Lake Laogai (episode)

Writer: Tim Hedrick

Director: Lauren MacMullan

Guest star: Clancy Brown (Long Feng), Marc Donato (Longshot), Nika Futterman (Smellerbee), Lauren Tom (Joo Dee), George Kee Cheung (Pao), Kurt Fuller (Quon), Crawford Wilson (Jet)

The episode begins at the kids' house in the upper ring of Ba Sing Se. Sokka is attempting to draw pictures of Appa for posters Aang would drop around the city. Aang and Katara burst in with a professionally-made poster, featuring a much better picture of Aang's pal than Sokka's crude drawings. The group plans on spreading the flyers all over the city, hoping someone will have some information.

Meanwhile, Iroh's tea-making skills have earned him renown throughout the city. So much so, that a rich patron is willing to give him his own tea shop in the upper Ring of the city, much to the dismay of his present, now former, employer. While this is a dream come true for Iroh, Zuko, of course, is much less enthusiastic. He goes outside to sulk, and one of Aang's flyers falls into his hand, he is now faced with a decision. He has one more opportunity to capture Aang.

Later, Aang returns home, impatient to see if the flyers have had any success. Katara tells him to be patient, when there is a knock on the door. Aang thinks it is someone with information on Appa, instead, it's Joo Dee. She was the first one who met them when they entered the city. She explains her mysterious disappearance at the Earth king's party as having taken a short vacation to Lake Laogai. She informs the group that dropping flyers without clearance is against the rules. Aang has had quite enough of the "rules", and tells Joo Dee off, saying that he intends to find Appa, and that she should stay out of his way. Toph is elated at the opportunity to break the rules, and expresses this joy by breaking a wall in there house. The group heads out, with two Dai Li agents watching their every move.

Elsewhere, Long Feng is disappointed in Joo Dee's second failure to control the Avatar and his friends. Joo Dee worries that the group no longer trusts her, and rightly so. Long Feng simply says, "The Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai". Joo Dee's eyes go blank, and she all-too calmly accepts the invitation. Long Feng tells her to await further orders. As she leaves, Long Feng himself reveals that he too is worried that the Avatar may disrupt his control over the city and the king.

Back at their little apartment, Iroh is still excitedly mowing over names for his new tea shop. Zuko informs Iroh that the Avatar is in the city and searching for his bison. Iroh warns Zuko that further perusing the Avatar in Ba Sing Se could jeopardize their attempts at rebuilding their lives. Zuko is still set upon reclaiming his believed destiny. Iroh tells him that he should take the time to think about what that means, and why.

Out in the city, the gang is setting up more posters when Katara is approached by Jet. He tells her that he wants to help, but Katara is understandably furious with him, and attacks. Jet deflects her attacks, and tries to prove his honesty by dropping his hooked swords. The others arrive, drawn by the noise of her attack, to find Jet pinned to the wall. Toph, reading Jet's heartbeat and breathing patterns, pronounces that he's telling the truth. Katara is still distrustful, but agrees. Jet leads them to a large empty warehouse, where he says they may have been holding Appa. Toph confirms it by finding a tuft of Appa's fur. A old man who is sweeping comes in and says that he's glad that he doesn't have to clean up after the creatures droppings. The old cleaning man says that the creature was sent off to Whale Tail Island, which would take weeks, maybe months to get to. It is located down near the South Pole. He said it was bought by some wealthy noble for a zoo or something. Aang immediately wants to set off, and Jet offers to come along. But Katara reluctantly says no.

On their way out, the group is sidetracked when Smellerbee and Longshot who happen to come across them. Katara once again turns on Jet, as he had claimed to have left his gang behind. Jet insists that he's been living a peaceful life in the city, but Smellerbee of course says that he was arrested by the Dai Li a few weeks beforehand. Toph says that they're both telling the truth, even though their stories don't match. Sokka quickly realizes that the reason Toph can tell that neither of them is lying is because they both think their telling the truth. Jet has been brainwashed.

That night, a Dai Li agent is walking alone down a street when he's bumped aside by the Blue Spirit(Zuko). He chases the Spirit down an alley and attacks him, knocking the head off a decoy. Zuko quickly captures him, demanding that the agent tells him what he needs, and if he is denied, The Blue Spirit implies that he will cut off the agents head.

Meanwhile, the group, plus Longshot and Smellerbee, are holding Jet. Katara guesses that Jet and the old man were used to try to lead them away from the city on a false lead. Aang, realizing that Appa may be held in the same place they brainwashed Jet, tries to get him to remember where he was taken. When trying to remember the night his home was attacked proves too painful, Katara uses her healing to try to help him out. Jet remembers that he was taken to a secret facility under a water like a lake. Sokka remembers what Joo Dee had said about her "vacation", jogging more off Jet's memory. She said she went on vacation at Lake Laogai. The base is under Lake Laogai. The group makes their way to the lake the next day, and Toph quickly finds and uncovers an underwater tunnel. They go inside, quietly making their way through the dark corridors. In one room, a group of women are being "conditioned" to be Joo Dees. Jet leads the group to a cell he thinks will be big enough to hold Appa, which he opens. Inside his cell, Appa gets up as his cell door is opened. But it's not Jet who opened this door, but The Blue Spirit.

Meanwhile, the gang find themselves confronted by Long Feng and several Dai Li agents. A battle quickly breaks out. Long Feng starts to leave the room, with Aang and Jet in hot pursuit. Long Feng tries to make one last bargain with Aang, but he and Jet refuse. Instead, he extends the same invitation to Jet that he did to Joo Dee. Jet's eyes go blank, and he attacks Aang.

In Appa's Cell, The Blue Spirit (Zuko) is suddenly confronted by Iroh, who asks who could be behind that mask. Then, Iroh scolds Zuko for not planning ahead, particularly over the time when they were at the North Pole, in which he would have died had the Avatar's friends not come along. He pleads with Zuko to look inside himself for once, and find his own destiny, not the one forced on him by his father. Zuko throws his mask and swords to the ground in anger.

Elsewhere, Aang is trying to get Jet to snap out of his trance, while avoiding his attacks. He finally gets through to him by reminding him of his past as a Freedom Fighter. Jet recovers and Long Feng asks whats he is doing and tell him to finish Aang. Jet quickly hurls one of his hooked swords at Long Feng's head, who dodges and retaliates with a crushing blow. Long Feng escapes as the others enter the chamber. Katara tries to heal Jet, and realizes just how badly he was injured. Smellerbee asks them to go on ahead they'll be fine. Katara tells them that they can't just leave them there but Longshot speaks for the first time and tells Aang and his group that they should go an find Appa, and leave Jet to Smellerbee and himself. He's our leader. Jet tries to assure Katara that he'll be alright, but as they leave, Toph sorrowfully tells Sokka that Jet was lying.

They finally reach Appa's cell, only to find the chains broken, and Appa gone. Thinking that the Dai Li have taken him, they rush back to the surface, only to find themselves surrounded by Long Feng and Dai Li agents. Momo suddenly takes off into the sky, only to have Appa come down and break through two of the walls the Dai Li made and Appa taking out Long Feng by biting him. Toph and Aang take this opportunity to take out the remaining Dai Li on the middle wall and flings them into the lake. Long Feng tries to attack Appa, only to have his foot caught in Appa's mouth, and gets tossed into the lake Laogai, skipping across the surface. Aang and the others joyfully reunite with there Flying friend.

Meanwhile, Zuko and Iroh leave the base, barely missing the fighting. Zuko acknowledges his Uncles words, dropping the Blue Spirit mask into the water. He stands looking at it, as it sinks into the darkness.