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Context Recap / AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheStorm

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4[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_storm.png]]
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6->''"You ''will'' learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher."''
7-->-- '''Fire Lord Ozai'''
8
9The group is in need of money, so Sokka decides to help out a fisherman who is willing to pay him to help him on his next fishing trip, even though a storm seems imminent. The fisherman recognizes Aang as the Avatar "who turned his back on the world". Aang runs away in guilt, but Katara manages to track him down. Aang reveals to Katara that the monks at the Southern Air Temple wanted to send him away to the Eastern Air Temple to separate him from Monk Gyatso, the only person who cared about Aang as a person instead of as the Avatar. This led Aang to run away from home and (eventually) seal himself in the iceberg. Meanwhile, on Zuko's ship, Zuko's crew begins to question his leadership, until Iroh enlightens them on how the prince was scarred in a duel and was then banished from the Fire Nation, by his own father.
10
11----
12!!Tropes:
13
14* AbuseDiscretionShot: When Zuko speaks out of turn during a war conference, he gets challenged to a firebending duel to defend his honor. Upon realizing the opponent was his father, he refuses to fight, only for his father to insist he be disciplined. Though the camera cuts to the audience as Ozai burns his son, Zuko's pain is heard, and the resulting scar remains throughout the series.
15* AbusiveParents: Fire Lord Ozai has no problem with not only instigating a duel against his own son, but also dealing the equivalent of a blow-torch shot to his face when the then-thirteen-year-old prince refuses to fight. All because the prince spoke out of turn in defense of his nation's soldiers. No wonder the kid's messed up. And [[TruthInTelevision much like many real children who have faced abuse]], Zuko blames himself and continues to seek his father's approval:
16-->'''Zuko:''' Please, Father. I only had the Fire Nation's best interest at heart. I'm sorry I spoke out of turn!\
17'''Ozai''': [[ForYourOwnGood You will fight for your honor]].\
18'''Zuko''': I meant you no disrespect. I am your loyal son.\
19'''Ozai''': [[ControlFreak Rise and fight, Prince Zuko]]!\
20'''Zuko''': I won't fight you.\
21'''Ozai''': You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher.
22* AllAnimalsAreDogs: Appa shakes himself like a dog to get the rainwater out of his fur.
23* {{Angst}}: This really isn't so uncommon to get it from Zuko, but when Aang's lurking in a cave crying, you know something has to be up.
24* ArtisticLicense - Meteorology: To escape the fury of the storm, Iroh suggests they turn the ship toward the storm's eye. According to [[http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/H3.html NOAA]] (last paragraph), any experienced mariner should know better than to go anywhere near the eye. It's pretty clear the resident member of the brass on board is not an admiral. (While the eye of a typhoon is very calm ''in the air'', this is not so on the water, as the winds storms circling the eyewall push very large and ferocious waves into the eye).
25* {{Backstory}}: The viewers finally get to learn more about Zuko and Aang's lives from before we first meet them.
26* BothSidesHaveAPoint:
27** The old fisherman was acting rudely when he calls out Aang for running away and getting himself frozen in ice for 100 years, but [[JerkassHasAPoint his anger is still justified]]: That single action allowed the whole war to grow out of all proportion. However, as Katara pointed out, the Fire Nation massacred the Air Nomads shortly after, meaning it's possible Aang would have been wiped out then since he'd only mastered airbending, which didn't do his people much good. In the end, the fisherman acknowledges he wouldn't have been still alive if the Avatar didn't show up that day, and Aang decides not to dwell on the past that can't be changed.
28** The Air Nomad council was right that Aang needed to prepare for the upcoming threat to the world, but Gyatso was correct that Aang was still a child and needed a structured environment to be in.
29* TheCameo: Creator/MarkHamill as the Fire Lord. Also, Zhao can be seen along with [[EarlyBirdCameo a girl we've never seen before, one who seems to be more than happy to see Zuko get burned...]]
30* CampfireCharacterExploration: Half of the episode is devoted to discussing Aang's backstory around a campfire. The other half is Iroh revealing Zuko's backstory to his men sitting around a TrashcanBonfire.
31* CatapultNightmare: When Aang wakes up from his dream at the beginning.
32* ChekhovsGunman:
33** Zhao's reaction to the younger Zuko being struck down by his father proves his vindictive hatred toward Zuko goes back farther than we thought.
34** A young girl smirking beside Iroh later proves to be ''very'' important to the series...
35* ChekhovsSkill: Iroh discreetly redirects the storm's lightning to stop a crashing wave. Now why would he need to know how to do that?
36* DisproportionateRetribution: Ozai does this twice over; first, he challenges Zuko, his 13-year-old son, to an Agni Kai because Zuko spoke out of turn. After Zuko refused to fight, Ozai burned his face as a "lesson" in respect, permanently scarring the boy, then exiled him.
37* DramaticThunder: The storm underscores the reason that Aang ended up in the iceberg.
38* EarlyBirdCameo: [[spoiler:Azula]] makes her first appearance in the series as a spectator of Zuko and Ozai’s Agni Kai along with Iroh and Zhao.
39* EstablishingCharacterMoment:
40** After hearing about Fire Lord Ozai for several episodes, we finally get to see him in person, and the first thing we see him do is ''scar his own son's face'' as a punishment.
41** In the flashback of Ozai burning Zuko during their Agni Kai, a young girl sitting near Iroh is shown smirking cruelly at Zuko's cry of pain. This girl will return later in the series and her personality ''definitely'' lives up to this moment.
42* EveryoneHasStandards:
43** Jee may be part of the imperialistic Fire Nation, but when he learns about how Zuko got his scar and got banished, he is noticeably shocked, as are his fellow crewmen.
44--> '''Jee:''' I always thought that Prince Zuko was in a training accident.
45** As obsessed with capturing Aang as Zuko is, he decides to prioritize the safety of his crew over pursuing him.
46* EvilOldFolks: General Bujing, who intends to sacrifice an entire division in order to win a battle, smirking sinisterly as he explains his plans. Ozai's other high generals mainly consist of men even older than Iroh, all of who presumably support Bujing's plan and the war in general.
47* {{Foil}}: The episode is about both Aang and Zuko's backstories being brought into the light. But whereas Aang's backstory reveals him to be SecretlySelfish for a hero, Zuko's backstory reveals his motive for hunting the Avatar to be [[FreudianExcuse secretly sympathetic]] for an antagonist.
48* {{Foreshadowing}}: When Zuko tells Lt. Jee that the safety of his crew isn't important, Iroh tries to settle things by telling Jee that Zuko didn't really mean that. The reveal of Zuko's backstory later in the episode, specifically the "offense" that he was banished for, confirms that Iroh wasn't lying about that.
49* GeneralRipper: The Fire Nation general who suggested sacrificing 20,000 new recruits against the Earth Kingdom.
50* GoryDiscretionShot: Used for the moment when Ozai gives Zuko the scar.
51-->'''Iroh:''' ... I looked away.
52* HowWeGotHere: Aang narrating his past about a hundred years ago when he ran away from the Air Temple due to the monks trying to force him and his guardian apart, which leads to him freezing himself as the iceberg seen in the very first episode. Aang wasn't lying when he says he couldn't realize a hundred years have passed, as from his perspective only seconds passed from him getting frozen to Katara rescuing him.
53* ICantLookGesture: Iroh does this, as he says above, when Ozai burns Zuko's face, horrified at what his brother is doing to his nephew.
54* ImpossibleTask: Zuko was given this by his father as a part of his banishment: Defeat an all-powerful PhysicalGod and bring him back to the Fire Nation ''alive''. Said PhysicalGod has also not been seen in nearly 100 years.
55* IronicEcho: When Katara tells Aang that she thinks him being in the iceberg was meant to be, she mentions that his current existence gives people hope. When Jee later says that he realizes Zuko is obsessed with capturing the Avatar because he wants his life to return to normal, Iroh says that things will never return to normal but the Avatar's existence gives Zuko hope that it will.
56* ItsAllMyFault: It's clear that Iroh at least partially blames himself for Zuko's scarring and exile, since he was the one who allowed Zuko into the war meeting in the first place.
57* JerkWithAHeartOfGold:
58** The whole crew's been complaining what a complete douche Zuko is, while that very day he goes on to risk his life in order to save that of the helmsman. And then of course, [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished there's the reason that he got the scar...]]
59** Also the Fisherman. He may be a rude cheapskate, but in the end, he acknowledges that if Aang weren't there, the fisherman would've drowned, and sincerely thanks Aang for saving him.
60* MiseryBuildsCharacter: This is what Ozai intended Zuko's scarring and banishment to be. A lesson for Zuko to disavow compassion and love in favor of being ruthless and forever loyal to his father.
61* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: After hearing Zuko's backstory from Iroh, Lt. Jee regrets his earlier griping and his complaints about Zuko's leadership now that he understands why Zuko is so determined to capture the Avatar.
62* NiceJobBreakingItHero: The monks at the Southern Air Temple decide that they need to move fast before the Fire Nation threat grows. To speed things up, they tell 12-year-old Aang he's the Avatar several years early, intensify his training and plan to send him away from his home and father figure... which results in Aang running away and being frozen for a ''hundred years'', clearing the way for the Fire Nation to start the war and wipe out the Air Nomads. Monk Gyatso calls out the other monks at the time for pushing Aang too early, and in retrospect, easing him into his Avatar role was a much better option.
63* NiceToTheWaiter: Iroh has no problems with eating and hanging out with the crew. ''Zuko'', however, sees them only as servants-- but that doesn't stop him from risking his life to save them.
64* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished:
65** For speaking out against needlessly sacrificing the lives of inexperienced but loyal Fire Nation soldiers, and refusing to fight his father in a duel, Zuko's father permanently scarred his face and banished him from the Fire Nation to complete an ImpossibleTask.
66** The monks attempting to help the Avatar grow into his task only became the reason for Aang running away and the Fire Nation eventually stomping them.
67* OhCrap: Zuko reacts in horror when he realizes his opponent in Agni Kai is his own father.
68* OriginsEpisode: This episode delves into Aang and Zuko's backstories and explains how their respective journeys began.
69* PetTheDog: A minor example but when Iroh allows Zuko into the war meeting, Ozai apparently didn't object to his presence and allowed him to stay. He also seems to have kept Iroh on as a high general, despite otherwise resenting his brother and considering him a failure.
70* PickedLast: Jinju, when picking teams for the air scooter game.
71* TheReveal: Among other things, this episode reveals how Zuko got his scar. [[AbusiveParents It's not a pretty story.]]
72* SecretlySelfish: When Aang tells Katara about how the Air Nomads were going to separate Aang from Monk Gyatso, she sympathizes that Aang was allegedly sent away. Aang uneasily reveals that that's not what happened: in reality, he ran away from home.
73* ShadowDiscretionShot: ''Inverted'' when Zuko gets his scar. It's a bright light discretion shot instead, showing Iroh's wince and a girl's smirk.
74* SmallRoleBigImpact: The general who suggests using inexperienced soldiers as cannon fodder. If Zuko hadn't spoken up to rebuke him, his injury, dishonor, and banishment would likely never have happened.
75* SourOutsideSadInside: It's revealed that underneath Zuko's angry exterior is a young teenager dealing with a lot of pain, desperately trying to win his abusive father's love.
76* AStormIsComing: The metaphorical storm is the oncoming war. The literal storm mirrors the one when Aang ran away and froze himself into a HumanPopsicle.
77* StunnedSilence: Zuko's crew are appropriately horrified upon learning that his scar was given to him by his own father in an Agni Kai. The only responses come from Jee quietly saying that he thought Zuko's scar was from a training accident, and realizing why Zuko is so obsessed with capturing Aang.
78* TooQualifiedToApply: A flashback shows that after Aang was publicly revealed to be the Avatar, the other airbender kids stopped playing competitive games with him because they felt that he'd have an unfair advantage, even though his actual level of ability hadn't changed.
79* TooYoungToDieLamentation: Quite possibly the TropeCodifier.
80-->'''Sokka:''' I'm too young to die!
81-->'''Old Fisherman:''' I'm not, but I still don't wanna!
82* TwoLinesNoWaiting: The WholeEpisodeFlashback contrasts Aang and Zuko's backstories. While both the Gaang and Zuko's ship get caught up in the same storm, the two groups don't meet until briefly at the end, where Aang and Zuko share a MeaningfulLook.
83* UsedToBeASweetKid: Zuko, while a bit impulsive and impatient, was very patriotic and thanks his uncle for allowing him into the war chamber, and speaks out against sacrificing soldiers' lives in order to achieve victory, which ultimately leads to his banishment.
84* VirtueIsWeakness: What caused Zuko to be banished in the first place is his compassion. His compassion for the 41st Division led to him to interrupt the general's speech and passionately stand up for the 20,000 new recruits, which angered Fire Lord Ozai for what he saw as an act of disrespect. Later, in the Agni Kai duel to settle this controversy, Zuko refused to fight his father and pleads for his forgiveness instead. This angered Ozai even further as he saw this familial plead as a sign of weakness. He then scared Zuko's left eye and later banished him on an ImpossibleTask to capture the Avatar, either hoping that Zuko would be out of his sights forever or lose his compassion during the journey if against all odds he somehow succeeded in his quest.
85* WeHaveReserves: The basis of the plan that Zuko speaks out against. To elaborate, the plan was to sacrifice a force of around 20,000 new recruits as bait against an Earth Kingdom force of around 500 veterans.
86* WellDoneSonGuy: The true reason for Zuko's desperation to capture Aang becomes clear.
87* WhamEpisode: We learn about both Aang and Zuko's pasts, along with the devastating reveal that Zuko had to fight his own father. And for those who still didn't pick up the hints that Zuko's father is the Fire Lord himself, this episode confirms it.
88* WhamShot: Iroh redirecting a bolt of lightning.
89* WhatTheHellHero:
90** The old fisherman chastises Aang for running away when the world needed him most.
91** Pre-series Zuko gives a "What the Hell, Villain" version of this trope, to a Fire Nation general when said general suggests using rookie soldiers as a decoy while he and the experienced troops attack from the rear.
92* WholeEpisodeFlashback: This episode features many flashbacks from the lives of both Zuko and Aang.
93* WizardBeard: The elderly general who questions Bujing's plan, and one of the unnamed Air Nomad monks each have a particularly impressive one.
94* WouldHurtAChild: Fire Lord Ozai was already established to be a warmongering dictator, but this episode ''really'' spikes his level of villainy to a more personal level by revealing that he scarred his own son, who was 13 years old at that time.

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