Tenzin, his sister Kya, and brother Bumi are keeping vigil over Korra and Jinora, whose bodies are in meditation mode while in the Spirit World. Tenzin is especially worried, because Korra and Jinora will not have their bending powers in the spirit world. Tenzin will not leave them until they are awake and safely back, so Kya and Bumi go for rest, but not before Bumi tells Tenzin to wake them if any crazy spirit stuff happens.
The only time they're happy in the Spirit World
The Spirit World is a lush valley, with rich, almost neon colors and every form. Korra and Jinora start out together, but get separated twice. The first time, Jinora scampers off after some cute spirit, and Korra nearly gets in a brawl with prairie dogs, finding out the hard way she has no bending powers here and angering the spirits even more. Jinora manages to intervene with them, reminding Korra that her own emotions can cause trouble with the spirits, so getting angry with them will only make them fight. When they are separated again after tumbling through a forest, a giant alligator's mouth, and river rapids, we see Korra in a forest, transformed into her younger self, maybe aged five or six. The implication is clear: Korra's fear in the spirit world has transformed her into a child. She is startled by evil looking spirits constantly. She accidentally injures a baby dragonbird that startles her, but feels pity for it and carries it through the forest, fearfully calling out for Jinora. Instead, she and her dragonbird baby hear a gentle, calm voice that we all know. And love. Iroh, Zukko's tea-loving, White Lotus leading form emerges.
Whew!
Meanwhile, Jinora is looking for Korra, finding an absolutely ginormous version of one of her bunny spirit friends. Apparently, this is Furry Foot's real form. Jinora is ecstatic, because Furry Foot wants to her to ride him as he flies to where they can find out where the South Pole Portal is. Furry Foot brings her to the familiar library of Wan Shi Tong.
Wait, you mean a radio doesn't work by magic?!?!?!?
In the original Avatar story, Tong's library was in the material world, but Sokka broke a promise to Tong when he used something he learned in the library to defeat someone in a fight. Because of this, Wan Shi Tong withdrew the library into the Spirit World, trapping one of the people who traveled there with Aang. Tong confronts Jinora right away, telling her humans are not allowed in his library, and that it contains all knowledge anyway. For instance, Tong tells Jinora that a radio is a box with a little man playing and singing inside. Which is, coincidentally, what I first thought at the age of six. Jinora impresses Tong by correctly describing how a radio works, embarrassing Tong's fox assistant librarian and gaining access to the library. Jinora is so excited, saying she could study there forever, until Tong shows her the decaying bones of the Professor left behind when Aang visited the library before. Jinora is undaunted, however, and starts looking for information on the Portals at the Poles and Vaatu.
Iroh explains to Korra that his love of the Spirit World enabled him to leave his body behind at death and live in the Spirit World, where he's happy and busy. Iroh and child Korra arrive at a wedding reception he's throwing for a two-headed frog lizard, with one head as the bridge and the other as the groom. Well, at least this wedding can't end in divorce. Iroh pours the tea, and Korra recognizes the pot as the same one Wan carried the spirit Raava in before they confronted Vaatu and joined together.
Symbolism alert! Yes, Korra, you are the teapot
Iroh's spirit guests welcome child Korra, but halfway through the party, child Korra starts throwing a fit because she's still not finding Jinora, or the South Pole Portal, and closing it. As her anger increases, the spirits at the party grow dark, a nearby mountain's clouds turn into a violent storm that engulfs the party.
Your temper tantrums have consequences, young lady!
Iroh has to explain to her (again) that all emotions can change spirits. Korra's emotions, as the Avatar, especially affect them. This calms Korra, and embarrasses her a little at her own bad behavior. Korra apologizes to the spirits, who return to their original forms. As the party breaks up, Iroh reminds her how fleeting emotions are: the dragonbird baby she holds scared her at first, but is now a tender buddy. Iroh directs Korra to the mountain, dark clouds still above it, and tells Korra that helping other is sometimes the best way to figure out one's own problems, and that her job is to bring her dragonbird baby back to its nest on the mountain. Korra agrees, afraid to go until Iroh tells her that she carries Raava, the Spririt of Light and Peace, and that she must remember this as she travels the Spirit World and interacts with the spirits.
Yep, let's send the kid into that
Back at the library, Tong's fox assistant helps Jinora find the right book, and old, bound book with the Elders' knowledge of Vaatu. Jinora learns that if the Harmonic Convergence can't happen, Vaatu will remain trapped in his tree-prison. However, if both Portals are open, the Harmonic Convergence will happen, freeing Vaatu and requiring Korra/Raava to defeat Vaatu to protect the universe. Jinora is all set to take this knowledge to Korra, but she looks up to see Wan Shi Tong with... Unalaq! Aaaaah!
Oh, fuck me
Tong is convinced that Unalaq is better for spirits than Korra, and Unalaq is convinced that Vaatu isn't going to destroy the universe if he's freed and defeats Korra. Jinora looks to Furry Foot to get out of there, but he grows and changes into a Dark Spirit. It was a trap, and Tong let her study there to keep her occupied until Unalaq could show up and take her prisoner.
I guess bunnies aren't good pets...
Child Korra begins her trip up the mountain, encountering three awful looking wolf spirits. She repeats to herself that she has the Spirit of Light and Peace, and asks the wolf spirits if they'd like to be her friends.
Please oh please won't you be my neighbor?
They transform back to friendly, giant blue dogs and escort Child Korra and her dragonbird baby up the mountain to its nest, where Korra places it with its siblings. They immediately fly out of the nest, and join together into one large, flyable dragonphoenix, graceful and yellow. Korra transforms back into her near-adult self, just like the dragonphoenix. Korra climbs on and the the dragonphoenix flies her to the Portals and Vaatu, leaving once she's there.
Best. Commute. Ever.
Korra regards the South Pole Portal for a moment, but is interrupted by Vaatu, taunting her and Raava that she'll win this time. The show's camera plays with perception of distance, suddenly flying to the tree Vaatu is imprisoned in. Not knowing what's in store, Korra is unimpressed with him and his bragging. She's about to close up the South Pole when she sees Unalaq, with Jinora as his prisoner. Unalaq is about to transform Jinora into a dark spirit unless Korra not only doesn't close the South Pole, but also opens the North Pole. Jinora, Goddess bless her, tells Korra not to do it. Korra, touched by Jinora's bravery, won't sacrifice her; she opens the portal as Unalaq wants. The Tree of Time, Vaatu's prison, glows red with the Portal's opening.
Oopsie....
Instead of freeing Jinora, and wanting such a gifted child for his own purposes, Unalaq has the evil Furry Foot spirit fly her away. Unalaq turns on Korra. He taunts her by reminding her she has no bending in the Spirit World, but shows her that by coming through the portal, he still does. He traps her and almost tranforms her into a Dark Spirit until Dragonphoenix suddenly appears, rescuing Korra. Korra suddenly wakes up, back in the material world, Tenzin at her side, asking where is Jinora? Why is she still in meditation? Why didn't she return with Korra? Korra has no answer for Tenzin, she can only look with horror and shame at Jinora's peaceful form meditating while her spirit is trapped by Unalaq.
This is my favorite episode from all of Book 2. The art was great (thank you Studio Mir!), and Korra was starting to look..less stiff? Yeah. I can't wait for Book 3.
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