Before I get into things, some background info.  With the new Bluray release of Book 3, new certificates that cannot be bypassed by trial version of AnyDVDHD were introduced.  And AnyDVD refuses to update itself in trial mode.  I was going to go and buy the premium version but the price is not only ridiculously high, but it’s a SUBSCRIPTION.  Yeah, fuck that.  So I was forced to rip my Blurays using DVDFab, which annoyingly adds a watermark to the top-right corner at certain intervals.  I try to avoid making caps when the watermark is up, but it’s not going to be avoidable all the time.

When last we left Korra, she had just defeated an evil king that escaped from the Spirit World, then won a Pro-Bending match to celebrate.  Now, she sets her sights on the things that really matter: getting rid of the ginormous pothole and weed problem in Republic City.  Those things were a real blight in levels 1 & 3.

So, in this post-Spirit world, what else has changed?

Clearly not Bumi.  He’s the same as ever.

Somehow, Bumi got Airbender powers.  Because spirits.

Meanwhile, people are angry that the Avatar hasn’t done something about the out-of-control vines and shit around Republic City.  The vines seem to be threatening residents and even forcing people to abandon their homes… which is weird because I was under the impression this was isolated in the “abandoned district of Republic City” we traversed in the game.

Somehow, during the break, Korra and Asami got all chummy with each other in a Thelma & Louise kind of way despite the whole… everything with Mako.  And they’re both kind of awkward around Mako, who has decided to dedicate himself strictly to police work.  It’s especially surprising since Asami got all of one offhanded mention in the game while Mako had the time to team with Korra TWICE for Pro-Bending games.

Meanwhile, Tenzin’s family has to deal with the fact that Bumi isn’t lying about having Airbending powers.

But Bumi isn’t the only one.  Mako receives a call about a man claiming his brother suddenly became an Airbender.

Also, Mako’s been living at the police station to avoid awkwardness with Korra.

Korra gets a clue about the vines after a chat with a giant Sandslash, who seems to imply that the vines are the same as spirits.

Korra tries Spiritbending the vines away, and it appears to work… only for the vines to grow back and wreck shit up.  President Raiko is not amused.  Korra’s got no time to make things right though, because there’s an Airbender threatening to jump a bridge.  Y…yeah.

Korra manages to talk Daw (the new Airbender that Mako failed to bring in) down and convince him to get some training at Airtemple Island.  AKA Tenzin’s School for Gifted Youngsters.  But President Raiko is still unamused and does what EVERY authority figure does in this universe: be a massive dick to the Avatar.  He banishes Korra from Republic City, and I celebrate because honestly, I hate Republic City.

Tenzin looks forward to a new beginning for the Air Nomads, though… even though just because people who can Airbend it doesn’t mean they’re interested in replacing their own cultural traditions with a new one… Er… Wait, why is this a good idea?

At any rate, Tenzin’s optimism is a sure sign something bad is about to go down.  That bad thing is the escape of Zaheer, a prisoner of the White Lotus who suddenly gains Airbending powers.

Let’s just take a step back and savor that we may just have our first Airbending villain, and a main villain that ISN’T Water Tribe.

Next episode!

The New Team Avatar head towards the Earth Kingdom to gather all the new Airbenders to go to the Air Temples.  Because it just makes sense to expect people to drop everything because of a freak accident.  Meelo and Ikki are forced to stay at Air Temple Island though… primarily because Jinora is just better.  But if any new Airbenders arrive at Air Temple Island, they’ll teach them in the ways of the Air Nomads.

Mako hands Korra a map marking where all the new Airbenders are (er, at least the ones that have been reported) and he opts to stay out… until he’s persuaded by Bolin to join in.

So, as the the group travels the Earth Kingdom via giant Future Industries Airship, they stop by potential Airbenders and utterly fail at convincing them to move to the Air Temples.

After Tenzin’s attempts fail, Korra decides to change tactics.

The next target is a caricature of a stubborn slacker manchild that no one really finds funny but we persist in making those jokes anyway.

Meanwhile, Zaheed is going around freeing fellow White Lotus prisoners.

Finally out of ideas, the team follows Bumi’s idea to draw people in with flash.  Enter Tenzin, the circus act.

Following his demonstration is Korra subduing Mako (pretending to be an evil Firebender).

In the end, they only manage to get the attention of one person: a boy named Kai.

Kai is a new Airbender and an orphan.  According to him, he’s on the run from outlaws who killed his heroic parents.  The longer his story went on, the louder I shouted BS.  And it comes as a surprise to no one that his story was, in fact, BS.  Turns out he’s an ungrateful thief who was taken in by a nice family only to steal all their valuables.  That makes him worse than Jet.

But the gang decides that rather than let the boy rot in jail, they’ll take him to the Northern Air Temple after all.

Meanwhile, news of the White Lotus prisoners escaping reaches Zuko, who is surprisingly still alive and not voiced by Dante Basco (thank gawd!)  Zuko heads to where, presumably, the last member of the prisoner team is held.  This team, he admits, has the potential to take over the world… which I’m sure is a major exaggeration, but hey, it’s Zuko.

I have to say, so far I like the villain team.  They seem to be of the same kind of people Old Sokka referred to as special benders.  In the past we had someone who could Firebend with his mind and someone who could Bloodbend in the daylight.  What we have now is a Waterbender who can do impossible shit and a… Earthbender who can Firebend?  I’m not sure what the hell he is, really… seems to be able to turn flammable stones into a fire shuriken.  And their leader was… not a bender of any sort but suddenly became an Airbender.  Honestly really wanna know what his deal is since he’s the leader.  And they all (of course) want to kill the Avatar for whatever reason.  People always want to be dicks to the Avatar.

To be fair, it seems every Avatar is kind of a dick.

Next episode!

Bumi and Kai spar as they train to master their newfound Airbending powers… and Jinora digs Kai because kids are supposed to be shipped with each other ASAP.

Meanwhile, Asami’s airship arrives in Ba Sing Se, which is as beautiful as ever.

The New Team Avatar is greeted by the Earth Queen’s secretary, and they quickly learn just how demanding the Earth Queen is.  Meanwhile, Kai is distracted by shiny stuff on one of the rich Upper Ring types.

People: the prodigal scammer archetype is not only unappealing, but we already had an entire episode dedicated to scamming way back in The Last Airbender Book 3.  I… kinda hoped we had burned through any desire to revisit scammers after that.

Korra meets with the Earth Queen, who… well yeah, she seems to be your run-of-the-mill demanding rich old hag type.

The Earth Queen doesn’t think too kindly of the Avatar, especially Aang… and well who can blame her, really?  Once Korra is finally able to spit out her reason for coming, the Earth Queen demands that Korra first ensure her next tax shipment arrives, as they have recently been robbed by local bandits.  Which… is pretty fair.  I don’t see why Korra wouldn’t agree to that.  Let’s just hope it doesn’t turn out those bandits are actually a band of poor families trying to stay alive by taking from a corrupt political system that systematically victimizes the poor in order to maintain the current class gap.  Surely we aren’t going to be THAT predictable, are we?  Because something like that would inevitably justify Kai’s character… and no one wants that.

Speaking of Kai, he steals from some poor schmuck and gets chased by Mako and Bolin, who get tricked into entering one of the lower rings without cash or a passport.  This leaves them stranded there with no way back.

But hey, at least this greatly increases their chances of meeting those family members they’ve been talking about all the time.  I mean sure, it’s realistically a longshot, but…

…oh wait, that’s exactly what happens the next day.

Meanwhile, Zuko meets with Eska and Desna, who are the new chiefs of the Northern Water Tribe.

Zuko intrigues them with that whole mystery hidden prisoner thing.

Meanwhile, back at the Earth Kingdom…

Bolin and Mako are introduced to their extended family.  Gee, small house with loads of family members living in it, rotten food being sold in the streets, finding someone you’re related to right around the corner, absurd income inequality… it’s like my trip to the Philippines all over again.

Oh, and they have to deliver the awkward news that their parents died years ago and no one told them.

That’s right… they did have a backstory, didn’t they?  Let’s see… if I recall correctly, Mako said his parents were killed by a Firebender.  Wonder if we’ll ever learn who that Firebender was.

Meanwhile, it’s up to Korra and Asami to make sure that shipment arrives at the palace.  But then those bandits show up… and I’m pleasantly surprised that they’re not the Robin Hood cliche, but rather…

For the first time in a while, I was impressed so much by Asami that I had to make a GIF.  And surprisingly, not a single second of this moment was ruined by a watermark:

Every single frame of that was a thing of beauty.  Dem curves, too.

So our duo manages to fight all them off successfully, but the moment is soured when a retreating bandit yells “that gold belongs to the people, not the Queen!” and Korra sadly begins to think he may be right.  Le sigh.

Back to Mako and Bolin, they learn that their father San left to follow his dreams and eventually married a Fire Nation woman.  Also, he had impeccable taste.  Mmm… dat mama.

Back at the palace, Korra arrives with the tax money.  The Earth Queen informs her that the Dai Li found no Airbenders, so she can be off on her merry way.  Korra predictably chews her out and accuses her of extortion (even though she has no actual proof other than the words of a fleeing bandit).

And back to Mako and Bolin again (I really wish we had a family name to work with), they talk about their mission to find Airbenders, and they learn that Dai Li agents are rounding up Airbenders and imprisoning them… somewhere.  Then the next scene is of Kai using his Airbending for another scam.  Hooo-whee, am I giddy at what may be about to come…

Turns out, the Dai Li are rounding up Airbenders so they can fight for the Earth Queen.

So… let me get this straight… You imprison people with special powers and just expect them to fight your wars for you?  How does that even… Oh wait… Right, hypnosis.

…

…so, you’re going to make a regiment consisting of all-male Airbending Joo Dees?

Poor, poor Kai.  You just keep following in Jet’s footsteps, don’t you?

Overall, I think the first three episodes have been a great setup for the book’s arc.  Everything escalated organically at a nice pace with the exception of the whole Earth Kingdom economy thing being a little hamfisted.

The most intriguing part is without a doubt the four prisoners.  I keep finding myself wanting to know more about them, and the show has done a good job so far of just barely whetting the appetite and being a tease about it.

The worst part is the entire search for Airbenders.  It’s really just a vehicle to connect the dots, and I don’t find myself invested in it.  At least until the very end when we learn the Dai Li are planning to use them as tools of war.  That was kind of out of left field, and I see a lot of potential in that.

Now for the most mystifying part.  I honestly don’t mind Kai all that much, but he was forced into a situation where the audience is expected to feel pity for him when he’s offered us no reason to be sympathetic.  I mean jeez… show us a GOOD side to his character before you do something like this!  Yeah, yeah, Jinora likes him, and in my book that has a lot of weight but that’s literally ALL he has going for him!  At least give us an episode where he bonds with Mako!  I thought for sure we were heading into that direction, but… Well, if nothing else, they went and did something unexpected, so that counts for something.