The Legend of Korra kicked things off right after rescuing Korra at the end of the last episode. Last week was about the villain, Tarrlok. The show’s rightful villain took centre stage, or rather his devious plot did, as Amon set in motion his plan to capture Republic City for himself and his Equalist movement. Tarrlok could have learned a thing or two about how to do things properly.
Korra starts the episode in bed, recovering. Mako is watching over her concerned, as Asami watches them from behind the door. She just can’t shake the feeling there’s something going on, can she? Tenzin walks in to see his family all in bed and they’re glad to see him home. They were worried about Korra but he promises everything will be fine.
At dinner, Korra is stuffing her face, feeling like her old self. Tenzin wants to know what happened and Korra tells him that Tarrlok was Yakone’s son. Beifong and Tenzin are shocked but Beifong realises that is the reason why Tarrlok could Bloodbend without a full moon. When explaining how she escaped, Korra tells them that Amon showed up and took away Tarrlok’s bending. She says he almost got her too. Tenzin is disturbed by Amon’s attitude, feeling that he’s nearing his endgame (the name of the last episode airing next week).
Pema and Asami are washing up and Pema keels over slightly. She says there’s no need to worry, as it was just the baby kicking hard. Mako bursts in, saying that he needs more hot water as Korra wants more tea. Asami points out, not so politely, that he’s a Firebender, he can boil it himself. She does have a point. Pema notes the tension and quickly leaves, in case they need to talk.
Mako makes a rookie mistake and asks if they do need to talk. Asami asks him if he has feelings for Korra. They argue like every useless couple you’ve ever seen. Basically, he has no idea why she’s upset. Strike two, Mako. Asami reveals she knows he kissed Korra. He tries to parry blame on Bolin but Asami shuts that down quickly. Mako says there’s a lot going on and can they talk about it later. Ouch. Asami storms out, saying there might not be a relationship later to worry about. As a veteran of messing up relationships, allow me to explain it. Strike three Mako, you’re outta there!
Outside, Tenzin rather sheepishly asks Beifong to look after his family whilst he goes to a council meeting, knowing it could be a bit awkward. (Beifong lost Tenzin to Pema and tried to have her arrested once). Beifong has no awkwardness about it, and says she’ll help her old friend. Pema comes out and Tenzin tells her Beifong is staying to help. She is glad of the extra hands and palms Meelo off onto Beifong, saying he desperately needs a bath. Beifong shouts to Tenzin that it’s not what she signed on for but Tenzin makes a quick getaway on Oogi, his flying bison. Meelo grosses Beifong out and she carries him away on her metal cord.
In an unknown house, one of the council members finds her keys just in time to answer the door. Spider-rat exterminators greet her but she knows nothing about it. They electrocute her. Equalists! Not a good sign. At the council building, Tenzin arrives as three window cleaners are above him. They share glances and Tenzin just about manages to dodge their Equalist bolo’s. Tenzin survives the ambush. He seems almost polite fighting them, a pacifist at heart methinks, but he disposes them in as safely a manner as he can. The Clerk from the previous episodes appears and tells Tenzin that Saikhan (which I’ve been spelling wrong for weeks now) just sent a message that all the other council members have been captured. The leadership of Republic City is now in Tenzin’s hands. At that moment, bombs go off on the street and Tenzin see’s Equalist airships.
At the Air Temple, Beifong sends the Airbending kids inside as Team Avatar run out. They heard explosions and Beifong tells them that Republic City is under attack. Mr Sato is in one of the airships and looks at the picture of his family before talking to Amon. He says he’s been waiting for this day for so long. Amon says the Equalists are going to claim the city as their own.
Team Avatar arrive in Republic City via boat. They look for the car. Korra parked it, into a lamppost. Asami says nice parking but Korra points out that they were all arrested and she told them she couldn’t drive. Bolin was concerned by the parking tickets but Mako burns them. Asami gets her gauntlet out of the boot and sits behind the wheel. She tells Mako that he should sit in the back with Korra. He does. Amateur. Korra asks if everything is alright but he just answers that it’s terrific.
Tenzin enters the chaos in the police station. Amon has spread the force thin with co-ordinated attacks. Tenzin manages to get one of the admin to wire a message to the General of the United Forces before all the power is cut and the lines go down. Gas starts to pour into the building. Tenzin gets everyone to stick close to him and he guides them out, Airbending a protective bubble around them. Unfortunately, as they exit the building, they are greeted by Mecha-Tanks.
The Mecha-Tanks use magnets to capture the Metalbending cops. Tenzin tries to protect the admin guys from the Mecha—Tanks’ grapple wires but ends up getting smashed into a wall. He sees Saikhan and the other police being taken away in a van and the admin guys being captured by Equalists before he passes out.
Cue the heroic music as Team Avatar arrive, sending the car vaulting through the air, destroying two Mecha-Tanks. Mako gets electrocuted by one of the Mecha-Tanks but he counters it into a lightning attack, terminating it. Korra and Bolin use water and earth to defeat another one. Asami, clearly very angry, saves Tenzin from the back of a van by annihilating five guards with the Equalist gauntlet and her own slick moves. I would not like to be Mako. Tenzin thanks her and helps Mako defeat another one, Airbending the Mecha-Tank onto the roof.
Mr Sato, in the airship, says Tenzin has escaped again, and adds that he hates seeing his daughter fight with benders. Tenzin thanks Team Avatar for saving him from Amon’s clutches but Mako points out that there’s an airship heading for the Air Temple.
The airship near the Air Temple opens up. The Lieutenant and a load of Equalists are in it, looking mean. They shoot a wire down to the Temple and begin sliding down it. The White Lotus guards see it and head to meet them. Beifong tells Tenzin’s family to get inside and remain calm. Pema screams and Beifong goes to reprimand her but she says the baby is coming. Meelo scolds the unborn baby. Midwives take Pema off as the Airbending children look on.
A second airship appears as the Lotus guards use various bending to guard the top of the Temple’s stairs. The Lieutenant slides down to join the fray. Beifong is standing in a courtyard, waiting, looking every inch the badass she is. The Lieutenant and his Equalists charge her but she puts on a bending masterclass, keeping them at bay. Pema is in her room and asks where her children are. The midwife says they’re safe next-door, but we all know what that means.
The Lieutenant electrocutes Beifong but before he can finish her off, Jinora glides down, telling him to stay away from her dad’s ex-girlfriend. A weird battle-cry if ever I’ve heard one. She knocks the Lieutenant away as Beifong tells her she shouldn’t be there. Ikki Air-scooters into the courtyard, taking out Equalists, telling them to get off their island. Beifong tries to tell the girls to leave but Meelo bursts out, telling the Equalists to taste his fury. He then proceeds to dispose of Equalists in a, shall we call it, unique manner. Beifong gives up telling him to be careful.
With the Equalists defeated, Beifong tells the Lotus guards to lock them in the Temple’s basement, and tells the kids they did a nice job. Oogi arrives with Tenzin and Team Avatar. Meelo tells his dad they caught the bad guys. Tenzin starts to have a go at Beifong but she points out that they saved her and he should be proud of them, as he taught them well. She tells him to go to his wife. Tenzin hears a baby scream and enters Pema’s room to meet his new son. The baby smiles at him as his other children flock in. Pema and Tenzin already have a name for their new son; Rohan. My inner geek loves the name. Beifong, Korra and Mako are in the room, also smiling, but Korra breaks up the moment; there’s another airship on the way. Ikki asks her dad if everything is really going to be fine.
There are two airships coming and Tenzin says he needs to protect his family. He can’t handle the thought of Amon capturing them. Beifong says she’s going with the Tenzin family, as they’re the last Airbenders and she won’t let Amon take their bending. Tenzin wants Korra to hide for a while. She doesn’t want to give up but Tenzin explains that the United Forces are coming. Korra knows they have to be patient. Tenzin says Korra is learning well.
Next to Oogi, with his family and Beifong already aboard, Tenzin hugs Korra, as they tell each other to be safe. Tenzin and co leave but two airships follow them, as more Equalists land on the Air Temple. The Lotus guards say they’ll hold them off as Korra jumps on Naga, getting the rest of Team Avatar to jump on with her. The guards are quickly surrounded as Korra and her friends escape.
Along the cliffside, Bolin spots the mustache guy (the Lieutenant) coming for them but Naga jumps up and swats him away. Korra says nice one, Naga; a sentiment shared in my living room quite loudly. Go Naga! Korra gets Naga to the jetty on the island and Naga jumps down into the water. Korra Waterbends so that they can breathe as Naga heads towards the shadows of Republic City.
The airships are still following Oogi. Beifong stops a net coming at them but then grabs the broken wire with one of her cables. She looks at Tenzin’s scared family and steels herself; telling them that whatever happens to her, don’t turn back. Tenzin turns and asks what she’s doing as she jumps off Oogi, using her cable to pull herself onto the top of one of the airships. She Metalbends the roof open like a sardine can and then jumps to the roof of the other ship. Before she can repeat her feat she is stopped and electrocuted by Equalists. The remaining ship turns away as the other plummets.Tenzin continues riding away. Meelo says that lady is his hero and Tenzin agrees. I do too. What is it about Beifong women that make them so cool?
Team Avatar stand in a sewer and Mako tells Korra they need to get moving, as Korra looks at the Air Temple. He puts his arm around Korra and leads her into the sewers with Naga and Bolin. Asami watches them and follows, almost begrudgingly. I’ve figured out my issue with Asami. She needs to be with the Equalists. Not only would she suddenly become a lot cooler but she’s already as lethal as them and more importantly, they need her. Seriously, the bad guy section of The Legend of Korra is decidedly male; they need Asami. She looked like a villain-in-waiting in the sewer, lurking in the shadow, jealous and heartbroken because of a Firebender.
At the Air Temple, a defenseless Beifong is put before Amon. He says she can keep her bending if she tells him where Korra is. She tells the monster nothing. Defiant to the end, go Beifong! Then that suddenly no longer cool, insidious jerk takes Beifong’s bending. I’m distraught. She was the coolest bender in the show. I hope Korra can figure out how to restore Beifong’s bending, and kick Amon’s ass.
In a faraway location, an underling rushes to a man shouting ‘˜General’. He tells the General that they’ve received a wire from the Avatar; Amon has taken Republic City. He asks the General how he wants to respond. The General (who has Zuko’s voice, yes!) says they’ll arrive in three days and he looks forward to taking back the city, together. The man leaves, saying as you wish, General Iroh! Holy crap, Iroh, who has to be Zuko’s son, named after his beloved uncle, is coming to wipe the floor with Amon. I can’t wait.
This weeks’episode broke my heart with Beifong losing her bending, but she was awesome from start to finish. Naga had me jumping in the air and Asami proved she was also tough. Next week will be the final two episodes of the series and I’m looking forward to it so much I think I’m going to seek medical advice. I know they’ll leave us on a cliff-hanger for the following season but it’s going to be great. I just hope enough things are answered.
Will Korra learn Airbending? Will Tenzin go bad ass because of Beifong? Who is Amon? Will the Equalists recruit Asami? Will Asami prefer the handsome new Firebender, General Iroh? Will they reclaim Republic City? What will Beifong do now? There are just so many questions that I’ll have to leave it there, and brace myself for two episodes next week. Amon, you’re in trouble now; Avatar Korra and General Iroh are coming for you!
