The Voice in the Night

"The Voice in the Night" is the fourth episode of season one of The Legend of Korra and the fourth of the overall series. It debuted on April 28, 2012 on Nickelodeon.

Overview
''Avatar Korra is still mentally struggling with her encounter concerning Amon. Councilman Tarrlok creates a task force to eradicate the Equalists. Korra is pressured to join, and after participating in a successful raid, she challenges Amon to a midnight duel.''

Synopsis
As Korra is sleeping in her bed, a strange noise wakes her up. Moments later, an Equalist jumps right in front of her; he is then followed by his teammates. Avatar Korra, although stealthy, loses to the chi blockers. As she collapses, Amon appears out of the shadows, threatening to take her bending abilities. Korra, terrified of the loss of her gifts, awakes at Air Temple Island, only to find out it was all a nightmare.

At City Hall, Councilman Tarrlok requests permission from the United Republic Council to form an anti-Equalist task force. In order to convince the other Council members, he uses Avatar Aang's defeat of Yakone as an example of the initiative that needs to be taken. Tenzin argues that such a task force would only further divide benders and non-benders, and that he is only making this proposal as an attempt to gain more power, but the rest of the Council votes in favor of Tarrlok's proposal.

As Korra is practicing her airbending technique while listening to a radio, the music is interrupted by a message from Amon. He uses the formation of the task force as further evidence of oppression from benders, and claims that the Equalist movement is gaining more members every day and cannot be stopped. He goes on to announce that non-benders no longer have to live in fear, and Korra stares frightfully at the radio when the message concludes that it is time for benders to experience fear.

Later, in the daytime, Mako tries to cross the boulevard after leaving the power plant to get to a trolley, but is hit by a pretty young woman on a moped. He quickly forgives her after witnessing her beauty. She tells him that her name is Asami and, realizing who he is, admits that she is an avid fan of pro-bending, and invites him to dinner at Kuang's Cuisine.



That evening, Tarrlok visits Tenzin and his family during dinner on Air Temple Island; he interrupts Tenzin in the midst of a prayer then points out that airbenders never send away a hungry guest, so Tenzin reluctantly lets him stay, much to Pema's irritation. Tarrlok introduces himself to Korra and flatters her before asking her to join his special task force. To his and Tenzin's surprise, she refuses. Tarrlok still tries to persuade Korra to accept his offer, however Tenzin states it is time for him to leave.

Mako arrives at Kuang's and the man who greets him provides him with an upper-class outfit to wear for the dinner date, courtesy, presumably, of Asami. Mako, however, refuses to remove his scarf, and meets Asami. At her prompting, he tells her of his struggles with money and how they will not be able to play in the next pro-bending tournament. When the waiter mentions Asami's surname, Mako realizes that she is the daughter of Hiroshi Sato, inventor of the Satomobile and the most successful captain of industry in all of Republic City. Then, Asami asks if he would like to meet him, to which Mako agrees excitedly.



Over the next few days, Tarrlok sends a page to deliver Korra various extravagant gifts to persuade her to join his task force, including a large gift basket and a race type Satomobile. Korra speaks with Bolin about his encounter with Amon and is reminded of her deep-seated fear. Tenzin also speaks to Korra, telling her that he is always there for her if she wishes to talk about her fear of the Equalists. Meanwhile, Asami Sato introduces Mako to her father. Mr. Sato is sympathetic to Mako's money troubles, having begun his career as a poor shoeshiner who received a loan from a wealthy banker, and he offers to sponsor the Fire Ferrets.

Finally Tarrlok, seeing that his gifts were not convincing Korra to join the task force, organizes a gala in Korra's honor. She and Tenzin's family attend, but Tenzin is very suspicious of Tarrlok's motives. Mako, Bolin, and the Satos attend as well, and Korra becomes slightly jealous of the new recipient of Mako's attentions. Mako and Bolin tell Korra that Mr. Sato is willing to sponsor the Fire Ferrets in the pro-bending tournament, though Korra does not seem to be ecstatic. Chief Lin Beifong is also there, still in her police uniform, and revealed to have no higher opinion of Korra than at their last meeting.



At the end of the gala, Tarrlok exposes Korra to a number of journalists and photographers who bombard her with questions and accusations about her refusal to join forces with Tarrlok and fight the Equalists. Unable to muster Tenzin's reasoning of trying to avoid worsening the division between benders and non-benders in the face of the paparazzi, Korra announces that she will join Tarrlok's task force, and that she was not afraid of Amon.

Together, they invade a secret chi blocking training room and capture multiple Equalists and chi blockers-in-training, but Korra's final strike is to publicly challenge Amon to a one-on-one duel at midnight.

That night, Mako and Asami ride in a carriage together through the park. After she asks him why he is not wearing the scarf she bought him, Mako explains to Asami that his scarf used to belong to his father, and is the only remaining part of him Mako has. In return, Asami tells him that she lost her mother when she was very young.



Tenzin attempts to persuade Korra not to go through with her rash decision, and Tarrlok claims that he also tried to talk her out of it, but she goes to meet Amon on Aang Memorial Island despite his warning. There, Amon ambushes Korra with many chi blockers and decides not to take her bending away, explaining that if he were to attack her now, she would only become a martyr. Therefore, she will be the last bender to fall as part of a mysterious plan. She is then struck unconscious and sees visions of adult Sokka, Toph, Yakone and Aang.

Tenzin arrives to see what has happened. Korra, terribly shaken by her frightening experience, embraces Tenzin and starts sobbing, admitting that she had never felt so terrified before, because she had never felt so helpless. Tenzin tells her that admitting her fears was the first and most difficult step in overcoming them.

Credits

 * Written by:
 * Michael Dante DiMartino
 * Bryan Konietzko


 * Directed by:
 * Joaquim Dos Santos
 * Ki Hyun Ryu


 * Starring:
 * Janet Varney - Korra
 * David Faustino - Mako
 * P. J. Byrne - Bolin
 * J.K. Simmons - Tenzin
 * Steve Blum - Amon
 * Seychelle Gabriel - Asami
 * Dee Bradley Baker:
 * Tarrlok
 * Naga
 * Pabu


 * Also starring:
 * Darcy Rose Byrnes - Ikki
 * Logan Wells - Meelo
 * Mindy Sterling:
 * Lin Beifong
 * Fire Nation councilwoman
 * Daniel Dae Kim - Hiroshi
 * AJ Gentile - Council page
 * Jeff Bennett:
 * Radio broadcaster
 * Reporter #2


 * Additional voices:
 * Dee Bradley Baker
 * Steve Blum
 * Clyde Kusatsu
 * Alex McKenna

Series continuity

 * The Fire Ferrets' financial issues are solved by Hiroshi Sato.
 * Korra joins Tarrlok's task force to oppose the Equalist revolution.
 * Korra gets ambushed and released by Amon, giving her a vision of Aang, Sokka, and Toph.

Character revelations

 * Asami Sato lost her mother when she was young.
 * Mako's scarf belonged to his father prior to his death.

Goofs

 * After Korra declines Tarrlok's offer to join his task force at dinner, an above view of the room is seen with a window or panel to Tarrlok's left. When the camera views Korra and Tarrlok directly right after that, the window or panel is gone.
 * When Tenzin asked Korra to take a break from her airbending training and invited her to sit with him, Korra's armband was missing when she sat.

Trivia

 * Councilman Tarrlok references Avatar Aang's defeat of Yakone forty-two years prior to present day. This means that Republic City was, to some extent, up and running in 128 ASC, a mere twenty-eight years after the end of the Hundred Year War.
 * Jinora and Ikki can be seen playing Pai Sho in the background during this episode when Korra gets her invitation to Tarrlok's party.
 * Korra challenging Amon is reminiscent of her teacher, Katara, challenging the North Pole's waterbending master, Pakku, with both Katara and Korra ending their impulsive and bold challenge with a question of their opponent's masculinity.
 * The image on the banners seen in Tarrlok's party was a piece of Korra's concept art.
 * Tenzin is shown using a traditional Air Nomad glider in this episode.
 * The Voice in the Night is also the title of a book published in 1907 by William Hope Hodgson.
 * In this episode, when Mako gets dressed up for his date with Asami, his appearance is very similar to Roger Smith from the anime Big-O.
 * Tenzin is shown leading his family in prayer before dinner, just before Tarrlok interrupts them.

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