Book 2: The Drill / City of Walls and Secrets

That can't be good.


A large Fire Nation drill is trying to penetrate the wall of Ba Sing Se

Is this the first time anyone's tried that? Have the Firebenders contacted rogue Earthbenders and forced them to break a section of the wall?

Probably not, as the nations are so strongly patriotic that, speaking as someone who would probably be an Earth Kingdom citizen in-universe, would rather encase themselves in a tomb than help the enemy attack innocent people.

Aang offers help to the General in charge, who goes "Nope, we're good, no one has ever broken in before." Until Toph points out that The Dragon of The West has. Whom she has met, of course, but I don't think she knows they're the same person.

A team of Earthbenders, the Terra Team - not to be confused with the program that allows you to  SSH into a router or switch, Tera Term - attempt to stop the drill.

Do you think it will work? No, because there are twenty minutes to go.

Also, the team is quickly dispatched by Mai and Ty Lee. So yes, you DO need the Avatar's help, random general.

Everyone expects Sokka to come up with a plan. "That's a lot of pressure!" he says.

"You're also the complaining guy." Says Katara.

"That part I don't mind," and I genuinely laugh out loud.

Now, Aang, Katara, and Sokka go ... I'd say undercover, but they make no secret as to who they are as they take down the drill from the inside. Toph can't bend metal (yet), so she stays outside and tries to stop the progression of something through the dirt for the second time this season.

Time to stop the drill by disconnecting the outer, moving part from the inner, still part, until....

Quit messing with our drill!

For now, it's four against three. Four, if you count the drill being on Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee's side. Until it becomes two against two (Sokka/Katara vs. Mai/Ty Lee) and one on one (Azula vs. Aang).

And, I guess The Drill Vs. Toph.

If you can't beat 'em, escape into the sewer.

Gotta give Ty Lee props for following them, as Mai went "Fuck Azula, I'm not doing that.", and Katara Water-sludge-bends the fluid to keep pressure inside the drill.

 Toph comes along to help Earth-sludge-bend.

Aang vs. Azula is one of the less interesting battles on his part, but Azula is always cool. I mean, check this shit out;

This blast knocks Aang out, just as the drill breaks through the wall.

Meanwhile, Jet is trying to get Zuko (or, Lee) to join up with his gang to take down bits of the Fire Nation. Until he realizes that he and Iroh are Firebenders.

& There's a bit where Jet goes "I know he [Zuko] didn't get that scar from a Waterbender,", which, heh, you're not wrong.

---

Well, that's tidied and taken care of, now to go into Ba Sing Se proper and get the King's support to invade the Fire Nation.

Katara actually points out "the inner wall" - basically, the wall the drill was aiming for didn't even lead directly into the city.

This city is huge - and this isn't even all of it! It's divided into layers based upon status and wealth. Sound familiar?

Oh no, it's bureaucracy! And it's the face of an eerily-smiling woman named Joo Dee who is stopping them!

More and more, it shows that Ba Sing Se is essentially a police state where the wealthy enlist the "cultural authority" police to harass enemies of the state because said state is run by a buffoon.

Americans will know.

The kids are constantly told that "There is no war in Ba Sing Se" and having their requests for an audience with the Earth King denied, and Joo Dee is their annoying creepy chaperone as they look for Appa.

They visit a minor government official who warns them against mentioning the war or interacting with the Dai Li.

After multiple setbacks, the Gaang finds themselves at a party for a bear. Where they proceed to
 interact with the head of the Dai Li, Long Feng.

One job. One.

Meanwhile, Jet continues to hunt down Iroh and Zuko and catch them Firebending. You know, I wasn't against his methods in his self-named episode, but here...later on, you'll see that there were plenty of Firebending people who migrated from their homeland to the camps on the borders of the Earth Kingdom, it's only fitting that someone could get to the capitol.

But! We get a very good battle between Jet with his swinging hooks and Zuko with a guard's swords.

Seriously, this fight is SO underrated.

Long Feng tells the kids "We can't tell the citizens about the war because they'd just freak the fuck out, man."

Well, maybe he didn't say it exactly like that, but you get what I meant.

And if you try to convince people.....

You get hypnotized.