The Ultimatum

"The Ultimatum" is the three-part season finale to the third season of The Legend of Korra. It was released on Nick.com for online viewing on August 15, 2014, before airing on NickToons on October 8, 2014.
==Synopsis==
==="The Ultimatum"===
Having been released from their cell by Zaheer, Mako and Bolin stumble from the palace onto the main porch, where they witness the chaos that has fallen on the city: great swathes of the Lower and Middle Rings are aflame and citizens are looting everything, even entering the palace to find valuables, and the royal guards, rather than try to stop them, are opting to join the citizens instead, as they know where the most valuable items are kept. Rather than join the looters, Mako and Bolin choose to follow Zaheer's order, to give Avatar Korra his message. Needing an airship to find her in the desert, they commandeer an airship, the last one on the ground, but find people already on board, trying to tear out the controls. Bolin yells out directions to a random room in the palace, claiming the Earth Queen's gold is stored there, and the people eagerly swarm from the cockpit. The earthbender takes control of the airship and, although the takeoff is rough, he manages to get them airborne.
As the two fly over the Lower Ring, filled with rioting and spreading fires, Bolin notes that their family is still on the ground. Mako takes the controls from Bolin, certain he can fly better than his brother; finding the house, uncomfortably close to a roaring fire, they touch down on the roof of their family's house, and Bolin enters it to direct the family to climb aboard. However, Yin stubbornly refuses to abandon the home in which she raised her entire family; unable to convince her to leave, Bolin takes her over his shoulder and carries her out. Before they exit the apartment, Yin grabs her portrait of Hou-Ting. As their house is destroyed by the fire, the entire family escapes, and the airship flies out of the city.
Mako tells his family to help him look for any sign of Korra in the Si Wong Desert, trying to track where the airship carrying her had crashed. By the time Tu locates the wreckage, most of the family has become bored of searching; however, they become slightly intrigued upon hearing the news. Bolin notices some tracks that lead away from the wreckage, which they follow to the Misty Palms Oasis. As they arrive, almost flattening Zuko's dragon with the airship, Bolin instructs his family to split up and scour the town. As he speaks, Pabu climbs on his shoulders, causing Bolin to tell him that they would need his help as well. Mid-sentence, Bolin suddenly realizes that he is talking to Pabu, who was not with him on the airship, and becomes ecstatic to be reunited with his pet; twirling the fire ferret around, he hugs him warmly, before giving him a kiss, much to his grandmother's confusion and disgust. Tu suddenly warns his family that a "giant dog-beast-thingy" is approaching them, causing them all to scatter. Mako, however, who is disinterestedly watching his brother, is caught off guard and tackled to the ground by Naga, who immediately starts to lick his face. Having heard the commotion, Asami and Korra come running out of the nearby tavern and are instantly noticed by Bolin. The brothers run up to the girls, with Bolin enveloping Asami in a bear hug, lifting her off the ground in his enthusiasm, while Mako warmly hugs Korra. He suddenly releases her, apologizing for his actions and saying that he is relieved to see her again.
Tonraq, Lin, and Lord Zuko quickly emerge from the tavern as well. Mako and Bolin are excited to meet Zuko, while Yin mistakes Asami for the Avatar. Mako corrects his grandmother that the Avatar is Korra, prompting Yin to ask Mako why he is not dating either of his nice friends. An awkward silence follows Yin's question; after a short moment, Asami breaks it, asking Mako and Bolin what happened to them.
The firebender informs them that they were captured and imprisoned by the Earth Queen, only to be freed by Zaheer. Mako then relays Zaheer's message to Korra: the Red Lotus is traveling to the Northern Air Temple, planning to exterminate the new airbenders unless she hands herself over to them. Tonraq muses that Zaheer could be bluffing, but Mako is adamant that Zaheer does not bluff, reiterating that the Red Lotus leader has already assassinated the Earth Queen. Korra declares that they need to radio Tenzin to warn him about the impending arrival of the Red Lotus. After Lin reveals that Zaofu has a radio transmitter strong enough to reach the temple, the team sets course for the Metal Clan and radios Suyin from their airship to inform her of Zaheer's plan.
As they arrive at Zaofu, Suyin informs them that they have a strong signal to the Air Temple, but no one is answering. Suyin begins to worry about Opal, but Lin calms her down by telling her that everything is going to be all right. Korra tries to contact Tenzin again herself, and is unsettled to receive no answer. Suyin recommends sending an airship filled with Zaofu's full force security to back-up Tenzin and the airbenders; however, they realize any airship they sent would be far too late to help. Korra suggests that she meditate and visit the Spirit World, knowing that Zaheer likes to do the same. Though Lin protests, she is certain that Korra will be all right, and Asami volunteers to guard her. In the meantime, while Tonraq helps Suyin ready the airship, Mako and Bolin keep in touch with the radio to wait for a response from the Air Temple, and Yin takes a nap.
Korra enters the Spirit World and calls out for Zaheer to face her and leave the airbenders out of it; seeing a silhouette nearing her, she initially assumes it is Zaheer, but is surprised to discover it is Iroh. Korra asks him why he is there, to which Iroh says that he was just looking for a new teapot for his collection, and happened to stumble upon Korra in his search. Iroh asks her why she looks troubled, and Korra tells him about the airbenders' situation. After Korra tells Iroh that she has no idea what to do, and that she desperately wants to somehow consult her past lives for guidance, Iroh advises her to talk to Zuko; during Aang's life, Zuko was one of his closest friends and advisors. Korra is thankful for Iroh's wisdom; before leaving, she tells him that she was glad to find him, rather than the person she intended to look for.
Returning to the physical world, Korra seeks out Zuko, who is preparing to return to the Fire Nation to protect his daughter, who will be high up on the Red Lotus' hit list. When Korra asks him for help, he tells her that he often advised Aang and that he would love to do the same for her. He informs Korra that rebuilding the Air Nation was Aang's biggest dream and that he would have done anything to protect the new airbenders. When Korra asks if he would have given himself up, however, Zuko also remarks that in troubled times, Aang knew better than anyone that the world needs the Avatar. Korra thanks Zuko for his guidance and tells him that his uncle was right about him; Zuko is surprised to learn that Iroh is in the Spirit World. Interrupting suddenly, Mako informs Korra that they finally made contact with the Air Temple; specifically, Meelo has picked up the receiver on the other end, and Bolin is unable to convince him to find Tenzin. Only when Korra takes the microphone and addresses Meelo as his "commanding officer" does Meelo finally put Tenzin on the line.
As soon as Tenzin answers, Korra warns him of Zaheer's imminent arrival, only to discover seconds later that it is too late and Zaheer has already arrived. Tenzin goes to warn the others to evacuate; he finds Bumi and Kai, and orders them to round everyone up immediately and head for the bison stables, but the airbenders, Tenzin and his family included, are cornered by the Red Lotus in the courtyard. Zaheer tells them that they will not be harmed if they cooperate. He also offers his compliments to Tenzin, the first true airbending master he has had the chance to meet. Tenzin realizes he and the other airbenders are being used as leverage against Korra, and he rejects Zaheer's offer. Zaheer says they do not have a choice, but Tenzin, begging to differ, attacks the Red Lotus unexpectedly, momentarily stunning them. While they are down, Tenzin orders Jinora to lead the airbenders to safety while he, Bumi, and Kya keep Zaheer, Ming-Hua, and Ghazan at bay. After almost being shot by P'Li's combustionbending, Tenzin, while he and his siblings prepare for battle, tells the other airbenders to avoid her line of sight.
While Tenzin, Kya and Bumi engage Zaheer, Jinora and the other airbenders try repeatedly to try to cross the bridge leading to the bison, but each attempt they make is blocked by a blast of combustionbending by P'Li. Back at the courtyard, Tenzin and Zaheer's duel seems evenly matched initially, but Tenzin, as a fully trained master, begins to overwhelm Zaheer. Kya, in the meantime, struggles to do the same to Ming-Hua, whose agility and experience give her a clear advantage over Kya; although she manages to counter some of her attacks and blast Ming-Hua off the edge of the balcony, she finds herself outmatched when Ming-Hua reemerges with six water tendrils as opposed to her usual two. Bumi is absolutely no match for Ghazan: the novice airbender is able only to dodge the lavabender's attacks. Even when he ultimately resorts to wrestling and even hair pulling and biting Ghazan, he is still unable to gain an advantage. Standing back to back, Kya and Bumi realize that they are going to lose.
Kai decides to distract P'Li by flying around on Daw's glider, attempting to buy time for the airbenders to reach the bison. While his method works for a short while (he is even able to land a blow against her), he is shot by P'Li and falls limply downward and out of sight before the eyes of a horrified Jinora. A combustionbending blast close to the remaining bison spooks them, leading them to fly away on their own and stranding the airbenders on the ground. Forced to the edge of the stone courtyard, Bumi and Kya are thrown off the side of the cliff by Ghazan; Bumi manages to grab a hold of a ledge and catches his sister, but P'Li sees them and prepares to fire at them. Kya tells Bumi to let go, knowing the chances of dying in the fall, while significant, are still better than those of taking a direct hit from P'Li. Bumi lets go, and they plummet down the face of the cliff; while they are battered into unconsciousness by rocks and branches, they survive the fall.
Bumi's and Kya's narrow escape leaves Tenzin as the only one still in the fight. He battles Zaheer throughout the temple, maintaining the upper hand in the fight, but before he can land the final blow, P'Li attacks him, as do the rest of the members of the Red Lotus. He manages to fend off the entire Red Lotus team for a short while, but is quickly worn down, becoming severely injured. Although he is wounded and exhausted, he refuses to surrender: Zaheer tells him to quit, knowing that Tenzin has no chance of defeating them all, but a battle-weary Tenzin defiantly states that, if he must, he will continue to fight them until he dies. When the master tries to resume his attack, Zaheer and his companions brutally pummel him with blow after blow, intending to beat him into submission.
Hanging by his foot from a tree on the cliffside, Kai is awoken by a baby sky bison. Freeing himself and jumping onto the bison's back, he thanks it for saving him, and the two fly back toward the besieged temple.
==="Enter the Void"===
Aboard a Zaofu airship, Team Avatar debates how they might save the captive airbenders from Zaheer. Suyin Beifong proposes an attack strategy based on an ambush from the air; Lin Beifong dismisses the idea, however, as it would leave them vulnerable to a counterattack by P'Li. She proposes instead a more covert approach from the mountainside, though Suyin in turn rejects that plan, as it would put them at risk of being doused in lava by Ghazan. Bolin suggests disguising himself as a lost hiker and distracting the Red Lotus with his bird calls, earning him strange looks from the group and an angry dismissal from Mako. Bolin angrily tells his brother that he has not heard any plans from him, but Korra interrupts the brewing argument; she tells all of them that none of their ideas will work, and that Zaheer will kill the airbenders if he suspects they are up to something. Suyin assures Korra that she is aware of what is at stake, given that Opal is one of the prisoners. Korra acknowledges the matriarch and tells her their only chance of success is if she gives herself up to Zaheer. Despite the others being against it, she insists that keeping the Air Nation alive is crucial in maintaining the balance of the world. Korra then contacts Zaheer, who is waiting in the radio room of the Northern Air Temple, and agrees to give herself up in exchange for the release of the airbenders.
Back on the airship, Bolin voices his concern over Opal's well-being, visibly tense as Pabu is not present to comfort him. He wonders how he and Naga are doing; at that moment in Zaofu, the two animals are playing tug-of-war with Mako's scarf, and being scolded by Yin for their behavior. Korra goes back to the group after contacting Zaheer, where Suyin has come up with a plan: Mako, Bolin and Asami will take the airship to the Northern Air Temple, while Tonraq and all the metalbenders will provide backup for Korra at Laghima's Peak, where she and Zaheer will meet.
At the temple, Zaheer meditates with Laghima's locket. P'Li enters the room, telling him they have secured the airbenders, and the two share a brief, emotional moment: the firebender remembers that Zaheer rescued her from a warlord, who sought to harness her extraordinary ability for his own ends. Zaheer promises her that they will have achieved their goal by tomorrow, and that their world will change forever. Zaheer adds that he loves her, and the two share a kiss.
The Metal Clan's airship sets down below Laghima's Peak, and Lin gives Mako some final instructions to radio as soon as he sees the airbenders. Korra hugs Team Avatar goodbye before they leave for the temple, and Tonraq tells her how proud he is of her. After a final hug, Korra sets off on her glider, while the metalbenders scale the mountain with their cables and Tonraq follows them with two water tendrils. Before leaving, Korra tells her father to watch out for Zaheer, as he is not fond of world leaders.
Mako, Bolin, and Asami fly around the Northern Air Temple, astonished by the damage the building has sustained. They touch down and meet Ghazan, who leads them to a badly beaten Tenzin and what appear to be the airbenders being held hostage. At the same time, Korra touches down at Laghima's Peak, where Zaheer and P'Li are waiting for her. The airbender tells Korra to drop her glider and her radio, but she refuses at first. Mako radios Korra, informing her that they can see the airbenders, but warns her that Ghazan is with them. Korra yells at Zaheer to make the lavabender stand down, but he insists on Korra turning herself over first. Korra continues to resist, at which point Zaheer radios Ghazan to wipe out the airbenders; out of options, Korra walks forward and allows P'Li to cuff her in platnium chains. Leading the Avatar toward their airship, the combustionbender tells Korra the cuffs are made of platinum, and she does not need to bother trying to metalbend herself free.
Meanwhile, Asami and Bolin set to work freeing Tenzin, while Mako moves in to free the other airbenders. As they approach the captives, however, they are shocked to realize they have walked into a trap: the figures they assumed were the airbenders collapse, revealing they were nothing more than Ming-Hua holding up airbender clothes with waterbending. Frantic, Mako radios to Korra that they have been tricked, and Korra, despite her chains, immediately engages her captors. Mako also radios Lin to intervene and free Korra immediately, and the metalbenders quickly scale the rest of the mountain; reaching the summit, they find P'Li waiting for them. Korra, still chained and fighting alone, is no match for Zaheer, who overpowers her with relative ease. He walks her to the airship, but Tonraq intervenes, slicing the cables holding the ship to the ground and joining the fight alongside his daughter.
After a brief battle, Ghazan and Ming-Hua escape, sealing off the exit with a lake of lava and leaving Team Avatar to die. Asami manages to free Tenzin with a hairpin, and the wounded airbender reveals that he knows an alternate escape route, if Bolin can earthbend through the back wall. This leads them to an office, where a trapdoor leading down into the mountain is located. They manage to escape through the passage, but the lava follows them, flowing down the tunnel behind them, causing Bolin to block it.
Back at Laghima's Peak, the metalbenders struggle in their fight with P'Li, while Zaheer and the team of Tonraq and Korra seem evenly matched. When Tonraq leaves himself exposed for a moment, the airbender takes advantage and hurls him over the cliff, to Korra's horror. P'Li corners Lin and Suyin behind a rock, to which Lin decides to attempt to distract the combustionbender, thereby giving Suyin a chance to take her out. P'Li aims her attacks at Lin, leaving herself open to Suyin. The metalbender rushes out as Lin goes down, wrapping her armor around P'Li's head just as the bender begins her attack; the sudden blocking of the beam places the point of detonation directly in front of P'Li's head, directing its full force back into her face. The ensuing explosion kills her instantly.
Hearing the metallic explosion, Zaheer whirls around and realizes with horror that his love is dead. Korra immediately engages him again, however, and he quickly refocuses his attacks, managing to knock her out. Lifting her over his shoulder, he notices that his airship has drifted off, leaving him stranded atop the mountain. Lin and Suyin, having finally made their way to Zaheer and Korra, order him to release the Avatar. Zaheer, seemingly lost in his own musing, quotes the poem of Guru Laghima to himself: "Let go your earthly tether. Enter the void. Empty, and become wind." He then falls backward off the cliff, with Korra still over his shoulder. Shocked, the Beifong sisters rush forward to follow his fall, only to discover, to their shock, that an unharmed Zaheer is floating in midair, as though he is standing on the clouds. Lin and Suyin shoot their cables at him, but he nimbly maneuvers around them and flies toward the airship in the distance, leaving the sisters in disbelief. Zaheer rapidly flies past the airship piloted by Ghazan and Ming-Hua, his two companions are shocked as well. Meanwhile, on the side of the cliff, Tonraq, having been saved by Kuvira, watches Zaheer fly away with his daughter.
Underneath the temple, Bolin realizes that they will not be able to outrun the lava, and decides to create another path. This new path, however, opens directly onto the sheer cliff face, trapping them between a long fall and the lava behind them. Desperate, Bolin makes an effort to lavabend and is, along with his allies, shocked to succeed: the lava cools, creating a barrier of stone that saves their lives. Shortly afterward, much to Tenzin's surprise, Kai and his bison, Lefty, fly toward them. The team boards the bison, and the overburdened animal carries them to safety. Tenzin looks back as the Northern Air Temple, its foundations weakened by the lava, collapses behind them.
When they land near the peak, Tonraq and the others are waiting for them, and tell them that Korra has been taken by Zaheer; Suyin tells Tenzin that Zaheer has discovered the ability to fly. As they discuss where Korra and the airbenders might be, Kai tries several times to offer some information, but he is drowned out and ignored by the group, forcing him to shout: he knows where the airbenders are, and can lead them there. He explains that after P'Li blasted him out of the air, he woke up in a tree, and Lefty found him. He attempted to return to the temple only to spot the hostages being moved to a cave near the air temple, where they were handed off to four more Red Lotus members. Before they leave, Mako apologizes to Kai for giving him a hard time, but Kai brushes it off, saying he probably deserved it. Flying on Lefty and Oogi, the team goes to the cave, while the Zaofu security force stays at the mountain to recover.
In the caves, Ghazan and Ming-Hua approach a levitating Zaheer, who is meditating, and ask him about his new ability. Zaheer tells them he gained it by releasing his attachments to the world, gaining true freedom in the process. Ming-Hua asks where P'Li is, and Zaheer tells her that she sacrificed herself for their cause, adding that he hopes her death will not be in vain. They move to another chamber of the cave, where Korra is suspended in midair by four platinum chains. When Korra sees Zaheer, she accuses him of murdering her father and, enraged, attempts to incinerate him by breathing fire at him, but she does not have the range. Zaheer tells Korra that he has also lost a loved one that day, and can relate to the pain she feels. To Korra's horror, he assures her that her pain will soon end, and calls to two members of the Red Lotus to bring him a bowl of metallic poison.
==="Venom of the Red Lotus"===
In the Air Nomad caves near the Northern Air Temple, a captured Korra threatens to kill the members of the Red Lotus after she escapes; Zaheer reminds her that she cannot escape, as her restraints are made of platinum. He goes on to explain that, once they poison her, Korra's body will enter the Avatar State on its own to try to keep her alive; when this happens, they intend to kill her, breaking the Avatar Cycle forever. He reiterates the goals of the order and states that Korra's death will usher the world into a new era of "true freedom". Nearby, unseen by anyone, Jinora's spiritual projection watches and listens to Zaheer's plan. Distraught, she returns to her body when Zaheer has finished his explanations.
Back in the chamber in which the airbenders are imprisoned, Opal asks Jinora whether she found a means of escaping, to which the latter replies that they will find a way to free themselves soon. Daw worriedly remarks that Bumi and Kya, severely injured in the battle and fall from the cliff, may not live much longer. Ikki asks if Korra will save them, seeking reassurance from her older sister, who states simply that they will have to escape by themselves.
Back in Korra's cell chamber, Zaheer orders a member of the Red Lotus to administer the poison. Using metalbending, the earthbender applies the metallic solution to Korra's arms and legs, forcibly diffusing the substance into the Avatar's body. Korra's eyes begin to glow instantly, prompting Ming-Hua to prepare her tendrils and Ghazan to form a pool of lava underneath Korra; however, the light in her eyes flickers out soon after, only to appear and then disappear again. This cycle happens several times; after a few moments, the lavabender expresses confusion over why Korra is erratically entering and exiting the Avatar State; Zaheer remarks that she is resisting going into the Avatar State, but that she cannot do so for long.
Aboard Oogi, the members of Team Avatar follow Kai and Lefty in an attempt to find the missing airbenders and Korra. Kai leads the group to a series of caves adorned by numerous statues of nomadic monks and nuns. Suyin reassures Tenzin and promises to find the missing airbenders, before heading into the cave with the others to search.
As the poison spreads through her body, Korra begins to see visions of past enemies: she watches in horror as Zaheer transforms into Amon, who reminds her that the world no longer needs the Avatar. Ghazan transforms into Unalaq, who reiterates Amon's belief and urges Korra to surrender. Ming-Hua transforms into Vaatu; the towering spirit taunts Korra, contrasting his replenished strength with her current weakness and demanding that the young Avatar surrender to the poison.
Back in the chamber where the airbenders are held, Ikki and Meelo begin a chorus of complaints from the captives, who begin demanding water. Frustrated, a sentry threatens to punish the airbenders in a similar fashion to Kya and Bumi until Pema pleads for refreshments, insisting that there are children among the captives as well as an infant. After convening with another guard, the man agrees and begins to hand over a water skin, only to be stunned by a gust of wind from Jinora. The blast causes the guard's keys to fly off, and Meelo uses airbending to toss them to Opal. Thinking he was called over only to be attacked, the guard leaves while complaining that his group does not get to witness the Avatar die. Opal immediately begins to pick the locks on her handcuffs, although she is discovered by one of the guards, who is abruptly subdued by Lin Beifong before he can try to stop Opal. As the rest of the rescue party emerges, a brief skirmish ensues, and the search party quickly defeats the Red Lotus guards.
Relieved over seeing her daughter, Suyin rushes to hug Opal, but she is quickly pushed back by Bolin, who is also overjoyed to have found her. Once freed by Asami, Jinora rushes to hug Kai, whom she believed to have been killed by P'Li's combustion attack. Seeing Bumi and Kya's condition, Lin orders their immediate evacuation. Tonraq instructs the group to exit the caves while he searches for Korra, and Bolin and Mako volunteer to accompany him in his search, but Jinora interjects that searching the caves is unnecessary: she already knows exactly where the Avatar is.
Unable to resist the effects of the poison any longer, Korra finally sinks fully into the Avatar State. Zaheer immediately orders the other members of the Red Lotus to destroy her, but they quickly discover that they have seriously underestimated the power of the Avatar State: Ming-Hua hurls an icicle at her, but Korra melts it in mid-air with a fiery breath and retaliates by tearing the chain binding her right arm out of the wall, taking a chunk of rock out with it, and slamming it into Ming-Hua, stunning the waterbender. Ghazan launches a wave of lava at her but is forced to dive for cover when Korra sends it back at him with airbending. As she shatters her chains, Zaheer lures a fire-breathing Korra out of the caves. Witnessing Zaheer flying from the cave with Korra close behind, an alarmed Tonraq sets off to aid his daughter, while Bolin and Mako battle Ghazan and Ming-Hua.
After pursuing Zaheer, Korra unsuccessfully attempts to strike the airbender with a series of crushing earthbending attacks while propelling toward him. While he watches from a distance, Tenzin is reunited with his children and expresses relief over seeing his family safe. Shortly after, Tonraq appears and urges the others to help Korra, who continues to battle Zaheer among the nearby towers of stone.
Back in the caves, Ming-Hua defends herself from a series of Mako's firebending blasts; the two head deeper into the tunnels, while Bolin and Ghazan continue to battle each other with earthbending. Bolin exasperatedly asks his opponent why he is smiling, prompting Ghazan to respond by saying that he is simply recalling their previous battle, before conjuring a lava column and sending it toward Bolin. The latter, remarking that much has changed since their previous meeting, catches the lava, splitting it in two and hurling it back at Ghazan. Realizing that Bolin is also a lavabender, and that he used his ability to escape the lava-filled temple, Ghazan compliments Bolin, challenging him to use his ability to its fullest as he renews his attacks.
Outside of the caves, Zaheer continues to dodge Korra's attacks by maneuvering through the air; he eventually manages to strike Korra, who tumbles to the ground. Enraged, the Avatar sends a massive boulder toward Zaheer and attacks him with a series of amplified water whips, one of which she uses to freeze Zaheer's leg. As the airbender falls, Korra propels herself toward him and prepares to strike, but the poison causes her body to seize involuntarily, and she falls to the ground in pain.
From the ground, Kai suggests that he use Lefty to attack Zaheer, but Lin immediately dismisses the idea, noting that Zaheer is too powerful for him. Bumi inquires how Zaheer is able to fly, prompting Tenzin to respond that Zaheer has managed to unlock an airbending ability not seen for thousands of years. Inspired, Jinora also remarks that it has been a long time since a large number of airbenders have gathered in one place, stating that they possess considerable power themselves, not unlike Zaheer. Following her lead, the airbenders begin to gather in a circle and create a tornado, which expands as more airbenders join.
Ming-Hua's duel with Mako takes the two ever deeper into the caves, though the ongoing battle takes its toll on Ming-Hua's water tendrils, which shrink with each fire blast she deflects. When she catches her foot on a protruding crystal, she falls backward, losing what little remains of her prosthesis in the process. Having caught her without water at last, Mako urges the waterbender to give up; unwilling to surrender, Ming-Hua jumps into a hole in the earth beneath them. Following her, Mako discovers that the chamber to which the passage leads is filled with water. Newly rearmed, the waterbender creates eight overlarge tentacles of water and moves to attack Mako, but he jumps away from her and, climbing above the level of the water, shoots a bolt of lightning into it. The lightning, conducted by the water tendrils attached to her body, electrocutes Ming-Hua, who falls with a scream and does not move.
As Ghazan begins to overwhelm Bolin, Mako joins the fight, and the two brothers force Ghazan back. Bolin urges the lavabender to surrender, but the latter states his intention to never again return to prison. Realizing that he is outnumbered, Ghazan turns the walls of the cave chamber into lava, and the resulting cave-in, which Bolin and Mako barely escape, kills Ghazan.
As the Avatar's physical power begins to wane under the effects of the poison, Zaheer begins to suffocate Korra, but he finds himself being dragged into the airbenders' vortex of wind. As he tries to fly out of the cyclone, Korra gathers her last strength and, using her platinum chains to ensnare him, pulls Zaheer down with her, slamming him with great force into the ground before collapsing. Lin and Suyin immediately trap Zaheer in a rock prison while Jinora and Tonraq rush to Korra's side. Tonraq begs her to hold on, but Korra, although she briefly seems to recognize him and weakly reaches up, slumps into apparent death.
Zaheer laughs in triumph, stating that the Red Lotus has won. Jinora interjects, noting that the poison is metallic. Catching on, Suyin realizes that the poison can be metalbent out of Korra's body and rushes to the Avatar's side. The matriarch, after a few moments, succeeds in pulling the mercury from Korra's body. Korra, her eyes momentarily flashing as she leaves the Avatar State, regains consciousness to the relief of all except Zaheer, who begins to rant angrily that, while he has lost, his ideals cannot be defeated. Bolin stuffs a sock in his mouth to silence him, which Opal calls "Classic Bolin".
Two weeks after the defeat of Zaheer, the group gathers on Air Temple Island to celebrate Jinora's mastery of airbending. In the women's dormitory, Asami prepares Korra for a formal appearance. The poison and her battle with Zaheer have left Korra an invalid; she requires the use of a wheelchair and has fallen into a state of depression. Asami reminds Korra that healing from her injuries will take time, assuring the Avatar that she will always be available if Korra needs her. She urges Korra to try and enjoy herself for Jinora's sake, and ushers her to the courtyard, where she is welcomed warmly by Lord Zuko, her parents, and Tenzin. President Raiko also officially welcomes the Avatar back to Republic City, thanking her for her efforts to defeat the Red Lotus. Korra merely drops her head in acknowledgement, and with Lin's earthbending to move them up the stairs, Korra heads to the temple with Ikki and Meelo.
As she departs, Raiko remarks that Korra looks visibly unwell, sparking Tonraq reply that the president would look the same if he had gone through her ordeal. Tenzin assures the others that she will heal with time, and while Raiko acknowledges the truth in Tenzin's words, he states that dealing with the dangers posed by the rising anarchy in the Earth Kingdom will be difficult to handle alone. Zuko agrees with the president, adding that while Zaheer has been imprisoned, the rest of the Red Lotus, their numbers unknown, are still free and in hiding. Raiko concludes that the world needs the Avatar now more than it ever has; he expresses concern over the prolonged lack of a figure to protect the world while Korra recovers. Listening to their words, Tenzin ponders the situation in silence.
As the ceremony begins inside the temple, Tenzin remarks that it is a historic occasion, as the Air Nation is welcoming its first new airbending master in a generation. Tenzin recalls Jinora's unwavering hope in the face of adversity and Korra's involvement in saving the Air Nation, and urges the attendants to follow the Avatar's example of service and sacrifice. He announces that the Air Nation will reclaim its nomadic roots and roam the world as ambassadors of balance and peace, following in the Avatar's footsteps. Unveiling her new tattoos, he anoints Jinora as an airbending master; as the crowd applauds, Korra, unseen by those around her, sheds a single tear.
==Cast==
*Janet Varney as Korra
*David Faustino as Mako
*Seychelle Gabriel as Asami
*P.J. Byrne as Bolin
*J.K. Simmons as Tenzin
*Henry Rollins as Zaheer
*James Remar as Tonraq
*Mindy Sterling as Beifong
*Richard Riehle as Bumi
*Lisa Edelstein as Kya
*Anne Heche as Su
*Kiernan Shipka as Jinora
*Jeff Bennett as Radio broadcaster
*Skyler Brigmann as Kai
*Greg Cipes as Tu
*Dee Bradley Baker as Pabu, Naga
*Grey DeLisle-Griffin as Ming-Hua
*Maria Bamford as Pema
*Logan Wells as Meelo
*Peter Giles as Ghazan
*Carlos Alazraqui as Chow, Radio operator, Royal guard
*Susan Silo as Yin
*Greg Baldwin as Iroh, Looter
*Bruce Davison as Lord Zuko
*Zelda Williams as Kuvira
*Kristy Wu as P'Li
*Richard Riehle as Bumi
*Darcy Rose Byrnes as Ikki
*Kiernan Shipka as Jinora
*Adrian LaTourelle as Unalaq
*Spencer Garrett as Raiko
*Jonathan Adams as Vaatu
*Steve Blum as Amon, Red Lotus, guard #1
*Alyson Stoner as Opal
*Jim Meskimen as Daw, Red Lotus, guard #2
*Keith Ferguson as guard #3
==References==
==External links==
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Category:The Legend of Korra episodes
Category:Multi-part episodes
Category:Birthday episodes