Everything went to hell and back on The Legend of Korra season 3, episode 12, “Enter the Void,” and 13, “The Venom of the Red Lotus.” Read our recap and share your thoughts on that powerful season finale!

‘The Legend of Korra’ season 3, episode 12, ‘Enter the Void’

The best laid plans

On the airship with Tonraq, Lin, Suyin, Mako, Bolin, and Asami, Korra announces her decision to give herself over to Zaheer in order to save the Air Nation. The team is upset, but supportive. Suyin finds an opening in Zaheer’s demands that may allow them a way to save Korra.

Zaheer demands that Korra meet him at Laghima’s Peak alone – only then will he release the Airbenders. Suyin proposes that the group split up – Asami, Mako, and Bolin will retrieve the airbenders from the Temple, while Suyin, Lin, and Tonraq wait to overwhelm Zaheer before he can get away with Korra.

Meanwhile, Pabu and Naga are chilling with Grandma Yin in Zaufu.

Love and height-differences

At the Northern Air Temple, Zaheer meditates on Guru Laghima’s mantra to “let go your earthly tether” before his shrine. P’Li reports that the Airbenders are secure; the two discuss their love, and freedom, and their love of freedom.

It’s kind of moving, but also creepy as all get-out.

Liquified

Team Airship makes their goodbyes. Tonraq and Korra have an emotional parting, then Team Rescue goes its separate ways. Ghazan leads Mako, Bolin, and Asami to Tenzin and the hooded airbenders; when Zaheer threatens their lives, Korra surrenders herself to P’Li, who chains her in platinum shackles.

Ghazan lets Team Airship go to Tenzin, and Mako approaches the rows of airbenders. But as Tenzin weakly shakes his head, the acolytes’ robes dissolve into puddles as Ming-Hua releases their forms.

The waterbender grins wickedly, and attacks.

Boom

Mako radios Korra that they have been tricked. She tries to escape in spite of her chains, while Team Rescue vaults over the side of Laghima’s Peak and is quickly engaged by P’Li. Zaheer’s airship drifts away when Tonraq slices the tether, and Korra takes on Zaheer with her father.

But when Tonraq attempts to skewer the Airbender with a dagger of ice, Zaheer whips him up in a whirlwind. “Say hello to the Earth Queen for me!” he taunts, and flings Tonraq over the side of the mountain.

Lin and Suyin find themselves pinned down by P’Li. “I love you,” Lin tells her sister, and then races out to distract the crazy bender’s line of fire. P’li advances on Lin and gears up to fire – but Su metalbends her armor over the woman’s head.

All that’s left is a smoking crater.

Thing heat up

At the temple, Asami frees Tenzin while Ghazan and Ming-Hua attack the boys. Tenzin doesn’t know where the Airbenders are. Ghazan fills the room with lava and bounces with Ming-Hua. Having no other way out, Tenzin guides Bolin to carve a passage through the temple.

Team Airship proceeds down the secret passageway, pursued by flowing lava. Bolin keeps bending stop-gaps, but when they find themselves on the edge of the mountain, Bolin is forced to face the heat. He dives against the lava, and just before being engulfed by molten rock, manages to bend it back to solidity.

#lavabender

The void

Korra tries to take advantage of Zaheer’s brief distraction, but he quickly beats her into unconsciousness. With the airship gone, Lin and Suyin advance, telling him it’s over. With Korra slung across his shoulder, Zaheer recites the mantra once again – and steps off the cliff into nothingness.

Horrified, Lin and Su race over – only to find that Zaheer is hovering below the edge because he can freakin’ fly.

Zaheer zooms away with Korra. Toph’s daughters are shocked, as are Ghazan and Ming-Hua on the airship. Tonraq, dangling off the cliff from a Metalbender’s line, is devastated as he watches his daughter disappear through the air.

Reunion

In the nick of time, Kai appears on his bison to rescue Tenzin, Asami, Bolin, and Mako. The group piles onto his poor, overwhelmed baby bison. Behind them, the Norther Air Temple collapses.

The group lands below Laghima’s Peek, where Tonraq is being patched up by the metalbending captain Kuvira. The group scrambles for a plan, when Kai is finally able to tell them that the Airbenders have been taken to a group of caves. Uggi arrives, and the group flies off to rescue Korra.

Venom

In the caves, Zaheer tells Ming-Hua and Ghazan that he can fly, thanks to the death of P’Li – he has let go of his earthly tether.

Korra wakes up, stretched through chains. “Your pain will soon be over,” Zaheer says, and orders two members of the Red Lotus to “bring the poison.”

That doesn’t sound good.

Read on for our recap of the electrifying final chapter of ‘The Legend of Korra’ season 3, episode 13

‘The Legend of Korra’ season 3, episode 12 recap by Michal Schick.

‘The Legend of Korra’ season 3, episode 13, ‘Venom of the Red Lotus’

The end of the Avatar cycle

Korra threatens the lives of the Red Lotus, but Zaheer states that she’ll never be able to break the platinum chains. He reveals his plan to enter a poison into Korra’s body, thus forcing her into the Avatar State, and killing her while in it, making her “Korra, the last Avatar.”

Jinora’s spirit form hears Zaheer’s plan to assimilate all nations while ridding them of all of their world leaders, and reports back to the imprisoned Airbenders that they’re going to have to act quick to stop Zaheer (especially with the badly bruised Kya and Bumi barely hanging on).

The poison is water(metal?)-bent into Korra’s skin, and what follows is a gruesomely torture scene. While Zaheer’s lackies await Korra’s entering of the Avatar state, Zaheer comments that she’ll flicker in and out for a bit until she finally gives in.

Mission: Save the Airbenders

Tenzin, Lin and co. arrive at the caves where the Airbenders and Korra are being help captive. Su promises to come back out with all of their family and friends.

One of the creepiest sequences ever follows, where a delusional Korra imagines Zaheer, Ghazan, and Ming-Hua turning into Amon, Unalaq, and Vaatu, respectively. Seriously. Their skin crackles and twists into the shapes of Korra’s worst enemies. “Let go! Let go!” her specters eerily chant.

The captive Airbenders convince one of the guards to give them some water. Jinora airbends the guard’s clothes, shooting the keys over to Opal. Just as a guard sees her unlock her chains, Su and Asami lead a surprise attack on the guards, freeing the Airbenders. Hey, Bolin, that’s Opal’s mother you just pushed aside! And yes, Bryke. We did get Kai’s Jet reference (?!).

Jinora tells Tonraq that she’ll show the group to where Korra is. Speaking of the devil, Korra goes full Avatar state, ripping her chains off of the walls, disabling the Red Lotus; re: Korra full Super Saiyan. Korra and Zaheer fly off using their respective bending, leaving Bolin and Mako to fight Ghazan and Ming.

Sozin’s Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang

Korra tackles Zaheer midair, leading to one of her many harsh descents onto the ground. Nevertheless, the Avatar fire-jets back to the leader of the Red Lotus relentlessly. Tenzin is reuninted with his family as the group tries to think of a way to help Korra.

Bolin shows off his epic new lavabending against Ghazan. “So that’s how you got out of the temple. Let’s see what you’ve got!” taunts the Earthbender.

Korra takes many a hard hit from Zaheer’s airbending, but still attempts to squash him with a giant rock. When that fails, she jumps into a pool of water, effectively freezing his right foot. As Zaheer falls to the ground, the poison in Korra starts to take its deadly effect. “You can’t fight me and the poison,” the deranged man sneers.

Helping the Avatar

On the sidelines, Jinora takes the lead on a counterattack. “There haven’t been this many Airbenders in one place for a long time either. We have power together!” shouts the enthusiastic Jinora. The Airbenders form a circle, and start bending a giant vortex.

Ming trips from Mako’s big fire punches, disabling her water arms. She jumps below to an underground pool and waterbends a LOT of arms around her. “Now it’s over!” she shouts. Mako takes this opportunity to electrocute the crazy to high hell (it’s about time!).

Mako jumps back up and defeats Ghazan with Bolin. Ever the poor loser, Ghazan concaves the entire enclosure in lava. The brothers escape, leaving the Red Lotus lavabender to his doom.

Long live the Avatar

Zaheer gains the final upper hand and starts to bend the air out of Korra’s lungs. Suddenly, the air vortex Jinora and co. created envelope the Avatar and Zaheer. Both are sucked down inside, tumbling down to the Earth at a rapid pace.

Raava kicks in one final time, wrapping the chain still around Korra’s arm around Zaheeh. Korra smashes Zaheer into the ground (seriously, how is this guy still alive?), and the Metalbenders quickly imprison him in earth.

Korra’s dad rushes to his daughter. She realizes that her father survived his deadly fall, and then seems to lose the last life left in her eyes. Zaheer cackles that the poison has already been in her system for too long for her to survive any longer.

Jinora, ever the savant, informs Su that Korra can still be saved, with the statement, “The poison is metallic!” And save her, Su does. Korra shares a tender moment with her father, and Zaheer shouts that the Red Lotus’ work is already underway. Thanks for putting a sock in it, Sokka Bolin!

A new age of Airbenders

It’s two weeks later, and Korra is very damaged looking. As the Avatar sits in a wheelchair, Asami puts the broken woman together for a celebration in honor of Jinora. Asami tells Korra that she’s always going to be there for her.

Lord Zuko, President Raiko, Su, Lin, Kya, Tenzin, and Tonraq greet Korra with both encouragement and pity in their eyes. The president officially welcomes Korra back into Republic City. While Lin earthbends Korra up the staircase to the ceremony, Zuko comments that they still don’t know how many Red Lotus members are out there. President Raiko asks, “Who’s going to protect us while she’s in a wheelchair?”

The ceremony begins for Jinora’s anointment into Airbending Mastery. Tenzin thanks Korra for opening the spirit portals and laying her life on the line to protect the Airbenders. He then tells the assembly that the Air Nomads will reclaim their history and roam the Earth, essentially taking up the job of joint-Avatar whilst Korra’s out of commission.

Jinora takes off her hood, revealing her shaved head and arrow tattoos. She. Looks. Just. Like. Young. Aang. Tears are bent. Well done, Bryke.

‘The Legend of Korra’ season 3, episode 13 recap written by Mitchel Clow.