Episode Six: “Old Wounds”
There are some opportunities when my whole family sits down and enjoy a TV show, The Legend of Korra is one of them. This is episode really dives into the history of the Beifong family, sibling fighting and of course metal bending.
Beifong and team Avatar are in Metal City trying to recruit Opal who has now discovered she is an air bender. Beifong blew up at her when she tried to introduce herself and we start this episode at the breakfast table.
At the breakfast table Su, Lin’s sister, starts talking to Korra about metal bending. Korra responds by saying that she has been too preoccupied with learning to airbend and fighting the separatists to Harmonic Convergence, to even ponder learning to metal bend. Su comments that maybe it is for the best since Lin would probably be a horrible teacher. This gives us some insight into what we will learn is a complicated relationship between the sisters.
It kind of reminds of of watching reruns of the old sitcom Sister, Sister when Tia and Tamera would argue.
Su offers to teach Korra to metal bend and Korra accepts. But as always, in order to break the tension Varek surprises everyone with his new invention, the “magnet suit” as all metal silverware flies off the table and collects on this suit that literally resembles the first Iron Man suit.
Meanwhile Lin is out patrolling and starts screaming at some guards who are not doing their job. She is stopped by Aiwei and is told that if she does not deal with her repressed feelings, it could lead to health problems so he suggests a local acupuncturist.
Through the acupuncture procedure, Lin recollects repressed memories, and we find out what many of us have asked ourselves, how did she get the scar?
Apparently, Su was the rebel of the two, which leads to lots of friction and to this brief appearance of Toph in the memory sequence.
Su is sent to live with her grandparents. The question I have is which grandparents? The Beifongs or the unnamed father? We can only hope to find out more about this. Then, Lin wakes up from her intense acupuncture session.
Meanwhile, Su is trying to teach Korra how to metal bend as Bolin observes. Bolin states that 1 in 100 earthbenders can metal bend. Korra does what no other Avatar has ever done. She bends metal right in front of everyone’s eyes.
The amazement is brief as Lin interrupts to finally have the “talk” with her sister. Su tries to resolve it peacefully and after Lin accuses her of ending their mother’s career Su lays the smacketh down: “No wonder Tenzin ended things with you years ago.”
Damn! It was truly an “oh no she didn’t!” moment. What breaks out is an amazing earth and metal bending fight. Korra asks Bolin if she should stop it, but a wise Bolin replies, “You don’t have siblings…” which is true. Who does not remember a fight they had with their sibling that got so heated?
And this fight is epic! I mean Lin is taking parts of the yard apart; Su is using metal sculptures as protection. Which leads me to ask: who is the best bender between the two? Su is winning the fight with her metal bending counterattacks and as it feels like it’s going to boil down to the last stance, Opal steps in and breaks up the fight, airbender style.
It is at this culmination of the fight that Lin faints and we find Team Avatar play a game of “you do it” to see if Lin wakes up from what has been a 16 hour rest. Mako knocks on the door and asks if Lin is okay. When he comes in, a well rested Lin yawns and bids everyone a good morning, making her way to the breakfast table.
It is at the breakfast table that Lin calls Opal to sit down with her. She apologizes for yelling at her and explains that her complicated relationship with her mother. She also tells Opal that she believes she is a gifted airbender and should go train with Tenzin. Opal confides in Lin and tells her that she does not want to upset her mother. Lin tells her that she tried to please her mother and never got to do the things she wanted. She tells Opal that she should not commit the same mistake.
Opal goes and talks to her parents and informs her of this decision, which leads to this scene from the Beifong sisters.
So Opal is joining Team Avatar, and as the episode nears its ends we catch the Nation of Doom (they had escaped Republic City earlier in the episode ). We see Zaheer meditating until the point where he mutters “they are with the metal clan!”
Uh oh.