The Cave of Two Lovers


 * This article is about the episode. For the location, see Cave of Two Lovers.

"earth"

- The lovers didn't want anyone to find out about their love, so they built a whole labyrinth!

"The Cave of Two Lovers" is the second episode of season two of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and the 22nd of the overall series. It debuted on March 24, 2006.

Overview
''While on their way to Omashu, Aang and his friends meet a group of carefree traveling bards, who take them through a vast tunnel known as the Cave of Two Lovers. Meanwhile, Zuko and Iroh are sheltered by kind villagers after Iroh accidentally drinks tea made from a poisonous plant. Song, a young and compassionate healer, shows Zuko the effects of war from a normal citizen's perspective. After being separated from the rest of the group as they navigate the elaborate tunnels, Aang and Katara grow closer as they discover the origins of the cave, which includes the tombs of the first two earthbenders. Both groups eventually escape from the tunnel and make it to Omashu, only to discover that it has been conquered by the Fire Nation.''

Synopsis


While Aang and Katara are practicing waterbending, and Sokka is relaxing in the middle of a lake, a group of Earth Kingdom nomads appear, displaying the characteristics of carefree, nature-loving people. Once Team Avatar reveals their plan to travel to Omashu, Chong, the lead nomad, speaks of a shortcut through a tunnel passing under a mountain. Although at first Sokka does not want to trust these new characters, the kids follow the nomads to the tunnels after an unsuccessful attempt to fly over the mountains due to Fire Nation soldiers launching projectiles at them through the use of catapults.

Meanwhile, Zuko and Iroh are trying their best to survive on their own. Things are not so easy for the formerly pampered characters though: Zuko cannot find food, while Iroh makes tea with the dangerous white jade bush in the wild after mistaking it for the legendary white dragon bush, the latter of which "makes a tea so delicious, it's heartbreaking". He then finds a plant with either bacui berries, which can cure him, or macahoni berries, which will blind him. Zuko tells him they are not taking any more chances and throws the berries away. After thinking about whether they should go to an Earth Kingdom town, which would risk capture and execution, or going to a Fire Nation town, which would risk being turned over to Azula, both decide to travel to an Earth Kingdom village for medicine and food.

Before Aang, Katara, and Sokka enter the cave, Chong mentions that the tunnels form a labyrinth protected by a curse. Only those who put their trust in love can find the way through; those who do not will be forever lost. Once they enter, a group of pursuing Fire Nation soldiers in tanks destroy the entrance to the tunnels, trapping everyone inside. Scared but undeterred, Sokka plans to create a map while traveling though the labyrinth. Before long, however, Sokka's technique with the map is useless due to the fact that the tunnels are changing around them.

In the nearby town, Zuko and Iroh meet a friendly girl named Song. When she asks who they are, Zuko says his name is Lee and Iroh's name is Mushi; a displeased Iroh gets him back by saying Zuko was named for his father so they call him Junior. Song invites the two to her house for dinner that evening, an invitation they eventually accept. During the meal, Song tells the duo that during a raid on her village, the Fire Nation captured her father. When she asks Zuko if his father is fighting in the Hundred Year War, Zuko says that he is, but does not tell her that his father is actually the Fire Lord.

The nomads plan to all stick together so no one gets lost. However, this plan does not work when the group is separated by a cave-in caused by Appa's panic at being underground, exacerbated by an attacking wolfbat and a carelessly wielded torch. Aang's quick action saves everyone from being crushed by the falling rocks, but the group is separated. Aang, Katara, and Appa are in one group, while Momo and Sokka, much to Sokka's dismay, are forced to travel through the tunnels with the musical nomads, who assure him that he should not "let the falling rocks turn [his] smile into a frown."



Zuko sits on the front porch of Song's house, with Song seated next to him. She notes that the Fire Nation has hurt him, but when she tries to tenderly touch his scar, Zuko rebuffs her. She then shows Zuko a burn on her leg caused by firebenders, sympathizing with him and showing him that the Fire Nation hurt her as well. Zuko seems shocked by her injury.

After traveling for about three hours, Aang and Katara encounter a large tomb designed for the two lovers spoken of in lore. By reading script around the walls, they discover the true story of the two lovers. A man and a woman from feuding towns met at the top of a mountain. Although it was dangerous to meet, the loving couple found a way to continue their relationship in secret. After learning earthbending by observing the natural skills of badgermoles, they created a labyrinth, which only they could navigate successfully, as a place to be together. However, one day the man did not come; he had been killed in the war between their people. While the woman initially expressed her fury in a display of earthbending prowess which had the potential to destroy both of the warring towns, she instead declared an end to the conflict. The two villages created a city to honor the couple's love, which eventually became the city now known as Omashu. The names of the lovers are revealed to be Oma and Shu, whose names were joined together to name the city. Aang and Katara then turn around and see a statue of the lovers, with a slogan in the middle stating: "Love is brightest in the dark."

Katara is inspired by this to suggest a possible way to solve the labyrinth; perhaps by following the example of the lovers and kissing, she and Aang could find their way out. Although Aang, due to his unexpressed but growing affection for Katara, finds this idea highly intriguing, he attempts to reassure an embarrassed Katara that he could not imagine kissing her. When she seems put out by this response, he assures her that what he meant was that, in choosing between certain death and kissing her, he would definitely choose to kiss her, and says, "It's a compliment!" Katara storms away in anger, while Aang laments his poor word choice.

Meanwhile, Zuko and Iroh depart from Song's residence. While Iroh thanks the family for their excellent meal, Zuko steals the family's ostrich horse for easy traveling. Iroh tries to convince his nephew not to do it, but in the end, he hops on anyway, after Zuko insists. Song witnesses this event, but does not stop them. She instead just closes her door, seemingly disappointed, as Zuko and Iroh leave.



Later, as the torches are burning out, desperation, and possibly affection, lead Aang and Katara to dare the unknown. As the torchlight fades, we see them leaning toward each other, closing their eyes. In the resulting darkness, Aang and Katara find out that the two lovers followed a path of glowing crystals, which only shone in the dark, showing how they get out of the tunnel. Finally, the two and Appa, who is happy to see sunlight, get out of the tunnel.

Sokka and the nomads continue to find dead-ends in their quest for the exit, and are eventually confronted by a pair of enormous badgermoles, who corner the group. As Sokka tries to escape, he accidentally strums a dropped guitar, producing music. The angry badgermole pauses, intrigued, and Sokka tries to play a song to pacify the beast. The nomads quickly realize what he is doing, and contribute their talents. They are successful in taming, or at least pleasing, the badgermoles, who take them to the exit of the labyrinth.

"Badgermoles coming toward me! Come on guys, help me out!"

- Sokka singing to the nomads to aid him in escaping from the badgermoles

"The big, bad badgermoles, who earth bend the tunneles, hate the wolfbats, but love the sound......"

- Chong singing to tame the badgermoles



The group is reunited with Aang, Katara, and Appa. After the badgermoles leave them, Katara notices a big red rash on Sokka's head, which was the result of him hitting himself against the forehead every time the nomads did something stupid; Chong announces that he thinks the one with tattoos is the Avatar, making Sokka hit himself again.

After bidding farewell to the singing nomads, Aang, Sokka, and Katara finally arrive at Omashu. When Team Avatar sees that the Fire Nation has taken control of the city, they are extremely devastated.

Credits

 * Written by:
 * Joshua Hamilton


 * Directed by:
 * Lauren MacMullan


 * Starring:
 * Zach Tyler Eisen - Aang
 * Mae Whitman - Katara
 * Jack DeSena - Sokka
 * Dante Basco - Prince Zuko
 * Dee Bradley Baker:
 * Appa
 * Momo


 * Also starring:
 * Mako - Uncle
 * Dee Bradley Baker - Chong
 * Laraine Newman - Lily
 * Derek Basco - Moku
 * Kim Mai Guest - Song
 * Barbara Goodson - Mom


 * Additional voices:
 * Dee Bradley Baker
 * Derek Basco

Series continuity

 * This episode shows Omashu under Fire Nation control, whereas it remained untouched in "The King of Omashu".

Goofs

 * The writers named the red berries that Iroh finds "maka'ole berries" because they thought "maka'ole" meant "without eyes".
 * Chong sings "Don't Let the Cave In Get You Down, Sokka" to cheer Sokka up. When he starts out on Sokka's right he is wearing two white bracelets on his right wrist, but when he reappears on Sokka's left side, the bracelets are gone. This happens several times throughout the episode.
 * When Aang says, "We're going to lose the light any second now", there is still about a quarter or so of the torch left. Each torch lasts about two hours, so that bit should have lasted thirty more minutes, but it did not.
 * When Zuko comes back from fishing and Iroh tells him he ate the flower in front of him, he is wearing the outfit he was wearing before Zuko left. But when he turns to show that he has a rash from the plant he is wearing the kimono he wears during their dinner with Song and her mother. Then after he gets up and is scratching, he is back in the other outfit.

Trivia

 * This episode begins with the "Leaves From the Vine" melody.
 * At one point Chong says, "The tunnels, they're a-changin'!" This is a reference to Bob Dylan's song The Times They Are a-Changin', which was a hit in the 1960s, a time period affiliated with hippies.
 * The song that is played during the story of the two lovers is called "Kataang".
 * The story of the two lovers is similar to that of Romeo and Juliet, and the tale of Pyramus and Thisbe for which it is based on, a famous play by William Shakespeare, and its musical adaptation.
 * The rash on Iroh's left leg, which he received from the White Jade plant, is very similar to the burn Song showed Zuko.
 * This is the first episode in which badgermoles are actually seen.
 * When Aang and Katara enter Oma and Shu's tomb, the pictures that tell their story are referencing Egyptian culture with its hieroglyphics. The educator John McBon helped with his knowledge about this type of writing.
 * A sequel to this episode, "Love Potion 8", was released as a book in 2008.

Die Höhle der Verliebten De Grot van Twee Geliefden Пещера двух влюблённых (серия)