History Recap / AvatarTheLastAirbenderSozinsCometPart2TheOldMasters

* EasilyForgiven: [[Heartwarming/AvatarTheLastAirbender Iroh forgives Zuko instantly to Zuko's utter shock.]]

* MassOhCrap: The Fire Nation soldiers at Omashu during the Day of Black Sun flashback, when they realise that Bumi is free and they're facing him without being able to firebend.

* TechnicalPacifist: Discussed. Aang insists that Avatar Kyoshi didn't technically kill her enemy Chin (he died because he was too stubborn to get out of the way when she split off her island), but she herself doesn't see that as a valid distinction.

* PragmaticHero: All the past Avatars tell Aang, some more forthrightly than others, that he must prepare to kill Ozai if he wishes to bring peace to the world.

* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Though she does hold it in, Toph looks visibly scared while riding the eel hound with Sokka and Suki.

* ThouShallNotKill: Aang ''really'' doesn't want to kill Ozai. He tries talking to four different Avatars, seeing if they can offer a more peaceful solution. Instead of a [[TakeAThirdOption third solution]], they all tell him to kill Ozai. Yes, even Yangchen, a member of Aang's people, who advises him that he can't be constrained by the morality of an Air Nomad, as the Avatar's duty to the world supersedes his own desires.

* MurderIsTheBestSolution: Aang contacts four of his past lives for advice, hoping to find a way to defeat Ozai non-lethally. Instead, all of them, including his fellow Air Nomad Yangchen, are adamant that the only way to stop the Fire Lord is to kill him.

* DoubleMeaningTitle: the Old Masters are the members of the White Lotus, but also the past identities of the Avatar.

* {{Cincinnatus}}: Once again, Iroh.
* CometOfDoom: Sozin's Comet.

* NeverSayDie: After dancing around it in the last episode and this one, with "take his life" being used instead, it is finally averted, dramatically as hell, when Aang finally says "I have to kill the Fire Lord".

* TheQuietOne: Jeong Jeong takes this role in the White Lotus for the whole finale; his only dialogue is in this episode when he says his own name, as opposed to the other named members who all have prolonged conversations with the Gaang.
** He actually has a few more lines explaining the motives of the White Lotus.

* OldMaster: Everyone in the Order of the White Lotus.

* BackForTheFinale: Iroh, Jeong Jeong, Bumi, Pakku, Piandao, June.

* NewOldFlame: Pakku reveals that he's proposed to Kana again, and she accepted this time.

** This happens in universe, as past Avatars all but tell Aang that he must kill Ozai, but it seems none of them will outright tell Aang that.

* RedSkyTakeWarning: When the comet skims along the atmosphere.

-->'''Jun''': ''(noticing Katara standing next to Zuko)'' I see you worked things out with your girlfriend.

%%* ThatsNoMoon: see subtrope TurtleIsland

* {{Irony}}: On the Day of Black Sun, Bumi's off-screen (at the time) [[OffScreenMomentOfAwesome moment of awesome]] taking back Omashu was far more successful than Team Avatar's invasion of the Fire Nation.

* EasilyForgiven: [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments Iroh forgives Zuko instantly to Zuko's utter shock.]]

* BigDamnReunion: After encouragement from Katara, Zuko braves himself to meet his uncle again. At first he admits that he's guilty and he doesn't expect his uncle to forgive him, but then Iroh suddenly hugs him and tearfully says that he misses his nephew and he's glad that he finally finds his way. Zuko then returns the embrace and goes in tears too.

* ProphecyTwist: Iroh realises that this applies to his old prophetic dream of one day taking the Earth Kingdom capital Ba Sing Se. As a young man, he had believed that he was thus destined to take it as a conqueror for the [[TheEmpire Fire Nation]], but in the GrandFinale reveals that [[spoiler: he now realises he was instead supposed to liberate it ''from'' the Fire Nation.]]

* PowerGloes: The avatars Aang consults are glowing in the dark.

* ThatsNoMoon: The lion turtle.

* TurtleIsland: The lion turtle, again.
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Though she does hold it in, Toph looks visibly scared while riding the eel hound with Sokka and Suki.

-->"Today, destiny is our friend. I know it."

!!This episode features examples of:

* ProphecyTwist

* SurrogateSoliloquy

This episode follows [[TwoLinesNoWaiting two plots]] that occur simultaneously, one covering Team Avatar's search for Aang, and another about Aang's self-reflection on the mysterious island.

Inside the Earth Kingdom tavern, Zuko explains to June that they need her help finding the Avatar. After going outside to her pet shirshu, June holds Aang's the staff for her shirshu to sniff, only for it to act as if Aang has no body to track anymore. Needing guidance, Zuko offers his uncle's sandals so June can track him instead. With the sandal's scent, the Shirshu takes off with the gang not far behind. After about a day of travel, they arrive by Ba Sing Se's outer wall. June leaves as the gang makes camp for the night.

Later, the team is awoken when a line of fire comes encircling the Gaang and Appa. The view zooms in to show Piandao, then sweeps left to show first Jeong Jeong, then Pakku, and then Bumi. The four men explain that they are members of an ancient society called the Order of the White Lotus, which has convened near Ba Sing Se on Iroh's orders. The old masters then lead the gang to their camp, with Bumi explaining his escape from Omashu along the way.

Having arrived at the Order's camp, Piandao points out Iroh's tent. Zuko confides in Katara how ashamed he is over his betrayal of Iroh, and she reassures him that Iroh will love him no matter what. Zuko hesitantly walks into the tent and pauses, realizing Iroh is deep in sleep. Zuko patiently waits for Iroh to awaken, and as soon as he does, Zuko apologizes to his uncle. He opens his eyes, tears running down his cheeks, and goes on about how ashamed he is. He is about to say more when Iroh pulls him into a comforting hug as both men cry. Iroh explains that he was never angry with Zuko, he was just sad because he thought Zuko had lost his way. Zuko admits he did lose his way, but all Iroh cares about is that Zuko has chosen his destiny for himself.

Once everyone has woken up and gathered in the middle of the camp, Iroh explains to the entire team that only Aang can be the one to defeat Ozai, as anything else would just look like political power-grabbing, and goes further to say Zuko must be the next Fire Lord. Zuko agrees, and with Katara by his side, rides Appa to go challenge Azula for the throne. At the same time, Suki, Toph, and Sokka take one of the Order's steeds to go head off Ozai's fleet, while Iroh stays behind to lead the Order to liberate Ba Sing Se from the Fire Nation.

As his friends meet June in the tavern, Aang rules the mysterious island he's on is somewhere in the physical world, but besides that, he has no leads on what it is. Aang approaches a clearing with a flowerlike motif on the ground. Aang tries to bend the ground and realizes it's not made of Earth. Confused, Aang searches for counsel by contacting the spirit of the previous Avatar Roku, who has no idea where Aang is, but eagerly advises Aang that he must kill Ozai to stop the war. Still refusing to consider killing, Aang contacts the warrior Avatar Kyushi, the "go-with-the-flow" Avatar Kyuruk, and the Air Nomad Avatar Yangchen, who strike down Aang's hopes and convince him that he must kill Ozai.

The next morning, Aang yawns and sits up, then looks surprised as he sees mountain getting larger across the horizon. Aang jumps on the top of the tallest tree on the island to see the churning water stretching out behind the island. Aang excitedly cries out that the mountains are not getting larger, they’re getting closer. Aang dives into the water, just as a gigantic reptilian paw comes into sight, letting Aang know the island is an ancient animal called a lion turtle. Aang swims to the turtle's face and asks the ancient creature for advise. The lion turtle tells Aang how a true heart and mind can persist through the darkness has he touches Aang's head, filling the screen with green light. After a cut, the turtle drops Aang off by the Earth Kingdom's coast.

Across the ocean, Phoenix King Ozai stands in front of his fleet of airships, as Sozin's Comet arrives and turns the sky crimson red. The view then changes to show Aang standing on top of a pillar of rock, looking solemn. There is a brief view of the comet burning through the atmosphere before it shifts back to a serious and determined looking Aang, then sweeps up to show Sozin's Comet as bright as the sun.