Episode 10 is past, and you can tell we are officially coming to the end. Let’s recap and discuss the finer points.
The episode opens with an incredible surprise, at least for the characters! As the Beifong retainers overlook Kuvira’s camp, the most important member of the family shows up. Toph!!
Bolin goes full fanboy, and the Beifong gals discuss the plan of attack.
Back in Republic City, we see the amazing shot that acts as the featured image. You can tell this story is coming to a close when nearly every major character the show has featured are all in one room! I loved it!
Varrick and Asami continue to build the inevitable conclusion for this portion of the story, and the Prez is not pleased that the expanded Team Avatar won’t fight spirit fire with spirit fire. Korra says she will do what she can to get the spirits on their side, all while Wu shows he actually has a brain in his head… well maybe.
Back at Kuvira’s camp, we see Zhu Li doing what I had (sort of) predicted from the start. Toph, snooping in on the converation with the rest of the rescue party, reveals that Zhu Li is sabotaging the weaponry, and it appears that she is willing to suicide to meet her goals, but Baatar Jr. prevents the crisis.
As Lin and Toph fly away, the tension builds between them. Ultimately, Bolin, Lin, Toph, and Opal find the Spirit Technology Kuvira had been working on, and surmise that the Beifong Family is being held in an underground chamber.
We cut back to Korra, but I’m going to wrap her up right now instead of meandering around this boring idea. Long story short: she goes to the spirit world to ask the spirits to fight for Republic City, and they say that if they did, it would be no better then what Kuvira is doing. They won’t participate. Ya, alright back to the real action!
Meanwhile, Toph learns about Bolin’s Lavabending right before the tension pops off between mother and daughter. The trigger word was Lin’s Father, something I don’t think anyone expected to hear about! Apparently his name was Kanto, but there isn’t much more than that mentioned, and ultimately it feels like the directors are trying to wrap up the question in a quiet way so its not left open for years after.
The next day Kuvira readies her cannon while the rescue party break out the family. Here we see just how far Zhu Li has gone to ensure her plan, and so we are perfectly clear:
She has sabotaged the machine in such a way that it would explode instead of firing, proving she is happy to give her own life to ensure its destruction.
Kuvira finds out, and sentences her to death at the target of the blast, but Bolin and Opal take off to rescue her while Suyin and Lin decide to fight. Toph wants no part of it, however.
The cannon is loosed, but Lin disrupts it and it misses Zhu Li et al.
An incredibly epic fight elapses that you NEED to see for yourself, but the coolest part features Suyin going 1v1 with Kuvira and nearly coming out on top. The Beifong family is losing badly, but all of a sudden Toph joins the scrap and uses her incredible mastery of Earth Bending to create an earthquake around the entire area of Kuvira’s troops. She proceeds to call Kuvira out before they escape: 
“You give Metal Benders a bad name!”
Even the stoic Kuvira can’t help but feel resonance when some one as epic as Toph hurls an insult!
After they escape, some minor plot stuff like the sisters+mother drama gets squashed, and Bolin and Opal mend their relationships. The final bit of serious action takes place when Zhu Li steps up to inform everyone that Kuvira’s spirit cannon is to be used on Republic City in two weeks!
Does this mean two more episodes or is the next episode two weeks later in the story? No clue. Amazing episode though!
What I Enjoyed
The Beifong family wasn’t always a main centerpiece but seeing Suyin and Lin fight again was epic. I really enjoyed the moment the two shared with Toph, arguably the most prolific character the show has had. It was pretty cool to see her flex a bit as well, but I am disappointed with the cop-out that showed up at the end of the episode. For those who didn’t watch, she references Katara and says there is a reason she doesn’t get involved. Because they are too old! Which they are, but still. They are legends, and it would be awesome to see them have a part in this.
The final appearances. I alluded to it in the last point, but I am assuming this is it for Toph. It was rather unceremonious by my expectations, and I think most people would agree. I read a LOT of people thinking she was going to die, and that would be the casus belli needed. Ultimately, she was a bit part in an expansive role, but her personality carried. After seeing this, I am confident that we will not see Zaheer, Toph, or Katara again. But what about Zuko? Maybe last season was his send off?
Zhu li is who we thought she was! I originally hypothesized she was working for Kuvira in order to get back at Varrick for being heartbroken and was going to destroy the weaponry or turn it against Kuvira at the climax, but I guess that type of thing is more for Anime. This was good enough!
What I Did Not Like!
Korra feeling weak in her own show. She was insufferably boring yet again. But I suppose that’s part of wrapping up Toph.
3 more episodes ;(
