The Legend of Korra Recap: Skeletons In the Closet

Season 1, Episode 11

I don’t want Korra to end, guys. But like all good things…well, you know how it goes. Life is a circle and all that. And so we find ourselves at the season finale of Book One of The Legend of Korra. Before I even get into the nitty gritty, I just want to say that I was new to this whole world before Lisa from Lisa is Busy Nerding told me that I was missing out on something amazing, and we all know Lisa is a truth-teller. So I’m thankful that she introduced me to Korra, and I’m ECSTATIC that I got to recap it for you all and meet so many Korra fans.

We wouldn’t have ANYTHING to talk about, though, if The Legend of Korra itself wasn’t so EFFING FABULOUS, and I’m going to miss it for sure. I can’t wait for season 2, friends, because I know it’s going to take all the awesome and turn it up. You’re the bomb, Korra. Mako, Bolin, Tenzin, Asami, Naga and everyone else, too. So say we all.

Also, just a couple of programming notes: I wrote most of these recaps while largely DEAD, and therefore had to use much CAPSLOCKING to resurrect myself. GUYS. THESE EPISODES WERE EPICALLY FANTASTIC. And, as you will see, there’s one recap per episode, just to keep things from getting REALLY out of control.

The Skinny: KORRA IS ENDING. 

The Setup: THINGS ARE HAPPENING. Let’s dive in. 

The Breakdown: So, the recap tells the sad story of woe of one Lin Beifong, baddest BAMF of them all, and how she saved basically everyone–Team Avatar and Tenzin and his family–by sacrificing her bending to Amon. DANG GIRL.

We also learn that Amon has finally toppled the bender-friendly Republic City government, installed himself as head of an Equalist government, and declared bending illegal. BUT YO. Worst of all? HE HAS DEFACED THE STATUE OF AANG BY COVERING IT WITH A MASK OF HIS OWN FREAKY FACE. Oh HELL NO! If we weren’t at war already….

Oh, Mr. Sato. You really HAVE gone to the dark side. He’s speaking outside the old bending arena, getting a crowd of Republic City citizens all frothy about Amon’s vision for the future: NO bending anywhere. Eradicated. He mentions the United Forces that are on there way to stop Amon, but he’s confident that Amon will prevail. He also takes a dig at the Avatar, who he says is “on the run.”

At the back of the crowd, two chi-blockers are observing the rally. Except they’re not REALLY chi-blockers. It’s Korra and Mako, in disguise, doing recon.

Korra is furious that Hiroshi told the crowd that the Avatar was on the run from Amon. OBVIOUSLY, we all know that Korra takes major offense to this, and is bristling in general at having to cool her heels underground until General Iroh arrives. She wants to go bust some heads RIGHT NOW, but Mako, who I must admit looks fine in that chi-blocker uni, talks her out of it. They make a good pair, guys, and I don’t just mean because they’re awesome and I ship them. They work well together.

Back at Team Avatar’s lair, which is an underground shanty town full of hobos/homeless people–benders and Equalists alike–who oppose Amon’s policies. Guys, Team Avatar is living in squalor a little bit. This might have something to do with Hoe Cake copping some BIG attitude, but more likely it has to do with Mako and Korra spending so much time doing “recon” together. Things are testy between them, and I feel like they’ve broken up officially and we missed it?

Later that night, Korra and Mako are kind of having a replay of that moment in an earlier ep where they both fall asleep resting up against Naga. That’s where they’re sitting now, having a heart to heart about how far they’ve come in such a short time and how unbelievable it is that they’re in the middle of a war. THEN things get mushy and fabulous, when they both declare to each other how important they are to one another. Mako says that he can’t imagine his life without Korra in it and showers her with awesome compliments. Korra is like, right back atcha. THEN OMG MAKO GOES IN FOR A KISS BUT KORRA TURNS HER HEAD A LITTLE. ARGH! But I get it. It’s still weird between them, especially because Mako is still technically with hoe cake. He needs to shies or get off the pot with her. I hate that he’s dragging her along and basically cheating on her, emotionally if not ACTUALLY. They both go off to sleep.

Mako giving Korra the eye/sexy grin combo that REAL girls everywhere have NO POWER to resist.

A quick pitstop with the bad guys sees Amon taking over Air Temple Island, and cleansing benders in a long assembly line of the Thumb of Doom. God, this guy SUCKS.

Meanwhile, Team Avatar is out in the city waiting for the United Forces to arrive. Iroh looks good, guys. But he’s wondering why there’s no resistance to his arrival. Korra wonders the same thing. It’s too quiet. Where’s the trouble? THEN we see why: It’s coming from underwater, where there are MINES. They promptly start blowing up the ships as the come into the harbor. Korra jumps in to help when a fleet of newfangled airplanes comes flying in and starts attacking from ABOVE. Several ships are blow up, there’s bombs everywhere. It’s not looking good for the United Forces, guys.

Seriously. He’s cutting a dashing figure, no?

Fighting ensues, and Iroh reveals himself to be…A FIRE BENDER, another clue that I’m sure lots of us didn’t need about his lineage. Then Korra does her avatar thing and water bends out of the bay to take down some airplanes herself. It’s awesome. Iroh is firebending from one of his ships, but its looking mighty dire for the good  guys right now. Amon’s airplanes have basically laid waste to the United Forces’ fleet.

Iroh and Team Avatar wind up back underground at the lair, and fill Iroh in on the excess of SUCKAGE they’ve been dealing with lately, and how Amon is always outsmarting them. Iroh assures them that, if they can clear the way, there are reinforcements. Commander Bumi, Tenzin’s brother, has another fleet and is waiting for General Iroh’s word to swoop in. But in order for those ships to arrive safely, they all decide that those airplanes have GOT to go.

Except Korra says she won’t go with the rest of the team tomorrow to Mr. Sato’s SEKRET airfield. She says she’s going after Amon instead. There’s a little bit of protest, but eventually Mako says he’s going with her. Hoe Cake looks pretty sad guys. Exactly how many nails in the coffin do these two kids need before they break for REAL?

So the two halves of Team Avatar say their farewells the next morning. Mako and Bolin have a crazy sweet moment together. Korra leaves Naga with Bolin. Mako and Hoe Cake have a chat, saying that they care about each other, but it seems bittersweet somehow. Korra nd Mako go off together, with Bolin, Hoe Cake, and Iroh taking off on Naga. Team Avatar is split up for now.

Mako and Korra go to Air Temple Island to go after Amon, but they just miss him and have a close call with another chi-blocker. But they sneak in anyway to wait it out and go to the attic, thinking that will be the safest place to hide. They discover that they aren’t alone up there, though. There’s a prison cell. It is occupied. By Tarrlok. Korra asks him why he’s the only prisoner on the island and he DROPS AN EFFING BOMB LIKE WHOA:

WTF!!!!! TARRLOK AND AMON ARE BROTHERS!!!! WTFFFFFFF!!!

Take a minute to digest. Go ahead. It’s ok.

SO GUYS. The rest of the ep is an INSANELY sad story of familial woe. Turns out that Amon is a water and blood bender from the northern tribe. Tarrlok says he didn’t know Amon was his brother until after he was captured. In a nutshell: Tarrlok and Noatak were sweet boy brothers together. Noatak was protective and fair-minded; Tarrlok was sweet and more gentle. Once their bending started showing it’s face, though, their dad became a Bending Nazi, and over time he began to train them vigorously and forcefully in blood bending, which Noatak took to; Tarrlok did not. Noatak gradually became as powerful a blood bender as their father had once been, maybe more so. Yakkone obviously favored Noatak and his emotionless attitude about blood bending both animals and, eventually, his own brother. Tarrlok bore the brunt of his father’s mean-spirited disapproval. When Yakkone tells the boys his CRAY plan for their future: it will be their duty as his sons to avenge him and retake Republic City and destroy the Avatar. Tarrlok bristles. Yakkone turns on Tarrlok, and in turn, Noatak turns on Yakkone, blood bending him, mouthing off, and disappearing. Things were downhill for the family after that. Eventually, Yakkone died, bitter and horrible as ever.

This is true face of Freaky Face, before he was bad to the bone. He looks so sad.

This revalation gives Korra and Mako the ammo they think they need to turn the Equalists against Amon and overthrow his revolution once and for all. There’s going to be a huge rally at the arena that night, and Korra and Mako decide that this is the best place to call Freaky Face out on his bluff.

Tarrlok urges Korra and Mako to confront Noatak with the truth, and “put an end to this sad story.” He knows that both he and his brother were under their father’s thumb all this time, and were both exacting the vengeance he wished of them, despite Tarrlok’s efforts to do the opposite. Tarrlok at least has the conscience to realize that it’s not the way to go.

Thus ends “Skeletons in the Closet.”

The Lines: “Where does hiroshi find the time to keep inventing new evil machines?!”–Bolin

OMG THAT’S ONLY HALF OF IT.