Episode Twelve, “Harmonic Convergence”

The second half of this week’s exciting installment of The Legend of Korra set things up for what seems like a VERY dramatic finale.

We find Team Avatar on Varrick’s zebra-striped warship, heading south. Quick history lesson: that stripe pattern was actually a real form of battleship camouflage during World War I called “razzle dazzle.” It made it difficult to guess the size, type, speed, and heading of a ship.

Kya has Jinora’s body in a healing water bath while Korra and Tenzin are rage-training on deck. Bolin asks Mako when he’s going to remind Korra that they had actually broken up and he was in the middle of getting back together with Asami, but something about the way Korra is tearing her strawman punching bag apart causes Mako to think now’s not quite the right time.

When they reach the Southern Water Tribe, they discover Tonraq has been taken prisoner by Unalaq, and all his fighters are bruised and broken under the care of Kitara and her healing staff. Tenzin presents Jinora to his mother, and we learn that Jinora’s spirit has been separated from her body for almost a week now. Kitara is very concerned, but she reassures them, “She’s very strong to have lasted this long.”

Now, the Harmonic Convergence, a 10,000-year planetary alignment that promises to invigorate the dark spirit Vaatu, is only a few hours away. Korra asks Team Avatar to join her in the spirit world for one last showdown: to close the portals and ensure Vaatu still remains imprisoned, which Bolin, ever the helpful one, calls “a suicide mission.”

But how are they going to get through all the guards surrounding the Southern Spirit Portal? Asami leads an aerial attack with one of Varrick’s biplanes, with Mako and Bolin strapped to the wings. Bolin especially shines in the ensuing battle, even bomb-bending with some of the explosives Varrick used to terrorize the peace rally many episodes ago.

However, Team Avatar was no match for Unalaq’s crazy army, and all of them get thrown into the jail hut next to Tonraq. Unalaq pays them a visit and issues a chilling monologue:

Unalaq: “Congratulations everyone. You’ve got front-row seats to a new world order… The Avatar hasn’t brought balance, only chaos… There shouldn’t be a bridge [between the spirit and the human worlds], we should live together as one. When Harmonic Convergence comes, I will fuse with Vaatu, and together we will become the new Avatar. A dark Avatar. Your era is over.”

Tonraq: “You’re still a man, you’re still my brother, you’re Eska and Dezna’s father. Are you willing to throw all this away and become a monster?”

Unalaq: “I’ll be no more of a monster than your own daughter.”

Meanwhile, Uncle Bumi is left in the snow with a dark spirit standing guard. When he wakes up, he tries to battle the spirit, to no avail, until he finds his trusty flute. The music soothes the spirit until it is light again. The flute also summons Naga and Pabu, and the three of them set off to save the day.

However, Bumi’s dreams of becoming the Pied Piper are thwarted when the music does not work for any of the other spirits in the camp. They give chase, and he climbs into a Mecha tank. The spirits flow into the control system, causing the Mecha tank to rampage the camp, coincidentally destroying all of the tents except for the jail tent. Bumi does save the day after all!

Asami takes Tonraq to a faraway healer on Oogi the flying bison. Girlfriend can drive ANYTHING!  The others enter the spirit portal, and Tenzin, Kya, and Bumi go off to search for Jinora.

Meanwhile, the Fire Ferrets (Korra, Bolin, and Mako) get ready to take on Unalaq. Korra in her Avatar State tries desperately to close the portal, but she does not have enough time to do so before the Harmonic Convergence begins.

Unalaq breaks into the world’s creepiest smile, and the entire planet is coated in magenta light with green aurora borealis. Vaatu has escaped his prison. He breaks into the scariest evil laugh ever, and as the credits begin again, viewers everywhere shriek in dismay.

The Whoo!

• First and foremost, Nick.com announced the online-only release of the finale (another two-parter) the very same day!!! Click here to watch. Confession: we already watched it, but will recap after it airs on Friday.

• Bumi had some killer lines today: “Looks like we got a music lover here,” and “I did it all with my trusty flute and — oh, never mind, you wouldn’t believe it anyway.”

• All hail the return of kickass Bolin!!!

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The Meh!

• Y’all know what I’m going to say about the love triangle. At this point, Asami has shown herself to be the most mature person on Team Avatar, still fighting alongside Korra even though she has every right to walk away from all the drama.