Zaheer's plan just hit a snag.
Zaheer gets ready to pull the trigger on his deadly plan.
Tropes:
- Achilles' Heel:
- Zaheer seeks to exploit the vulnerability of the Avatar State to permanently end the Avatar cycle. By poisoning Korra, the Avatar State triggers automatically to save her life, allowing Ming-Hua and Ghazan to kill her without her reincarnating. Though that plan falls through, the poison itself can kill her anyway, especially since Korra has to split her energy fighting Zaheer and trying to resist the poison.
- Ming-Hua's waterbending arms prove to be her downfall, as they conduct Mako's electricity very well.
- All for Nothing: Zaheer lost the love of his life and his two closest friends in a plot to end the Avatar Cycle, and it proves to be for nothing since the poison is removed from Korra just in time to prevent her from dying.
- Awesome Moment of Crowning: Jinora's initiation as an airbending master for her part in helping Korra defeat Zaheer is a big formal thing. There's a gathering, Korra dresses up, there's a ceremony; it's a big deal.
- Back for the Finale:
- President Raiko and Senna show up in the final scene.
- Vaatu, Unalaq and Amon appear as hallucinations.
- Bittersweet Ending: Jinora is initiated as the first airbending master of the new Air Nation, Zaheer has been imprisoned and the other members of his group are dead, and Tenzin vows that the new Air Nation will devote itself to helping the world rather than living apart from it. However, Korra's still recovering from Zaheer's poison and looks emotionally devastated, too weak to walk or even dress herself, and it's unknown just how long it will take her to get back on her feet. The Northern Air Temple, one of the few remaining pieces of Airbender history from before the 100 Year War has been destroyed. The Earth Kingdom is in disarray following the Earth Queen's death with fallout from the chaos threatening neighboring lands, and no-one knows how many members of the Red Lotus are still out there. In addition, there's still no solution to the spirit vine problem in Republic City.
- Breaking the Bonds: Once she enters the Avatar State, Korra snaps three of the four chains holding her with brute strength. The fourth she rips out of the wall for use as a whip.
- Break the Badass: The whole ordeal proves pretty traumatic for Korra. Not only does the metal poisoning take a toll on her body, leaving her wheelchair-bound, the near-death experience and the hallucinations have left her an emotional wreck, barely speaking. The last scene of the season is her releasing a Single Tear while everyone else is enjoying Jinora's ceremony.
- Bullying a Dragon: The Red Lotus' plan to end the Avatar Cycle by killing Korra in the Avatar State hits a snag with the part of the plan that involves forcing Korra into the Avatar State. The strength she gains from the Avatar State allows her to break free from the chains holding her and fight back.
- Call-Back:
- Going all the way back to Book 2 of the original series, dying in the Avatar State would end the Avatar cycle, a fact Aang learned from Roku.
- Zaheer tries to use his suffocation technique on Korra, which he previously used on the Earth Queen. This time, he's interrupted.
- The Cameo: While the poison is sinking in, Korra hallucinates the members of the Red Lotus as previous Arc Villains Amon, Unalaq and Vaatu.
- Chain Pain: Korra used the chain she ripped out of the wall as a flail and catches Zaheer by the foot to slam him into the ground.
- Clipped-Wing Angel: Ming-Hua luring Mako closer to a water source to give her more ammunition backfires by giving Mako a bigger target for his lightning.
- Combination Attack: Jinora leads the airbenders in creating a giant tornado to attack Zaheer with, controlled by her and fed by them.
- Continuity Cavalcade: The climactic battle sees nods to several elements of Books 2 and 3 of the original series, particularly the location (the crystal cavern and an aerial battle through a forest of spires), plot elements (the Avatar Cycle is threatened when the Big Bad attempts to kill the Avatar while in the Avatar State), fight match-ups (Mako vs. Ming-Hua/Zuko and Katara vs. Azula; Korra vs. Zaheer/Ozai vs. Aang), and even the conclusion of the fights (the Avatar is left severely handicapped following their near-death experience; the Big Bad is humiliated after their defeat and it is Played for Laughs).
- Continuity Nod:
- Zaheer's plan to force Korra into the Avatar state has echoes of General Fong trying to do the same to Aang back in season two of the original series. Like General Fong, he too discovers that attempting to force the Avatar into a state of Unstoppable Rage is a very bad idea. The situation is inverted in that Zaheer wants to do this to kill the Avatar, whereas Fong wanted the Avatar's power as a weapon and didn't know the risk.
- The beginning of Korra and Zaheer's battle (both in terms of the locale and their various moves and bending) mirrors that of Aang and Ozai in the series finale of the original series, only Korra is playing Ozai to Zaheer's Aang.
- Mako and Ming-Hua's fight has echoes of Zuko and Katara vs. Azula, except the firebender is the protagonist and the lightning is used against the waterbender rather than the person who was trying to protect her. There's bonus points for having Grey DeLisle voice the antagonist in both cases.
- Bolin and Ghazan's fight echoes the Zaheer and Tenzin fight, in which a talented but less experienced prodigy takes on a master. In both cases the prodigy (Zaheer and Bolin respectively) acquits himself well, but is at a disadvantage against the more experienced fighter until backup arrives.
- After his defeat, Zaheer begins to rant, only to get cut short by Bolin's classy Shut Up, Hannibal! and the Krew proceeds to laugh at his expense, similar to how Ozai was defeated and then mocked in the original series' Book 3 finale.
- Book 3 ends just like Book 2 of the original series: the final fight begins in a crystal cavern, and it ends with the Avatar nearly dying. In addition, the Earth Kingdom is undergoing upheaval in both finales.
- Lin's earthbending wheelchair lift is a smaller-scale version of the technique used by Toph and Aang to ascend the steps of the Earth King's palace in "The Earth King". In that instance, they had flattened out the steps to trip up the guards.
- Convection, Schmonvection: A battle between two lavabenders, in a cave, and the heat isn't a problem for either of them.
- Deader than Dead: The Red Lotus plan to end the Avatar Cycle for good.
- Didn't See That Coming: The Red Lotus didn't anticipate that Korra's Heroic Willpower would allow her to stay out of the Avatar state for so long, nor did they realize just how powerful she would be in that state.
- Died in Your Arms Tonight: Just barely averted after Korra is left on deaths door and Tonraq holds her in his arms. Thankfully Su is able to save her by metalbending the poison out of her body.
- Die or Fly: Invoked by the Red Lotus. They know the Avatar State will manifest when Korra's life is in danger, so they poison her to activate it, then try to kill her so the Avatar cycle will end.
- The Dog Bites Back: The airbenders Zaheer held prisoner thwart his attempt at ending the Avatar Cycle and lead to his recapture.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: Between knocking her out, stripping off most of her clothes, binding her hands and feet so that she can't move or resist as a poisonous substance is painfully forced into her body, and literally trying to kill her soul, the Red Lotus put Korra through possibly the most brutal symbolic rape in the history of western animation. No wonder she's traumatized afterward.
- Do Not Touch the Funnel Cloud: Jinora bends a tornado with the help of the other airbenders. Zaheer fails to notice until it's practically on top of him and Korra.
- Double-Meaning Title: "Venom of the Red Lotus" refers to the poison used on Korra, the consequences of their actions, and the doubt about her value to the world that lingers long after she's physically recovered.
- Extreme Close-Up: The camera zooms in on Korra's sweaty, terrified face as she hallucinates her old enemies telling her to let go.
- Failsafe Failure: The Red Lotus is unable to keep Avatar State Korra contained.
- Forgiven, but Not Forgotten: Played with: President Raiko formally welcomes Korra back to Republic City and sounds sincere in his belief that the world needs her. Korra, however, is too drained to even acknowledge it and Asami politely insists that they should get moving to the ceremony. Meanwhile, Tonraq sounds a little sore at Raiko, if only because he doesn't fully appreciate what Korra's gone through.
- Greater-Scope Villain: Vaatu's status as this for the entire franchise is emphasized during Korra's hallucinations. Out of the villains present, he gets the most screentime and proves to have the largest effect on Korra. The way he taunts Korra seems to blur the line between a mere hallucination and genuinely appearing to antagonize her.
- Ground-Shattering Landing: Korra smashes the ground right before delivering the Coup de Grâce on Zaheer.
- Heroic BSoD: Korra is an emotionally broken state in the epilogue due to the events of the episode.
- Heroic Rematch: Bolin and Mako fare better against Ghazan and Ming-Hua than they did the first time around. The fact that Bolin can lavabend certainly helps, and Mako gets to fight on terrain which favors his abilities.
- Heroic Willpower: Korra is able to resist going into the Avatar State for a while on the strength of her will.
- High-Voltage Death: Mako fries Ming-Hua with lightning after she lures him to an underground pool.
- Hope Spot: After spending most of their fight not being able to touch him thanks to his new flight abilities Korra, is finally able to freeze Zaheer's leg cutting off his maneuverability and gets ready to land a devastating blow. Unfortunately the poison finally kicks in and she ends up collapsing and is barely able to use her bending at all.
- Humiliation Conga: Zaheer is the only survivor of the quartet of villains, which means he lives long enough to see his plan to end the Avatar Cycle fail. On top of that he's going to be sent back to prison, robbing him of his freedom until the day he dies.
- I Die Free: Ghazan kills himself by collapsing the cave, preferring death to going back to prison.
- I'll Kill You!: Korra promises that none of the Red Lotus will survive once she gets free. She ends up being two-thirds right about that.
- Important Haircut: Jinora shaves her hair to receive her airbending tattoos as a new master.
- Initiation Ceremony: Jinora has proven herself worthy to be an Airbending master, and is given a ceremony for her ascendancy to masterhood.
- Kick the Dog: When it appears as if Korra has died in Tonraq's arms, Zaheer chooses that moment to gloat about how his plan has succeeded. Jinora pops his bubble by identifying the poison as metallic, allowing Suyin to remove it and save Korra.
- Literal Metaphor: Bolin literally puts a sock in it (Zaheer), and of course points out what he just did.
- Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: It's never confirmed whether or not Vaatu was just a hallucination or if he was actually speaking to her. He is, technically, inside of her by way of Ravaa.
- Mood Whiplash: The mood swings from heartwarming when Korra is saved from near-death, to funny when Bolin stuffs a sock in Zaheer, then back to heartwarming/sad with Korra's recovery and Jinora's master ceremony.
- Near-Villain Victory: It took some lucky breaks and, although he doesn't know it, the lives of his comrades have been lost, but by the end of the fight between Zaheer and Korra, Zaheer is only seconds away from accomplishing his misguided goal of killing Korra while she's in the Avatar State. Then the airbenders intervene with their giant tornado and Zaheer loses his chance to finish off Korra. He is defeated and captured mere moments later.
- Never Going Back to Prison: Once it becomes clear that he's about to be overwhelmed by Mako and Bolin, Ghazan collapses the cavern on himself rather than be captured and sent back to prison. He even says the trope name as he does it.
- Not Quite Flight: Korra propels herself using earthbent springboards and by firebending from her hands and feet, so she can keep up with Zaheer.
- Oh, Crap!: Ghazan looks alarmed when Korra breaks free and takes out Ming-Hua. He gets another one immediately afterwards when Korra uses airbending to blow his lava right back at him.
- The Oner: There is a very epic 21 second single shot tracking Zaheer flying at top speed while Korra chases and attacks him with earth and firebending; in the middle of the shot he stops, the camera passes him and turns around to watch him attack Korra. It's quite a sight to behold.
- Orifice Evacuation: Suyin bends the metallic poison out of Korra through her mouth (that went in through her skin), which borders between Orifice Evacuation and a Vomit Indiscretion Shot.
- Person of Mass Destruction: We are reminded of the awesome raw power of the Avatar State while Korra has murder on her mind while chasing Zaheer. At one point she throws a mountain top at him.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: While hallucinating, Korra imagines Zaheer, Ghazan, and Ming-Hua turning into Amon, Unalaq, and Vaatu respectively. When this happens, they start telling her that she's no longer needed and the Red Lotus will succeed in their plans.
- Self-Disposing Villain: Ghazan takes himself (and the possibly unconscious Ming-Hua) out because he refuses to be captured.
- Ship Tease: During the rescue mission, Asami takes the initiative (despite being surrounded by benders) and violently electrocutes a Red Lotus guard, looking as angry as we've ever seen her. After Korra survives, it's Asami who takes care of her and is shown at her side throughout the ceremony.Asami: [holding Korra's hand] I want you to know — I'm here for you. If you ever want to talk, or... anything.
- Shout-Out:
- Zaheer's line, "we lucky few, this band of brothers and sisters in anarchy," is an allusion to the line, "we happy few, we band of brothers," from the St. Crispin's Day Speech from William Shakespeare's Henry V.
- When the Red Lotus torture her into transforming, Korra's in a very similar position (physically and story-wise) to fellow Nicktoon hero Danny Phantom's in the episode "Kindred Spirits".
- When the poison is pulled out of Korra's system, the way she pukes it is similar to A Haunting in Connecticut.
- Shut Up, Hannibal!: Bolin shoves a sock down Zaheer's throat when he starts ranting that the Red Lotus are far from done after being defeated.
- Single Tear: The final frame of the season is Korra letting a devastated tear loose while everyone else is watching Jinora's ceremony.
- So What Do We Do Now?: The Earth Kingdom is still in a state of anarchy after the Queen's death, the Red Lotus are still a threat, and Korra will have to step down from her duties until she recovers. This is a question the world leaders address, and Tenzin decides the one thing they must do is rebuild, as the world will still need them and it is their duty to do so.
- Strong Family Resemblance: While Jinora's likeness to Aang has been noted before, she's a dead ringer
for him in everything save eye color once she shaves her head and gets her tattoos. - Super-Strength: Korra's physical performance in the Avatar state makes it clear that bending isn't the only thing that's amplified. She is able to snap the chains holding her and tear one free from the rock wall it's bolted to through just brute strength. She is also able to drag Zaheer down to earth while the two of them are in the airbender tornado using just her brute strength.
- Super-Toughness: During her fight with Zaheer, Korra is repeatedly knocked down in ways that would swiftly stop, if not kill, a normal human, but she just keeps going until the poison finally takes its toll. It's possible, however, that these injuries are part of the reason she's in a wheelchair later on.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome:
- Even the most powerful and skilled fighter can make a critical mistake and lose a fight if they don't fully know their opponent. Ming-Hua has never seen Mako lightning bend and has no reason to assume that he can. She lures him into a part of the cave that seems to favor her because it's flooded with water, which she instantly turns into a weapon. Mako responds by hopping out of the water and using his lightning to fry her. Not knowing what your opponent is capable of can result in getting a rude shock, (no pun intended) or even worse outcomes.
- Even though the metallic poison (confirmed to be mercury, a natural liquid metal) is removed and Korra survives, she is confined to a wheelchair and seems emotionally devastated, barely speaking. Though she is expected to get better, it's clear that she isn't going to just bounce right back from the physical, mental, and emotional injuries that were inflicted on her.
- Taking You with Me: Ghazan is so determined to not go back to prison that he's ready to take down Mako and Bolin with him. He lavabends the walls of the cave they are fighting in, causing it to collapse and fill with lava, but Mako and Bolin escape just in time.Ghazan: I'm never going back to prison! If I'm going down today, YOU'RE COMING WITH ME!!!
- Tempting Fate: Zaheer gloats about his victory when Korra appears to be dead, moments before Jinora reveals how they can save her.
- There Is No Kill Like Overkill: Giving Korra lethal amounts of poison and then striking deadly blows at her may look too much, but there is a reason; the Avatar can only be truly killed while in the Avatar State, which is why poison is needed to sustain the effect long enough for the Red Lotus to lay lethal strikes at her. Even if they don't strike at her, the poison will kill her slowly anyways.
- Time Skip: Asami mentions in the denouement that it has been two weeks since Korra's battle with Zaheer.
- Underestimating Badassery: Zaheer obviously didn't expect Korra to be able to resist going into the Avatar State for as long as she did, let alone break free of her restraints. It's also clear that the Red Lotus do not understand the full ramifications of removing the Avatar from existence. Vaatu even lampshades this.
- Unstoppable Rage: Korra while in the Avatar State, due to having been forced into it by Zaheer. This is notably the first time we've seen Korra enter the "berserk" version of the Avatar State that Aang often succumbed to, and all that rage is focused on Zaheer.
- Victory by Endurance: Once Korra breaks free and begins chasing Zaheer, this becomes his strategy. He has absolutely no chance of beating her in a straight fight, but he can try to evade her long enough for the poison to either kill her or weaken her enough that he can finish her off. While he needs a few lucky breaks and a host of other factors working against Korra, this plan comes very close to working and Zaheer would have killed Korra if not for the intervention of Jinora and the other airbenders.
- Villainous Breakdown:
- Zaheer is much less calm during this episode. With his girlfriend's death, his plan going to ruin, and having to fight Korra in the Avatar State, you can't really blame him.
- Ghazan drops his laid-back personality when he realizes Mako and Bolin have him cornered and could recapture him and send him back to prison.
- Villainous Underdog: Zaheer is outclassed against Korra in the Avatar State even with the poison hindering her, so he aims to survive by outlasting her until the poison does its work. He nearly wins once the poison starts to become too much even in the Avatar State, and Korra only survives thanks to the other airbenders coming to her rescue.
- Vomit Indiscretion Shot: The mercury is expelled from Korra via her mouth.
- We Are Everywhere: Zaheer reminds everyone that he may be defeated, but the Red Lotus is far from vanquished. Sadly, the heroes accept this to be true, and vow to prepare for it.
- We Help the Helpless: In order to honor Korra for the sacrifice she made for them Tenzin states that the Air Nation will go out and fight corruption and try to restore balance while she is recuperating in stake contrast to their neutral standpoint prior to the Hundred Year War.
- With My Hands Tied: Korra in the Avatar state easily fends off the Red Lotus's attempted execution and attacks back even while she still has all four, then three of her limbs bound in chains, suspending her in place in the air.
- Worf Had the Flu: Korra is nearly killed by Zaheer while in the Avatar State thanks to a number of factors. Primarily, she is suffering from severe mercury poisoning, which eventually catches up to her and leaves her unable to fight back. Zaheer, meanwhile, has far greater mobility and only needs to wait Korra out, going in for the attack once the poison has sufficiently weakened her. Estimations on how much that one platinum chain weighed are around fifty pounds, and mercury is very heavy too. Assuming a liter of mercury was forced into her body that would be an agonizing additional thirty pounds or so. Korra is only able to defeat Zaheer after receiving help from the airbenders.
- Worthy Opponent: Ghazan is impressed that Bolin has picked up lavabending, even challenging him to do his best.
