 Things aren't going so well for Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph. In Volume 2, Aang finally found himself an Earthbending teacher in the blind-but-fiery Toph, and the ever-traveling friends came across information that could help defeat the evil Fire Nation, but something terrible happened in the last of that disc's episodes. Appa, their flying bison - not only a friend and companion, but their sole way to get around the world - was taken by forces unknown. It's a loss that shook this close-knit group to the core.
Such is where we find ourselves at the start of Avatar: The Last Airbender: Book 2: Earth, Volume 3. With the kidnapping pushing them forward, and the war now ravaging the Earth Nation as a constant backdrop, Volume 3 presents some of the most dramatic Avatar yet.
This disc opens right where the last left off, with the kids just outside a lost library in the midst of a sandy wasteland. In The Desert, they must escape the vast and empty desert in which they are trapped. It won't be easy. Between roving sandbenders, Aang's despair at Appa's kidnapping and the sheer size of the landscape, the journey puts the group to the test.
From there, we run into a series of episodes more closely intertwined than any thus far, telling the story of the kids' trials journeying to and throughout a vast, complex Earth Kingdom city sheltering itself from war.
The two-part Journey To Ba Sing Se, split up as The Serpent's Pass and The Drill, makes for some fine adventure, culminating in a huge showdown with an invading Fire Nation army. What really stands out about these episodes, however (other than the inventive locations), is how they bring home the notion that this is a world at war. Refugees shuffle in long lines, trying desperately to gain entry into the city of Ba Sing Se. Families broken apart or looking for food. Bureaucrats demanding papers. Secret groups helping refuges on their journey. Fire Nation ships patrolling one of the few ways to enter Ba Sing Se. It's all quite grim.
 But not too grim, mind you. This is, and remains, kid-friendly in every way. Kid friendly and AWESOME. Wow what a rousing climax! First a sea serpent, and then a massive, MASSIVE weapon of war - a drill capable of smashing through the impassable outer wall of Ba Sing Se. Awesome!
The one-two punch of City of Walls and Secrets and Tales of Ba Sing Se round out the disc. Both show that this city, an island of peace in a land torn by war, is not all it seems. Strict class distinctions, hidden secrets, and even hints at dystopian mind control flesh out the political landscape of Avatar's world and raise the stakes of the group's search for Appa. The intrigue is heavy, the cast of major players grows largely, and viewers are left realizing that something is amiss. And that something may work in the Fire Nation's favor.
More than the first two discs of Book 2: Earth, this one really brings home the scale of that which Aang and friends are fighting for. The entire season comes together here, feeling not as a series of standalone but interconnected episodes, but as one large saga. I can't speak for kids, but as an adult watching this with my family - kid included - the sprawlingly epic nature of the Avatar narrative is one of the most appealing aspects of the show. Here, the entire season comes together. It becomes one large story.
Another winner. If you've been passing on Avatar until now, get on board.
 Disc Presentation
Like Volume 1 and Volume 2 in this series, here we've got just over 120 minutes of colorful, crisp, animated action, presented with a robust Dolby Digital soundtrack. Looks good all around. No sign of compression artifacts, the colors pop, and the animation is smooth. The detailed backgrounds really pop during the adventures in Ba Sing Se. Avatar: The Last Airbender is a far cry from the choppy, stuttering children's animated series I see far too often in a house with a young boy inside. This disc looks and sounds swell. Quite a satisfying transfer.
Disc Extras
Everyone likes a little something extra. I sure do. One day I'd like to watch a comprehensive documentary on the conception, making and production of this show. Until then, the two commentary tracks on this disc will do just fine. The creators of the show (joined in one of the episodes by their background designer) discuss the ideas and concepts that were used to build the rich and layered city of Ba Sing Se. The tracks are lively and informative, rarely relying on the old “here is what you are seeing on screen” trick of filling time. Enjoyable stuff.
The disc also comes with the third in a four-part mini comic. At six pages, it's not huge, but hey, extra stuff is nice.
 The Bottom Line
Despite being confined largely to one location and its immediate surroundings, quite a contrast to the constant travel we've seen in the series thus far, Book 2: Earth, Volume 3 of Avatar: The Last Airbender expands upon the Avatar universe and adds layers of political intrigue to the huge narrative tying the series together. Rather than five episodes, this disc feels like one big saga. And that saga is not over yet.
If you like wildly imaginative action and adventure with an Asian twist, all in a family-friendly package, I can't imagine you not liking Avatar: The Last Airbender.
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