Torn across the city as the Fire Nation closes in, the team must reunite to save Ba Sing Se - and Zuko must decide where his real loyalties lie.
Do these characters have the strength to stand by their convictions no matter what? The penultimate episode separated Team Avatar in order for the finale to bring them back together. They need each other. Iroh advises Aang that it's impossible for him to change himself to appease his friends at all times. It's a struggle he doesn't have to bear. He should stand firm in who he is while also allowing his friends to be who they are. Aang pushed his friends away because they ventured outside of what he needed from him. He sees the error in his ways. He must rescue Katara and Sokka now. Toph has left with her mother. That wasn't of her own free will. She needed time before returning home with her. She was willing to do so. She just wouldn't allow her family to come at the expense of her friends. Her mother saw things differently. She needed Toph to fall in line with the expectations of being a Beifong. She drugged her daughter. She accomplished what others had failed to do. It was futile in the end. Toph escapes from her metal cage on the strength of her friends knowing who she is. They never deceived her the way her family did. That provided courage and strength. As such, she was able to fight for what she believed in. She accomplished what no one has ever done before. It's an impressive feat of bending even though it keeps her largely removed from the climactic set piece.
Katara and Zuko realize they were helping people for the same reasons. Katara feared she was being selfish. She was placing Aang in danger because she needed to go out and help people. That's what this environment did to her. It oppressed people. She couldn't stand by and accept it. She had to take action. Zuko was lost. He understood the power of protecting the helpless. It served as a connection to his mother. She advised him to behave with compassion. This war has taken Katara and Zuko's mothers from them. That creates an opening for them to believe change is possible. Yet Zuko still carries the scars of his past. He wasn't magically healed once he decided to spare the Avatar's life. In fact, he believes he allowed his father to burn him. The element he can bend was used to permanently alter his face. The story is so much worse than anyone could ever imagine. It offers enough sympathy for Katara to change her tune about Zuko. He's not the monster she believed him to be. He's complicated. He was placed on conflicting paths by his parents. Ursa wanted Zuko and Azula to look out for one another. They needed to stay as a family. Meanwhile, Ozai pitted his children against each other. He needs one to emerge stronger by defeating the other. That's the game he has made them play since childhood. It's the need to break that cycle that informs Zuko and Azula's decision to work together against the Avatar.
Azula was determined to kill Zuko if she had the chance. Mai tells her precisely where he is. She may love him but she's ready to kill anyone if needed. That's her role in service to Azula's ambitions. The princess conquers Ba Sing Se. She flips the table on Long Feng once he gathers all of the military advisors. She kills them with one jolt of lightning. That's the power she wields. It's built on strength. That's in contrast to the weakness and deception that allowed Long Feng to thrive. He created a system that benefitted him. Once that fell, the entire city toppled. That was easy for Azula. It's more complicated with Zuko. She expresses a desire to evolve beyond Ozai's games. Brother and sister can work together. She provides that opportunity. And so, Zuko returns to his former villainous ways. Iroh was grateful that his nephew brought him to Ba Sing Se. He found a community with the White Lotus. All of that is used to find where the prisoners are being held. Iroh helps Aang rescue his friends. They are united in their goal. When the family is separated, Zuko is susceptible to persuasion. Iroh doesn't return until the final moment. He too must make a stand. It's in opposition to his family and leads quickly to his capture.
Aang understands the risks of the Avatar State. He has more control over it now that he has mastered three of the elements. He can move in and out of it more easily now. It's a terrifying and daunting prospect when he unlocks that power. It immediately turns the tide in his battle with Azula and Zuko. Katara held her own as one powerful waterbender. There are simply too many forces against them. Sokka and Sai escape. Katara carries Aang to safety as well. That's only after he is struck down by Azula's lightning. When the moment came to strike, he hesitated. He couldn't kill. Once again, Azula used the opportunity to strike back. That means Ba Sing Se has fallen to the Fire Nation. The Avatar has seemingly died. Balance in the world is gone for good. The cycle has been broken. Katara carries water from the Spirit Oasis. This is the moment for her to use it. She calls out for Aang to come back to life as the finale closes. It's an eerie final moment. The team has failed. The people they vowed to protect are subjected to the Fire Nation once more. Aang's arrow lights up briefly after Katara heals him. That's not enough to project much clarity of the future. That's the final image of the season. One of defeat for the heroes and victory for the villains. Aang, Katara, Sokka and Toph prove that they can trust each other no matter what. Meanwhile, Long Feng and Zuko are untrustworthy and get exactly what they deserve for their fateful decisions along the way.
