The Legend of Korra: The Sting (2x06)

Good episode. I think it was an improvement on last week's, but still not the strongest we've had this season. I guess I'll start off by saying something kind of troubling... I found myself enjoying the lack of Korra. I like Korra, but without her presence there was a chance for some of the other characters to stretch their legs and really affect the plot. 

So, Mako, Asami, and Varrick are upset to discover that the ships sent to help the Southern Water Tribe have been attacked. This is a huge blow not only for the South, who are in desperate need of reinforcements, but also for Asami, who lost a lot of her product. The investigation about the bombing in Republic City is still going on, and Mako thinks he has some clues as to who the bombers are. The others, including Lin, shut him down, firmly convinced that the North is responsible.

So, Asami and Mako decide to take things into their own hands. They enlist the Triple Threat Triads to try and lure the attackers out, but they are double crossed. When they get back to the city, they see all of Asami's merchandise has been stolen. When visiting the set of Varrick and Bolin's movie, Mako finds a clue and puts the awful truth together: Varrick was responsible for the bombings in Republic City, and thus also for sinking his own ships.

He goes to warn Asami, but he's too late - Varrick has just bought a controlling interest in Future Industries. Mako vows to find a way to prove Varrick's guilt.

Meanwhile, Bolin has been getting more and more caught up in the propaganda film. He flirts with Ginger, his costar, to no avail. He's gotten so big for his britches, in fact, that he won't even help Mako with the sting operation, because he says Mako didn't help him earlier when he had a problem.

In the end, Korra washes up on an island in the Fire Nation, with no memory of who she is.

So. Things that were awesome about this episode: Mako and Asami. They had an interesting dynamic here, which ultimately culminates in Asami learning that Mako and Korra have broken up, and a quick kiss. Mako seems completely shell shocked, and Asami is embarrassed. It came across more as a kiss of loneliness and desperation, since Asami has just lost everything, and Mako is offering to help her get it back.

I love the twist with Varrick - what is this guy up to? The appearance of the Triple Threat Triad was pretty good, also. These guys manage to be funny and threatening at the same time.

Things I'm not too happy with: Bolin. I was decently amused with this whole propaganda thing for a while, but he's acting like a total jerk. For one, he kisses Ginger without her permission and continually pursues her even though she's made it clear that she's not interested. For another, when Mako asks him for help he's completely rude and dismissive. I understand that they're trying to show the fame going to Bolin's head, but to be honest it's coming across too strong. Bolin is a nice guy - I find myself not believing that he would honestly not help Mako in that situation. It was shallow and honestly a bad turn for the character.

We had a brief moment with Eska and Desna, as they tell Unalaq that they were unable to recover the Avatar, because she is dead. When we flash to Korra lying on the beach, nobody is really surprised that she's still alive, of course, but it was a surprise to learn about the amnesia. I'm really excited to see where we go from here.

In all, this was a strong episode with one large black mark in the form of Bolin's plot line. It was so awesome to see Mako do some Fire Bending this week, but I kept thinking that it would have been better if Bolin had been by his side, Earth Bending.

7.5/10