We begin with shots of Korra resting after her ordeal, with Mako keeping vigil. Sad music plays, then we see Asami watching Mako watching Korra. We then see Tenzin return to his family, who were worried about him and Korra. He says that everything will be fine now.
Cut to the next morning, where Korra is scarfing down food. Which makes sense, as Tarrlok didn't exactly leave her food. Or a bucket. Tenzin asks what happened, and Korra tells him that Tarrlok is Yakone's son. Lin figures this explains his daytime bloodbending, though it still doesn't explain Yakone's, so it's still pretty much unexplained. Then Korra tells them that Amon showed up and took Tarrlok's bending. This makes Tenzin nervous, as Amon attacked a councilor, which suggests that he's ready to launch his final attack. Of course, the fact that he was somehow able to subdue a super-bloodbender doesn't concern him.
Cut to Pema and Asami doing the dishes. Pema shudders, but then she claims that the baby is just kicking. Then Mako shows up, asking for boiling water, so Asami tells him to boil it himself. Well, that got awkward quick. Pema notices this and leaves them alone, and surprisingly without making an excuse or something, just saying that they probably want to talk.
So Asami accuses him of being interested in Korra, but he tries to play it off like it's not true. She brings up the time he spent worrying about her, but he again says that it's nothing. When she brings up the kiss they shared, Mako tries to deflect the discussion. Eventually, Mako punts on the whole discussion and she walks out. And this is where all sympathy for Mako goes out the window. Look, you made your choice; man up and tell her. She's only pissed because you won't actually say it.
Cut to Tenzin and Lin, outside. Tenzin sheepishly asks Lin to guard his family while he's gone, and she agrees. Pema shows up, realizing that she's intruding a bit. Tenzin tells Pema that Lin will be staying to "help out," so Pema hands Lin the Scourge Of All That Is Good On The Earth, saying that he needs a bath. And she walks away. Hmm.... the Passive/Aggressive is strong in you. Naturally, Lin is non-plussed at having to deal with a child. Even moreso when SOATIGOTE says he needs to use the bathroom.
Cut to the Fire Nation council member and her very uninterested husband. A knock on the door shows us Amon's lieutenant, disguised as an exterminator. He shocks her unconscious, while her husband barely notices.
Cut to Tenzin being attacked. Because he's a main character, and because his beard can detect electric bolos, he is able to take out his assailants. Tarrlok's former assistant arrives to let us know that everyone but Tenzin managed to get captured. Then Tenzin hears explosions as Amon's airships begin their assault. Cut to Lin sending Tenzin's children back inside, then explaining to Korra&Ko that the city is under siege.
Cut to Hiroshi Sato, looking at a picture of his family. He tells Amon about his dreams for this day, and Amon says that Republic City's time has come.
Cut to Korra&Ko finding the car that Korra allegedly parked. Into a lamp-post. She reminds them that she can't drive and they were all arrested. Bolin asks about some parking tickets, but Mako incinerates them, saying that police will be busy with the siege. Asami throws Mako out of the shotgun seat, so he can sit with Korra, who asks him about that. But he plays it off.
Cut to the police station, where Saikon is trying to get things organized. It turns out that all of their boats were sabotaged. Yeah, it's almost like your heavy-handed tactics backfired and turned many of the non-benders against you. Tenzin runs in and asks for a status report. Saikon says that Amon's attacking everywhere, and the police are spread too thin to stop them. So Tenzin decides to send a message to the General of the "United Forces." Whatever that is.
Then the building starts being gassed. And the power cuts out, but not before Tenzin's message is sent. Tenzin uses airbending to keep a group of them safe. Only to get outside to find a group of tanks waiting for them. These ones have electro-magnets designed to handle metalbenders more effectively. Um, platinum is many things; magnetic is not one of them. Tenzin tries to fight the rest of the tanks but is eventually overwhelmed.
Then Korra&Ko arrive in the Korramobile, which is quickly trashed to take out two tanks. Sure, that makes sense. They fight, and Mako gets hit by one of the claw cables. It begins shocking him, but he redirects it back. Oh yeah Fire Lord Zuko, don't keep that little secret in your back pocket; just tell everyone how to do it. Korra takes a tank out by flooding its tailpipe with water. Meanwhile Asami takes out all of the ground guys by herself. With Tenzin rescued, he helps finish off the remaining tanks.
High above, Hiroshi sees this all happen and informs Amon, who doesn't much care. Hiroshi is upset to see his daughter fighting with benders, but Amon assures him that they'll get her back soon enough.
Back with Korra&Ko, they start to relax until Mako points off into the distance. Air Temple island is being invaded by an airship.
Amon's lieutenant and a group of chi blockers prepare to drop down onto the island on cables. Members of the OWL move forward to greet them, while Lin stays behind with the family. And then Pema goes into labor. Of course she does...
The Equalists seem to take out the OWL off-screen, thus leaving Lin as the only defense. She doesn't do useful things like preparing the terrain ahead of time or, God forbid, building walls with that earthbending of hers. No, she just relies on her cables and earthbending attacks for the fight. Naturally, this gets her electrocuted. Remember when the Gaang took out an entire army by themselves in ATLA? Yeah, that doesn't happen because Lin is an adult.
Then... Christ... Jinora shows up to knock the Lieutenant away. Of course, it's into their house, so I'm not sure how that's helping. And Ikki shows up, and I love how the Equalists, who had been shown to be badass before, just stand there so that Ikki can hit them one at a time. And since this horseshit wouldn't be complete without him, the SOATIGOTE appears, complete with fart-bending.
Komedy!
Cut to after the Equalists have been captured. Yes, a brigade of what are likely Amon's best, who were able to take out OWL benders and Lin, were subdued by 3 children. I haven't seen fail that bad since 'an entire Legion of my best troops' were taken out by 3-foot tall fuzzballs. Tenzin&Ko show up; why Tenzin rode on a bison, rather than using super-speed to skim across the water to save his family is not known. Tenzin's surprised to here that Lin "let them fight," but she tells him that she'd have lost otherwise. Which only makes this entire sequence all the stupider. Toph Beifong never had to be bailed out by punk kids, even when she was one. She took out a team of earthbending fighters by herself.
Anyway, Tenzin goes to see his wife... and their new son, Rohan. They have a heartwarming family reunion. Which Korra interrupts to tell them that more airships are coming. So Tenzin decides to evacuate; Lin invites herself, saying that she won't let the last airbenders be destroyed by Amon. Tenzin then tells Korra&Ko to go into hiding, so that Amon doesn't find them. He'll be back after he's safeguarded his family, and with the "United Forces," they'll retake the city. Korra clearly doesn't like this whole "hiding" thing, but she goes along with it.
Some of the airships head after Tenzin, while others press the attack here. Grappling hooks fire from the airships, and despite the hook being right next to her, Korra doesn't think of just earthbending the anchor point so they can't slide down. The OWL guys say that they'll hold off the Equalists, so Korra&Ko mount Naga. Who keels over like she did last time- oh wait, not this time because... Bolin went on a diet? The Lieutenant makes one quick appearance to try to stop them, but Naga bats him aside.
Well, his credibility as a badass died a quick death.
Korra&Ko swim underwater on Naga, thanks to Korra's waterbending.
Back with Tenzin and his family. These airships seem to be faster than a Sky Bison. Sure why not. One fires a net, but this is just so that Lin can grab it with her whips. She looks back at Tenzin's family and comes to a decision. She tells them not to look back, no matter what happens. And she jumps off the Bison, pulling herself onto the airship.
Once there, she tears a hole in the hull, causing it to fall. She leaps onto the other one, but before she can make a second hole, she's taken out by an electric bolo. The airship willingly breaks off pursuit. SOATIGOTE delivers his only effective piece of dialog ever with, "That lady is my hero." That's nice, but it doesn't make up for your every on-screen moment causing me agony equivalent to the 7th circle of hell.
Korra&Ko watch the fall of Air Temple island from a sewer. Mako suggests that they go inside.
Cut to that island, in the rain. Lin is forced to her knees before Amon. He speaks the page quote, but she says that she won't give them up. So he walks behind her, and she closes her eyes. And he destroys her bending, execution-style.
Then, we see a ship somewhere. A messenger says to some guy off-screen that the Avatar told them that the Equalists have taken over the city. Dante Basco's voice erupts from the character, saying to tell the Avatar that they'll be there in a few days. And the messenger tells us that this is "General Iroh."
That sound you hear is the sound of the launching of thousands of ships. Not steam ships, but Shipping ships, as shippers everywhere immediately ship General !Iroh with every person, living or dead, in this story. Because if you can't have Zuko, you may has well have the next best thing.
Attack Attack Attack
This was a very plot-heavy episode. It's got a lot of action in it, but not much dramatic weight is given to the action. It's just a cascade of action scenes for most of the story. For example, the fight with the tanks; was that really necessary to the story? What did it add? Was there any emotional resonance to it, or was it just an excuse for a fight scene?
Lin's defiant stand defending Tenzin's home is not nearly as strong a moment as it should be. It's too short; this needed to be an epic stand against impossible odds. It doesn't focus on the danger to the family enough. She needed to be whipping out bending moves like it was going out of style. As it stands, she just does some basic whipping and earthbending, nothing we haven't seen before. Plus there's the fact that Lin is taken out quickly so that the true heroes can arrive: the kids. Joy.
Lin's other moment is done much better. The lingering look over the frightened family is played up. And the scene makes it very clear that this is a deliberate sacrifice. She has no expectation of coming back. She makes her choice, and she doesn't regret it. She accepts that Amon's going to take away her bending, and goes out with dignity.
Lin being de-bended makes for an excellent end to the second act. Tarrlok had his run as the villain, but there's always a bigger bad. And now, Republic City has fallen. More than that, we have had real losses. Up until now, we have only seen Amon use his power on badguys. Lightning Bolt Zolt, the Wolf Bats, and Tarrlok. Oh, he de-bended some of Lin's men, yes. But we didn't see it happen. This is the first on-screen unbending of a hero. And this can't just be undone; we've established that many times. Therefore, there were consequences for her actions.
