A Peaceful show of force.
Kuvira threatens Zaofu; Bolin is caught between Suyin and Kuvira.
Tropes:
- Always Second Best: Baatar Jr. doesn't want to return to Zaofu because it would mean being in his father's shadow once again.
- The Atoner: Hiroshi Sato says he would like to make up for what he did but doesn't expect Asami to ever forgive him.
- Audience Surrogate: Korra insists she's going to try to talk Kuvira down, rather than just fight her right off the bat. Meelo reacts just like the audience; not believing that we went through four episodes of building up her return without her "beating someone up" at the end.
- Borrowed Catchphrase: Zhu Li does this to Varrick after her Face–Heel Turn.Zhu Li: Guards, do the thing!
Varrick: No, not the thing! - Both Sides Have a Point:
- Bolin and Varrick argue over where to go after escaping Kuvira's army. Bolin wants to stay and help Zaofu, while Varrick considers it as good as lost and instead wants to warn Republic City about the spirit vine weapons. The inability to come to a decision about who's right slows them down, allowing Baatar Jr. to find them.
- Korra and Su's different views on how to deal with Kuvira. Korra wishes to avoid simply charging in because of how badly that has gone in the past, and believes Kuvira might listen to reason because she was a good person before. Su, on the other hand, is biased but still knows Kuvira better than Korra does, and is well aware Kuvira is not going to back down when she's already taken the trouble of parking her army at Zaofu's doorstep.
- The Bus Came Back: Asami visits Hiroshi in prison. It's been a long time since his season 1 downfall and he has the stack of letters to prove it. His time there has not been kind to him.
- Call-Back:
- Korra mentions the time Kuvira saved her father at the end of the previous season.
- Kuvira taking her good intentions too far, to the point that she's causing more harm than good, calls back to Toph and Korra's talk about her previous antagonists being "out of balance".
- Kuvira mentions in the flashback that Zaofu's security force is one of the best in the world. This recalls their performance in "The Terror Within", where they stood their ground versus the Red Lotus (who have up to that point wiped the floor with anyone).
- Character Development:
- Varrick ends up with moral qualms about the spirit vine project (surprising even him) and tries to stop it. He seems to be developing a conscience.
- Korra refuses to default to violence after three seasons of violence making the situation worse.
- Hiroshi Sato says his actions as an equalist were out-of-line and has become The Atoner.
- Cliffhanger: The episode ends with Baatar Sr. telling Korra that Su and the twins have gone to sneak into Kuvira's camp to "end this tonight".
- Convection, Schmonvection: Bolin's lavabending again is hot enough to melt the mecha-tanks but not hot enough to so much as inconvenience its pilots when they climb out.
- The Dark Side Will Make You Forget: Kuvira appeared to have good intentions at first. In Su's flashback, she talks about how the people of the Earth Kingdom are suffering and how Zaofu can not only save them but improve their lives. By now, it appears she's just after power for herself.
- The Dog Bites Back: After feeling unappreciated by Varrick, Zhu Li turns against him and pledges loyalty to Kuvira.
- Energy Beings: The spirit vines, like spirits themselves, are made entirely of energy, convincing Varrick that he can drain them as a power source.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Varrick decides to cancel the spirit vine experiment after a power surge blasts a hole right through the back of the train, deeming such power to be too dangerous to let fall into the wrong hands. Unfortunately for him, Kuvira happens to be those hands, and she's not about to let him stop.
- Face–Heel Turn:
- Kuvira's villain status is cemented and described as we see her turn her back on Suyin and see the extent of her villainy.
- Baatar Jr. seems to have embraced Kuvira's methods to the point that he is the one that suggests taking Zaofu by force as a first response. Kuvira has to point out that they can't just brute force this one.
- After their failed escape, Zhu Li turns on Varrick and pledges her loyalty to Kuvira.
- Fantastic Measurement System: Varrick measures weight in "Zhu Lis" and power in "Varricks".
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: It passes by quickly, but in the shot of Zhu Li falling out of the train, it can be seen the spirit laser not only went through the wall, it went straight through a hill behind the train.
- Gunboat Diplomacy: Kuvira gives this tactic a try: Show up with her huge army parked at the gates and then try diplomacy. This would in turn force Suyin into deciding whether or not she surrenders through peace or gives Kuvira the go ahead and declare war... with her entire army at the ready while Zaofu would need the time to prepare.
- Heel–Face Turn:
- Hiroshi Sato turned over a new leaf in prison.
- Varrick realizes he has limits and Kuvira does not, so he tries to escape and warn Republic City about her.
- Heel Realization:
- Varrick decides that the spirit vine project is too dangerous and tries to shut it down (Kuvira stops him).
- Bolin realizes that Kuvira isn't quite as nice as he thought, the "Re-education camps" are not about trade skills and that he has been working for a villain.
- Hiroshi had one at some point over the timeskip, as he's been trying to reconnect with Asami and seems genuinely apologetic for his misdeeds. Though Asami is reluctant, she decides to give him a chance.
- Held Gaze: Varrick and Zhu Li, after some impressive heroics from the former. It Looks like it's going to go somewhere, only for Varrick to comment on the state of the room.
- I Did What I Had to Do: Kuvira justifies her actions as hard choices that needed to be made.
- Inventional Wisdom: As Varrick fumbles with his mech controls during the fight in the forest, he asks who designed them. "You did, sir," says Zhu Li.
- I Owe You My Life: Never actually said by Zhu Li after Varrick saved her from falling off the train, but it's there.
- Ironic Echo: "Do the thing." Uttered by Zhu Li in contempt to Varrick.
- Jumped at the Call: Before it turned into her Start of Darkness, Kuvira was purely motivated to help the already ailing Earth Kingdom in the wake of the Earth Queen's death.
- Just Think of the Potential!: Kuvira is only further convinced that the spirit vine research needs to continue after seeing the damage it can do as a weapon, even insisting that Varrick gear his efforts to that end.
- Let's Get Dangerous!: Zhu Li is the most effective of the trio during the mecha fight. There's a reason Varrick named his battleship after her; "cold, ruthless, war machine".
- Little "No": Korra's reaction to Baatar telling her of Su's plan at the end.
- Living Battery: The intent of the spirit vine technology is to harness the spirit energy composing them. That the harvested energy can also be turned into Vaatu-style death rays was an unexpected bonus for Kuvira.
- Making a Spectacle of Yourself: Varrick's colorful goggles.
- The Millstone: Varrick's attempts to fight during the escape attempt only hampers Zhu Li's, and Bolin is forced to surrender once Baatar Jr. grabs and threatens Varrick. Which is all the more remarkable given that Varrick designed the mechs himself.
- Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: Zhu Li, after going through the crap she's been through, switched sides.
- Never My Fault: During their escape and their subsequent fight against Baatar Jr., Varrick is nothing but a hindrance. When he's caught, he pins all the blame on Zhu Li.
- Not So Stoic: Ever-stoic Zhu Li gets a lot more emotive when Varrick saves her, and when she pledges her loyalty to Kuvira, she calls Varrick out on never appreciating her help.
- Oh, Crap!:
- Korra's horrified reaction when she learns that Suyin is sneaking into Kuvira's camp.
- Varrick's shock at "the thing" being ordered on him for once. Note that this is the guy who even took being exposed and arrested in Book 2 in complete stride.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
- It's lampshaded by Varrick when even he feels that the spirit vine technology is too dangerous to use. Instead of thinking about the money he could make off it, he tries to shut the project down in fear of it falling into the wrong hands. Unfortunately, Kuvira is the wrong hands.
- For the first time, Zhu Li calls Varrick by his name and not "sir".
- Phlebotinum Overload: Varrick tries to tap the energy of the spirit vines. It works and then breaks free of containment and blasts a Vaatu ray out the back of the train. "Too many Varricks!"
- POW Camp: Kuvira is revealed to have a few that she populates with dissenters from towns that "unites". She calls them "re-education camps".
- Pragmatic Villainy: Kuvira has to talk her fiancé down when he suggests taking Zaofu by force as a first response. It wouldn't look good on the world stage if they just attacked without provocation. Instead, she parks her army on Zaofu's doorstep and offers a diplomatic solution, then threatens invasion when Suyin refuses the offer.
- Psychic Strangle: Kuvira does a variation using the metal shoulder pads on Varrick's uniform; clasping them around his neck then threatening to drop him from the moving train.
- A Pupil of Mine Until He Turned to Evil: Kuvira was revealed to once have been a surrogate daughter for Su, who took her in when she was eight and trained her to reach her full potential.
- Purple Is Powerful: The energy from the spirit vines glows purple, just like Vaatu when he uses his laser.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech:
- Opal gives a scathing one to Bolin about how he never went back to check on any of the towns forced to join the Earth Empire, claiming that many have turned into labor camps so Kuvira can get their resources.
- Zhu Li tells Kuvira in Varrick's presence about how much he treats her like crap and that, and how he's a fool compared to Kuvira.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Kuvira, Bataar Jr. and the Zaofu Security Force pull this off in the flashback to leave Zaofu in order to restore order to the Earth Kingdom again at the protests of Suyin.
- Ship Tease: An extremely brief one between Varrick and Zhu Li involving a rescue and held gaze.
- Shout-Out: Kuvira dangling Varrick over the edge of the train by metalbending the armor around his neck is more than a little reminiscent of Darth Vader.
- Speak in Unison: Both Bolin and Varrick say "Kuvira is totally crazy!" at once.
- Start of Darkness: We see Kuvira's and her supporters' initial betrayal and start down the path of Empire in Suyin's flashback.
- Token Good Teammate: Kuvira inducts Bolin into her "inner circle" on the basis that he would do a better job of reaching common ground with Suyin. Suyin realizes this clear as day and doesn't buy it. It's also deconstructed in that the very qualities that made Kuvira promote him, (his niceness and ability to get along with people), are the same things that make him want to back out when he realizes what she's doing.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Baatar Jr. threatens to crush an unarmed man's head. He's also the one who wants to take Zaofu by force with no prior negotiations.
- Unwanted Assistance: After Varrick accidentally hits Zhu Li with lightning during the mech fight, she complains that he's hardly making things easier to her.
- Villain Ball: Kuvira ruins her own attempt to peacefully integrate Zaofu by parking her army at their doorstep, which Bolin points out will send the wrong message. Then by joining Bolin for the negotiations, she makes Bolin's attempt to calm things down useless. It's not as if she's just looking for an excuse to attack, either; she specifically tells Baatar Jr. that she intends to use Bolin to convince Su.
- Wave-Motion Gun: Varrick's attempt to use the spirit vines as a power source instead produces a Vaatu-like laser beam that blows out the back of the train and takes out a hill behind the train.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Like the previous villains of the series, Kuvira started out with good intentions, but took them too far.
- Wham Line: "Su and the twins went to sneak into Kuvira's camp. They're going to end this tonight." The implications here are pretty obvious.
- With Us or Against Us: This episode really shows how far Kuvira takes this tropes. She demands absolute obedience from those under her command with the simple act of questioning her being grounds for internment at one of her prison camps.
- Wrestler in All of Us: Zhu Li has some noticeable wrestling technique in how she fights with a mech suit.
