{"id":4754,"date":"2015-06-17T08:00:26","date_gmt":"2015-06-17T15:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=4754"},"modified":"2015-06-04T14:59:16","modified_gmt":"2015-06-04T21:59:16","slug":"mark-watches-the-legend-of-korra-s03e08-the-terror-within","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2015\/06\/mark-watches-the-legend-of-korra-s03e08-the-terror-within\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘The Legend of Korra’: S03E08 – The Terror Within"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the eighth episode of the third season of\u00c2\u00a0The Legend of Korra<\/i>, Zaheer attempts to abduct Korra. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0The Legend of Korra<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

There has not been a major misstep this entire season, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. Holy shit, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Terror Within\u00e2\u20ac\u009d delivers on the promise of its title with a thrilling and creepy episode that advances the season\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s arc while still shrouding Zaheer and his group\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s motivations. But this episode complicates matters by revealing that Zaheer was somehow able to recruit\u00c2\u00a0another person<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0to his crusade. How? And more importantly: WHY? What is so important to him about Korra that he could convince another person to betray a lifetime of trust in order to get access to the Avatar?<\/p>\n

We still don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know, and I appreciate that this doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel frustrating. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not a big fan of fictional series\u00c2\u00a0dangling the carrot for too long (hello,\u00c2\u00a0LOST<\/i>), and I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s happening here. I think the fact that Zaheer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s goal is hidden from us heightens the tension and terror. By not knowing what Zaheer wants, we are left in a state of existential fear. Sure, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s kidnapping Korra,\u00c2\u00a0but for what purpose<\/i>? What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the next step? Death? Experimentation? Exploitation? WHO FUCKING KNOWS?<\/p>\n

Thus, the abduction attempt feels a lot more urgent and scary to me because all I have to rely on is my imagination. These four criminals are clearly determined to capture Korra, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d almost offer that they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re\u00c2\u00a0desperate<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0to get her. On top of that, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s another aspect written into \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Terror Within\u00e2\u20ac\u009d that makes this such a suspenseful episode. The writers brilliantly use Zaofu\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s security against itself. How many times have we heard Suyin tell us that Zaofu is the safest city in the world? Truthfully, it\u00c2\u00a0is.\u00c2\u00a0<\/i>The problem ended up being human nature, not the construction of the city. So it became instantly intense when the city sealed itself for the night and then, seconds later, we see Zaheer and his gang sneaking around Zaofu, looking for Korra. How did they get in? We ask the same question when they disappear in a matter of seconds after the fight ends. HOW??? WHAT SECRETS DO YOU HAVE?<\/p>\n

But let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just talk about the abduction attempt because\u00c2\u00a0GOOD FUCKING LORD<\/i>. Look, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to devalue these characters\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 fighting ability. Lin, Suyin, Bolin, and Mako are powerful benders, and yet? I constantly felt like Team Zaheer were stronger fighters. Part of that is because they bend in ways most people haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seen. LAVA BENDING, Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ALL. I still can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t wrap my mind around Ming-Hua\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s bending either. United, these four benders are a formidable enemy, and that makes me incredibly nervous. If it weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t for Pabu, they absolutely would have gotten out of Zaofu with Korra. But even when Bolin and Mako begin attacking them, joined later by the Beifong sisters and the rest of the troops, I still didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel like they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d be able to stop Zaheer. Maybe delay them? I had faith that Bolin would be able to strike P\u00e2\u20ac\u2122Li, but could he do it in time? LOOK, I WAS VERY NERVOUS WATCHING THE FIRST HALF OF THIS EPISODE, OKAY?<\/p>\n

And then, as quickly as they came, Team Zaheer slinks away and disappears, leaving a scorched plot of Earth\u00c2\u00a0and\u00c2\u00a0<\/i>Korra behind them. It might have been a failure on their part, but it certainly frightened Team Avatar. It also destroyed the sense of security within Zaofu, which leads to the transition of the story here in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Terror Within.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d The title initially refers to Zaheer, but then becomes an uncomfortable question: Who betrayed everyone and helped Team Zaheer?<\/p>\n

I think I figured this out right before Mako did, and somehow, that didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t deflate from the actual reveal. Hong Li was simply way too obvious of a suspect, first of all. But that suspicion eroded upon any sort of strenuous examination because it was\u00c2\u00a0too<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0convenient. How did someone so young strike up an allegiance with someone who had been in prison for most of his life? Yet even as I ask that question, I have to turn my own disbelief towards Aiwei. We know he was responsible for the betrayal, but\u00c2\u00a0why<\/i>? Why give up everything he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d worked for? Hell, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not just the betrayal that stings; his exit strategy involved A MURDER ATTEMPT on anyone who followed him on his escape route!!! He destroyed any evidence that may have implicated him, too, suggesting that there must be some deeper conspiracy at work beyond the four members of Team Zaheer. What the\u00c2\u00a0hell<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0is waiting for Korra, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all???<\/p>\n

I really thought that this episode would end with Korra being escorted back to Republic City, which was kind of disappointing. Aiwei has the answers!!! Why aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t they going after him? AND THEN SUYIN GIVES KORRA THE GO-AHEAD TO PURSUE AIWEI WITHOUT LIN AND\u00c2\u00a0I CAN<\/i>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T DEAL WITH THIS<\/i>. Oh my god, I am so terribly eager to find out what the fuck is going here, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m thrilled by this season, and I think this is\u00c2\u00a0The Legend of Korra<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0at its strongest.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Terror Within\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded\u00c2\u00a0here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– Please help book\/finalize the Mark Does Stuff European Tour!<\/a>
\n– I am now on Patreon<\/a><\/b>!!! MANY SURPRISES ARE IN STORE FOR YOU IF YOU SUPPORT ME<\/a>.
\n– 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.<\/a>
\n– My Master Schedule<\/a> is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often.\u00c2\u00a0My next Double Features for Mark Watches will be the remainder of\u00c2\u00a0The Legend of Korra<\/i>, series 8 of\u00c2\u00a0Doctor Who<\/i>, and Kings<\/i>. On Mark Reads, Diane Duane’s Young Wizards<\/i> series will replace the Emelan books.
\n<\/b>-\u00c2\u00a0Mark Does Stuff is on Facebook!<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0I’ve got a community page up that I’m running. Guaranteed shenanigans!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"