Avatar: The Last Airbender/Recap/Book 3/05 The Beach

""I'm angry at myself!""

A fairly typical Beach Episode, except for the fact that it's the villains that we get to know better: Zuko, Azula, Mai and Ty Lee retreat to the royal beach house on Ember Island for a well-earned vacation. The four attempt to socialize with other Fire Nation teenagers, with decidedly mixed results, and then end with the traditional heart-to-heart around a beach bonfire. In the secondary plot, Combustion Man attacks the Gaang for the first time.

Tropes:
"Azula: She was right, of course, but it still hurt."
 * Aerith and Bob: Ruon-Jian. It's pronounced "Ron Jon," like the surf shop.
 * Armor-Piercing Question: "Who are you angry at?" After much prodding, Zuko answers with the above quote.
 * Bare Your Midriff: Almost every girl at the beach, particularly Azula and Ty Lee.
 * Beach Episode: It's even in the title!
 * Big Badass Bird of Prey: Combustion Man's interception buzzard and the messenger hawk.
 * Complete Monster: Azula thinks that her own mother thought of her as one.

"Azula: For some reason, when I meet boys, they act as if I'm going to do something horrible to them.
 * Disturbed Doves: Zuko calls some just by taking off his shirt. For a Kuai Ball Game.
 * Emotions vs. Stoicism: Zuko and Mai's fight is basically this trope. Zuko is all emotion and he lets his temper and impulses get away from him. Mai is all stoicism to the point where she doesn't care about anything and can't express any emotion. Eventually they come to understand each other, with Zuko learning to think more calmly and rationally and Mai learning to be more free to express her feelings.
 * Estrogen Brigade: Zuko has in-universe fangirls here.
 * Fan Disservice: Lo and Li in their bathing suits.
 * Finger-Poke of Doom: Zuko sends Ruon-Jian flying across the room with just a palm strike.
 * Getting Crap Past the Radar: Toph telling Aang not to "expose himself." She was of course talking about his tattoos, but Aang replies, "What, I'm wearing a bathing suit."
 * Huddle Shot: Used when Azula gathers her team to beat the opposition at a game of kuai ball.
 * I Just Want to Be Special: Ty Lee is one of identical septuplets.
 * It was never said that she was one of identical septuplets, just that she had six sisters that looked a lot like her. Still, it's not hard to see why she wants to stand out.
 * I Was Quite a Looker: Li and Lo.
 * Instant Armor: Aang uses the assemble-rocks trick he learned from Toph whilst dealing with Combustion Man.
 * Mr. Fanservice: Zuko.
 * No Guy Wants an Amazon:

Ty Lee: But you probably would do something horrible to them..."

""Together, you and I will be the strongest couple in the entire world!""
 * No Social Skills: Azula. Although she refused to admit it, she is quite insecure about it as well.
 * Serious Business: Azula's reaction to winning a game of kuai ball.
 * Shirtless Scene: Zuko gets one with Disturbed Doves.
 * Shout-Out: Everyone asking Zuko what's really bothering him is similar to the one in The Breakfast Club.
 * Skirt Over Slacks: Azula and Ty Lee with their bikinis.
 * Squee: Zuko's Estrogen Brigade during his Shirtless Scene.
 * Stunned Silence: After Azula announces her plan with Chan to become "the strongest couple in the entire world." He doesn't seem that enthused.
 * Trash the Set: At the end of the episode.
 * Tuckerization: Chan got his name from an Avatar writer, May Chan.
 * Villains Out Shopping: Although it's a wonder how nobody appeared to know that Zuko and Azula were the prince and princess of the Fire Nation.
 * We Can Rule Together: Azula suggests this to Chan.