A Breath of Fresh Air

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- You did what you thought was best for the world, and now things have changed. Change can be good or bad, depending on your point of view.

"A Breath of Fresh Air" is the first episode of Book Three: Change of The Legend of Korra and the 27th of the overall series. It aired on Nickelodeon along with "Rebirth" and "The Earth Queen" on June 27, 2014.

Overview
''After the events of Harmonic Convergence, Korra has her hands full with trying to remove all the spirit vines that have overgrown Republic City. Her lack of success strains her relationship with President Raiko and brings down her approval rate among the city's populace. When airbenders are suddenly popping up across the world and causing more trouble for the city, President Raiko demands Korra to leave the city, which she takes as an opportunity to travel the world to find the new airbenders. Meanwhile, a dangerous criminal uses his newfound airbending abilities to escape.''

Synopsis
On Air Temple Island, Bumi chases Bum-Ju, who refuses to wear a sweater he knitted for the spirit. While chasing Bum-Ju, Bumi ends up falling off a cliff, but saves himself at the last minute with an inexplicable display of airbending.



Korra, Tenzin, and Jinora travel through a vine forest that has developed in Republic City. Korra attempts to destroy the vines with firebending to no avail, frustrating her. With no choice, Korra leaves Tenzin and Jinora, flying off on her glider to address the Republic City press and tell them that she still has not found a way to destroy the vines. President Raiko addresses the press at City Hall, which itself is covered by large vines, regarding the unprecedented plummet of his approval ratings. He iterates that his primary concern does not deal with the polls, but rather by the pressing consequences that followed the Avatar's decision to keep the portals open during Harmonic Convergence. Korra arrives to address the press and urges them to give her more time to consider the issue. Raiko interrupts to assert that the Avatar's decision jeopardized the safety of the city's citizens, inciting an argument between the two which Lin Beifong had to mediate. Raiko retreats to his office and Korra relents regarding her 8% approval rating to Asami, who assures her that people are simply frustrated.



On Air Temple Island, Bumi excitedly tells his family regarding his newfound bending abilities, but is unable to demonstrate airbending. Over dinner, he continues to attempt to airbend to no avail, until Meelo throws a plate toward him. This causes him to conjure an air dome as a defense mechanism, much to Tenzin's amazement and everyone's surprise.

At the police headquarters, Mako receives a call from an alarmed shopkeeper, who claims that his brother, Daw, accidentally ransacked the store after displaying what appeared to be airbending. Mako refuses to believe his statement, stating there are only five airbenders in the world. Mako orders Daw to come out of the back room, but in doing so, he accidentally sends a strong gust of wind that knocks the door off its hinges and onto Mako. Panicked, he apologizes to Mako before running out of the store.

At Air Temple Island, Bumi tries to airbend once again, but is unable to do so at will. Tenzin and Korra consider the possible reasons for Bumi's sudden development and find out from Lin and Mako that there is another reported airbender currently being tracked. Korra asks Mako to help but he refuses, leaving Asami and Korra with a salute.



Asami teaches Korra to drive a Satomobile, although visibly alarmed by Korra's inability to control the clutch. The two begin to discuss Mako's weird behavior and reveal that they were aware of his infidelity during their respective relationships. Korra expresses joy over the fact that the two of them managed to remain friends despite the circumstances, as she has never had a female friend with which to confide. Suddenly, the two come across a large vine occupied by a hedgehog-like spirit in the middle of the road. Reiterating that she has no problems with spirits, Korra urges the spirit to get rid of the vines, to which he responds that there is no difference between the two. This gives Korra the idea to pacify the vines using Unalaq's waterbending technique.



Tenzin expresses his joy over the possibility of new airbenders and is approached by his children, who ask him whether or not the new airbenders would become part of their family. He states that all airbenders are somewhat part of their family and becomes emotional thinking about the possibility of rebuilding the Air Nation. He tells his children that the process will require a lot of leadership and guidance in order to teach the new recruits the ways of the Air Nomads, to which his children respond that they will be there to help.

Near a canal, Korra attempts to use the Avatar State and her uncle's technique to pacify the vines. Although it initially works, the vines reform and multiply, taking down a nearby apartment building. Korra urges the residents to leave and saves a young boy before a tower collapses on top of him using airbending before using earthbending to gently set the tower on the ground.

Back at Air Temple Island, Tenzin approaches a meditating Korra, who was fruitlessly attempting to contact her past lives. Tenzin tells Korra that her decision has only brought about change, which can be good or bad, and expresses his joy over the prospect of rebuilding his nation. Suddenly, Bolin rushes in and informs the two that Daw was seen on top of Kyoshi Bridge.



After arriving on site, Korra finds that the Metalbending Police Force had halted traffic and was closing on a frightened Daw, who accidentally uses airbending to fend the officers away. Avatar Korra convinces Daw to allow Tenzin to help him hone his bending and he relents, agreeing to step down. On his way he slips and falls, but is saved by Korra with her airbender staff. Korra introduces Daw to Tenzin, who expresses his delight over meeting a new airbender. Raiko suddenly arrives and promptly banishes Korra from the city, reasoning she had caused such an undesired change. Korra agrees to leave and affirms her path to find the new airbenders and rebuild the Air Nation, accompanied by Tenzin.

In a mountainside prison, White Lotus sentries bring food to Zaheer, who begins to tell them about the poetry of Guru Laghima and his teachings. Using his newfound airbending abilities, Zaheer escapes his prison and locks his captors into his cell, before telling them that it is the dawn of a new age that marks the end of the Order of the White Lotus and the Avatar.

Credits
Written by: Directed by:
 * Tim Hedrick
 * Melchior Zwyer

Starring:
 * Janet Varney - Korra
 * David Faustino - Mako
 * P. J. Byrne - Bolin
 * J. K. Simmons - Tenzin
 * Henry Rollins - Zaheer
 * Seychelle Gabriel - Asami
 * Jeff Bennett - Radio broadcaster
 * Dee Bradley Baker:
 * Bum-Ju
 * Pabu
 * Oogi
 * Lisa Edelstein - Kya
 * Richard Riehle - Bumi
 * Mindy Sterling - Beifong
 * Logan Wells - Meelo
 * Darcy Rose Byrnes - Ikki
 * Kiernan Shipka - Jinora

Also starring:
 * Spencer Garrett - President Raiko
 * Jim Meskimen:
 * Daw
 * Reporter #1
 * Guard
 * Chris Hill:
 * Fruithog
 * Reporter #2
 * Shopkeeper
 * Maria Bamford:
 * Pema
 * Reporter #3

Series continuity

 * Korra grabbing Raiko by the chin mirrors how she approached Saikhan in "When Extremes Meet" after Mako, Bolin, and Asami were arrested.
 * Bumi stopping the plate thrown by Meelo with airbending is similar to how Aang stopped a chicken leg thrown by King Bumi in "The King of Omashu".
 * Jinora informs Meelo that the Air Nomads did not have a formal military, something which Aang first mentioned in "The Headband".
 * Korra reminds Asami that she is not very good at driving, something she first mentioned in "Turning the Tides".
 * Asami reveals to Korra the time she kissed Mako while the Avatar was away in "The Sting".
 * In turn, Korra reveals to Asami when she kissed Mako behind her back during "The Spirit of Competition", though Asami was already made aware of the kiss in "Out of the Past".
 * Zaheer using airbending to make his way down a mountain top is similar to how Aang did so in "The Southern Air Temple".

Character revelations

 * Bumi is an airbender.
 * Mako has been living at the police station.

Goofs

 * While Bumi is trying to airbend during dinner and first states that the napkin moved, there are two white balls of rice on his plate and two other food items that appear to be sushi. In the shot from Korra's back, however, there are three balls of rice on his plate and the sushi is gone.
 * When Korra bows after purifying the spirit vines, her right fist is colored blue like her wristbands. When she turns to face the reporters, her fist is colored normally again.
 * When a metalbending officer bends to open a fence gate for President Raiko, his bodyguards are wearing their black attire, but after Raiko walks away from Korra, his bodyguards are wearing their normal blue attire.
 * When Zaheer told his captors to ration the bowl of rice, he forgot the fact that one of the guards was a metalbender,  and as such would have had little to no difficulty opening the metal door once he woke up. Also, another guard was an earthbender, and could've tunneled out of the cell once he and the other guards woke up.

Trivia

 * Korra's staff is almost identical in appearance to the airbender staff Aang received from the mechanist.

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