Welcome back! With this fourth episode, we plunge deeper into Korra’s psyche as more and more characters get introduced. Let’s get into it!
1. Bullied onto the task force.
Not content to simply develop the existing large cast, this episode introduces a few more major characters, the first of which is Councilman Tarrlok. A representative of the Northern Water Tribe, Tarrlok, while appearing dignified on the surface, pretty quickly proves to be an antagonist.
Tenzin isn’t a fan of him from the start, but once he creates an anti-Equalist task force and starts to manipulate Korra, the audience starts to dislike him, too. He shows up unannounced and joins a dinner at Air Temple Island, taking advantage of the cultural hospitality of airbenders; he plays to Korra’s ego by throwing a banquet in her honor, just to get on her good side; and he throws Korra in front of the press when she’s clearly uncomfortable and undecided about joining the task force.
If he’s willing to bend rules and manipulate people like this just to get Korra on his task force, then what else does he have up his sleeve?
2. Meet cute!
Rounding out the main cast, this episode finally introduces Asami in the most “meet cute” way possible: girl hits boy with motorcycle. I absolutely love that scene between Mako and Asami — the awkward-yet-playful conversation, the occasional cartoonish exaggeration, the way Asami dives right in and makes a move — and it’s the kind of scene that could only work this well in animation.
While I know a lot of people dislike Mako and Asami as a couple, I think this scene and the dates later in the episode set the pair up for success. They have clear chemistry and enough of a shared background (dead parent) and interests (pro-bending and vehicles) to make sense together.
On a semi-related note, Bolin’s coy attempts at flirting with Korra are adorable. P.J. Byrne delivers those lines with the perfect amount of “nervous and pretending not to be flirting but also too excited to hide it,” which I think anyone can relate to.
3. Sponsored by Sato.
The Asami subplot leads us to yet another new character: her father, industrialist Hiroshi Sato, inventor of the Satomobile! Essentially the Henry Ford of the show, he gives an encouraging speech to Mako about how an investor is somebody who believes in the investee, and he subsequently offers to sponsor the Fire Ferrets in their pro-bending championships.
Mako is all too excited to accept the offer, but if the Tarrlok plot of the episode is any indication, things may not be what they seem. Are investors really selfless philanthropists who just want to see their investees succeed? Is it all about the money? Or is there a deeper motive?
4. The raid!
There are only two scenes that could be considered “action scenes” in this episode, and both are fairly short: the opening scene, a nightmare Korra has about being taken by Amon and his chi-benders, and the raid on the Equalist training facility. The former is probably about 20 seconds, all nightmarish fear in terms of music and direction.
The raid, however, is closer to a minute (still very short), yet much more deliberate and unique in its direction. The scene sees the task force use water and earthbending in strategic ways to take down the group as quickly as possible, so each action is terse and purposeful. The group throws the water inside with a quick smash of the windows, then freezes half the group immediately, with the sound effects and music ceasing with it. Then the soldiers slide down on the ice, quickly taking out Equalists with their earthbending, the sound effects also as quick as the movements, with silence in between.
The pockets of silence in this scene create such a unique atmosphere compared to anything we’ve seen from Avatar before, ratcheting up the tension and keeping us on edge. This scene may be short, but every second counts.
5. Korra vs Fear.
Something I’m really appreciating on this watch-through is the precision with which Korra’s overall character arc is developed. The early episodes established her as a wunderkind, singularly focused on her Avatar training since she was a child — as long as she’s had a working memory. Literally all she can remember is being the Avatar.
So this episode’s A-plot focuses on Korra finally confronting her fears about that. What if she’s NOT good enough? What if there are situations that she ISN’T equipped to handle? She spends the entire episode either sulking or getting manipulated because she’s so inexperienced in the real world. She doesn’t even understand what these new emotions are, much less how to deal with them.
And then the episode has her come face-to-face with Amon, a traumatic situation for which she’s both physically and emotionally unprepared, and all she can do after it’s over is break down and cry.
I think this speaks to the self-doubt in all of us, no matter how prepared we are for the world. And I think it’s something this show, in being about a group of powerful teenagers, is uniquely designed to explore.
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What did you think of this episode? Are you a fan of Mako and Asami? Any thoughts on Tarrlok, or about Korra’s development? Let me know in the comments, and I’ll see you next week!
