History Recap / TheLegendOfKorraS3E12EnterTheVoid

Korra decides to turn herself over to Zaheer to save the airbenders who are held captive by the Red Lotus. But she and her friends get double-crossed by Zaheer's group. As Ghazan tries to bring down Korra's friends, Bolin saves the day by his new-found lavabending skills. However, he's not the only one who acquired new skills. Zaheer unlockes the ancient ability of flight.

* GoryDiscretionShot: Just as P'Li is about to fire, Suyin metalbends her armor around P'Li's head. The discretion is furthered by the fact that she [[IncrediblyLamePun didn't go out with a "bang"]] sound, unlike Combustion Man. Cut to Zaheer turning and shouting his lover's name, and we see black smoke in the distance.

-->'''-- Zaheer''', original quote by Guru Laghima, an airbender.

* BaitAndSwitch: Ever since going to Zaofu Bolin has been desperately trying to learn to metalbend and it seems as if this would culminate in him unlocking his new abilities at a critical moment and saving his allies. Instead it turns out that Bolin really isn't a metalbender... but instead an even rarer lavabender and that is what saves his friends at the end.

* BoundAndGagged: Tenzin is bound to the floor and gagged when Mako, Bolin, and Asami arrive at the temple. This is to keep him from betraying the fact that the airbenders have been moved. Korra has her wrists and ankles cuffed when she surrenders, but is still able to fight to an extent. Later on, she is chained up in the Red Lotus cave by her arms and legs, and kept at a sufficient distance to prevent breath-based bending from reaching them.

* GoodIsNotSoft: Suyin is a nice lady, and directly responsible for P'Li's death. Likewise, Tonraq, established as Korra's loving father and a good man, clearly tries to kill Zaheer in their fight, and Korra helps him.

* HeroicSacrifice: Korra decides to accept Zaheer's deal and surrender herself to him since the world has been out of balance too long since the original Air Nomad genocide and it can't afford to lose the airbenders again.

* LetsSplitUpGang: The rest of the Krew head off to the where the airbenders are (supposedly) being held captive while Korra heads of to Laghima's peek to hand herself over to Zaheer and P'Li but with the Metal Clan and Tonraq hiding in the wings to ambush the two. Unfortunately, with the exception of Lin and Su, Korra's backup are unable to make much headway against the Red Lotus members and Zaheer still escapes with her.

* StandardFemaleGrabArea: While she's not held by the arm, Korra otherwise (briefly) falls victim to this trope. Just before Tonraq shows up to save her, Zaheer is practically ''escorting'' her onto the airship, holding her by the back of her shirt. Granted, she was shackled hand and foot and had just been beaten up, but that didn't stop her from kicking ass after her dad showed up.

* YourHeadASplode: P'Li's fate after Suyin encases her head in metal and right before she was able to release a combustion blast is implied to be gory.

* HandyCuffs: Less handy then usual, but the trope still applies with the shackles on Korra. Although they restrict her movement, cuffing her hands behind her back would no doubt have been more effective.

* EleventhHourSuperpower:
** Bolin learns how to lava-bend in a do-or-die situation
** Zaheer learns flight at the end of the battle.

* TrashTheSet: The Northern Air Temple, which has been the sight of the Air Nation side of the story this season, gets demolished by Ghazan's lavabending after he tries to kill Tenzin and the rest of the Krew.

* MonumentDamage: The Northern Air Temple, one of the four great ancient temples that remain of the original Air Nomad culture, gets completely destroyed after Ghazan buries it in lava.

* BoundAndGagged: Tenzin is bound to the floor and gagged when Mako and Bolin arrive at the temple. This is to keep him from betraying the fact that the airbenders have been moved. Korra has her wrists and ankles cuffed when she surrenders, but is still able to fight to an extent. Later on, she is chained up in the Red Lotus cave by her arms and legs, and kept at a sufficient distance to prevent breath-based bending from reaching them.

* CrucifiedHeroShot: Korra chained spread eage by the Red Lotus in order to be rituallistically killed.

* HeroOfAnotherStory: When P'Li and Zaheer share a tender moment before taking custody of Korra, she mentions their first meeting where he rescued her from an unnamed ruthless warlord who was using her as a living [[PersonOfMassDestruction weapon of mass destruction]].

* SpannerInTheWorks: Zaheer would have won if not for Kai managing to escape and tracking them to his hideout. This buys Korra's allies the crucial time they need to save her from his poison.

* YouSaidYouWouldLetThemGo: Was there any doubt that Zaheer wouldn't honor his deals? Korra was smart enough to expect this to be the case, but it didn't matter anyways but Zaheer expected it and arranged for decoys.

* YourHeadASplode: P'Li's fate after Suyin encases her head in metal and right before she was able to release a combustion blast is implied to gory.

* DisneyDeath: Zaheer airbends Tonraq off the mountain they're fighting on. Later on, it's shown one of the metalbenders caught him on the way down.

* YouKilledMyFather: Korra said this when meeting Zaheer after waking up and tries to fry him with fire breath.

* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: Ming Hua gets tired of Ghazan toying with Bolin and Mako and tells him to just surround them in lava.

* CrucifiedHeroShot: Korra chained by the Red Lotus.

* EleventhHourSuperpower: Bolin learns how to lava-bend in a do-or-die situation and Zaheer learns flight.

* GoryDiscretionShot: How P'Li dies. Just as P'Li is about to fire, Suyin metalbends her armor around P'Li's head. The discretion is furthered by the fact that she [[IncrediblyLamePun didn't go out with a "bang"]] sound, unlike Combustion Man. Cut to Zaheer turning and shouting his lover's name, and we see black smoke in the distance.
* HairpinLockpick: How Asami frees Tenzin from the chains placed on him by the Red Lotus, combined with a little PercussiveMaintenance when she just slams the hairpin in and pops the lock.
* HandyCuffs: Less handy then usual, but the trope still applies with the shackles on Korra. Although they do restrict her movement, cuffing her hands behind her back would no doubt have been more effective.

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Lin draws P'Li's fire, enticing P'Li to go for a kill-shot. When she does, Suyin metalbends her armor around P'Li's head. With the blast having nowhere to go, [[YourHeadASplode it doesn't end well for her]].
* ItsGoingDown: The Northern Air Temple, thanks to Ghazan's lavabending.
* LevitatingLotusPosition: Zaheer does this while he waits for Ghazan and Ming-Hua at the Red Lotus hideout.
* LogicalWeakness: Even more than lightning bending, combustion bending's sheer power is revealed again to be its greatest weakness. That is once the attack is in the process of launching it can't be stopped or dissipated the way some bending attacks can be, the energy MUST go somewhere. Even if P'Li noticed in that final moment that her head had been encased in metal, it's unlikely there was anything she could do once her attack had reached the point of no return.

* NotNowKiddo: A textbook example. It takes Kai a few attempts to get everyone else to listen to him report where the airbenders were taken, which is also reasoned to be where the Red Lotus would've likely fled to with Korra.

* RedShirtArmy: The Metal Clan guards are quickly taken out by P'Li despite superior numbers. The only useful thing they do is tend to the injured. That, and saving Tonraq from a fall.

* SoHappyTogether: [[UnholyMatrimony Zaheer and P'Li]] have a tender moment together, setting up her death later in the episode.
* SpannerInTheWorks: Zaheer would have won if not for Kai managing to escape.
* StandardFemaleGrabArea: While she's not held by the arm, Korra otherwise (briefly) falls victim to this trope. Just before Tonraq shows up to save her, Zaheer is practically ''escorting'' her onto the airship, holding her by the back of her shirt. Granted, she was shackled and had just been beaten up, but that didn't stop her from kicking ass after her dad showed up.

* TakeThatScrappy: In-universe: Kai says he probably deserved how Mako treated him before. Mako agrees.

* WatchingTroyBurn: ''Again'', [[FromBadToWorse this time]] with Tenzin witnessing the destruction of the Northern Air Temple.

* WorfHadTheFlu: Since Korra is fighting WithMyHandsTied, she lacks the dexterity to properly dodge Zaheer's attacks.
** Platinum is three times heavier than iron, even heavier than gold. It's [[http://ikkinthekitsune.tumblr.com/post/102124509499/iruka-2013-heres-a-point-about-this-scene-that estimated]] that these chains and bulky cuffs weighted at least twenty pounds. And since bending is such a full-bodied gestural art on top of that, it's pretty amazing she could fight at all.
* YouKilledMyFather: Korra said this when meeting Zaheer after waking up.
* YouSaidYouWouldLetThemGo: Was there any doubt that Zaheer wouldn't honor his deals? Korra was smart enough to expect this to be the case, but it didn't matter anyways.
* YourHeadASplode: P'Li's fate after Suyin encases her head in metal right before she was able to release a combustion blast.

* YouSaidYouWouldLetThemGo: Was there any doubt that Zaheer wouldn't honor his deals? Korra was GenreSavvy enough to expect this to be the case, but it didn't matter anyways.

-->'''Zaheer:''' Say hello to the Earth Queen for me!

* CrazyPrepared: The Red Lotus bring platinum cuffs which Korra can't metalbend, and their restraints for Korra at their hideout are designed to prevent any movement and make sure what limited bending she has cannot reach them. It's quite possible Aiwei informed them that the Avatar can now metalbend.

* HandyCuffs: Less handy then usual, but the trope still applies with the shackles on Korra. Although they do restrict her movement (and apparently prevent her from water bending), cuffing her hands behind her back would no doubt have been more effective.