History Recap / AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheWesternAirTemple

** In the commentary, Mike and Bryan note that this could prove quite a problem to M. Night Shyamalan's live action adaptation. Of course, this was before the first film of that adaptation flopped so badly that the other two were scrapped.

* NotSoDifferent:

* IceCreamKoan: Zuko fails at mimicking his Uncle's proverbs. (Although what he comes up with actually makes some sense, given what he's gone through.)

* ItsPersonal: Katara's motivation for her ImpliedDeathThreat seen above.

* IceCreamKoan: Zuko fails at mimicking his Uncle's proverbs. ([[FridgeBrilliance Although what he comes up with actually makes some sense, given what he's gone through.]])

* IceCreamKoan: Zuko fails at mimicking his Uncle's proverbs. [[FridgeBrilliance(Although what he comes up with actually makes some sense, given what he's gone through.)]]

* DarkestHour: This episode features the Gaang at their lowest point. Aang is putting on a chipper face about his failure, but Sokka and Katara are despondent. They lost Ba Sing Se, the last Earth Kingdom stronghold that could fight against the Fire Nation, and now the Day of the Black Sun failed with most of their ragtag army captured. Sozin's Comet is arriving soon, and Ozai is still on the throne. The only Firebending teacher that would teach Aang is in hiding. Cue Zuko coming to offer his services to be Aang's firebending teacher... and the Gaang immediately assumes he's come to betray them again and hurt Aang.

* IceCreamKoan: Zuko fails at mimicking his Uncle's proverbs. (Although what he comes up with actually makes some sense, given what he's gone through.)

* AgonyOfTheFeet: Toph accidentally gets her feet burned by Zuko.

** Toph is always shown to be uneasy at best if her feet aren't in contact with the ground (flying, in the water, etc). When Zuko accidentally burns them, leaving her pretty much ''truly'' blind, she outright panics because she knows who he is and what he's done to the Gaang. Additionally, the injury is painful enough that she refuses to listen when Zuko protests (truthfully) it was an accident.

** As Zuko learns from his efforts to join the Gaang, an apology, no matter how sincere, doesn't automatically earn you forgiveness; having spent the whole series up to this point as their enemy, the Gaang are ''very'' resistant to trust him [[note]] doesn't help that there's some inverted FourthWallMyopia; the Gaang haven't been privy to Zuko's more conflicted moments throughout the show, and for the most part only know him as an angry RoyalBrat who's repeatedly attempted to capture them [[/note]].

* RealityEnsues: Just because Zuko is honest about his HeelFaceTurn doesn't mean the Gaang is going to accept him after he's spent the whole series up to this point as their enemy [[note]] doesn't help that there's some inverted FourthWallMyopia; the Gaang haven't been privy to Zuko's more conflicted moments throughout the show, and for the most part only know him as an angry RoyalBrat who's repeatedly attempted to capture them [[/note]].

* ListOfTransgressions: When Zuko attempts to apologize to the Gaang, both Katara and Sokka bring up his past actions: chasing them around the world, invading their village, and stealing Katara's necklace and using it to track them down. Katara later on brings up what happened in Ba Sing Se, namely Zuko betraying her during the fight with Azula.

* CallBack

* EvilDetectingDog: It’s because Appa is so affectionate with Zuko that both Aang and Toph think Zuko is good.

** Toph is the only one willing to give Zuko a chance at first, in part because she doesn't have any personal grievances against him. She also points out that Zuko is willing to teach firebending to Aang when he needs it the most.

* WhatTheHellHero: Toph wears the pragmatist hat for a change and calls out her friends for not even considering accepting Zuko as Aang's Firebending teacher, despite him being the only viable choice [[note]] the only other Firebenders the Gaang knows who would be willing are Iroh and Jeong Jeong, but they have no clue where either of them are or how to find them [[/note]]. She may not have had any history with Zuko, but she understands the bigger picture and knows that there are bigger stakes than their personal feelings.

* DidntThinkThisThrough: Zuko thinks that the best solution to join the Avatar's team is to admit to all of his misdeeds and beg to become Aang's firebending teacher. It goes wrong when he lets slip that he sent Combustion Man against them, rather than say tell them what was discussed in that meeting he was agonizing about a few weeks ago...or just say that Azula sent Combustion Man after them.

* NotSoDifferent: The reason Aang starts trusting Zuko (much less asks him to be his fire-bending teacher) is when Zuko notes he himself needs to be more careful with his firebending, so he doesn't hurt innocent people like Toph. This hits very close to home with the first time Aang tried firebending, and hurt Katara in the process.

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: When Zuko tells Combustion Man he's called off the bounty, Aang reacts to this, as though suspecting Zuko really has turned over a new leaf. If there's one thing Aang has learned about Zuko, it's that he never does anything that wouldn't "bring him honor", which in this case is calling off an assassin.

** Part of the reason why Aang accepted Zuko as his Firebending teacher is because he realizes Zuko feels genuinely sorry for accidentally burning Toph. Aang himself did the same thing [[Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheDeserter much earlier]] to Katara. Both Aang and Zuko know that fire is a wild element, and how it feels to accidentally burn someone you love.

* BlackAndWhiteInsanity: Toph calls out her friends for bordering on this by emphasizing on the negative aspects of Zuko, they refused to see the good in him and his attempts to redeem himself.

** Katara and Sokka understandably hold a grudge against Zuko for chasing them around the world and repeatedly attemptin to capture or kill them. They also believe he can't be trusted because when he was offered a chance at redemption in Ba Sing Se, he turned it aside in favor of helping his sister conquer the city.
** Toph, the only Gaang member to not suffer personally at Zuko's hands (not counting Combustion Man), brings up that personal feelings aside, Aang needs a Firebending teacher and one has shown up on their doorstep offering his teachings. Her [[LivingLieDetector lie-detecting abilities]] means she can also tell that Zuko is telling the truth about his HeelFaceTurn and freeing Appa.

** Katara and Sokka bring up that Zuko has a ListOfTransgressions that involved chasing them around the world; when he was offered a chance at redemption in Ba Sing Se, he turned it aside in favor of helping his sister conquer the city; and he hired an assassin that's been chasing them.
** Toph, the only Gaang member to not suffer personally at Zuko's hands (not counting Combustion Man), brings up that personal feelings aside, Aang needs a firebending teacher and one has showed up on their doorstep offering his teachings. Her lie-detecting abilities also sense that Zuko is completely honest in his quest for redemption, and he did free Appa.

* RightForTheWrongReasons: Zuko reflects on the early days of his banishment and how he can only get his honor back by finding the Avatar. He realized that he needed to earn his honor instead and that it did involve finding the Avatar, just to be an ally instead of a captor.

-->'''Katara''': Let me tell you something right now. You take ''one '' step backwards... ''one'' slip up... give me ''one'' reason to think you might hurt Aang - and you won't have to worry about your destiny anymore. Because I'll make sure your destiny ends right then and there. ''Permanently''.

* OnceDoneNeverForgotten: Even after proving himself loyal to Team Avatar, Katara hasn't forgotten the last time this happened. This feeling lasts for the next few episodes.

* WhatTheHellHero: Toph wears the pragmatist hat for a change and calls out her friends for not even considering accepting Zuko as Aang's Firebending teacher, despite him being the only viable choice [[note]] the only other Firebender the Gaang knows who would be willing is Jeong Jeong, but they have no clue where he is or how to find him [[/note]]. She may not have had any history with Zuko, but she understands the bigger picture and knows that there are bigger stakes than their personal feelings.

* WhatTheHellHero: Toph wears the pragmatist hat for a change and calls out her friends for not even considering accepting Zuko as Aang's firebending teacher, despite him being the only viable choice aside from Jeong Jeong [[note]] whose whereabouts the Gaang have no clue of [[/note]]. She may not have had any history with Zuko, but she understands the bigger picture and knows that there are bigger stakes than their personal feelings.

* SympathyForTheDevil: Toph expresses some sympathy for Zuko, given how messed up his family is. This is attributed to not having been hunted by him. While she did suffer the AgonyOfTheFeet by Xuko's firebending when she unwittingly snuck up on him, she later forgave him, though promising to get back at him later.