to a more powerful lineage. However, Avatar Yangchen warns Aang that the reincarnation of the Avatar will end if he dies in the Avatar State. He's been reluctant to embrace that power because of the destruction that occurred in the North. He surrendered to the ocean spirit. He was only released upon Yue's sacrifice to restore the moon. Sokka continues to grapple with that loss. He's trusted to be the man with the plan. He wasn't during that attack. He fears he let Yue down. He also wonders if he has only become this focused on the plan because of what happened with her. It's all a complicated tapestry. Every Avatar believes the threats they face are more severe than what all the previous Avatars encountered. It's not easy maintaining balance. Mistakes are made. It's then up to the following Avatar to fix them. Aang is dealing with a war Roku failed to prevent. It continues the cycle of Avatars struggling to achieve balance. That's the constant across lifetimes. That's at risk because of the failings of humans.
The spirits wish to close off their world from humans who only seek knowledge to hurt other humans. The team obviously lies when they promise Wan Shi Tong to honor the information within the library. They seek a strategy to defeat the Fire Nation. The library provides what they need. They discover an eclipse will arrive that will eliminate the ability to firebend. Every element has times when its power grows and weakens. Kyoshi made those observations and wrote them down for others to benefit from. The team has reason to hope. That's crushed immediately by the owl seeking to punish them for their betrayal. Zei sought to benefit by revealing the deception. That was simply more evidence that humans will hurt others to benefit themselves. It's just that binary for Wan Shi Tong. Jet operated from a similar mindset. He's no longer a freedom fighter. His actions only got his friends killed. The library forces him to confront what happened with The Duke. He's not taking his anger out on the right target. He's hurting innocent people. It was a risk for Katara to trust him. He was paid for the information he provided. He didn't have to stick around. He chose to do so. He needed hope just as much as the rest of the team. Upon having it, he dies to ensure the Avatar gets to use it. It's a thrilling sequence. Toph struggles to keep the building up while Appa is being restrained and taken away. The mission was a success despite Jet and Zei dying. They made their choices. Toph made the exit available for her friends. She couldn't save Appa. Aang was told to be wise when using the Avatar State. Yet he can't control his rage upon discovering what happened to his closest friend while he was away in the spirit world.
