Turns out, someone got the awesome idea of hiring air benders to guide visitors to Republic City through the city's spirit wilds. The post of tour guide has gone to none other than... Riu! Out of his parent's basement, but never out of his mother's hovering, Riu has dyed his hair and made some note cards of the important features of the wilds he takes a group of about eight tourists through. Did we know that the creature Unalaq became was named UnaVaatu? We do now! Riu recites his notecards while his charges take pictures and ask annoying questions.
No questions allowed!
The tour really only gets interesting when one of the vines decides to do more than just grow around buildings, and actually snakes its way to Riu's group. When a vine reaches up to the group like a tentacle, the tourist taking pictures everywhere thinks it wants to be poked with a stick. Even Riu knows that's a terrible idea, but said poking never happens because the vine quickly wraps itself around the tourist, and snatches him up into the air. Riu's Mom is excited when Riu sends his other charges out of the way and tries to slice the vine with air bending. Instead, other vines, now also totally more active than they should be, snatch up the rest of the party, including Riu. The only thing left behind is one broken camera.
Korra would be wasting time, if playing stone bending with Naga could be considered that. Instead, it's a fun game that challenges her reflexes and Earth bending. Korra only cuts it short when Opal approaches, still upset that her family is still prisoners of Kuvira, while world leaders can't figure out how to stop her. Korra's comforting is interrupted by Jinora, who backflips into a landing from the air, disturbed by spiritual energy feelings from Republic City's Spirt Wilds. The three investigate immediately.
I guess... we're looking for anything weird?
Jinora is immediately suspicious that they haven't run into Riu and his tour group. Korra thinks they could just as easily be at the mall. Opal worries Jinora just has an upset stomach. But Jinora won't be dissuaded; wondering how Korra can't feel something horribly wrong with the world's spiritual energy. So, standing among the spirit vines, Korra decides to place her hand on one, hoping to see whatever the world's spiritual energy wants to show her.
She gets the horrifying sight of Kuvira's Mecha Soldiers slicing their way through the Banyon Grove Tree, in the Great Swamp of the Earth Realm. The tree is trying to defend itself, but the Mecha Soldiers are winning, slowly accumulating spirit vines in enormous glass and metal containers. When Korra reports this news to the others, they know it must get to President Reiko right away. Korra and Opal take off, while Jinora offers to stay behind, to find Riu.
President Reiko, Tenzin, Fire Lord Izumi, Chief Lin Beifong, and "King" Wu, fricking Wu, are gathered in Republic City's main council chamber, empty of spectators, with City guards and Mako keeping an eye on their own charges. Wu thinks his genius ideas of luring Kuvira with a fake island vacation sweepstakes win, or military-grade badger moles could work. If they don't, they can always try to find out if Kuvira has any allergies. Reiko argues to attack Kuvira right away. Lin Beifong, who's sister is Kuvira's prisoner, is all for it. Kuvira broke her promise to relinquish power; that's enough for Lin and Reiko. Tenzin won't attack someone who hasn't attacked other nations.
Korra, you think my ideas could work, right?
They are all a little disturbed when Korra enters, as the Avatar was uninvited. Which, she quickly figures out. Wu blames Reiko for Korra being uninvited, and Reiko keeps his game face on, sure of himself as usual. It's Tenzin who tries to smooth things over, worrying that perhaps she needs more time to rest. Korra's still insulted that the most useless person ever was invited, and not her. Reiko tries to scold Korra for interrupting his meeting, but Bolin and Varrick have no use for his lecture either, as they find this moment to return to Republic City, and storm into Reiko's totally secret meeting. Bolin is frantic, everyone is shocked, and Reiko wants both new intruders arrested. Bolin cries out, while being dragged away, that they have top secret information.
We could all die. Right. Now.
Reiko, wanting to hear this top secret information, keeps the doors to the meeting room totally open so that Bolin can rant incoherently about booms and rattles. It's on Varrick to explain to the others what a super weapon is. The whole idea is foreign to the others, but Korra correctly guesses that it requires spirit vines, which Varrick confirms. He also informs the whole room, and anyone who could be outside the doors, that the spirit vines have enough energy to be disastrous if turned into weapons.
Reiko thinks this is enough to launch an attack on Kuvira's forces. Tenzin refuses to participate in a pre-emptive strike, and Fire Lord Izumi stands as she agrees with Tenzin. She reminds Reiko that her people's history is full of fighting "nonsense wars", and she implies that any war started against Kuvira would be that. So, Reiko backs down, and he and Fire Lord Izumi agree to fortify the United Republic's defenses against Kuvira's eventual strike.
Opal leaves, having nothing else to do at this meeting, but Bolin doesn't want her to go before hearing his heartfelt and earnest apology. For everything. Opal's diplomatic as she tells Bolin that sorry isn't going to fix things. Sorry won't get her family freed. And it won't get rid of Kuvira from the Earth Realm. Lin emerges from the meeting, shooing Bolin away so she can tell Opal that they're on their own in rescuing their fellow Beifongs. Bolin at least gets greeted happily, all forgiven, by Korra and Mako. He's sorry for everything, but Mako is more than happy to let it go, perhaps because Bolin was wrong about Kuvira but still right about Wu. And Korra feels responsible for the whole mess because she's still unable to defeat Kuvira herself. Bolin, so overwhelmed by the fact that he's not in jail and his friends have forgiven him, that he can't resist asking for another hug. And his friends can't resist hugging him again.
We're used to you being an idiot, so don't worry
Bolin wanders off, and Jinora is still trekking the Spirit Wilds, looking for signs of Riu. When she finds the broken camera, left behind earlier, the vines decide to attack her, too. She expertly evades them, with flying, flips, and air bending. So, it takes several vines to capture her. Luckily, she gets off a spirit projection 911 call to Korra, who is still with Mako in the City. They go to the entrance to the Spirit Wilds immediately, but they're not the only ones who know something is going on. With vines snapping out of the wilds randomly, Lin has had the Wilds closed down and cordoned off. She will only allow Korra and Mako inside.
The two wander around, and are soon attacked as well. They work together to stay free, and find an abandoned building to take shelter in, with Korra earth bending a barricade the vines can't penetrate. Mako turns to find that their shelter is also where the missing have been imprisoned. The room is lit with an eery glow coming from the spirit vine structure in the middle of the empty space. Pods dot the structure, and Korra finds that each pod contains one of the missing, their spirits now entrapped, for some reason, in the spirit world.
Korra decides to meditate to find their spirits, and gets right to it. She slips out of her world instantly, but she soon realizes that the spindly plateau in the middle of a canyon she's in isn't the Spirit World. Instead, it's Zaheer Fear World, where she has to face him again. He's exultant in his expected victory, while Korra tries to insist that he's supposed to be defeated. When he, once again, puts her in his choking air bubble, she cuts the meditation, coming to in a cold sweat. But, at least she knows who is keeping her from recovering.
Korra requests that Tenzin let her see Zaheer in whatever prison he's in. Tenzin immediately refuses. They debate it out, right in front of the entrance to the Spirit Wilds. Korra worries that Tenzin has no faith in her anymore; Tenzin just doesn't want to lose her as well as Jinora today. But Korra says she needs to face what she's fearing, especially if Zaheer is somehow keeping her from recovering. So, he reluctantly agrees.
Bolin has found Air Temple Island, gotten a bath and new clothes and now, just needs his fire ferret. He and PabPab reunite, giddy with joy to see each other, as usual. Bolin explains his Opal situation to Pabu, and is totally sure that Pabu's squeaks are an enthusiastic agreement to help get her back for Bolin. And maybe they are, because Opal is later reading outside when a frantic Pabu gets her attention, and Opal can't resist opening the note tied to his collar. She runs to Bolin's aid, only to find he hasn't broken one leg, much less two. Instead, Bolin has prepared steamy buns and tea on a picnic blanket, and wants Opal to enjoy the outdoors with him and Pabs.
Opal's much less diplomatic as she lays into Bolin, telling him that steamy buns aren't going to get her family back, either. She's only sorry that Pabu had to watch his human get set down so horribly. Bolin realizes getting Opal back will be a little more complicated than he thought.
Varrick's getting the homecoming he wanted, at least. We finally see Asami, but not reunited with all her friends. Instead, Reiko summons them both, despite his obvious dislike for Varrick, to find a way to defeat Kuvira's super weapon. He calls them his brightest minds, which is true, but Asami's still sore about Varrick sabotaging her company so he could take it over, and reminds him that he's bombed a building in Republic City. Varrick counters that he owned that building, so he's allowed to blow it up. Reiko pleads with them to work together, and Asami agrees, but only after a painful handhold that confirms to Varrick that she will not be bamboozled again by him.
The White Lotus escorts Korra and Mako through Zaheer's mountain prison. First, there are the massive metal doors, as tall as City buildings. Mako asks Korra if she really wants to do this, but Korra is still hoping that just seeing Zaheer locked up for herself will convince her mind that he's really defeated, and she's really safe. Then, it's down via elevator to a large, way underground vault. The White Lotus guards metal bend massive chains that pull open the first door of a windowless vestibule beyond. Inside, there is only another door controlled elsewhere. Korra convinces Mako to let her go in alone, despite the obvious security weakness. He looks more hopeful than convinced as the vestibule door closes on Korra, leaving her alone as the second door is also lifted open.
Zaheer's chamber has no daylight, no access to fresh air. Instead, glowing crystals illuminate a long-haired man in chains but still floating, and meditating instead of suffering. Zaheer isn't surprised at all. And he reveals no emotion as he tells Korra he knew she'd come eventually. Korra, sounding more like a teenager and less like an Avatar, announces that she's only here to tell him that he can't hurt her anymore, and she's totally over being afraid of him. So, now Zaheer knows that Korra is still afraid, and zooms at her so ferociously, she lunges back and he is yanked back by his chains. Korra blames him for making her a powerless Avatar. Zaheer says that something inside Korra herself is doing that. He informs Korra that he already knows she can't access the Spirit World, as he has been there constantly during his imprisonment, and heard the spirits bemoaning her absence.
Korra is perplexed by the fact that Zaheer can reach the Spirit World but not her. But she wants Zaheer to also know that his actions have created the perfect chance for a dictator to arise and try to control the Earth Realm, and Zaheer finally looks disappointed. He'd heard rumors, but now Korra has confirmed that his vision went horribly wrong. Since he doesn't want a dictator in the Earth Realm any more than Korra, he offers to guide her through her blockage into the Spirit World. He reminds Korra that she's in his cell because nothing else she's tried will work. So, she sits and joins him in meditation.
Instead of the Spirit World, she is still trapped in her visions of Zaheer killing her; Zaheer instructs her to let the vision play out; stop avoiding it, get through the memories, just like she got through the attack itself years ago. She's been consumed by the fear of the fact that could have died; instead of remembering that she survived despite the long odds against her. She's forgotten how others cared enough to aid her, how she was strong enough to hold on until they could, and that she has power Zaheer can't defeat. She crashes through the canyon, to find herself, finally, in the Spirit World, Zaheer waiting for her in her field. He disappears, telling her his work is done, and it's Raava's turn to emerge, glowing from within Korra, finally. Korra is so relieved that Raava has returned, but Raava informs Korra that they were never separated. They were only blocked, never cut off.
Apparently, Raava couldn't send an email or something, either
Raava whisks Korra through the Spirit World, traversing vast spirit distances in seconds, to where the imprisoned spirits have been kept, in a bubble emerging from an old tree trunk. Raava wants Korra to bend the energy keeping the spirits prisoner, but Korra reminds Raava that she can't bend when entering the Spirit World by meditation. Raava tells Korra she's not going to bend elements, but the spirit energy surrounding her and imprisoning her friends. Raava once again instructs Korra on using her own spirit energy, connected to the Spirit Worlds', and Korra reaches out to the bubble, and it glows yellow before opening.
Spirits float away, including Jinora's and Riu's and Riu's tour group. They all wake as their imprisoning pods melt away, leaving them feeling like they just napped. They emerge, unharmed, from the Spirit Wilds as Tenzin was anxiously waiting. Jinora informs him that it was Korra that freed them, so he will know that Korra did solve her problem by visiting Zaheer after all. She and Mako emerge from Zaheer's prison, in daylight once again. Mako wants to know if Korra can now forget his murder attempt. Korra gently tells Mako that that's not what she needed to do. She needed to fully remember his attack. She needed to remember that she did survive. And she thinks that she's ready for action again. But, no one's answered the question of why the spirits wanted those people in the first place.
Lin and Opal have chosen their sky bison, who is reclining with a runny nose while they pack the last supplies they'll need for the trip to the Earth Realm. Bolin comes from behind, for one last message to Opal. He totally understands that Opal hates him, and that he can't win her back. But that he loves her so much, that he won't stop trying. Which is not what a stalker would do at all. Opal, instead of being annoyed that the guy who helped Kuvira take her home has just announced that he's now stalking her, is silently touched. But, she's still got some sense; she tells Bolin that he could win her back. And he excitedly begs her to name what he has to do. Opal turns, telling him that he can come with her to Zao Fu, to rescue her family.
Bolin looks shocked at the request, but only for a second. Because Determined Bolin shows up right away. He'll literally do anything, or fail spectacularly at trying.
No comments:
Post a Comment