In walks the guy running Pro-Bending, to pay them their money from the match. Sadly, it all gets taken away due to rent (they live in the arena) and other expenses. Oh, and they need a bunch of money for the championship pot if they want to compete. Which obviously they don't have, but he's kind enough to give them a week to get the money.
Bolin asks Korra if she happens to have a secret stash of Avatar Gold, but she says that she's got nothing. Being the Avatar, she had people looking out for her, which prompts Mako to say that she didn't have "nothing". Bolin has to tell her that the two brothers have been on their own since their parents were killed.
Awkward...
Mako saves the moment from becoming more awkward by asking how they're going to get the money. Naturally, Korra suggests asking the OWL to dip into their obviously significant funds to sponsor- oh wait, she doesn't do that. Bolin suggests going onto the streets and having their Fire Ferret Pabu do tricks for cash. Mako reminds him that he wanted serious suggestions, but Bolin sadly said that he was serious. Really. Mako says he'll work something out, like always.
Cut to Bolin sitting at the feet of a statue of Firelord Zuko. OK, does the entire Gaang have a statue in the city? Anyway, he's trying to make money with his ferret, but shockingly, it doesn't work very well. So an old crony of his pulls up in a car; this guy is "Shadey Shin." I guess these guys don't even try to seem legit. Shin starts by complimenting their Pro-Bending prowess, but then offers Bolin a job. A shadey one, muscle for "Lightning Bolt Zolt." Bolin is unsure, saying that Mako told him not to work with the Triple Threat Triad, but Shin flashes some cash, which gets Bolin's attention.
Cut to Mako... throwing lightning. Ladies and Gentlemen, the pussification of bending has begun. What was once described as a difficult technique that only a "select few firebenders" could achieve, now there are so many that they can be used at a power plant. Because that's what Mako and a group of firebenders are doing: using lightning on some machine to produce electricity. Well, I guess there's more than one way to harness humankind's ability to casually shatter the Laws of Thermodynamics...
Mako returns to he and Bolin's apartment, but Bolin isn't there. He looks out across the bay to Air Temple island and decides to check with Korra. There, Jinora and Ikki are blowing on the air gates so that Korra can practice her airbending forms. The two girls see Mako coming and remark that he's handsome. Jinora asks if he's the guy Korra has been talking about driving her crazy, and Ikki asks if she likes him. To shut them up, Korra earthbends them. Into space.
There are times when Korra's antics do amuse me.
Mako asks after Bolin, which annoys Korra since he didn't even say "Hi" first. She says that he hasn't been there, and she wonders if he's worried. Mako says that Bolin often gets into trouble, then goes to look for him. Korra stops him, suggesting that they could search together, with her best friend Naga. Mako asks who that is.
Cut to Mako and Korra on her Polar Bear Dog; Mako expresses amusement at her best friend being an animal. They get to Zuko's statue, where they encounter some kids in the street. Mako asks about Bolin, but has to pay the kid for info. He tells them what we saw, and then adds that a lot of the various Triads are hiring muscle for something. Mako thinks it's a turf war.
Cut to the pair riding off, heading to the Triple Threat Triad's HQ. Korra reminds us of the pilot, where she beat up some of them. She asks why he would work with them, but Naga starts chasing after something to interrupt Mako's reply. That something turns out to be Pabu, so Korra keeps Naga from eating him.
Cut to the HQ. Mako's unnerved by the lack of guards posted; he suggests caution. Korra, blessed with all the wisdom that being isolated in a secure compound for 12 years and being told that she was a God among insects has given her, ignores this advice and just kicks in the door. The house is empty, but then they hear engines rev up outside. They rush out to find motorcycles and a truck; Bolin and some other guys are tied up inside. Masked figures with green goggles throw... exploding gas packs at them. They had those in the twenties? Korra calls on her epic mount and the chase is on.
How Naga keeps up with vehicles is not explained. Mako and Korra try to use bending to stop them, but to no avail. When the badguys get to a clearing, two of the motorcycles stop to slow the pair down. They use some bolos to stop Naga. Now granted, they could just run off right now, but we need a fight scene in the second act. One of them brazenly charges the Avatar, deftly dodging her firebending attacks. He gets in close and attacks, breaking through her defences and hits her right side with a series of punches. Korra holds her arm and starts favoring her right side, swinging only with her left. The guys press their advantage and hit Korra and Mako some more, causing them to fall into a heap.
They're clearly using chi blocking, like Ty Lee, so they've temporarily stripped Mako and Korra of their bending. As the chi blockers move in to finish them off, Naga breaks free and scares them off.
Korra tries to bend, but is unable to. Before she fully panics, Mako exposites about chi blocking. Wait a minute. The OWL spent 12 years training the Avatar, and they never once thought to teach her how to fight chi blockers? Good job planning ahead there guys. Mako says that Amon, head of the Equalists, has chi blockers working for him. Korra wonders what Amon would want with a Triad, but Mako starts worrying about Bolin's safety. Korra offers him reassurance that they'll save Bolin, showing one of the positive aspects of having extreme confidence.
We get a short montage of them aimlessly roaming the city, to no avail. Mako wonders how they'll find them, but then Korra comes up with a plan. She'll just track down the Equalist protester guy from the pilot and see if he can tell them where Amon is. So they park Naga in the, um, park, and lean up against him during the night.
Korra asks why Bolin would be working with a Triad. Mako sheepishly explains that they used to do some low-level work for them. Korra, raised in privilege, naturally gets all judgemental on him, but Mako points out that they were orphans on the street, trying to survive. Korra asks what happened to their parents, and Mako says that they were mugged and killed by a firebender. Right in front of him. When he was 8. Just after seeing the Mask of the Blue Spirit. OK, I just made the last part up. Obviously Mako wasn't rich enough to become Batman, so he had to become a street rat instead.
Cut to morning, where they're woken up by the loud voice of the protester guy. They're leaning on each other, which causes both to freak out. They head to the protester, who says that the Avatar will not silence him. So Korra smashes his megaphone, thus proving once and for all that non-benders have nothing to fear from Avatar Korra. She demands to know where the chi blockers took the Triad, but the guy claims he knows nothing. So she earthbends his table.
OUR HERO, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!
Various fliers fall off the airborne table; Mako picks one up and reads it for the benefit of the non-Chinese reading viewers. It speaks of the titular "Revelation" taking place that night. Mako asks the guy what that is, but he says it isn't for benders. Naturally Korra picks him up one handed and intimidates him more, so he says that nobody knows what the Revelation is or where it is. A police officer comes over to do his job, so Mako and Korra run for it, picking up some fliers along the way.
Cut to Mako and Korra puzzling over the fliers. Mako notices that the back of the fliers have markings on them, then realizes that putting multiple fliers together forms a map. What a wonderful security system; it can be broken by simply taking two fliers. Which all of your people will have to do anyway.
Cut to the pair trying to get into the event, with Korra hanging on his arm to help sell their disguises. Panthro asks for an invitation, and Mako eventually realizes that he means the fliers, so they're let inside.
They find a pretty massive crowd assembled in front of a stage. An announcer introduces Amon, who rises from underneath the stage along with 6 of his soldiers. Amon speaks of his past, his parents being poor farmers extorted by a firebender. When his father refused the man, he and his family were killed. All save Amon who was scarred, hence his mask. Thus he become... BAAAANNNNEEEE!
He then all but calls Korra out, noting the Avatar's presence in the city. The crowd boos her, which is probably the first time Korra's been publicly denigrated. Get used to it lady; you're a public figure now. Amon points out that bending doesn't bring balance to the world; he says that it was the source of all of the wars throughout history. Because obviously a world without bending in it would be completely free from war, right?
Amon then details the Revelation. He says that the spirits decided that the Avatar has failed the world; this naturally pisses Korra off. He was therefore granted the power to create "true equality:" the ability to remove someone's bending, for good.
Korra claims that this is impossible. I only wish; if it were, the ending of ATLA would have been 10x better. And how is it that Korra, the Avatar, doesn't know of what has to be Aang's most famous act?
Anyway, Amon decides to demonstrate his power and brings out Lightning Bolt Zolt, head of the Triple Threat Triad. Four others are brought forth, including Bolin. Naturally Korra's inclination upon seeing him is to rush the stage; Mako saves her from her own stupidity and suggests having an actual plan.
Meanwhile Amon frees Zolt, saying that he will have the chance to fight to keep his bending. Zolt thinks he actually stands a chance and attacks rather than running away. Amon quickly closes the distance and even dodges his lightning. He grabs Zolt's hand, twists it around, puts his thumb to the back of his neck, and places his other thumb on is forehead. The lightning Zolt is throwing gradually becomes fire, and then nothing. Zolt collapses.
In a deliberate and obvious callback to one of my most hated ATLA moments, Zolt tries to firebend, then asks what Amon did to him. Amon declares that his firebending is gone.
The next guy in the lineup is pulled onto the stage to face Amon. Korra asks if Mako has a plan yet, and he does. He needs Korra to use some steam machines to create cover for them to extract Bolin. She turns some valves, but they don't emit enough steam. Obviously Korra didn't learn much about taking steam-powered machines apart from Katara. Fortunately Panthro walks in and attacks her, figuring she's a spy. She slams him into some pipes, which release all the steam she needs.
As Amon approaches Bolin, the steam pipes in the area burst, providing cover. Amon realizes that things are going badly and disappears into the steam. Mako rescues Bolin and they escape. As they flee, one of the guys with Amon uses his shock-sticks to electrocute the ladder they're on. This only stuns them for a second, but the guy proves to be able to take out both Mako and Bolin. He then says that there's no place for benders anymore.
Korra disagrees. Violently.
She calls Naga to help carry the other two. Some chi blockers follow them, but Amon calls them off; he figures that she can tell others what he can do and spread appropriate fear.
Korra shows up back at Air Temple island. Tenzin says that he was about to send people to look for her. What? She's been gone for over a day, and only now do you think that you might need to track her down? Anyway, Korra is visibly shaken by all this, and she tells him what she saw Amon do. Tenzin is apparently the only one who heard about Aang's trick with Ozai, as he properly mentions that only the Avatar could do that. Just like only a select few firebenders could throw lightning. Just like only Toph could bend metal.
I wonder what other things that could only be done by a few people in ATLA will become commonplace next*.
Tenzin dramatically claims that "no bender is safe."
Consequences
The Legend of Korra was originally written as a stand-alone, 12 episode series. As such, it doesn't have a lot of time to screw around. ATLA was able to have entire episodes about other characters. There was a whole episode dedicated to the villains... on vacation. This show doesn't have that luxury; when you only have 12 episodes, you're looking more into movie-style storytelling than TV storytelling.
This means you need to do the most you can with each minute. You do the best with what you have. And this episode provides that. The characterization we get between Mako and Bolin is small, but it implies a lot about their relationship. Mako is clearly the responsible, big brother type, while Bolin is the little brother who has to be watched out for. But it's all set within the context of furthering the main plot arc of the story, and it involves Korra to a significant degree.
One interesting thematic consequence is something I alluded to earlier: how bending elements that were unique or selective in ATLA have become, for want of a better term, commoditized. Ty Lee was the only chi blocker we saw in ATLA. Obviously she didn't invent the form herself*, so there were likely more of them. But there was no clear organization of them; there was little weaponization of the style. Until now, when we have a group of people who need to train to fight benders without themselves being benders. Hence chi blocking.
Similarly, lightning creation has become a tool of the masses. Though I'm wondering why lightning benders haven't taken over, since the police force all wears conductive armor. Speaking of which, Toph's metalbending has become standard practice. Obviously it requires specialized training, but it is fairly standardized now.
It's interesting to consider this from a worldbuilding perspective. In making these techniques more prevalent, it detracts from the uniqueness and special quality that they originally held. Lin Beifong is not particularly special; she's just one of hundreds of others. And while she might be more skilled at the technique, the fact remains that they're doing more or less the same thing as she is. Her power are effectively a matter of degree, not of real uniqueness.
But at the same time, these techniques have practical utility. And in the real world, things that have utility will be used more often if it is at all possible. So if there's a shortcut to learning lightning bending, someone would eventually find it. Guild-like secrets are not likely to last in a more modern world, especially if there's money to be made.
This theme runs into Amon's ability to remove bending. It works similarly enough to Aang's method that one would reasonably expect them to be using similar techniques if not the same ability. Thus, we would effectively be seeing the commoditization of energy bending.
Of course, one wonders how that could happen, since that was a power granted to the Avatar alone via Deus Ex Machina. And that was the possibility that made me very hopeful about the future of the series. The only logical conclusion I could reach was that energy bending was something that had been deliberately locked away from the world. After all, it was the first form of bending, so why were there no energy benders anymore? It had to have been sealed away, to the point where none of the Avatars or those close to them even know about it.
Then that thrice-damned turtle took pity on Aang's moral plight and gave him the ability, thus unlocking the de facto seal on it. But how did it get out of Aang's hands? Perhaps Ozai gained it. Perhaps contact with Aang's energy bending opened the possibility for unlocking it within himself. And perhaps he escaped prison and taught others the talent. He's obviously not Amon; Ozai'd be dead by now. But Amon could have been one of his disciples, or a second-generation energy bender.
Now, all of this turned out to be wrong. But what I liked about this idea was that it created consequences for Aang's actions that day. It meant that he didn't get off scot free, that he didn't get to remove any moral debate without consequence. That what he choose to do or not do had an impact on the world around him. And not entirely a positive one.
At the end of the day, that's really all I want: consequences for actions. If you do something, things happen because of it. And not all of them are as you intended.
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