The Stakeout

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- Once Aiwei knows we're onto him, we lose our advantage. I say we stake out his room and when he leaves for this meeting, we follow him.

"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 and aired on Nicktoons on October 6, 2014.

Overview
''Tracking Aiwei to the Misty Palms Oasis, Team Avatar conducts a stakeout to listen in on Aiwei during his meeting with Zaheer. Discovering the meeting is to actually take place in the Spirit World, however, Korra confronts the pair there and learns about the group that is pursuing her. In the physical world, Team Avatar is split up, and both sides are captured by different enemies.''

Synopsis
In the Earth Kingdom, Naga leads Team Avatar to a desert village whereupon the four search the grounds for any signs of Aiwei. They enter a tavern where Bolin notices a poster with his image, which he believes to be a promotional shot for his movers. Mako corrects him, stating that it and the three others depicting each team member are wanted posters. The firebender reads aloud the poster's declaration that they are wanted for crimes against the Earth Kingdom, and he deduces that it relates to the group's liberation of the Earth Queen's airbenders. Korra angrily remarks that the airbenders are not Hou-Ting's property and threatens the queen, before being stopped by Asami, who urges the group to leave after noticing several of the customers eyeing them suspiciously.

Meanwhile, at Suyin Beifong's estate, Lin approaches her sister and demands to know the whereabouts of Team Avatar, remarking that she has been ready to leave for half an hour. Suyin casually remarks that the Avatar is in the process of searching 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 locate Aiwei's abandoned jeep behind a boulder in a vast rock quarry. Korra thanks the polar bear dog, but sheepishly admits that she forgot to bring treats as a reward, 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 drawing too much attention. Bolin excitedly pulls out a pair of yellow ponchos for him and his brother to wear as disguises and begins launching into a description of their undercover identities. He narrates his story as a United Forces operative named Ting-Ting, but is interrupted by Mako who reroutes the former's focus on searching for Aiwei.

Upon entering the Misty Palms Oasis, Bolin and Mako approach a tavern owner and inquire about Aiwei. Although the tavern owner recalls encountering Aiwei the night before, he denies knowing where the man headed afterward, prompting the two brothers to search elsewhere.



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

Outside another tavern, Bolin notices two individuals eyeing him from a distance 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 a room, but is immediately denied by the innkeeper, who reasons that a room had been trashed by the last teenagers accommodated. Shortly after, the two alleged bounty hunters appear, prompting the members of Team Avatar to prepare for a confrontation. However, the duo reveals that they are merely seeking out Bolin, as they are big fans of The Adventures of Nuktuk: Hero of the South. The two urge Bolin to sign autograph their mover poster and 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 renting the room across from Aiwei's despite the innkeeper's warnings that it is too small to accommodate four guest.

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 latter 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 that Korra, as the Avatar, standardize the rules. Korra sarcastically promises to consult the issue after she restores the Air Nation and figures out the motives of the group who attempted to kidnap her. Mako asks Korra how she would act should they confront Aiwei to which the latter states 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 that the group spy on them instead, noting that Zaheer and Aiwei are more likely to talk freely if under the impression that they are not being watched. Bolin remarks that the plan bears similarity to the objective of Pai Sho, particularly in knowing one's opponents in order to defeat them. He proceeds to play numerous games of Pai Sho with Asami, the majority of which Asami wins, 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, much to his ire. Restless over waiting for Aiwei, Korra decides to confront him directly only to find him meditating in his room. She concludes that the spirits she and Asami encountered earlier were trying to tell them that Xai Bau's Grove could not be located on a map 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 failed kidnapping attempt in Zaofu. Aiwei assures the airbender that all incriminating evidence was burned in a fire, but Zaheer merely dismisses him as a loose end and hurls him into the Fog of Lost Souls. Zaheer returns to the grove, where he proceeds to confront Korra and ultimately resolves to answer all her questions, much to the Avatar's surprise. 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 a reflection of 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 started to openly serve the Avatar, essentially becoming a group of glorified bodyguards. He goes on to describe how former White Lotus member Xai Bau severed his allegiance to create his own society.



Zaheer further reveals that it was Unalaq's idea to kidnap Korra when she was younger, before managing to alert his companions in the physical realm about Korra's whereabouts. At their hideout, P'Li instructs Ghazan and Ming-Hua to go in search of the Avatar while she remains to safeguard Zaheer's body. Back in the grove, Zaheer informs 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 heed its orders. 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 finds herself quickly under attack by Mako. Bolin attacks Ghazan with a series of earth columns, which the latter seamlessly melts 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 criminals the night of the attempted abduction. He goes on to say that Unalaq betrayed him and his friends, allowing them to remain in prison while he pursued his own goals, and assured 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 eliminating the existence 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 plunge 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 is 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 an orb of water and clutch Mako with an ice claw. Outside the Misty Palms Oasis, Asami is suddenly trapped in an earth prison, halting her escape.



In the Spirit World, Zaheer claims that 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 and thus cannot be stopped even by the Avatar. Frustrated, Korra asks Zaheer what he plans to do with her if he does manage to capture her to which Zaheer ambiguously responds that she will know soon enough, remarking that the Red Lotus should have her by now before disappearing. Alarmed, Korra returns to the physical realm and finds herself restrained by a straitjacket and muzzled. She is captured 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's 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, who have been taken hostage, 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".
 * The mugshots used in the wanted posters are the same mugshots obtained by the Metalbending Police Force from the various instances when the members of Team Avatar were arrested.
 * Korra was arrested for causing significant damage to commercial property while fighting against members of the Triple Threat Triad in "Welcome to Republic City".
 * Asami and Bolin were arrested by Tarrlok during a lockdown of the Dragon Flats borough in "When Extremes Meet".
 * Although Mako was also arrested in the incident above, his mugshot was taken from his arrest for allegedly bombing the Southern Water Tribe Cultural Center and stealing Future Industries property in "The Guide".
 * 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".
 * The book in Team Avatar's room was the same book in Lu and Gang's drawer in "Peacekeepers".
 * This episode explains why the group wanted to attack President Raiko and how Zaheer knew of Korra's whereabouts in "Old Wounds".
 * 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 Korra's decision to keep the spirit portals open in "Light in the Dark".
 * 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".
 * Unalaq, now revealed to be a member of the Red Lotus, already expressed the organization's philosophy to do away with the nations of the world in "Harmonic Convergence".

Character revelations

 * The members of Team Avatar are wanted in the Earth Kingdom.
 * Zaheer, P'Li, Ghazan, Ming-Hua, and Aiwei are revealed to be members of an organization called the Red Lotus, a splinter faction of the Order of the White Lotus.
 * Unalaq used to be a member of the Red Lotus, but betrayed them in 158 AG to pursue his aspirations of becoming the Dark Avatar.
 * The Red Lotus attempted to kidnap Korra when she was five in order to use her to open the spirit portals and release Vaatu.
 * Aiwei and Zaheer have the ability to meditate into the Spirit World.

Trivia

 * This episode was originally scheduled to air on Nickelodeon on July 25, 2014, before the show was moved from the channel's lineup to digital release.
 * This is the first episode of the Avatar franchise to only be released digitally during the respective book's initial run.
 * Korra's gesture toward the tavern patrons recalls a similar gesture made by Katara and Sokka to two teenagers in "The Blind Bandit".
 * Τhe man on the cover of the book Bolin found in a drawer at the Misty Palms Inn largely resembles Bruce Lee.
 * Korra's appearance while muzzled and restrained in a straitjacket resembles Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs.