K103 The Revelation
After the first two episodes were great introductions into the world 70 years on from ATLA and all the new characters and concepts, it was always going to be crucial to see where the show would go with episode 3. In Avatar The Last Airbender the 2 part opener was followed by “The Southern Air Temple” which while an amazing episode was not heavy on plot, but great on more character development, but with Korra having a shorter season we get straight into the plot here in a big way. I am really liking this series so much because of this, it is getting right into the meat of the series early on and it makes the show so fascinating and it means the show has a certain intensity that ATLA did not. This episode can be broken down into two main points: more development on Mako and Bolin and our big introduction into Amon and The Equalists.
So starting with “The Fabulous Bending Brothers”. We met them both in episode 2, but the focus was more on the pro bending itself then. Here we got a chance to see the brothers in a less frantic setting, not preparing for a match or worrying about Korra being a beginner player. The big thing was the interaction between the two brothers, we got it very clear that Mako is the one that looks after them both, he is the serious one who knows what needs to be done for them to survive, but what was very interesting is that Bolin is aware of this and is really looking for his opportunity to stand on his own and help the group on his own without Mako’s help. Coming back to Mako we find out that the death of their parents has had a big impact on the two, and after what he mentions to Korra about them working for the Triple threats when they were younger ” I did what I had to do to survive and protect my little brother” this along with his other line ” I will work something out, I always do” tell you everything about him in the relationship of the two. He is protective of his brother and it will be interesting to see how they both develop going forward, will Bolin learn to fend for himself and will Mako allow him to do so. I think the addition of Korra into their group is going to be important for both, she is going to make Mako a bit more spontaneous and if indeed they join her in the fight against the Equalists it may give Bolin the opportunity to be important, be a hero almost.
Later on in the episode when Bolin is brought before Amon, he is just about to have his bending taken away, this scene and what Bolin says to Amon shows you ATM how much Bolin depends on others especially Mako, he knows he cannot beat Amon and has to resort to his one strength, he is a bit of a charmer , a nice guy “Hello, Amon, Sir, I think there has been a big misunderstanding” this is all he can do. He had a lot to work on in terms of developing and his development more so than any other character is fascinating, just because of how he really needs to toughen up outside the arena.
We also see that Mako is not just the Pro Bending team captain, but also the leader of this little group, he comes up with the plan to free Bolin, he figures out the puzzle with the leaflets. It was also interesting to see the small hints at a developing relationship between Mako and Korra, she clearly likes him a lot, but he is a bit oblivious, but the moments like him enjoying her calling him “City Boy” both of their reactions to waking up sitting next to each other show that it is not completely one sided.
Before I get into the big Amon and Equalist plot point I want to make a few comments on some nice world building moments. Mako being able to generate lightning and the way they use the fact that they need money to show off that that is how the world has electricity now, and also how common Lightning generation is now, nearly every firebender can do it. Skoochy was a big high point of the episode for me, just seeing that quite common type of character, but done very well here with the way Mako knows exactly how to get the info out of him. The references to the other bending gangs: Triple Threats, Red Monsoons and Agni Kai’s it will be interesting to see if they are developed more. The subtle way they showed us Zuko’s statue, no character mentioned it, but the shot panning with the focus on it was a fantastic reference. Pabu was really great, and is definitely the Momo-esque character, I loved “THE LADDER OF PERIL….. UPSIDE DOWN“.
Now onto the big talking point of this episode, Amon and The Equalists. I thought it was a brilliant way to set up how Korra could get info on Amon before just finding out in the middle of a fight. It was shocking to see just how many people were present at the meeting, this is no small movement, it is growing and now after this episode it will be more public, it is truly a problem in the city. On Amon himself, the first thing that jumped out at me was how great of a public speaker Amon is, the way he got the crowd even more on his side with the tale of his backstory, vilifying the benders, it will be interesting to see if the conflict becomes more of a media battle as Korra is not a good public speaker at all and is not good at getting her point across anyway. Another thing to note here was that, can you believe everything Amon said, it appears that he is in fact a bender given that he can Energybend (more on this later). Then what he says about the spirits giving him power, because the Avatar has failed, Korra is still in training and has not yet done anything. This was a fantastic introduction of Amon and the Equalist movement in general, it sets them up as such a powerful force in that they managed to head straight into the middle of a bending gang turf war after they had recruited extra muscle and still come out with the leader of the Triple Threats.
Now onto the topic of Energybending, IMO Amon is in fact Energybending. The main reason is when he does it to Lightning Bolt Zolt, he is still in the process of Lightning bending, and as Amon starts the technique the lightning powers down into Fire and then into nothing. This gradual power down goes against what we know about Chi Blocking (Punch in a certain spot on the arm and Instantly that arm cannot bend for a while), it seemed to be him bending Zolt’s energy. As for the way he did the technique (hand positions) he did have one hand on the forehead and he did for a second have his other hand on his back, as if he was touching the Heart from the back. The key point would be how exactly he learned the ability, and in the final scene Tenzin seems to know more than he is telling Korra, as if he knows that the ability is not just exclusive to the Avatar, but does not know where Amon got it from.
My final point is about Tenzin’s final line “No Bender is safe”, it is so true, now that Amon is more or less public. It adds so much danger to the rest of the series, especially with the Airbenders being so few in number that adds so much tension if Amon ever targets Air Temple Island.
In summary, a fantastic episode to follow up the introductory first 2 episodes. It sets up the plot and adds so much intensity into the series and we still have a Pro Bending championship to see and characters like the Sato’s to meet. I am unbelievably excited to see more Korra.
