The third episode of the final season of the Avatar universe is finally out! I’ll be doing a recap of the events and then give my full thoughts on where the episode did and did make an impact.
Right away we see the title fitting its bill with Wu telling Mako exactly how his coronation is meant to proceed. Tenzin and the President enter and it seems as neither Wu or anyone else believes or wants him to rule, but we have to assume its the gesture the world needs to reestablish stability. Tenzin is concerned with Korra still missing and Kuvira amassing a conquest-sized army right under their noses, but the Prez isn’t stressed.
Speaking of, we rejoin Korra in the swamp alongside Toph who is as straight-talking as ever. She reminds Korra that one person can’t save the world, even the Avatar, and there will always be struggle with or without her.
“I’m the original Beifong!”
Regardless, the two set out on a sparring match.
Back in Republic City, Bolin makes his official return and manages to find Eska and Desna as well as Varrick hanging out in the lobby of the Hotel they are all staying at. Mako isn’t far behind and the two exchange the typical pleasantry before the Kuvira-Wu topic comes up. Speaking of, Su and her son exchange some non-family like quips until the scene shifts to Wu flirting with Kuvira who flexes her muscles a bit before the Earth Kingdom representatives arrive. Unfortunately for Wu, it appears as if the ceremony will be a much more subtle one then he has wished for.
Returning to Korra in the swamp, we see the raw skill Toph possesses. A lot of people considered her to be unbeatable in the Last Airbender, and we see exactly this yet again. This scene is particularly important, as it demonstrates another character from the Aang Gang mentoring Korra and helping her in their own way. This time, Toph uses her no-nonsense attitude to help Korra realize she has a lot of progress still to make and reminds her that living in this Swamp doesn’t mean she isn’t aware of whats going on in the World.
Back at the coronation, Wu is officially crowned and we get to see a sweet little sneak peak at Zuko’s daughter, the apparent Firelady. Is that how you would put it? Anyway…
Kuvira quickly steals the spotlight, by making a proclamation to usurp and threatening any who would oppose. It seems as she holds all the cards, and even the audience seems to agree with her aggressive tactics. For the record, she officially dissolves the Kingdom and creates an Empire, which makes no sense, but ya we will talk about that later.
In the hours after, Kuvira reassures Bolin and confronts her previous mentor Su who is representing the world leaders. Apparently Kuvira is blaming Su’s lack of action as her motive, and declares that she will come for Zaofu eventually.
Meanwhile, Mako and Wu recover when Bolin shows up. The two brothers, formerly on the same side of every conflict, now seem to be divided pretty hard, setting up what I believe to be the true “Balance.”
Back in the swamp Toph reveals a very important piece of the puzzle: that Korra still has some Mercury left in her body and as we know, residual effects of that type of poisoning can greatly effect the body’s ability to build and rebuild muscles and auto-immune responses… But we are left to stew over this as we return to Wu.
Wu and Mako manage to pick a fight with some Kuvira supporters that leads to Wu officially losing it at a replica Earth Kingdom Throne and Mako breaking the truth to him in a hard way.
The show concludes with Toph bending the Mercury but in doing so, causes Korra to trigger her PTSD flashbacks, and makes a stunning claim:
“Maybe so you have an excuse not to go back to being the Avatar.”
We also see Tenzin tasking his kids to find Korra and the final scene reveals Varrick doing some science on Spirit Vines that he claims will “change everything.”
What I liked
– Mako v Bolin. Its great to see two very strong-willed character’s go at it like this. This is the “balance” the season is predicated on.
– Toph. Can’t see how anyone couldn’t love this performance. The character literally hasn’t changed at all. Still has that dramatic flair for humor and boisterous attitude towards her power. Take note! She is the second official Aang Gang character to now mentor and help Korra reestablish. Who else will come in, do you think? Probably Zuko, but any others?
– Cameos!!! Desna apparently sleeps in the tub, Zhu Li has a speaking part!? and Zuko’s daughter looking cute, despite her being older then I expected. 
– Potential Spirit Weapons? This is probably the true evil of this season, just wielded by Kuvira.
What I did not like
– Wu. I was under the impression the goal was to not like him to draw parallel to the issues Kuvira brings to the table and Korra’s fright about the Avatar being too small to make a difference. Whats the point of the rest of his scenes then? Just kill him off. There is enough humor IMO.
– Kuvira’s plot. Its so damn linear and predictable that I can’t help but feel like its all one big distraction. I have a feeling it wont be though, and that will be a huge let down. Zaheer seems to resurface too much, but we know the voice actors of these two hate each other. What a shame, as using both characters to end this show and Korra’s frights would be the ultimate ending IMO.
– Earth Empire? You have to possess two de jure kingdoms to create an empire… You can’t dissolve a kingdom then convert it into an empire! Learn2 grand strategy Kuvira!