In the fourth episode of the third season of The Legend of Korra, two different groups try to rescue someone. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch The Legend of Korra.Â
Prison Break
JUST!!!!!! I WASN’T READY. MY BODY AND MIND WERE NOT PREPARED FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF P’LI AND HER POWERS AND WHAT THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW. It was already unreal enough having to deal with Ming-Hua’s water tentacle chaos. I love so much that the show chose to have a character like her be the most physically agile fighter we’ve probably ever seen. I can’t even wrap my mind around the way she moves her body. The physics of it all is astounding!
And then P’Li strikes Zuko’s dragon with a combustion beam and I’M DONE. DONE. Oh god, why is she a villain? Can’t I just root for her because her power is cool??? Okay, I’ll be a fan of that for now until I find out why they all tried to kidnap Korra years ago. Yeah, right, THANKS FOR REVEALING THAT CASUALLY WITHIN THE EPISODE. Just… why??? Why do they want Korra? What for?
I want a thousand more scenes with this villainous quartet. I WANT SO MUCH MORE.
Prison Break Part 2
And while Zaheer, Ming-Hua, and Ghazan are breaking their friend out of prison (who they haven’t seen for thirteen years!), Team Avatar plans their own heist/prison break. It’s a neat parallel, one made all the more intriguing because we still don’t know Zaheer’s motivations. Are these sides clearly defined as good and evil?
Regardless, there’s a lot of obfuscation on the part of Queen Hou-Ting, who makes it very evident that she wants Team Avatar out of Ba Sing Se. I had a moment during that scene outside the guest home where I wondered what Ba Sing Se would be like when it wasn’t run by some corrupt force. I imagine that it could truly thrive! However, Hou-Ting is just another ruler in a long line of exploitative jerks who use the people of Ba Sing Se for their own benefit. Fortunately, Team Avatar are resilient and creative, and they set to work in trying to identify where the airbenders are being held. And y’all, I’m so glad that Jinora continues to be a part of this. No big deal, though, she just SHIFTS HER SPIRIT OUT OF HER BODY TO CHECK ALL THE UNDERGROUND CHAMBERS IN THE LAKE. No big deal at all! (She’s like ten times more accomplished than I was at her age, I swear.)
It’s during that sequence that we find out what training is like for the kidnapped airbenders. Spoiler alert: IT’S FUCKING AWFUL. It’s a form of forced conscription, and it resembles prison more than anything else. It’s so callous and blatantly terrible, and I’m sure that Huo-Ting doesn’t care. If she can exploit the airbenders for her kingdom, she’s gonna do it. Then she has the gall to confront Korra and claim that this rescue is AN ACT OF WAR. !!!!!!! You literally kidnapped your own citizens and forced them into the military! And in Kai’s case, he got stuck in solitary confinement for NOT BEING VIOLENT ENOUGH.
Admittedly, there’s not much depth to Huo-Ting or the Dai Li agents at all, but I don’t know that this story needed that. Through this experience, the airbenders get to use their powers to defend themselves and others, and it helps them bond. I wouldn’t be surprised to see most of them in one of the Air Temples in a future episode, training together. So I feel like these characters served their purpose: to give motivation to Team Avatar and the new airbenders. And it’s not like this search is over, either. Once Tenzin departs for the Northern Air Temple, taking the airbenders with him, Team Avatar splits off to continue looking for more people who suddenly have the ability to airbend.
And then what? The threat of Zaheer and his group hangs over this season, and I am honestly filled with a little bit of dread when I think about it. What does he want with Korra? Where are they? ARE THEY HIDING IN MY APARTMENT THIS IS A LEGITIMATE FEAR, Y’ALL.
The video for “In Harm’s Way†can be downloaded here for $0.99.
Mark Links Stuff
– Please help book/finalize the Mark Does Stuff European Tour!
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– The Mark Does Stuff Tour 2015 is now live and includes dates across the U.S., Canada, Europe, the U.K., and Ireland. Check the full list of events on my Tour Dates / Appearances page.
– My Master Schedule is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often. My next Double Features for Mark Watches will be the remainder of The Legend of Korra, series 8 of Doctor Who, and Kings. On Mark Reads, Diane Duane’s Young Wizards series will replace the Emelan books.
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