Appa faces persistent horrors after being separated from Aang.
"I guess this means we'll always be together."
A Perspective Flip detailing Appa's journey from being captured by bandits in the "The Library" to his eventual arrival and capture by Long Feng in "The Tales of Ba Sing Se". We watch as Appa desperately tries to escape his captors, only to be drugged and sold to an abusive circus. There the bison is physically and mentally abused to force him into ridiculous performances, and a fear of fire is instilled in him. Even after a young boy helps free him, there's no luck; he nearly starves in the desert, is attacked by giant buzzard-wasps, farmers and a porcupine boar, before simply giving up to die in a cave. Thankfully, the Kyoshi Warriors (led by Suki) find him- but before they can bring him back to Aang, they are attacked by Azula, Ty Lee and Mai.
Suki forces Appa to flee by scaring him with fire, leaving their own fates unknown to the audience. Afraid and rejected again, Appa finds himself at another Air Temple he remembers from his youth, now abandoned. But... not completely. There's one person there: an old guru. He spiritually heals the bison, and gives him direction towards Aang. With hope renewed, Appa sets off for Ba Sing Se, following the sound of the bison whistle...
... but there's a catch. Aang's asleep. So who's blowing the whistle?
Tropes:
- Aborted Arc: Appa develops a fear of fire after the circus trainer cruelty threatens to burn him multiple times. This never comes up again after this episode — by season 3, Appa's getting shot at by giant fireballs and not reacting at all.
- All for Nothing: As it turns out, Appa was not traded to Ba Sing Se, like Team Avatar thought, meaning they were never going to find him there. It's very lucky that the Guru could guide Appa to where Aang was, as they otherwise might not have ever seen each other again.
- A Day in the Limelight: A whole episode from Appa's perspective.
- Abusive Parents: The little boy at the circus is implied to have a very unkind father. Said-father is very bossy, orders his son to stay away from Appa, and refuses to share his snack with his son.
- Bad People Abuse Animals: On full display with the cruel ringmaster. There's a reason why the American Humane Society lauded this episode with the Genesis Award.
- Bolivian Army Ending: Invoked with Suki and Azula charging at each other, but subverted in that we eventually find out what happened.
- Bond Creatures: We see that Aang and Appa share the same dream of when they met at the exact same time.
- Break His Heart to Save Him: Suki had just finished getting Appa physically healed and reaccustomed to being around people who care about him, but he's not ready to fight yet. To keep him from getting himself into danger, she had to use his fear against him.
- Break the Cutie: Poor, poor Appa.
- Butt-Monkey: Played for drama. Divide the things that go Appa's way with those that don't and you have a very
depressing figure. - Call-Forward: As it turns out, the sandbender ship that Team Avatar found in the desert wasn't simply there out of good luck. Appa buried it by accident when the sand make him sneeze. The Sandbender Chief's son even refers to it as the ship stolen from another sandbending tribe.
- In the previous episode, Momo befriended some Pygmy Pumas, who somehow knew a place where Appa was, but not where he went. This episode reveals that they saw him land in the city at night, and were able to track where. But, because they weren't there when he landed, they didn't see Long Feng abduct him.
- The Cameo: Hakoda as a major supporting character, and the Pygmy Pumas that befriended Momo in the previous episode.
- Chekhov's Gunman: Guru Pathik.
- Cliffhanger:
- What happened to Appa?
- The fight between the Kyoshi Warriors and Azula's team is left hanging.
- Continuity Nod: The umbrella from "The Fortuneteller" is found in Appa's luggage by sandbenders.
- Shuzumu, the ringleader from "Return to Omashu", is seen again here ordering the circus trainer to put Appa on stage before even being fully tamed.
- A Day in the Limelight: The whole episode is of course one for Appa, showing what happened to him after he was captured by the sandbenders. It's also a surprise one for Suki, showing more facets of her personality when not interacting with the rest of Team Avatar.
- Determinator: Appa, big-time.
- Disturbed Doves: Happens during the fight between Appa and the boar-q-pine.
- Downer Ending: Appa makes it to Ba Sing Se, and hears the whistle...but it unfortunately turns out to be a trap set up by Long Feng, and Appa is captured again.
- Foreshadowing: Guru Pathik mentions how everything is connected, which is a key part of his work with Aang in three episodes time.
- Friendship Moment: In Appa's flashback, his first meeting with Aang. It's adorable.
- Full-Boar Action: Appa's battle against the boar-q-pine.
- Grey Rain of Depression: It rains when poor Appa passes by the Southern Water Tribe warriors on his way to the Eastern Air Temple.
- Good Taming, Evil Taming: Depicts both versions by contrasting Appa's experiences with Aang and the circus.
- Hope Spot: When Appa was alone, lost, hurt, and feeling low, Suki appears all of a sudden. An acquaintance he's only met once, and provides more needed care than anyone he'd met over the course of the show. And then Azula and co. show up, forcing Appa to flee. He then gets another by Guru Pathik showing him where Aang was... only for Long Feng to ruin everything.
- Humans Are Bastards: Played with. Appa is captured, drugged and abused by several people, notably with the cruel circus owner instilling in him fear of fire, and several attendees laughing at him, but Appa also meets humans who helped him and were willing to help him out such as the young boy visiting the circus, the Kyoshi Warriors (especially Suki) and Guru Pathik, who spiritually heals him.
- Hypocrite: Remember when the Sand-bender Chief's son accused Team Avatar of stealing a sandbender ship from another sandbending tribe? Turns out, on top of stealing Appa, he and his gang stole that ship themselves.
- Ignored Expert: The animal trainer tells his boss Appa is in no way ready to perform and doing so would be dangerous, but is made to use him in the act anyway. Predictably, Appa kicks both trainer and ringleader's butts and flies away.
- It's a Small World, After All: Having Suki find Appa in the cave is pretty contrived.
- Late to the Punchline: Ty Lee takes a second to figure out Azula's "fan girls" joke, probably just like the audience.
- Missed Him by That Much: All over the episode.
- Mood Lighting: When Appa arrives at the Eastern Air Temple, the colors are bluish cold. Then we get a flashback to happier times at the place which shines in golden colors.
- Oh, Crap!: Appa's reaction when he sees the boar-q-pine charging at him.
- Appa when Long Feng shows up with the whistle.
- Pun: Said to the fan-blade-wielding Kyoshi Warriors:Azula: "What are you, the Avatar's fangirls?"
- Repulsive Ringmaster: Appa is subjected to torture by an overall cruel and sadistic ringmaster.
- Shoo the Dog: When Appa tries to go back and help the Kyoshi Warriors fight Azula and her friends, Suki uses a torch to scare Appa away.
- Tastes Like Friendship: The flashback to Aang and Appa's first encounter shows Aang feeding Appa an apple after which the two cuddle. Paralleled later in the episode by Suki using food to get him to recognize her as a friend so she could help.
- Trail of Bread Crumbs:
- The Kyoshi Warriors and Azula find Appa from his fur.
- Guru Pathik leaves a trail of fruit for Appa.
- Trap Door: The last scene shows Appa and Long Feng disappearing in one of these made by Earthbending.
- Trauma Button: Appa developed a fear of fire from his experience at the circus. The button is pressed during the confrontation with Azula in the woods.
- Trust Password: Initially, Appa is distrustful of Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors when Suki tries to convince him to let them help him. However, he stops hesitating the moment Suki mentions Aang's name, as only people who know him as a friend call him that.
- Whole Episode Flashback: The entire episode is focused on what happened to Appa after he was captured by the sandbenders and what led to the footprint of his left in Ba Sing Se.
- Yank the Dog's Chain: Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors had just finished healing Appa's physical wounds, and were starting to tend to his spiritual and emotional pain, only for Azula to come along, making Suki have to force Appa to flee by using his fear to protect him. With no other option he goes back to where he was born and meets Guru Pathik, who does heal him spiritually and emotionally, but in his return to find Aang he's left physically tired and easy for Long Feng to capture. He's gone from Suki taking him out of chains, to Long Feng putting him back in them.
