The Earth King


 * This article is about the episode. For the political position, see Earth King. For the Earth King met by Team Avatar, see Kuei. For other similar uses, see Earth King (disambiguation).

"The Earth King" is the 18th episode of season two of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and the 38th of the overall series. It debuted on November 17, 2006.

Overview
''The group breaks into the Earth King's palace to warn him about the War, which the Dai Li kept hidden. They eventually convince the Earth King by showing him the destroyed Fire Nation drill and Long Feng is arrested for treason. Meanwhile, Zuko succumbs to an illness which Iroh calls a metamorphosis caused by his conflicting destiny and is haunted by nightmares. Azula and her friends, now disguised as the Kyoshi warriors, have infiltrated the city.''

Synopsis


Less than an hour after escaping from Lake Laogai, Aang and his friends are on a small island, recovering and discussing what they should do next. Katara and Toph both wish to leave Ba Sing Se, as they have found Appa and thus have no reason to remain there. On the other hand, Sokka wants to stay to inform the Earth King of the conspiracy that is taking place within Ba Sing Se, as well as the approaching solar eclipse, since this was their entire reason for heading towards Ba Sing Se in the first place. Aang agrees with him. Ultimately, the others agree to do so, and all four ride Appa back to Ba Sing Se's upper ring, and manage to break into the palace, tearing their way through the Royal Earthbender Guards despite a strong defense.

Meanwhile, Iroh and Zuko arrive back at their apartment after their escape at Lake Laogai. Iroh happily reassures his nephew that he did the right thing by "letting the Avatar's bison go free." However, Zuko does not respond to this comment; instead he tells his uncle that he doesn't feel right, and then suddenly collapses, losing consciousness while falling to the floor. Shocked and worried, Iroh runs to Zuko's aid.

At the palace, Aang and his friends finally reach the Earth King's throne room, where they are encountered by Long Feng and many Dai Li agents, who stand before the Earth King as a last defense. They attempt to inform the King about the war, of which he knows nothing about, and Long Feng's conspiracy, but have difficulty due to their position as well as his trust in his adviser. Long Feng attempts to arrest them, until the Earth King realizes that Aang is the Avatar; he then decides it best to at least hear out Aang and his friends after seeing his pet bear, Bosco, acting friendly towards the child.



Aang goes on to explain the various events going on that the Earth King is unaware of: a war outside Ba Sing Se's walls, Long Feng and the Dai Li's conspiracy, the imprisonment of Appa, and the brainwashing of Jet and countless other individuals. Long Feng denies all the charges brought against him, even claiming that he has never even encountered a flying bison. As the Earth King ponders over the apparently unlikely allegations, Long Feng whispers in his ear that Aang and his friends are part of an "anarchist cell" attempting to overthrow him. The Dai Li bind the group with Earthbending, and the Earth King orders the group to be detained, but Sokka has an epiphany and, with Aang's Airbending, exposes a bite mark that Long Feng received from Appa in their encounter at Lake Laogai. Long Feng claims it's a birth mark, but Aang then brings in Appa to compare the mark to the bison's teeth. The Earth King is unconvinced of the larger accusations of conspiracy in the city, but expresses a willingness to investigate more closely into the matter. Long Feng frowns sourly at all this, and shuffles off quietly with his Dai Li agents.

Meanwhile, Iroh watches over Zuko, whose condition appears only to be worsening. He is feverish and incredibly thirsty. At the same time, Aang's friends and the Earth King ride Ba Sing Se's train to Lake Laogai. The Earth King states that he has lived his life in isolation, having never been outside the palace before in his life. When they arrive at Lake Laogai, they find that the entrance to the subterranean facility, and likely the entire facility itself, has collapsed. They decide to show the Earth King the outer wall, which was earlier penetrated by the Fire Nation's drill, but the King has had enough and decides to return to the palace. Aang then quickly convinces him to continue the investigation by letting the Earth King ride on Appa.

Zuko dreams and hallucinates: in the first dream, he sees himself as the Fire Lord with a hairstyle similar to his father's and no scar on his face. Two dragons, one blue, the other red, coil around his throne and whisper advice to him. The blue dragon, speaking in Azula's voice, tries to persuade "Fire Lord" Zuko to rest, while the red dragon, in Iroh's voice, tells him not listen to the blue dragon and to instead "get out of [there]." The scene then crumbles around Zuko and the blue dragon attacks, fading to darkness as Zuko sees images of his vanished mother calling out for help.



The Earth King arrives at the outer wall, and is shocked to see the remains of the Fire Nation's drill leading right up to and through Ba Sing Se's outer wall. Long Feng makes a hurried attempt to pass the drill off as part of a construction project, but the Earth King is clearly unconvinced due to the Fire Nation insignia on it and orders the Dai Li to arrest Long Feng. The two Dai Li agents accompanying Long Feng share a conspiratorial glance, and then bind Long Feng's arms with metal manacles. When they return to the palace, he also agrees, after some persuasion to support Sokka's plan to invade the Fire Nation on the day of the solar eclipse (dubbed by Sokka "the Day of Black Sun"), when the Fire Nation will be helpless.

The Earth King's top generals, the Council of Five, raid Long Feng's office and discover files about every person in Ba Sing Se, including Aang and his friends. Included is the note from Guru Pathik that was attached to Appa's horn prior to his capture, informing Aang that he can teach him information about his powers, and even how to control the Avatar State; a letter from Toph's mother, saying she is in the city and wants to meet her daughter; and an intelligence report giving the location of Southern Water Tribe warriors led by Hakoda, Sokka and Katara's father.

At Iroh and Zuko's apartment, Iroh informs his nephew that he is going through a spiritual metamorphosis because letting Appa go went so strongly against his self-image. Iroh tells Zuko that this transformation will not be pleasant, but in the end, he will emerge as the "beautiful prince [he] was always meant to be".

Elated by the news they have all just received, Aang and his friends try to decide what actions to take. Katara suggests, albeit reluctantly, that the group split up. Aang initially objects, but, finding no other reasonable course to take, all of them agree. Sokka, however, sadly states that he will stay in the palace, as the Earth King will need guidance in the days to come. Katara quickly cuts him off, knowing that her brother's desire to meet their father is greater than her own, and states that she will stay with the Earth King instead. Thus their actions are decided - Aang drops off Sokka with Hakoda's group before proceeding to the Eastern Air Temple on Appa, Toph will go to meet her mother, and finally Katara will stay behind to assist the Earth King. The next morning, Aang and Sokka prepare to make their journey. Before departing, Aang attempts to tell Katara his true feelings for her, but is interrupted at the most untimely of moments by Sokka. The Earth King, while bidding farewell to Aang and Sokka, receives word that a group of Kyoshi Warriors will be arriving. Sokka, in a moment of excitement, realizes that the group must include Suki, and falls off Appa. He quickly recovers, and vouches that the Kyoshi Warriors are strong and trustworthy allies. The Earth King responds that he will welcome them with open arms. Katara hugs Aang and kisses him on the cheek in farewell, getting a blush from the Avatar in return. Toph expresses a rare moment of compassion for her friends, and all four engage in a group hug (Sokka reluctantly) before the boys take off.

Zuko seemed to have awakened from his feverish nightmares, and, seeing that Iroh is asleep, goes to the bathroom to splash some water on his face. When he looks up at the mirror, he is shocked to see himself without his scar, replaced by the shaved head and blue arrow tattoos of an Airbender, making him sharply resemble Aang. Zuko then actually wakes up, letting out a loud scream. He touches his scar, reassuring himself that he is actually awake.



Aang and Sokka make their way over the plains surrounding Ba Sing Se on Appa, convinced that things are finally going positively for them. However, back in the city, the circumstances take a suddenly negative turn. In prison, a Dai Li agent delivers Long Feng his meal, but also quietly reassures that the organization retains loyalty to him, not the King. Meanwhile, Toph goes to meet her mother, entering an upper-ring building that she finds empty. She enters, but only suspects trickery at the last minute, and is captured in a metal coffin. Master Yu and Xin Fu emerge from the shadows and prepare to return Toph to the Bei Fong family so that they may retrieve their reward. Afterwards, the Kyoshi Warriors arrive before the Earth King, who formally welcomes them. Unknown to the king, however, they are actually Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee, disguised in Kyoshi Warrior garments and face paint.

Series Continuity

 * This is the first time in the series a battle takes place in the beginning of a chapter. This also happens in "The Awakening" and "The Southern Raiders".
 * The Earthbending move that Aang makes in the beginning of the episode where he pushes the ground up in small square pillars under the King's Guards was the same one that he used in "The Avatar State." It is also a move that can be used by an Earthbender player in the nick.com game, Avatar: Legends of the Arena.
 * The headband that Azula wore to go along with her disguise as a Kyoshi Warrior is the same one that Suki wore before she was defeated by Azula.

Credits

 * Written by:
 * John O'Bryan


 * Directed by:
 * Ethan Spaulding


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


 * Also Starring:
 * Mako - Uncle
 * Phil LaMarr - Earth King
 * Clancy Brown - Long Feng
 * Grey DeLisle - Azula
 * Marc Graue - Xin Fu
 * Jim Meskimen - General Howe
 * Jennifer Cohn - Ursa


 * Additional Voices:
 * Dee Bradley Baker
 * Greg Baldwin
 * Barry Dennen
 * Phil LaMarr
 * Jim Meskimen
 * Andrea Romano
 * Zach Throne

Trivia



 * Sokka's line about surface-to-air rocks is a pun on real world surface-to-air missiles or SAM's. This means the palace would be prepared for an attack by Fire Nation airships.
 * When Zuko has his dream of being Fire Lord, he has a full head of long hair (similar to his father's) and no scar.
 * The two dragons, the blue and red dragons, could be a reference to the last-living dragons, Ran and Shaw. The blue dragon, who has Azula's voice, could also be a reference to her blue Firebending.

Goofs

 * When Aang first attacks the royal guards, he uses a rock wave. In the next frame, the lifted earth columns are still there, but the area around Aang is flat. Then when the picture cuts back to Aang, the ground is crumbled and cracked again.
 * When Aang mentions that Long Feng kidnapped Appa to blackmail him, Long Feng states that he thought that Sky Bison were extinct. However, this is an error since he is trying to convince the Earth King that there is no war. So, if the war doesn't exist, the Airbenders should still be alive and the Sky Bison shouldn't be extinct. Although the Earth King could have been lied to previously and told of a non-war related extinction of Sky Bison and Airbenders.
 * When Sokka is apologizing to all the guards sliding down the palace steps, he has both his machete and his club, but when they come face to face with the Earth King Sokka only has his machete. Although, it is possible that he dropped his club when Aang blasted him through the door.
 * When the Earth King admits that there is a war going on while on top of the outer wall, Aang is holding his staff, but at Lake Laogai Aang didn't have his staff. He also didn't have it while flying from Lake Laogai to the outer wall.
 * When Zuko and Iroh enter their apartment, Zuko is holding his swords and sheath in his right hand, but when he walks into the room there is another sheath on the floor as well. Later, as Zuko slumps to the ground, the swords and sheath on the ground are gone. The swords he was holding before replace the other swords in the exact same position.
 * Azula does not have a nose in the closeup at the end of the episode.
 * When the kids showed the Earth King about the drill, there's a difference between the one in the "The Drill" and in this episode. In this episode, the drill is curved and buckled and there is less slurry covering it. This may however, be part of a Dai Li plan to get rid of it, since it was surrounded by a smaller wall, which may have been used to prevent people from getting access to it.
 * When Team Avatar and the Earth King arrive at Lake Laogai, Toph uses Earthbending to raise what had previously been a hidden entrance to the secret headquarters, only to find that the entrance has been destroyed. She then expresses surprise at its destruction, despite the fact that her seismic sense should have allowed her to tell what had happened before she raised the platform. Although it is possible that this sense was dulled due to the structure being underwater.

Der Erdkönig De Aarde Koning Царь Земли (серия)