Nothing is the same in the first three episodes of The Legend of Korra season 3! Check out our recap of the premiere and share your thoughts!

Here’s what happened in the three-episode Legend of Korra season 3 premiere:

Episode 1: A Breath of Fresh Air

On Air Temple Island, Bumi discovers that he can airbend while falling to his death. At first unable to repeat his newly-discovered power, Bumi finally manages to airbend at dinner. The family is flabbergasted.

Enormous tangles of spirit-housing vines have sprouted up across Republic City. President Raiko and the press are angry at Korra, who insists that she just needs more time to fix the problem.

A skeptical Mako investigates a rogue instance of airbending. The man is, in fact, a new airbender. Terrified at his shocking power, he runs away.

After Asami takes Korra driving, Korra tries to spirit-bend the vines. It appears to work… but they then return with even more intensity, and Korra is forced to save the residents of an over-run building. (And she has an air glider!)

Korra cannot contact the past Avatars for help; she fears she has ruined everything. But Tenzin is thrilled, as Harmonic Convergence has revived the Air Nation. “You started a new age, Korra. There’s no going back now.”

The new airbender has gotten himself stuck at the top of Kyoshi Bridge. Korra calms him down, saves him from toppling off the bridge, and introduces him to Tenzin. Angry that she cannot get rid of the vines, President Raiko orders Korra to leave Republic City.

“Don’t worry,” she says, “I was already leaving.” Korra and Tenzin decide to find the new airbenders.

But at an intensely guarded prison, the White Lotus find one first – a prisoner called Zahir. He says the guards are blind to possibility of new realities, and escapes from the prison using violent airbending.

“It’s the dawning of a new age,” he says. “The end of the White Lotus – and soon, the end of the Avatar.”

Episode 2: Rebirth

Korra, Tenzin, Bolin, and Jinora search of Airbenders on Asami’s airship. Mako reluctantly joins them when Bolin convinces him to come meet their grandmother in the Earth Kingdom city.

Korra and co meet a new Airbender at a small Earth Kingdom town. The man refuses to leave his life and family to rebuild the Air Nation, confounding Korra and Tenzin, and the rest of the search is equally disastrous. Korra takes over, but winds up in a failed argument about responsibility with a hipster named Ryu.

Discouraged, Team Avatar puts on a showy airbending display for another small town. The pomp works on one young boy named Kai. He says his parents were killed as they saved their town from outlaws. Bolin and the crew instantly adopt him, but a crew of “outlaws” arrive and demand they release Kai.

Korra fights the men, but they reveal that they are the sheriff and deputies. Kai is a runaway and a thief, though he claims having Airbending has changed him. Korra decides to take responsibility for him. Mako is not impressed by his act, though Jinora definitely is.

Zahir frees another heavily guarded prisoner named Gazan, who can turn earth into lava. Zahir says that their path is righteous. Later, at another crazypants-complicated prison, Zahir and Gazan rescue an armless Waterbender named Ming-Hua.

Three down, one to go.

The White Lotus tells Lord Zuko that the criminals have escaped. He sends word to Lin that Korra must be protected, and takes off on a dragon like a total BAMF.

Episode 3: The Earth Queen

As Team Avatar reaches Ba Sing Se, Bumi and Kai practice airbending, with Jinora’s guidance. Tenzin states that the Earth Queen can be “quite… demanding,” while Bolin exclaims “this is where dad grew up!”

Unfortunately, Bolin’s high expectations are met with a smelly slummy part of the Earth Kingdom, the Middle Ring. At Earth Kingdom temple in the Upper Ring, grand secretary Gung immediately states the Queen’s distaste for animals. Amongst Gung’s rambling of the Queens many rules, Kai sneaks off to steal the shiny jewels of the Earth Kingdom.

The Earth Queen’s introduction to Korra happens during the matriarch’s hissy fit about some grounds construction. Korra isn’t able to ask any favors of the Queen, who’s sour over Zuko and Aang’s treatment of the Earth Kingdom. The Queen is suspicious about Korra’s intentions, so she sends the Avatar on a fetch quest of tax money to prove her loyalty.

The group notices that Kai had disappeared, leaving Bolin and Mako to search for the young boy. Kai uses his airbending to steal from people on the street, and then runs from Bolin and Mako. Kai gives B and M the slip on a train to the seedy Middle Ring, where the two get stuck. Bolin states “The bad news is: we’re stuck here. The good news is: you can go to the bathroom wherever you want!”

B and M are forced to sleep on the streets that night, just like in their childhood. In the mean time, Kai is living in luxury in a hotel.

When Bolin suggests that they steal some fruit, the store’s tenant tackles the two. Suddenly, B and M’s uncle recognizes the orphaned benders. B and M catch up with their long-lost family, including their grandmother Yinh. Unfortunately, the two boys have to break the news about their parent’s death to the group. Yinh shows the boys a letter from their father, Sanh, that talks of B and M’s birth. Mako gives his grandmother his precious red scarf.

Korra’s cousins Desna and Eska are sitting royally on their ice thrones when approached by Zuko to go check on a secret ice prison in the Western Tundra. Later at the prison, Zuko reflects on the firebender Pali’s likeness to Sparky-Sparky-Boom-Man. The cold of the prison prevents Pali from using her dangerous firebending.

As Asami and Korra arrive to pick up the tax shipment, a flare is sent off into the sky. Bandits on motorcycles approach the Avatar. A fight breaks out (go Asami ninja kicks!), garnering a warning from the bandits that the gold belongs to the people, not the Queen.

Korra confronts the Queen, asking to see any of the existing Airbenders in Ba Sing Se. When the Queen blows Korra off, the Avatar shouts at the Queen, telling her that she’ll find the Airbenders.

M and B reference their quest to find Airbenders in town, and a story is told about Dai Li agents taking an airbendering neighbor to the capital for experiments. Kai walks down the wrong alleyway, and is taken by said Dai Li agents into a prison of future airbending soldiers.

What did you think of the ‘Legend of Korra’ season 3 premiere?

Additional reporting: Mitchel Clow