Waterbending was the highlight of last night’s epic two episodes of The Legend of Korra season 3. Check out all of the action in our GIF recap!
The Legend of Korra season 3, episode 4, “In Harm’s Way”:
The episode opens as Zuko arrives at the ice prison, just as the escaped prisoners begin their attack to free Sparky’s relative, P’Li.
Wow, Ming-Hua, that armless Waterbender, is awesome!
Ming-Hua makes her way into the prison, freeing the dangerous Firebender P’Li. P’Li then protects the two from Zuko’s dragon’s fireblast.
Zuko and Korra’s father take some hard hits, and the freed Firebender kisses the bearded convict, Zaheer.
Back at the Earth Kingdom, Bolin and Mako leave their newfound family, vowing to stop the powerhungry Earth Queen.
Korra spars with Asami, shouting her frustrations at not being able to get through to the Earth Queen, when M and B show up and catch up the girls. The Queen comes to tell Team Avatar of some Airbenders, and goes into a fit of sneezes from a hiding Pabu.
Team Avatar gathers together and wonders where Kai may have gotten off to. Korra makes a promise to find the missing Airbenders, whom Mako suggests will probably be underneath a nearby lake. Jinora offers to use her connection with the Spirit World to sneak into the prison.
At the Airbender prison, Kai and the other prisoners learn how to use their newfound bending. Jinora meditates on a sand bar, and travels into the depths of the lake, only not to find the prisoners. Korra suggests that Jinora finds Kai the same way the young Airbender did when the Avatar was lost.
Back at the training, Kai gets thrown in a secluded prison for saving a timid prisoner from oncoming Earth discs. Jinora’s spirit finds Kai, promising him that she’ll find a way out. She discovers that the prisoners are being kept beneath the Earth Queen’s temple, which prompts Team Avatar to make a plan for a siege.
Lin arrives with the news of the escaped convicts. Korra learns that these criminals tried to capture Korra back when she was discovered as being the Avatar as a child. Korra refuses to run from the convicts, choosing to stay and bust out the prisoner Airbenders.
Jinora distracts the guards, allowing Team Avatar to sneak into the bellows of the prison. Bumi and Korra go with Tenzin to rescue the Airbenders, leaving M, B and Jinora to look for Kai. As Tenzin and co save the Airbenders, Jinora kisses Kai on the cheek.
Kai apologizes to M and B for putting them in such danger. Jinora’s crew is captured, while Tenzin’s finds itself trapped by the Earth Queen’s army. Korra initiates a fight, which is overpowered by the strength of the new Airbenders. Meanwhile, B and M take down the Earthbenders, and Kai saves Jinora from being captured. Team Avatar makes their escape with the entire of the Earth Queen’s prisoners.
The sun rises, and Tenzin tells the new Airbenders on how their newfound freedom. Many choose to train under Tenzin at the Northern Air Temple.
Korra parts from Tenzin, vowing to send over any new Airbenders she happens upon.
The Legend of Korra season 3, episode 5, “The Metal Clan”:
Naga makes a much needed appearance while playing fetch with Korra, who is scolded by Lin for not doing her best to avoid the criminals. Asami tells the group that it’s been radioed in that there’s another Airbender in Zaofu, an all-metal city. Lin is noticeably sour about journeying into the city.
Korra, M, B, and Asami are greeted by an Iway to meet the Airbender.
Back at Air Temple Island, Ikki gives the new Airbenders a tour of the grounds. Yuru, a shady new Airbender, knocks on the door. It’s obvious that this guy is up to no good.
While traveling through Zaofu, Toph is mentioned as searching the world in search of enlightenment. Cue gorgeous long shot music. Seriously, this is some of the best stuff we’ve heard in The Legend of Korra so far.
Team Avatar witnesses a beautiful metalbending dance routine, and are introduced to Suyin, the matriarch of Zaofu.
We’re then re-introduced to the lie detecting bending Toph introduced. A bombshell is dropped that Su is Lin’s half-sister. “Same mom, different dads.” Get it, Toph!
The half-sisters haven’t talked in over 30 years, and argue about how their family became torn apart. Su’s daughter is revealed to be the new Airbender. Su’s two sons are shown playing a new metalbending game they created.
Huon, another of Su’s children, is shown bending metal into sculptures. Finally, we meet the new Airbender, Opal, who takes a great liking to Bolin. BOpal? Korra offers to train Opal back at the Northern Air Temple, but Su insists that Korra does so here, and that the group need not worry about security here.
Korra and Opal partake in a gorgeous representation of Studio Mir’s animation and painting via an Airbending lesson.
At the Air Temple, Meelo oversees the Airbenders “being the leaf,” with the sketchy Yuru exceeding at both leafing and creeping.
At Su’s dinner, we’re introduced to Su’s architect of a husband, Batar. Lin notes that Su has five kids, and comments that Toph used to say that her children were a blessing too. Bolin woos Opal by relating his exciting life, and Korra and Su commiserate about the horribleness of the Earth Queen. Out of left field, Varrick shows up to dinner. What. He’s an old friend of Su, and is in business with her to get a high speed rail run by magnets up and running. Lin is infuriated that Su would hold up a criminal when also hosting the Avatar.
M and B chat about Bolin’s varied tastes in women briefly in the bathroom.
Su and Korra share the details of the former’s childhood. Toph gave her kids childhoods without rules, but never introduced their fathers to them. Su acted out, doing everything from sailing around on a pirate ship to joining a circus, until finally settling down for a family.
Outside, Bolin attempts to impress Opal, and apologizes for acting stupid around her. “Do me a favor and stop trying… Be yourself,” says Opal, as the two near a kiss, interrupted by Korra.
Yuro is reading a poem from a great Airbender while sneaking around the temple when caught by Ikki, and then questioned by Kya. She jumps on the offense, chasing him outside in an epic battle of air and water. Fieebending guards fail to stop who is revealed to be a bald Zaheer, and as Kya tries to give him one last hit, she’s hit with a strong air burst. Having gathered his desired information about the Avatar’s whereabouts, Zaheer soars off on an Aang-like air glider.
Opal tells Lin that she’s sad how Lin doesn’t want to get to know her. Lin shouts at her to get out, leading to a confrontation between Korra and the Metalbender. The episode closes as Lin cries alone in her room.
‘The Legend of Korra’ season 3 online
The episodes airing tonight on TV will not be put online in any official manner, at least not immediately. However, the official The Legend of Korra Tumblr page has announced that the first three episodes of season 3 will soon be made available online. It is our hope that Nick follows suit with this in putting the rest of The Legend of Korra season 3 online.
While waiting for Nick to release the whole of The Legend of Korra season 3 episodes on Amazon Instant, iTunes, or even their own website, you can still catch all of The Legend of Korra seasons 1 and 2 online in their entirety on Nick’s website.