The Runaway

Writer: Joshua Hamilton

Director: Giancarlo Volpe

Guest Stars: Joe Alaskey (The Dealer)

Overview
''Katara expresses her disapproval when Toph begins scamming Fire Nation civilians for quick cash. Toph thinks Katara is acting too motherly, and a rift forms within the group. To patch things up, Katara decides to pull a scam with Toph, but they are caught by Combustion Man. He uses them as bait in an attempt to kill Aang, but Katara's quick thinking saves the day.''

Synopsis
Toph is running to a statue in Fire Fountain City, trying to evade someone. But she is then captured by a net, and screams at Katara, saying that she betrayed her. Katara replies that Toph brought this upon herself, and that she had no choice.

Three days before, Katara and Toph are training Aang, who is blindfolded. When Toph accidentally hits Katara with a rock, the two start bickering, then start battling each other. Aang, still blindfolded, tries to figure what is going on while from a distance. Sokka is hiding behind a rock, screams "SNEAK ATTACK!" and makes a failed attempt to strike Aang.



The fight between Toph and Katara continues with them wrestling in mud. Aang interrupts them and they stop. While Katara goes off to clean up, Toph suggests to the boys that they should go and have some fun. Aang, Sokka and Toph go into town with only one silver piece left. However, Toph suggests they get more from a gambling game below them. She knows through her Earthbending that The Dealer is cheating others. She uses her bending to cheat back, earning them forty silver pieces. When they arrive back at camp, Katara advises them not to do it anymore. However, even when Aang makes an Avatar promise not to do so, they don't listen. Later on, Toph cheats at a dice-like game and a test-your-strength game, winning even more money. She also pretends to get run over by a noble's carriage so that Sokka, dressed as a Fire Nation soldier, can scam the noble by accepting money for silence.

Katara continues to think these con jobs are dangerous and immoral. Toph tells Katara to quit acting like everyone's mother. When Katara realizes Toph is making a fuss because she secretly misses her own parents, Toph angrily walks off.

After going into town to buy a Messenger Hawk, dubbed Hawky Sokka finds a wanted poster for 'The Runaway' (a.k.a. Toph). After Sokka reads it aloud, Toph is delighted at the nickname and how much money is being offered for her return. Toph convinces Sokka to keep the wanted poster a secret from Katara by giving him funds for Appa's armor and expensive atlases.



While going through Toph's possessions, Katara discovers the wanted poster and has an argument with Toph, in which Toph angrily replied that Katara is not her mother and should not tell her what to do. The two of them from then on are on strict no-speaking terms. Sokka tries to write an apology message pretending to be Toph sent by Hawky to Katara but she easily finds out because Toph can't write. He later talks to Toph to try to mend the rift between her and Katara. As they discuss how Katara's motherly instincts can also be supportive and nurturing, Katara (who is bathing in the water beneath the cliff side where they sit to chat) listens to them. Sokka reveals how Katara took on the role of their mother after her death, so much so that, to Sokka she eventually replaced the face of their mother. Toph admits that she appreciates Katara's motherly nature, and believes Katara cares for her more than her real mother ever did.

A touched Katara later approaches Toph and suggests that she and Toph work together to collect the bounty that Toph has accumulated as the 'ultimate heist.' The group is very surprised (especially Aang and Sokka, who faint while foaming at the mouth), but Katara is insistent that she can show her fun side.



After Katara fakes handing Toph in to the authorities, the entire scenario turns out to be a trap set by Combustion Man. Katara and Toph are placed in a prison made of wood, material that neither of them can bend. As Aang and Sokka battle Combustion Man, Toph and Katara try to think of a way to escape the cage. Katara suggests that Toph use her meteor bracelet to make a saw, until Toph says she left it at camp. Katara then jumps up and starts to run in place. When Toph asks what she is doing, Katara replies, "I'm making my own water!" She then Waterbends her own sweat to escape the prison, earning Toph's praise. Katara and Toph race to help Aang, arriving just in time to save him from. Toph accidentally manages to hit Combustion Man on his forehead tattoo with a stone, knocking him back. He gets up and attempts to launch another explosion in the group's direction, only to find his chi blocked. The air around him explodes and the group escapes. While running away, Sokka renames their opponent Combustion Man.

At the end, Toph realizes she does not hate her parents after all. With Katara acting as a scribe, she writes down a heart-felt message for her parents that gets delivered using Hawky. The episode ends with Sokka returning and asking where Hawky is, not knowing that the girls used him.

Trivia

 * Toph pretending to be hit by a carriage carrying a wealthy merchant is very similar to a real insurance scam called a Flopsy.

Series Continuity

 * Hawks appeared in the Avatar Series Pilot, in particular Zuko's pet hawk. Momo and Zuko's hawk had animosity towards each other as Momo and Hawky do in the series.
 * The beard Sokka wears while impersonating a soldier was worn in The Headband to impersonate Aang's father, "Wang Fire." It is worn by him again in Nightmares and Daydreams.
 * First seen in "The Waterbending Scroll", a grinning monkey statue was bought by Iroh from the Pirate Ship Boutique. It was seen again, four episodes later in "The Blue Spirit" sitting with Iroh on the ship deck near the end of the episode. However five episodes later when Zuko's ship was blown up, the ominous monkey statue was presumed lost. An exact replica is shown, in this episode while Sokka was writing his letter. Interestingly enough, four episodes later, Team Avatar's invasion plan fails.
 * The Fire Nation woman standing nearby when Toph is scamming the circus bell is wearing a very similar outfit to her.