For the newbs:
Hi, nice to meet you! This is my Korra diary, where I journal all of my crazy capslocks THOUGHTS and FEELINGS about the latest episode of The Legend of Korra. I also have a lot of fun trying to predict what will happen next. I don’t always make a whole lot of sense out of context, and without having seen/watching the episode with it, it makes almost zero sense. Savvy? Coolcoolcool.

For the others:
Hey, people read this? Awesome! You know the drill.

Okay, so you know how last time I was talking about “finally we’re getting some great set up for the main issues of the season to really take off,” blah blah blah?
WELL, I FRIGGIN’ CALLED IT!!!

On To The Episode!

In the sepia newsreel:
The 100-Year War is gone, but we’ve got Equalists now.
Chief Beifong … got pwned last time. Poor baby.
Tarlok trying to get rid of Beifong(/replace her as police chief? That’s my theory)

Cut to: Korra running through policedonotcross tape around the arena

Oh, the boys live in the arena.
Weird. I mean, they mentioned paying rent to the arena guy, but I guess I didn’t put it together that they just… lived… in the arena.
Anyway, they can’t live in a crime scene.
Now they’re gonna room with Korra?
Jk.
Asami.

Oh, she’s here.
I am as allergic to Asami as Korra is.

“I dunno. I have some Avatar stuff to do”
Good cover, Korra. No one will peg that as a pathetic excuse to not be within 15 feet of Asami.

Bolin uses Pabu as a dummy to convince Korra to visit them at Asami’s place.
He’s not a very good ventriloquist.

Cut to: Police uncovering Cabbage Corp’s holds of illegal Equalist stuff.
I always knew they would bring the cabbage merchant back. They just had to.

THEY ARRESTED THE CABBAGE MERCHANT!!!
I mean, this should not be a surprise, I guess.
What else would you do with an obvious Amon supporter?
I just … never expected it from the Cabbage Man.

Cut to: The Police Station, where Tenzin and Beifong are questioning witnesses

Tanno looks like he’s drying out in rehab.
I guess no bending = no hair gel.

Korra’s sorry about Tanno’s bending being gone.
Because she’s a good kid/ready to piss her pants in fear over her bending being taken.
(I know they can’t/won’t really do that, but wouldn’t it be a great twist, if they took Korra’s bending?)

OHH, MAYBE TANNO CAN HAVE A TURN AROUND!
Can he please be part of their team and infiltrate the Equalists and stuff!!!!
Maybe he can fall in love with Korra (although really, Korra never needs more people in love with her).
Better if she falls for him.
The writers will never do this, BUT I CAN DREAM, OKAY?!

Mr. Sato and the council talking

Now they’re talking to Tanno.
Maybe he will turn out to be a good egg. That would be great.

Cut to: The bros and Asami in Asami’s pool.

Asami didn’t ask for her dad’s permission.
Ooh, she’s SUCH a little rebel.

Bo’s having too much fun with the manservant.
Poor manservant.

Bolin wants a makeover.

Asami wants to drag race.
Because she’s SUCH a rebel.

Korra and Asami driving.
Uh-oh
Dirty glance, the other driver is going to try and kill Korra! (Please?!)
Maybe Asami’s in on it?
PLEASE!!

I need Asami to be a real person.
I think this drag racing/not asking her dad for permission thing is their attempt.
It’s … better than nothing, I guess.

She likes to check people when she drives (I don’t actually know what they call that. Whatever. I watch hockey).
But no wonder she ran over Mako.

She and Korra have a conversation about how Asami isn’t a prissy little girl who can’t defend herself, and her dad bought her self-defense classes and she likes to mix it up when she drives
AND SHE’S A TOUGH GIRL, CAN’T YOU TELL?
…
Clearly, I’m less than convinced.

Cut to: Back at the Sato Mansion

Bo has a tiny bladder, apparently.

Korra goes to the ladies and contemplates makeup.
Korra, don’t put on the makeup
That will only end in horror
Writers, please don’t let this go to a Bridget Jones Tarts and Vicars place.
I won’t be able to handle it.

Oh, she just only nearly choked herself on powder, nbd.

Mr. Sato is in league with Amon!!!

Okay, so maybe Asami will have something cool to do.
Finally!!!!
Maybe she can grow a personality!

Korra running out of the mansion.
Her excuse:
“I have to Air Sit, I mean, Baby Bend, I mean, Baby Sit the air bender kids.”

Cut to: Korra talking to Chief B and Tenzin

Apparently Sato has funky history with fire Triad gangs.
As in, they destroyed some of his holdings and killed his wife.
HE’S AN EQUALIST!!

Cut to: The Sato Mansion (Reprise)

Mako and Asami are mad about Korra’s accusations.
Duh.
No one gets to be a teen hero without their friends getting mad at them for unveiling the truth and abandoning them first.
It’s a rule.

“My father is innocent!”
Asami, you’re not a smarty-pants, are you?
And I can imagine the rational people being like, “Borah, she has to believe that. He’s her dad! It’s not an issue of intelligence.”
And.. I know (if you can’t tell, I’m whining).
But I just… can’t stand how predictable she is.
She’s a pretty, fake-tough girl, who’s universally, indiscriminately nice, and REALLY ANNOYINGLY IDEALIZED.
I need her to do something unexpected or horrible or awesome.
Really, anything to convince me that she’s more than just The Girl Mako Should Go For, But Also The One He Won’t End Up With (because he doesn’t actually like her and he’s meant to be with Korra).
My money’s on me never warming up to her.

But Korra is also big on jumping on conclusions over half an overheard phone convo.
But I’m hoping that she’s right.
Because I want Sato and Asami to be INTERESTING, GOSH DARN IT!

Sato says it’s a big misunderstanding and Beifong and Tenzin have permission to search everything.
I say: Check his Cayman Island account.

Asami’s being obnoxious.

Mako, this is not all about you.

FRIENDSHIP ULTIMANUMS!!!
Firebrat tells Korra to stop chasing the investigation or they’re not friends anymore.
No, Mako, you’re a dumbbutt (pshaw. Yeah, that’s a real word. Google it).

Cut to: The Police Searching Future Industry’s Factories

They’re turning up nothing, and Beifong’s under major scrutiny.
Curse you, Tarlok, evil wizard of media spin!

Significant glances and notes from random factory workers.

Ooh! He slipped Korra a note about meeting him to get the truth.
Of course, he could also be setting an Equalist trap for her

Cut to: Chief B, Tenzin, and Korra in a creepy part of town

I love hearing “Psst. Over here” from under bridges.

This wannawearawatch guy is confirming
SATO HAS A SECRET FACTORY UNDER THE SATO MANSION!

Cut to: A helicopter? Dirigible, my b, with Chief B, T, and K in it.

Beifong’s job is on the line
But thankfully, she’s got her priorities straight and is going after Sato anyway.
Attagirl.

Cut to: Sato Mansion Strikes Back

Beifong barging in!

The police force in their metal suits sounds like a troop of tap dancers.

BEIFONG HAS TOPHS EARTH FOOT VIBRATION VISION!!!!
Awesome.
Always knew I liked her.

They found the underground tunnel to the secret factory!

Korra’s the first to say sorry to Asami.
That’s nice of her.
Maybe they’ll end up friends and Asami will stop being cold and dead inside (WRITERS, CAN YOU HEAR ME?)

Beifong orders the bros and Asami to stay topside.
Yeah, that’s gonna work.

Comment from my broski (my brother, Luke, coolest 14 yo ever): “Maybe he just has a secret factory, but isn’t an Equalist.”
LARGE POSTERS OF AMON LOOM.
“…. Maybe not.”

THEY HAVE TRANSFORMERS!!!!
By which I mean, huge robot people shells.

Cut to: Back at the Entrance of the Secret Sato Factory.

The bros are going to sneak down there (duh.)

Good fake sneeze/fire bend, Mako. Don’t quit your day job, kid.

Bo IS HYSTERICAL.

Mako: “Asami, you should stay here, so that I can be chivalrous for you. And you can be the sissy you pretend not to be.”*
Asami: “But I have to know the truth.”
Mako: “That’s why I’m going down there to find out for you.”
*That’s not actually what he said, but that’s what I heard.

Cut to: Back Underground.

Apparently, earth benders cannot bend platinum?
Weird.
They say Toph couldn’t, and maybe it came up, but I’m not remembering it at all.

OH MY GOD, COULD SATO BE AMON!!!
I mean, probably not, otherwise he wouldn’t need his platinum body suit.

He lured them down on purpose (is Amon finally ready to harvest them? Because the man seems to be big on delayed gratification).

THEY’RE FIGHTING THE SUITS!!!
Beifong is my personal hero.
The suits have tasers!
Korra’s getting her tush whooped.
According to Luke: “Jukefest by Tenzin!”
I agree.
Our big three are down for the count.

I guess it’s up to the Fire Ferrets to save the day.

So Sato’s definitely not Amon, but he could be his left-hand man (or 3rd in command, or runner up for 2nd in command, or CFO or whatever)

Bo grabs Tenzin, obs Mako carries Korra.
Duh.
Cause he loves her.

Sato hates Mako’s fire bending, street rat guts.
At this point in the series, Mako is both Batman and Aladdin.

ASAMI, JOIN YOUR FATHER!!!

Oh, her mom died from benders.

He’s handing her a taser glove.

She’s not gonna, she’s gonna use it on her dad.

FRIGGIN’ CALLED IT!!!
Dang it, Asami! Surprise me, please!

Boring.
The suits are gonna get them.
Nah, they escaped.

Oh god, I wished I didn’t hate Asami.

Beifong wants to resign!
No!!!

Oh, she wants to take down Amon “outside the law”
I love her, but it’s a terrible idea.

But then Tarlok would be police chief. No!!!

Now Korra’s (as in, actually Tenzin, but I guess all of the social ramifications are for Korra) going to house all of them.

And the triangle continues as Korra says that Asami’s going to need Mako.
NOOOO!!!
Mako, stop walking toward Asami.
Mako, stop being a dutiful idiot!!!!
Stop it.
Stop it, right now, buster.

That was the end of the episode: Mako holding Asami, Korra looking on.

I think this is where the season is really going to start taking off.
We’ve started to see Amon and The Equalists (can we start this band, please?) as a more pervasive issue, his cronies (if not the man himself) are ready to battle the Avatar, so the waiting game seems to be over (which would be great, because it was driving me nuts), all the Fire Ferrets and Asami are going to start living together on Airbender Island, so the team is going to solidify some more (/have more chances for complicated interactions), and Asami now has the opportunity to grow a soul.

I’m not going to lie—while I was crazy engaged before (and super committed to loving the crud out of this show), I was really uncomfortably aware of the fact that it wasn’t as sparkly magical unicorn good as the original Avatar: The Last Airbender. There’s been plenty of funny, but less of the poignancy that made the later seasons of Avatar capslocks AMAZING (Korra also started out spending a lot of time on a love triangle that felt silly and trivial and Amon kept being all, “it’s not time yet, the season finale stars have not aligned yet,” which, fine—but it doesn’t make for a very urgent Big Bad problem).
I was starting to get a little worried that it wouldn’t get better.

But I tried to be rational (this is sometimes really hard for me. My life is full of struggle)—I reasoned to myself, “Chill, Borski. Wait it out. They’re just getting started. Give them a little time to build.” Then last episode they made me feel like we were finally ready to get to the good stuff—the foundations were laid, all that jazz. And when Tenzin said, “Republic City is at war,” I thought to myself, “This has to be it. If they’re going to get some rocket fuel up in here, and get going, the time is now.”

And while I think they could still go further, it’s starting to get complicated and awesome and the problems are more pressing AND I CANNOT WAIT FOR NEXT WEEK!

Rocket fuel acquired.

Some predictions/wagers:
1) Tarlok is Amon (obviously, I don’t know if this is true, and actually, I’m not even totally sure that this is a prediction so much as a fervent wish, but wouldn’t that be great?
Although, thinking about it some more, hopefully, that’s not it at all, because I would sort of like to have the Amon thing be more complicated and feel more for him, which, weirdly, I would be more able to do if Amon really didn’t have a face. Tarlok obviously has a face, so that would suck.
Because that’s my favorite part of The Equalist problem: while they’re crazy and discriminatory and homicidal, they’re also RIGHT, at least about the second-class citizen thing.
Maybe Amon will just be a random named Amon.
Clearly, I pretty thoroughly talked myself out of that prediction)

2) Tarlok will take over as Chief of Police if Beifong actually leaves (he’s an oily dude. But he’s really smart and can MediaBend, so I bet he can make it happen. If he doesn’t, I’ll eat my hat)

3) Asami will become more a part of the group and become their getaway driver or something (this is pretty much unavoidable, although I do wish that she’ll turn out to be a secret double agent for her dad instead. THIS WOULD BE SO MUCH BETTER)

4) Korra and Mako will end up together (I don’t know when, I don’t know how, but I know something started as soon as they were on screen together, pretty much*. They’re endgame, and I even sort of think they know it.
At this point, I don’t know whether I’m hoping they do end up together—to break the no-fire-water-mixes issue and because I really do think they make too much sense together—or whether I want them not to end up together—for the unpredictable factor, and also because I think it’s really weird if he likes Korra that much, but can be with Asami instead. And I would think it would be crazy weird for Korra to be okay with that. I think there would at least have to be some dish breaking and whatnot.
So I’m not sure what I want, but I’m fairly sure that despite my hopes and dreams—whatever those are—Korra and Mako will end up together, and that the triangle issue will probably get a bit messier with them all living in the same air temple.)

SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!!

*Yes. I am a diminutive mermaid.