Morning comes to Zaofu. With the sun well up, the pods of the city open up to blue skies with only puffy white whisps of clouds about. It's a perfect, summer day for the Metal Clan. Wei and Wing, Suyin's twin sons, are excited to get out right away and play them some power disc. They are totally stoked to play with Korra, but she has to turn them down- she can't metal bend. Suyin is at first shocked that Lin hasn't taught her. Then she has a chuckle thinking how bad a teacher Lin would have been. Suyin quickly offers to train Korra in metalbending herself, which Korra happily accepts. Opal, seated next to Bolin as usual, encourages him to try, and Suyin is happy to help. But Bolin declines, feigning disinterest. As Suyin is trying to convince Bolin, her metal collar piece floats off her chest. All the metal in the room starts to move, then zooms out the dining room. We see a triumphant Varrick, crowing the suit he's wearing, which has attracted all the metal in the dining room. When Zhu Li powers the suit down, Varrick stomps off, after ordering Zhu Li to pick up his mess.
Phase 3- Zhu Li finally kicks your butt!
Outside, a couple of Zaofu guards are comparing pushup counts, when Lin confronts them, snapping at them for lounging on duty. The guards are non-plussed; Lin caught them not guarding, but she technically doesn't have authority to yell at them. Lin doesn't seem to care about these jurisdictional issues, frantic that Korra isn't safe in Zaofu. She insists on personally combing the city for threats real and imagined. Aiwei appears behind her, and he calmly informs Lin that she's losing her cookies from stress. Maybe she is always high strung, but now she looks ready to collapse. Aiwei sends her to the local acupuncturist. While Lin is dealing with her stress levels, the rest of the gang gets the episode to explore a little.
Zaheer and his besties hide out in Republic City after Zaheer nearly got his ass kicked by Kya at Air Temple Island. They are holed up in an abandoned apartment, one of a whole building with spirit-vines growing throughout. They are pissy at not knowing where the Avatar is, and one lets slip that they won't be abe to assassinate President Reiko now. Assassination? Just what are their plans, for Korra and the world?
Zaheer nixes the assassination. Now the goal is escape the dragnet surrounding them. A delivery truck is stopped on the street below. Zaheer and his gang easily take the driver by surprise, and he's petrified. At first he thinks they're robbers, but Zaheer and Ming Hua's watery knife have other plans for his truck.
She's a people person
Lin lets herself down on a table in a dim room. The acupuncturist, a fellow metal bender, finely controls a series of needles, aligning them along his desired insertion points, and then gently easing them in. He explains that this will unblock her Chi. He also explains that during the session, she may experience long-buried memories, as her body and mind try to remove whatever's blocking her precious Chi. Lin scoffs at this, until the last needle pierces her forehead, right in the middle of her brow.
But maybe I like my memories repressed!
Lin immediately flashbacks, and we see a young Lin, hair black and a little longer, wearing a gray uniform. She's home early, apparently, as Suyin wasn't expecting her. Lin wasn't expecting her younger sister at home, either, and wants to know why she's not at school. Suyin brushes off the question, daring Lin to tell Mom. After all, Mom will just ignore it. We can see Lin seething when she realizes that Suyin is right- Suyin is allowed to get away with whatever she wants. One of Su's friends hastily closes a bag containing valuable-looking stuff. Lin demands to know what it is. He says it fell off a truck. Yeah, because I leave jewels and stuff loosely bound on a truck. They saunter out, not worried about getting caught at all.
Su Yin and Korra get started with meteorites. As they are a combination of earth and metal, it's easier for Korra to detect and manipulate the grains of earth in the metal. Korra's trying to concentrate, when they both spot Bolin peeking out from behind a nearby rock (or giant meteorite?).
Don't mind me!
Bolin, at first, won't cop to eavesdropping. He fabricates a Pabu-related excuse for being around. One wonders if Pabu really does have a venom. He then offers to act as a spectator at this game. Suyin and Korra, not convinced that Bolin isn't really interested for one moment, get back to work. Within a few seconds of concentrating, Korra is making the meteorite reform into different shapes, like a potter with clay. Well, a beginning potter. Bolin is further discouraged from even trying to bend metal. After all, if Korra is the one in a hundred who can do it, what are the odds Bolin could too?
Back in Lin's head, she's a full-fledged police officer getting a call while out on patrol in her spiffy little police car. Getting a call on robbers driving in her area, she radios in to her station, whips the car around, and quickly sees the robbers' car careening through the crowded city streets. The getaway car is fast and maneuverable, but inevitably makes a mistake that crashes it. Lin parks and quickly captures the robbers with a cable she bends out of her holster. A familiar voice calls to her to stop- Lin realizes, in horror, that Suyin has emerged from the car too. The shock in the memory is so real, that Lin wakes up in a fit, convulsing so badly that needles fly from her skin into the walls. The acupuncturist is horrified, telling Lin to continue the session. Lin ignores him as she trudges out.
Lin tries to rest in her room, but it's no good. She's now seeing a young Suyin enter and berate her about her rude treatment of Opal. Young Suyin eventually morphs into Korra, still wanting Lin to apologize to Opal. Lin, maybe realizing that young Suyin isn't going to go away this time, sweeps past Korra, and returns to the acupuncturist, who immediately puts her under again.
Back down Memory Lane, Suyin is trying to minimize her participation in a crime. It's no biggie, and who would even think of arresting her? Lin is now furious. Typical Suyin. Doing whatever she wants while Lin plays by the rules. And demanding to get away with it, too. When Suyin starts to walk away, Lin decides she's had enough. A cable comes from her holster and shoots across the space between them, wrapping around Suyin's wrist.
Ha ha!
Suyin doesn't like this at all. Where does Lin get off? Suyin bends a wrist piece into a knife, and slices the cable with such force, the tense line snaps, and whips the cut end right into Lin's face. Lin screams in pain, holding her face. Her own sister has not just tried to commit a crime, but assaulted a police officer. Specifically, her.
Lin and Suyin end up being chewed out by their mother, the great Toph Beifong, Chief of Republic City's Police. Lin is incensed when Toph starts yelling at her, as Lin was doing her job, and Suyin was just a brat too many times. Toph decides that she can't have a scandal; as the Police Chief, her kids can't be getting into trouble. The coverup starts with Toph telling Suyin she'll have to leave town. Su is spoiled-brat angry. Why should she be inconvenienced? Where will she even go? Toph tells her she'll go to her grandparents. Oh, that should be fun. No wonder Su ran away. Then Toph further angers Lin by ripping up the arrest report. Lin thinks that Su is getting off with no punishment. A frustrated Toph rubs her temples as she tells her warring daughters that this is the only way.
Needs some 'me' time
Lin wakes up. She ignores the acupuncturist who tells her to rest for a while. There's someone who needs to pay.
Bolin hasn't given up; he just doesn't want to fail in front of people. He approaches a resting meteorite like a ninja, and then throws 110% into trying to bend it. Nothing. Opal catches him, and Bolin gives his best excuse for loitering yet; he was pondering future facial hair layouts. Opal makes him admit that he'd love to metal bend; but he hasn't found the way to do it, and he's afraid he'll never be able to. Opal says he's staying with the best metal bender in the world, so go and learn from her already. Bolin decides to bring up Opal staying at Zaofu when she should be at the Northern Air Temple with Tenzin and the other air benders. Opal looks resigned to having to stay in Zaofu to please her mother.
Zaheer and his gang are huddled in the back of said delivery truck, with the driver up front. He stops at the checkpoint before the bridge headed out of town. He's so nervous, he screws up his lines, and the cops catch on to him right away. The driver is almost grateful when told to exit the truck, and runs away immediately. The cops are ready for trouble now, and it comes in the form of Zaheer, Ghazan, and P'Li fighting from the back of the truck, while Ming Hua uses her water arms to drive away. The cops try chasing, but P'Li explodes chunks of highway as they leave, leaving a hot, molten mess along the bridge.
Back in Zaofu, Bolin has just sheepishly asked for Suyin's help in metal bending, when Lin decides that's enough training for everyone for the day. The metal plates on the ground crinkle and wrinkle as Lin vents her rage on them. She has shown up to tell Suyin off. Suyin, who never apologized for scarring her, taunting her, and basically getting away with never doing anything right. Suyin has done a great job forgiving herself, just not for asking Lin's forgiveness. Maybe she expected Lin to come to her; but that's not really fair. You don't wait for the person you've wronged to come to you.
Lin blames Suyin for Mom losing her career. Suyin tries to brush it off, but Lin tells her Toph was so eaten by guilt for covering for her daughter, she felt she had to retire. Suyin says she's a different person now. Their mother has been to see her, and they reconciled. She blames Lin for not coming when she was invited. Lin tells Suyin there's no changing. Suyin agrees, but decides it's Lin who hasn't changed. Like Korra last night, she accuses Lin of being a bitter loner. And then, just like her childhood self, she has to get in a dig. She brings up Lin's old affair with Tenzin, telling Lin that she's not surprised Tenzin broke up with her.
Once again, Suyin puts in one too many smart lines. Lin is incensed, and their fight begins. Lin is in full attack mode. Suyin mostly just has to play defense, but gets in some throws too. They vary between earth and metal, using whatever is nearby and handy. Korra, horrified, asks Bolin if she should intervene. Bolin says siblings gotta do what siblings gotta do. Wei and Wing are cheering on their mother; Huan cares more about his sculptures than the fight.
Years of repressed anger plus floating rocks.
Lin is tired after being thrown into some steps. But she's not ready to give up. She tiredly rips out a chunk of the stone steps. Suyin does the same with a stone retaining wall. They are literally about to hurl boulders at each other when they are stopped by a blast of air. It's Opal. Shy, sweet, gentle Opal. Who lays into them both. Lin probably doesn't hear a bit, as she's so tired she collapses. Before she can hit the ground, Korra catches her.
The next day, Korra, Mako and Bolin stand timidly outside the door to Lin's quarters. Lin has yet to emerge, and all three are worried about her. But not as worried for themselves should Lin not want to be disturbed. Bolin outright doesn't want to knock on the door. Korra thinks she could do it, sure she could, and she will as soon as she talks herself into it. So Mako simply strides to the door, knocks, and asks Lin if she's okay. The door opens. Instead of a harangue, it's Lin. Chipper and dressed as a dweller of Zaofu, she actually smiles and says good morning. Korra, Bolin and Mako are shocked.
Lin's first stop is the dining room, where the chef serves her his hangover drink- kale, nuts, and coconut water : The Kale-Nuts Co. She's hesitant to try it, but decides she likes it. Opal is lingering outside the dining room, still afraid to talk to her aunt; but Lin asks her to please come in. She wholeheartedly apologizes to Opal, admitting that she has trouble talking about her feelings. She then asks Opal what's holding her in Zaofu when Master Tenzin and other air benders are elsewhere. When Opal repeats that she just wants her mom to be happy, Lin reminds her that she spent her life trying to please Toph. And look where that got her. Opal leaves, and immediately finds her parents in their study. She asks to talk to them as she closes the door behind her.
Your mom left home at your age. What could go wrong?
It doesn't take long for Suyin to find her sister. Lin is standing at Zaofu's grand statue of Toph, their mother. She knows Lin gave Opal the final push to go, but she's not angry. She admits that she's been keeping Opal close when the girl needs her freedom. She finally apologizes for hurting Lin, and she and Lin both admit that leaving was best- if she had stayed, Lin would have had to lock her away permanently someday. Suyin tells Lin what she never actually heard herself- that their mother was proud of her, that she does important work. Suyin, now that the breached is healed, wants Lin to move in and start directing dance recitals. Also, she's sure there's work to do with the kids. Lin tells her to be happy with baby steps. They're not throwing things at each other today. Be glad for that.
I'm letting you live today. But just today.
Outside Republic City, Zaheer and his gang rest at a camp site really super close to the truck. Which they didn't bother to hide. They had to abort killing the President, and they have no idea where the Avatar is. Their goal, whatever it is, is looking unattainable. Good thing Zaheer, deep in meditation, has some way of learning that Korra is in Zaofu. Well, good for them. Not so good for Korra.
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