Avatar: The Last Airbender (2003–2008): Season 2, Episode 11 - The Desert - full transcript
Lost in the desert without Appa, Team Avatar must find a way out. Iroh and Zuko make contact with a secret organization.
KATARA: Water.
Earth.
Fire.
Air.
Long ago, the four nations
lived together in harmony.
Then everything changed
when the Fire Nation attacked.
Only the Avatar, master of all
four elements, could stop them.
But when the world
needed him most, he vanished.
100 years passed, and my brother and I
discovered the new Avatar,
an airbender named Aang.
And although his
airbending skills are great,
he has a lot to learn
before he's ready to save anyone.
AANG: Oof.
But I believe Aang can save the world.
NARRATOR: [READING]
The Avatar has kidnapped my daughter.
I want you to do whatever it takes
to bring her home.
Augh!
Sandbenders, shoo!
Away from the bison!
Library's sinking...
Library's sinking!
[ROARS]
TOPH: No!
I'm sorry, Appa.
Where's Appa?
[GROANS]
[WIND BLOWING]
MOMO: [PURRING]
How could you let them take Appa?
Why didn't you stop them?
I couldn't!
The library was sinking,
you guys were still inside, and...
You could've come to get us.
I could've saved him!
I can hardly feel any vibrations out here.
The sandbenders snuck up on me,
and there wasn't time for...
You just didn't care!
You never liked Appa!
You wanted him gone.
Aang, stop it.
You know Toph did all she could.
She saved our lives.
Who's gonna save our lives now?
We'll never make it out of here.
That's all any of you guys
care about, yourselves.
You don't care whether
Appa is okay or not.
We're all concerned,
but we can't afford to be fighting, now.
I'm going after Appa.
Aang, wait!
We'd better start walking.
We're the only people who know
about the solar eclipse.
We have to get that information
to Ba Sing Se.
You think if we dig out
the giant owl, he'll give us a ride?
[GROANING]
Maybe we should make camp.
No, please, don't stop just for me.
[MOANING]
[GROANS]
[GRUMBLES]
What now?
Colonel Mongke, what a pleasant surprise.
If you're surprised we're here,
then the Dragon of the West
has lost a few steps.
You know these guys?
Sure, Colonel Mongke
and the Rough Rhinos are legendary.
Each one is a different kind
of weapon specialist.
They are also
a very capable singing group.
We're not here to give a concert!
We're here to apprehend fugitives.
Would you like some tea first?
I'd love some.
How 'bout you, Kahchi?
I make you as a jasmine man.
Am I right?
MONGKE: Enough stalling, round 'em up!
[GRUNTING]
[GRUNTS]
Ah!
It's nice to see old friends.
Too bad you don't have any old friends
that don't want to attack you.
Hmm...
Old friends that don't want to attack me?
[PANTING]
Unh.
Can't you watch where you're...
-No.
-Right, sorry.
Come on, guys, we've gotta stick together.
If I sweat anymore, I don't think
stickin' together will be a problem.
Katara, can I have some water?
Okay, but we've gotta try to conserve it.
We're drinking your bending water?
[SMACKS LIPS]
You used this on the swamp guy!
-Ugh!
-It does taste swampy.
[SMACKING LIPS, BURPS]
I'm sorry, it's all we have.
Not anymore, look.
Sokka, wait, you shouldn't
be eating strange plants.
[GULPING] Ahh...
There's water trapped inside these.
-I don't know.
-Suit yourself.
It's very thirst-quenching, though.
[VOICE ECHOING] Drink cactus juice.
It'll quench you.
Nothing's quenchier.
It's the quenchiest!
Okay, I think you've had enough.
Who lit Toph on fire?
[PURRING]
Unh!
Can I get some of that cactus?
I don't think that's a good idea.
Come on, we need to find Aang.
SOKKA: How did we get out here
in the middle of the ocean?
KATARA: [SIGHS]
Appa!
Appa!
No...
No!
What is that?
What, what is what?
SOKKA: It's a giant mushroom.
Maybe it's friendly!
Let's just keep moving.
I hope Aang's okay...
[VOICE ECHOING] Friendly mushroom!
Mushy, giant friend!
Yeah, a little, barefoot blind girl
and her friends passed through here
a few days ago.
Did they give you any indication
where they were headed?
Maybe you could give me
a little incentive?
You suggesting I break your fingers?
They went in the desert.
Too bad there's almost no chance
they survived.
Mmm, that's okay,
'cause she's wanted dead or alive.
No, she's not.
I'm certain her father wants her alive.
Hey, look.
Fire Nation wanted posters.
So?
So, look who's here.
KATARA: I'm sorry, Aang.
I know it's hard for you right now, but
we need to focus on getting out of here.
What's the difference?
We won't survive without Appa.
We all know it.
Come on, Aang.
We can do this
if we work together, right, Toph?
As far as I can feel, we're trapped
in a giant bowl of sand pudding.
I got nothin'.
Sokka, any ideas how to find Ba Sing Se?
Why don't we ask the circle birds?
-[PURRING]
-[LAUGHING SOFTLY]
Ugh.
We're getting out of this desert,
and we're gonna do it together.
Aang, get up.
Everybody, hold hands.
We can do this. We have to.
[LAUGHING]
[PURRING]
[WINGS BUZZING]
I think we should stop for the night.
ALL: [GROANING]
Is there any more water?
This is the last of it.
Everyone can have a little drink.
[SCREAMING] Momo, no,
you've killed us all!
KATARA: No, he hasn't.
Oh, right, bending.
Sokka, let me see the things
you got from the library.
What? I didn't steal anything!
Who told you that?
It was you!
You ratted me out!
Sokka, I was there.
AANG: It doesn't matter.
None of those will tell us where Appa is.
No, but we can find out
which way Ba Sing Se is.
We can use the stars to guide us.
That way, we can travel at night
when it's cool, and rest during the day.
[SIGHS]
Just try to get some sleep.
We'll start again in a few hours.
No one here is gonna help us.
These people just look like
filthy wanderers.
So do we.
Ah, this is interesting.
I think I've found our friend.
You brought us here to gamble on Pai Sho?
I don't think this is a gamble.
Let's take them now.
This place is full of
desperate characters.
If they find out
we're collecting a bounty,
we might have to fight them all,
just to keep our prize.
Patience.
May I have this game?
The guest has the first move.
I see you favor the White Lotus Gambit.
Not many still cling to the ancient ways.
Those who do can always find a friend.
Then let us play.
Welcome, brother.
The White Lotus opens wide
to those who know her secrets.
What are you old gasbags talking about?
I always tried to tell you
that Pai Sho is more than just a game.
I'm not waiting all night
for these geezers to finish yapping!
It's over!
You two fugitives are coming with me.
I knew it!
You two are wanted criminals
with a giant bounty on your heads!
I thought you said he would help.
He is, just watch.
You think you're going to capture them
and collect all that gold?
Gold?
Uh, maybe we shouldn't...
[GRUNTING]
[GRUNTS]
[GRUNTS]
[SCREAMING]
[MOANING]
KATARA: Come on, get up, we need to go.
[SMACKING LIPS]
Yesterday, my mouth tasted like mud.
Now, it just tastes like sand.
I never thought
I'd miss the taste of mud so much.
AANG: I'm awake.
I couldn't sleep.
Well, we need to get moving
if we want to get out of this sand pit.
Appa!
SOKKA: Appa?
But why would Princess Yue need him?
She's the moon, she flies by herself.
It's just a cloud.
Wait, a cloud!
Here, fly up and bend the water
from that cloud into my pouch.
Wow, there's hardly any in here.
AANG: [SHOUTING] I'm sorry, okay?
It's a desert cloud, I did all I could.
What's anyone else doing?
What are you doing?
Trying to keep everyone together.
Let's just get moving.
We need to head this direction.
Ow!
Crud, I am so sick of
not feeling where I'm going.
And what idiot buried a boat
in the middle of the desert?
A boat?
Believe me, I kicked it hard enough
to feel plenty of vibrations.
[MOANS]
KATARA: It's one of the gliders
the sandbenders use.
And look, it's got
some kind of compass on it.
I bet it can point us out of here.
Aang, you can bend a breeze
so we can sail it.
We're gonna make it!
[LAUGHING]
[PURRS]
It is an honor to welcome
such a high-ranking member
of the Order of the White Lotus.
Being a grand master,
you must know so many secrets.
Now that you've played Pai Sho,
are you gonna do some flower arranging?
Or is someone in this club
gonna offer some real help?
You must forgive my nephew.
He is not an initiate, and has
little appreciation for the cryptic arts.
Who knocks at the guarded gate?
One who has eaten the fruit
and tasted its mysteries.
I'm afraid it's members only.
Wait out here.
[SNIFFS]
KATARA: The needle on this compass
doesn't seem to be pointing north,
according to my charts.
[DREAMILY] Take it easy, little lady.
I'm sure the sand folks who built this
baby know how to get around here.
[GASPS]
KATARA: That's what the compass
is pointing to.
That giant rock.
It must be the magnetic center
of the desert.
A rock?
Yes, let's go!
Maybe we can find some water there.
Maybe we can find some sandbenders.
Ah, finally.
Solid ground.
SOKKA: [BREATHING DEEPLY]
I think my head is starting
to clear out the cactus juice.
And look!
[BOTH SPUTTERING]
Tastes like rotten penguin meat.
Oh, I feel woozy.
You've been hallucinating
on cactus juice all day,
and then you just lick something
you find stuck to the wall of a cave?
I have a natural curiosity.
I don't think this is a normal cave.
This was carved by something.
AANG: Yeah, look at the shape.
TOPH: There's something buzzing in here.
Something that's coming for us!
[SCREAMING]
[WINGS BUZZING]
[INSECT SHRIEKING]
[SCREECHES]
TOPH: [GRUNTS]
Oh!
What are you doing?
That rock almost crushed me.
Sorry, I can't tell
where they are in the air.
I got this one.
[SCREAMING]
KATARA: Sokka, there's nothing there.
Huh?
I guess my head's not as clear
as I thought.
KATARA: We have to get out of here.
I'm completely out of water to bend.
MOMO: [SCREECHES]
AANG: Momo!
I'm not losing anyone else out here.
Come on, we're going down.
[INSECT SHRIEKS]
KATARA: Toph, shoot a rock, right there.
Fire!
[SCREECHES]
SOKKA: Yeah, you got it!
She got it, right?
Yes. Now, let's move.
MOMO: [CHATTERING]
[GRUNTS]
[CHATTERS]
[GRUNTING]
KATARA: On your left.
[INSECT SHRIEKS]
What's going on? Is the club meeting over?
Everything is taken care of.
We're heading to Ba Sing Se.
Ba Sing Se?
Why would we go to
the Earth Kingdom capital?
The city is filled with refugees.
No one will notice two more.
We can hide in plain sight there.
And it's the safest place
in the world from the Fire Nation.
Even I couldn't break through to the city.
[DOOR OPENS]
I have the passports for our guests,
but there are two men
out on the street looking for them.
You seen these guys?
MAN: What are you doing
in our land with a sandbender sailer?
From the looks of it,
you stole it from the Hami tribe.
We found the sailer
abandoned in the desert.
We're traveling with the Avatar.
Our bison was stolen,
and we have to get to Ba Sing Se.
You dare accuse our people of theft,
while you ride in on a stolen sand sailer?
Quiet, Ghashiun!
No one accused our people of anything.
If what they say is true,
we must give them hospitality.
GHASHIUN: Sorry, father.
TOPH: I recognize the son's voice.
He's the one that stole Appa.
-Are you sure?
-TOPH: I never forget a voice.
You stole Appa.
Where is he? What did you do to him?
They're lying. They're the thieves!
[GRUNTING]
Where is my bison?
Hey, you. Where are these men?
I got a tip that they're in your shop.
As you can see, no one is here but us.
We know all about your secret back room.
Kick it down.
Hey, that room is for flowers only.
Some unlucky soul
has an incomplete Pai Sho set.
[GRUNTING]
Let's go back to finding the girl.
You tell me where he is, now!
What did you do?
It wasn't me.
TOPH: You said to put a muzzle on him.
You muzzled Appa?
GHASHIUN: I'm sorry!
I didn't know it belonged to the Avatar!
[IN DISTORTED VOICE]
Tell me where Appa is.
I traded him to some merchants.
He's probably in Ba Sing Se by now.
They were gonna sell him there.
Please, we'll escort you
out of the desert.
We'll help however we can.
SOKKA: Just get out of here, run!
[CLOSING THEME PLAYING]
Earth.
Fire.
Air.
Long ago, the four nations
lived together in harmony.
Then everything changed
when the Fire Nation attacked.
Only the Avatar, master of all
four elements, could stop them.
But when the world
needed him most, he vanished.
100 years passed, and my brother and I
discovered the new Avatar,
an airbender named Aang.
And although his
airbending skills are great,
he has a lot to learn
before he's ready to save anyone.
AANG: Oof.
But I believe Aang can save the world.
NARRATOR: [READING]
The Avatar has kidnapped my daughter.
I want you to do whatever it takes
to bring her home.
Augh!
Sandbenders, shoo!
Away from the bison!
Library's sinking...
Library's sinking!
[ROARS]
TOPH: No!
I'm sorry, Appa.
Where's Appa?
[GROANS]
[WIND BLOWING]
MOMO: [PURRING]
How could you let them take Appa?
Why didn't you stop them?
I couldn't!
The library was sinking,
you guys were still inside, and...
You could've come to get us.
I could've saved him!
I can hardly feel any vibrations out here.
The sandbenders snuck up on me,
and there wasn't time for...
You just didn't care!
You never liked Appa!
You wanted him gone.
Aang, stop it.
You know Toph did all she could.
She saved our lives.
Who's gonna save our lives now?
We'll never make it out of here.
That's all any of you guys
care about, yourselves.
You don't care whether
Appa is okay or not.
We're all concerned,
but we can't afford to be fighting, now.
I'm going after Appa.
Aang, wait!
We'd better start walking.
We're the only people who know
about the solar eclipse.
We have to get that information
to Ba Sing Se.
You think if we dig out
the giant owl, he'll give us a ride?
[GROANING]
Maybe we should make camp.
No, please, don't stop just for me.
[MOANING]
[GROANS]
[GRUMBLES]
What now?
Colonel Mongke, what a pleasant surprise.
If you're surprised we're here,
then the Dragon of the West
has lost a few steps.
You know these guys?
Sure, Colonel Mongke
and the Rough Rhinos are legendary.
Each one is a different kind
of weapon specialist.
They are also
a very capable singing group.
We're not here to give a concert!
We're here to apprehend fugitives.
Would you like some tea first?
I'd love some.
How 'bout you, Kahchi?
I make you as a jasmine man.
Am I right?
MONGKE: Enough stalling, round 'em up!
[GRUNTING]
[GRUNTS]
Ah!
It's nice to see old friends.
Too bad you don't have any old friends
that don't want to attack you.
Hmm...
Old friends that don't want to attack me?
[PANTING]
Unh.
Can't you watch where you're...
-No.
-Right, sorry.
Come on, guys, we've gotta stick together.
If I sweat anymore, I don't think
stickin' together will be a problem.
Katara, can I have some water?
Okay, but we've gotta try to conserve it.
We're drinking your bending water?
[SMACKS LIPS]
You used this on the swamp guy!
-Ugh!
-It does taste swampy.
[SMACKING LIPS, BURPS]
I'm sorry, it's all we have.
Not anymore, look.
Sokka, wait, you shouldn't
be eating strange plants.
[GULPING] Ahh...
There's water trapped inside these.
-I don't know.
-Suit yourself.
It's very thirst-quenching, though.
[VOICE ECHOING] Drink cactus juice.
It'll quench you.
Nothing's quenchier.
It's the quenchiest!
Okay, I think you've had enough.
Who lit Toph on fire?
[PURRING]
Unh!
Can I get some of that cactus?
I don't think that's a good idea.
Come on, we need to find Aang.
SOKKA: How did we get out here
in the middle of the ocean?
KATARA: [SIGHS]
Appa!
Appa!
No...
No!
What is that?
What, what is what?
SOKKA: It's a giant mushroom.
Maybe it's friendly!
Let's just keep moving.
I hope Aang's okay...
[VOICE ECHOING] Friendly mushroom!
Mushy, giant friend!
Yeah, a little, barefoot blind girl
and her friends passed through here
a few days ago.
Did they give you any indication
where they were headed?
Maybe you could give me
a little incentive?
You suggesting I break your fingers?
They went in the desert.
Too bad there's almost no chance
they survived.
Mmm, that's okay,
'cause she's wanted dead or alive.
No, she's not.
I'm certain her father wants her alive.
Hey, look.
Fire Nation wanted posters.
So?
So, look who's here.
KATARA: I'm sorry, Aang.
I know it's hard for you right now, but
we need to focus on getting out of here.
What's the difference?
We won't survive without Appa.
We all know it.
Come on, Aang.
We can do this
if we work together, right, Toph?
As far as I can feel, we're trapped
in a giant bowl of sand pudding.
I got nothin'.
Sokka, any ideas how to find Ba Sing Se?
Why don't we ask the circle birds?
-[PURRING]
-[LAUGHING SOFTLY]
Ugh.
We're getting out of this desert,
and we're gonna do it together.
Aang, get up.
Everybody, hold hands.
We can do this. We have to.
[LAUGHING]
[PURRING]
[WINGS BUZZING]
I think we should stop for the night.
ALL: [GROANING]
Is there any more water?
This is the last of it.
Everyone can have a little drink.
[SCREAMING] Momo, no,
you've killed us all!
KATARA: No, he hasn't.
Oh, right, bending.
Sokka, let me see the things
you got from the library.
What? I didn't steal anything!
Who told you that?
It was you!
You ratted me out!
Sokka, I was there.
AANG: It doesn't matter.
None of those will tell us where Appa is.
No, but we can find out
which way Ba Sing Se is.
We can use the stars to guide us.
That way, we can travel at night
when it's cool, and rest during the day.
[SIGHS]
Just try to get some sleep.
We'll start again in a few hours.
No one here is gonna help us.
These people just look like
filthy wanderers.
So do we.
Ah, this is interesting.
I think I've found our friend.
You brought us here to gamble on Pai Sho?
I don't think this is a gamble.
Let's take them now.
This place is full of
desperate characters.
If they find out
we're collecting a bounty,
we might have to fight them all,
just to keep our prize.
Patience.
May I have this game?
The guest has the first move.
I see you favor the White Lotus Gambit.
Not many still cling to the ancient ways.
Those who do can always find a friend.
Then let us play.
Welcome, brother.
The White Lotus opens wide
to those who know her secrets.
What are you old gasbags talking about?
I always tried to tell you
that Pai Sho is more than just a game.
I'm not waiting all night
for these geezers to finish yapping!
It's over!
You two fugitives are coming with me.
I knew it!
You two are wanted criminals
with a giant bounty on your heads!
I thought you said he would help.
He is, just watch.
You think you're going to capture them
and collect all that gold?
Gold?
Uh, maybe we shouldn't...
[GRUNTING]
[GRUNTS]
[GRUNTS]
[SCREAMING]
[MOANING]
KATARA: Come on, get up, we need to go.
[SMACKING LIPS]
Yesterday, my mouth tasted like mud.
Now, it just tastes like sand.
I never thought
I'd miss the taste of mud so much.
AANG: I'm awake.
I couldn't sleep.
Well, we need to get moving
if we want to get out of this sand pit.
Appa!
SOKKA: Appa?
But why would Princess Yue need him?
She's the moon, she flies by herself.
It's just a cloud.
Wait, a cloud!
Here, fly up and bend the water
from that cloud into my pouch.
Wow, there's hardly any in here.
AANG: [SHOUTING] I'm sorry, okay?
It's a desert cloud, I did all I could.
What's anyone else doing?
What are you doing?
Trying to keep everyone together.
Let's just get moving.
We need to head this direction.
Ow!
Crud, I am so sick of
not feeling where I'm going.
And what idiot buried a boat
in the middle of the desert?
A boat?
Believe me, I kicked it hard enough
to feel plenty of vibrations.
[MOANS]
KATARA: It's one of the gliders
the sandbenders use.
And look, it's got
some kind of compass on it.
I bet it can point us out of here.
Aang, you can bend a breeze
so we can sail it.
We're gonna make it!
[LAUGHING]
[PURRS]
It is an honor to welcome
such a high-ranking member
of the Order of the White Lotus.
Being a grand master,
you must know so many secrets.
Now that you've played Pai Sho,
are you gonna do some flower arranging?
Or is someone in this club
gonna offer some real help?
You must forgive my nephew.
He is not an initiate, and has
little appreciation for the cryptic arts.
Who knocks at the guarded gate?
One who has eaten the fruit
and tasted its mysteries.
I'm afraid it's members only.
Wait out here.
[SNIFFS]
KATARA: The needle on this compass
doesn't seem to be pointing north,
according to my charts.
[DREAMILY] Take it easy, little lady.
I'm sure the sand folks who built this
baby know how to get around here.
[GASPS]
KATARA: That's what the compass
is pointing to.
That giant rock.
It must be the magnetic center
of the desert.
A rock?
Yes, let's go!
Maybe we can find some water there.
Maybe we can find some sandbenders.
Ah, finally.
Solid ground.
SOKKA: [BREATHING DEEPLY]
I think my head is starting
to clear out the cactus juice.
And look!
[BOTH SPUTTERING]
Tastes like rotten penguin meat.
Oh, I feel woozy.
You've been hallucinating
on cactus juice all day,
and then you just lick something
you find stuck to the wall of a cave?
I have a natural curiosity.
I don't think this is a normal cave.
This was carved by something.
AANG: Yeah, look at the shape.
TOPH: There's something buzzing in here.
Something that's coming for us!
[SCREAMING]
[WINGS BUZZING]
[INSECT SHRIEKING]
[SCREECHES]
TOPH: [GRUNTS]
Oh!
What are you doing?
That rock almost crushed me.
Sorry, I can't tell
where they are in the air.
I got this one.
[SCREAMING]
KATARA: Sokka, there's nothing there.
Huh?
I guess my head's not as clear
as I thought.
KATARA: We have to get out of here.
I'm completely out of water to bend.
MOMO: [SCREECHES]
AANG: Momo!
I'm not losing anyone else out here.
Come on, we're going down.
[INSECT SHRIEKS]
KATARA: Toph, shoot a rock, right there.
Fire!
[SCREECHES]
SOKKA: Yeah, you got it!
She got it, right?
Yes. Now, let's move.
MOMO: [CHATTERING]
[GRUNTS]
[CHATTERS]
[GRUNTING]
KATARA: On your left.
[INSECT SHRIEKS]
What's going on? Is the club meeting over?
Everything is taken care of.
We're heading to Ba Sing Se.
Ba Sing Se?
Why would we go to
the Earth Kingdom capital?
The city is filled with refugees.
No one will notice two more.
We can hide in plain sight there.
And it's the safest place
in the world from the Fire Nation.
Even I couldn't break through to the city.
[DOOR OPENS]
I have the passports for our guests,
but there are two men
out on the street looking for them.
You seen these guys?
MAN: What are you doing
in our land with a sandbender sailer?
From the looks of it,
you stole it from the Hami tribe.
We found the sailer
abandoned in the desert.
We're traveling with the Avatar.
Our bison was stolen,
and we have to get to Ba Sing Se.
You dare accuse our people of theft,
while you ride in on a stolen sand sailer?
Quiet, Ghashiun!
No one accused our people of anything.
If what they say is true,
we must give them hospitality.
GHASHIUN: Sorry, father.
TOPH: I recognize the son's voice.
He's the one that stole Appa.
-Are you sure?
-TOPH: I never forget a voice.
You stole Appa.
Where is he? What did you do to him?
They're lying. They're the thieves!
[GRUNTING]
Where is my bison?
Hey, you. Where are these men?
I got a tip that they're in your shop.
As you can see, no one is here but us.
We know all about your secret back room.
Kick it down.
Hey, that room is for flowers only.
Some unlucky soul
has an incomplete Pai Sho set.
[GRUNTING]
Let's go back to finding the girl.
You tell me where he is, now!
What did you do?
It wasn't me.
TOPH: You said to put a muzzle on him.
You muzzled Appa?
GHASHIUN: I'm sorry!
I didn't know it belonged to the Avatar!
[IN DISTORTED VOICE]
Tell me where Appa is.
I traded him to some merchants.
He's probably in Ba Sing Se by now.
They were gonna sell him there.
Please, we'll escort you
out of the desert.
We'll help however we can.
SOKKA: Just get out of here, run!
[CLOSING THEME PLAYING]