Our The Legend of Korra season 2, episode 3 ‘Civil Wars, Part 1’ recap goes in depth of all of the details of tonight’s exciting episode!

The Legend of Korra season 2, episode 3 ‘Civil Wars, Part 1’

The episode opens up as the Northern Water Tribe troops tell the Southern Water Tribe residents to get into their homes, using forcful bending to move the people out of the way. A giant wall of ice is made on the shore, as Unalaq tells Korra that this is happeneing to protect the portal that was just opened. He also tells her that she has to go and open up the Northern Water Tribe’s portal to further untie the world.

Cut to the Southern Air Temple with Tenzin and his family. Kya and Bumi tell Tenzin that the family vacations he’s thinking of as group events were just with Aang and Tenzin. Meelo comically asks Bumi if “he has a baby in there?” referencing Bumi’s belly.

Pema notices that Ikki is gone, and Meelo explains that the shark squid almost attacked them, exciting Bumi. Pema calls out the two airkids for teasing their sister, to which Meelo responds that she ran away. The group decides that they’re going to go find her.

Back at the Southern Water Tribe, Tonraq holds a meeting in his house. Varrick speaks out at the meeting, complaining about his cargo that’s rotting due to the embargo. Korra explains Unalaq’s reasoning, to which Varrick responds that he is just looking to gain the wealth of the Sothern Water Tribe. Varrick riles the group up into wanting a war.

Tonraq asks Korra to try and reason with Unalaq, after which she leaves to do so. Varrick reiterates that war is coming.

Bolin is carrying the twins on a carriage as they jokingly reflect that they will miss the Southern Water Tribe. Bolin thinks that he won’t be with Eska anymore, but she states that they’ll “live the rest of their lives together in icy bliss.” Mako arrives and tells an upset Bolin to break up with her. “Just tell her that you’re not that into her anymore,” he says. “Ending a relationship is kinda like pulling off a blood-sucking leech.” Bolin comments that Mako’s good at breaking girls’ hearts.

Korra approaches Unalaq at his throne and tells him that his troops are sending the wrong message. She relates that the Southern Water Tribe is looking to cause war, to which Unalaq states that this would cause a world-wide war, which would then lead to upsetting spirits, and end in catastrophic results.

Korra is confused as to how she is to remain neutral in the coming war, to which Unalaq tells her it’s her duty as the Avatar.

Back on the streets of the Southern Water Tribe, snowballs are thrown by children at patrolling soldiers. The soldiers attack the children, leading to a standoff between the adults of both tribes. Korra arrives on Naga and tells them to stop the battling. A young girl angrily throws a snowball at Korra and calls her the worst Avatar ever. Korra’s father breaks up the fighting by telling his friends that the fight isn’t worth the trouble. Korra exits the scene without saying anything.

Tenzin is then shown shouting for Ikki, while Bumi angers him by pretending to be her. The Kataang kids begin to talk, in which Kya states Tenzin isn’t being a good father. Kya says that Tenzin is too much like their father in that he’s too invested in saving the world to raise his kids properly. Tenzin blows her off, leading to Kya stating that he’s avoiding conflict.

Korra arrives home to Mako. “How’s your day sweetie?” and “Do you want advice or am I supposed to listen? Still not clear on that,” come out of Mako’s reluctant mouth. Mako suggests that they go out to dinner to relax, leading to an awkward situation with the twins and Bolin at the dinner. When the twins get up to get more food, Bolin states that he needs to be saved, in that Eska is threatening him whenever he tries to talk about breaking up.

It’s now nighttime, and Bumi relates of a Ba Sing Sei mission with grandiose lathered on. Tenzin explodes on him in the middle of his story, and Bumi calls him out for having “the Avatar abandon him.” Kya calls off their argument to state that she has found footprints. Bumi takes a dangerous path near a waterfall, and Kya and Tenzin reluctantly follow. They arrive at the base faster than Bumi via their bending powers, to which they tease Bumi. Bumi falls to the bottom of the waterfall in a crash.

Korra rushes into her mother’s house, and the two start to talk about their family being torn apart. Korra states that she feels hurt because of how her father lied to her for her whole life. Her mother relates that they were only trying to give her a normal childhood, to which Korra responds that Unalaq is the only one still on her side. Her mom states that the Southern and Northern Water Tribes’ fight has been going since before she was born, with Varrick planning the battle for a while with Korra’s father.

Korra angrily runs off to Unalaq upon hearing this news, and finds his guards knocked out. Korra’s father is shown carrying off Unalaq, the latter being unconscious.

Kora tells her father to not do this, while another Southern Tribe member fends off Korra by telling her to quit. Korra retaliates by saying that she doesn’t want to hurt them. She tries to run away, but is eventually forced to disable all of the benders by using things like cloth and rope. She runs outside to see her dad trying to escape on a snowmobile, leading to her Waterbending to stop the vehicle. It’s then revealed that the man holding her uncle isn’t her father.

The captors are arrested, and Korra states that all of the men that attacked her should stand trial. Unalaq says that he will honor the Avatar’s wishes.

Back at the waterfall, Kya lectures Bumi that he shouldn’t have tried to take the path he did as a non-bender, all while water-healing him. When he offends her, Tenzin takes Kya’s side in saying that Bumi’s immature. Kya turns Tenzin and verbally attacks him, stating that he wasn’t around when Aang died to take care of Katara. The three fight over who should’ve been the ones training Korra, ending when Tenzin tells them to go back home so he can continue to look for Ikki himself.

The day after, Korra rushes to her parent’s house and begins to cry when her mom asks if she’s okay. She relates that she is really happy that her parents didn’t have anything to do with the previous day’s criminal activities. Korra and her father apologize to each other, while her mother explains that their simple life ended when Korra was discovered as being the Avatar.

The episode ends as Unalaq arrives at their home to tell her parents that they are under arrest for conspiring to assassinate the Southern Water Tribe’s leader.

“Civil Wars, Part 2” will air next Friday at 7 pm on Nickelodeon. In the meantime, check out SeptBender, Hypable’s celebration of all things Legend of Korra, which carries on through the month of September!