Should you watch this, Wiki this, or wait for the recap? You can Wiki this.
Zaheer enacts his plan to halt the Avatar Cycle by poisoning Korra and forcing her into the Avatar State. Can a poisoned and berserk Korra defeat Zaheer, even while in the Avatar State? What consequences will the poison have on her?
“Venom of the Red Lotus” is the 13th Chapter (episode) of Book 3 (Season 3) of The Legend of Korra. It features the end of Ghazan and Ming Hua, as well as the culmination of Zaheer’s season long plan. More importantly, we get to see other Red Lotus members, though they’re just mooks.
It has a sad ending, almost – it’s uncertain if Korra will ever be her normal self again by the end, and the mercury poisoning has definitely taken its toll on her. One wonders why doesn’t Tonraq heal her with Waterbending, but I suppose that’ll be explained in the final season.
Highlights
Korra in the Avatar State
Unlike with Aang, we hardly ever see Korra in the Avatar State, so it’s a treat when she goes into it! This time we have the added bonus of her being berserk, so she’s not only at her most powerful, but also partially insane. Sadly, her Avatar State is tempered by her mercury poisoning, so she’s not able to defeat Zaheer – doesn’t sound too logical though. How did Zaheer become so proficient in flying so fast?
Jinora rises to the occasion
To counter Zaheer’s flight, Jinora intuitively leads all the new Airbenders to Airbend a tornado to bring him down. Jinora’s also the one who projects her spirit to find out where Korra is captured and what they’re doing to her, and thus realises that Metalbenders can cure Korra’s mercury poisoning. For her actions, she finally gets her air tattoos – although since she’s a girl, she looks pretty weird with her head shaven.
Rematch between Ming Hua & Ghazan vs Mako & Bolin
We finally get to see a rematch between these two, after their crushing defeat some episodes back. Mako’s use of Lightningbending is pretty clever, but even a Lavabending Bolin can’t take down Ghazan, who opts for scorched earth approach and attempts to take down Mako and Bolin in his suicidal Earthbending. It’s a nice closure, though I would have preferred if Mako & Bolin were shown to be physically more powerful than these two villains.
Letdowns
Zaheer’s plot
Zaheer’s plot is a thousand kinds of lame. Stop the Avatar Cycle? Doesn’t every other villain want to do that? And did he really think that chains would hold down Korra in the Avatar State? After all the build up, all that tension – I feel cheated. I would have expected a much more sinister plot, like switching bodies with the Avatar or something, rather than this recycled plan.
Korra’s cliffhanger ending
Korra is left in a state of depression, which I suppose sets up the premise for the next season and gives them lots of material to play with. However, as the ending for this season, it’s quite a downer. Why leave us with such sadness, Korra?
“Venom of the Red Lotus” wasn’t a bad episode by any means, but it resolved the mystery of Zaheer’s plan in the most underwhelming way possible, and also leaves Korra’s story dangling as it provides a premise for the next reason. Maybe my expectations were too high after the last few fantastic episodes, so this season finale is just meh.
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