Avatar Escape
Avatar Escape was a series of short webcomic animations that Nickelodean had up to play after Season 2 finished. As we all know, Aang was potentially killed in "The Crossroads of Destiny" when in the Avatar State. Avatar Escape acts as a transition between what happens after Aang is hit by lightning, and when he awakens from his long sleep in Season 3. The are 4 different around 3 minute web comics, where Aang reconnects with the 4 most recent past lives. The webcomics are in form of video, but do not have talking, there are subtitles and music however. I have transcripted these videos for you.
Jump to Avatar Roku
Jump to Avatar Kyoshi
Jump to Avatar Kuruk
Jump to Avatar Yangchen
One: Avatar Roku
Fire shoots out of a hole in the spirit world
Aang: (Shouting) Roku, where are you?
Aang looks around and walks a few steps, a large burst of flame shoots up and reveals Avatar Roku
Aang: (Reacting to Fire) AAAHH!
Roku: Hello Aang.
Aang: I'm sorry Roku...
Aang: I tried to master the Avatar State...but I failed.
Roku: Mastering the Avatar State takes much spiritual discipline and patience.
Roku: I learned this the hard way.
Camera shifts to Aang and Roku flying to the Crescent Island on Roku's Dragon
Aang: Where are we going?
Roku: To the fire sage's temple. 154 years ago...
Cut to Aang and Roku viewing Fire Sage and a Young Roku inside the Temple.
Kaja: Concentrate on your breathing. Clear your mind of all thoughts....Enter the Avatar State..
Young Roku: (Thinking) Inhale...and Exhale...I think my leg is falling asleep..clearing mind...I hope we're not eating komodo chicken for lunch again...ARGHH!! CONCENTRATE!! (Now Shouts) I can't do it! I've been in retreat for five months and I'm no closer to entering the avatar state than when I arrived!
Roku: But I was impatient, so I decided to use the winter solstice sun to help me...
Young Roku concentrates in the temple, with the sun beams at his body.
Aang: What are you doing?
Roku: I'm trying to enter the Avatar state using the spiritual energy from the Sun.
The beam hits his eyes, making them start to glow.
Aang: You did it, Roku! You mastered the Avatar State!
Roku: Well, not exactly...
Fire Sage Kaja in doorway looks astonished
Kaja: Roku, what did you do?!
Roku: I was stuck in the Avatar state. I could see my body but I couldn't control it.
Volcanoe erupts in background, Young Roku goes in a ball of air, destroying parts of the temple.
Roku: Luckily, Fire Sage Kaja was wiser than I, and he knew how to break the Avatar State's hold on me.
Kaja holds up red stone, and Young Roku leaves avatar state
Young Roku: What happened? COUGH! COUGH!
Kaja: Looks like we have a lot more training to do..after you rebuild the temple.
Roku: I see my own impatience in you, Aang. Do not be too hard on yourself. You will master the Avatar State, as I finally did.
Roku: Look for Avatar Kyoshi in the place where Hei Bai sleeps!
Roku flies off on his dragon
Aang: ...What?
Two: Avatar Kyoshi
Aang: Hei Bai!
Aang hugs Hei Bai affectionately
Aang: Roku told me I'd find you here!
Hei Bai: RRAAAAWWW!
Aang: I'm happy to see you too. I don't suppose you've seen Avatar Kyoshi around, have you?
Aang rides Hei Bei and finds Kyoshi
Aang: There she is!
Kyoshi appears, and Aang goes to speak with her
Kyoshi: It's nice to see you, Aang. Sorry about that whole "Wrongfully accused of murder" thing back in Chin Village.
Aang: That's okay.
Kyoshi: After Chin the Conqueror died, I helped the world live in balance. I accomplished a lot of good, but I also made some mistakes..
You see Ba Sing Se
Kyoshi: One of my greatest challenges was dealing with a peasant uprising in Ba Sing Se.
You see a mob of angry peasants shouting "Down with the Earth King!"
Kyoshi: The peasants felt that the Earth King's role was outdated and that he did not represent their interests. So they stormed the Upper Ring. The peasants destroyed priceless historical artifacts and buildings- anything that represented the "old government."
Peasants broke a large statue of previous King
Shift to inside the Palace with the Earth King and Kyoshi
Kyoshi: The Earth King summoned me to help him end the revolution.
Earth King: I don't care how you do it, but I want you to squash those unruly peasants!
Kyoshi: I won't do it.
The Earth King angrily points.
Earth King: How dare you defy your King! Guards, arrest Avatar Kyoshi!
Guards surround Kyoshi, but she swiftly earthbends to set them aside.
Kyoshi: How dare you defy your Avatar! Are you ready to make a compromise?
Earth King: Yes...
Avatar Kyoshi: I don't like this revolution either. But everyone in this Kingdom must have a voice if balance is to prevail over tyranny. So I propose this---you will listen to the peasant's grievances and I will protect your interest's and Ba Sing Se's cultural heritage. Agreed?
Earth King: Agreed...
Avatar Kyoshi: I immediately set to work training an elite force of Earthbenders...They would be silent, precise...and feared by all. They became known as the Dai Li.
You see Kyoshi training a group of earthbenders, then saw as the Dai Li
Aang: You trained the Dai li? But they're the worst, most corrupt Earthbenders in the world!
Avatar Kyoshi: I thought I was doing the right thing by creating a group that protected cultural history. I had no idea what they would become. Aang, our actions always have an effect. somtimes positive, sometimes negative...and sometimes not for many lifetimes.
Aang mounts onto Hei Bai
Kyoshi: Hurry! You must find the Waterbender Avatar who came before me.
Aang: But I don't even know his name!
Kyoshi: His name is Avatar Kuruk.
Three: Avatar Kuruk
Aang: We're in the Realm of Koh, Hei Bai...We better be careful.
Avatar Kuruk appears, wearing Water Tribe clothers and Bearskin, concealing his face
Aang: Koh took your face and replaced it with a bears face!
Kuruk: Relax kid. I'm not going to hurt you.
Kuruk helps Aang up
Kuruk: I'm Avatar Kuruk! Nice to finally meet you.
Kuruk: Now tell me, have you seen a beautiful woman with long, brown hair around here?
Aang: No, who is she?
Kuruk: She's my wife.
Kuruk: When I was a young Avatar...
You see a Young Kuruk
Kuruk: I traveled the world, challenging other benders to tests of strength...
You see Young Kuruk levitating a large boulder with a bigger man, lifting a smaller one. It then shows young Kuruk pointing at a random Fire Nation Man.
Young Kuruk: I challenge you to an Agni Kai!
Man: Uh, I was just going to the store...
Kuruk: I loved impressing people with my bending prowess. Especially girls.
You then see at an Air Temple, Kuruk creating a tiny wind funnel with things inside in front of some Airbender girls
Kuruk: Bet you girls have never seen a lotus tornado before!
Girls: It's beautiful! I love you, Avatar Kuruk!
Kuruk: I was arrogant, proud, and boastful...I never thought about settling down until I met the love of my life. We met during the new moon celebration, when the sister tribes would come together as one. It was love at first sight. Her name was Ummi. She was from the Southern Tribe. And she was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. With Ummi in my life, I decided to change my irresponsible ways and settle down.
Young Kuruk is seen on the Northern Water tribe bridge, holding a necklace to a young woman, Ummi.
Ummi: A betrothal necklace?
Young Kuruk: Ummi, will you marry me?
Ummi: Yes!
Kuruk: We were to be married in the Spirit Oasis. But on the day of our wedding, tragedy struck.
As the wedding was about to happen, Ummi falls into the Spirit Oasis Pond
Young Kuruk: Ummi! No!
Young Kuruk dives and swims endlessly looking for her
Kuruk: Ummi fell into the spirit pond, as if some unseen force pulled her in.
Young Kuruk stands in the pond, sad and shocked
Young Kuruk: She's gone...
Kuruk: She didn't drown. She disappeared into the spirit world...Koh took her to punish me for my past mistakes.
Kuruk: Every year, on the anniversary of our wedding, I traveled to the spirit world, hoping to save my wife from Koh. But I failed.
Aang: I'm sorry. I know how that feels.
Aang: Wait! I've seen her!
Aang: Koh still has her! When I was in Koh's lair, he showed me Ummi's face!
Kuruk: Thank you, Aang. My search is not over yet. I will keep hunting Koh until Ummi and I are reunited.
Kuruk stands with his spear now, and starts to head off
Kuruk: Hurry! Avatar Yangchen is waiting for you!
Three: Avatar Yangchen
Aang: Hello? Avatar Yangchen? Anyone here?
Yangchen appears in front of Aang on a mountain
Yangchen: It's an honor to meet you, Aang.
Aang: It's been such an amazing experience to meet my past lives.
Avatar Yangchen: And what did you learn by meeting them?
Aang: Well...I realized that no Avatar is perfect. They all struggled and made mistakes. Like me.
Yangchen: Very wise.
Aang: But it made me wonder---why is the Avatar spirit a human in every life? Wouldn't it be better if the Avatar was an all powerful spirit that never died?
Yangchen: I don't think so.
You see images of Katara, Sokka, Toph, Iroh, and Zuko
Yangchen: The Avatar must be compassionate towards all people...and the only way to do that is to live with them. The Avatar must experience sadness... Anger... Joy... and happiness. By feeling all these emotions, it helps you understand how precious human life is...so you will do anything to protect it. If you were an all powerful spirit living on the top of some mountain...you wouldn't have much in common with an ordinary person.
You see the images of Avatar Roku, Kyoshi, and Kuruk near Yangchen
Yangchen: So the Avatar continues to take human rebirth. And with each life, learns what it means to be human.
Aang: Now that I've reconnected with all of you, does that mean the Avatar Spirit is okay?
Yangchen: Yes. But your physical body is still injured. You need time to heal.
She puts her hand on Aang's head, as their arrows glow
Yangchen: And unfortunately, it seems your ability to enter the Avatar State has been disrupted. You won't be able to rely on your past lives to help you. You must rely on your friends. And when you wake up, you won't remember this journey to the spirit world. It will be like a forgotten dream.
Yangchen's image fades away
Yangchen: Until we meet again, Aang.
