Enter the Void

"neutral"

- Let go your earthly tether, enter the void, empty and become wind.

"Enter the Void" is the twelfth episode of Book Three: Change of The Legend of Korra and the 38th of the overall series. It was released on Nick.com for online viewing along with "Venom of the Red Lotus" as the first of a two-part season finale on August 22, 2014.

Overview
''Korra turned herself over to Zaheer to save the airbenders who are held captive by the Red Lotus. But she and her friends got double-crossed by Zaheer's group. As Ghazan tried to bring down Korra's friends, Bolin saved the day by his new-found lavabending skills. However, he's not the only one who acquired new skills. Zaheer unlocked the ancient ability of flight and successfully captured the Avatar.''

Synopsis


Aboard a Zaofu airship, Suyin Beifong proposes an attack strategy based on an ambush from the west, which Lin Beifong dismisses in favor of a plan involving a more covert approach from the mountainside. The group continues to disagree on which strategy to use, prompting Korra to remark that all plans are futile, as Zaheer would wipe out the airbenders at the first sign of trouble. Suyin reassures Korra that she is aware of what is at stake, given the fact that Opal is one of the prisoners. Korra acknowledges the matriarch and proposes a plan of her own, which involved voluntarily surrendering to Zaheer. Despite reservations from the others, Korra reassures her group and insists that keeping the Air Nation alive is crucial in maintaining balance.

In the Northern Air Temple radio room, Zaheer receives a message from Korra, who agrees to give herself up in exchange for the release of the airbenders. Back on the airship, Bolin voices his concern over Opal's well-being, visibly tense as Pabu is not present to comfort him. Back in Zaofu, Pabu and Naga tug on Yin's scarf, prompting the grandmother to scold the two for their behavior. After contacting Korra, she gives her final regards to everyone before taking off on her glider, with Tonraq, Lin, Su, and other Metal Clan soldiers following.



Mako, Bolin, and Asami meet Ghazan at the Northern Air Temple, where he leads them to a badly beaten Tenzin and what appears to be the airbenders being held hostage. Mako radios Korra, who gives herself to Zaheer and P'Li, only for Mako to realize that the airbenders were really Ming-Hua using water as puppets. Zaheer's trickery causes Korra to fight back despite being restrained, with Tonraq and the Metal Clan joining in. After a brief battle, Ghazan and Ming-Hua escape, sealing off the exit by a lake of lava, leaving the former hostages alone. They manage to escape through a trapdoor in Tenzin's office, though are relentlessly pursued by the lava.

Back at the Zaheer's airship, Tonraq is thrown off the cliff by the airbender. P'li corners Lin and Suyin behind a rock, to which Lin decides to attempt to distract the combustionbender, thereby giving Suyin a chance to take her out. P'Li aims her attacks at Lin, leaving herself open to Suyin. The metalbender rushes out as Lin goes down, bending her armor around P'Li's head just as the bender begins her attack. She is killed instantly by the explosion.

Zaheer watches as his girlfriend is destroyed, though he quickly refocuses on Korra. Carrying her, he repeats Guru Laghima's quote, letting his earthly tether go as he falls backwards off the cliff. Su and Lin rush forward, and Lin ask, deadpan, if he is flying. The two sisters confront him on the corner of the peak and attempt to grab him using the metal cables, but are unable to match Zaheer's evasion tactics. He continues flying past an airship piloted by Ghazan and Ming-Hua, instead bringing Korra directly to cave few miles from the Northern Air Temple. Tonraq managed to avoid death due to being rescued by Kuvira.

Meanwhile at the temple, Bolin realizes that they cannot outrun the lava, so he decides to create another path. This leads the group to a dead end over a hill. The lava continues to follow them, and so, out of options, Bolin attempts to lavabend. He, along with his friends, are shocked to discover that it actually works. Shortly afterwards, much to Tenzin's surprise, Kai and his bison, Lefty, fly toward them and the team boards the bison as they fly to safety.

They land near the peak as Tonraq and the others greet them, explaining that Korra had been taken by Zaheer. Tenzin noticed that Zaheer had manifested the ancient ability to fly, and they began to discuss Korra's and the airbenders' whereabouts. Kai tries to tell the group some valuable information before Lin and Tenzin cut his speech, until he shouts that he knows where the airbenders are. He explains that after P'Li blasted him, he woke up in a tree where Lefty found him. He attempted to return to the temple only to spot the hostages being moved to a cave near the Air Temple, and were handed off to four more Red Lotus members. Riding on Lefty and Oogi, the team go to the cave, with the Zaofu police staying at the base to recover.

Ghazan and Ming-Hua approach Zaheer, who is meditating, asking about his new ability. As he explains that there is nothing tying him to the earth any more, Ming-Hua questions where P'Li has gone. The airbender tells her that the combustionbender sacrificed herself for their cause, and that he hopes her death will not be in vain. Deep inside the cave, Korra is locked up with platinum chains, preventing her from metalbending her way out. Zaheer announces his plans to Korra; he is going to poison her to induce the Avatar State before attacking her, killing her so she will not reincarnate. He tells two Red Lotus members to administer the poison to a horrified Korra.

Credits
Written by:
 * Michael Dante DiMartino

Directed by:
 * Ian Graham

Starring:
 * Janet Varney - Korra
 * David Faustino - Mako
 * Seychelle Gabriel - Asami
 * P. J. Byrne - Bolin
 * J. K. Simmons - Tenzin
 * Henry Rollins - Zaheer
 * James Remar - Tonraq
 * Mindy Sterling - Beifong
 * Anne Heche - Su
 * Skyler Brigmann - Kai
 * Dee Bradley Baker
 * Pabu
 * Naga
 * Oogi
 * Baby bison
 * Jeff Bennett - Radio broadcaster

Also starring:
 * Kristy Wu - P'Li
 * Grey DeLisle-Griffin - Ming-Hua
 * Peter Giles - Ghazan
 * Susan Silo - Yin
 * Zelda Williams - Kuvira

Series continuity

 * Zaheer telling Tonraq to give his regards to the Earth Queen is referencing "Long Live the Queen".
 * P'Li was killed by a point-blank explosion due to metal covering her third eye. This is similar to "The Western Air Temple" when Combustion Man was also killed by a point-blank explosion.

Character revelations

 * When she was young, P'Li was being trained by a warlord for killing purposes but was freed from the situation by Zaheer.
 * Bolin is able to lavabend.
 * Zaheer unlocked flight.

Goofs

 * When Korra fell down, her head was down, but when Tonraq saved her, her position twisted.
 * There's already an outline of the door Bolin supposedly to earthbend to escape the lava-filled room. In the next scene its already gone but its the same spot where Bolin created the way out.
 * While fighting P'Li, it is shown that Lin have several scratches in her face and armor but later when they confront Zaheer they were already gone.
 * In the first shot of Kuvira bandaging Tonraq's arm, the gauze is applied directly to the bicep. In subsequent shots the gauze is coiled over a skintight sleeve that was not a part of Tonraq's shirt during the initial wrapping.
 * When Oogi first comes into view, he does not have the saddle on him, but as soon as he lands, he does.

Trivia

 * The episode's name references the inscription on the back of a locket bearing Guru Laghima's image, which read, "Let go your earthly tether. Enter the void. Empty and become wind."
 * When Zaheer said "I found true freedom. I'm no longer bound to this earth by worldly desires. I have entered the void" He was making reference to the seventh chakra, the thought chakra that Aang couldn't unlock due to his love for Katara. After P'Li's death, Zaheer lost his only earthly attachment and unblocked the chakra.