History Recap / AvatarTheLastAirbenderThePaintedLady

* SavingTheOrphanage: Saving the village.

* PlotHole: In this episode Sokka is concerned that losing a few days travel time will mean they might not make it to the capital in time. In the episodes between this one and then they're under little or no time pressure, and they still make it to the rendezvous four days early.

* FantasticRacism: Ultimately averted. Even though Katara dislikes Fire Nation people (due to her own [[FreudianExcuse tragic past]]), she still feels sorry for the village and wants to save it. Likewise, the villagers seem ready to turn on Katara the moment they realize she is a waterbender--but in the end they don't, [[SavedByTheAwesome because she saved them]].

** Sokka easily figures out that Katara is pretending to be the Painted Lady. The villagers also see through her disguise when she gets close enough from the to see her face.

* MeaningfulBackgroundEvent: Whenever the gang are walking on the wooden streets of the town, Toph (who can't "see with her feet" here) is always seen holding hands or arm-in-arm with Aang or Sokka.

* DoesNotLikeShoes: The Gaang are relaxing barefoot by the river at the start of the episode.

* ToiletHumor: Sokka's idea that the Gaang take potty breaks and bathroom breaks ''at the same time''.

* LightswitchSurprise: Sokka awaits Katara and Aang when they return from destroying the factory. And he is not amused.

* DidntThinkThisThrough: Sokka accuses his sister of this when she entertains the idea of destroying the factory. He reminds her that this would backfire on the villagers.

* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: When the villagers learn Katara is not the real painted lady, they almost turn on her. But then one boy innocently remarks "(And) she's the nice lady who gave me a fish."

* UngratefulBastard: Subverted, for once. The villagers are plenty mad that the local girl is a waterbender and has been masquerading as their patron goddess, until Sokka calls them out on it and points out that now the village is safe and can grow prosperous again. Though Katara did apologize to them, she just couldn't stand by and do nothing.

* FantasticRacism: Ultimately averted. Even though Katara dislikes Fire Nation people (due to her own [[FreudianExcuse tragic past]]), she still feels sorry for the village and wants to save it. Likewise, the villagers seem ready to turn on Katara the moment they realize she is a waterbender--but in the end they don't, because she saved them.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Destroying the factory just gets the soldiers stationed there mad at the villagers.

* ScarecrowSolution: After the Gaang accidentally makes things worse, they decide to use this solution to correct their mistake and scare a corrupt Fire Nation army out of the small village they were persecuting: Toph, Sokka and Appa create fog and an overall ominous and creepy atmosphere, while Katara dresses up as the Painted Lady herself, with help from Aang regarding her powers.

* ConvenientlyEmptyBuilding: Apparently the factory is unguarded and runs without human supervision. Aang and Katara destroy the place in no time while keeping the body count at zero.

* GodGuise: [[spoiler: Katara disguises herself as the Painted Lady, the village's guardian spirit]].
* GreenAesop: The general plot (saving the villagers from the Army's polluting factory) would not look out of place in a ''Captain Planet'' episode, and neither would the horribly mutagenic effects of the pollutants.
* IWasJustJoking

* RealityEnsues: Zigzagged. At first played straight, since destroying the factory doesn't solve the problem, but rather serves precisely to make its military security detachment crack down ''hard'' on [[NiceJobBreakingItHero the very village Katara wanted to save]]. Ultimately subverted, however: [[spoiler:Team Avatar beats them, too, and rather than this realistically bringing in even more and more heavily armed troops, the story ends on a happy note.]] It is implied that the Painted Lady will keep looking after the people, which may or may not justify it.

* LostMyAppetite: Sokka buys a mutated two-headed fish from the village market, arguing that it's a better bargain for their lunch than just a normal fish with one head. [[CrowningMomentOfFunny Katara, Toph and Aang promptly decide to run for it.]]

* {{Squick}}: Done twice. First, Sokka decides that the group will have to eat while making bathroom stops to make up for time - Katara, Toph and Aang are rightfully queasy at this idea, which Sokka thankfully drops. And then he buys a mutated two-headed fish from the village market the next day, arguing that it's a better bargain for their lunch. [[CrowningMomentOfFunny Katara, Toph and Aang decide to just run for it.]]

* LeftTheBackgroundMusicOn: The ominous Painted Lady music comes from Sokka playing the flute.