All In The Family - Legend of Korra - Season 3, Episode 5

Lin is probably at her personal worst in these next two episodes.  We've always known her as the brusque, no-nonsense Police Chief.  We've seen that though she's tough, she has an honest devotion to law and order, and Korra.  So these two episodes stretch that devotion, as Korra demands that Lin confront her past family life.  The Air Temple outside Republic City has a clash with Zaheer, and Kya almost nails him.  Almost.

The stage is set with a daytime romp in the countryside, as Korra airbends a ball to maximum height and velocity to give Naga a good challenge as she catches each "throw".  No one is especially rushed, except Lin, who doesn't want Korra dawdling outside. Korra reminds Lin that no one except the current crew even knows where she is:  herself, Lin, Asami, Mako, and Bolin.  When Mako and Asami bring news of a new air bender, Korra asks Lin if she's ever heard of the place.  Lin claims to know nothing about their destination, a city named Zaofu.  When everyone has happily re-boarded the airship for Zaofu, Lin is left with Naga, who expects Lin to play catch with her.  Already in a foul mood, Lin simply snaps the ball apart with a metal line from her wrist.  Naga is crushed.

Bad Lin!

Team Korra, all back on the airship and approaching Zaofu, all stare in astonishment at a city literally made of metal, by metal benders.  Bolin, especially, is ecstatic.  Everyone except Lin seems amped up to meet a new air bender, and even Mako has shaken off the malaise he showed when approaching Ba Sing Sei.  Is it because he's finally at peace among the group, or is it because his boss is sitting ten feet behind him?  Lin reclines in the back, and has no desire to even go into the city.  Everyone is perplexed, with Bolin and Asami openly wondering how any metal bender wouldn't want to see the place.  When Lin demands secrecy that she's even waiting behind in the Republic City Police Air Ship that supposedly won't give her away, Korra reluctantly agrees.

Like Disney World, without tourists and giant walking characters

Metal benders gracefully bend metal cables that bring in the airship, and a small group is waiting for Team Korra when they disembark.  Ai Wei introduces himself, basically as an administrator of the city.  He's polite and respectful, and Korra returns his manners, but finds she has to lie when Aiwei wants to know if her friends are the only visitors.  When the lie is immediately accepted, all seems ready for a fantastic trip.

The ride through Zaofu's several massive pods, which are more like neighborhoods that can fold up at night, Bolin is still on his Zaofu-high, and even the rest are impressed with such a nice, orderly, well-designed city. Aiwei is very proud as he informs Team Korra that Zaofu is an environment where all can truly develop their potential. The tram continues past a monumental statue of Toph Beifong, earthbending teacher to Avatar Aang, former Republic City Police Chief, who is Lin's mother.  Bolin geeks out completely, screeching a desire to see Toph, but Aiwei has to inform him that Toph has not visited in years, disappearing on a quest for enlightenment.  The tram is in a tunnel, and darkens momentarily while Aiwei delivers this news.  Foreshadowing?

No hero worship here at all...

Things are looking just as good at Air Temple Island.  Dan, the air bender we met in the premier, is eating in the main cafeteria while Iki and Meelo show the place around to two new air benders, recently arrived from who knows where.  Dan's happy to meet new air benders, and seems like he's happily adjusting to life in the Temple.  Meelo and Iki are even more excited when a stranger approaches them inside the cafeteria, demonstrating that he can now gather a circle of whirling air in his palm.  He's gotten a hair cut, but the voice is familiar....

Team Korra, still thrilled with Zaofu, finally reaches the home of the new air bender, and Aiwei insists that Korra meet the mother first.  Team Korra is escorted into a vast hall, where a circle of metal benders gracefully, in unison, attach themselves to the ceiling via cables and float in a circle suspended in the air.  Korra at first thinks it's combat training.  Aiwei explains it's a dance rehearsal.  When the number ends successfully, with a huge metal flower bud opening to reveal two dancers in perfect pose, the leader of the troupe finally notices Team Korra.

They're fighting... stagnation and ennui

Dismissing the dancers, she approaches, and Aiwei introduces her as Suyin, mother to the air bender.  Also, she's the founder and matriarch (I guess, like a mayor) of Zaofu. Suyin doesn't just know of Korra, but greets each of her friends by name, impressing Korra.  Korra's not so happy to know when Aiwei leans in to whisper to Suyin, and Suyin aks Korra why she lied about not having any other companions.

Thanks for giving me away, Bolin

Bolin is aghast- he's a terrible liar, mostly because he doesn't get the whole concept of secrets in the first place.  Korra is embarassed, but Aiwei calmly explains that he detected Korra's increased heart rate and breathing in her quick lie, and Suyin just wants the truth.  So, Korra has to explain who is left behind on the airship.  Suyin is no longer annoyed at Korra, realizing that Lin Beifong doesn't even want to see her, and sad that Lin hasn't even told Team Korra who she is, and how she and Lin know each other.

Now it's Korra's turn to be annoyed.  While Lin avoids studying the view, out of some unexplained dislike of the place, Korra and Suyin appear behind Lin, demanding to know why Lin had no desire to see her sister.  Korra has what she thinks is even better news:  the new air bender is Suyin's daughter, and Lin's niece!  Isn't Lin happy and proud?  No.  Lin accuses Suyin of tearing the family apart; Suyin accuses Lin of keeping it torn apart.

After their fighting leads nowhere, Suyin gives the whole group a tour of her home, introducing her four younger children (she has five) along the way.  Twins Wei and Wing are playing a life-size pinball game called Power Disc.  It's interesting because neither player can see their goal, and the metal disc is basically metal bent into the goal by bouncing it off thick metal columns in a pattern on the court.  Huan is busy in a garden of abstract metal sculptures, oblivious to the newcomers until Bolin tells him one of his pieces is a really great banana.  This gets an angry outburst from Huan, who insists that it's a representation of the new age brought about by Harmonic Convergence.  Bolin basically does verbal jujitsu to talk Huan down.  The group walks away, with Bolin quietly insisting that it's really a banana.

Don't take Bolin to MOMA

Suyin's only daughter is reading a book in a sunny garden.  Turns out, she's the air bender.  Does this mean that she couldn't bend anything before?  Opal is a gentle, lovable young woman, thrilled to meet Korra, already in love with Bolin, and instantly welcoming of her aunt Lin, who insists on taking Opal and leaving immediately.  Opal is game, but Suyin thinks Opal should be getting private air bending lessons from Korra, instead of learning with other air benders from Master Tenzin.  Korra agrees to stay for now.  When Lin objects, Suyin informs them that her home is totally safe.  Korra's willing to make it work, and is looking forward to staying somewhere nice with a supportive leader;  Lin stalks off.

Back at Air Temple Island, the new recruits are working on the old swinging panel exercise we saw in Season 1.  Remember, it took Korra a whole episode to master?  The new recruits are getting just as beat up as she was.  Meelo is trying the drill sargaent approach, not realizing that screaming at people to be a leaf might not be effective.  When Dan gets tossed out of the maze,  the newest recruit, he of the shaved head, gives it a whirl.  And he nails it on the first try.  Meelo is speechless at first, but Shaved Head simply bows to him with a compliment, and Meelo shows his own respect.  The exercise is broken up by Kya, who arrives to announce that Tenzin has arrived at the Northern Air Temple, and that they'll all by traveling there to meet Tenzin and their fellow students and continue their training.  Shaved Head politely asks if Avatar Korra will be there.  Kya, weirded out by his interest, has to disappoint him.

Back in Zaofu, Korra and Opal begin.  It's a simple circle walking exercise, with the two benders creating two interlocking circles of air, whirring around them.  Korra's has more power, but Opal's is consistent and she can control it, so Korra is impressed.

Hula Hoops!

Night comes to Zaofu, and the pods that make up the city fold up like rose buds.  Inside it's merriment as Suyin hosts Team Korra to dinner.  Lin, despite her bad attitude is given a place of honor at Suyin's side.  Their chef describes tonight's courses, and it looks like everyone will be enjoying themselves.  Except.... Suyin's husband Bataar, and their oldest son, Bataar Jr., who will be up for a while designing and engineering a train station remodeling.  Suyin doesn't bat an eye, telling them to go forth and create.  It seems like everyone had a great talent except Opal, at least until recently when she could air bend.  Wonder if that created any problems?

Opal seems fine, seated next to Bolin.  The two share a relaxed, happy conversation, Bolin cheerily giving her the one-minute version of his life, from the streets of Republic City to mover stardom.  Bolin mentions that they've just sent a bunch of air benders to the Northern Temple, and Korra complains of how they had to be rescued from the Earth Queen.  Suyin can't agree that Hou-Ting sucks enough.  She instantly launches an anti-monarchy tirade, insisting that the Queen needs to get out of the way of progress.

Suyin's not entirely wrong; we saw from last episode that Hou-Ting is a tyrant, a mix of Marie Antoinette and Robespierre.  But Suyin seems more opposed to her in principle, instead of giving specific reasons why she's a terrible ruler.  Does Suyin rule democratically?  Who decides what the next public project will be?  Who decides what the next dance recital will be?  Earlier, Suyin outright bragged that with Aiwei, there are no secrets in Zaofu.  Is she just as controlling as Hou-Ting? Is that okay just because Zaofu is so modern and egalitarian-looking?

Lin tries to mock Suyin for her political opinions, and Suyin's escalating taunt is cut short when the empty chair at the end, next to Asami, is suddenly filled by.... Varrick!!!

HE'S BACK!!!

He's been at Zaofu for a while, after pitching some new tech development ideas to Suyin, who has put him in charge of doing crazy stuff.  Varrick is about to wax poetically about magnets, until Asami asks what he's doing in Zaofu?????  Well, Varrick says, what are any of us doing here?   After using metaphysics to dodge her question, he asks Asami how their company is.  Asami gives us some background I wish we'd gotten before by telling Varrick that Future Industries reverted back to her ownership because he is a criminal.  Varrick retorts by pointing out he was never convicted.  Mako reminds him that that's because Varrick broke out of prison.  Varrick refutes this, saying his escape was the universe wanting him free.  Lin almost wants to arrest him on the spot, but Suyin points out that her chef used to be a pirate, and she's been giving people second chances here at Zaofu.   Lin storms off instead of listening to Suyin tell her anything more. The only one excited to see him is his mover star, Bolin. And all of us watching, of course.

Bolin and Mako are grooming after dinner for some incomprehensible reason.  Mako points out that Bolin an Opal seem to be into each other.  Bolin thinks Opal is nice, but he's still only into women completely not into him.  Mako reminds him that this strategy hasn't gone well for him, and Bolin realizes that a pretty, awesome girl who likes him might be better than an actress who snubs him.  

Korra and Suyin relax together after dinner, and Korra can't help being curious about Lin's anger at Suyin.  Suyin gives Korra what is probably a white-washed version.  She and Lin were Toph Beifong's daughters, by different fathers.  They never knew these fathers, and Toph was busy working, so the girls were pretty much on their own, a stark and intentional contrast with Toph's own childhood, which was behind her over-protective parents' walls.  Lin followed her mother into the police; Suyin took a different turn that involved rebelling in some unspecified way.  She then left home, traveling the world in various ways, including a pirate ship and a traveling circus.  It looks like a fun life, but she eventually became bored with it, and decided it was time to get herself a home.  So, she bought the land that is now Zaofu with money that came from somewhere, who knows, and started building with an architect who became her husband.  She's been a ridiculously busy mother of five, and matriarch of Potential City since.  All she was lacking was her sister.  Notice, she doesn't say she misses her mother.

Rules?  What are those?

Opal is practicing air bending, when Bolin decides to interrupt so he can apply the totally-unsuccessful-non-charm trick.  Opal is instantly repulsed, and tells Bolin he's acting weird from the get go, so Bolin admits to being nervous.  Opal tells him to just be himself, not some weird version trying to be cool.  They're about to take it to a new level when Korra interrupts them.  

It's night at Air Temple Island (wouldn't it be day when it's night in Zaofu?  Aren't there time zones on this world?).  And the newest Shaved Head recruit with the familiar voice is in Tenzin's empty, dark study.  He finds a engraved pendant belong to Air Guru Laghima, who Zaheer quoted in the first episode.  "Let go of the earthly tether/ Enter the void empty/ Become Wind", reads the pendant.  Iki finds Shaved Head, and cheekily informs him that he's breaking the rules.  Aunt Kya appears behind her, gravely informing Iki she's up past her bedtime.  Kya's tone indicates that she's starting to get suspicious of the newest recruit, who hasn't changed into an air bender's uniform, and is now holding one of her brother's antiquities in his study.  

Hey, mind if I keep this?

Kya figures it out two seconds later.  Zaheer!  At Air Temple Island!  She instantly fights him with water bending, and they have a duel of air and water.  Kya calls for help, and when Zaheer briefly stuns her, two White Lotus guards try to detain Zaheer, with the results we've come to expect: he knocks them out completely.  Kya stands up, ready to attack again after summoning overlapping circles of water.  She throws them at Zaheer as a double helix, which he dodges, blasting Kya out with one last blast of air, before taking off.

Like Dodgeball, but with water

Things are quieter in Zaofu, though no less upsetting.  Lin is reading the paper, as angry in solitude as she is in company.  A knock on the door brings Opal, who timidly enters.  Opal's so sorry that Lin doesn't like being in Zaofu.  She has no idea why the two sisters don't get along, but she desperately wishes Lin would like to be closer to the kids, specifically her.  Did Opal get lost in the hustle and bustle of raising five kids?  The two Bataars bonded over building projects, and Suyin's always been so proud of her metal bending sons.  How has Opal fit into this family?  Lin is absolutely horrible the entire time, behaving like a sulking child and then a grumpy old man.  Opal is devastated and runs away in humiliation.  Korra enters as she leaves, angrily telling Lin that Opal's outreach was Korra's idea.  But it seems nothing will disrupt Lin's desire to stay a bitter, lonely woman.  Korra leaves Lin alone, and we see Lin struggling not to cry.

Has Suyin really told all there is?  Lin obviously resents Suyin for something, but what?  How deep does Suyin's dislike of the Earth Queen go?  And will Varrick save the day?

A Few Good Air Benders - Legend of Korra - Season 3, Episode 4

West of the North Pole, Fire Lord Zuko rides his dragon-steed above the ice prison built for P'Li, a combustion fire-bender imprisoned there thirteen years ago.  What's a combustion fire-bender?  Well, we're about to find out.  Zuko reports to the Water Tribes' Chiefs Tonraq, Desna and Eska that he sees only a snowstorm, but Tonraq declares that it means P'Li's companions have come.

Let us pause, before the fighting starts, and ponder that Fire Lord Zuko is son of Ozai, who tried to literally set the world on fire.  Ozai's son, Zuko is now cooperating with Water Tribe Chiefs to secure a prison built by a coalition of the highest-ranking benders on the planet.  So while Fire Lord Zuko can't be said to rule the world, he does get to occasionally kick some ass and remind people not to mess with fire, all for the greater good.

Too bad that's not enough today.  We saw last season that Desna and Eska are two fantastic and creative combat benders, and Tonraq has his own brawling bending style.  But the four of them are not enough.  When Zaheer, Ghazan, and Ming Hua arrive, they do it by leaping and driving a major tractor right out of the snowstorm at the last possible second.  Desna and Eska take on Ming Hua, and her water-arms catapult her through the icy spikes the twins set up before her.  They're encased in solid ice before they even realize she's past their obstacle.  Tonraq tries to take down Zaheer.  But he was a great warrior even before he became an airbender, and his skillful efficiency takes down Tonraq.  Zuko tries to defeat Ghazan, but he too is defeated.

Ming Hua, past the twins, slings herself down the chasm of the ice prison, freeing P'Li from the chains that held her down, and the head-band that blocked her combustion fire-bending.  We see the marking similar to Zuko's hired killer years before, a third eye surrounded by red waves.  Ming Hua literally carries P'Li back up the chasm on her back, with P'Li complaining that her rescue is a little showy.  To be honest, a prison-break should be showy.  P'Li brings her own entertainment to the battle, when Zuko's dragon tries to stop her and Ming Hua.  P'Li, thrilled to see fire again, simply gathers the fire, and blasts the energy back out through her third eye, defeating the dragon long enough that all can escape via the tractor they drove in.  Zaheer and P'Li can't wait to celebrate with nooky.  Ghazan expresses the ickyness we all feel.

Get a room, face-suckers

Back in Ba Sing Se, Bolin and Mako stand among their ridiculously huge family, and Cousin Tu gives them what must have been ridiculously expensive passports back to the Upper Ring.  The boys can only sheepishly thank their family.  Bolin goes all out and wants to say goodbye to each and every one of them, even the ones whose names he can't remember. Now that the boys feel less like orphans, it's time to get back to work.

They better hurry.  Asami is helping Korra work on her fighting moves, and Korra's taking out all her anger at Earth Queen Hou-Ting on the pads Asami holds up in front of herself.  When Bolin and Mako appear, the girls ask where they've been all this time.  So ladies, you noticed they were missing, but you didn't do anything?

I could look for my friends, but that might be too useful

Bolin tries to fill them in on everything, but I guess they ran from the train station, because he collapses in a breathless heap on the ground, leaving Mako to leave out the family stuff and get right to it- they know that the Earth Queen is kidnapping air benders, keeping them hidden, and training them to be a personal army for the Earth Queen.  Korra screams in indignant triumph;  she knew all along the Earth Queen was hiding something, and now she finds out just how badly she was duped.  So I guess it's totally convenient that the Earth Queen appears.  Bolin, sweaty inside his shirt, coaxes a totally unwilling Pabu to hide among Bolin's chest sweat before she gets close.

Hou-Ting, accompanied by Grand Poopeater Gun, pretends to have good news for Team Korra:  air benders have been spotted somewhere.  Somewhere not in Ba Sing Se.  So, Korra can go, as Hou-Ting has technically fulfilled her end of the bargain.  Asami manages to get the team an extra night at the palace, claiming the air ship has some sort of problem that needs fixing.  She's smooth as silk, reminding us all why she's here.  However, it's getting harder to  hide Pabu, as you can only hide in a sweaty shirt so long, and Hou-Ting sneezes herself hoarse.  Hou-Ting stumbles away, told there are definitely no animals around, but refusing to believe it.  Once she's gone, Team Korra proceeds to the guesthouse and immediately tells Tenzin what's up.  

Tenzin and Jinora are shocked; Bumi is the only one who remembers that the Earth Queen does have the legal right to draft her subjects into the army.  No one likes a policy wonk, though.  Korra feels that the Queen is reneging on their agreement- she won't leave the city without those air benders.  Tenzin feels for air benders that will never have proper air training; Jinora immediately connects this news with Kai's disappearance, feeling that he too has been kidnapped and drafted.  Bolin and Mako realize their little guy is in danger.  Korra after trying to comfort Jinora like she's a little girl, then asks Jinora, as the smartest person there, where the drafted air benders could be.  Mako answers for her, as he spent his days not sulking, but reading all of Jinora's books; the best bet is under Lake Laogai, nearby, as it had an old, underground fortress.  Korra turns to Jinora again, suggesting that Jinora project her spirit under Lake Laogai.   Jinora agrees, but how to go looking there without making anyone suspicious?

Kai, meanwhile, has not been adjusting to life in the Earth Queen's new air bender corps.  He enjoys duping fatcats for their money.  But, he has no joy in blasting other air benders around at the command of the bullying Dai Li guards.  He's happy to go easy on his less experienced, less confident sparring partner, giving him easy blasts to help him practice.  But the Dai Li commander interferes, barking at Kai to barrage the other boy.  When Kai does as he's told, he feels awful. 

Off to the Lake Tenzin, Korra and Jinora go, which I guess is near enough that they don't need the airship, but definitely not in the city.  Jinora's spirit comes up empty- the fortress beneath is long deserted and flooded with water and wildlife.  No air benders.  When Tenzin, Korra, and Jinora try to figure out where else the air benders could be hidden, they realize there are more hiding places in Ba Sing Sei than hairs on a sky bison.  Tenzin and Korra are stumped, until Korra asks Jinora how Jinora's spirit found Korra during Harmonic Convergence.  Jinora tells Korra that they share a spiritual connection.  Korra decides that the completely illicit flirting Jinora and Kai have been doing is enough of a connection that Jinora could find Kai with her spirit, instead of searching everywhere.  Tenzin is indignant at the thought of Jinora's spirit already being connected to Kai's, but Jinora calmly decides to give it a try.

Kai's bootcamp training gets worse when they're forced to train with Dai Li bending clay frisbees at them (Who makes these things?  It must be one of the most profitable industries in this world.).  The Dai Li pound Kai's new friend, and when Kai steps in to help, the Dai Li ruthlessly pound him with frisbees instead.  When Kai attacks the guards, they trap him in a rock, mock him, and throw him into solitary.  Good thing that's the moment when Jinora's spirit appears. Jinora coos that she's so relieved Kai is okay, even if he was the idiot who ran away to pick pockets in the first place.  Kai is happy to see a friend, especially one who can get him out.  Unfortunately, Kai has no idea where he is, just that he hates it.  Jinora tells him to sit tight, and floats her spirit up, until she's above the ground and can see that the drafted air benders have been under Korra's nose the whole time, underneath the spiffy new temple the Earth Queen's been building.  What better way to conceal prisoners than under the Queen's pet project?

Korra is angry at being tricked so badly.  Bumi can sense that an elaborate escape is coming and can't contain his excitement. The whole team is literally about to go and kick some ass, when a new air ship comes and lands at the palace.  It's Lin Beifong, who apparently lands her air ship where she wants, and has no time for the Earth Queen.  Instead, she proceeds directly to Korra's guest house, where she tells Korra that the Road Trip is over.  Lin's taking her back to Republic City and putting her under her personal protection.  She quickly updates Tenzin on Zaheer's escape, new air bending, and subsequent prison breaks.  Tenzin becomes more and more horrified, while Korra has no idea what they're talking about.  Korra ends up reminding Tenzin and Lin that the Avatar they're protecting is right there, and wants to know what the heck is going on.

The back story:  when Korra was maybe three or four years old, thirteen years ago, Zaheer and his companions tried to kidnap her.  His team was caught, and separated in prisons tailored to hinder their bending.  None broke under interrogation.  None ever divulged why they attempted to kidnap her.  Beifong says, enough talk, let's take you back to the city you were exiled from.  Korra says she has some air benders to rescue first.  Lin at first doesn't want to bother, but Korra insists she's not leaving Ba Sing Se without them, so Lin tells the Team to get their asses in gear and get this mission done.

Lin and Asami fly around in Lin's Police air ship, with Asami's crew supposedly piloting hers.  I hope.  And let's hope Naga is somewhere.  After dark, Jinora gets "caught" sneaking around the palace grounds by two guards who are inclined to go easy on her.  Which is the perfect cover for the Team to sneak up behind them, surprising the guards and getting them quiet entry into the temple.  Here, they split up: Bumi, Tenzin and Korra proceed to the main room with the other airbenders, while Bolin, Mako and Jinora go to find and free Kai.  Bumi's wildly excited and tries using awesome codes for a message with Lin, who doesn't have time for that nonsense.  Tenzin and Korra waltz right into the air benders' barracks, and the air benders can't believe their luck- here's the chance to escape they've been waiting for!  From prisoner, to traveling with the Avatar and the Master of the Air Nation!  

Wait, you mean we don't have to live in a dungeon?

Jinora and the boys find Kai easily enough, and they waste precious time having a moment with Kai, in which he admits how foolish he was to be up to his old tricks, and ditching his protectors.  He had Bolin at hello, but Mako is still sore about the money Kai stole.  

The Dai Li interrupt the moment, and there's a fight between benders, with the Dai Li momentarily winning by grabbing Jinora as a hostage.  Kai's having none of this, and knocks the Dai Li guard off his feet, noting that he's got the best of his bully as they all flee.  

Never mess with Jinora!  If she doesn't get you, Kai will!

Tenzin, Bumi, and Korra have almost gotten the other air benders out of the temple when they realize they've been trapped by a squad of Dai Li and the Earth Queen herself.  Hou-Ting is in fine form, threatening them with war for making off with subjects she can legally do whatever she likes with.  Korra is unrepentant and insists that they're all leaving.  Two air benders stay with her and Tenzin; Bumi and the rest flee by climbing to the top of the temple's construction scaffolding.  Korra, Tenzin, and the helpful souls stay and blast the Dai Li with air, using the skills the Dai Li made them learn to win their freedom.  The other air benders manage to escape, and Tenzin summons Oogi for a ride out of there.  

But where's Bolin, Mako, Jinora, and Kai?  The team can't leave anyone behind!  There they are, running furiously to stay just ahead of a flurry of rocks streaming towards them as they flee the temple at last.  Tenzin brings Oogi down for one final pass, and Bolin brings them all together, and bends a shaft of rock to propel them into the air towards their ticket out of here.  The Earth Queen's temper tantrum and demands dissolve in a flood of uncontrolled sneezes.  Defeated by her own allergies.

It's dawn on a faraway cliff in the country, as the two airships land together so everyone can decide what's next.  All the new air benders, plus Kai, decide to go with Tenzin in Asami's air ship and Oogi to the Northern Air Temple.  Tenzin is quietly overjoyed at seeing new air benders happy to come with him.  Lin is ready to take Korra back to Republic City, but Korra decides that there's no reason that place is any safer than the countryside of the Earth Kingdom.  Besides, isn't she supposed to not go back to Republic City? Instead, Korra convinces Lin to come with her on her journey to discover new air benders around the Earth Kingdom.  In Korra's defense, it's a good plan.  When hiding from kidnappers, it is always best to stay on the move.  The airship is a controlled environment, instead of a city with a million hiding places.  Korra and Lin will continue in the police air ship, with Bolin, Mako, Naga and Asami.  And let's not forget Pabu, who will be a key player.  The two air ships take off at sunrise, for their own adventures.

Lil' Scamps - Legend of Korra - Season 3, Episode 3

Korra remains blissfully unaware that the Order of the White Lotus is desperately scrambling to contain Zaheer's breakouts.  Bolin and Mako have a rough night that leads to a family reunion.  Kai's sweet new life becomes a nightmare.  And the Earth Queen, Hou-Ting, is a total bitch, who will learn not to mess with Korra.

Jinora supervises a sparring match between Bumi and new recruit Kai, and Bumi thinks this is going to be like a boxing match of his young army days.  Right after he tells Kai not to worry, he'll go easy on the little guy, Kai lays Bumi flat on his back with unorthodox moves and airbending.  Kai's a good sport, though, and offers to help Bumi up.  He also helps himself to Bumi's wallet (this is going to be a thing with Kai).  As Bumi chases Kai for his wallet back, Korra and Tenzin have a parlay on an upper deck, watching the proceedings but totally unconcerned that Kai is still stealing.

Korra and Tenzin are both much more concerned with meeting the Earth Queen, who resides in the Upper Ring of the great Impenetrable City Ba Sing Se.  We last saw Ba Sing Se about 70 years ago, when Aang and his crew traveled there, to unsuccessfully prevent the Fire Nation from taking it.  Korra wants to know what the current Earth Queen is like; Tenzin's only heard that she can be demanding.  He's clearly not looking forward to meeting her, and his tense silence indicates that he expects finding air benders and leaving with them will be made more difficult than it already is.  He ends up being even more right than he knows.

For now, though, Team Korra just concentrates on the great stone wall before them.  It looms in the distance, separating the farms of the Outer Ring from the city itself.  Bolin rushes to the railing, like a kid waiting to see Santa, and he exhorts Mako to join him, who reluctantly does.  Mako continues his trend of barely caring what's going on, for as long as he can.  Together, everyone focuses on what's on the other side of that wall.

The Emerald City it ain't

Ba Sing Se appears, and it's an immense city.  Both ends of the horizon are filled with buildings and gardens.  Well, except the Lower Ring, which they pass through first.  It's basically a slum, with dirt roads, no greenery, and a smell that no one on the airship can ignore, even high over the city.  The next wall shows the Middle Ring, a comfortable array of small, orderly buildings and parks.  The next wall, good and high, leads to the Upper Ring; Ba Sing Se's wealthy and government officials live and work here, and you don't get in without permission.

Just like L.A.

Team Korra proceeds into the Upper Ring, which is mostly open space except for government buildings and residences.  A few airships are already parked where Team Korra lands, and they are met by Grand Secretariat Gun, personal assistant and food taster for Earth Queen Hou-Ting.  After Bolin happily disembarks and praises the smell, Gun launches into a running monologue on how to not anger the Queen.  Naga and Oogi will have to stay hidden, and Pabu will occasionally have to hide in Bolin's shirt, at Hou-Ting hates animals.  The group moves on, with Gun now explaining how meals will go.  Gun tastes everything first, because heaven forbid Hou-Ting eat poisoned food.  Then Hou-Ting eats, then people eating with her get to eat.  If this is too complicated, Gun advises just not eating.  The group is less and less enthused about the place as they get to their guest house, where Naga and Oogi will have to stay in the backyard.

While following Gun around, Kai takes a few looks at the ridiculously wealthy inhabitants literally letting ridiculously valuable jewels and purses just hang everywhere.  Without anyone noticing, Kai disappears.

Gun takes Korra to meet the Earth Queen, Hou-Ting, and she's every bit as awful as we've been led to expect.  Obsessed with building garden projects at her palace, ordering crews around and never liking anything built or grown.  When nothing meets her approval, it all has to be ripped out and started over.  She will eventually complain of how unsatisfactory her servants are to Korra.  When she asks Korra if she has servant trouble, Korra will happily inform her that she doesn't have servants.  Well, unless you count Tenzin's air accolytes on Air Temple Island.  Or the crew maintaining the airship.  Who are technically not her servants.  But still.  When was the last time she did laundry?  Just askin'.

What could be more important than the shape of my ornamental bushes?

Korra may or may not do housework; but she at least knows to be polite to those who do, and she obviously judges Hou-Ting severely for her snobbish and domineering behavior.  Hou-Ting further alienates the Avatar by beginning with everything she dislikes Avatars for;  her father, Earth King Kuei, gave some Earth Kingdom land to Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko, to establish the United Republic.  Hou-Ting is still bitchy about it, as it was probably about 20% of the Earth Kingdom.  She blames the past Avatar for having less tax money to spoil herself with (she sure as heck doesn't spend anything on her people).  Korra, who had nothing to do with this and actually was living in the United Republic until recently, tries to stammer something before she's interrupted.  Hou-Ting also guilts Korra for not visiting before, as if she was owed a diplomatic visit despite the numerous problems Korra had to deal with for the last few months.  She then accuses Korra of only coming because she wants something.

Even though Hou-Ting is right, Korra does need her help, Korra is there as much to help Hou-Ting as get help; Korra wants to train the Earth Kingdom's air benders, and really just needs help finding them.  Korra and Tenzin will do the rest.  While she says she doesn't personally know of any air benders in Ba Sing Se, Hou-Ting appears to consider this request, but then decides that Korra must do her a solid first.  Fair enough, Korra thinks.  Hou-Ting gives Korra the job of collecting some tax money in a nearby town, which her soldiers have been unable to transport to her because of local trouble.  Korra agrees, but she seems pissy at having to solve a monarch's tax troubles so the woman can have her ridiculously expensive landscaping.  Gun, who tries to escort Korra away, gets the brunt of Korra's disgust instead, as Korra simply shoves him to the ground to storm off.  It looks funny when she does it, but poor "Grand Secretariat" Gun.  He must get shit meant for the Queen all the time.

Back at the guest house, the team finally notices that Kai is missing.  So much for Mako watching him. Mako is now of the idea that since Kai doesn't care about them, maybe they should just let him go.  Tenzin decides that Kai must be found, as Kai is their responsibility and the only recruit they've managed to convince to join them.  Bolin and Mako finally do find Kai, but only after he's successfully picked a local's purse off him, using air bending to rustle the man's clothes and blow off his hat before appearing to help him to get back together.

Kai's slightly illegal revenue stream

Mako immediately chases Kai around the Upper Ring, showing that he still has it, and can match Kai move for move.  When Kai tries to escape on a monorail train, Mako manages to catch him by surprise, and for a moment it looks like he's busted.  But Kai slips out of his jacket, blows the brothers back, and escapes off the car right before the doors close, trapping Bolin and Mako on the train.  A non-stop, heading to the Lower Ring.  Bolin thinks that this just illustrates what a great, resourceful lil' troublemaker Kai is.  Mako thinks Kai is too much like Bolin.

Kai is. In. So. Much. Trouble.

After a long train journey, the doors finally open on the Lower Ring station, and Bolin and Mako rush over to the train heading back to the Upper Ring.  One problem; it costs money, and Kai also managed to steal their wallets on the train.  Bolin hates admitting Kai scammed them too. As he and an angrily disappointed Mako leave the station for an extended stay in the Lower Ring, Bolin tries to comfort Mako with the sad fact that they'll be able to go to the bathroom wherever they want.  A life on the streets that the brothers worked so hard to escape is their short-term future.

Totally slumming it for a while

The next morning, Asami and Korra, seeming totally unworried about a missing Kai, Bolin and Mako, head out to do Hou-Ting's bidding, with Korra telling Asami it shouldn't be difficult, or too dangerous, so they don't need the whole team anyway.  Korra seems bored and frustrated that she's just running an errand for the Earth Queen.

Bolin and Mako, still apparently, unmissed, wake up in an alley, amid trash.  Mako, and we know this is wrong, thinks they've been missed already.  Bolin is worried about his lovable lil' scamp, who is waking up to breakfast in bed and enjoying a luxurious morning in the city.

Livin' the dream

Bolin and Mako wander around, at a total loss on how to get back to the Upper Ring, or even where to get some breakfast.  Bolin sees a fruit stand and wants to resurrect one of their old street-days scams.  Mako is indignant at stealing, especially the rotting, insect infested fruit-like matter in front of them.  This insults the fruit-seller, who pops up behind fly-infested bananas to tell them off.  Mako, unplussed, just wants to clarify whether the guy wants them to try to steal the fruit after all;  Bolin demands to know if that's the plan after all; the fruit-seller, decides to jump from behind the stand, and tackle them both.   While struggling over fruit Mako didn't even want to steal, a middle-aged man appears from the alley behind.  The middle-aged guy recognizes Mako and Bolin from one look, and correctly calls them by their names, and even knows their father's name.  The fruit-seller turns out to be named Tu, and turns out to be their first cousin.

Just as we're getting used to Ba Sing Se, we go to the Northern Water Tribe, where the new chiefs live and basically spend their days on twin thrones, bored out of their minds.  It's good ol' Desna and Eska.  Zuko shows up, riding his dragon with Tonraq, father to Korra and uncle to the new chiefs, and Desna and Eska don't get the interruption of their boring day.  Zuko says he's got great news for them: there's a secret ice prison to the west, and everyone's going.

Field Trip!

Just as we get used to the North Pole, we go right back to Ba Sing Se, where uncle Chow and cousin Tu show Bolin and Mako where the extended family lives, which is apparently one really big room in an apartment building.  Tu is convinced that Bolin and Mako have been living it up in Republic City; the boys have to explain they spent years dirt poor and living wherever they could sleep.  Inside, there are numerous cousins, aunts, uncles, and such.  And one grandmother, obviously the center of the family, named Yin.  Yin immediately asks about the boys parents, including their father and her son.  Bolin and Mako have the sad job of informing her that both their parents were killed years ago.

Nice to meet you, Grandma, we have some really bad news for you...

Asami and Korra have about the same mixed day as Bolin and Mako.  Asami brings her electrified shock-glove, but they don't need it when every local on the streets retreats into the buildings framing a town square. Asami and Korra worry a little, but get the local soldiers to start hauling the tax money to the airship.  As the soldiers proceed rolling the tax money along, a signal flare shoots into the sky, and a motorcycle gang literally comes from over the buildings, landing in the massive town square, and telling Korra to hand over the money.  Korra tells their skull-masked leader that the money's going to the Queen; their leader insults Korra and Asami, saying he loves girls with a little spirit.

Did that guy just call us girls?????

Well, now Korra and Asami will kick their asses on general principle.  Which they do.  Korra bends her way through most of the gang, while Asami uses awesome flip moves with her glove to get a couple motorcycles down.  When the gang leader himself goes down, they retreat.  But the gangleader, as they are hauled away in an armored truck that comes from nowhere, yells at Korra that she's on the wrong side, and that that money is the people's.  Korra, though victorious, bitterly admits to Asami that he's right.

Bolin and Mako have a more heartfelt evening, as they have dinner with their new family, and Bolin attempts to count them all.  Uncle Chow fills in some family history.  His brother and the boys' father, San, had dreams of living in Republic City, and left over grandpa's wishes.  They only ever heard from San once, a letter about his new family.  They've heard nothing since, and Grandmother Yin leaves, overcome with the knowledge that that letter was the last they ever will hear from San.  Bolin and Mako follow, and Yin sits them down to look at that last letter together.  It came with a picture, showing Bolin and Mako, already so different.  Bolin recognizes San's scarf, now constantly worn by Mako.  Mako, realizing that Yin needs a connection to her dead son more than he does, takes it off and graciously gives it to her.  Will getting something out of this trip himself make Mako a little more enthusiastic about it?

Handing over the official Mako Family Scarf

When Bolin and Mako return to the family, they thank them for their hospitality, and ask how to get back to the Upper Ring.  They explain that they're here with Avatar Korra, and helping her find and recruit the new air benders in Ba Sing Sei.  The family is aghast.  Uncle Chow tells the boys that another local was air bending openly right after Harmonic Convergence.  He disappeared.  Now no one gets caught air bending.  Yin doesn't want to believe that the Earth Queen had anything to do with disappearing Earth Benders, but word is that she's drafting them for her own army.  Bolin immediately worries about Kai, and even Mako looks like he'll have to show some concern for the little thief.

Back at the North Pole, Zuko leads Tonraq, Desna and Eska into the elaborate, deeply dug Ice Prison of the North.  He explains to them that it was built for one prisoner by Unalaq, who Korra just defeated, father of Desna and Eska.  The twins wish they had known of the place earlier;  both have people they'd love to imprison.  Desna particularly wishes he could punish his tailor for wrinkly cuffs by throwing him in here.  Zuko, despite hearing how a fellow ruler would like to become a despot, continues on and informs them that it was built and kept freezing cold for a combustive, explosive fire bender.  Zuko then decides to give a history lesson, admitting he hired a similar bender once to kill Avatar Aang.  In his defense, it didn't work (because Zuko helped stop him).  It's silent, but then Eska admits to trying to kill Avatar Korra over her fiasco of a failed wedding.  She consoles Zuko that trying to kill Avatars happens, nothing to fret about.

Look, we have to talk about something in this elevator....

Tonraq decides he's had enough of bonding over trying to kill Avatars, and focuses everyone on the prisoner they're about to personally guard:  a woman named P'Li.  P'Li is pleased to have visitors, shivering in an ice-covered cell, and correctly reasoning that Zaheer has escaped.  Zuko and Tonraq remind her they're hear to defeat her would-be rescuers; undaunted, she almost purrs like a cat as she tells her visitors that she feels warmer already.

Back in Ba Sing Se, Korra tells Hou-Ting to take her ill-gotten gains, and help her find air benders.  Hou-Ting looks like she's pondering for a second, then imperiously tells Korra that her Dai Li guards searched, and found none.  So Korra can leave now.  Korra, furious, reminds the Queen that Korra just basically stole money from Hou-Ting's subjects so Hou-Ting can buy more decorative shrubs.  Now, Korra wants her air benders. And she refuses to leave until she's got them, tackling poor Gun again as she busts out of the throne room.

Korra's right to be furious. We know, because we see Kai, one last time, once again using his I'm-just-helping-you-after-that-weird-breeze trick to steal purses again.  We're not the only ones who catch it; a Dai Li soldier does too, and Kai finds himself surrounded by Dai Li, and caught by flying handcuffs, pinned to a gate, and trying to fend the soldiers off.  He loses, and the Dai Li toss him not into a cell, but a room filled with about six other air benders, all dressed in rags.  Kai, now in rags too, is angry and scared. As the Dai Li shut the door, they tell Kai that he belongs to the Earth Queen, and he'll spend the rest of his days fighting for her.  Kai, finally caught, can only look desperate as he realizes his two big brothers won't be able to find him anytime soon.

Probably shouldn't have tricked your guardians, kid!

Selling Yourself - Legend of Korra - Season 3, Episode 2

Who's ready for a whirlwind tour of the Earth Kingdom?  Asami is!  I guess after Varrick gave her back control of Future Industries at the end of Season 2, she whipped everything back into shape in no time.  And got all her awesomely cool toys back. She shows up with their ride and digs for the trip- a souped up, luxury zeppelin, called an airship.  Asami is back to treating everyone in style!  The team is optimistic about their trip.  Tenzin and Korra can't wait to see the Airbenders being talked about all over the Earth Kingdom; Bolin is excited to be going anywhere.  Jinora looks like she aims to find herself during the trip.  And Bumi is looking forward to whatever it is Bumi looks forward to.

Who wants to ride in my awesome airship?

There are some not going;  Kya and Pema will stay to take care of the baby, whose name I'm not learning until his crazy eccentricity is revealed.  Kya is introduced to babies by being vomited on by the baby, and Pema is right there to gloat over it.  Kya takes the incident well, considering she can always wash herself off without using her hands.  Ikki and Meelo are at first indignant they can't come. Even good old Poki the ring-tailed lemur is indignant.  But Kya mollifies them by informing them that more air benders are out there, and some will show up at Air Temple Island.  And they'll need someone to show them where the bathrooms are.  Meelo is excited at the thought of new students for him to boss around.  Ikki can't wait for company.

They're not the only ones staying behind.  Mako shows up with a scroll slung on his shoulder, but it's not for him;  he hands it to Korra, making sure to only address her in her official capacity as the Avatar.  Korra at first thinks it's funny to humor this, and she's pleased that Mako's made a map of where reports of new air benders came from.  She's not so pleased when she realizes that Mako's not coming.  In his defense, he does have a job that requires showing up.  Mako is getting ready to head back to Republic City when Bolin waylays him and guilts him into coming.  Bolin achieves this with a drama queen re-enactment of possibly meeting their father's mother in Ba Sing Sei and having to watch her die if Mako isn't there too.  Mako, who doesn't look like he ever expects to see any relatives ever, goes simply to shut Bolin up, complaining as he agrees that his boss isn't going to like this.

But Mako, what if you kill Grandmother?

As Team Korra lifts off and watches Republic City get smaller and farther away, a small motorboat brings a single man of the Order of the White Lotus to a wooden platform, secluded in the middle of the ocean.  It's a completely-made-of-wood setting for a wooden cage in which resides one extremely muscled and tattooed man.  Will flowing locks of black hair.  No metal, no rock anywhere in site.  The guards notice the approaching boat and think it's their shift change.  Who's here?  Zaheer!  He leaps out of the boat, with his spiffy new air bending powers, and has a little fun with the guards, as he tosses three medium sized rocks into the wooden cell.  The prisoner looks down and smiles.

Don't mind me, I'm just escaping

As Zaheer distracts the guards, the prisoner bends the rocks, and melts them into molten lava, then molds them into a shuriken, three curved blades joined together to make a center.  Sending his new toy out, the prisoner slices open the wooden cell in three cuts, and leaps out of his cell, creating pandemonium.  After defeating the guards, he greets Zaheer and asks about the new talent.  Zaheer informs him that he's been able to air bend since Harmonic Convergence.  What's more, Zaheer is convinced that gaining air bending is a sign.  From someone.  That he and his buddy, Ghazan, are doing the right thing.  Remember that.  Zaheer thinks he's the good guy.

How can we not be the good guys?

While prison breaks abound, Team Korra lands in the Earth Kingdom, at the first location on Mako's map.  As they land, the map pops up, showing a team in an airship floating around the map, all with excited smiles.  And Tenzin is rarin' to go once they land and are greeted by the local mayor, who's set up a dinner with Ku An, a local farmer who's been air bending as a hobby since Harmonic Convergence.  He's happy to meet Avatar Korra and Master Tenzin, and happy to screw up his air bending in front of them, all the while pretending not to love being a local celebrity.  But he's not so happy to find out that Tenzin and Korra want him to pack up, leave home, travel to the Northern Air Temple, and become a Air Nomad.

Yeah, I think I'll pass on being a monk with no stuff

Tenzin dismisses every reason Ku An gives for staying.  What's a farm compared to resurrecting Air Nomad culture?  Why would a man stay with his wife and kids and the only life he's ever known?  Tenzin is amazed that he's not aching to leave everything behind for the amazing life of an Air Nomad.  Korra tries to be polite, but her speech doesn't work on the kids, who don't want their dad to leave, either.  And Ku An's wife isn't pleased when Tenzin insists that she should be fine with her husband ditching her.  The dinner ends with Ku An kicking them out.

Back at the airship, our plucky gang tries to regroup.  What went wrong?  How could an airbender reject coming to a faraway temple, without his family, and learn about a culture he neither grew up in nor cares about?  Why would he want to leave his farm?  Doesn't he know there's a wonderful and totally alien life waiting for him if he gives up his old one?  Totally oblivious to what exactly they're asking of people, all except Mako strategize for future visits.  The idea to simply kidnap air benders in a potato sack and draft them as Tenzin's students is rejected, but only barely.

The journey to Earth Kingdom villages on their way to Ba Sing Sei goes pretty much like the dinner with Ku An, except Tenzin doesn't even get into anyone's house anymore.  Why?  He's got such a great life to offer air benders- you get to shave your head, wear a uniform, have few if any possessions, and meditate constantly.  If you advance enough, you'll even get some funky tattoos and a flying pet too big to fit in your house!  Why do people keep slamming their doors in his face?  He's got so much to offer the comfortable villagers of the Earth Kingdom!  Team Korra's map slowly shows a team going from happy to heartbroken.  All along their tour, they haven't gotten a single airbender to come with them.  Korra tells Tenzin to leave this last one to her.

The last one is a millennial with no ambition, and no desire to even move out of his parents' basement.  Mom is ecstatic that Avatar Korra has come to take him away, but he has no desire to go anywhere, do anything, and doesn't care about his airbending.  Korra takes to scolding him right away, completely flustered by his apathy and simple declarations that, actually, he doesn't have to care about the world, or balance. And neither does Korra.  Korra is horrified by his declaring that, actually, Korra doesn't have to work to achieve balance.  The guy doesn't seem to care about chaos; but then again, he gets to live in a rent-free orderly basement maintained by his parents.  How would he like the chaos of homelessness?  When Korra tries to angrily carry him away, the guy finally decides to use his new air bending to blow himself away from Korra.  Mako and Bolin end up dragging Korra away, while Mom can only bemoan still having her son in her basement.  Good luck with him, lady.  Maybe Zaheer should have come along to bust him out.

Dude, your mom's basement isn't that awesome

Contrast this homey situation with the next prison break we get to see.  Deep in a fiery pit, a single cage is suspended, currently occupied by an armless woman.  Ghazan and Zaheer sneak into the prison, using their new bending skills, and smuggle in water in a barrel, which Zaheer shatters within bending distance from the armless prisoner.  She immediately leaps into action, bending the water into prosthetic arms for herself.  And these are spiffy arms:  they can slice open her cell, swing her around, and climb back up the outside of the cage.  Her water arms can be like whips, or she can swing herself around the entire pit within moments.  When the guards are finally knocked out, she stands and happily tweaks the guys who just helped her escape.  Calling her Ming Hua, Ghazan and Zaheer are unfazed by her teasing, and Zaheer happily informs her that they're going to get his girlfriend next.  Oddly, she doesn't ask about the air bending.

Somebody make these for real, right now!

Too bad, because I think Team Korra would gladly take Zaheer at this point.  They are now completely dejected, with Tenzin still not seeing that the life of an air nomad is... well.. an acquired taste.  Bumi wonders if trying to sell the lifestyle could use some "razzle dazzle", and Bolin is on board, urging the team to put on a demo of what happens when air benders get some training. Make air bending look cool- maybe people will want to learn about it then.  Bumi was really just going to bedazzle Tenzin's jacket, but he thinks Bolin's idea is great.  Tenzin and Korra are actually ambivalent about making air bending look interesting for a crowd.  And the display they put on the next day, at some anonymous town in the Earth Kingdom, is as schlocky and tacky as they come.  Tenzin goes shirtless, maybe to look like a badass.  Bumi demonstrates that air bending is easy for novices to learn.  Bolin, as ringleader, wears a fake mustache and plays up everyone's performance.  He bamboozles the crowd into thinking a dangerous fire bender is nearby, one who just happens to be milling around in the crowd, and looks suspiciously like Mako.  When Mako appears, he deadpans his lines, and shoots up a pathetic puff of fire from his fist.  The crowd still loves the show as Avatar Korra uses air bending to "apprehend" Mako, and even uses some surprise moves, so she and Asami can get a kick of out startling Mako.

The crowd, though entertained, breaks up when the show ends, and Team Korra is left with one tweenie.  With his backpack, he's all ready to go with the team.  They're a little incredulous at first- is he sure he wants to live in an Air Temple?  But the boy, named Kai, is downright enthusiastic about leaving.  Right away.  When someone asks about Kai's parents, he launches into a teary description of a ruthless gang that killed his parents and are chasing him.  The group swallows it, except maybe Mako, who has yet to be enthusiastic about anything they've been doing.

Oh yeah, you're conveniently free to just come with us right now...

As everyone files back onto the airship, with Kai, some rough types show up on motorcycles, and shout out to the airship that they want Kai, and no one's leaving with him.  Korra, defender of everyone she thinks needs her help, marches out and promptly kicks their asses.  So, imagine her surprise when she finally spots the leader's badge.  Turns out, he's a cop, Kai's a thief, and his whole story was a lie.  Except for being an orphan.  He is.  But he's on the run after conning an adoptive couple out of their valuables.  When Kai can't be found, it's Mako who rejoins the group, lugging Kai and Kai's stolen goods back with him. As the cops lead Kai away,  Korra makes a decision.  Telling the cops to return the stolen goods, she offers to take Kai and raise him to abandon his life of crime.  Tenzin objects at first; can a liar and an thief really make a good airbender?  But Korra convinces him to agree to take the boy on.

However, that doesn't mean that Tenzin is going to like that arrangement; he snaps at Jinora when he catches her flirting with Kai and Kai flirting back.  Bolin is thrilled, already calling Kai his little brother.  But Mako makes sure to have a little "talk" with Kai, which is really just a series of threats if Kai doesn't stay in line.  Considering Mako and Bolin's past, as orphans with long criminal histories, Mako probably thinks he knows Kai and what he'll try to get away with better than anyone.  Maybe Mako, deep down, wishes someone had kept him honest as a child.  The speech also reminds one of Katara's "welcome" to Zuko when Zuko came to teach Aang waterbending.

Future best buds

We return to the prison of the fiery pit, where the Order of the White Lotus has to explain to a disappointed Fire Lord Zuko that Zaheer, Ghazan, and Ming Hua have all escaped before anyone really knew what was going on.  The poor schlepp also has to inform Zuko that Zaheer was air bending.  Zuko, seeming to know exactly what to do, tells the guard to call Republic City and put extra guards on the Avatar.  When the guard asks where Zuko is going, Zuko's response is to mount his ridiculously awesome dragon and tell the guard he's going to the Northern Water Tribe to talk to the chiefs there (guess who?), because he knows where Team Zaheer is going next.  Zuko then rides off, his dragon speeding away so that Zuko can get all Fire Lord on Zaheer's ass.

Consider his ride pimped.

Told By A Fearful Body - Legend of Korra - Season 3, Episode 1

Well, the gang has all returned to Republic City, or at least most of the gang.  The Wonder Twins have, presumably, returned to the Northern Water Tribes to break the "bad" news to their family about Unalaq.  And Varrik is who knows where, presumably with his loyal assistant Zhu Li.   Tenzin's family has returned to Air Temple Island outside Republic City, and Uncle Bumi and Aunt Kya are staying with them.  Spirits now roam throughout the material world, since Korra left last season with leaving the portals open between the worlds.  And not everyone's happy about it.  In fact, both spirits and humans seem to hate each other already.

Bumi is obviously up to important stuff, chasing his spirit buddy, Bum Ju (yes, that is short for Bumi Jr.), who he met during Harmonic Convergence, around Air Temple Island.  We find out, that Bumi just wants his spirit buddy to wear a sweater Bumi knitted.  The spirit buddy has shown enough sense not to ever wear anything Bumi makes by leading Bumi on a merry chase around the island, culminating in a tense standoff while Bumi hangs onto a tree growing over the edge of a cliff.

Just not a sweater guy

Bumi surrenders too late;  the tree branch he's on breaks and he plummets to the rocky ground below.
Just a couple feet above certain death, Bumi forces his hands forward, and out comes air!  Bumi is saved by a mini-ball of air supporting him.  Bumi realizes that he just unintentionally bent air!  He's ecstatic, but one can't help wondering if his spirit buddy maybe knew all along, and lured him over that cliff so that Bumi could learn the good news, too.

We catch up with Korra, Tenzin, and Jinora in Republic City, and Korra is frustrated.  Since leaving open the portals, enormous, unexplained vines have grown all over the city, rising to the tops of building like ivy.  The vines have created ecosystems within Republic City perfect for spirits, but really sucky for people, so, it's been Korra's job for two weeks to get rid of them.  Fire, as we see, doesn't work.  Jinora, cuddling with some spirits accompanying them, questions even trying to remove them.  Tenzin, after witnessing Korra defeating Unalaq, is confident that Korra will solve this problem.

When life hands you vines, grow grapes

He's the only one with total faith in Korra.  Even Korra doubts she can remove the vines.  And Republic City's news reporters have questions that show the entire city is sick of waiting and seeing.  President Reiko decides not to so much answer any of their questions, but instead just point out that Avatar Korra is to blame for all this, just as Korra appears at his side.  Korra, in typical Korra fashion, lashes out at the man who gave her no backup in the fight against Unalaq.  She reminds Reiko that the city wouldn't even exist anymore if not for her.  They're about to get into it with reporters watching, when Lin Beifong, still Police Chief, breaks it up.  Asami emerges from the disappearing reporters to try to cheer Korra up.

Why don't you just go climb the tree in your office?

Tenzin, meanwhile, has taken Korra, Asami and Jinora back to Air Temple Island for what I'm guessing is lunch.  On their way in, Bumi waylays Tenzin to give him exciting news.  He rushes everything out as if he's a five-year-old, and Tenzin treats him like one.  As Tenzin's whole family proceeds through the hellish ritual that is a family meal with young children, we see that Bolin is there too!

Aren't family dinners supposed to be good for you?

Bolin is asked about Mako, who Bolin says has stayed behind in Republic City, sleeping at the Police Station after work, since seeing just about anyone is awkward for him at this point.  Bolin drives the point home by impersonating Mako as a brooder with bad hair.  Bolin is in a fine mood, waxing on about how Tenzin's family contains every Crazy Family Stereotype.   Bumi has been staring at a napkin during this, but interrupts Bolin to point out that he moved his napkin.  Tenzin furiously tells Bumi to grow up and stop telling tall tales.  Bumi decides that the real problem is that his life isn't in danger, but Pema nixes Bumi's suggestion that Bolin attack him with a bolder.  Meelo has no such self-control, and excitedly hurls a dinner plate at Bumi's head.  Just as before, Bumi throws his hands in front of his face, and ball of whirling air envelopes the plate, spinning it inches from Bumi's face.

Wait, Bumi's not crazy????

The table is stunned. Even Meelo, who actually threw the plate.  Bumi is triumphant, declaring that he'll tell their mother, who will be so proud of him.  But, it doesn't last.  Bumi's airball runs out of air, and the plate crashes on the table.

We segue back to Republic City, where Mako is back at work, as a dedicated public servant of the police force.  Roused from sleeping under his desk, he answers a call to a bookstore, managed by two brothers for years.  The place is a wreck and one of the owners is frantic, claiming an argument became a storm.  Mako is confused, and even more so, when the man claims his brother was air bending.  Sighing because now he's got to get to the bottom of this, he proceeds to the room the so-called air bender locked himself into.  Mako is trying to keep calm, but the brother is scared of hurting anyone.  Mako threatens to break the door down, but that just ends up triggering a blast of air that blows the door off its hinges and right into Mako, throwing him across the room, buried under the door, as the air-bending brother races off, blown away by yet another gust of wind.  The first brother, bending over a recovering Mako, basically says I-told-you-so.

Back at Air Temple Island, Bumi desperately flails his arms and legs in futile attempts to consciously air-bend.  Its useless.  Korra and Tenzin try to theorize why Bumi might be air-bending now, but neither has an answer as both Mako and Lin Beifong quietly walk up to the family with no greetings to or from anybody.  When Lin Beifong mistakes Bumi's practicing as one of Bumi's crazy recreational activities, Tenzin has to give her the stunning news.  Except that the shared look between Mako and Beifong says that it's really not so stunning after all.  They share Mako's information with Tenzin and the rest.  Korra also tries to get Mako to come and stay on Air Temple Island.  Mako, wishing he was anywhere else but facing two ex-girlfriends who want him to move in, explains that he's doing important work.  The awkwardness ends in a completely unnecessary salute from Mako.

Korra and Asami, about to drive around looking for the mystery air-bender, decide that it's time for Korra to learn how to drive.  A stick shift.  It's not pretty, with Korra mistaking the brake for clutch.  They share some jokes at Mako's expense, and each ends up confessing that Mako kissed her while he was going out with the other.  Why they don't jointly realize that Mako is a total dog, but instead share a laugh over lost loves, is beyond me.  They have no time to realize the sad truth about Mako, as they've been missing the huge vines growing right in the road, which Korra barely misses.  Before they can be relieved, a porcupine spirit emerges from the vines, and Korra loses her calm.  She insists that the porcupine get rid of the vines, telling him that this is supposed to be a place for humans. The spirit insists that they didn't create the vines, and disdainfully tells Korra that spirits and their habitats can't be considered separate entities.  He implies, the snooty tone we've all come to know from spirits, that Korra should already know that.  She didn't, but she's suddenly inspired with an idea for getting rid of the vines.

Don't look at me, lady, I'm just a tenant

The kids, back at Air Temple Island, ambush Tenzin with questions.  With new airbenders, their lives could change, and they're ambivalent.  Ikki insists that she's not sharing her room with new recruits;  Tenzin tells her she'll keep her own room, but the Island itself will probably become more crowded.  That's fine with Meelo, who dreams of commanding an army of air benders.  Jinora schools him on air bender societies not having armies. Tenzin agrees with Jinora, but he gets a little misty-eyed as he wishes they get enough air benders to fill the temples around the world.  Meelo wants his dad to be their boss, but Tenzin is more worried about being their guide.  Meelo, with his grandfather's imposing statue behind him (somehow fixed right away after Unalaq destroyed it, I might add), tells his dad that the kids will help.  Oh joy.

Korra, meanwhile, approaches a vine-covered building in Republic City, a building built along a canal with plenty of water.  As she's about to begin her experiment, Lin Beifong and Bolin by her side, a crowd forms behind her.  It's President Reiko, with reporters.  Perhaps feeling that she needs supervision, or hoping she'll fail so Reiko can keep blaming her for the City's problems.  Korra demands that the reporters shut up, and turns to face the vine-covered building.  She bends water into tentacles that soon circle the whole building, and turns the water to spirit energy.  The vines respond by retreating back into the canal with her water/spirit energy.  She humbly bows to the vines, wishing them peace.  All are stunned.  The reporters dash to Korra, and are about to worship her, when the canal erupts, vines literally throwing themselves back around the building, covering even more of it, and the building on the other side of the canal, for good measure.

In fact, so many vines pull the other building, it's about to topple over.  Lin Beifong and Bolin react quickly, sending stone support pillars up to hold up the building so Korra can evacuate everyone inside, including a kid stuck in the upper stories.  A turret falls on the street just as Korra gets out from under it, and a crowd forms around the disaster.

Oh, I'm gonna' look like an idiot now...

Korra reverts to meditating, in an attempt to contact past Avatars.  However, they are still gone, just like Korra declared they were after defeating Unalaq.  Tenzin interrupts, but Korra's fine with giving up anyway.  Without past Avatars, can she even go into the Avatar state anymore?  Korra doesn't whine about losing her connection to the past, mostly because it's her own fault.  Instead, she bemoans her pariah status in Republic City.  Tenzin reminds her that she's not an elected official.  She has another job, which is keeping the world's powers in balance.  Sometimes, to restore balance, change must come.  And not everyone is going to like that change.  But what people "like" isn't necessarily Korra's problem.  Balance, Tenzin feels, might just be its own reward.  When Korra complains that she almost never knows what to do, Tenzin tells her that true wisdom is realizing what you don't know.

Bolin interrupts them with a rushed speech that he realizes too late is pretty rude. The police found the other new air-bender,  who has now climbed to the top of the bridge, begging the police to not approach him, and blasting them off the bridge into the bay when they don't listen to him.  Korra approaches from the air, and Mr. New Airbender can't ward her off.  She settles on the bridge with him, and tells him that there are people who can help him with his new powers.  Mr. Newbie wants his old life back; Korra tells him that might not be possible, but he should be taken to the Air Temple Island and just talk to the people there.  He doesn't sound optimistic, and then falls off the bridge. Korra, totally in control, saves him from falling onto the roadway, to the crowd's relief.  Tenzin warmly and kindly greets Mr. Newbie, who has gotten his stuff together enough to crack a joke about needing a diaper change.

Despite Korra saving the day, President Reiko is not pleased.  He's furious that Republic City just seems to be going from one disaster to the next, and blames Korra, banishing her from Republic City.  Korra, stoic, agrees that she'll be going.  She turns to Tenzin, and seems happy when she tells him that her new mission is to find these new air-benders, and get them to Tenzin.  Tenzin informs Korra that she won't be bringing anyone to him, because he's going with her.  This episode shows how the bond of Tenzin and Korra has grown; he's never exasperated with her, and knows now to follow her instincts. Korra has learned to stop resisting Tenzin's lessons, and can benefit from earning his loyalty.  Both seem completely unfazed by Reiko's banishment of Korra.  They've got a mission to look forward to; one only an Avatar and master air-bender can undertake.  Tenzin is already daydreaming of new and wonderful air nomads.

Far away (we think), in a mountainous country, where jagged rock-bergs jut from the sea below, a lonely prison cell is getting a visit.  It can only be reached by a bridge, that can only be extended by metal-bending.  A few members of the Order of the White Lotus approach, one with a tray of food.  They have a leader who lacks enough sense to wear a helmet.  He shouts at the prisoner, named Zaheer, to go to the back of his cell, and face away from the barred door.  The guard deposits Zaheer's meal through a slit between the bars.  A setup to show that this Zaheer is considered a dangerous man, who needs a cell in the middle of nowhere that is unreachable for normal people, with highly trained bender-guards.

Zaheer is a grizzled man, not young but not old.  And he is perfectly calm.  He decides now is the time for philosophy, and asks if the guard knows of Air Guru Laghima.  Apparently, legend has it that Laghima was so in tune with air-bending, that he one day rose from the ground and never touched it again.  Zaheer is particularly obsessed with one of Laghima's sayings:  "Instinct is a lie/ Told by a fearful body/ Hoping to be wrong".  Zaheer interprets it to mean that what you see doesn't even begin to describe the universe, and if you base your expectations on what is seeable, you can be taken by surprise.  By, say, a prisoner who can suddenly air-bend.  Zaheer blasts air at his guards, blowing them back far enough from the door so he can escape.  One by one, the White Lotus guards, despite bending fire and earth and water at him, can't touch him as he glides and somersaults his way around all elements and guards.  One by one, the White Lotus guards are blown into Zaheer's old cell, and then Zaheer blows the door back in place, leaving his guards with his meal as their only food.

He has a very special set of skills

The leader of the guards demands to know what Zaheer plans on doing.  Formally announcing that he's the bad guy of the season, Zaheer outright tells them that he can see a future without the Order of the White Lotus.  And without the Avatar.  He leaps off the rock-berg for who knows where.

Notice that, unlike last season's cat and mouse with Unalaq, where we suspected he was trouble, then realized he was evil, then realized what he was really up to, Zaheer is announcing his intention to rid the world of the Avatar outright.

And now on to a final thought.  There's another interpretation of Laghima's poem.  "Instinct is a lie/Told by a fearful body/ Hoping to be wrong."  Your fears will try to hold you back.  But inside, there is a part of you that hopes you won't listen to your fears.  Is that the real lesson to be learned this season, as Korra's world grapples with the changes of integrating the spirit and material worlds?

Welcome to Self-Awareness - Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

It's a tale of lost hopes, for both apes and humans.  Both communities fray and come apart, with disastrous consequences for the other.  Both communities have leaders bickering amongst each other, for war and for peace.  The human community is desperate for electrical power, and willing to kill to get a hydro-electric dam the apes live next to working again.  The ape community doesn't trust humans, after being treated cruelly in various forms of human captivity.  The humans mistakenly resent the apes for the simian flu that wiped out the rest of humanity, sinking them back into the dark ages.  Neither community has any good feelings for the other.

Warning: Obvious Animal Farm Reference!

They meet without expecting too, in an ugly incident that scares and angers both communities.  The human leaders and apes set conditions that our plucky band of human heroes struggles to meet as they work, sometimes together, to repair the dam and turn the generator back on.  There's oohing and aahing over a baby chimpanzee that almost brings apes and humans together, until another ugly incident almost ruins their plans for the damn.  There's a human who saves the life of one of the females who has just given birth, which gives everyone the chance to finish the task despite mistrust and anger.  There's Maurice, a gentle orangutan, wiser than the others, who finds himself interested in the humans and their books.

Shared baby love!

The main conflict of the story is between Caesar and Koba, two chimpanzees leading a band of a few hundred chimpanzees (calling them chimps when they can talk just seems like a slur).  There are human conflicts, especially between Malcolm, leading the human team to restart the hydro-electric dam, and Dreyfuss, wanting electricity and contact with the world outside San Francisco at all costs.  Carver, a jumpy, gun-toting fool, is in conflict with the rest of the dam team and the apes.  These conflicts fade as the other humans Malcolm disagreed with die during the film. Caesar and Koba's falling out, Koba's vicious betrayal, and Caesar's justice in the end, slowly take center stage.  As apes, they have a distinctive way of showing who owes loyalty to whom.  As Caesar and Koba's deep friendship turns to hatred, their "handshakes", showing Koba's loyalty to Caesar, and Caesar's trust of Koba, become briefer.  As Koba brings vicious, Game of Thrones-style plotting to ape civilization, Koba also hoodwinks Caesar's teenaged-son Blue Eyes, who realizes almost too late that he owed his father his loyalty all along.

Koba has good reason to hate humans, as he spent his early life as a test animal in a lab, basically being tortured in the name of science.  Caesar, as the adopted "child" of a researcher from the lab, has every reason to think there are good humans, even if they can be annoying.  Blue Eyes has almost never seen a human, and is a new generation of chimpanzee, who only knows of human mistreatment and civilization from stories.  He and his teenaged buddy, Ash, are prime for Koba's schemes.  As Koba's paranoia and hatred for humans puts him in conflict with Caesar, and with a small group of apes still loyal to Caesar, Koba becomes what he hates in humans.  However, since this leads to a ridiculously awesome shot of Koba riding a horse and firing two machine guns while a fire burns all around him, it seems like the conflict was worth it.

Holy fuck, yes, totally worth it

Not so for Caesar, even though he eventually wins his conflict with Koba.  Not so for Malcolm, though he and Caesar are best buds at the end, and the humans captured by Koba have been freed.  Not so for Blue Eyes, who will lose his friend Ash to Koba's greed for power.  Despite the stalemate fought to between humans and apes, the war is just beginning between them.  Caesar declares, at the end, that the apes started this war, but it's easy to point fingers at humans who unknowingly played right into Koba's hands; Dreyfuss, who wants to invade and slaughter the apes if they won't allow Malcolm's team to save the city; and Carver, who breaks the apes' conditions and is forced to admit being a total asshole by literally every other member of the human team.  There were apes who were more than happy to march to San Fran with Koba for revenge; but they lost their taste for blood early, and didn't want to kill scared and obviously innocent humans.  

Despite Caesar's hopes for a Great Ape Society, peaceful and strong and intelligent, their society is now one where apes will plot against each other, hurt each other, even imprison each other.  Malcolm must accept leaving his home, just after re-establishing electrical power and thinking his human settlement was finally safe.  When Caesar and Malcolm part at the end, after the ape version of a hug, both have accepted that, despite their friendship, their societies will never be the same, and never get along.

Actually we're all apes.