Earth is in a lot of ways darker than Water. In particular, Prince Zuko is replaced as primary antagonist by his sister Azula, whose lethal confidence stops just short of parody, and finds himself an outcast, mired in an emofunk despite the best effort of Iroh, who remains the boss throughout this series. Aang's struggles with the nature of the Avatar's calling continue, as Earthbending does not come naturally to him and the awesome power of the Avatar state both places him at risk and demands that he give up the people he cares for most.
There are also a couple of especially dark episodes, such as the one which explores Zuko's childhood and Appa's Lost Days, which recounts the arduous and ultimately futile journey of the kidnapped Appa to be reunited with Aang.
This is not to say that the series loses its sense of humour. I would pay good money for a buddy cop series featuring Iroh and Toph, the blind Earthbender who joins the team; a well-bred but still ill-mannered self-made-waif who teaches herself to bend metal just to prove she could.
Earth also develops the philosophy of its universe, mostly through Iroh, although with contributions from Toph and mad Earth King Bumi, and the emotional and spiritual balance of the four elements.
The end of the series is a major downer, but we've moved briskly on to Book 3: Fire.
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