Character Debuts: The Mechanist (edit) The part where Sokka saves himself from the falling war balloon by tying a rope to his boomerang and throwing it to Aang is probably based on the unaired pilot episode, in which he does a similar thing. (edit) Villain Debut: War Minister Qin.
War Minister Qin is the leader of the invasion on the Northern Air Temple. He also seems to be the Fire Nation Minister in charge of war technology, as the next time he is seen is leading a giant Fire Nation war machine. (edit) This is the first time we have ever witnessed a large scale invasion, possibly a foreshadowing for the season 1 finale. (edit) This episode aired in the UK on 14/10/06 (14 October 2006). (edit) This episode is in the Avatar: The Last Airbender Book 1: Water, Volume 5 DVD, along with The Waterbending Master, and The Siege of the North Parts 1 and 2. (edit) Towards the end of the episode, the mechanist is seen bowing his head a good distance away from everyone, the picture suddenly turns black and white. (edit) The mechanist's war ballon that Sokka and the mechanist used in this episode to fight off the fire nation troops was later recovered by those same soldiers. Following that, the Fire Nation Emissary said "This defeat is the gateway to many victories," as the balloon was being pumped full of air again. (edit) Katara and Sokka wear their coats again in this episode; this makes sense since they are closer to the North Pole. (edit) Hero Debut: Teo
Teo is a young man, probably from the Earth Kingdom, who is an experienced glider, even though he appears to be very young. (edit) Word of Aang’s exploits have already spread around the world, even to isolated places towards the northern part of the world, as the refugees in the Northern Air Temple knew the Avatar had returned. (edit) Apparently the mechanist's inventions are extremely hard to break, as in the end of the episode when we saw that the war balloon was unharmed and the fire nation was preparing to take it back with them. (edit) Some of the Fire Nation vehicles, as shown in this episode, have a weak spot when it comes to water. This is one of the first times in a battle where Katara’s ability really damaged the Fire Nation’s advances. (edit) The Northern Air Temple has been changed drastically since Aang was there. (edit) This episode was previously called The Gliders. (edit)

Aang: Our gliders.
The Mechanist: Yes, little light flying machines. They gave me an idea. Build a new life for my son, in the air! Then everyone would be on equal ground, so to speak! We're just in the process of improving upon what's already here and after all, isn't that what nature does? (edit) Sokka: Aang, you were right about air power. (Pointing to the sky) As long as we've got the skies, we'll have the Fire Nation on the run! (edit) Aang: You know what? I'm really glad you guys all live here now. It's like the hermit crab, maybe you weren't born here, but you found this empty shell and made it your home. And now you protect each other.
Teo: That means a lot coming from you. (edit) Aang: This place is unbelievable.
Teo: Yeh, it's great isn't it?
Aang: No, just unbelievable. (edit) Storyteller: So travelers, the next time you think you hear a strange large bird talking, take a closer look, it might not be a giant parrot, but a flying man! A member of a secret group of air walkers who laugh at gravity and laugh at those bound to the earth by it! (edit) Mechanist (after knocking down a wall which contained on the other side of it a sacred statue of an airbender): What the doodle! Don't you know enough to stay away from construction sites? We have to make room for the bathhouse.
Aang (extremely angered): Do you know what you did? You just destroyed something sacred! For a stupid bathhouse!
Mechanist: Well, people around here are starting to stink.
Aang: This whole place stinks! (edit) Sokka: We better find some solid ground before it finds us! (edit) Aang: Just remember to keep your mouth closed so you don’t swallow a bug!
(Later in the episode)
Katara: Wait, how do you land this thing? (Katara begins to cough) Bug! That was a bug! (edit) Aang (looking into Northern Air Temple sanctuary): This is a nightmare.
Mechanist: You don't understand.
Aang: You're making weapons for the fire nation. (edit) Sokka: ... so then the question became, how do you keep a lid on hot air?
Katara (whispering): Awww, if we only knew. (Aang, Katara and Teo begin to laugh) (edit) Aang: The deal's off.
Fire Nation Emissary: The Avatar.
Mechanist: Aang, don't get involved.
Fire Nation Emissary: If I don't get what I came for, the Fire Nation will burn this place to rubble!
Aang: Get out of here! You're leaving empty-handed.
Fire Nation Emissary: Then the destruction of this temple will be on your head. (edit) Mechanist: We finally got the war balloon working, thanks to Sokka. That boy's a genius!
Sokka: Thank you. You're a genius.
Mechanist: Thank you. (Aang and Katara give each other weird looks) (edit) Sokka: Why would you want to use fireflies for light?
Mechanist: Hey close that up, they'll get loose! Fireflies are a non-flamable light source. (edit) Teo: Besides, there's one part of the temple that hasn't changed at all.
Katara (walking in a new hallway with air nomad symbols on the floor, approaching a door): Hey! It's just like the one in the other Air Temple.
Teo: Only an airbender can open it, so inside it's completely untouched, just the way the monks left it. I've always wondered what it's like in there.
Katara: Aang?
Aang: I'm sorry, this is the last part of temple that the same as it was. I want it to stay that way. (edit) Teo: Hey Aang, I want to show you something.
Aang: I just can't get over it. There's not a single thing that's the same.
Teo: I don't know about that. (picks up an insect-like creature) The Temple might be different, but the creatures that live here are probably direct descendants of the ones that lived here a long time ago.
Katara (takes creature from Teo): You're right. They're kind of keepers of the temple's origins. (gives creature to Aang) (edit) Mechanist (looks over to three lit candles): Look at the time (looks over to his construction crew) Come, the pully system must be oiled before dark.
Sokka: Wait, how can you tell the time from that thing? The notches all look the same.
Mechanist: The candle will tell us.
Sokka (the top candle sparks four times): You put spark powder in the candles.
Mechanist: Four flashes, so its four hours past mid-day. Or as I call it 4 o'candle.
Sokka: Hahaha!!
Mechanist: If you like that, wait till you see my finger-safe knife sharpener. Only took me three tries to get it right. (pulls 3 wooden fingers off his hand, throws them to Sokka)
Sokka: Ahhh! (edit) Aang (looking at a very different temple than the one he visited 100 years ago): This is supposed to be the history of my people.
Katara: I'm sure some parts of the temple are still the same. (edit) Katara (inside the temple, looking at all the pipes, etc. that now vacate the temple): Aang used to come here a long time ago. I think he's shocked it's so different.
Sokka: So better! (edit) Teo: Hey, you're a real airbender. You must be the Avatar! That's amazing! I, I've heard stories about you... (edit) Teo: Hey there. You're pretty good.
Aang: Yeah, I know, but I can do more than fancy gliding. (Aang proceeds to do airbending tricks, and succeeds) (edit) Katara: They really are airbenders!
Aang: No, they're not.
Sokka: What do you mean they're not? Those guys are flying!
Aang: Gliding, maybe, but not flying. You can tell by the way they move, they're not airbenders. Those people have no spirit. (edit) Katara (as they are approaching the Northern Air Temple): Do you think we'll really find airbenders?
Sokka: You want me to be like you, or totally honest?
Katara: Are you saying I'm a liar?
Sokka: I'm saying you're an optimist, same thing basically. (edit) Storyteller: Jingle jingle. (holds bag for money, waiting for Sokka to put some money in)
Sokka (reaches into pockets searching for some coins, but only finds a bug and some dirt) Sorry...
Storyteller: Aww...cheapskates. (edit) Aang: Aren't airbender stories the best?
Katara: Was it realistic? Was that how it was back then?
Aang: I laugh at gravity all the time. (laughs) Gravity. (edit) Fire Nation Emissary: This defeat is the gateway to many victories. (edit)

After we see the bison fountain we see the ceiling with pipes and a metal object with a tower like top in the bottom right corner of the screen; but after we see Aang's confused expression and we return to the same shot, the metal object is replaced with a wheel. (edit) The Northern Air Temple was discovered by people walking up on foot; also, the Fire Nation army easily marched an entire unit up the walkways in order to get to the Northern Air Temple. But, earlier Aang says how the only way to reach a temple is through bisons. (edit) While the group and the people are inside The Mechanist room to see the presentation of war balloon, there is a sketch of Aang's glider. Also, there is a small sketch of bat wing at the corner. We can see it as a complete glider in season 3 chapter 10. (edit) At the end of the episode, the Fire Nation gains control of the war balloon. (edit) As in The Southern Air Temple when Aang goes to open the sanctuary doors, the locks are in "open" position. when he performs the airbending, they are in "locked" position until he opens them. (edit) While Katara asks how they can stop the incoming Fire Nation attack, her braid is missing. (edit) While the Mechanist tries to plea his case and puts out the model blimp's fire, Aang's yellow collar turns orange-red like his shawl. (edit) When Katara says that she doesn't have the thing inside to fly, her necklace is thick enough and big enough for it to protrude from her neck and the thickness to be outlined. (edit) When Katara first flies on a glider, Teo flies in the sky with her. But a few moments later, Aang is with her, and Teo is on the ground, his glider attachment next to him. (edit) In the scene where Aang stands with his arms crossed while hearing the Mechanist's explanation of how he came across the temple and its gliders, the detail on Aang's staff changes to the point where it resembles a regular long stick. (edit) Teo said only an airbender can open the door to the Northern Air Temple sanctuary, and this is the second time we have been told this (also at the Southern Air Temple). But, somehow, the crazy inventor was able to get into and out of the area many times, without possessing airbending abilities. (edit)

The gliding used by the non airbenders resembles a popular activity called Hang Gliding. (edit) Sokka and The Mechanist put rotten eggs to help detect a leak of the natural gas. In the present, people do the same thing. They put hard-smelled things at invisible gases. However, the most famous case was Hindenburg case. Hindenburg was a large zeppelin with hydrogen gas inside the large balloon space. They used garlic to detect hydrogen leak. Unfortunatelly, Hindenburg got into an accident on 6 May 1937 and was destroyed. (edit) Considering his flying ability, Teo's name is likely a variation of the Mandarin word 'tiao' which translates to 'cicada'. (edit) The tanks in this episode seem ed after the Ford M1918 tank that was produced for the U.S. Army in World War I. (edit)