UnaVaatu attacks Republic City, and the United Forces led by General Iroh are no match for the Dark Avatar. His attacks cause a large number of spirit vines to envelop a large portion of the city, and give Varrick the distraction he needs to break out of jail with Zhu Li.
Tenzin finds the despondent Korra, now permanently severed from the past Avatars. He takes her to Vaatu's prison, the Tree of Time, where he informs her that she is not defined by Raava any more than Wan was. He encourages Korra to connect with her spiritual energy to fight UnaVaatu. After reflecting on Raava's claim that she can never be fully destroyed, only reduced to a small light in Vaatu's darkness, Korra succeeds in doing so, and her spirit leaves her body and grows to immense proportions and departs for Republic City.
Korra engages Unalaq in a colossal battle in Republic City's bay. Korra attempts to extract Raava from UnaVaatu, but is unable to do so, and the Dark Avatar overwhelms her. As Unalaq prepares to destroy Korra's spirit, Jinora appears from the sky and somehow helps Korra find Raava and extract her from UnaVaatu. Korra then uses Unalaq's spiritual pacification technique to purify UnaVaatu, destroying the Dark Avatar Spirit, defeating Vaatu for another 10,000 years, and killing Unalaq.
During the battle, Tenzin, Bumi, Kya, Mako, Bolin, Desna, and Eska have defended Korra's body from Dark Spirits, and Korra returns victorious just as they are overwhelmed. As Harmonic Convergence ends, Korra merges with Raava, essentially restarting the Avatar Cycle, meaning that Korra nor any future Avatar may consult or see any previous Avatars ever again. Korra decides to leave the spirit portals open, believing Wan made a mistake all those years ago.
Eska and Bolin break up, and the twins return to the North Pole with their troops. Mako and Korra also break up for good. Jinora returns to life, and Korra announces the beginning of a new spiritual age for humans and spirits.
Was released a week early at midnight, the same day as the previous two episodes were aired. Can be watched on Nick's website here
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Tropes in this episode include:
- 11th-Hour Superpower: A twofer. While the previous episodes did establish the fact Jinora has an unusual affinity with the Spirit World, the way she uses her "spirit powers" to help Korra to defeat Vaatu still comes almost completely out of the blue. Also, Korra using soulbending to take on UnaVaatu is established to be due to being in the Tree of Time during Harmonic Convergence, giving her spiritual power a major boost.
Which actually explains Jinora's power somewhat... - All Your Powers Combined: The Dark Avatar has access to Vaatu's abilities (super strong Combat Tentacles, enhanced durability, giant energy laser, plant manipulation) and waterbending powerful enough to wipe out an entire fleet of battleships.
- Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: Korra is able to separate her spirit from her body and turn giant like Vaatu/Unalaq.
- Be Yourself: Much as he had to learn in the previous episode, Tenzin tells Korra that she is no more defined by Raava and the Avatar Spirit than he was by his father. She is Korra and she is the one who can save the world. Sure enough, Korra is able to use her own spirit energy, in conjunction to the cosmic energy gained from the Tree of Time, to take down UnaVaatu.
- Beam-O-War: Korra and Vaatu have a contest between their Chest Blasters. Korra wins easily, but that's only the opening volley.
- Big Damn Heroes: Desna and Eska save Bolin and help protect Korra's body, while Jinora's spirit saves Korra from being destroyed by Vaatu and Unalaq and helps her locate Raava within him.
- Big "NO!": UnaVaatu has one after Raava is reawakened.
- Bittersweet Ending: Korra restores Raava, defeats Vaatu and Unalaq, and regains her Avatar powers, and now spirits can freely enter the mortal realm. Unfortunately, she loses her connection with all of her past lives and truly breaks up with Mako. Of course, Varrick is still out there and at large. Furthermore, Since Korra didn't reimprison Vaatu, he will return in the next 10,000 years, so that means the Avatar is fated to have to fight him again, and then repeat the cycle.
- Call-Back:
- Tenzin tells Korra to "bend not the elements, but the energy within [herself]," quoting the Lion Turtle's words to Aang in "Sozin's Comet".
- Korra accesses the cosmic energy in the same way Aang tried to in the finale of Book 2 in his own show.
- Korra remembers how Raava told Wan that if she was to be destroyed by Vaatu, she would grow again within her counterpart and reemerge, and manages to use this to restore the light spirit and defeat Vaatu and Unalaq.
- Chest Blaster: UnaVaatu can fire destructive spiritual energy from his chest. Korra's giant spirit form manifests the ability as well, and engages in a Beam-O-War with him.
- Continuity Nod: Bolin's "Eska! I love you!" is the exact same thing he said to Mako when the latter saved him from Amon in the first season.
- Dawn of an Era: As Korra herself states at the end of the episode, the world is entering a new age. To name just a few of the changes:
- The Southern Water Tribe have decided to become their own independent Nation separate from their Northern brethren, with Tonraq as their new chief.
- With the Avatar cycle restarted with the destruction and re-fusion of Korra and Raava, Korra is now the first in a new line of Avatars, and no Avatar from her cycle will be able to contact an Avatar from the previous one.
- Korra chooses to leave the Spirit Portals open at the end of the season, relinquishing the title of bridge between worlds, and tells the world that the time has come for humans and spirits to reconnect with each other.
- End of an Age: The end of Harmonic Convergence sees the end of the first Avatar line, with Korra now becoming the first of a new line of Avatars. She also chooses to leave the portals open, thus ending the age of the material and spiritual worlds being separate from one another and ending the need for a bridge between worlds.
- Fusion Dance: After defeating UnaVaatu, Korra and Raava return to the Spirit World and re-fuse right before Harmonic Convergence ends, thus restarting the Avatar cycle.
- Heel–Face Turn: Eska and Desna finally turn against their father when the full magnitude of his Demonic Possession and resultant Omnicidal Maniac tendencies become apparent.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Vaatu and Unalaq are defeated by Unalaq's own spirit-bending technique.
- Hold the Line: While Korra's spirit battles Unalaq at Republic City, everyone else fights tooth and nail to keep the encroaching horde of dark spirits away from her body at the Tree of Time.
- Internal Reveal: Korra tells Mako at the end that being in the Tree of Time restored her memories and she now knows that they broke up.
- Ironic Echo: "I support whatever decision you make." Originally said by Mako early in the season, as a fairly insincere way to support Korra without angering her. Repeated here by Tenzin, as a genuine sign that he trusts her to act wisely.
- Love Cannot Overcome: Once the craziness of the last few weeks is over, Korra and Mako have a much needed talk about their relationship. While they still love each other, they've come to realize that they are not good for each other as a couple and their relationship doesn't work. They mutually agree to break up "for real this time" but note that they will always hold a special place in each other's hearts.
- Monumental Damage: Vaatu rips Aang's statue off its pedestal. It's amazingly durable, though, coming off completely intact. They just need to put it back.
- Nothing Is the Same Anymore: Mako and Korra stay broken up, and the spirit portals remain open permanently, allowing humans to visit the spirit world and spirits to visit the material realm. Korra's connection to her past lives is also permanently broken. And the Water Tribes have decided to separate and become their own independent Nations.
- Oh, Crap!: Unalaq has one after Raava is reawakened.
- One-Winged Angel: After tapping into the cosmic energy, Korra is able to separate her spirit from her body and become as big as Vaatu/Unalaq.
- Ship Sinking:
- Sorta. Mako and Korra break up for real, and apparently permanently, but restate their love for one another as well.
- Also, Bolin and Eska decide to remain apart despite their new-found (or renewed, in Eska's case) affection for each other.
- Single Tear: Korra does this after breaking up with Mako.
- Villain: Exit, Stage Right: Varrick manages to escape in the midst of the chaos caused by the attack on Republic City.Varrick: Zhu Li! Commence Operation Winged Freedom!Do the thing!
- Villain Has a Point: Korra realizes that for all his megalomania, Unalaq wasn't wrong about the fact that the material and spiritual worlds were never meant to be separate, and she believes that Wan made a mistake when he closed the portals. She decides to leave the portals open in order for humans and spirits to interact again.
- Voice of the Legion: The Dark Avatar speaks with Unalaq's and Vaatu's voices.
- When Trees Attack: Vaatu and Unalaq cover Republic City in vines.
