Book 1, Chapter 17: The Northern Air Temple

This episode's title card music is one of my favorites. It's hard to explain, so just go listen to it 'cause it's awesome!

We start the episode off with Aang and company listening to campfire stories of the ancient airbenders--those who "laughed at gravity." However, Aang learns that the airbenders from the tale were seen LAST WEEK, only because Momo found this coin to pay the storyteller (which ironically came from the storyteller's own hat). Funny turn of events:

But was it the truth? Hearing this old man's claim about the airwalkers makes one question its validity. As the viewer, you're just as baffled as Aang as to how this could be possible. Maybe there's a little hope left?

Well, the Gaang decide to fly to the Northern Air Temple to find out for themselves:

During the flight, there were a couple of interesting quotes. Aang tells Sokka and Katara, "This is where they had the championships for sky bison polo." Hahaha, what? I'd LOVE to see that!

Sokka's quote about possibly finding airbenders is a classic, and he tells it exactly how we as the audience are interpreting this situation:
Katara asks,  "Do you really think we'll find airbenders?"
"You want me to be like you? Or totally honest," says Sokka
"Are you saying I'm a liar?"
"I'm saying you're an optimist. Same thing, actually."

Yeah, we learned from The Southern Air Temple that all the airwalkers were wiped out. Is there still a chance there could be survivors? Maybe, but highly unlikely.

Two odd things immediately catch the eye: First, those gliders look more like planes, and second, there are two smoke trails coming out of the majestic temple:

CAN THIS PLEASE BE MADE INTO A VIDEO GAME?!?!?!

Sorry Aang, but Teo had the best trick:

I really like how non-benders and kids with disabilities are given special importance in ATLA. Teo is a great example. Even though he's stuck in a wheel-chair, that doesn't stop him from flying and having the spirit of an airbender. While Aang was put off at first (probably more due to the fact that Teo wasn't an airbender like he was hoping), he eventually recognized Teo's true character. He was a free spirit:

At this point, Aang is 100% certain that he's the last airbender. Any small glimmer of hope he had was squashed at this temple. Consider this, and couple it with him finding his heritage and history destroyed. Aang was truly saddened by the disrespect towards his people and culture... there are many real world examples of this happening in recent history and even today:

I believe that the events in this episode were the catalyst for Aang's over-protection and preservation of Air Nation culture, a theme that returns often in ATLA, the comics, and the follow-up series The Legend of Korra. So in this way, The Northern Air Temple contains great character development for Aang.

It's interesting how quickly your perspective of Teo's dad changes throughout the episode. The first time you hear about him, it's from Teo saying, "Wait until you see the other stuff my dad designed." You're probably thinking, "Cool! Can't wait to meet him!" Then, you see Aang mourn over the destruction of the temple and find out Teo's dad was behind all of it. Wait, I don't like this guy anymore!! But then he explains why: After the loss of his wife, he came to the temple to escape the fire nation soldiers and to build a new life for his son in the air. Awwwwww. 😢  What comes next is what kills me: he remarks that Aang is 12 years old, despite having never met him before in his life. 😑 Is this man even real?? Is he the Oracle?? This is a true rollercoaster of emotion.

The deep themes of nature vs. technology were alluded to in the temple, but I really like how the mechanist and Aang discuss it here:
The mechanist says, "We're just in the process of improving upon what's already here, and after all, isn't that what nature does?"
"Nature knows where to stop," says Aang.

"I suppose that's true. Unfortunately, progress has a way of getting away from us," reflects the mechanist.

Did I mention this is a beautifully stunning show?

LOL:

Take note of the statues. Air Bison polo!

The rollercoaster continues... Teo's dad makes weapons for the fire nation!

Sokka: "How do you keep a lid on hot air?"
Katara: "If only we knew..." 😂

The first time I watched this episode, I never expected a fairly large scale battle at the end. It's pretty cool, and definitely boosts the rating and rewatch factor:

THIS IS SLIME TIME LIVE WITH DAVE AIZER!! YOU WANT A PIE IN THE FACE? DO YOU WANT A PIE IN THE FACE? HERE'S A PIE IN THE FACE!!!! AAAAHHHHHH!!! (p.s. thank you Suraj for that wonderful nostalgia)

Katara has definitely become stronger:

Brilliant plan by Sokka to throw their hot air source into a cave filled with natural gas... It worked, but that was pretty damn stupid haha. Not to mention he undoubtedly murdered dozens of fire nation troops.

Although the tone of the episode isn't dark, and they way they show it is kid friendly, the underlying themes and consequences of their actions are pretty mature and dark. This is part of the major appeal to an adult viewer, and why the story is so compelling. It could easily be made into an HBO Game of Thrones -ish series. The themes, the characters, the world building is ALL THERE. You can't say that about many kids shows, especially ones that aired on Nickelodeon. But it's important to say that Avatar doesn't suffer from this. Not at all. In fact, it's more admirable that it's able to convey these important topics to kids (children aren't dumb, and I hate shows that don't respect their audience).

"You know what? I'm really glad you guys all live here now. I realized it's like the hermit crab. Maybe you weren't born here, but you found this empty shell and made it your home. And now you protect eachother."

This episode speaks a great deal to how we can negatively judge people based on their situation. There are many homeless people throughout the world, and I think there's a negative stigma behind it--that we shouldn't help them because they should just "get a job." You know, that's not always the case! I think we should have more compassion for people in need, and not immediately judge them just because they're in a rough spot. There's nothing shameful in that.

"This defeat is the gateway to many victories." Oooooooooooo.

Conclusion: 

The Northern Air Temple is a great episode. The actual story and the themes behind it are relatable to problems in our society today, and there are many good lessons to take away. With that said, I can understand why people wouldn't like it. The jokes, animation, and overall child-like qualities are still very Book 1-esque. But if I'm honest and look at the episode structure, dialogue, themes, subtext... it's actually pretty great! It's easy to take The Northern Air Temple at face value; I'm actually guilty of glossing over it myself. But as I'm quickly finding out, there is so much more packed into each episode. That's why this blog has been so much fun!

What's my rating for The Northern Air Temple, you may ask? 8 o'candle! Ba-dum-tssss.

Thank you so much for reading. I really appreciate all your comments and feedback; they keep me going.