This is a really divided episode for me. The A plot is...just okay. Some of the things it establishes (the Avatar cycle, Avatar Roku, Momo) are good, but it is also the cause for many of the unfair jokes about Avatar. Seriously, you could chock up 20% of Ember Island Players jokes to this episode. You could say it set the mood for the show as a whole, but it still isn't at its best yet.
The B plot, however, is sugar-fried awesome. It shows that Zuko has a good side, Iroh is both a major badass and a good guy, and it introduces
Captain Commander Zhao. He is easily one of my favorite villains of the show, and his introduction episode shows why. He's ruthless, scheming, dishonorable, and has a huge temper. Oh, and he's voiced by Jason Isaacs. The Agni Kai at the end of the episode is, in my estimation, the first great fight of the show. The animation during it is spectacular, the choreography rocks, and it shows how awesome Zuko has the potential to be.
So, overall, the episode is half-average and half-amazing. I guess that kinda equals out to good, but I'm not sure. Still, it showed everypony where the show would go in the future...or did it?
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