Note: Full spoilers for the episode to follow.

So last we checked, pretty much everything in Republic City had gone to hell: Korra was kidnapped by Tarrlok, the rest of Team Avatar was imprisoned, and Lin was more or less still out of commission. Things couldn't get much worse, right? Wrong, apparently. Not only had Korra been taken away, but now she was being tossed into a three-by-three titanium cell where no one could find her. Bad news for Korra... good news for us; at long last, through Korra's meditation, we were given some answers on the trial of Yakone from 42 years ago.This was really the first time we got to see adult versions of Aang, Toph and Sokka for more than a few flashes, and it was definitely worth the wait. First of all, I loved the fact that after all these years Toph still refers to Aang as "Twinkle Toes." It also seemed fitting that Sokka was one of the Republic City Council members. (I especially appreciated the nod to his trusty boomerang!) Overall, it was great to see these characters again, now older and wiser, yet still providing glimpses of their former selves. But more importantly, we got to see Aang as a fully realized Avatar -- one that could energybend at will, without a moment's hesitation. The way he dealt with Yakone was a prime display of master Avatar efficiency. It will be interesting to see how Korra directly interacts with Aang in the future, but this was an excellent starting point and a good way to reveal more of Aang's history without Korra fully transitioning into the Avatar State.

Meanwhile, the rest of Team Avatar sprung back into action alongside Lin and Tenzin. Their rescue mission was definitely one of the highlights in this episode. Watching them all work together to save Korra was exhilarating, particularly any moment where Lin was doing something incomprehensibly badass. The writers also played up Asami's jealousy of Korra again this week, and it didn't appear to be entirely unfounded either. Mako's heated interrogation with the guard as well as his masculine embrace at the very end seemed to indicate that he may still have feelings for Korra after all.Of course, the big reveal this week was that Tarrlok was actually Yakone's son. Although, after Amon's confrontation, it now seems like Tarrlok was kind of a means to an end. At this point, there's no denying that Amon is not just your average non-bender. The way he withstood Tarrlok's bloodbending leads me to believe that Amon is something more than just a studious pupil of energybending. In fact, it's still possible that Amon is a bender himself, just one we haven't seen before. And if that's the case, then his entire front is completely hypocritical. Naturally, this idea has been tossed around before, but it's worth mentioning again. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see how it all plays out.With this new potential threat of unencumbered bloodbending, we've once again seen the destruction that bending can cause -- and this should only further fuel Amon's fire. Now more than ever, his mission statement sounds dangerously credible, and that makes it all the more difficult to fully oppose him. Amon's approach to equalizing is obviously in the wrong, but his message still raises some good points. Once the public gets wind that a Republic City councilman let his bloodlust (no pun intended) get in the way of doing what's right, we're in for some serious trouble. But at least Korra is safely back under Tenzin's protection... for now.Basically, this episode had everything: action, humor, intrigue and a healthy dose of rich backstory. While there wasn't a ton of bending this week, they more than made up for it by introducing some of the most compelling narrative we've seen thus far. I think the episode was also elevated thanks to its solid lead-in from last week, and after re-watching "When Extremes Meet" I believe we've seen one of the best arcs The Legend of Korra has to offer. That said, both episodes have given us a lot to digest. As we start winding down to the end of Season 1, I think it will be these two installments that we'll want to keep in the back of our minds moving forward.

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