The Chase (Avatar: The Last Airbender)
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| "The Chase" Avatar: The Last Airbender episode |
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 An attack using all four elements |
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| Book | Two: Earth |
| Chapter | Eight |
| Episode # | Twenty-eight |
| Prod. code | 208 |
| Airdate | May 26, 2006 |
| Writer(s) | Joshua Hamilton |
| Director | Giancarlo Volpe |
| Guest star(s) | |
| Previous episode "Zuko Alone" |
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| Next episode "Bitter Work" |
"The Chase" is an episode from the animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender, which airs on Nickelodeon. It is the eighth episode of the second season of the series.
As Aang and his friends are pursued relentlessly by a mysterious machine, their exhaustion puts them at each other's throats. Meanwhile, Zuko and Azula face off in a fight for the Avatar.
[edit] Episode synopsis
Aang and his friends are setting up camp in a forest. While everyone sets up, Toph congratulates the team for picking such a nice camping site, since the grass is so soft. Sokka points out that the "soft grass" is actually Appa's fur; Appa is shedding.
As the group begins to set up camp, Katara notices that Toph is slumping lazily against a rock. Katara informs her that they usually divide the work among the group, implying she would like Toph to help them set up camp. Toph refuses to assist, because she feels she can take care of herself. Katara rephrases her last statement, telling her that they all have a job to do, including Momo, who then appears on her shoulder with berries. Toph refutes that she does not feel she has to help anyone else, because no one needs to help her. Katara gives up and walks back to their campsite. Later on, Katara tries to make peace with Toph for the previous argument by taking the blame for it. Toph, instead of sharing the blame and accepting Katara's overture, agrees that it is Katara's fault. Katara, though agitated, tells her goodnight anyway.
During the night, Toph awakens suddenly. Feeling the ground, she senses something approaching and alerts the rest of the group. They hastily depart aboard Appa. Once above the treetops, a large dust cloud formed by a black machine similar to a train with three compartments can be seen in a desert-like region close by. After feeling as if they have put enough distance between themselves and the machine, the group decides to make camp again. Toph, immediately disembarks and nonchalantly repeats her unwillingness to assist setup camp again. Katara and Toph break out into another argument, only more heated this time. Katara accuses Toph of being selfish for not ever assisting. Toph disagrees; she feels that not only has she been able to take care of herself until now, but that she also abandoned an opulent lifestyle she once lead in order to teach Aang earthbending. When Katara tries to argue, Toph seals herself within a tent made out of earth and rock, shutting Katara out and infuriating her further. Aang tries to calm them down but Katara screams that she is completely calm. This scares Aang and he backs away slowly.
Later that night, the three are attempting to sleep, which, even without being pursued by the machine, is still difficult and is only made worse by Katara making snide remarks of how pretty the night sky is to Toph, showing a rather cold side as she mocks Toph's blindness. Toph responds by bending the Earth towards Katara, launching her into the air. She falls on top of her brother who is not too happy to find his sister landing on top of him and pushes her off. Toph then urgently removes the doorway from her tent and informs the rest of the crew that the machine is back. Katara and Toph ponder on what it is and how it continues to find them.
Some time later, on top of some cliffs, Appa softly crashes onto one of the cliffs and tips onto his side, depositing the riders onto the ground. The group agrees not to set up camp, so they can sleep right away. The group begins to ponder who could be chasing them. Katara says that it might be Zuko as they haven't seen him since the North Pole. Momo alerts them that something is approaching; it turns out to be the machine again. Katara wants to leave, while Aang suggests confronting them, suggesting that they could be friendly. Sokka is in disbelief of Aang's optimism. The machine slows to a halt and the middle section opens, revealing three young women astride three Mongoose Dragons. Ty Lee, Mai, and Azula appear from the steam.
The three girls rush forward, climbing the slope towards the group. The group tries to stop them; however, they are unsuccessful and are forced to leave. Katara can't believe that the girls followed them all the way from Omashu, and Toph is upset that she couldn't fight them. Katara is unnerved about fighting them, especially Ty Lee; the prospect of temporarily losing her Bending powers frightens her. The sun then rises, and Sokka freaks out irrationally that something will happen if he falls asleep. Katara points out that whenever they land those girls are there, so they'll just have to keep flying. The machine, however, continues to follow them and it is now revealed that Zuko is following the machine.
Back on Appa, Aang asks what they're going to do. Katara says they'll think of something after a nap. Sokka happily agrees. Suddenly, Appa begins to fall from the sky after falling asleep while flying. The gang clings to the saddle; Aang climbs down Appa's face and tries to wake him. Appa manages to regain consciousness, and begins to fly forward, but is still dropping fast. He crash lands next to a river, tipping the riders onto the ground. Sokka and Katara pick up their sleeping bags and seek a spot to sleep. Katara blames Toph for their lack of sleep. Toph claims that she carries her own weight and never asked anyone for help. And that if anyone should be blamed, it should be Appa. Toph points out that Appa is leading a furry trail for the machine to follow. Aang is angered by Toph's accusations and yells at her that she doesn't carry her own weight. That Appa does, and that he never had a problem flying when there were just three of them. Toph becomes silent; she grabs her bag and begins to leave. Sokka stands in her way, but she earthbends him aside and leaves.
Aang is now heartbroken and ashamed of his outburst, and Katara herself feels guilty of how mean she has been to Toph. Sokka agrees that they have both been jerks as he's sipping tea. Katara now wants to find Toph and apologize, but Appa's fur trail still presents a problem. Then, Aang gets an idea. Appa is lying down in the middle of a river, Sokka and Momo are scrubbing him, and Katara and Aang are hosing him down with some water streams. Now that Appa's a bit lighter due to the cleaning/forced shedding, he won't lead a trail for the girl's to follow. Katara, Sokka, and Momo get on to Appa, now without a saddle or luggage so as not too weight him down. Appa takes off, brushing into the top of some trees while doing so. Aang gathers some of Appa's fur into a bag and flies off. Toph continues through the forest; however, she meets an old man, who happens to be Iroh.
Azula reaches the point where Aang and his friends split up. She also does not fall for the false trail because she spots the broken tree tops. She instructs Mai and Ty Lee in the direction of the broken tree tops (caused by Appa, Sokka, and Katara), while she follows the fur trail (led by Aang). Aang arrives in a Western-like ghost town and awaits his stalker while Katara and Sokka continue to search for Toph. Ty Lee and Mai suddenly catch up, and Katara urges Appa to reach the river, feeling they may not be able to be followed across water. As soon as they cross the river, Appa collapses, but they celebrate their escape. Unforunately, Ty Lee and Mai's lizards prove to be able to cross the river with ease. Ty Lee battles Sokka, while Mai battles Katara (both of whom, as well as the rest of their group, are suffering from a severe lack of sleep). Ty Lee is successful in paralyzing Sokka's arms and one leg, but Sokka injures her when he headbutts her hand. Mai manages to pin Katara's arms to a tree trunk with blades. Although Katara and Sokka are beaten, Appa manages to blow Mai and Ty Lee away and into the river, saving the two siblings. Ty Lee and Mai climb out of the river, and Ty Lee remarks, "Is it just me, or was that guy kinda cute?" speaking of Sokka. Mai only rolls her eyes.
Aang is still awaiting for his pursuers to catch up. Azula then appears over the horizon and approaches. Aang demands to know who she is and what she wants. Azula gives him a clue to her relation to Zuko, covering up her eye with her hand and trying to imitate his voice, but Aang is unable to see the resemblance.
Toph has tea with Iroh on a small cliff. She comments that Iroh is probably thinking she cannot take care of herself, as he would not let Toph pour her own cup of tea, but Iroh explains that he poured her tea only because he wanted to and for no other reason. Toph tells him that everyone treats her like she is helpless, but she can take care of herself. Iroh responds that she sounds like his nephew, mentioning how both seem to feel that they have to do everything themselves, but both have friends and family that love them and want to help them. He also adds that he has been trying to track Zuko, so that even though Zuko may want to be alone to figure out his problems at the moment, Iroh will be right there should Zuko need him. The meeting inspires Toph, and she decides to go back and find her friends, but first tells Iroh that Zuko is lucky to have an uncle like him, and also that perhaps Iroh should tell Zuko that the uncle needs the nephew as well.
When Zuko finally catches up to Aang and Azula, they begin to have a three-way battle, although both Aang and Zuko mainly ignore each other and focus their attacks on Azula, with both of them obviously believing her to be the most dangerous or the true enemy. Despite this, Azula dominates much of the fight, preventing Aang from escaping the battle when he attempts to do so, dodging a trap he sets for her, knocking Zuko out, and then trapping Aang under a pile of fallen rubble before Katara and Sokka join in to rescue. Meanwhile, Iroh joins to aid and revive the fallen Zuko. Finally Toph joins in, asserting her place back with her friends. Azula, surrounded and realizing that she is desperately outnumbered, pretends to surrender, only to slyly blast Iroh in the chest during a moment of distraction while Iroh notices and recognizes Toph. This causes everyone to attack at once; however, Azula creates a fire shield and vanishes.
After Azula's disappearance, everyone notices that Zuko has already run over to and is kneeling over the badly wounded Iroh. The group approaches them, but Zuko tells them to get away. Toph looks upset; her feet are zoomed in on a groaning Iroh, perhaps implying that she recognizes him from earlier and also possibly that she recognizes his wounded condition. Katara tries to reason that she can help, but Zuko will not hear it. He shoots some fire over their heads, yelling at them to leave. Unable to do anything else, the group decides to leave.
That night, Appa lands on a rock formation, and Toph can be seen sleeping next to Katara and the others.
[edit] Notes
- After Azula hits Iroh with fire, she is attacked by all four elements at once from all four types of bending. The way the four characters are positioned are in order of the avatar cycle (left to right); Aang = Air, Katara = Water, Toph = Earth, Zuko = Fire .
- This is the second episode to show Aang's team fighting on the same side with Zuko and Iroh, the first being the "Siege of the North."
| Book One - Water: |
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| Book Two - Earth: |
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