i wouldn't exactly say this is the BEST episode, but it does effectively give the fans lots of teaser info to have us fill all these pages of speculation and theory.
i dont blame the EK village in hating zuko for being FN. the EK "soldiers" did say that FN prisoners were dressed in FN uniform and left on the frontline unarmed. (cruel but smart war tactic). since lee's brother was reported to be taken prisoner, this hit home for the family. besides, who would trust a royal member of the enemy who has been trying to conquer you for a century?

as far as who killed firelord azulan (sp?), i guess the most convincing to me is zuko's mother doing it ("if you mess with their babies, they'll bite back" and "everything i've done is to protect you") with Azula being the catalyst. the mother must've known that killing azulan before iroh returned from the war (he was not at azulan's funeral), would've given ozai the shoe-in to be the successor. therefore, making zuko next in line to the throne.

i believe someone on here speculated on whether or not zuko was even the elder child, but if the funeral is any indication then i believe he is older than azula. at the funeral, lu ten (sp?) his cousin was introduced first since he is the oldest grandson, then zuko, then azula, in that order

i doubt that azulan ordered zuko's death simply because of the destruction of the bloodline. now that iroh has no heir, killing the only remaining 3rd generation male heir would have left azula as the remaining grandchild. and although there is no denying her firebending skills, she probably cant be an heir to the throne because she's a girl. knowing the firenation, they are most likely a male-centered society (all firelords so far have been male) and would not make a woman firelord. this is similar to the water tribe refusing to teach women fighting skills and only allowing them to learn healing skills.

one quote really stands out to me in this episode: "as was your dying wish, you are now succeeded by your second son. hail firelord ozai!" azulan was obviously pissed at even the mention of taking away iroh's birthright. did he submit to ozai's reasoning or is ozai simply pulling the strings to take the throne?

one more thing, although i like the theory that ozai's face is never shown because he too is scarred, i think it may be unfounded. in the scene where he is asking azulan to revoke iroh's birthright, you partially see his face as he bows his head down (i think the only close frontal view in the whole series) and there is nothing out of the ordinary. then i wonder what's the mystery...hmm.....

They could be refraining from showing Ozai's face just because it makes him mysterious and ominous...he's the ultimate nemesis of the series, after all. When we finally do see his face, even if it's nothing out of the ordinary, it will seem special.

He the no face mwhaahhaaaa

Zuko just doesn???t fit the profile of Fire Lord, sorry! But that doesn???t mean he won???t have an important destiny, here???s my say.

In Avatar there are all sorts of undertones and symmetries if you can pick up on them, such as peace vs. war in the rivalry between Aang and Zuko. My English teacher would roll his eyes if he knew I was getting so much out of a cartoon, but that guy said he???d teach a class on LOST if he could. It comes down to what you get from a story, and fantasy novels and animation are the junk I turn to the most. Nothing on TV beats animation is what my surrogate sister says. Anyways, here are a list of main character undertones and themes I???ve picked up on so far.

Aang; The chosen one, the savior. Is there any folklore that DOESN???T have one of these? One of the oldest tradition in storytelling.

Katara; The liberated woman. She fights to earn her place in a man-ruled world, not accepting of the role given to her. One popular theme for women in literature is how they fight against and overcome the hurdles thrown at them just because their a woman.

Toph; Though new to the crew I think it???s safe to assume she is about the capability and wisdom of the disabled. How many times have you met the all knowing blind one? Sokka; the comic relief.

Sokka: Hey!

FC: Just kidding. The coming of age, youth struggling to find his place.

As for Zuko does anyone recall Plato???s allegory of the cave? A race of prisoners chained and facing a wall all their lives, all they know of reality is the darkness and the shadows on the wall. Suddenly the chains for one prisoner break and he leaves the cave. For the first time he sees nature, animals, the sun, the light, he sees reality. The Fire Nation is the race of prisoners, bound to the darkness of their reality. Zuko is the prison whose chains are breaking. The stripping of his title, his banishment, cutting his hair symbolizing the severing of his ties to the Fire Nation, even leaving Iroh is a crake in the chain. The chain hasn???t completely broken yet but all in good time.
And as Mellomuse said:

mellomuse wrote:

The Tolkien explanation is that Zuko has another, bigger destiny. In LOTR, each character, even the seemingly incompetent ones (Pippin!) had a destiny to fulfill, but sometimes their destinies were quite different from what they had envisioned when they first set out. That's true in a lot of great fantasy stories. Zuko fits into that category. He has failed so far because he's fighting his instincts and his real destiny tooth and nail. We know he thinks his father is up to no good; he said so in episode 3. We know that he kind of likes Aang, and even envies him; he tries not to because he's been trained from birth that the Avatar is his mortal enemy. He's seen first-hand what happens when someone tries to mess with spirits (of which the Avatar is the chief) or the balance of the universe. So, now, he gets to wander around for a while, start to see things through his own eyes instead of those FN-colored glasses, and he'll eventually figure it all out. But it'll be a bumpy ride. Which, of course, is what makes it so interesting. Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be King.

I think it highly unlikely Zuko???s destiny is to be the next Fire Lord, just another tyrant for the warring nation. But just because I don???t think that doesn???t mean I don???t think Zuko isn???t the hope for his nation. Zuko is learning there is more to the world, he's breaking free of his chains. Yet once you know what is out there in reality there is no going back to the darkness, no going home. If the Fire Nation learned of what Zuko they they???d rip him limb from limb. It is lonely being the bearer of ideas.Who knows, maybe Zuko is the enlightened one, not Aang th Avatar.

Edit: Yeah, this was in "Is Zuko a Failure? Yes or No" thread but I felt with the current discussion here it was more appropriate for this thread.

^So to take your implication, and the LOTR analogy to it's natural conclusion... Perhaps at the end of the war the Avatar world will not return to 4 balanced separate nation status, but become a politically unified entity with different ethnic groups. Or, in English, the three remaining nations will be united under one ruler - our banished Fire Prince.
But then, what would the Avatar's role be?

Aaahh....it's good to be on the Avatar boards again. I missed you guys.

I FINALLY saw this episode (and "the Blind Bandit") on youtube.com. This was a great Zuko episode. I was reminded of how awesome of a fighter he can be and how he actually does have some heart. Another thing, Zuko really took a risk revealing his identity like that. I do understand the sentimental aspect of it all. However, Zuko must have forgotten for that moment that he is a wanted fugitive.

Rockin' episode and it's definitely among my favorite episodes.