The Legend of Korra Recap: Episode 9, “The Guide”

The Skinny

Korra has reconnected with her Avatar-ness by reaching into her past memories and learning the story of Wan, the first Avatar. She also knows that she only has a few days to defeat Unalaq before “harmonic convergence”–DUN DUN DUNNN. Meanwhile, Varrick is getting his dirty hands in all the pots: He’s turned Bolin into a movie star and bought out Asami’s company, but the only one who suspects him is Mako. EEEEP!

The Breakdown

We begin in the Eastern Air Temple, where Tenzin and his family are now vacationing. Jinora is sitting on the ground with some semi-translucent fairies floating around her. Tenzin shows up and it’s obvious that whatever Jinora was seeing in those fairies, he doesn’t see at all. Jinora calls them “imaginary friends.” Hmmmm…interesting. Tenzin is trying to get everyone excited about some sightseeing and Meelo looks like this:

Meelo and his snot bubble of boredom. I love him. Source

Then! KORRA SHOWS UP!!! HUZZAH!!! The kids are so excited to see her. Thank goodness for Tenzin’s itinerary, otherwise she wouldn’t have known where to look! Tenzin asks her why she isn’t in the South Pole, training, and Korra fills him in on the civil war, which Tenzin has no idea about. Air Temples obvs don’t have whatever passes for internet in Avatar-land.

Korra and Tenzin are catching up later, and Korra blames herself for this whole mess. Tenzin knew that Unalaq wanted power, but not that he would go so far as to try and free the dark spirit, Vatu, from his prison. He assures Korra that it isn’t her fault. Korra needs to close the Southern spirit portal, though, and Unalaq has the south all barricaded. Korra says that her best shot at closing the portal is for her to enter the spirit world and close it from the inside (am I the only person who does NOT like the sound of this??) Tenzin says that he’s going to help Korra enter the spirit world.

Meanwhile, Unalaq is pissed at his kids for not capturing Korra and how he’s making them fix their mess. He says that harmonic convergence is his way to change the world, and Eska tells him that they will make it up to him, although Desna seems more skeptical. Unalaq needs his children’s help to open the Northern portal. Desna says that he thought only the Avatar could open the portal, but Unalaq thinks there’s another way.

Bolin, meanwhile, is acting his little heart out in Varrick’s movies. Asami shows up while Bolin is left hanging upside down in between takes. Mako shows up and tells Asami that he knows who’s been stealing from Future Industries: Varrick. He explains the evidence he found, but Asami doesn’t believe him. She kind of brushes his accusations off, but she gets a little FEELY, if you know what I mean, and Bolin GASPS! and asks if they’re dating again, which they are not. Mako insists that Varrick is the bad guy. He tells them about the explosions and the remote detonators. They still won’t believe him. He gets all frustrated and tries to storm off, but then two of Varrick’s henchmen stop him. Varrick is looking for him, apparently.

At the Eastern Air Temple, Tenzin takes Korra to a particularly spiritual spot and everyone is sitting around mediating, trying to get into the spirit world. Not working. Tenzin tries a different spot and is choking on the incense. Right as they are moving to another spot, Jinora sees her fairies floating around Korra’s head. They fly off in a different direction from everyone else. Kya asks Jinora what she’s chasing, but Jinora tells her nothing. I say, FOLLOW THE FAIRIES.

Next, Tenzin and Korra are sitting inside a temple. He tells her to stop talking, but doesn’t actually shut up himself. He’s getting frustrated that they can’t get into the spirit world. Korra asks him how he first got into the spirit world so that they can try that instead, and he drops a bomb: He’s never even been there. His meditation has never got him there. He’s studied, though, and hoped that this would be enough. He implores Korra to trust him, when Kya asks Jinora if SHE knows anything that might help, and Jinora says, HELL YEAH, I DO! My fairy friends know the way!

Jinora asks her spirit friends to show themselves to everyone, and they become visible to everyone. The whole party is kind of stunned at Jinora’s spiritual development. The spirits are leading Korra away from the temple.

Back at the northern portal, Desna and Eska are unsure how they will open the portal without any spiritual gifts. Unalaq says that they will enter the spirit world and give them something they’ve never had: bending. He tries to water bend his way into the spirit world with Desna and Eska’s help. Desna is hurt, but Unalaq tells Eska to leave him. She refuses and takes Desna back to a healer, leaving Unalaq to try and open the portal with his own bending but is unsuccessful.

Mako has been brought in front of Varrick, clearly thinking that Varrick is up to no good. Turns out, though, that Varrick is trying to recruit Mako to his security team. He’s trying to pass-aggro threaten Mako by saying that he wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to Asami since they’re kind of dating again. And then he does the same with Bolin. Varrick says that without Mako helping him, “who knows what could happen” to Asami and Bolin. WTF VARRICK DON’T MESS WITH MAKO. Mako blows him off anyway.

At the air temple, Tenzin and the fam are on an air bison, heading to the place where the Jinora’s spirits are leading them. Korra tells Jinora about Wan and how he became the Avatar by joining with the spirit of Rava. Jinora remembers the statue she found in the Southern Air Temple, and it all makes sense: It was Wan and Rava, becoming the Avatar. Korra and Jinora realize that the day Jinora found the statue was the same day Korra opened the Southern spirit portal.

Once on the ground, the spirits take everyone through a forest and they come upon some rocks that have carvings on them. Tenzin says that they are in an ancient airbender spiritual circle, and Jinora confirms that the spirit energy is high, but it’s a strange spirit feeling. Tenzin says they need to cleanse the space to increase its connection to the spirit world. He does some fancy airbending and then a hole opens in the ground and a bunch of what look like dark bat spirits pour out. UH OH.

All of the benders get to work to stop the weird bats, but it doesn’t seem to be helping. That is, until Korra does some fancy shmancy spirit bending, and turns them into light. NOW the area is cleansed. Tenzin laments that Unalaq was able to teach Korra so much more about the spirit world than he was, but Korra assures him that he was the better teacher because he was unselfish, something Unalaq is not. Korra apologizes for firing him as her mentor and they have a nice moment. They’re all going to mediate to enter the spirit world.

In Republic City, Mako is in his apartment when Asami shows up. She just wants to see if he’s ok. Asami invites him to dinner at the same place where they had their first date and then they kiss. NO. Good thing that their smooch is interrupted by the POLICE showing up–including BEIFONG–to confront Mako about hiring the Triple Threats. He fesses up that they were trying to get to the bottom of the theft of Asami’s Meka tanks and the Triple Threats were the only one who would help. Beifong says that the Triple Threats ALSO told her that Mako stole a bunch of stuff himself, and what do you know? The cops find cash and explosives in Mako’s apartment. WHAT IS GOING ON! Mako denies knowing anything about it, but the cops arrest him anyway, calling him out for being a Triple Threat himself and for using Asami to help his gangster buddies rob her. He denies it again and tells her that Varrick is setting him up as the cops lead him away.

So, Tenzin is still having some trouble getting into the spirit world. It’s nighttime now, and he’s had no luck so far. He wants some more time, but his sister says that Jinora was probably meant to guide Korra instead. Tenzin resists and says that Jinora isn’t ready, but Korra tells him that they are running out of time. He finally agrees to let Jinora lead Korra into the spirit realm to close the portal. THIS is the scene from the promo all those months ago. It’s awesome. The spirit world is GORGEOUS.

Spirit world. SIGH. So bright and lovely. Source

The last scene is Unalaq, standing in front of the prison where Wan entrapped Vaatu. UNALAQ IS VaATU’S LACKEY. Unalaq apologizes to Vaatu for failing him and not being able to open the portal. Because the Avatar is dead, Unalaq thinks that opening the portal will be impossible, but Vaatu tells him that Korra is alive and that she’s just entered the spirit world. She is coming for Unalaq. DAAAANG. Should’ve seen this coming.

The Last Word

Friends, WHAT is Varrick’s end game?!? I can’t figure it out! Is he working with Unalaq? Why does he want Future Industries? Why does he want Mako out of the way? Also, ENOUGH with this Mako and Asami thing. Please, no. Also, is it just me, or are you guys missing Bolin this season? A little bit? I mean, I love that we get lots of Korra, even though she was unbearably moody in the early going, but still. I don’t laugh as much this season and I think it’s because, one, we’re dealing with more serious things. That’s great! But two, it’s because Bolin is more on the sidelines than before. And speaking of missing people, there hasn’t been NEARLY enough BEIFONG for my liking. I’m hoping that she’ll be the one who helps get Mako off of these stupid charges. How could she believe the EFFING TRIPLE THREATS?!

Last thing, though: I LOVE LOVE LOVE that Jinora is becoming so important and that we are slowly meeting the next generation of benders. It makes me hopeful for the future of this world.

So what did you guys think? What do you think Varrick is up to? Did you figure out that Unalaq was working for Vaatu?