This episode is in the Avatar: The Last Airbender Book 2: Earth, Volume 2 DVD, along with The Blind Bandit, Zuko Alone, The Chase, and The Library. (edit) Character Debuts: Lu Ten (edit) This is the first time Iroh creates lightning, but in The Storm he redirects it whilst on the boat. (edit) This is the first time Zuko makes tea for Iroh, instead of the other way around (apparently, Zuko does not make it well). (edit) This episode aired in the UK on 02/12/06 (2 December 2006). (edit) When Aang wants to get the beasts attention to protect Sokka, he climbs a rock and starts making a dance similar to the one he did in the episode The Deserter, when he ruined the firebender show. (edit) With this episode, Aang has bent all four elements at least once. (edit) Iroh mentions that in order to redirect lightning, it must be channeled from one arm through the stomach to the other arm. Having it flow through the heart can be very dangerous, even fatal. This is scientifically true, where electricity can be used to start or stop the heart during cardiac arrest. (edit) When Zuko weeps at the end of the episode, his scarred eye does not shed any tears. It is interesting to note that when his healthy eye opens all the way, the scarred one remains still. But when Zuko closes his right eye, the left shuts evenly with it. This suggests that the scar is deeper than it looks, which could injure the tear duct and eyelid muscle. (edit) The diagram that Uncle Iroh draws into the ground has a good deal of symbolic importance. The diagram presents each of the elements and arranges them in opposing forces. Water is the opposite of fire and air is the opposite of earth. It is important to recognize that the bottom two elements, air and fire, are mainly identified with emotions. The top two elements, earth and water, represent worldly attributes of intrepidity and community, respectively. (edit) The source of Chi is located in the stomach and flows through the whole body. (edit) When Toph is teaching Aang, his abilties are initially poor but gradually improve. This is a common theme in many plotlines in which a master is teaching an amateur. The amateur keeps trying and trying techniques in a different order. The amateur starts to get the hang of it and starts passing tests. At the end, the amateur usually fails at the last technique until the climax. When the amateur passes the tests, there is no dialogue, only music (until the denouement). (edit) Lightning is called the "cold-blooded fire," as mentioned by Iroh. (edit) Aang seems to be able to bend elements better through positive encouragement, which is noted by Katara while he's learning earthbending. (edit) Iroh has survived his injuries from Azula and has recovered enough to go through training stances without showing any pain. (edit) Azula did not appear in this episode, but she was mentioned by Zuko and Uncle Iroh. (edit) Zuko will resume his firebending training with the help of Uncle Iroh. (edit) We learn that not every firebender can master lightning. (edit) This is the first time Zuko actually breaks down. This is not including the flash-backs during The Storm. (edit) It is confirmed that Iroh is able to not only channel and manipulate lightning, but also generate it himself in the same manner as Azula. Also, it should be noted that Iroh's lightning looks different then Azula. (edit) We finally see Iroh's son, Lu Ten, as a child in a flashback, playing in a field with a much younger Iroh. Lu Ten's grave with Iroh kneeling at it is shown in the flashback as well. (edit) As stated by Iroh's method of redirecting lightning, a technique which he claims he developed by observing waterbenders, members of other nations can "adopt" fighting styles of the other elemental disciplines to an extent. (edit) Zuko attempts to learn how to manipulate lightning, but until he clears his head of shame, he will never be able to achieve it. (edit) It is stated that each element has its own opposite. The element fire is opposite of water and earth's elmental opposite is is air. Due to the fact that air is Aang's native element, Katara infers that it is the reason he can't grasp earthbending as quickly and easily as he did with the other elements. (edit) Iroh teaches Zuko the move that he did during The Storm and The Avatar State. It uses a blend of firebending and waterbending. (edit) Creature Debut: Saber-tooth Moose Lion
It has moose antlers and moose colored fur, saber teeth, and a lion's tail and paws. (edit) Coincidently, episode 9 of season 1 was when Aang began to learn waterbending; in episode 9 of season 2, he begins to learn earthbending. (edit) Aang starts his earthbending training. (edit)

(Aang, Sokka, and Toph return to camp after rescuing Sokka)
Katara: Sokka! You're back!
Sokka: That whole time I was in that hole, not knowing if I would live or die. It really makes a man thi-
Aang: Hey Katara! Look what I can do!
(Aang earthbends the top of a mountain off) (edit) Sokka: (after Aang climbed up a mountain and comes back down) Please don't leave me again.
Aang: I won't. (edit) Sokka: (tries to get the apple with his boomerang which results in just falling to the ground) Now come back, boomerang. (edit) Zuko: Great! I'm ready to try with real lighting!
Iroh: What, are you crazy? Lighting is very dangerous.
Zuko: I thought that was the point: you teaching me to protect myself from it!
Iroh: Yeah, but I'm not going to shoot lightning at you! ... If you are lucky, you will never have to use this technique at all. (edit) Aang: I guess I just panicked. I don't know what to say.
Toph: There's nothing TO say! You blew it! You had a perfect stance and perfect form! But when it came right down to it, you didn't have the guts! (Toph pokes Aang and makes him fall backwards)
Aang: I know, I'm sorry.
Toph: Yeah, you are sorry! If you're not tough enough to stop the rock, you could at least given it the pleasure of smashing you instead of jumping out of the way like a jelly boned wimp! Now do you have what it takes to face that rock like an earthbender!?
Aang: No, I don't think I do. (edit) Katara: You tried the positive reenforcement didn't you?
Toph: Yep, it worked wonders. (edit) Sokka (Foo Foo Cuddly Poops pulling on his wolftail): Okay, Karma person or thing, whoever's in charge of this stuff. If I can just get out of this situation alive, I will give up meat and sarcasm. Okay? (his wolftail is pulled loose) Ow! That's all I got. That's pretty much my whole identity. Sokka, the meat and sarcasm guy. But I'm willing to be Sokka, the veggies and straight-talk fellow. Deal? (Aang appears) Aang! Thank goodness! Have you got any meat? (edit) Sokka: The whole time I was in that hole, not knowing if I would live or die...It makes a man think about what's really important. I realized--
Aang (interrupting): Hey, Katara, look what I can do! (earthbends) (edit) Katara: I don’t understand what went wrong.
(She looks at Toph)
He did it exactly the way you did.
Aang: Maybe there's another way. What if I came at the boulder from a different angle?
Toph: No. That's the problem. You've got to stop thinking like an Airbender. There's no "different angle," no clever solution, no trickety-trick that's gonna move that rock! You’ve got to face it head on. And when I say head on, I mean like this!
(Toph smashes her head into the rock, shattering it into pieces)
Aang: Whoa! (edit) Aang (to Toph): So, what cool move are you gonna teach me first? (adding motions for emphasis) Rock-a-lanche? The trembler? Oh, maybe I can learn to make a whirlpool out of land...
Toph (stopping him): Let's start with "Move A Rock." (edit) Iroh (about the elements): Fire is the element of power. The people of the Fire Nation have desire and will, and the energy and drive to achieve what they want. Earth is the element of substance. The people of the Earth Kingdom are diverse and strong. They are persistent and enduring. Air is the element of freedom. The Air Nomads detached themselves from worldly concerns and found peace and freedom. Also, they apparently had pretty good senses of humor!
(Zuko stares at him)
Iroh (continuing): Water is the element of change. The people of the Water Tribe are capable of adapting to many things. They have a deep sense of community and love that holds them together through anything.
Zuko: Why are you telling me these things?
Iroh: It is important to draw wisdom from many different places. If you take it from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale. Understanding others, the other elements, and the other nations, will help you become whole. (edit) (After Toph discourages Aang with Earthbending)
Katara: I've been training Aang for a while now. He really responds well to a positive teaching experience, lots of encouragement and praise; kind words. If he's doing something wrong, maybe a gentle nudge in the right direction.
Toph (softly): Thanks Katara, a gentle nudge. I'll try that. (loudly) Keep your knees high, Twinkle Toes! (edit) Zuko (hands Uncle Iroh a cup of tea): I hope I made it the way you like it.
(Iroh takes a sip of tea and face flashes with surprised disgust.)
Iroh: Mmmm.. (forces down another sip) That was very...mmm...bracing.
(Iroh takes another cup of tea and dumps the rest out the window) (edit) Zuko: So that's why we are drinking tea. To calm the mind.
Iroh: Oh, good point. I mean, yes. (edit) (Sokka looks at Aang angrily)
Aang: Oh, you were still sleeping? Sorry. (edit) Iroh (In a flashback, Iroh is at his son's grave): My beloved Lu Ten, I will see you again. (edit) Aang: This whole Earthbending thing really has me confused; There's so much pressure. Everyone expects me to get it right away. It puts me in a really awkward position.
Sokka (While stuck in the hole): Awkward position, I think I know the feeling. (edit) Aang: I know, I know, I know, I know, I get it, alright! I need to face it head-on, like a rock. But I just can’t do it! I don’t know why I can’t, but I can’t.
Katara: That’s why it’s so hard for you to get this. You’re working with your natural opposite. But you’ll figure it out. I know you will. (edit) Sokka: You're awfully cute, but, unfortunately for you, you're made of meat. (edit) Iroh (to Zuko while doing a wave with his arms): You've got to feel the flow. (edit) Katara (when Toph sets Aang up for a dangerous Earth Bending stunt): Toph, are you sure this is the best way to teach Aang this?
Toph (pondering): Hmm... I'm glad you said something. Actually, there is a better way. (she blindfolds Aang) Now you'll have to sense the vibrations of the boulder in order to stop it. Thank you, Katara.
Aang: Yeah, thanks, Katara! (edit) Zuko: But I don’t feel any shame at all! I’m as proud as ever!
Iroh: Prince Zuko, pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source. True humility is the only antidote to shame. (edit) Toph (to Aang): Wait! You should let me handle this. You're still pretty new at this. You might accidentally crush him.
Sokka: Yeah. No crushing, please! (edit) Iroh: The stomach is known as the Sea of Chi. Or in my case, it's a vast ocean. (Iroh laughs, Zuko looks unamused) (edit) Sokka (After Aang failed his first attempt at earthbending): Haha, rock beats airbender. (edit) (Throws stick at Aang, he waterbends to deflect it)
Katara: Congratulations! You now have the reflexes of a master Waterbender!
Aang: Thanks Katara... Sifu Katara. (edit) Toph: Good morning earthbending pupil.
Aang: Good morning Sifu Toph.
Katara: You never called me Sifu Katara.
Aang: Did you want me to? (edit) Zuko (shouting to the storm): You've always thrown everything you could at me! Well I can take it! And now I can give it back!! (a lightning strike goes off in the distance) Come on! Strike me! You've never held back before! (nothing else happens; Zuko squeezes his eyes shut tightly as a tear drips from it. He falls to his knees and breaks-down) (edit) Sokka: Aang, this is my friend FooFoo-Cuddlypoops. FooFoo-Cuddlypoops, Aang.
Aang: Ah, what a cute name for baby sabertooth mooselion cub.
Sokka: Really, he looks nothing like a sabertooth mooselion.
Aang: It's hard to tell before their giant teeth and horns grow in. (edit) Zuko (about the attempted lightning): Why can't I do it. Instead of lightning, it keeps exploding in my face. (in a more upset tone) Like everything always does. (edit) Aang (about practicing Waterbending to blow off steam): Yeah, that sounds good.
Toph: Yeah, go splash around until you feel better. (edit) (Aang attempts to pull Sokka from the rut)
Sokka: Stop! Stop! You're gonna pull my fingers off, and I don't think the rest of me is coming! (edit) Zuko: So uncle, I’ve been thinking. It’s only a matter of time before I run into Azula again. I’m going to need to know more advanced firebending if I want to stand a chance against her. I know what you’re going to say: she’s my sister, and I should be trying to get along with her.
Iroh: No, she’s crazy and she needs to go down. (Zuko nods) It’s time to resume your training. (edit) Toph: Sorry, snoozles. We’ll do our earthbending as quietly as we can.
(sends Sokka flying up into the air) (edit)

When Aang tells Katara to split up to search for Sokka, the beads in her bun are brown. (edit) When we see the shack from afar, we see that there is plenty of foliage and a hill behind the shack, but every time afterwards, either the sky fills the holes in the shack or a background of the far off rocky terrain. (edit) As Aang is excitedly chattering to Sokka about how today he will finally learn to Earthbend, the bottom of Sokka's sleeping bag turns blue and a blue band is added above there, but in the previous episode and when we see the sleeping bags again, the bottom is green and the band is gone. (edit) When Aang attempts to airbend Sokka from the crevice, shadows of the tree's leaves appear on Aang even though there are no shadows on the ground and the sun isn't at the right angle; after the attempt, the shadows don't return. (edit) When Katara is suggesting that Aang take a break and her hands are on his shoulders, the beads that are pinned into her bun can be seen at the sides of her head but her bun nor braid are seen. (edit) After Sokka plunges deeper into the small crevice after dropping his machete, his hair comes a little undone, but when we return to Sokka, his hair is normal. (edit) After Zuko shouts to the sky that he can take it and give it back, the camera pans from left to right behind him; his burnt ear is normal. (edit) When Toph hands Sokka's club to Aang before his rock smashing training, his sash is also around his waist. But during an upclose shot of him trying to smash rocks, his sash is missing from his waist. (edit) When Aang is throwing the rock up and down while on top of the two stone pillars, his shoes momentarily appear, even though he is supposed to be barefoot the entire episode. (edit) In the challenge where Toph creates a rock armor that completely covers and Aang has to push her out out of the line, her rock armor has an opening for the eyes to see through. Why? She's blind and she "sees" through vibration, so why does her rock armor need eyeholes? (edit) When Katara puts her hands on Aang's shoulders after the boulder incident, her wristbands disappear in the close-up shot. (edit) When Katara is speaking to Aang about not having seen Sokka in a while, and she leans forward, her braid flies out behind her like she just took a leap forward when she merely leaned forward. (edit) When Toph removes Aang's sash and blindfolds him before he is to stop a boulder, the sash is back on his waist in a shot of his feet and waist right before Toph rolls the boulder down the cliff. (edit)

Iroh's description of the "sea of chi" during his explanation of how to redirect lightning is drawn directly from the Taoist practices of Chi Kung and Tai Chi, of which waterbending is based. (edit) Aang's slight annoyance towards Katara when she interrupts his meditating is similar to that of the reaction of the sorceress Raven on Teen Titans. In the show, Raven meditates daily to keep her demonic powers in check and is interrupted or questioned by her teammates (usually Starfire and Beast Boy) almost as constantly. Whenever this occurs, she usually responds with an annoyed and usually rude or sarcastic quip, most often along the lines of, "Trying to meditate here," a line that Aang echoes. (edit) Zuko tempts the sky to strike him with lightning, which resembles what the character Cassius did from the play, "Julius Ceaser." (edit) When she magnetized pieces of rock to her body, Toph had a striking resemblance to the Thing, the Marvel Comic strongman who possessed a monstrous, craggy exterior that looks as if made of orange scales or plates that are often mistakenly referred to as "rocks." The Thing is a founding member of the fictional superhero team Fantastic Four, as well as one of Marvel Comics most recognizable characters. Zach Tyler Eisen (voice of Aang) later drew comparisons to the appearences of the two during a brief interview. (edit) Despite the Eastern-mythology based spirits that have been pre-established within the Avatar world, both Zuko and Sokka heavily suggest towards addressing a "God" source at certain points of this episode. For a more comedic atmosphere, Sokka, obviously desperate to be freed from his crevice, as well as to change his "karma"; Zuko, for a more serious tone, resembled a typical rant predominately delivered by tested characters. (edit) The "lightning redirection" technique Iroh explains to Zuko in this episode, is actually performed by Iroh in The Storm and in The Avatar State. (edit) Sokka: Rock beats Airbender

Sokka's statement comes from the game Paper, Rock, Scissors. Where Paper beats Rock, Scissors beat Paper and in this case Rock beats Scissors
(edit) In this episode Aang calls Toph "Sifu," which translates to "master" or "teacher" in Chinese. The title is commonly used as a term of respect for a martial arts instructor. In fact, the show employs Sifu Kisu, a martial arts master who serves as a consultant for the animators and the source of inspiration for the various bending disciplines. (edit) When Toph emerges from her rock tent at the start of the episode, she shouts "Good Morning, Earthbending Student!" in what is probably a nod to the movie "Good Morning, Vietnam" with Robin Williams. (edit) "Bitter Work" translates to "Kung Fu," hence why the creators picked such a title for an episode name. (edit)