Netflix Avatar: The Last Airbender season 1 recap guide: All 8 episodes explained

Season 1 episode 8 recap: Legends

The season 1 finale opens with Team Avatar successfully taking down a Fire Navy ship and all the soldiers on board. But as they fly through the sky on Appa, they notice many other Fire Navy ships headed for Agna Qel'a. Then, there's a cut to the title card. After the title, the episode cuts to Iroh giving Zuko advice on how to get into Agna Qel'a without being detected. Zuko leaves afterward.

Iroh meets again with Zhao, who shows him a new hot air balloon invention that he plans to use to bypass the Northern Water Tribe defenses. An epic fight between the Fire Nation and the Northern Water Tribe is fully in effect now at Agna Qel'a. Katara manages to convince Master Pakku to let her and other female waterbenders join the fight. Meanwhile, Arnook leaves Princess Yue in the care of Sokka as he and Hahn go to fight.

Now, in the war balloon invention approaching Agna Qel'a, Iroh suggests to Zhao that he pause the attack on the Northern Water Tribe since the Waterbenders' powers are at their peak due to the Ice Moon. However, Zhao refuses to stop the attack and instead tells him his master plan. Zhao previously learned from the Great Sage that the Waterbenders' lives come from the spirit of the ocean while their powers come from the spirit of the moon. The Ocean and Moon spirits give up their immortality for one night every year to be among the Waterbenders. They take a physical form and become part of the mortal world.

Zhao's plan is to kill the Moon spirit in its physical form so that the Waterbenders will lose their waterbending abilities. That way, the Fire Nation can conquer the Northern Water Tribe with ease. Meanwhile, Aang is warned of Zhao's plan by Avatar Kuruk's spirit. He tells Aang that Zhao must be stopped because if he kills the Moon Spirit, it will throw the entire world out of balance. Elsewhere in Agna Qel'a, Princess Yue takes Sokka to the most sacred spot in the North Pole (the Spirit Oasis) to heal Momo, who has been injured in the fight. After putting Momo in the water, Momo is instantly healed.

Zuko also finally finds a way into Agna Qel'a. He eventually finds Aang and Katara and engages in a battle with Katara while Aang goes to stop Zhao. Elsewhere, Zhao and Iroh arrive at the Spirit Oasis. As Zhao looks at two coy fish in the water, he realizes that one is the Moon Spirit and the other is the Ocean Spirit in their physical forms. Although Iroh warns him about killing the Moon Spirit, Zhao ends up doing it anyway. Now, the Ice Moon has completely disappeared in the sky, and the Waterbenders have lost their waterbending powers. The Firebenders begin to overpower the Waterbenders, but Aang has a plan.

He activates the Avatar State and sinks himself into the Spirit Oasis to merge with the Ocean Spirit, forming a huge fish-like figure. In this form, Aang begins slaying every Fire Nation member on land and in the water. Elsewhere, Zhao tries to escape, but Zuko spots him and engages in a battle. The fight ends with Iroh stepping in and using his firebending abilities to throw Zhao into the water. He and Zuko then watch as Zhao's burning body floats in the ocean. But before Zhao dies, he tells Zuko that the Fire Lord is using him and is never going to actually let him back into the Fire Nation. He tells him about how he had been secretly working with Azula and that that's who the Fire Lord is more concerned with. This absolutely crushes Zuko.

Aang has completely wiped out all the Fire Nation members at Agna Qel'a now, so Katara tries to get him to wake from the Avatar State. But Princess Yue tells her that Aang is lost and that the Ocean Spirit has taken over because it's angry that it has lost its other half (Moon Spirit). She knows how to get him back, though. The only problem is that it requires her sacrificing herself to give back the life that the Moon Spirit had given her. Before sacrificing her life, she kisses Sokka one last time. Once the deed is done, the Ocean Spirit separates from Aang, and Aang falls into the ocean. Still in the Avatar State, Aang shoots out of the ocean in a ball of water into the sky. He's back! The Waterbenders also regain their waterbending abilities.

The threat has been eliminated, and now the Northern Water Tribe is left to clean up the mess that was made. It's time for Team Avatar to depart and head back to Omashu so that Aang can learn earthbending. Elsewhere, Iroh and a dejected Zuko leave Agna Qel'a.

At Capital City, the Great Sage explains to Fire Lord Ozai what happened at Agna Qel'a, including the multiple Fire Nation casualties. But the Fire Lord doesn't seem bothered by the fact that they couldn't take over the Northern Water Tribe. He reveals to the Great Sage that the attack on the North was used as a distraction so that the Fire Nation could conquer Omashu without any problems.

The next scene shows Fire Nation guards dropping a handcuffed King Bumi onto the ground at Omashu. A Fire Nation guard then walks up to Bumi and takes off their helmet. The person is revealed to be Princess Azula! She has captured Bumi and seized Omashu. In a voice-over, Fire Lord Ozai reveals the Fire Nation's next plan, which is to take over the other Earth Kingdom city, Ba Sing Se. Once this happens, the Fire Nation will have completely conquered the Earth Kingdom.

The season 1 finale ends with a mid-credits scene showing the Great Sage explaining to the Fire Lord that Sozin's Comet is returning soon. Sozin's Comet is a rare cosmic event that benefits the Fire Nation. It's a celestial object that passes near the Earth every 100 years, and once it nears the Earth, it greatly increases the Firebenders powers. Essentially, this would help the Fire Nation defeat the Avatar. With this on the horizon, Aang needs to hurry up and quickly master all four elements.

Avatar: The Last Airbender season 1 is streaming now only on Netflix.