Imprisoned

"Imprisoned" is the sixth episode of Book One: Water of Avatar: The Last Airbender and the sixth of the overall series. It debuted on March 25, 2005.
== Overview ==
Aang, Katara, and Sokka camp near a small Earth Kingdom town controlled by the Fire Nation, where earthbending is forbidden. Katara convinces a young earthbender named Haru to save an old man using his bending abilities, for which he is consequently imprisoned. In response, Katara devises a plan to have herself arrested to free him. While in the prison, she incites a rebellion and the inspired prisoners liberate themselves. Afterward, she realizes she has lost her mother's necklace; left at the prison, it is discovered and taken by a pursuing Zuko.
== Synopsis ==
Team Avatar is setting up camp when Sokka arrives with dinner, which turns out to merely be some nuts. While discussing their dinner options, Aang, Katara, and Sokka are startled by loud noises in the distance. Curious, Aang and Katara set out to investigate with a wary Sokka following close behind,who discover a young earthbender practicing his bending. Katara introduces herself, but the young bender races off fearfully. Aang suggests following him in hopes of finding a town where they can have a proper dinner, and they end up in a small settlement swarming with Fire Nation soldiers.
They find the same young man and follow him into a store. They see him speaking with his mother and inquire as to why he fled earlier. The young man, Haru, and his mother explain that since the Fire Nation took control of the town, anyone discovered to be an earthbender is arrested and sent to a prison rig, far offshore. Haru's mother subsequently tells them that his father was one of those sent to the rig.
Later that day, Haru and Katara take a walk together, both sharing their own stories and seemingly forming a strong bond. They come across an old man that has been trapped by a cave-in; Haru reluctantly uses his earthbending to save the old man. During the night while the gang is sleeping, Fire Nation soldiers, along with the old man whom Haru had saved, come and arrest Haru for earthbending. The next morning, Katara encounters Haru's mother, who tells her that Haru was arrested and sent to the prison rig because the old man turned him into the Fire Nation. After hearing this, she decides to take action and find a way onto the rig in order to free him. She concludes that the only way is to trick the Fire Nation into thinking she is an earthbender. After some strategy, she is able to pose as an earthbender, with the help of Aang and some ventilation pipes, while Fire Nation soldiers are watching. She is promptly apprehended and sent to the rig. There, she and several other captives meet the prison warden, a self-important and cruel taskmaster. He states that the earthbenders are helpless since the entire rig is made of metal and thus have nothing to control.
After finding Haru and his father, Tyro, Katara inquires as to how they plan to escape. Tyro says that escape is not an option and the only way to survive is to do what they are told and hope the Hundred Year War goes in their favor. Shocked by his lack of hope, Katara delivers an inspirational speech in an attempt to lift the spirits of the other benders, but they ignore her. That night, Katara meets up with Aang and Sokka to devise a way for the prisoners to regain their confidence and rebel. Aang notices the smokestacks in the distance and states that they are burning coal, meaning there is earth on the rig for the prisoners to bend.
Drawing from their previous idea of feigned earthbending, Sokka has Aang close all the vents in the vicinity where the coal is being burned, save for one that leads to the outer vent where Katara and Sokka are. The warden discovers them and threatens that they are to surrender or die. At that moment, however, coal bursts from the vent and lands before Haru and the others. Katara states that this is their chance to stand up and fight, however, no one seems to have the will to revolt. The warden claims that their spirits were broken long before the young waterbender's arrival and walks away in triumph.
As he departs, a chunk of coal strikes him on the back of the head. He turns to see that the one responsible is Haru, who bears a look of rage on his face. The warden attacks Haru, but his assault is blocked by Tyro and two other benders. The prisoners begin to regain their hope and join in battling the Fire Nation soldiers, eventually emerging victorious after a dramatic struggle. With the help of Team Avatar, they defeat the soldiers, and Tyro prepares to throw them and the warden overboard. When the warden pleads that he cannot swim, Tyro responds that he heard cowards float and promptly drops them all in the water.
Team Avatar and the earthbenders sail away in stolen Fire Nation ships. Tyro and Haru express their gratitude to Katara for renewing their people's hope. Although touched by Haru's words, Katara suddenly notices, much to her distress, that her mother's necklace is no longer around her neck.
On the deck of the rig, Prince Zuko finds the necklace with its fabric strap torn. With a blank look, he takes the necklace and looks out toward the horizon.
== Credits ==
* Written by:
** Matthew Hubbard
* Directed by:
** Dave Filoni
* Starring:
** Zach Tyler Eisen - Aang
** Mae Whitman - Katara
** Jack DeSena - Sokka
** Dee Bradley Baker:
*** Appa
*** Momo
* Also starring:
** George Takei - Warden
** Michael Dow - Haru
** Kevin Michael Richardson - Tyro
** Pat Musick - Haru's mom
* Additional voices:
** Dee Bradley Baker
** Jack DeSena
** Michael Dow
** Tom Kane
** Pat Musick
** Kevin Michael Richardson (tax collector)
** Keith Szarabajka
** Mae Whitman
== Production notes ==
=== Transcript ===
=== Avatar Extras ===
=== Series continuity ===
* Haru will later reappear in "The Day of Black Sun, Part 1: The Invasion" and the following episodes as part of the invasion force.
* The necklace Zuko finds at the end is later used to track down Katara in "Bato of the Water Tribe".
=== Goofs ===
* When Sokka walks over to comfort Katara after Haru's arrest, the glove on his left hand disappears briefly.
** On occasions when the camera zooms out, both of his gloves are absent.
* Before Katara gets arrested, the camera shot displays the second air vent, but Aang is not there. When the camera view gets closer to the air vent, Aang can be seen sitting by the vent, playing with a butterfly.
* As Aang bends air to lift the rock, Momo is standing right behind it. However, after Sokka corrects the Fire Nation soldiers that it is Katara who is bending the rock as opposed to the lemur and the rock descends, Momo can no longer be seen.
* When Katara prepares to administer her speech to the earthbenders, she uses a pan lid to draw their attention, but while she is speaking, the pan lid disappears.
* When Sokka explains his plan to Katara to transport coal to the earthbenders, there are no other people around in the vicinity, as seen by an overhead shot. When he finishes his explanation only moments later, there are still no others present, but in the very next frame, they are surrounded by every earthbender prisoner and numerous Fire Nation guards.
* While the warden is taunting Katara and her failed attempt to convince the earthbenders to fight, the part of Katara's necklace that connects the pendant to the choker is blue instead of yellow.
* When Sokka is breaking the Fire Nation guards' spears, Katara is seen without her necklace, but she is wearing it again while feeding coal into Aang's air funnel before losing it.
* When Tyro is thanking Katara for her help, Katara's braid becomes detached from the rest of her hair.
* When Haru saved the old man, the pillar behind the old man is still there after Haru pushed the boulder with the pillars.
=== Trivia ===
* George Takei, who voiced the warden, and his family found themselves in a similar situation to the earthbending prisoners in this episode. During World War II, they were forced to relocate to a Japanese-American internment camp in Arkansas, and later transferred to another camp in California. Much like the villagers who were being imprisoned simply for being earthbenders, Takei and his family were forced into these camps simply for being of Japanese heritage.
* This is the first episode in which all four elements are bent outside the opening credits: Haru, Tyro, and the other prisoners earthbending, Katara waterbending, the warden and other Fire Nation soldiers firebending, and Aang airbending.
* According to Avatar Extras bonus commentary for this episode, when Aang is asleep the night the Fire Nation troops capture Haru, he is dreaming about Katara with a big smile on his face.
* This is the first episode in the first series whose name does not start with the word "The", and one of only two episodes to only consist of one word, the other episode being "Jet".
* This is the first and only episode in the series in which Zuko appears but does not speak.
de:In Gefangenschaft!
es:Prisioneros
fi:Rautalaivan vangit
fr:Emprisonnée
id:Imprisoned
nl:Gevangen
pl:Więźniowie
pt-br:Aprisionados
ru:Заключённые
Category:A to Z
Category:Book One: Water
Category:Episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender
Category:Real world