The Stakeout

"The Stakeout" is the ninth episode of Book Three: Change of The Legend of Korra and the 35th of the overall series. It was released on Nick.com for online viewing on August 1, 2014.

Overview
Korra learns about the group that is planning to destroy her.

Synopsis
In the Earth Kingdom, Naga leads Team Avatar to a town, prompting the four to search the grounds for any signs of Aiwei. They enter a tavern where Bolin notices a poster with his image, which Mako eventually recognizes as wanted posters. The firebender reads out the poster which claims that they are wanted for crimes against the Earth Kingdom, and he assumes that it is in relation to the group's liberation of the Earth Queen's airbenders. Korra angrily remarks that the airbenders are not Hou-Ting's property and continues by threatening the queen, before being stopped by Asami, who urges the group to leave after noticing several of the customers glaring at her and the group.

In Suyin Beifong's estate, Lin demands to know where the whereabouts of Team Avatar, remarking that she has been ready to leave for half an hour. Suyin casually remarks that the Avatar is still looking for Aiwei, much to Lin's frustration. Suyin urges her sister not to be overdramatic and insists that it is impossible for her to control Korra's every move, prompting Lin to storm off and angrily state that she can at least try.



Team Avatar heads deeper into the Earth Kingdom where Naga manages to track Aiwei's abandoned jeep behind a boulder. Korra thanks the polar bear dog but remarks that she forgot to bring treats, prompting Naga to turn around and slap her in the face with her tail. Mako decides to investigate the nearby Misty Palms Oasis with his brother while Korra and Asami wait by the jeep, in order to minimize the risk of catching too much attention. Bolin excitedly pulls out a pair of yellow ponchos for him and his brother to wear as disguises, stating that he also has undercover identities all figured out. He narrates his story as a United Forces operative named Ting-Ting, but is interrupted by Mako who cuts his story short in favor of searching for Aiwei.

Upon entering the Misty Palms Oasis, Bolin and Mako approach a tavern owner and inquire about Aiwei, whom the latter claims seeing the night before. The tavern owner denies knowing where the man headed after he left the tavern, prompting the two brothers to search elsewhere.



Back by the jeep, Asami asks Korra whether she is okay, prompting the latter to express her frustration over not knowing what Zaheer and his group wanted from her. Asami expresses her uncertainty about the ordeal as well, but presents Korra with a note she finds stashed away in Aiwei's jeep, asking for him to rendezvous at Xai Bau's Grove after sundown. After concluding that the grove is where Aiwei plans to meet Zaheer, the two begin to search for the grove on a map, but are interrupted by a number of bird-like spirits which they promptly swat away.

Outside of another tavern, Bolin notices two individuals eyeing him down and tells Mako that they appear to be bounty hunters. Assuming that they have been discovered, Bolin and Mako flee and hide in an alley, where Bolin sees Aiwei, whom they follow to the Misty Palms Inn.

Mako returns to inform Korra and Asami of Aiwei's whereabouts, while the two reveal his plan to rendezvous with Zaheer at Xai Bau's Grove. Asami expresses her frustration over not being able to find the grove on the map, prompting Korra to suggest that they directly confront Aiwei for answers. Mako reasons with her and recommends a stakeout, which would allow the group to follow Aiwei to Zaheer.



Team Avatar enters the inn and Mako requests for a room, but is immediately denied by the innkeeper who reasons that a room was trashed the last time she allowed teenagers to rent a room. Shortly after, the two bounty hunters appear, prompting the members of Team Avatar to prepare themselves to fight. The two bounty hunters reveal that they do not intend on fighting, but instead sought out the group for Bolin as they are big fans of The Adventures of Nuktuk: Hero of the South. The two urge Bolin to sign a poster for them and also give the earthbender a handmade Nuktuk doll. Unaware that the group included a mover star, the innkeeper retracts her decision and offers Team Avatar any room. Mako insists on having the room across from Aiwei despite the innkeeper's warnings that it is too small.

Mako and Korra begin to watch Aiwei's room for any signs of activity, while Bolin and Asami play Pai Sho to pass the time. The two immediately begin to disagree about the nature of gameplay involved in Pai Sho, as Asami prefers a methodical approach while Bolin relies on chance. The two consult the rulebook and find that there are multiple ways to play the game, prompting Bolin to insist for Korra to standardize the rules as the Avatar. Korra sarcastically takes note and promises to deal with the game after she restores the Air Nation and figures out the motives of the group who attempted to kidnap her. Mako asks Korra what she would do if they did manage to find him, prompting the latter to state that she would "make him talk". Mako remarks that the four criminals remained silent during their thirteen years of imprisonment and expresses his uncertainty over Korra being able to intimidate them with her bending. He suggests for the group to spy on them instead, noting that Zaheer and Aiwei are more likely to talk freely if under the impression that they are not under watch. Bolin remarks that the plans bears similarity to the objective of Pai Sho, particularly in knowing one's opponents in order to defeat them. Asami proceeds to win numerous Pai Sho games, much to Bolin's frustration.



After several hours, Bolin celebrates an endgame which would allow him to win a game, but Pabu runs across the board and scatters the tiles before he can make the final move. Restless over waiting for Aiwei, Korra decides to confront him directly and finds him meditating in his room. She concludes that the spirits she and Asami encountered earlier were trying to tell them something, deducing that they could not find Xai Bau's Grove as it is located in the Spirit World. Korra decides to search for Aiwei in the spirit realm, while Mako and the others watch her body to ensure it remains safe.

In the Spirit World, Korra watches as Zaheer berates Aiwei for the group's failure in Zaofu. Aiwei assures the airbender that all of his compromising evidence was burned in a fire, but Zaheer merely dismisses him as a loose end and sends him to the Fog of Lost Souls. Zaheer returns to the grove, where he resolves to answer all of Korra's questions. Korra first asks who Zaheer and his group are, to which he responds that they are members of the Red Lotus, a secret society dedicated to restoring freedom to the world. He states that the Red Lotus is what the White Lotus is supposed to be, admonishing the order for losing its purpose after the Hundred Year War, when its members came out of hiding and start to openly serve the Avatar, essentially becoming a group of glorified bodyguards. He goes on to describe how Xai Bau broke off from the White Lotus to create his own society.



Zaheer further reveals that it was Unalaq's idea to take Korra when she was younger, before managing to alert his companions in the physical realm about Korra's whereabouts. P'Li tells Ghazan and Ming-Hua to go in search of the Avatar while she remains to safeguard Zaheer's body. Back in the grove, Zaheer mentions how he met Unalaq as a teenager after they both joined the society, when they learned about Raava and Vaatu as well as Avatar Wan's "foolish" decision to split Raava and Vaatu. Korra defends Wan and claims that he tried to restore balance, prompting Zaheer to reference the closing of the spirit portals, a decision with which Korra herself disagreed. Korra pieces together that the Red Lotus intended for her to open the portals and release Vaatu, further asserting that the society merely wanted to brainwash her to do whatever it wanted. Zaheer insists that all he wanted was to show the Avatar the path to a better world.

Back at the inn, Mako notices Ming-Hua and Ghazan searching the grounds and orders Asami to get Korra to safety while he and Bolin occupy the two benders. Ming-Hua notices Asami flee the inn on Naga and attempts to pursue the mount, but she finds herself quickly under attack by Mako. Bolin attacks Ghazan with a series of earth columns which the latter seamlessly turns into lava, forcing the two brothers to back away.



Korra asks Zaheer why Unalaq was not imprisoned if he was indeed a member of the Red Lotus, to which he responds that Unalaq was not with the four of them during the night of the attempted abduction. He goes on to say that Unalaq betrayed him and allowed him and his friends to remain in prison while he pursued his own goals, asserting that Unalaq's decision to become a Dark Avatar was never part of the mission. He claims that his mission involves restoring balance to the world through destroying the idea of nations and governments, referencing Korra's experiences in dealing with a "moronic president" and a "tyrannical queen". Korra admits that she does not necessarily agree with the decisions of certain political leaders but asserts that eliminating them is not the answer, prompting Zaheer to state that true freedom can only be achieved when oppressive governments are torn down. Korra remarks that Zaheer's plan will only throw the world into chaos, to which he replies that disorder itself is the natural order, further supporting his point with a quote from Guru Laghima.

Back at the inn, Ming-Hua pursues Mako while Bolin attempts to defend himself against Ghazan's attacks. Mako slices one of Ming-Hua's water tendrils and attempts to fire a blast, but he finds himself pinned against a wall and promptly slammed into a room. Meanwhile, Ghazan fires three lava projectiles toward Bolin, who jumps into a pool of water for safety. Ming-Hua tells Ghazan to pursue Asami as she is capable of handling the two, before using waterbending to trap Bolin in a ball of water and clutch Mako with an ice claw. Outside of the Misty Palms Oasis, Asami is promptly trapped in an earth prison.



In the Spirit World, Zaheer claims that he knows he is the one destined to destroy the whole world and plant seeds for a new world to flourish. Korra urges him to make a positive difference in the world as an airbender. Zaheer compliments Korra for being a wise woman, but states that change is inevitable. Frustrated, Korra asks Zaheer what he plans to do with her if he did manage to capture her, prompting Zaheer to respond that she will know soon enough, remarking that the Red Lotus should have her by now. Korra returns to the physical realm and finds herself restrained and muzzled along with Asami, who reveals that they were captured by the Earth Queen's forces who intend to take them back to Ba Sing Se. Back at Zaheer and his group's hideaway, Ghazan reveals to the airbender how the Earth Queen's forces snatched the Avatar before he had a chance to do so. Zaheer orders him and Ming-Hua to load Bolin and Mako into their truck, as they are leaving for Ba Sing Se.

Credits
Written by:
 * Michael Dante DiMartino

Directed by:
 * Ian Graham

Starring:
 * Janet Varney - Korra
 * David Faustino - Mako
 * Seychelle Gabriel - Asami
 * P.J. Byrne - Bolin
 * Henry Rollins - Zaheer
 * Mindy Sterling - Beifong
 * Anne Heche - Su
 * Dee Bradley Baker:
 * Pabu
 * Naga
 * Spirits
 * Jeff Bennett - Radio broadcaster

Also starring:
 * Grey DeLisle-Griffin:
 * Ming-Hua
 * Intense woman
 * Maurice LaMarche:
 * Aiwei
 * Tavern owner
 * Peter Giles - Ghazan
 * Kristy Wu - P'Li
 * Andrea Romano - Innkeeper
 * Matthew Willig - Muscly man

Series continuity

 * Team Avatar is wanted in the Earth Kingdom due to their liberation of the Earth Queen's elite airbending army in "In Harm's Way".
 * Lily and Macao ask Bolin to sign the same poster which was plastered over the Pro-bending Arena during the finale of The Adventures of Nuktuk: Hero of the South in "Night of a Thousand Stars".
 * Zaheer references Avatar Wan's severance of Raava and Vaatu in "Beginnings, Part 1" and his decision to close the spirit portals in "Beginnings, Part 2".
 * Zaheer references the Air Nomad Genocide and attributes it to the Fire Lord's desire for world dominance, which was further explained by Sozin himself during a flashback in "The Avatar and the Fire Lord".
 * Zaheer references Korra decision to keep the spirit portals open in "Light in the Dark".

Character revelations

 * Unalaq was a member of the Red Lotus.
 * Zaheer and his friends attempted to kidnap Korra when she was young in order to get her to release Vaatu and open the spirit portals.

Trivia

 * This is the first episode of the Avatar franchise to only be shown digitally.