LogFAQs > #943755633

#7: The Library (2.10)

The kids are roaming around a desert, looking for a new plot line to follow now that Aang's earthbending training has started. Can't go back to Season 1's format! They bump into a friendly professor, who is going on about an ancient library. They invite him for a ride on Appa to find the library faster, and then they find it in the same day, proving years of arduous research are no match to the power of protagonism and the necessities of plot.

They enter the library, except for Appa, who is too big, and Toph, who has no use for books (braille doesn't seem to exist in this world). I'm thinking if they shouldn't have gone in anyway to avoid having Appa be kidnapped, but then I'm also thinking it would be hard to pull the bison out fast when the owl spirit started trying to kill them.

So they go in, and meet that owl spirit, who is already down on humans. The last human in there was Zhao, and he tried to use the library's knowledge to destroy the fucking moon, so I understand the prejudice. The kids insist, and promise not to use the knowledge for war, which is an obvious lie since their entire party's reason to exist is to overthrow the FN. If they even research a method to make food last longer, it's for war. They then make offerings to the library, which are of very mixed quality, but the owl swallows them. At this point I think the owl just wants to give them the benefit of doubt to prove a point and sink the building back to the Spirit World already.

So they start researching. The library is a big, and cool place, and it has cute little foxes who collect knowledge. Imagine having your home ibvaded by a fox who wants to steal your books or scrolls, apparently this was a thing in the Avatar-verse for a while. But the kids sink the library, so I guess they also vanquish the fox menace as a side-effect.

Meanwhile, Sokka looks for knowledge he can use for war, while the owl tries to sneak on him and catch him red-handed. The foxes actually help the kids though, showing they are not the most loyal (or bright) underlings. They find out about the Day of Black Sun, which is a clever piece of worldbuilding this show made up (I imagine the fandom would flood the internet with "what happens if there is an eclipse?" questions if this wasn't in the show). Sokka finishes taking note of the date, and then starts gloating like a maniac. The owl hears it, decides his point has been proven, and proceeds to sink the building in classic Aladdin fashion.

The kids rush to escape, and narrowly pull it off. But the professor decides to stay in the library, choosing to die along with that mountain of knowledge. You gotta give it to the man, he is commited to Science (minus the part about publishing your discoveries, I guess). I wonder if he was allowed to spend the rest of his life reading or if the owl slaughtered him immediately. Did he have food to eat there, either? Questions upon questions.

As they are leaving Toph is attacked by a bunch of sand bandits. She could kick their asses, but sand is not her element, and bending it while trying to prevent the giant library from sinking is hard. In the end, she accomplishes the later, but Appa is kidnapped. Poor Toph, she tried her best. Fast-forward to the series finale and Toph will be building a sand castle though, showing she made sure not to let sand hinder her again.

This was a long text, because this episode is just full of stuff. It's a worldbuilding feast. This show really shines when it gets into spirit stuff, and The Library takes full advantage of it. It's not a coincidence we see the library again in Korra, it deserved a second run. An absolute classic of ATLA.