Nightmares and Daydreams (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

Template:Infobox Avatar: The Last Airbender episode Nightmares and Daydreams is an episode from the animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender, which airs on Nickelodeon. It is the ninth episode of the third season of the series.

Episode synopsis

The gang arrive on an island, which is where the entire invasion force will meet up. Aang is stressed about the invasion - which results in him having strange nightmares about facing the Fire Lord in a few days, like forgetting his pants before facing the Fire Lord, and forgetting to review for a non-existent math test administered by Ozai. The nightmares culminate with a jumbled montage, consisting of snap images expressing Aang's fear and stress over the upcoming battle. Because of this, he is not getting enough sleep, if any at all. Soon he starts having hallucinations, such as hearing Appa and Momo talking and battling each other in samurai armor with sheep cheering them on, and a daydream in which he professes his love for Katara, and they passionately kiss. He also tries to constantly 'train'. Katara, Toph and Sokka all try and help Aang using different methods - Katara tries yoga in an artificial hot spring, Toph gives him a brutal massage, and offers acupuncture with a porcupine when the massage fails, and Sokka dons his beard and mustache from The Headband and tries to be a psychiatrist. However, their methods all fail.

Meanwhile Zuko is enjoying his life of royalty and making the most of it while his relationship with Mai goes well. But later Azula receives a personal invitation to Fire Lord Ozai's war meeting - Zuko does not. This leads him to think that his father doesn't want him there. Eventually Zuko is told by servants of his father that everyone is waiting for him to arrive at the meeting, and they will not start until he is there. After the meeting, Zuko tells Mai that his father treated him like his right-hand man. But he confesses that although he acted like the perfect son, he was not being himself.

Aang (now completely exhausted) wanders around the campsite and stumbles across a bed of wool. He immediately dismisses it as another hallucination. His friends inform him that it is indeed real and they spent hours working on it. Aang continues to insist he is not ready, but Katara and the rest of the gang encourage him with all the work they've done together, all the training and preparation. Their faith in him gives Aang peace enough to sleep. He dreams of Fire Lord Ozai once more - Ozai again tells him he has forgotten his pants, but Aang replies that in fact it is the Fire Lord who has forgotten his pants, and Fire Lord Ozai covers himself with a large Fire Nation emblem and shrieks in embarrassment that his "royal parts" are showing. Aang now has the chance to be rested for the invasion the next day.

Production Notes

Series Continuity

• The picture of Firelord Ozai that Aang made from noodles in "The Headband" makes its return in this episode. Aang places it against a tree and uses it as a target during his preparation for the conflict with Fire Lord Ozai.
• Guru Pathik, previously appearing in "Appa's Lost Days" and "The Guru," appears during Appa and Momo's samurai-esque fight; appearing with multiple arms, he sings about chakras, which were the focus of his teachings to Aang.