3x04 In Harm's Way

[7.7/10] It’s been a while since we’ve had a good old-fashioned bender-on-bender battle, huh? Seeing Zahir’s crew come to rescue P’Li, and Zuko and the Water Tribe good guys try to stop them was a thrilling fight. It’s cool that P’Li is cut from the same cloth as Combustion Man, adding a unique element to her as a firebending antagonist the way Azula’s lightning-bending once did. And seeing a dragon breathe fire, replete with an “I’ve been waiting thirteen years to feel this warm” villain line was a hell of a moment.

I also enjoyed Lin and Tenzin’s reaction to the news that Zahir and his crew had escaped. I often compared AtLA to the Harry Potter franchise, with its trio of main characters featuring the long-missing chosen one learning to use their magic powers. But the notion that Zahir & Co. tried to kidnap Korra when she was a baby and the White Lotus crew tried to kept her hidden because of it feels very Potter-esque too. I don’t necessarily care for the way it retcons the notion that Korra’s parents kept her in the Southern Water Tribe because they wanted her to have as normal a childhood as possible, but I do like the way it gives this conflict and these villains a sense of place and a connection to Korra.

The search and rescue for Kai had its moments. I don’t know how to feel about the notion that Jinora can astrally project at will now. The show took pains to note that without harmonic convergence, she can’t turn into the sparkly godchild who showed up in the S2 finale, but it’s one of those details that starts to pile up and make you wonder what problem our multi-talented heroes couldn’t just solve in a jiffy. Still, I like the nods to Aang’s visit to Ba Sing Se, and Jinora’s knowledge of the city and connection to Kai (much to Tenzin’s chagrin) helping them find him.

Heck, they even managed to develop Kai a bit. It’s a nice touch to show him looking out for his fellow conscriptees when the Dai Lee general (Gary Cole!) is pushing him to be more ruthless. It’s an easy way to show that despite his thievery, Kai has a conscience, and it serves a story purpose too, as the runt of the airbending litter is sure to tell Team Avatar where to find him when they’re being rescued. Heck, Kai’s reunion with Mako and Bolin was even sweet and funny in the right ways. (As was Bolin’s goodbye to his extended relatives.)

Last but not least, the fight between Team Avatar and the Dai Lee was another great action-packed way to end the episode. Some of it strained credulity a bit (feels like Dai Lee should have been able to ground the airships), but it had plenty of great action beats and was exciting to watch.

Overall, another brick in the wall of TLoK’s awesome start to the show’s third season.