Bolin summarizes their almost impossible task, already tired just describing it, as Mako decides to take an airship. Which is being pulled apart. Mako tries police business, instructing the looters on the airship's bridge to vacate; when this fails completely, Bolin appeals to their greed, sending them into the palace for the Queen's gold.
Quick! Go steal something else!
Mako, despite wanting the airship in the first place, doesn't think it will fly. Bolin's confidence, first low, shoots up whenever Mako's is down. He's happy to reassure Mako that despite having a crew of two, who don't know what a single lever is for, and parts missing, that they'll easily fly out of there. Cue the inevitable rocky takeoff. Finally, someone finds the up button.
As bad as their airship is, Ba Sing Se is considerably worse. Looting has developed into a full-scale, city-wide riot, with the entire city on fire.
Hey, at least Zaheer freed the city before getting them all killed
Bolin instantly worries about the relatives they've met days ago, and Mako launches into action. Pushing new pilot Bolin out of the way, he grabs the controls, and insists that he will land them safely at their family's house. Which he does.
Bolin climbs down the fire escape, to see the entire extended family gathered together. In a burning building, on a burning block. Turns out, Grandma Yin won't leave the only home she's ever known, and her family won't leave without her. Uncle Chow tries again to convince her, and Bolin grasps her hands and gives her a heartfelt lesson on home being where your family is together. When she still refuses, Bolin gets to work, hoisting Yin over his shoulder. As the rest of the family hauls ass up the ladder and into the airship, Yin makes Bolin wait so she can grab her second-most prized possession- her photograph of now-dead Earth Queen Hou-Ting. The building falls apart in flame and smoke as Bolin and Yin board the airship.
Yin settles in by posting Hou-Ting's portrait on one of the posts in the bridge. Tu tries to pretend he could have saved the day, and was just waiting for Bolin, or something. It's totally unconvincing, and Mako launches right into their newest task. He knows Korra's airship went down in the desert between Misty Palms and Ba Sing Se. He would have learned as much from Zaheer. But he doesn't know where, and he thinks Korra is still out there for him to deliver Zaheer's message to. Without a radio, since it's been looted, he still thinks his best shot of notifying Korra quickly to Zaheer's plans is to find her in the desert.
The whole family gets in on the action, each looking closely for wreckage, which finally, after about a day's ride, Tu finally sees. The guy turns out to be useful for a change! Mako finds a trail leading from the wreckage... back to Misty Palms! After two episodes, the whole gang is literally back where they were before. Mako lands awkwardly, to expert pilot Bolin's frustration.
Once on the ground, it's awkward reunions all around. The family's all entranced by the spirits floating around. Bolin at first doesn't realize his best friend, Pabu, has found him, and grosses out the family with his wildly inappropriate joy. Mako, standing in his usual stand-offishness, is tackled by Naga, and Naga only frees him after getting in some slobbery licks.
Well, at least Naga is happy
Asami and Korra restrain themselves to simple hugs, which is also too much for Mako. Lin actually expresses some pleasure that the boys are alive, and Bolin completely geeks out over Lord Zuko, who looks about two seconds away from toasting Bolin alive. Zuko takes it well, so we can get on to the awkwardness as Yin meets Asami and Korra.
Yin screws up everything. She first mistakes Asami for Korra, gushing over how pretty the Avatar is. When Mako actually introduces Korra, she's less than impressed, and can only reluctantly point out that Korra's very strong, which Korra takes as a compliment, fortunately. Yin goes all out on embarassing her grandson when she takes both ladies' hands, and tells Mako he should be dating one of them. Asami and Korra, remembering how much fun it is to make Mako uncomfortable at his romantic past with them both, smile at each other, then Mako.
It's Asami who breaks the reunion up, asking where they've been all this time. Finally, Mako gets to deliver his message from Zaheer. After telling them they've just come from Ba Sing Se, and already know the Earth Queen is overthrown, he tells them that Zaheer has another awful surprise for them. Zaheer is already proceeding to the Northern Air Temple, where he plans to wipe out all the new air benders, including his fellow new air benders, unless Korra comes to him herself there. Zaheer is truly tired of chasing Korra; we're about to learn just how tired.
Tonraq thinks he may be bluffing; Mako isn't so hopeful. They need a radio powerful enough to reach the Northern Air Temple, which Suyin, still back in Zaofu, thankfully has. As she meets their airship, she can do nothing but worry. Her staff has already tried to reach the Temple, but heard nothing. They're getting through, but no one's answering. Lin tries to comfort her, as the news means Opal is in terrible danger. The whole team tries a new tactic: get to the Northern Air Temple as fast as possible. Most of the team leaves to help Suyin muster Zaofu metal-bending troops to assault the Red Lotus. Korra will re-enter the spirit world to see if Zaheer is back at his favorite grove. Asami will watch over Korra's body while her spirit is elsewhere. Bolin and Mako will stay by the radio in case they hear from the Temple. Yin will take a nap. So, no more awkward scenes.
Korra's spirit, again in Xaibao's Grove, angrily calls for Zaheer to appear, but sees only Iroh, wandering the Spirit World. She's searching for Zaheer, and he's looking for a new teapot. But, he says, it's okay, because in the Spirit World, one always finds what they didn't know they were looking for. Iroh sees that Korra is worried, and offers his ear. He reassures Korra that she doesn't always have to know what to do, and that Lord Zuko might be able to tell Korra what Avatar Aang would have done.
Sigh.... having problems sucks
Korra awakes right away, to find Lord Zuko is preparing to leave. His daughter is the Fire Lord, and his grandson is her heir; he wants to return and protect them from the Red Lotus. His opinion is that Aang would have been willing to do anything to save the new Air Nation. But Aang would also have realized the importance of all the people Zaheer and Red Lotus threaten with death and chaos. Zuko's message is obvious, even if he can't tell Korra what to do: save the Air Nation if you can, but don't sacrifice everything and everybody else to do it. And don't leave the world unable to stop Zaheer by getting yourself killed.
Why be around for the most important fight, anyway?
Korra, though she still has no idea what to actually do, thanks Zuko with reassurance that his uncle is well in the Spirit World, until Bolin grabs them both to announce that they've gotten through to the Air Temple! Good news! The bad news is that Milo is answering the radio, and his phone skills are lacking. Intent on being an urchin no matter what, he distracts Bolin from delivering any news until Korra literally shoves Bolin off his seat, grabs the mic, and orders Milo to follow his Commanding Officer's orders and get his father. Milo, who is in love with being talked to like he's in the Army, instantly obeys. It's a tense wait, but they hear from Tenzin, and Korra frantically gets in her warning, but it's too late- Tenzin can see Zaheer and the Red Lotus out the window. In an airship stolen from the Earth Queen's palace. Zaheer now looks arrogant, instead of the humble man he's always pretended to be.
Tenzin mobilizes an immediate evacuation. But Ghazan starts the attack by lava bending an obstruction to the exit, and Ming Hua takes Opal hostage. Zaheer traps Tenzin and his family personally. Gathered in the central courtyard, Zaheer explains that he plans on letting them all go once Korra has arrived. Tenzin, not willing to trust Zaheer or let Korra walk into a trap, instantly attacks Zaheer, blowing him and Ghazan and Ming Hua out of the way. He calls for Kya and Bumi to stay and fight, and for the rest to get out while avoiding getting blown up by P'Li, who is still on the airship, circling over them.
How 'bout we don't wait for you to break your promise?
The siblings prepare for a hard fight. When the Red Lotus on the ground gets up, they instantly launch into the attack. Tenzin takes on Zaheer, and his expert air bending has Zaheer on the run, over the walls of the Air Temple. Tenzin easily dodges Zaheer's blasts of air.
Bring it!
Kya and Ming Hua face off in the courtyard, with Kya successfully fending off Ming's ice spears and chips. Kya blasts Ming off the balcony, then watches as all the excess water gets sucked up by Ming, so she confronts Kya with six arms.
Oh, fudge
Bumi and Ghazan brawl it out right after them, Bumi's unconventional moves and child-like biting catch Ghazan by surprise, but Ghazan recovers. Kya and Bumi end up at each other's backs, facing a tireless Ghazan and Kya, not hopeful about their chances.
Ha ha! Look at me, I'm a vampire!
The other air benders find the bison, but P'Li guards the escape route to their stable from above. Kai takes matters into his own hands, or I should say, glider, He leaps off a nearby cliff, dodging P'Li's combustion blasts on land and in the air, while whooshing around with his glider, and air bending to distract P'Li and throw her concentration off. He's almost successful, but gets Kai while he's trying to dash away. Kai whips out an air bubble to protect himself from the blast itself, but he's knocked out. A horrified Jinora watches him tumble out of the sky while the the other air benders dash for the sky bison and freedom. She has no time for the sobs she wants to cry, as P'Li regains her focus just in time to blast at the sky bison, convincing them to take off. Without a single air bender. Tenzin's family, and his students, are trapped, full in P'Li's sights now. She looks down on them in cold fury.
Ghazan and Ming work Kya and Bumi to the edge of the great balcony, which they topple off of. When P'Li's airship comes around the bend, Kya convinces Bumi to let go, as a blast from P'Li while they're hanging on will kill them. Closing his eyes to keep his courage, Bumi lets go, and they fall and tumble down the cliff, collapsing in pain and helplessness below.
Zaheer is now launching an all-out attack on Tenzin. Except that now, Ming and Ghazan can help. Together, the three pummel Tenzin. An impatient Zaheer corners Tenzin against the wall, demanding that Tenzin surrender. Tenzin, in pain, out of breath, and digging deep, tells Zaheer that he will never give up. His last breath, if it must, will be fighting Zaheer. The Red Lotus obliges, and we zoom out and away before we can see just how brutally Zaheer, Ghazan and Ming Hua will beat him.
Only Kai, out of the entire Air Temple, manages to escape. Awaking stuck in a tree branch growing out of the cliff, Kai realizes he has company that likes to lick. It's the baby sky bison he saved before, and it's bravely come back for him. He clambers onto it's back, giving a subdued "Yip yip" as his savior gently flies him away from the carnage at the Northern Air Temple.
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