The Legend of Korra: Reunion (4x07)

Bolin is a bad ass! I love him!!! Seriously, he was kicking some serious butt in this episode. I can't wait for him and Varrick to get back to Republic City and tell their friends what's going on. Let's start with the plot.

Korra is back in Republic City! She reunites with Tenzin, Bumi, Asami and Mako. They all wonder  where Bolin is. Asami, Mako and Korra have plans to go out to dinner together, but unfortunately Mako can't get away from Prince Wu, so he comes to dinner as well. While at dinner, it seems that both Asami and Mako, while happy to see Korra, are a little bit pissed at her for not keeping in touch over the past three years. However, their friendship spats will have to wait, because Wu gets abducted on his way to the bathroom! It seems Kuvira wants him.

Korra, Asami and Mako have to save Wu - they try to chase down the car that took him, but it seems that his kidnappers have eluded them. Korra connects to some Spirits using a technique she learned from Toph, and is able to find out that Wu is headed towards the train station.

The three friends manage to get there in time, and they rescue Wu from a moving train! Korra, Asami and Mako all hug it out, apologizing for being snippy with each other earlier. They decide Wu has to go into hiding, and so they bring him to Asami's family's property, where Mako and Bolin's family has been staying.

While all of this has been happening, Bolin and Varrick have been making their way towards Republic City on foot. They need to get there to warn everyone about Kuvira's Spirit weapon. Along the way, they meet a group of people who have escaped from one of Kuvira's prison camps. Since Bolin and Varrick still have the uniforms of Kuvira's soldiers, they are able to pose as guards transporting the prisoners to Kuvira. They almost make it through the gate, but somebody recognizes them and a fight breaks out.

Bolin and the prisoners (Fire and Water Benders) fight against some of Kuvira's soldiers, who have the advantage of Varrick's metal suits. Bolin pulls off some cool moves, but it looks like Kuvira's people have the advantage. Then, Varrick steps in and manages to disable the mechanisms of the metal fighters, thus allowing Bolin to get an advantage. They escape and continue to head towards Republic City.

The very end of the episode shows us the ominous image of Kuvira and her people, harvesting Spirit Vines from the Tree of Time. Uh oh!

I have one complaint, and it's really more of a personal preference thing. I wish that Mako, Asami, and Korra were a bit more worried about Bolin. I mean, he's a part of Team Avatar too, right? I hope we'll see that more next week. I just want a bit of concern from Bolin's own brother and best friends that he's currently (as far as they know) off with a crazy dictator.

This episode was mostly just awesome, though. Where do I even start?

I loved the awkwardness between Korra, Asami, and Mako. And this awkwardness does not stem from the love-triangle thing, since it seems that Korra/Mako is firmly in the past. These three friends haven't seen each other in three years, and given the trauma and hardship they've all been through, it makes sense that there would be some tensions to work through. Asami and Korra's friendship in particular got quite a bit of attention here. Asami tells Korra that she started talking to her dad again, and Korra worries that maybe he can't be trusted. Asami is angry that Korra would try to make judgments, when she hasn't been around to know what's really going on. Mako is also upset with Korra for not writing him or Bolin the whole time she was away. I love how we're exploring the ramifications of Korra's actions. She was going through something really difficult, and even if her friends understand that intellectually, they can still feel hurt and betrayed.

I was a tiny bit confused about why Kuvira even wanted Prince Wu in the first place, but I suppose she just wanted to make extra sure she had all her bases covered. In any case, I love that he got taken right under Mako's nose. Also, I loved that Korra was the one who was able to find him. She has been feeling pretty useless lately, so it felt important for her to get this win. It also showcases that Korra is useful for more than just her fighting skills. She can also be helpful in a rescue mission without using much Bending at all.

Then there's Bolin and Varrick! So awesome! Bolin was amazing in this episode. He fought amazingly, up to and including some neat Lava Bending tricks. He also showed his nobility by saving the refugees when he didn't have to. He really got his chance to shine in this episode. I feel like these moments don't come along too often, so I was happy to see this here. Also, Varrick gets to help in a big way. The two of them actually make quite a good team, and they had some really hilarious jokes, too!

That's all for now. Great episode! I want more Bolin next week!

9/10