Should you watch this, Wiki this, or wait for the recap? Watch this.
Team Avatar arrives in Ba Sing Se to seek the Airbenders of the city. However, Korra has to convince the reluctant Earth Queen Hou Ting to help. Meanwhile, Kai disappears, prompting Mako and Bolin to look for him but finding their long last family instead! Will Korra be able to persuade Hou Ting to help her, and just where has Kai gone?
“The Earth Queen” is the 3rd Chapter (episode) of Book 3 (Season 3) of The Legend of Korra. It explores more of Mako and Bolin’s background, thus giving Mako some much needed character development (and it doesn’t hurt to show us more of Bolin too!). It also brings us back to a city that the Aang and company spent much of their time in – Ba Sing Se – and how it has progressed in the intervening years.
This episode is more grounded in character development than the previous episode, which makes it far more appealing to watch. And again, you get to see Zaheer’s company of villains expanding. If even one of them can take out so many experienced Airbenders, how exactly will Korra stop all four of them? That’s the big conflict that’s being set up for the season finale, and I for one am keen to see how it all concludes.
Highlights
Esna and Deska are back
They are a riot! Also, with their deadpan voices, any lines they get are ironically infused with a subtext of intense boredom, further highlighting how formidable they are as villains. This time, they’re on the side of the Avatar (I hope), so at least they’re allies. It’s good to see that after being betrayed by their father at the conclusion of Season 2, these two grumps are still alive and well. It’s not their fault that their father was psychotic, and they’re not evil by nature. Just grumpy.
Ba Sing Se
Although it’s sad to see the ruin that has come upon Ba Sing Se, it’s also interesting to see that it’s not the perfect city featured in The Last Airbender anymore. It’s got different faces to it, rather than being a giant metropolis within an impenetrable fortress. And this is in part due to the new ruler, Hou Ting.
Hou Ting
Hou Ting is annoying. She’s not evil, and unlike President Raiko, she doesn’t quite embody bureaucracy. Rather, she’s someone selfish who has stumbled upon the leadership of Ba Sing Se, and the corruption it deals to her is what makes her pretty interesting to watch.
Letdowns
Kai’s betrayal
I knew it. I hope this kid rots in whatever jail he’s thrown into. He’s the epitome of ingratitude, and although he isn’t an antagonist, he’s a very unsympathetic protagonist.
No villain action
We see some talking, but unfortunately Zaheer and company don’t quite make an appearance here. However, we do know that Zuko, Tonraq, Esna and Deska are formidable benders, so the eventual battle (next episode, I hope!) will be a climactic one.
“The Earth Queen” was a good exploration of Mako and Bolin’s past, and features a far more interesting new character than Kai. Here’s to seeing more of Hou Ting’s snarkiness in future episodes, and her inevitable clash with Korra!
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