Characters and fans alike took a trip down memory lane in The Legend of Korra season 4, episode 8. Check out our recap and share your thoughts on “Remembrances”!
Tough love
Prince Wu asks Mako to toughen him up, much to Grandma Yin’s dismay. Wu admits that he is weak, and realizes that he literally knows nothing about Mako. Wu is thrilled when Mako mentions dating Korra, and demands to know the dirt.
Mako remembers his first meeting with the Avatar at the pro-bending arena. He and Wu accompany the memory with commentary in chibi bubbles, soon jouned by Grandma Yin and Mako’s cousin Tu.
After breaking up with Asami – “It was mutual!” he tells the skeptical Wu and Tu. “We had an understanding!” – Mako recounts getting together with Korra. But it wasn’t happily ever after, and Mako’s Book 2 behaviors of bouncing between Korra and Asami exasperates his peanut gallery.
“It’s like you’re so afraid of disappointing anyone that you wind up disappointing everyone,” Tu observes. He and Wu share a high-five over the truth bomb.
Ultimately, Mako admits that he had to get to know himself without a girl in his life. He and Korra worked together to defeat Zaheer as friends.
“Korra showed me the importance of putting others before myself,” he says. “And whenever I think of her, she continues to inspire me.”
Wu takes away from this that “ladies are complicated,” and crumples under Mako’s next punch.
Tell her about it
Worried about her girlfriend, Asami brings Korra tea. Korra admits to being preoccupied by Toph’s opinion that the world doesn’t need the Avatar, and it’s pointless to try and stop Kuvira.
Korra has become disillusioned from her childhood hopes of changing the world as the Avatar. Every time she defeats one enemy, another one rises up to cause chaos.
Asami reminds Korra that facing Amon, Vaatu, and Zaheer has led to great things. The defeat of Amon led to free elections in Republic City and equality for non-benders, while the opening of the Spirit Portals revived the Air Nation.
Korra points out that bringing back the airbenders also gave Zaheer that power, leading to her incapacitation and the Earth Queen’s death. If the Earth Queen was still in power, Kuvira wouldn’t be in power.
“Things are more out of balance than ever,” Korra cries. “Nothing’s changed!”
“You’re right, Korra,” Tenzin says, coming up behind her. He agrees that there will always be new enemies – but the important thing is to learn from them and grow, as Korra indisputable has.
“You’ve matured into a thoughtful young woman who puts the needs of others before herself,” he says. Korra is an inspiration to the world.
Touched, Korra thanks Tenzin and Asami. “I know this Kuvira problem is only going to get worse,” she says. “But no matter what happens, no matter how crazy things get, I’ll always try to restore balance.”
The movie version
On their boring tugboat ride back to Republic City, Varrick tells Bolin and the escaped prisoners “the most exciting tale ever told.” The idea is for his next mover will star Bolin as “Nuktuk, Hero of the South, in the Incredible True Story of Bolin, Hero of the World!”
Having done so much of Kuvira’s dirty work, Bolin is skeptical about his continued value as a hero. Varrick is undeterred and launches into his version of the previous three books.
When Korra is trapped in the Spirit World, Zaheer, Vaatu, and Zombie-Amon (and to the latters’ annoyance, Unaloq) hold an evil conference call to take down Bolin. But thanks to Varrick’s genius and a flight-giving kiss from Opal, Bolin teaches the airbenders how to turn Zaheer into wind.
Then giant-spirit-Bolin fights UnaVaatu in Republic City, which attracts the Queen of the Fairies, who turns Vaatu into spirit dust.
“And that’s where the stars come from,” Varrick says dreamily, tacking on an ending where Bolin turns into a dragon and saves Korra.
Bolin is utterly flummoxed by the story’s plot-holes and spirits-ex-machina, but Varrick advises him not to let the truth get in the way of a good story.