“I urge you to meditate on these visions.  I believe Aang’s spirit must be trying to tell you something.”

Korra adds to her list of enemies as she battles Councilmen Tarrlok in an epic conclusion to this week’s episode entitled, “When Extremes Meet.”  There are many wonderful moments from this episode, so it’s difficult to know where to begin.  I suppose the formation of the new “Team Avatar” will be a hot topic for fans of the previous series.  It’s too bad that the new team didn’t last more than one episode, but they put up a good fight.  I thought the writers did a nice job of hinting at Korra’s affections for Mako, without making it the focus of the episode.  Korra’s shock at hearing Tenzin’s daughter spill the beans about her desires was hilarious.  Like Avatar: The Last Airbender, the show balances elements of drama and comedy well.  As with previous episodes this season, the rigid dichotomy  between nature and technology continues to play a role in Korra’s adventures.  Unlike Aang, Katara, Sokka and Toph, this version of Team Avatar needs a motorized mode of transportation in a concrete jungle like Republic City.  I hope this isn’t the last time we’ll see the group in action.

The next significant development in this episode was revealed to us during the conversation between Tenzin and Korra, on their way home from the swearing in of the new Police Chief.  According to Tenzin, Korra’s hallucinations could be Aang’s spirit attempting to communicate with her.  Do any of you think Korra will be able to quiet her mind in order to contact the spirit world?  I also wonder how long it will take for Korra to enter into the Avatar state?  I love Korra’s aggressiveness and determination, but I think it clouds her judgment, causing her to make rash decisions without thinking things through.  The scene with her looking out over the water at Aang’s statue was haunting.  Even with her ferocity as a warrior, the young Avatar still has much to learn.

Korra’s exciting battle at the conclusion of the episode was one of the best action sequences I’ve seen this season.  There’s no doubting that Korra is a bad ass, yet her lack of respect for her opponents keeps getting her into trouble.  When Aang fought Fire Lord Ozai, he never underestimated him.  Korra desperately needs to learn that mindset if she ever hopes to defeat Amon.  Like many of you, I wanted to see Korra wipe the smirk off of Tarrlok’s stupid face, but I have to admit that it was cool watching him use his blood bending abilities.  It appears that Katara forgot to teach Korra that skill.  I thought this episode was the best in the series so far, and I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next.  I would also love to know what your theories are on where this season is going.  Where is Tarrlok taking Korra, and what do you think about the flashbacks we saw in this episode?  Aang looked upset, like someone he knew was guilty was getting off free.  What do these visions mean?

-David Griffin (Follow @griffinde on Twitter)

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