After a relatively lengthy two week break, The Legend of Korra returns with an explosive addition to Book 3′s consistently excellent episode line-up. “In Harm’s Way” is a very fitting title for what is ultimately a back-to-back, action-packed, slug-fest involving a plethora of central characters. Right off the bat, we’re treated to a heated bending battle between Tonraq, Eska, Desna, Zuko, and Zaheer’s criminal group who are on a mission to free the captive firebender P’Li from her icy imprisonment.
The fight scene is fast paced and incredibly engaging, with a combination of fighting styles from different characters to compliment. In fact, more effort seems to have been put into the choreography of the action sequences this season, and it’s most apparent in how various characters use their bending abilities in combat.
In past seasons, a lot of the bending was characterized similarly in that kicks and punches were used for Water, Earth, Fire, and Air bending with very little stylistic difference. Even though this wasn’t always the case in Books 1 & 2, Book 3′s fights are noticeably more detailed because each bender brings his/her own style. Even with only a single element, the Dai Lee should Earth bend differently from Bolin, since they learned under drastically different circumstances, and they do. The whole climactic escape sequence at the end of the episode is very well done, which can be credited in no small part to the melting pot of fighting styles at work.
Bolin recapping his travels
The comedy is decent, though not as funny as previous episodes. Bolin and Bumi are responsible for the majority of laughs, and I have no problem with that whatsoever. The writers attempt to throw a little humor the Earth Queen’s way, but I didn’t find her allergy problem all that funny. It’s clear the action is more of a focus here, although the episode is also a great one for some key characters.
Kai in particular stars in his own subplot with the Earth Queen’s secret Airbender regiment, headed by none other than the Dai Lee. What’s so good about pitting Kai in such a delicate situation is that there’s no room for his typical shenanigans, and so we get to witness him struggle on his own and learn to appreciate the help of others. He defends a less talented Airbender boy who quickly becomes an ally, and he even apologizes to Mako and Bolin, though Mako isn’t entirely sold by Kai’s new found kindness (“There was a lot of money in that wallet!”).
Jinora is allotted some screen time as well, and it’s put to good use. For one, the dynamic formed from Kai and Jinora hitting it off is fun and non-obtrusive to the plot like a certain love triangle once was. But what is likely the more popular point of discussion is Jinora’s adoption of an Airbending sub-element referred to as “astral projection.”
Jinora readying herself to project her Spirit
From what I gather, astral projection is a skill that only high level airbenders with great spirituality are capable of, and it involves the manipulation of spiritual energy and the air itself to project a virtual image of oneself in real time. Confused yet? Don’t worry, so am I, and we should be. Astral projection is a very inventive idea and a clever way to keep Jinora useful to Team Avatar, seeing as though she’s the only one who current harbors the ability, but it needs some serious explaining. Jinora brings it up as if it were introduced and fleshed out prior, but it’s new to the audience and, due to its sophistication, should not be treated as common knowledge. It’s cool, but also clunky and out of place at first.
In other character news, the Earth Queen is forgettable. That’s all. See… I already forgot.
On a more serious note, one segment of the episode is an unexpected standout for reasons of character expansion for Korra. Many people, including myself, forget that Korra was given a backstory, which is her forced sheltering as a child in the Southern Water Tribe. Maybe it’s because there aren’t too many details to her childhood that we tend to look past potential story threads ingrained in her past. This past episode shines some light on the matter, and to my surprise, Zaheer has a place in it. His attempt to kidnap the young Avatar in adolescents was foiled by Tenzin, Tonraq, Zuko, and “Chief” Sokka (I wonder if he used his trusty boomerang), and the White Lotus were called to prevent possible future encounters. As small as the scene is, it delves into the subject powerfully and adds a new layer to both Zaheer and Korra’s past.
Team Avatar rescues the Airbenders in a thrilling sequence of action
“In Harm’s Way” is thrilling to say the least. It continues to deliver the amazing action sequences one would expect from the series, once again supported by silky smooth animation, and further develops the plot in interesting ways. However, as great as the storytelling material is, the writers can’t seem to take it the extra step yet. Book 3′s most notable flaw at the moment is its lack of total payoff in spite of its grand story arcs.
Even though the Ba Sing Se storyline comes to a solid conclusion, the Zuko, Zaheer, and Korra plots haven’t merged, which causes the story of even a conclusive episode to feel smaller than it should, since the plots remain divided and not yet whole.
It may appear stingy to complain about an episode I consider highly admirable for not being good enough, but every time I watch an episode from Book 3, I feel slightly teased by the end of it. It needs to make the emotional push to reach 9.5 territories, which is thankfully inevitable based on the quality of writing this season.
Regardless of minor short comings, “In Harm’s Way” proves once again the comedic and dramatic strengths of the season thus far and drives the enthralling main story of Book 3 forward. It’s a 9.0/10.
More on this episode:
More reviews:
A Breath of Fresh Air | Rebirth of a Nation | The Earth Queen | In Harms Way | The Metal Clan | Old Wounds | Original Airbenders | The Terror Within | The Stakeout |
The Legend of Korra Season 3, Episode 4 ‘In Harm’s Way’ Review is a post from: The Legend of Korra - Season 3 Release Date, Trailer & News
