Remembrances

"Remembrances" is the eighth episode of Book Four: Balance of The Legend of Korra and the 47th of the overall series. It was released on Nick.com and through the Nick app on November 21, 2014, and aired on Nicktoons on December 12, 2014.
== Overview ==
Team Avatar reminisces about the past several years, thinking back on themselves and their friends. At the Sato estate, Mako recounts his past to Prince Wu, explaining how he and Korra met and his complicated relationships with the Avatar and Asami. On Air Temple Island, Korra reveals to Asami the doubt she feels, both in herself and her position as bringer of balance; despite her efforts, her enemies threw the world into disorder, and she feels as though it no longer needs her. Asami is aided in her efforts to raise Korra's spirits by Tenzin, who tells her that the purpose of facing conflicts is to learn and grow from them, noting that Korra has done that. Meanwhile, as their boat makes its way north, Varrick entertains the Earth Empire fugitives with an idea for a mover; he envisions Nuktuk playing the part of a fictional Bolin, who single-handedly defeats all of Korra's main enemies after they formed a diabolical team.
== Synopsis ==
At the Sato estate, recalling his kidnapping, Mako attempts to teach Wu how to protect himself from his enemies. The prince, however, is knocked down after Mako lands a gentle punch on him; Yin enters the room with Tu and runs, worried, to the young royal, scolding Mako for injuring him. When Mako makes a remark about how weak Wu is, the prince justifies himself by saying that he "wasn't raised by a pack of cops in the woods" like Mako. The firebender states that Wu knows nothing about him because he has never asked, but the prince responds by asking him a number of questions, including if there is a special lady in his life. Mako answers that he has not dated anyone since he and Korra broke up; the prince, his interest piqued as she is the Avatar, asks to know everything that happened between them.
Mako begins his story, explaining that he and Bolin grew up poor and that he wanted to become a pro-bender for the fame a riches, until he was introduced to Korra, courtesy of Bolin, at the Pro-bending Arena. He explains to Wu how Korra joined their team, the Fire Ferrets, and how she had inspired him with her bending skills, as a Pro-bender and a loyal friend. Wu asks him if they had kissed, but Mako answers negatively, countering with the story of how he and Asami had met when she hit him with her moped. They had started dating, but that made Mako's relationship with Korra very complicated because they had kissed, something on which Wu, Tu and Yin all offer opinions: the prince takes Mako's side, but Tu and Yin believe it was wrong because he was dating Asami at the time. Mako continues saying his feelings became clearer when Korra was taken by Tarrlok, leading to his breakup with Asami. Mako says that he and Korra defeated Amon together and after that, he was finally able to declare his feelings for her, starting their relationship. Yin asks Mako if they were able to live happily ever after, causing Mako to remember the rough stretches their relationship endured, as Korra repeatedly asked him whose side he was on. Finally, an angry Korra confronted Mako at his his workplace; after an furious argument, in which they both decided that their jobs were interfering with their relationship, Korra broke up with Mako, with the former leaving the room in tears.
Their breakup allowed Mako to focus more on his work. A sudden rash of attacks on supply ships heading to the Southern Water Tribe, which was having a negative effect on Asami's company, led him and Asami both to carry out a sting operation with the help of the Triple Threat Triad in an effort to uncover the culprit. He says it was the perfect way to help him get his mind off Korra, recalling that it was an intense night. After discovering that the triads had double-crossed them, they barely escaped; when they returned to Asami's warehouses, they found them completely emptied. He remembered that Asami was ready to give up, but he assured her that he was not giving up on her, and she kissed him. Mako says he knows what he had done was wrong, but Wu objects: Mako had already broken up with Korra, giving Mako, Wu says, the right to choose what he wanted. Mako counters by continuing his tale; when Korra, suffering from amnesia, returned, she had forgotten their breakup and kissed Mako in front of Asami, angering her. Making things worse, when Korra asked him if their fight was bad, Mako had lied and assured her it was not.
Wu voices his disapproval of Mako's behavior, stating simply that Mako should have told her the truth about their breakup; Yin again points out that Mako is just like his grandfather, but Mako points out that he and Asami were never officially back together. Tu says that it seems Mako is so afraid of disappointing anyone that he ends up disappointing everyone; while his assessment annoys Mako, Tu gets a high-five from Wu, who opins that "truer words have never been spoken." Mako clarifies that he did end up telling Korra eventually, but by the time he did so, she had already regained her memory, and thus knew he had lied. He had justified himself to her by saying that he did not want to hurt her, and that a part of him might have wanted to forget about the breakup. Korra bluntly reinforced that their relationship would not work, bringing it to an end.
After Harmonic Convergence, Mako remembers, Team Avatar left Republic City in search of airbenders. He recalls that being around Korra and Asami was awkward, but that he realized he needed to figure out who he was without a lady in his life. Wu says that he knows what needing distance from women is like, claiming that he is consistently pursued by them; Mako, after a moment of un-enthused silence, continues his story. He was able, he tells them, to help Korra defeat Zaheer and save the airbenders, and to do so not as her romantic interest, but as her friend. He says that Korra taught him the importance of putting others before himself, and that she continues to inspire him when he thinks of her. As Mako finishes his anecdote, Wu, getting to his feet, comments that the story was amazing, and that he really learned a few things: he really did not know anything about Mako, and that, while not intending to offend Yin, "ladies are complicated". Wu further says that he intends to focus simply on being a better king; getting into a fighting stance, he tells Mako to attack him again, believing he can withstand it. Mako's first, soft punch causes Wu to collapse straight to the floor, shouting "Wu down!" As Mako stands over the fallen prince, Yin sharply slaps his arm.
At Air Temple Island, Korra watches the sunset with a serious expression on her face. Asami brings her a cup of tea; sensing something is wrong, she asks if she is okay, and Korra repeats to her the sentiment of Toph regarding their current situation: the world does not need the Avatar, and confronting Kuvira is purposeless. Asami tells Korra Toph's assertion is ridiculous, but Korra tells her Toph is right; despite everything she has done, the world is still in imbalance. She explains herself through a flashback of her own, telling Asami her own history. When she learned she was the Avatar, she remembers, she greatly anticipated her future, believing that she "was really gonna change things", but she had been naïve. When she saw Amon remove Lightning Bolt Zolt's bending, she was utterly terrified, and when he did the same to her, her worst nightmare was realized. Asami interrupts Korra's train of thought for a moment, reminding her that after Korra exposed Amon and stopped the Equalist Movement, the free elections that followed in the United Republic gave nonbenders a voice, and people had found their hope again. She states that good things came of her struggle; Korra counters by reminding her that, although she had beaten Amon, Unalaq followed soon after, and his threatening Jinora's life led her to betray Tenzin and open the portals, which further threw the Spirit and human worlds into chaos and led to, not only the fusion of Unalaq and Vaatu, but a temporary separation from Raava and a permanent loss of her connection with her past lives. Asami retorts that, by the end of the conflict, she had become more stronger, as UnaVaatu had been, and that by opening the portals, she brought back the Air Nation and caused a positive shift in the world. Again doubting herself, Korra moves on to Zaheer, who also received airbending; besides nearly killing her with his newfound power, he had thrown the Earth Kingdom into chaos by killing the Earth Queen, and nearly done the same to the rest of the airbenders. In the wake of his defeat, Kuvira gained power, and the world was, again, thrown out of balance. From the beginning of her recollection to the present, she notes with frustration, nothing has changed.
Tenzin, silently joining the two, interrupts them and, to the surprise of both of them, agrees with Korra's assessment of the world. He continues by stating that she should learn from her enemies and conflicts, adding she has changed a lot since he first met her, from a selfish person to a thoughtful young woman who cares about others and puts their needs before her own. He claims that her sacrifices for the new Air Nation serve as a testament for that. Korra thanks them both for their encouragement, and says that, no matter what happens in the future, she will do whatever she must to restore balance to the world.
As Baraz and Ahnah's boat makes its way across the Mo Ce Sea, Bolin and Varrick, along with the rest of the escapees, listen as Baraz tells a story about eating bark-onion soup. Everybody is very bored by the tale; Bolin asks if anybody else wants to throw themselves overboard. Varrick, jumping to his feet, replies that he does not; while the others have been telling "incredibly boring stories", he tuned them all out, crafting, he claims, the most exciting tale ever told, "soon to become the greatest mover ever made!" He presents Bolin to them as Nuktuk, Hero of the South, to be the lead in Bolin, Hero of the World; he labels it as Bolin's "incredible true story". Bolin, confused, asks whether he is playing Nuktuk or vice versa, and Varrick responds that both will be true: it is his true story, but they will use the popularity of Nuktuk to boost its profitability. Bolin, suddenly downcast, asks how he could be labelled a "hero of the world", having abandoned his family and friends and joined the ranks of a psychotic dictator, who imprisoned him and he was now running home with his tail between his legs. Varrick, persisting, tells Bolin to stop "emphasizing the wrong story beads".
Varrick launches into his story. In it, Zaheer, a resurrected "Zombie-Amon", Vaatu, and Unalaq all participate in a conference call, expressing their willingness to join forces to take out their common nemesis, Bolin, deeming him to be "way too powerful and awesome"; although the former three repeatedly try to drop Unalaq from the talk, they soon discover that the Chief of the North has been listening in on their conversation, at which point the three companions hang up on him. Nuktuk eventually defeats the villains by destroying UnaVaatu, whose dissolving form becomes the stars, and trapping Zaheer in a tornado, turning him into wind. Amon's fate, however, remains unresolved and unaddressed. As Varrick hastily wraps the story, making Bolin turn into a dragon, go into the Spirit World, and save the Avatar, he receives a standing ovation from the fugitives, much to Bolin's displeasure. Varrick grows slightly annoyed when Bolin starts to point out the plot holes in the script, such as the discarded storyline of "Zombie-Amon", but jovially tells his friend to "never let the truth get in the way of a good story."
== Credits ==
* Written by:
** Joshua Hamilton
** Katie Mattila
** Tim Hedrick
* Directed by:
** Michael Dante DiMartino
* Starring:
** Janet Varney - Korra
** David Faustino - Mako
** P. J. Byrne - Bolin
** J. K. Simmons - Tenzin
** Seychelle Gabriel - Asami
** Jeff Bennett - Radio broadcaster
* Also starring:
** John Michael Higgins - Varrick
** Sunil Malhotra - Wu
** Susan Silo - Yin
** Greg Cipes - Tu
** Steve Blum
*** Amon
*** Baraz
** Jonathan Adams - Vaatu
** Henry Rollins - Zaheer
** Adrian LaTourelle - Unalaq
== Production notes ==
=== Transcript ===
=== Translations ===
=== Series continuity ===
* Varrick suggests naming the group consisting of Amon, Zaheer, Vaatu, and Unalaq the "Fearsome Foursome", a name Sokka suggested for himself, Aang, Katara, and Toph in "The Drill".
=== Goofs ===
* The training room at the Sato estate is adjoint to the room housing the pool, though in "The Aftermath", there was no opening or door in the wall when the pool was shown.
* When Mako recalls his breakup with Korra, he mentions that they broke up before Korra airbent his desk away; those events occurred the other way around in "Peacekeepers".
* During the villain conference call, Unalaq is shown with two left arms; one is kept at his side, while he is holding the telephone with the other.
=== Trivia ===
* Due to having their budget cut by nearly the amount it took to make a new episode, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko decided to make this episode into a clips episode, as they were unwilling to fire a significant number of crew members several weeks early.DiMartino, Michael Dante; Konietzko, Bryan; Varney, Janet; Faustino, David; Gabriel, Seychelle & Byrne, P. J. (March 10, 2015). "Remembrances" commentary. Book Four: Balance Blu-ray.
** As such, "Remembrances" is similar to "The Ember Island Players" from Avatar: The Last Airbender in the sense that they both recapitulate past events. Unlike "The Ember Island Players", however, "Remembrances" featured less original designs and animation, with most of the latter being storyboarded by supervising producer Lauren Montgomery.
* This is the fifth episode in The Legend of Korra whose title is only one word, the others being "Endgame", "Peacekeepers", "Rebirth", and "Reunion". Avatar: The Last Airbender contained only two episodes like this: "Imprisoned", and "Jet".
* This is the second episode with chibi style included in The Legend of Korra, the first being "Rebirth".
* While recording for his character, Henry Rollins had some initial confusion regarding Zaheer's comedic portrayal in the episode; even after understanding the episode's tone, Rollins attempted to further understand his character by asking the writers what Zaheer's motivation for teasing Vaatu was.
* Varrick's statement to "Never let the truth get in the way of a good story" is a quote from Mark Twain.
* The structure of the episode was based on the Samurai Champloo episode "The Disorder Diaries", where the main characters humorously comment and recap their past adventures as footage from previous episodes plays.
* Varrick thinking of the name “The Fearsome Foursome” is a reference to The Drill, when Sokka suggests the same name for the group.
== References ==
de:Erinnerungen
es:Recuerdos
fi:Remembrances
fr:Souvenirs
nl:Korra:Remembrances
pl:Wspomnienia
ru:Воспоминания
Category:A to Z
Category:Book Four: Balance
Category:Episodes of The Legend of Korra
Category:Real world