Book One: Water – Chapter Three: The Southern Air Temple
Overview: In Chapter Three: The Southern Air Temple – Aang is excited about finally going home again for the first time in one hundred years, but he is shocked to find out that the temple is deserted. Aang tells Sokka and Katara about his childhood as they explore the temple, but they soon discover something that Aang never expected, also Aang discovers a new friend that joins them throughout their journey. Meanwhile, Prince Zuko must make repairs to his ship, and the only way he can do it is to dock his ship at his rival’s naval base
Air date: 2/25/2005
Directed by: Lauren MacMullan
Guest Stars: Dee Bradlye Baker as additional voices, Jason Isaacs voices Commander Zhao, Sab Shimono voices Monk Gyatso, Bruce Locke voices additional voices.
Review By: Jason Schulte
Rating: 
In this emotional third episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender, Aang takes his new friends Katara and Sokka to his childhood home in the sky — the Southern Air Temple. At first, the journey feels full of excitement and nostalgia, but as they arrive, subtle signs of emptiness and decay begin to set in. Something is clearly wrong.
This episode beautifully balances discovery and heartbreak as Aang realizes that the world he once knew has changed forever. Katara and Sokka try to protect him from the painful truth, but the show handles themes of loss and death with remarkable sensitivity. When Aang finally confronts what happened to his people, his emotional reaction adds real depth to his character and reminds viewers just how heavy his role as the Avatar truly is.
Despite the sorrowful undertone, “The Southern Air Temple” remains one of the series’ most powerful early episodes — filled with rich world-building, emotional storytelling, and the first real glimpse of Aang’s connection to the Avatar State.