Avatar: The Last Airbender season 2

Book 2: Earth
Season 2
The cover for "The Complete Book 2 Collection" DVD.
No. of episodes	20
Release
Original network	Nickelodeon
Original release	March 17, 2006 – December 1, 2006
Season chronology

Season Two of Avatar: The Last Airbender (also known as Book 2: Earth), an American animated television series, began airing March 17, 2006, and ended on December 1, 2006, after a total of twenty episodes aired. The season was created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko; it starred Zach Tyler Eisen, Mae Whitman, Jack DeSena, Jessie Flower, Mako, Grey DeLisle, and Dante Basco as the character voices.

The season focused on the main character, Aang, and his journey alongside his friends, Katara and Sokka, to find himself an Earthbending teacher. At first their journey takes them to one of Aang's old friends who was introduced in the first season, King Bumi. However, when the old king reveals that Aang must find a different teacher, luck leads him to find Toph, a young Earthbending master. She becomes the fourth member of the gang and tags along with Aang for the rest of the series.

On his way to Ba Sing Se, where Aang will plan an invasion of the Fire Nation, Aang takes a side-trip that both robs him of his flying bison, Appa, but reveals a very important strategy that will help him defeat Fire Lord Ozai during the invasion; all firebenders lose their power during a solar eclipse. Without his transportation, Aang proceeds to the impenetrable Earth Kingdom city of Ba Sing Se, with hopes to inform the Earth King of this important fact. However, the city is quickly revealed to be hiding the war altogether from its citizens. In addition, the person in charge of the controlling process, Long Feng, is found to be holding Appa hostage. Aang desperately tries to recover his bison Appa and reveal the truth about the corrupted prison.

Reception

In a review of the Volume 2 DVD Release for Book 2, Gabriel Powers from DVDActive.com says "Avatar: The Last Airbender is probably the best kids show to come along since Justice League and Samurai Jack"; the review describes the many good aspects of the show, such as "how funny it is". Powers also comments:

Without dumbing down its characters, plots, or humour, and without overtly taming-up the action or peril, Avatar manages to enthral children and adults, ages 4 to 56...There is a genuine classic feel to the series, which uses actual Asian history and lore as its base. Like Star Wars, the creative forces behind the show have tapped into that basic, generation spanning storytelling that will live long after the series' youngest fans are old and bitter.

For the video and audio quality, Powers says "Season two generally looks better than the bulk of season one, but still has some issues."

In the 34th Annual Annie Awards of 2006, the show was nominated for and won the "Best Character Animation in a Television Production" award, for Jae-Myung Yu's animation in "The Blind Bandit", and the "Best Directing in an Animated Television Production" award, for the episode "The Drill". In 2007, the show was nominated for "Outstanding Animated Program" in the 2007 Emmy Awards for the "City of Walls and Secrets" episode, though it did not win. However, the show did win the "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation" award for Sang-Jin Kim's animation in the "Lake Laogai" episode.

Episodes

#	Title	Writer	Director	Original airdate	Production code
21	"The Avatar State"	Aaron Ehasz, Elizabeth Welch Ehasz, Tim Hedrick, John O'Bryan	Giancarlo Volpe	March 17, 2006	201
After leaving the North Pole, Aang and the group travel to an Earth Kingdom military base to receive an escort to Omashu, so Aang can learn Earthbending from King Bumi. The general there reveals a surprising plan, suggesting that Aang trigger the Avatar State to defeat the Fire Lord immediately. However, the general proves he is willing to use any means to do so, including faking Katara's death, which finally triggers the Avatar State after many failed attempts. Meanwhile, Zuko's sister, Azula says that the Fire Lord will pardon both him and Iroh if they return home with her. It turns out to be a trap, however, after escaping from her they are declared traitors to the Fire Nation. They then cut off their topknots to symbolize their separation from their homeland.
22	"The Cave of Two Lovers"	Joshua Hamilton	Lauren MacMullan	March 24, 2006	202
While on the way to Omashu, Aang and the crew meet a group of traveling bards, who take them through a vast tunnel known as "The Cave of Two Lovers". In the cave, Aang, Katara, and Appa become separated from Sokka and the bards. Elsewhere, Zuko and Iroh are sheltered by kind people after Iroh "accidentally" drinks the tea from a poisonous plant. Song, a young and compassionate healer, shows Zuko the effects of war from a normal citizen's perspective.
23	"Return to Omashu"	Elizabeth Welch Ehasz	Ethan Spaulding	April 7, 2006	203
Aang and the crew are shocked to find Omashu captured by the Fire Nation. They sneak in and are caught by Fire Nation soldiers, but released when pox marks on Sokka create the illusion of an illness. They then meet the resistance and allow the whole city to escape by creating a fake epidemic with the same pox marks. While they are leaving, the Governor of Omashu's son, TomTom, accidentally leaves with the Earthbenders who are willing to trade him for King Bumi.
24	"The Swamp"	Tim Hedrick	Giancarlo Volpe	April 14, 2006	204
While flying over a swamp, Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Appa get separated by a tornado. Shortly after landing on the swamp, Appa and Momo are captured by local waterbenders. Meanwhile, the rest of the gang begin to see visions; Sokka sees visions of Princess Yue, Katara sees visions of her mother, and Aang sees visions of an unknown girl. Elsewhere, Zuko steals food for himself and Iroh. At the end of the episode, Aang learns that all life on Earth is one being and he can use this to his advantage, which he proves after using the swamp to save Appa and Momo,
25	"Avatar Day"	John O'Bryan	Lauren MacMullan	April 28, 2006	205
After getting attacked by a band of Fire Nation soldiers, the gang stumbles upon a town celebrating Avatar Day. However, they find out that this is an "Anti-Avatar" celebration, and Aang is arrested for killing Chin the Great in a past life. Sokka and Katara go to Kyoshi Island to find clues to prove Aang's innocence. However, while they prove the mayor's story of his murder of Chin wrong, they end up proving him guilty anyway. Near the end, before Aang is boiled in hot oil, Fire Nation soldiers begin to attack the village. In return for Aang's pardon from his crime, the gang stops the raid before too much damage is done, causing the village to change the "Anti-Avatar" celebration to a true "Avatar" Celebration.
26	"The Blind Bandit"	Michael Dante DiMartino	Ethan Spaulding	May 5, 2006	206
Still looking for an Earthbending master, Aang and the crew stumble upon an Earthbending tournament. While there, they see the blind master Earthbender Toph, a girl whom Aang saw as a vision in The Swamp. Aang challenges her and easily defeats her with Airbending, but she refuses to teach him Earthbending. Both Aang and Toph are captured by the owner of the Earthbending Tournament. Toph reveals her Earthbending to save them but later on, her parents tell her that she has had far too much freedom and that Aang was no longer welcome in their home. Toph later runs away, prompting her father to hire the owner of the Earthbending Tournament and her Earthbending instructor to bring her back with any means.
27	"Zuko Alone"	Elizabeth Welch Ehasz	Lauren MacMullan	May 12, 2006	207
After leaving his uncle, Zuko continues his solo journey. He meets a boy in an Earth Kingdom town who brings him home to dinner. While this happens, Zuko has flashbacks about his life before banishment, such as his loving mother and cruel sister, Azula. As various things happen in the boy's life, such as the certain death of his brother, Zuko remembers the death of his cousin, Lu Ten. He later has flashbacks after revealing his identity to the town's people about the disappearance of his mother, his grandfather's funeral, and Ozai's crowning as Fire Lord, which was said to be Azulon's dying wish.
28	"The Chase"	Joshua Hamilton	Giancarlo Volpe	May 26, 2006	208
Aang, Katara, Sokka and Toph are chased by an unknown machine, which prevents them from stopping to sleep. After Toph and Katara keep arguing, Toph leaves and runs into Iroh, who is tracking down Zuko. After cleaning Appa so his fur does not leave a trail, Aang goes one way as a decoy and Sokka and Katara go another direction on Appa. Sokka and Katara are tracked by Ty Lee and Mai, who were inside the machine, and defeated quickly due to exhaustion. Appa rescues them, however, by blowing Mai and Ty Lee away. Meanwhile, Azula runs into Aang and he decides to stand and fight. Zuko joins the fight and eventually, Katara, Sokka, Iroh, Toph who had returned after some advice from Iroh, Zuko, and Aang corner Azula and she pretends to surrender, only to wound Iroh before making her escape.
29	"Bitter Work"	Aaron Ehasz	Ethan Spaulding	June 2, 2006	209
Aang tries to learn Earthbending from Toph, despite interference from his previous Airbending training. Sokka is stuck in a hole after trying to hunt an animal. Elsewhere, Iroh teaches Zuko how to re-direct lightning so he will be better able to fight Azula after a failed attempt to teach him how to generate lightning. Aang eventually rescues Sokka from a wild animal with the attitude of an Earthbender and shortly afterwards bends earth for the first time.
30	"The Library"	John O'Bryan	Giancarlo Volpe	July 14, 2006	210
A professor tells the gang about a Spirit Library full of information, hidden in the desert. Sokka decides to find the desert library in hopes of finding secrets and weaknesses about the Fire Nation. The Knowledge Spirit refuses to let them in, stating that humans only learn things to get the edge over other humans, citing Admiral Zhao's usage of the library to destroy his enemies. They make a vow to not use his knowledge for war or violence and secretly discover a crucial weakness of the Fire Nation that could end the war. However, the spirit of the library, Wan Shi Tong, is very angry about this, as he hated having his knowledge used for violence and Aang had promised they would not abuse it. Wan Shi Tong begins to sink the library, while attacking everybody inside of it. Outside, this distracts Toph, who cannot defend Appa while he is stolen by Sandbenders. They make it out of the library only to be devastated by this.
31	"The Desert"	Tim Hedrick	Lauren MacMullan	July 14, 2006	211
Since Appa was captured, the gang walks across the desert to tell the king of Ba Sing Se about the Fire Nation's secret. Aang is angry and sad over Appa's capture. Elsewhere, a secret society helps protect Iroh and Zuko from the Fire Nation and the men hired by Toph's father. They are smuggled away inside flower pots. Meanwhile, Aang eventually tracks down the people that stole Appa and after hearing the details of his capture, Aang becomes so mad that he enters the Avatar State, only to be calmed down by Katara.
32	"The Serpent's Pass"	Michael Dante DiMartino, Joshua Hamilton	Ethan Spaulding	September 15, 2006	212
After leaving the desert, the group and Suki attempt to lead a couple who are expecting through the dangerous Serpent's Pass. While Zuko and Iroh are on the ferry to Ba Sing Se, they meet Jet, who is trying to turn his life around. Jet takes an instant liking to Zuko and asks if he wants to join him and his Freedom Fighters. Sokka's relationship with Suki grows, and after escaping from the serpent of the Serpent's Pass (hence the name), he kisses her before departing. Aang then heads to Ba Sing Se's outer wall only to find the drill on a direct path towards it.
33	"The Drill"	Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko	Giancarlo Volpe	September 15, 2006	213
Aang discovers a secret Fire Nation drill heading straight for Ba Sing Se and must stop it before it destroys the great wall that protects the city from invasion. Aang and the group succeed in stopping Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai from penetrating the wall of Ba Sing Se and the drill is destroyed. Meanwhile, Jet wishes to recruit Zuko for his Freedom Fighters, but learns instead that Zuko and Iroh are firebenders after seeing Iroh heat his tea.
34	"City of Walls and Secrets"	Tim Hedrick	Lauren MacMullan	September 22, 2006	214
Aang and the rest of the group arrive in Ba Sing Se to find Appa and inform the Earth King about the solar eclipse, but are constantly hindered by their unnaturally smiling tour guide, Joo Dee. They later find out that a party in the palace is being held and decide to use that an an opportunity. They arrive, but are quickly apprehended by the Dai Li, a group of elite earthbenders who prevent anyone from knowing about the war or disrupting the peace. Zuko and Iroh have been employed at a tea shop, where Iroh quickly gains popularity. Meanwhile, Jet tries but repeatedly fails to gather evidence that Zuko and Iroh are firebenders. He eventually threatens Iroh in the shop and Zuko engages him in a dual sword fight. The fight is a tie and ends when the Dai Li arrive to apprehend Jet. Meanwhile, Long Feng, the head of the Dai Li, explains that all knowledge of the war is silenced to prevent panic and that should they mention the war, they will be expelled from the city. Jet is being brainwashed by the Dai Li as this is happening. The group is escorted home by an eerie women who also claims to be Joo Dee.
35	"Tales of Ba Sing Se"	Joann Estoesta, Lisa Wahlander, Andrew Huebner, Gary Scheppke Lauren MacMullan, Katie Mattila, Justin Ridge, Giancarlo Volpe	Ethan Spaulding	September 29, 2006	215
This episode contains a collection of six "mini-episodes": Katara and Toph have a girls' day out; Iroh helps out people in town; Aang helps a zookeeper build a new zoo; Sokka accidentally ends up in a poetry club; Zuko goes out on a date; Momo looks through Ba Sing Se for Appa. The mini-episode where Iroh helps out people in the town was dedicated to Mako, who voiced Iroh in the show.
36	"Appa's Lost Days"	Elizabeth Welch Ehasz	Giancarlo Volpe	October 12, 2006	216
This episode starts during the events of "The Library" and shows Appa's abduction and his various adventures over the next few weeks. These include performing in a Fire Nation circus, revisiting the former site of Wan Shi Tong's library, fleeing a startled farmer, and fighting with a porcupine boar. Suki and her fellow warriors from Kyoshi Island help him recover from his injuries, then the group is also attacked. He flees to the Eastern Air Temple, where a mysterious guru provides him with aid on his search.
37	"Lake Laogai"	Tim Hedrick	Lauren MacMullan	November 3, 2006	217
The gang continues looking for Appa, so Long Feng tries to throw them off by sending a brainwashed Jet to make them leave the city. They meet up with Longshot and Smellerbee, and realize what Long Feng had done to Jet. They travel to where Jet was brainwashed, Lake Laogai, in hopes of finding Appa. Instead, they encounter Long Fend and battle. Near the end of the episode, Jet is killed by Long Feng. Elsewhere, Zuko discovers that Aang is in the city and begins his own search for Appa.
38	"The Earth King"	John O'Bryan	Ethan Spaulding	November 16, 2006	218
The gang breaks into the Earth King's palace to talk to him about the war, Long Feng, and the Dai Li. After the Earth King begins to believe them, Long Feng is arrested and put in jail. At their new house, Zuko falls spiritually ill as his latest action has set a different course for his future.
39	"The Guru"	Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko	Giancarlo Volpe	December 1, 2006	219
In this episode, the gang split up. Aang travels to the Eastern Air Temple to learn control of the Avatar State from Guru Pathik. Sokka is reunited with his father. Toph is captured by Xin Fu and Master Yu, who are transporting Toph back to her parents. She is put in a metal box, which she escapes from by teaching herself "metalbending". Katara and the generals plan the invasion of the Fire Nation. Later in the episode, Katara is captured by Azula, who is disguised as a Kyoshi warrior. Aang sees this in a vision and immediately gathers everybody to help.
40	"The Crossroads of Destiny"	Aaron Ehasz	Michael Dante DiMartino	December 1, 2006	220
A coup is staged by Azula with the Dai Li, where all of the major generals are captured at once. Aang is unable to stop Azula's plan, and the Earth Kingdom falls to the Fire Nation. Aang is critically injured by Azula in battle, and consequently Zuko betrays his uncle. The group escapes along with the Earth King and Bosco, where Katara heals Aang.

DVD Releases

Nickelodeon began releasing DVDs for Book 2 on January 23, 2007. The first five DVD releases contained one disc that consisted of four episodes each. The final DVD was the "Complete Book 2 Box Set", which contained all of the episodes in the season dispersed on five discs, and packaged with a special features disc. All of the DVD sets for Book 2 were released with Region 1 encoding, meaning they can only play on North American DVD players. Only "Book 2: Earth, Volume 1" has been released in Region 2, which plays in Europe.

Volume Name	Released	Discs	Episodes
Book 2: Earth, Volume 1	January 23, 2007	1	4
Book 2: Earth, Volume 2	April 10, 2007	1	4
Book 2: Earth, Volume 3	May 22, 2007	1	4
Book 2: Earth, Volume 4	August 14, 2007	1	4
The Complete Book Two Box Set	September 11, 2007	6	20
Information obtained from Amazon.com