Avatar: The Last Airbender (2003–2008): Season 1, Episode 17 - The Northern Air Temple - full transcript
Aang is upset when he finds an old Air Temple has been desecrated by an old inventor and his son.
KATARA: Water, earth,
fire, air...
Long ago, the four nations
lived together in harmony.
Then everything changed
when the Fire Nation attacked.
Only the Avatar, master of all
four elements, could stop them.
But when the world needed him most,
he vanished.
A hundred years passed, and my brother
and I discovered the new Avatar,
an airbender named Aang.
And although his
airbending skills are great,
he has a lot to learn
before he's ready to save anyone.
But I believe Aang can save the world.
MAN: So, travelers,
the next time you think you hear
a strange large bird talking,
take a closer look. It might not be
a giant parrot, but a flying man,
a member of a secret group
of airwalkers who laugh at gravity
and laugh at those
bound to the earth by it.
[MOMO COOING]
Aren't airbender stories the best?
Was it realistic?
Is that how it was back then?
I laugh at gravity all the time.
Ha ha! Gravity.
Jingle, jingle.
Sorry.
Aw. Cheapskates.
Hey, thanks for the story.
Tell it to the cap, boy.
Aw. Much obliged, little bat thing.
It means a lot
to hear airbender stories.
It must have been a hundred years ago
your great-grandpa met them.
What are you prattling about, child?
Great-grandpappy
saw the airwalkers last week.
[GREAT-GRANDPA SPEAKS HOARSELY]
AANG: We're almost
to the Northern Air Temple.
This is where
they had the championships
for sky bison polo.
Do you think
we'll really find airbenders?
You want me to be like you
or totally honest?
Are you saying I'm a liar?
I'm saying you're an optimist.
Same thing, basically.
Hey, guys, look at this!
They really are airbenders!
No, they're not.
What do you mean, they're not?
Those guys are flying!
Gliding maybe, but not flying.
You can tell by the way they move
they're not airbending.
Those people have no spirit.
Oh! Oh!
[BOY CHUCKLING]
I don't know, Aang.
That kid seemed pretty spirited.
Ow!
We'd better find some solid ground
before it finds us.
Ha ha!
Go, Teo!
Show that bald kid how it's done!
Hey there. You're pretty good.
Yeah, I know.
But I can do more than fancy gliding.
Wow! I don't think I can do that.
But here's a good one.
[KIDS CHEERING]
What do you think?
It's great.
Hey, you're a real airbender.
You must be the Avatar.
That's amazing!
I've heard stories about you.
Thanks.
Wow! This glider chair is incredible.
If you think this is good,
wait until you see
the other stuff my dad designed.
Wow!
Yeah, my dad is the mastermind
behind this whole place.
Everything is powered by hot air.
It even pumps hot air currents outside
to give us a lift when we're gliding.
This place is unbelievable.
Yeah. It's great, isn't it?
No. Just unbelievable.
Aang used to come here
a long time ago.
I think he's a little shocked
it's so different.
So better!
AANG: This is supposed to be
the history of my people.
Ugh!
I'm sure some parts of the temple
are still the same.
AANG: It's nice to see at least
one part of the temple
that isn't ruined.
[MAN YELLS]
[ALL COUGHING]
What the doodle? Don't you know enough
to stay away from construction sites?
We have to make room
for the bathhouse.
Do you know what you did?
You just destroyed something sacred
for a stupid bathhouse.
Well, people around here
are starting to stink.
This whole place stinks.
Hyah!
This is a sacred temple.
You can't treat it this way.
I've seen it when the monks were here.
I know what it's supposed to be like.
The monks? But you're 12.
Dad, he's the Avatar.
He used to come here
a hundred years ago.
What are you doing?
Who said you could be here?
Doing here...
A long time ago,
but not a hundred years,
my people became refugees
after a terrible flood.
My infant son, Teo, was badly hurt
and lost his mother.
[SNIFFLES]
I needed somewhere to rebuild,
and I stumbled across this place.
Couldn't believe it.
Everywhere pictures of flying people,
but empty.
Nobody home.
Then I came across
these fan-like contraptions.
Our gliders.
Yes, little light flying machines.
They gave me an idea...
Build a new life for my son
in the air.
Then everyone would be
on equal ground,
so to speak.
We're just in the process of
improving upon what's already here.
And after all,
isn't that what nature does?
Nature knows where to stop.
I suppose that's true.
Unfortunately, progress has a way
of getting away from us.
Look at the time!
Come. The pulley system
must be oiled before dark.
Wait. How can you tell the time
from that thing?
The notches all look the same.
The candle will tell us. Watch.
You put spark powder in the candle!
Four flashes. So it's exactly
four hours past midday,
or as I call it, four o'candle.
Ha ha!
If you liked that,
wait till you see
my finger-safe knife sharpener.
It only took me three tries
to get it right.
Aah!
Follow me.
Hey, Aang,
I want to show you something.
AANG: I just can't get over it.
There's not a single thing
that's the same.
I don't know about that.
The temple might be different,
but the creatures that live here are
probably direct descendants
of the ones that lived here
a long time ago.
You're right. They're kind of keepers
of the temple's origins.
Besides, there is
one part of the temple
that hasn't changed at all.
KATARA: Hey...
It's just like the one
in the other air temple.
Only an airbender can open it.
So inside, it's completely untouched.
Just the way the monks left it.
I've always wondered
what it was like in there.
Aang?
I'm sorry.
This is the last part of the temple
that's the same as it was.
I want it to stay that way.
I completely understand.
I just wanted you to know it was here.
Thanks.
These lanterns are terrible.
I can't see.
Why would you
want to use fireflies for light?
Hey! Close that up. They'll get loose.
Fireflies are
a nonflammable light source.
Cover your nose and hold your breath.
OK. So you brought me
all the way down here
to see an empty room.
Wrong.
It's filled to the brim
with natural gas.
I came across it my first time here.
Unfortunately, I was
carrying a torch at the time.
Nearly blew myself and the whole place
even more sky-high.
I thought my eyebrows
would never grow back.
Anyway, there's a vital problem
that needs solving.
From time to time, we have gas leaks.
And they're nearly impossible to find.
So this place is an explosion
waiting to happen.
Yes. Until I figure out how to locate
something I can't see,
hear, smell, or touch.
TEO: The wind will carry you.
It supports something inside you,
something even lighter than air.
And that something
takes over when you fly.
I've changed my mind.
I think I was born
without that something.
Ha! Impossible. Everybody has it.
AANG: Spirit.
What?
That's the something
you're talking about.
Yeah. I suppose it is.
Are you ready?
No! Aah!
[LAUGHING]
I can't believe I'm flying!
Just make sure
you keep your mouth closed
so you don't swallow a bug.
Teo was right about the air.
All I had to do was trust it,
let it carry me.
Even though Teo's not an airbender,
he really does have the spirit of one.
I've been thinking.
If you want to see
what's in that room,
I'd be happy to open the door for you.
-Great.
-KATARA: Wait!
How do I land this thing?
What if I land over in the...
[GAGS]
Blech! Bug. bug.
That was a bug.
[CRASH]
I said, don't touch anything.
Oh!
Oh, don't worry.
That experiment is old,
and that egg was just
part of last week's lunch.
[SNIFFS] Ugh!
Week-old egg smell.
Quick, find that egg.
I can't believe I'm finally
going to see what's inside.
How could something that's so small,
you can't even see it,
make such a big stink?
That's the solution to our problem.
Yeah. If we put a whole mess
of rotten eggs
in the cellar
where the gas seeps up...
The gas will mix
with the smell of rotten eggs.
Then if there's a leak...
You smell rotten eggs.
Then you just follow your nose
to the place where the smell
is coming from...
And plug up the hole
where the gas is escaping.
-You're a genius!
-You're a genius!
[BELL RINGING]
Something is wrong. I've got to go.
This is a nightmare.
You don't understand.
You're making weapons
for the Fire Nation.
You make weapons for the Fire Nation?
Explain all this... Now!
It was about a year
after we moved here.
Fire Nation soldiers
found our settlement.
You were too young
to remember this tale.
They were going to destroy everything,
burn it to the ground.
I pleaded with them.
I begged them to spare us.
They asked what I had to offer.
I offered my services.
You must understand.
I did this for you.
[DOOR OPENS]
When are they coming?
Soon, very soon.
You can't give them more weapons.
If I don't give them what they want,
they will destroy this place.
How can I be proud of you
when your inventions
are being used for murder?
I need some time to think.
[BELL RINGING]
You need to leave. Go.
We're not leaving.
Then hide quickly.
You know better
than to keep me waiting.
Give me what you owe us
so I can be on my way.
Well? Is there a problem?
No. Right this way.
The deal is off.
The Avatar.
Aang, don't get involved.
If I don't get what I came for,
the Fire Nation
will burn this place to rubble.
Get out of here.
Uh!
You're leaving empty-handed.
Then the destruction of this temple
will be on your head.
This is bad, very bad.
Aang, what are we gonna do?
How can we possibly
keep them all away?
I'll tell you how.
We have something they don't...
Air power.
We control the sky.
That's something
the Fire Nation can't do.
We can win.
DAD: I want to help.
Good. We'll need it.
We finally got
the war balloon working,
thanks to Sokka.
This boy is a genius.
Thank you. You're a genius.
Thank you.
See, the problem
with the old war balloon was,
you could get it airborne,
but once you did, it just kept going.
You could put a hole in the top,
but then all the hot air would escape.
So the question became,
how do you keep a lid on hot air?
Ugh. If only we knew.
[LAUGHTER]
A lid is actually the answer.
If you control the hot air,
you control the war balloon.
Hmm, that's actually pretty smart.
OK. We got four kinds of bombs...
Smoke, slime, fire, and...
Stink.
Never underestimate
the power of stink.
They're coming!
Are we ready?
Yes, but where's Sokka
with the war balloon?
We'll have to start without it.
[CHEERING]
-Uhh!
-Uh!
Ooh!
Take them out of the sky now!
[ALL COUGHING]
We've got them on the run.
We need more slime.
Aah!
Huh!
Uhh... Uh!
Whoa!
Uh! Huh!
Uh! Huh! Yaah!
Those things are unstoppable.
I think I know how they work.
I remember my dad tinkering with
a counterbalancing system,
something to do with water.
Works great, huh?
Water? Can you get me close to one?
No problem.
Huh!
Huh!
[ROAR]
We're out of bombs.
Come on, Sokka.
Where's that war balloon?
Hey, why aren't they shooting at us?
The insignia.
They think we're on their side.
Then I guess
they won't see this coming.
Bombs away.
Uh! Hey! Aah!
Oh, no. That was the last one.
Wait a second. [SNIFFS]
You smell that?
Rotten eggs. There.
That's where the gas is escaping.
What are you doing?
That's our fuel source.
It's the only bomb we've got.
AANG: Look. They're retreating.
Yeah!
SOKKA: We're going down!
No! Sokka, hold on!
Get ready.
Oh!
AANG: You know what?
I'm really glad
you guys all live here now.
I realized it's like the hermit crab.
Maybe you weren't born here,
but you found this empty shell
and made it your home,
and now you protect each other.
That means a lot coming from you.
Aang, you were right about air power.
As long as we've got the skies,
we'll have the Fire Nation on the run.
[CHEERING]
This defeat is the gateway
to many victories.
[MEN CHANTING RHYTHMICALLY]
fire, air...
Long ago, the four nations
lived together in harmony.
Then everything changed
when the Fire Nation attacked.
Only the Avatar, master of all
four elements, could stop them.
But when the world needed him most,
he vanished.
A hundred years passed, and my brother
and I discovered the new Avatar,
an airbender named Aang.
And although his
airbending skills are great,
he has a lot to learn
before he's ready to save anyone.
But I believe Aang can save the world.
MAN: So, travelers,
the next time you think you hear
a strange large bird talking,
take a closer look. It might not be
a giant parrot, but a flying man,
a member of a secret group
of airwalkers who laugh at gravity
and laugh at those
bound to the earth by it.
[MOMO COOING]
Aren't airbender stories the best?
Was it realistic?
Is that how it was back then?
I laugh at gravity all the time.
Ha ha! Gravity.
Jingle, jingle.
Sorry.
Aw. Cheapskates.
Hey, thanks for the story.
Tell it to the cap, boy.
Aw. Much obliged, little bat thing.
It means a lot
to hear airbender stories.
It must have been a hundred years ago
your great-grandpa met them.
What are you prattling about, child?
Great-grandpappy
saw the airwalkers last week.
[GREAT-GRANDPA SPEAKS HOARSELY]
AANG: We're almost
to the Northern Air Temple.
This is where
they had the championships
for sky bison polo.
Do you think
we'll really find airbenders?
You want me to be like you
or totally honest?
Are you saying I'm a liar?
I'm saying you're an optimist.
Same thing, basically.
Hey, guys, look at this!
They really are airbenders!
No, they're not.
What do you mean, they're not?
Those guys are flying!
Gliding maybe, but not flying.
You can tell by the way they move
they're not airbending.
Those people have no spirit.
Oh! Oh!
[BOY CHUCKLING]
I don't know, Aang.
That kid seemed pretty spirited.
Ow!
We'd better find some solid ground
before it finds us.
Ha ha!
Go, Teo!
Show that bald kid how it's done!
Hey there. You're pretty good.
Yeah, I know.
But I can do more than fancy gliding.
Wow! I don't think I can do that.
But here's a good one.
[KIDS CHEERING]
What do you think?
It's great.
Hey, you're a real airbender.
You must be the Avatar.
That's amazing!
I've heard stories about you.
Thanks.
Wow! This glider chair is incredible.
If you think this is good,
wait until you see
the other stuff my dad designed.
Wow!
Yeah, my dad is the mastermind
behind this whole place.
Everything is powered by hot air.
It even pumps hot air currents outside
to give us a lift when we're gliding.
This place is unbelievable.
Yeah. It's great, isn't it?
No. Just unbelievable.
Aang used to come here
a long time ago.
I think he's a little shocked
it's so different.
So better!
AANG: This is supposed to be
the history of my people.
Ugh!
I'm sure some parts of the temple
are still the same.
AANG: It's nice to see at least
one part of the temple
that isn't ruined.
[MAN YELLS]
[ALL COUGHING]
What the doodle? Don't you know enough
to stay away from construction sites?
We have to make room
for the bathhouse.
Do you know what you did?
You just destroyed something sacred
for a stupid bathhouse.
Well, people around here
are starting to stink.
This whole place stinks.
Hyah!
This is a sacred temple.
You can't treat it this way.
I've seen it when the monks were here.
I know what it's supposed to be like.
The monks? But you're 12.
Dad, he's the Avatar.
He used to come here
a hundred years ago.
What are you doing?
Who said you could be here?
Doing here...
A long time ago,
but not a hundred years,
my people became refugees
after a terrible flood.
My infant son, Teo, was badly hurt
and lost his mother.
[SNIFFLES]
I needed somewhere to rebuild,
and I stumbled across this place.
Couldn't believe it.
Everywhere pictures of flying people,
but empty.
Nobody home.
Then I came across
these fan-like contraptions.
Our gliders.
Yes, little light flying machines.
They gave me an idea...
Build a new life for my son
in the air.
Then everyone would be
on equal ground,
so to speak.
We're just in the process of
improving upon what's already here.
And after all,
isn't that what nature does?
Nature knows where to stop.
I suppose that's true.
Unfortunately, progress has a way
of getting away from us.
Look at the time!
Come. The pulley system
must be oiled before dark.
Wait. How can you tell the time
from that thing?
The notches all look the same.
The candle will tell us. Watch.
You put spark powder in the candle!
Four flashes. So it's exactly
four hours past midday,
or as I call it, four o'candle.
Ha ha!
If you liked that,
wait till you see
my finger-safe knife sharpener.
It only took me three tries
to get it right.
Aah!
Follow me.
Hey, Aang,
I want to show you something.
AANG: I just can't get over it.
There's not a single thing
that's the same.
I don't know about that.
The temple might be different,
but the creatures that live here are
probably direct descendants
of the ones that lived here
a long time ago.
You're right. They're kind of keepers
of the temple's origins.
Besides, there is
one part of the temple
that hasn't changed at all.
KATARA: Hey...
It's just like the one
in the other air temple.
Only an airbender can open it.
So inside, it's completely untouched.
Just the way the monks left it.
I've always wondered
what it was like in there.
Aang?
I'm sorry.
This is the last part of the temple
that's the same as it was.
I want it to stay that way.
I completely understand.
I just wanted you to know it was here.
Thanks.
These lanterns are terrible.
I can't see.
Why would you
want to use fireflies for light?
Hey! Close that up. They'll get loose.
Fireflies are
a nonflammable light source.
Cover your nose and hold your breath.
OK. So you brought me
all the way down here
to see an empty room.
Wrong.
It's filled to the brim
with natural gas.
I came across it my first time here.
Unfortunately, I was
carrying a torch at the time.
Nearly blew myself and the whole place
even more sky-high.
I thought my eyebrows
would never grow back.
Anyway, there's a vital problem
that needs solving.
From time to time, we have gas leaks.
And they're nearly impossible to find.
So this place is an explosion
waiting to happen.
Yes. Until I figure out how to locate
something I can't see,
hear, smell, or touch.
TEO: The wind will carry you.
It supports something inside you,
something even lighter than air.
And that something
takes over when you fly.
I've changed my mind.
I think I was born
without that something.
Ha! Impossible. Everybody has it.
AANG: Spirit.
What?
That's the something
you're talking about.
Yeah. I suppose it is.
Are you ready?
No! Aah!
[LAUGHING]
I can't believe I'm flying!
Just make sure
you keep your mouth closed
so you don't swallow a bug.
Teo was right about the air.
All I had to do was trust it,
let it carry me.
Even though Teo's not an airbender,
he really does have the spirit of one.
I've been thinking.
If you want to see
what's in that room,
I'd be happy to open the door for you.
-Great.
-KATARA: Wait!
How do I land this thing?
What if I land over in the...
[GAGS]
Blech! Bug. bug.
That was a bug.
[CRASH]
I said, don't touch anything.
Oh!
Oh, don't worry.
That experiment is old,
and that egg was just
part of last week's lunch.
[SNIFFS] Ugh!
Week-old egg smell.
Quick, find that egg.
I can't believe I'm finally
going to see what's inside.
How could something that's so small,
you can't even see it,
make such a big stink?
That's the solution to our problem.
Yeah. If we put a whole mess
of rotten eggs
in the cellar
where the gas seeps up...
The gas will mix
with the smell of rotten eggs.
Then if there's a leak...
You smell rotten eggs.
Then you just follow your nose
to the place where the smell
is coming from...
And plug up the hole
where the gas is escaping.
-You're a genius!
-You're a genius!
[BELL RINGING]
Something is wrong. I've got to go.
This is a nightmare.
You don't understand.
You're making weapons
for the Fire Nation.
You make weapons for the Fire Nation?
Explain all this... Now!
It was about a year
after we moved here.
Fire Nation soldiers
found our settlement.
You were too young
to remember this tale.
They were going to destroy everything,
burn it to the ground.
I pleaded with them.
I begged them to spare us.
They asked what I had to offer.
I offered my services.
You must understand.
I did this for you.
[DOOR OPENS]
When are they coming?
Soon, very soon.
You can't give them more weapons.
If I don't give them what they want,
they will destroy this place.
How can I be proud of you
when your inventions
are being used for murder?
I need some time to think.
[BELL RINGING]
You need to leave. Go.
We're not leaving.
Then hide quickly.
You know better
than to keep me waiting.
Give me what you owe us
so I can be on my way.
Well? Is there a problem?
No. Right this way.
The deal is off.
The Avatar.
Aang, don't get involved.
If I don't get what I came for,
the Fire Nation
will burn this place to rubble.
Get out of here.
Uh!
You're leaving empty-handed.
Then the destruction of this temple
will be on your head.
This is bad, very bad.
Aang, what are we gonna do?
How can we possibly
keep them all away?
I'll tell you how.
We have something they don't...
Air power.
We control the sky.
That's something
the Fire Nation can't do.
We can win.
DAD: I want to help.
Good. We'll need it.
We finally got
the war balloon working,
thanks to Sokka.
This boy is a genius.
Thank you. You're a genius.
Thank you.
See, the problem
with the old war balloon was,
you could get it airborne,
but once you did, it just kept going.
You could put a hole in the top,
but then all the hot air would escape.
So the question became,
how do you keep a lid on hot air?
Ugh. If only we knew.
[LAUGHTER]
A lid is actually the answer.
If you control the hot air,
you control the war balloon.
Hmm, that's actually pretty smart.
OK. We got four kinds of bombs...
Smoke, slime, fire, and...
Stink.
Never underestimate
the power of stink.
They're coming!
Are we ready?
Yes, but where's Sokka
with the war balloon?
We'll have to start without it.
[CHEERING]
-Uhh!
-Uh!
Ooh!
Take them out of the sky now!
[ALL COUGHING]
We've got them on the run.
We need more slime.
Aah!
Huh!
Uhh... Uh!
Whoa!
Uh! Huh!
Uh! Huh! Yaah!
Those things are unstoppable.
I think I know how they work.
I remember my dad tinkering with
a counterbalancing system,
something to do with water.
Works great, huh?
Water? Can you get me close to one?
No problem.
Huh!
Huh!
[ROAR]
We're out of bombs.
Come on, Sokka.
Where's that war balloon?
Hey, why aren't they shooting at us?
The insignia.
They think we're on their side.
Then I guess
they won't see this coming.
Bombs away.
Uh! Hey! Aah!
Oh, no. That was the last one.
Wait a second. [SNIFFS]
You smell that?
Rotten eggs. There.
That's where the gas is escaping.
What are you doing?
That's our fuel source.
It's the only bomb we've got.
AANG: Look. They're retreating.
Yeah!
SOKKA: We're going down!
No! Sokka, hold on!
Get ready.
Oh!
AANG: You know what?
I'm really glad
you guys all live here now.
I realized it's like the hermit crab.
Maybe you weren't born here,
but you found this empty shell
and made it your home,
and now you protect each other.
That means a lot coming from you.
Aang, you were right about air power.
As long as we've got the skies,
we'll have the Fire Nation on the run.
[CHEERING]
This defeat is the gateway
to many victories.
[MEN CHANTING RHYTHMICALLY]