Line #45 Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheAvatarReturns


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/avatar_the_last_airbender_ep_2_page_image.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Gran Gran bids Katara and Sokka goodbye.]]
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4	When Zuko locates the Southern Water Tribe village where Aang has been, he demands the Avatar be surrendered to him. Aang returns to the village, despite having been banished, to surrender himself to Zuko as long as he agrees to leave the village alone. Aboard Zuko's ship, Aang is at Zuko's mercy, but he eventually manages to maneuver away from the guards and to battle Zuko. Katara and Sokka take the flying bison Appa to go after Aang. Aang and his friends manage to defeat Zuko and his subordinates. Katara and Sokka decide to travel with Aang to the North Pole so that Aang can learn Waterbending from members of the Northern Water Tribe.
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6	----
7	!!Tropes:
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9	* AnkleDrag: Zuko catches Aang's ankle when the latter tries to escape with his glider.
10	* BadVibrations: The arrival of the warship is heralded by heavy vibrations at the village.
11	* BathroomControl: While Sokka is coaching several kids about battling, one boy does the PottyDance and starts to say he has to go, but Sokka says he can't do that in a battle.
12	* BoomerangComeback: Sokka's boomerang hits Zuko square on the back of the helmet, though this does little more than frustrate him.
13	* BulletTime: Several times during Aang's escape for Zuko's ship.
14	* ButtMonkey: Zuko and Sokka. Their battle can only be described as being a ButtMonkey contest.
15	* CallingTheOldWomanOut: Katara is furious at her grandmother for doing nothing to stop Sokka from banishing Aang from the village, ignoring her attempt to comfort her and snapping that now thanks to her she lost her one chance of being a Waterbender before storming off.
16	* CerebusRetcon: Sokka's distrust of Aang and his intensity in schooling a group of small boys like soldiers come across as funny in "The Boy in the Iceberg." Then the Fire Nation ship arrives, revealing just how pitifully outmatched the Southern Water Tribe is compared to just one Fire Nation crew. With all the men away fighting, Sokka and those little boys of the village really are the Tribe's only form of soldiers.
17	* CurbStompBattle:
18	** As soon as Aang stops evading Zuko's attacks and starts attacking himself, their fight in the latter's quarter ends instantly.
19	** Aang in the [[SuperMode Avatar State]] demonstrates in less than a minute why the adorable goofy twelve-year-old is feared by the entire Fire Nation.
20	** Sokka's hilariously ineffectual (but brave) attempts to fight off the Fire Nation ship also count. Props to him for seriously going for it, but he's so outmatched that Zuko & Co. don't even bother killing him.
21	* DidntWantAnAdventure: Sokka.
22	-->"I'm just a guy with a boomerang. I didn't ask for all this flying and magic..."
23	* EstablishingCharacterMoment: Zuko honoring his agreement to spare the Water Tribe village after Aang agrees to go with him shows that there's more to him than meets the eye.
24	* GetOut: Sokka orders Aang out of the village after he confesses to having set off the Fire Nation booby trap on the ship.
25	* HarmlessFreezing: Perhaps not precisely harmless, but the way the Fire Nation soldiers on Zuko's ship are frozen would be almost guaranteed to be lethal in real life, whereas here, they all survive the experience without permanent damage.
26	* HesNotMyBoyfriend: When Sokka agrees to rescue Aang, Sokka calls Aang Katara's boyfriend. Katara starts arguing against it until Sokka cuts her off.
27	* HelmetsAreHardlyHeroic: Zuko arrives at the village wearing a helmet. It does not stay on for long.
28	* HeroicSecondWind: When Aang is about to drown, he goes into SuperMode and comes back to kick some serious ass.
29	* IGaveMyWord: Not stated, but Zuko keeping his word to spare the village is a small display that there's [[NobleDemon more to him than there initially appears to be]].
30	* IJustWantToBeNormal: Aang's explanation for why he didn't tell Katara and Sokka that he was the Avatar.
31	* ImprovisedWeapon: When Aang and Zuko are fighting on the ship, Aang is able to use a wall scroll and Zuko's futon against him.
32	* InsultBackfire: This happens to Zuko when he comments on Aang's age.
33	-->'''Zuko:''' You're just a child.
34	-->'''Aang:''' Well, you're just a teenager.
35	* JustAKid: Zuko calls Aang one, and gets it served right back to him, per above.
36	* MoodWhiplash: Zuko's determined attempt to drag himself back onto his ship is undone by the comical sound effects that play when his head is hit.
37	* OhCrap: ''Everyone'' reacts this way to seeing Aang enter the [[SuperMode Avatar State]] for the first time.
38	* PetTheDog: Zuko keeps his word after he agrees not to harm the village if Aang surrenders.
39	** After Zuko orders his men to chase down the Avatar, he notices them tending to their frozen, and immediately allows them to tend to them.
40	* PostVictoryCollapse: Aang collapses after defeating Zuko.
41	* RealAfterAll: After the anti-climactic belly-flop last episode, this one shows that Appa really can fly.
42	* SayMyName: Katara calling out to Aang when the latter is sinking unconscious to the bottom of the ocean.
43	* ShipTease: Sokka can already see signs of Katara and Aang getting together.
44	* SilenceYouFool: One of the firebending {{Mooks}} says this to Aang when he starts talking about being able to beat them.
45	* SpikesOfVillainy: Aang uses the spikes on a mook's helmet to cut his bonds when he escapes.
46	* {{Squee}}: Sokka, despite his prior skepticism and sarcasm, is impressed at Appa being able to fly.
47	* TakeMeInstead: Aang asks that if Zuko takes him (Aang) prisoner, he'll leave the village alone. Zuko [[IGaveMyWord does so]].
48	* ThisMeansWarpaint: Sokka preparing for the confrontation with the Fire Nation troops. It winds up washing off after Zuko kicks him headfirst into the snow.
49	* UnderestimatingBadassery: Zuko fully admits that he underestimated what Aang was capable of after he tore through Zuko's crew to escape.
50	* WithMyHandsTied: Aang manages to escape from the warship with his hands tied behind his back.

Context Recap / AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheAvatarReturns