I know that I say this about pretty much all of the episodes but I really love this episode! The tale that always gets to me is The Tale of Iroh. Maybe it's because Uncle is one of my favorite characters (second only to Sokka) or maybe it is because of the way his story is played out.
Right off the bat you see the gentle and kind nature of Iroh when he plays a song for a child crying at the market. There's also a funny encounter with a group of children who accidentally break someone's window. The one that always makes my brother and I say "This is why Uncle is awesome, seriously who does that?" is when he gets jumped and instead of trying to escape or fight the robber off he actually helps the guy with his stance. He ends up having a cup of tea with the guy and convinces him that he does not have to earn a living robbing people and helps the man find his way again.
And that is Uncle-he's fearless but kind, funny but wise, and always sees the good in people. When he finally reaches his destination you realize it is to set up a memorial for his son Lu Ten who died in the Siege of Ba Sing Se. He wishes his son a happy birthday and laments that he was unable to help him like he helped all those people through the course of his day. Then he sings the same song the he played for the little boy at the market and begins to cry.
The death of his son changed Iroh. Where some might be angry and lash out and lose themselves when a loved one dies, he changed to be the best person he could possibly be in honor of his son. Not only does his tale serve to commemorate his son Lu Ten, at the end, the episode is dedicated to Mako. Mako was Iroh's voice actor in Book 1 & 2. He passed away in 2006 after a long battle with esophageal cancer. I think it was a great way to end his tale. It really showed that the emotion in this episode stemmed from a real source and made a beautiful ending.
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