History Recap / AvatarTheLastAirbenderCityOfWallsAndSecrets

* WeirdnessMagnet: [[LampshadeHanging Openly stated]] by Sokka that unusual things happen to them in defense of his theory that a "giant, exploding Fire Nation spoon" or "an ocean of killer shrimp" may attack Ba Sing Se. Shortly after he says this, a vacant-looking fellow sucking on a corn cob plants himself next to Sokka.

* CrapsaccharineWorld: Ba Sing Se itself. It looks beautiful at first glance, but after only a few minutes there, the problems start to show; most of the population is confined to the Lower Ring in varying states of poverty with an evident criminal underworld, and even in the Middle and Upper Rings it's evident that people live in mortal fear of the Dai Li.

* VillainHasAPoint: Even though it's revealed that Long Feng and the Dai Li are controlling the life of the city and the Earth King, spreading the word about war would ultimately bring about panic and ruin the economy and traditions of the city.

* OffscreenTeleportation: Katara and Toph try to slip away from Long Feng during the party, only for him to reappear in front of them in the time it takes Katara to turn her head, visibly startling her.

[[caption-width-right:333:There's no war in Ba Sing Se.]]

[[caption-width-right:333:Jet is brainwashed by the Dai Li.]]

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Turns out that charging into a business, accusing two employees of being enemies of the state with no evidence, and attacking them ''in front of city guards'' is a quick way to find yourself being arrested.

* OverlyPolitePals: Aang and Sokka briefly as they try (and fail) to behave like high society folk.

* GovernmentConspiracy: Run by Long Feng, head of the Dai Li. To maintain peace in Ba Sing Se, they do ''whatever it takes'' to ensure the news of the war against the Fire Nation never reaches earshot of its citizens, let alone the city's king.

* PoliceState: Courtesy of Long Feng and the Dai Li, who are more concerned with keeping order than worrying about the war.

* PuppetKing: Lampshaded by Katara and Toph after hearing that Long Feng is more in control of the city than the Earth King.

* WhamEpisode: Ba Sing Se isn't the great utopian city it was made out to be, Jet is taken by the Dai Li to be brainwashed, and the Gaang still have no way of finding Appa.

** Ba Sing Se's political landscape bears some resemblance to Creator/GeorgeOrwell's ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'''.

** Ba Sing Se's political landscape is very resembling to ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'''s.
** The party and the Gaang's plan to sneak into it in hopes of seeing someone important there is a nod to the 2005 animated film ''WesternAnimation/{{Robots}}''.

''[[caption-width-right:333:Jet is brainwashed by the Dai Li.]]''

** In order to get into the Earth King's party, Toph tries to [[Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheSerpentsPass use her family' clout to threaten the guard]]. This time, it doesn't work.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Joo-Dee keeps shaking her head at everyone who may know where Appa is in the city, while still giving her eerie smile. It turns out that Long Feng knows that's one of the reasons the Gaang is there, and intends to use a threat of kicking them out of the city without him as a way to keep them in line.

* HypocriticalHumor: Subverted. Toph criticizes Aang and Sokka's attempts to pass themselves off as members of high society, while picking her nose and burping. Katara calls her out on this, and Toph then makes it clear that out of everyone in the group, she is the only one who knows formal etiquette and "proper society behavior." She just chooses not to use it most of the time.

* OhCrap: Joo Dee’s face when Team Avatar is exposed at the party just ''screams'' this.

** Ba Sing Se's political landscape is very resembling of ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'''s.

* ThisIsGonnaSuck: Toph isn’t too thrilled to be back in a city, or as she calls it, “just a bunch of walls and rules.”

** The party scene and the Gaang's plan to sneak into it in hopes seeing someone important is a nod to the 2005 animated film ''WesternAnimation/Robots''

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Toph warns the Gaang that they'll get sick of Ba Sing Se's walls and rules in a couple of days. This episode and the ones after will confirm her suspicions, though not what she had in mind.

* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Zuko lowers his swords when the Dai Li order him to stand down, which is fortunate. This shifts their focus on a defiant Jet, leading the Dai Li to handcuff him with rocks and confiscate his weapons.

* VillainHasAPoint: Even though it's revealed that Long Feng and the Dai Li are controlling the life of the city and the Earth King, spreading word about a war would ultimately bring about panic and ruin the economy and traditions of the city.

* WhateverHappenedToTheMouse: The Joo Dee that was guiding Team Avatar is unheard from again when they meet up with Long Feng. At the end, another woman who goes by Joo Dee arrives to escort them out of the room. If the previous expression is anything to go by, she was replaced in more ways than one.

* PuppetKing: Lampshaded by Katara and Toph after hearing that Long Feng is more in controlof the city than the Earth King.
-->'''Karata''': So the king is just a figurehead.
-->'''Toph''': He's your puppet.

* RealityEnsues: Jet storms into a teashop to accuse the main tea maker and his nephew of being firebender fugitives. Then he gets into a sword fight with said nephew, in view of two city guards and the shop owner. When the Dai Li come to break up the skirmish, the owner rightly says that Jet assaulted two of his employees and caused property damage; this is backed up by the guards, leading to Jet's arrest.

* GovernmentConspiracy: Run by Long Feng, head of the Dai Li.

* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Zuko lowers his swords when the Dai Li order him to stand down. Jet...doesn't, leading the Dai Li to handcuff him with rocks and confiscate his weapons.

* PuppetKing: It's revealed that the Earth King is a figurehead for Long Feng. Lampshaded by Katara and Toph.

* EvasiveFightThreadEpisode: Quite a bit of promotional hype was made over the swordfight between Zuko and Jet. It's interrupted by the Dai Li before either of them wins, although Zuko likely know someone would have called the authorities and was stalling.

* BackToBackBadasses: Inverted. During their swordfight, Zuko and Jet end up with their backs against each other's, each turned and trying get around the other's defenses.

* TheCaligula: Hinted at; who throws a party for their pet bear?
* CassandraTruth: No one believes Jet's claims that Zuko and Iroh are Fire Nation. They might have listened if he hadn't publicly attacked them, at which point the authorities dismissed him as crazy.

** Zuko and Iroh can't firebend without exposing their identities. Fortunately, Zuko can ''fence'' and he doesn't need to win, just stall.

* CrapsaccharineWorld: Ba Sing Se itself. It looks beautiful at first glance, but after only a few minutes there, the problems start to show.
* DidntThinkThisThrough: Jet's attempts to expose Zuko and Iroh are...poorly thought out. It ends with him attacking them in the middle of the tea shop they've just started working at, ranting about them being firebenders, causing property damage that isn't going endear him to the shop owner or any bystanders, and getting arrested by the Dai Li.

* EvasiveFightThreadEpisode: Quite a bit of hype was made over the swordfight between Zuko and Jet. It's interrupted by the Dai Li before either of them wins.

* LeeroyJenkins: After observing Zuko and Iroh all day in order to get evidence to prove they're firebenders, Jet gets frustrated attacks the tea shop in order to make them reveal their bending. It doesn't work out for him.

-->'''Guard:''' ...He works in a tea shop.

* VillainBall: Long Feng grabs it by telling the Gaang that he has no intention of allowing them to see the King, and that war will never come to the city. He could'be easily promised that he would tell the king or the generals on the outer walls, and they would've trusted his word.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Joo-Dee keeps shaking her head at everyone who may know where Appa is in the city, while still giving her eerie smile. It turns out that Long Feng knows where Appa is, and wants to ensure the Gaang don't find the bison.

* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Zuko sheathes his swords when the Dai Li order him to stand down. Jet...doesn't, leading the Dai Li to handcuff him with rocks and confiscate his weapons.

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: When she fails to get Aang to leave the Earth King's party without him being noticed, Joo Dee's smile practically ''melts'' off her face as everyone's attention is turned to the Avatar. Whatever her orders were, it is clear that this marks the moment she failed tremendously...

* PoliceState: Courtesy of Long Feng and the Dai Li.

* RealityEnsues: Jet storms into a teashop to accuse the main tea maker and his nephew of being firebender fugitives. Then he gets into a sword fight with said nephew, in view of two guards and the shop owner. When the Dai Li come to break up the skirmish, the owner rightly says that Jet assaulted two of his employees and caused property damage, leading to Jet's arrest.

* SceneryPorn: After a long journey, the Earth Kingdom capital is finally shown in all of its glory, and then some.

* TwoLinesNoWaiting: The Gaang's efforts to reach the king are contrasted with Jet trying to expose Zuko and Iroh as firebenders.

* VillainHasAPoint: Even though it's revealed that Long Feng and the Dai Li were controlling the life of the city and the Earth King, spreading word about a war would ultimately bring about panic and ruin the economy and traditions of the city.