The Winter Solstice: Avatar Roku and the Spirit World

The Winter Solstice

The Winter Solstice is the first two-part epic in ATLA, and boy oh boy, it definitely does not disappoint! Even though it's my fourth viewing, it felt like I was watching these episodes for the first time. Taking notes, pausing for screenshots, and intensely focusing on the dialogue allowed me to pick up on so many awesome details. Avatar: The Last Airbender truly deserves a viewing experience like this, and I'm so glad I took on the project. This amazing two-parter was especially enjoyable to watch. 

Each episode of The Winter Solstice is thematically distinct. Part 1 serves to introduce us to the spirit world and the Avatar's role as the bridge between the spirit and mortal worlds, while Part 2 reveals Aang's connection to all the past Avatars and outlines his duty and destiny to save the world. 

Part 1, The Spirit World:

We begin with the Gaang casually flying on Appa towards the north pole. Just think about that for a second. At this point, Aang basically knows nothing about what it means to be the Avatar. His Avatar duties were never explained to him! He's just a child trying to fill the enormous shoes he's been burdened with.

And yet, fate intervenes. If they didn't spot the charred forest, then they wouldn't have met the villager. If the villager didn't ask Aang to help the town, then Aang wouldn't have met the Hei Bai spirit. If he didn't accidentally enter the spirit world, then Roku could not have sent his dragon!
It makes you wonder... Destiny is a funny thing.

Who hasn't dreamed of flying through the clouds and getting soaked? I know I have! This show magically brings some dreams to life.

I'd like to draw attention to the music in this opening scene. If you listen closely you'll hear the main Avatar theme, but it's played on completely different instruments! This version is subdued and tranquil, while the usual one is sweeping and grand. The lack of drums probably helps with that.

Well, playtime sure ended quickly!! RIP.
The following scene sets up the rest of the two-parter quite well. Having a strong connection to nature, Aang is deeply saddened by the burned forest. He feels responsible for it because he knows it's the Avatar's duty to protect nature. "I don't know how to do my job... There's no one who can teach me how to be the Avatar."

Uncle Iroh is my spirit animal:

The acorn is used beautifully as symbol for hope. Of course Katara would be the one to find it:

Is Aang actually a vampire?? He hasn't aged in the last century, he can run really fast, and he has never been observed to touch silver... Just saying.

Uncle Iroh, you are a beautiful man. Never change.

If someone burned down my forest, I'd be pretty mad too. My guess is that the spirit thinks that someone from the village was possibly involved. It would help explain why Hei Bai destroyed the village.

Not gonna lie, this episode is really creepy. There are so many spine-tingling sounds mixed in. Hei Bai himself is pretty scary, mostly because of the way he moves (read: Teleports!). The way he violently snatches up Sokka with his fourth arm is no exception:

Immediately after entering the spirit world, Aang loses his airbending power and plummets to the ground. The reason for his loss of bending isn't explained until later in the episode, so this would be hard to catch on your first viewing. Just a cool continuity thing:

Iroh can apparently see things in the spirit world! Is there no end to his awesomeness? Also, the first mention of the Earth Kingdom capitol of Ba Sing Se occurs this episode.

The time-lapse demonstration of the solar calendar is gorgeous. Especially the music. I urge you to watch it again!

Now back in the mortal world, Aang must wait for Hei Bai to return at night. To add to the creepiness of the episode, there are several scenes where long passages of time occur in a few seconds, without the characters moving. As far as I can recall, that never happens again in ATLA, and that's pretty rare for animation in general. It gives me creepy vibes. Here is a great example:

Zuko chose to rescue his uncle instead of chasing the Avatar, which I though was a nice character moment. The writers are starting to shape boundaries for Zuko-- He wants the Avatar badly, but he values his Uncle's safety even more. In this scenario, he knows he can chase after the Avatar another day. His uncle, however, doesn't have another day left (without his hands, at least).

Iroh: "Excellent form, Prince Zuko."
Zuko: "You taught me well."

This Earth Kingdom soldier clearly demonstrates Hun Gar, the martial arts style that earthbending is based on. The emphasis is on wide, solid stances in order to increase connection with the earth.

By presenting the Hei Bai spirit with the acorn Katara gave him earlier, Aang gave the spirit hope that the forest would grow back again. Very cool moment:

Conclusion: Part 1, The Spirit World is a great episode. I actually didn't realize how creepy it was until this viewing, but in my opinion, that adds to this episode's uniqueness and character. The music and sound effects captured my imagination. Unfortunately, I can't think of any real negatives about this episode. I know, I'm extremely bad about that and probably sound overly gushing. Oh well...

I give Part 1 an 8/10.

Part 2, Avatar Roku:

COOL TELESCOPE, DUDE. You still looking for your honor?

Shoulda named this fellow "Sakana."

I discovered this while trying to get the perfect screenshot. This sequence of pictures details the explosion of the fireball:

Roku's temple:

Shyu is the name of the fire nation defector who helped Aang reach Roku's sanctuary. He is the first fire nation character that helped the Avatar.

"He (Avatar Roku) formed these secret passages out of the magma." The Avatar can bend lava? Interesting...

The lengths this show went to capture challenging, artistic scenes... ATLA is probably the only "children's show" to be filled with so many of these...

These sanctuary doors look SICK:

THE MUSIC that plays during the next minute or two is chilling. In fact, everything about this sequence is fantastic; it's one of my favorite parts in all of Book 1. It builds tension to Aang's eventual return to the grand hallway, all while Roku is giving informative exposition of the meaning and destiny of the Avatar.

***Cue deep, meditative chanting leading up to the full reveal of the grand Avatar theme.

Avatar Roku: "I know you can do it, Aang, for you have done it before."

"I am ready."

OH MY GOD:

Wow. Just, wow.

A lot was said in that chamber, but I'll leave it up to you pay attention to it. This show does a great job of revealing Avatar-related stuff when the time is right.

Here was a funny tidbit... Momo stole one of the fire sage's hats earlier in the episode, and it makes a return at the end. Cute!

I'll say it again, the Avatar's love theme that plays at the very end makes me emotional. Beautiful.

If you haven't noticed yet, both parts of The Winter Solstice end with a shot of the moon.

Conclusion:

The Winter Solstice Part 2: Avatar Roku, is an excellent episode. Running the blockade was exciting, and Aang speaking with Roku was insane.

I give Part 2 a 9/10.

Thank you so much for reading, and until next time, peace.