History WhamEpisode / AvatarTheLastAirBender

* "Sozin's Comet, Part 1: The Phoenix King": The GrandFinale kicks off with spelling out why the heroes can't just wait until ''after'' Sozin's Comet passes to defeat Ozai. Using the comet's power and his new airship fleet, Ozai plans to [[FinaleSolution genocide the Earth Kingdom]].

AvatarTheLastAirbender/TropesAToH ([[ChekhovsGun/AvatarTheLastAirbender Chekhov's Gun]]) | AvatarTheLastAirbender/TropesIToP | AvatarTheLastAirbender/TropesQToZ ([[ShipTease/AvatarTheLastAirbender Ship Tease]], [[ShoutOut/AvatarTheLastAirbender Shout-Out]], [[ShownTheirWork/AvatarTheLastAirbender Shown Their Work]], '''Wham Episode''')]]]]-]

!!Due to the nature of this page, ALL SPOILERS ARE UNMARKED.
WhamEpisode in in this series.

* "The Storm" reveals both Aang and Zuko's backstories. It tells us what Aang's life was life before he realized he was the avatar and enclosed himself inside an iceberg. As for Zuko, they tell us how he got his scar, and why he's so obsessed with capturing the Avatar: His father, the Fire Lord, burned part of his face off after he spoke out during a Fire Nation meeting, and him capturing the Avatar was the only way to regain his father's trust in him.

* "The Day of Black Sun Part 2": What was built up as the definitive strike against the Fire Nation turns into a colossal failure when it's revealed that the Fire Lord knew about the invasion long in advance, having Azula set up a trap to stall the heroes until the firebenders get their powers back. Also Zuko makes a definitive HeelFaceTurn and deciding to join the Avatar.

* "The Avatar and The Fire Lord": Roku's backstory before and as the Avatar is presented properly, as he was good friends with Sozin before he became Fire Lord and started the Hundred-Year War.

* The first part of the [[GrandFinale series finale]], "Sozin's Comet", reveals that [[BigBad Ozai]] isn't going to use Sozin's Comet to subjugate the Earth Kingdom- he's going to use it to burn the entire continent to the ground.

* "Crossroads of Destiny", the second season finale. [[spoiler: [[TheBadGuyWins Ba Sing Se is taken over along with the rest of the Earth Kingdom]], Zuko chooses the Fire Nation over Iroh, and Aang is ''killed'' by Azula, only being revived thanks to Katara's spirit water]]. [[DownerEnding The last words of the season are what really drives the point home.]]

* "The Day of Black Sun" parts 1 and 2 - [[spoiler:What was built up as the definitive strike against the Fire Nation turns into a colossal failure when it's revealed that the Fire Lord knew about the invasion long in advance, having Azula set up a trap to stall the heroes until the firebenders get their powers back. Notable also for Zuko making a definitive HeelFaceTurn and deciding to join the Avatar.]]
* "The Western Air Temple" marks when Zuko officially becomes a true member of Team Avatar. [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome Although it took quite a bit of convincing to show them he had truly changed, due to all of his villainous actions in the past.]]
* "The Boiling Rock Part 2": Azula [[spoiler:is betrayed by Mai and Ty Lee. Shocked that she could no longer control them through fear, and desperate that she lost the only two people whom she considered her "friends", Azula starts to descend into insanity.]]
* The first part of the [[GrandFinale series finale]], "Sozin's Comet", reveals that [[spoiler: [[BigBad Ozai]] isn't going to use Sozin's Comet to subjugate the Earth Kingdom- he's going to use it to burn the entire continent to the ground]].

* "The Library" not only marks the end of the more episodic half of the series, but gives a concrete plan to actually fight back against the Fire Nation, setting the rest of the series into motion. On top of that, Appa is taken away, meaning that Aang and his friends lost one of their team as well as their transportation.

* "The Western Air Temple" marks when Zuko officially becomes a true member of Team Avatar. [[RealityEnsues Although it took quite a bit of convincing to show them he had truly changed, due to all of his villainous actions in the past.]]

* "The Library" not only marks the end of the more episodic half of the series, but gives a concrete plan to actually fight back against the Fire Nation, setting the rest of the series into motion.

-->'''Earth King:''' "[[WhamLine The Earth Kingdom...has fallen...]]"

* "The Storm" reveals both Aang and Zuko's backstories. It tells us what Aang's life was life before he realized he was the avatar and enclosed himself inside an iceberg. As for Zuko, they tell us how he got his scar, and why he's so opposed with capturing the avatar: His father, the fire lord, burned part of his face off after he spoke out during a Fire Nation meeting, and him capturing the avatar was the only way to regain his father's trust in him.

* "Zuko Alone" dives into Zuko's backstory even further by showing us his childhood, and how Ozai became the Fire Lord.

* "Crossroads of Destiny", the second season finale. [[spoiler: [[TheBadGuyWins Ba Sing Se is taken over along with the rest of the Earth Kingdom]], Zuko chooses the Fire Nation over Iroh, and Aang is ''killed'', only being revived thanks to Katara's spirit water]]. [[DownerEnding The last words of the season are what really drives the point home.]]

* "Crossroads of Destiny", the second season finale. [[spoiler: [[TheBadGuyWins Ba Sing Se is taken over along with the rest of the Earth Kingdom]], Zuko chooses the Fire Nation over Iroh, and Aang is ''killed'', only being revived thanks to Katara's spirit water]]. [[DownerEnding The last words of the season is what really drives the point home.]]

* "The Day of Black Sun" parts 1 and 2 - [[spoiler: What was built up as the definitive strike against the Fire Nation turned into a colossal failure when it's revealed that the Fire Lord knew about this day long in advance and Azula is waiting for them. Notable also for Zuko's [[HeelFaceTurn Heel Face Turn]] to join the Avatar.]]
* "The Boiling Rock Part 2", when Azula's "friends" Ty Lee and Mai [[spoiler: betray Azula at the Boiling Rock. Azula, who has used fear to control them without any problems, is suddenly backstabbed by them.]]
* "Sozin's Comet," the four-part [[GrandFinale series finale]] has one:
** Part one has the reveal that [[spoiler: [[BigBad Ozai]] isn't going to use Sozin's Comet to subjugate the Earth Kingdom- he's going to use it to [[MoralEventHorizon burn the entire continent to the ground]].]]
** The way Aang's final fight with Ozai goes. Earlier on, Aang is told by his friends that killing Ozai is the only way to ensure the world's safety. However, Aang finds this to be against the teachings of the Air Nomads - he wants to avoid violence unless it is in self-defense, and even then tries to stay non-lethal. He speaks to the previous Avatars, and they tell him that [[spoiler: the Avatar must do whatever it takes to restore balance in the world. Even Roku, who spared Fire Lord Sozin, regrets his choice, and doesn't want Aang to make the same mistake. Aang regretfully accepts what he must do. He later speaks with the Lion Turtle, but we don't know all they spoke about.]] Near the end of the fight, Aang has the possibility to redirect Ozai's lightning back at him, killing him, [[spoiler:but decides not to and redirects it to the sky. The fight continues, and Aang finally knocks down Ozai.]] It turns out that [[spoiler: the Lion Turtle proposed [[TakeAThirdOption another way]] to solve the problem. Aang [[Main/NewPowersAsThePlotDemands rediscovers]] an ancient, lost form of bending - energybending - and with his strong, "unbendable spirit", bends Ozai's life energy, taking away his ability to firebend. Ozai without his powers is hardly a match for anyone, and he promptly gets thrown into prison, ending the conflict non-lethally.]]