LogFAQs > #969976376

#46: The Crossroads Of Destiny
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Show: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Original airdate: December 1, 2006

"It's okay. I used to think this scar marked me. The mark of the banished prince, cursed to chase the Avatar forever. But lately, I've realized I'm free to determine my own destiny, even if I'll never be free of my mark."

The second season finale of Avatar: The Last Airbender saw the climax of everything that had been building up so far, and it certainly didn't disappoint, even if it did shock me to my core. I expected the final villains of the season to be Long Feng and the Dai Li, but, as Azula so astutely put it, he was never even a player, and ultimately this episode hinged on Zuko, who'd been leaning toward the side of good with the help of Katara. We truly believed he might actually begin helping the heroes here, after all, it was the end of the second season and Zuko's entire arc had been taking him to this very point... and so when Azula led the Dai Li to challenge the Gaang, we thought it might be Zuko that would save the day. However, he turned on Aang and Katara, forcing Aang to go into the Avatar State... but that wasn't to be either, as a well-timed electric attack from Azula put him out of commission, seemingly for good. Everything that could go wrong for the good guys did go wrong, but in retrospect, it made sense that they wouldn't win this one... we still had one more season to go, after all. This brilliantly written, brilliantly crafted season finale saw the heroes at their lowest point, with betrayals and even a fakeout death, much like True Colors was for Amphibia. Things truly were darkest before the dawn, and it would be a painfully long wait to see how this story concluded.