History Recap / TheLegendOfKorraS3E8TheTerrorWithin

* OffModel: Suyin uses one of her metal armbands as projectiles while driving off Zaheer. At the top of the dome a few seconds later, she still has both of them on her wrists.

* ILied: When with her sister Suyin agrees with her suggestion that Korra shouldn't seek out a confrontation with Zaheer and that she should return with Lin to Republic City. Later at night she gives Korra and co the keys to a jeep and admits that she just told Lin what she wanted to hear.

!!Tropes

** Likewise, Varrick's talent of being a former evil mastermind really helped, because he knows the tactics of others.

* EliteMooks: The Metal Clan fared better against Zaheer's gang than the White Lotus did. However, the Red Lotus leave before the guards could do anything else.
* EvilAllAlong: Aiwei has been a spy all this time. He's the one who told Zaheer about Korra's location.
* EvilDetectingDog: Both Pabu and Naga sense Zaheer's gang coming. Naga got knocked out before she could fight back, while it took Pabu two tries to alert Bolin.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: When practicing Metalbending, Bolin ends up launching a small rock rather than metal, and pegging one of the Bei Fong twins right in between the eyes. Later in the episode, he pegs P'li in the same spot, where her combustion ray emitter tattoo (and the sixth chakra) is.

* {{Frameup}}: Aiwei frames a random guard in an attempt to throw suspicion off himself. Even Varrick knew right away something was wrong with the picture.

* JerkassHasAPoint: Varrick is quick to point out how the situation with the guard and Aiwei parallels what happened with his {{frameup}} of Mako, and he turns out to be entirely correct. It takes a mastermind to know another mastermind.
* LivingLieDetector: Aiwei again, only this this time it works against the heroes, since there's no one to tell if ''he's'' lying, and it's extremely hard to deceive him.

* OrgyOfEvidence: The framed guard has all the relevant evidence lying out in plain sight for anyone to find. This and the guard's age clue Mako in to the situation being more complicated. Being that Varrick was an evil mastermind himself, even he notices how incongruous the evidence placement was, and gave them a hint that the guard was being framed.

* RevealingCoverUp: Aiwei was able to cover his tracks relatively well, but the problem was he set Hong Li up ''too well'' that even a former mastermind such as Varrick knows it's fishy. Mako realized the Guard's age made him too young to know about the conspiracy and that the events in question were beyond the guard's capabilities. Additionally, Aiwei blew up the evidence but in doing so, that was enough to seal his guilt.

* TookALevelInKindness: Lin puts an emphatic hand on Suyin's shoulder when Su is stunned and shocked by the revelation of Aiwei's betrayal. In general, the sisters are on better terms now, though Suyin somewhat risked it by going behind her sister's back ''again''.

* VillainExitStageLeft: After Lin and Su manage to rescue Korra from him and damage his glider Zaheer realizes that the battle is lost and decides to create a smokescreen so he and his posse can escape.

* WeWinBecauseYouDidNot: While the Krew, the Beifongs and the Metal Clan were holding their own better than everyone else who've faced Zaheer's group so far, they're still getting smacked around for most of the fight. When Lin and Su were successful in extracting Korra, Zaheer realized that they failed their objective and retreat became the best option.
* WhoWatchesTheWatchmen: Aiwei, as a LivingLieDetector, is in the absolute position of trust since he can identify all criminals and subversive elements...but only another LivingLieDetector can tell if ''he'' is lying, allowing him to not only be TheMole but to have the unimpeachable ability to finger anyone besides himself as the guilty party--since who is there to contradict him or prove him wrong? All he has to do is call ''them'' a liar, and create a situation with PlausibleDeniability to preserve his credibility. The only solution is Mako PullingTheThread by finding evidence that can't be denied as him being mistaken or lying.

After Team Avatar and the Beifong family say farewell to Opal as she departs to the Northern Air Temple, Zaheer and his group infiltrate the city of Zaofu, in an attempt to kidnap Korra. They sedate her and try to make an escape when Bolin notices them and sounds the alarm. Soon, all of Zaofu is on high alert as Ghazan creates a moat of lava to protect Zaheer's gang. The metalbender try to cross the moat, but P'li's combustion bending make sure they can't even get close. With one option left, the Beifong sisters grapple from the type of Zaofu's dome and grab Korra from above while Bolin takes P'li out with a precision earthbending shot. With Korra lost, Zaheer covers the area with smoke to allow his group to escape in the darkness.

* BookcasePassage: Aiwei has a secret tunnel behind one of his bookcases, which he used to sneak the Red Lotus into Zaofu.

* EliteMooks: The Metal Clan fared better against the Red Lotus than the White Lotus did. However, the Red Lotus leave before the guards could do anything else.
* EvilAllAlong: Aiwei has been a Red Lotus spy all this time. He's the one who told Zaheer about Korra's location.

* LivingLieDetector: Aiwei again, only this this time it works against the heroes, since there's no one to tell if ''he's'' lying, and it's extremely hard to deceive him. Even trying to deceive ''him'' is difficult, because he can deduce what they're up to.

* NearVillainVictory: The Red Lotus very nearly manages to escape with Korra.

* PoorCommunicationKills: When he's asked if things are ready via the radio, Mako says "No go." He's mistaken as saying "Go," prompting Lin and Suyin into diving into the Red Lotus before P'Li is properly stunned by Bolin.

* TookALevelInKindness: Lin puts an empathic hand on Suyin's shoulder when Su is stunned and shocked by the revelation of Aiwei's betrayal. In general, the sisters are on better terms now, though Suyin somewhat risked it by going behind her sister's back ''again''.
* TranquillizerDart: Ming-hua and Zaheer use darts coated with Shirshu poison to paralyze Naga and Korra, respectively. They use their bending in place of a conventional launcher.

* WeWinBecauseYouDidNot: While the Krew, the Beifongs and the Metal Clan were holding their own better than everyone else who've faced Zaheer's group so far, they're still getting smacked around for most of the fight. When Lin and Su were successful in extracting Korra, the Red Lotus failed their objective and retreat became the best option.

** Aiwei warned Korra she had no idea what was coming, [[HolyShitQuotient neither did the audience]]

After Team Avatar and the Beifong family say farewell to Opal as she departs to the Northern Air Temple, Zaheer and his group infiltrate the city of Zaofu, in an attempt to kidnap Korra. Their failed attempt results in an investigation on behalf of Team Avatar, who discover that the mole is Aiwei. The truth seer managed to evade arrest and destroys any possible incriminating evidence in the process. Intent on standing up to the Red Lotus, Team Avatar leaves the city in an attempt to track them down.

* OrgyOfEvidence: The framed guard has all the relevant evidence lying out in plain sight for anyone to find. This and the guard's age clue Mako in to the situation being more complicated. Even Varrick can notice how incongruous the evidence placement was, and gave them a hint that the guard was being framed.

* WhoWatchesTheWatchmen: Aiwei, as a LivingLieDetector, is in the absolute position of trust since he can identify all criminals and subversive elements...but only another LivingLieDetector can tell if ''he'' is lying, allowing him to not only be TheMole but to have the unimpeachable ability to finger anyone besides himself as the guilty party--since who is there to contradict him or prove him wrong? All he has to do is call ''them'' a liar. The only solution is Mako PullingTheThread by finding evidence that can't be denied as him being mistaken or lying.

* TookALevelInKindness: Lin puts an empathic hand on Suyin's shoulder when Su is stunned and shocked by the revelation of Aiwei's betrayal. In general, the sisters are on better terms now.

* OrgyOfEvidence: The framed guard has all the relevant evidence lying out in plain sight for anyone to find. This and the guard's age clue Mako in to the situation being more complicated.

* BrokenPedestal: Suyin's reaction towards Aiwei's betrayal is this.

** Su's dancing also helps her evade Zaheer's attacks when rescuing Korra.

** Varrick fingers Aiwei as the true traitor by pointing out how framing the guard lines up almost exactly to how he framed Mako last season.

* CrazyPrepared: Aiwei was well-prepared for any outcome after the city was attacked. Even though Korra isn't kidnapped, he's in a position that makes sure his loyalty cannot be questioned, as well as finger anyone he wants. When he's discovered anyway, he has an escape tunnel to flee the city, a bomb to destroy any evidence, and he collapses the tunnel so he'll be gone by the time the guards find the exit.

* EvilAllAlong: Aiwei.

* InstantExpert: Korra is quickly getting the hang of metalbending, in typical Avatar fashion (it probably helps that her personality is pretty earthy, hence why she had trouble learning to airbend), but still has a ways to go. Bolin, however, still can't metalbend at all.

* PoorCommunicationKills: Almost. When he's asked if things are ready via the radio, Mako says "No go." He's mistaken as saying "Go," prompting Lin and Suyin into diving into the Red Lotus before P'Li is properly stunned by Bolin.

* TookALevelInKindness: Lin puts an empathic hand on Suyin's shoulder when Su is stunned and shocked by the revelation of Aiwei's betrayal.

* WeWinBecauseYouDidNot: How the fight against the Red Lotus panned out as, while the Krew, the Beifongs and the Metal Clan were holding their own better than everyone else who've faced Zaheer's group so far, they're still getting smacked around for most of the fight. When Lin and Su were successful in extracting Korra, the Red Lotus failed their objective and retreat became the best option.
* WhoWatchesTheWatchmen: Aiwei as a LivingLieDetector is in the absolute position of trust since he can identify all criminals and subversive elements...but only another LivingLieDetector can tell if ''he'' is lying, allowing him to not only be TheMole but to have the unimpeachable ability to finger anyone besides himself as the guilty party--since who is there to contradict him or prove him wrong? All he has to do is call ''them'' a liar. The only solution is Mako PullingTheThread by finding evidence that can't be denied as him being mistaken or lying.

* EliteMooks: The Metal Clan fared better against the Red Lotus than the White Lotus did.

* LivingLieDetector: Aiwei again, only this this time it works against the heroes, since there's no one to tell if ''he's'' lying, and it's extremely hard to deceive him.

* AdviceBackfire: Defied by Bolin. Now that he's got a good thing going with Opal, he doesn't even give Varrick the chance to offer some pointers. Clearly, he's learned from experience.

* {{Frameup}}: Aiwei frames a random guard in an attempt to throw suspicion off himself.

* LivingLieDetector: Aiwei again, only this this time it works against the heroes, since there's no one to tell if ''he's'' lying.

** Korra shows she's still in some fighting shape even when bound up when sparring with Wing. In a later episode she later has to contend with [[spoiler:Zaheer when the hostage exchange goes south, in a similar bound-up situation.]]

* PoorCommunicationKills: Almost. When he's asked if things are ready via the radio, Mako says "No go." He's mistaken as saying "Go," prompting Lin and Suyin into diving into the Red Lotus before P'Li is properly stunned by Bolin. TruthInTelevision: these kind of miscommunications often happen on the radio, which is why it's standard procedure to say "Negative" rather than "No."

* PoorCommunicationKills: Almost. When he's asked if things are ready via the radio, Mako says "No go." He's mistaken as saying "Go," prompting Lin and Suyin into diving into the Red Lotus before P'Li is properly stunned by Bolin. TruthInTelevision: this is precisely why it's standard procedure to say "Negative" instead of "No" on the radio.

* CallBack: P'Li is momentarily disabled by a strike to the head, just as Combustion Man fell victim to such attacks twice.