First off, PNGs are back after a brief affair with JPGs.  I knew what I was doing.  I just felt like if DVDfab was going to be adding those watermarks, then I have no reason to give a damn about quality.  But then I decided I really do like having super-detailed images that may take forever to load.  Deal with it.

Previously on Korra, Zaheer had to choke a bitch.  And now all of the Earth Kingdom is in flames because… people are assholes and want to set fire to their own homes for no fucking reason.

Zaheer gave Mako and Bolin a message to send to Korra, and the two hijack an airship and rescue their family before flying off into the desert to find Korra.

They do.

The message from Zaheer is Korra is to give herself up to the Red Lotus, or they start massacring the new Air Nomads.  Because Zaheer respects Air Nomad culture so much he’s willing to destroy it.

Korra attempts to confront Zaheer in the Spirit World, but he’s not in at the moment.  She does, however, meet Iroh, who pretty much advises her to talk to Zuko, who “knew Aang better than anyone.”  Yep, more than Aang’s own children and more than Aang’s wife.

Basically, all Korra gets out of the talk is “be willing to sacrifice yourself for an entire culture… but don’t sacrifice yourself because you’re important.”

Korra radios the Northern Air Temple to warn them of the Red Lotus’ advance, but there’s no time: they’ve already arrived.

Unwilling to let the Red Lotus do as they wish, Tenzin and Family hold them off while the others attempt to escape.  The MVP of course is Tenzin.  Because as I’ve said since day 1:

Zaheer draws Tenzin away and gets his ass kicked while Ghazan and Ming-Hua dispatch Bumi and Kya.  Then it becomes a 4-on-1 beatdown on Tenzin before the Air Nomads are all rounded up, sans Kai, who kinda dies but doesn’t really.

Next episode!

Korra and Co. prepare to rescue the Air Nomads… primarily by giving Korra up and maybe ambushing Zaheer at the meeting place.

Korra is chained with platinum shackles… which can’t be Metalbent because… bending rules. Korra and Mako are sent to pick up the Air Nomads… but it’s a trap.  Turns out Zaheer had no intentions of going through with the exchange and maybe had a greater interest in destroying the culture he’s fascinated with than he let on.

Also, Ghazan does his best to be the cheapest boss there is.

 

Back at the exchange site, the ambush occurs.  P’Li and Zaheer prove to be more than a match for the combined forces of Suyin, Lin, Tonraq, and an  assortment of Zaofu guards.  That is, until Suyin kills P’Li in a brutal yet oddly hilarious fashion.

Yep, P’Li unwittingly BLOWS HER FREAKING HEAD UP as Zaheer watches in horror.  Unfortunately, P’Li’s death also results in shattering the last worldly desire Zaheer had, and he embraces “the Void,” unlocking the ability to fly freely.

Yeah.

Mako and Bolin help Tenzin up and escape when Bolin unlocks his true potential: the ability to Lavabend!  Yes, it turns out that whole Metalbending training plot thread was a red herring.

Honestly, that’s pretty freakin’ brilliant.

Oh, and then they get rescued by Kai, who happens to be flying nearby.

Also, Korra thinks Tonraq got killed, but he got saved by a Zaofu guard named Kuvira.  It’s weird that a random guard gets a name this late in the season, and there’s this odd ominous musical cue when she speaks her name.  This can mean only one thing:

Kai tells everyone that the Air Nomads are being held in some caves, which may be where Korra is being taken.  Also, there may be more Red Lotus members than they expected.  Uh… what were they doing all these years the core four were imprisoned?

Final episode!

Zaheer’s endgame is this: to poison Korra, putting her into mortal danger.  This triggers the Avatar State.  If she is killed in the Avatar State, it’s the end of the Avatar Cycle.  And in a world without the Avatar… iunno, chaos?

The rescue team arrives at the caves, because honestly… we couldn’t make any progress if they didn’t.

Korra resists the poison, refusing to go into Avatar State.  As she does so, she hallucinates, seeing the Red Lotus members as Amon, Unalaq, and Vaatu… but not Tarrlok because fuck him.

Also, this happens:

In the prisons, the Airbenders come up with a plan to free themselves, and it just about works… until they get rescued anyway.  Why even bother trying?

Korra finally turns Avatar State, and Zaheer immediately regrets it because FUCKING AVATAR STATE!

Meanwhile, Bolin and Mako fight Ming-Hua and Ghazan since they were too late to do anything about Korra, who is fighting Zaheer.

Hey, not complaining.

Bolin reveals his Lavabending powers right off the bat, impressing Ghazan and turning their duel into a Lavabending pissing match.  Mako and Ming-Hua’s fight is far more interesting.

Shockingly, Mako actually manages to beat Ming-Hua by revealing his trump card:

Honestly, it’s moments like these that make me love Mako.  He’s bloody brilliant and does things like not revealing his full abilities until just the right moment.  I completely forgot that Mako could use lightning, but I quickly remembered that he used lightning way back in Book 1 when he had that part-time job at the generators.

Ghazan pretty much ragequits after that and buries himself.

The battle between Avatar State Korra and Zaheer is depressingly even.  It takes Jinora mustering the forces of the other Airbenders to help that ultimately brings Zaheer down.

But Zaheer survives and… I dunno what happens next with him.  I assume he’s imprisoned somewhere and Zuko asks him where his mother is.

However, all that fighting while under the effects of poison took its toll on Korra.  Jinora saves her by exclaiming the poison is part metallic (and how she knows that is anyone’s guess). Pause.  Part metallic?

That’s fucking MERCURY.  HOW IS SHE ALIVE?

So, we move on into the epilogue.  Korra lives.  Ish.

Korra seems to be undergoing some sort of rehab to recover from the FUCKING MERCURY POISONING but makes sure to be present at some big day for Jinora.

Tenzin presents Jinora to the world as the newest Airbending Master, the status she so very much deserved.  I will miss her hair, though.

And in this amazing, hopeful ending, Korra watches and sheds one single meaningful tear.

Honestly, there’s quite a bit of discussion to be had at what that final tear means.  What exactly is running through Korra’s mind?  What does she happening in the future?  It’s such a beautiful moment that’s heartwarming and distressing at the same time, especially since we know there are more Red Lotus members out there and Earth Kingdom is still in a state of chaos.  I just can’t say anything different than it’s a perfect ending given everything that’s happened.  That image perfectly encapsulates the simultaneous hope and despair we’re left with.

The entire finale was tense, shocking, action-packed, and, ultimately,  fulfilling.  It’s an incredible series high, and I just wish I could put into words just how amazed I was at it.

The final image aside, I would say the most impressive thing was the payoff for Bolin’s Metalbending plot thread.  I honestly didn’t see that coming.  Mostly because I didn’t know if Lavabending was Firebending or Earthbending until Ghazan started Earthbending.

As for the Red Lotus… it’s weird.  They started out intriguing, but the more we learned about them, the more they seemed like one-dimensional extremists.  P’Li’s last-second backstory showed that there’s still more to their story, and I was hoping we would see some flashbacks to flesh out their motivations more.  It’s especially disappointing how little we knew of Ghazan.  As for the larger Red Lotus organization as a whole, we’re left with some major questions: just how many are out there, how many of them are as dangerous as the core 4, and who can we trust?  That kinda ties with that sense of despair I was feeling from the tear scene.

Oh, and I just remembered the Firelord is Zuko’s daughter.  I’m interested in checking that out.

Yeah, I’m closing with that.  Until Book 4!