Darkness Falls

"spirit"

- Now, ten thousand years of darkness begins.

"Darkness Falls" is the thirteenth episode of Book Two: Spirits of The Legend of Korra, and the 25th episode of the overall series. It was released on Nick.com on November 16, 2013, and aired on Nickelodeon on November 22, 2013. On both platforms, it was paired with "Light in the Dark" to form the first part of a two-part season finale.

Overview
''Korra cannot prevent Vaatu and Unalaq from merging and forming the Dark Avatar, and the two Avatars subsequently lock into a battle for the fate of the world. Vaatu manages to extract Raava from Korra's body and destroys the Light Spirit, effectively severing Raava's connection to the past Avatars. Meanwhile in the Spirit World, Bumi, Kya, and Tenzin manage to track down and save Jinora's spirit from the Fog of Lost Souls. However, before they can return, Jinora senses that Korra is in trouble and leaves her family in order to help.''

Synopsis
In the Spirit World, Vaatu announces the inevitability of his release and declares that Harmonic Convergence has arrived once again. Korra resolves to prevent Vaatu from fusing with Unalaq to create the Dark Avatar, fending the dark spirit off with firebending before using airbending to send Unalaq through the Southern spirit portal to the South Pole. She tells Bolin and Mako to keep Unalaq out of the Spirit World, before promptly attacking Vaatu once more.



Meanwhile, Tenzin, Kya, and Bumi search for Jinora in a spirit forest, to no avail. Bumi suggests to use tracking in order to find Jinora's spirit, prompting Kya to ask if he was even aware if spirits left footprints that could be tracked. As an alternative, she begins to meditate and points straight ahead, declaring that there is a lot of spiritual energy in that direction. Bumi frustratingly declares that the spiritual energy is strong in every direction, as they are in the Spirit World. Tenzin dismisses his siblings and suggests that they find a spirit guide, before walking toward a tree hollow to request the help of a spirit residing inside. Angered at being woken up, a dark spider spirit charges at the siblings and runs them off a cliff.

By the Tree of Time, Korra continues to assault Vaatu with bending, but is quickly subdued as Vaatu projects an energy beam and ensnares her with vines. Outside the Southern spirit portal, Bolin and Mako are on the lookout for Unalaq, who begins to attacks them with a series of ice shards. Despite not knowing where Unalaq was launching his attacks, the two brothers are able to defend themselves and remind each other that they simply needed to keep Unalaq out of the Spirit World.



In their search for Jinora, Tenzin becomes frustrated, noting that they are simply walking in circles. Kya suddenly hears a noise, and the three siblings are eventually found by Iroh and a Knowledge Seeker, who offer to guide them out of the Spirit World. Tenzin expresses his gratitude, but informs Iroh that they do not intend to leave the Spirit World without Jinora. Iroh warns them to be careful about venturing too deep into the Spirit World, as they could end up in a place where only lost souls could find them. Puzzled by Iroh's cryptic statement, the siblings turn to Iroh for more information but find that he has already disappeared. Tenzin suddenly realizes where to find Jinora and urges his siblings to follow him.

Using firebending, Korra manages to break free from Vaatu's trap and proceeds to trap him in an elemental sphere. In the physical realm, Bolin and Mako are subdued by Desna and Eska, allowing Unalaq to reenter the Spirit World.



Tenzin resolves to antagonize the dark spider spirit they encountered before, so that it could lead them to the prison where Jinora is being held. The spirit dumps the siblings into the Fog of Lost Souls, declaring that they would never escape. Before she can trap Vaatu inside the Tree of Time, Korra is attacked by Unalaq, causing the elemental sphere to break and freeing Vaatu once more. Bolin and Mako are able to surprise the twins and enter the Spirit World before being trapped in ice. Unable to gather enough strength, Korra watches helplessly as Unalaq fuses with Vaatu permanently, using the energy from the spirit portals to cement the bond. Unalaq, now a Dark Avatar, declares a new era for spirits and humans, led by himself as the new Avatar. Korra protests and declares that her era is not over yet, before attacking Unalaq.



In the Fog of Lost Souls, Tenzin reveals the legend that the fog is a spirit entity that can infect the mind and project an individual's worst memories, causing them to go insane. Horrified, Kya inquires how long a human could be trapped in the fog, before stumbling upon Zhao, who repeatedly identifies himself as "Zhao the Conqueror" and declares that he will defeat the Avatar. He mistakes Tenzin for Aang and resolves to defeat him, prompting Kya to fend him off with waterbending before fleeing along with her brothers. The three decide to tether themselves to each other to prevent themselves from wandering off, before heading to find Jinora once more.

Meanwhile, Korra and Unalaq make their way out of the portal to the South Pole, where they begin to battle. Unalaq manages to knock Korra off her air spout and traps her in a fissure on the ground, before crushing the Avatar and declaring her life over. Before passing out, Korra is reminded by Raava to not give in, and she is able to make her way out of the fissure, having directly connected to Raava's essence. The two resume their battle, with Korra telling Unalaq that he cannot win.

In the Fog of Lost Souls, Bumi and Kya begin to become infected by the fog, with Bumi believing himself to be surrounded by cannibals, and Kya under the belief that she was not tied down and had no family. Alarmed, the two remove themselves from the rope connecting the three together, before leaving in opposite directions. Tenzin attempts to dissipate the fog with airbending, to no avail.



By the Tree of Time, Mako pleads with Desna and Eska, urging them to help Korra defeat Unalaq and prevent darkness from enveloping the world. Unconvinced, the two refuse to release the brothers, before Bolin begins to sob, saddened by the fact that he could not be with Eska again. He apologizes to Eska and expresses his regret that they could not "rekindle the dying ember" of their love into a "big fire of love flames". Moved by Bolin's show of emotion, Eska kisses him, before releasing the brothers. On their way to help Korra, Mako compliments his brother's acting abilities, with Bolin hesitantly agreeing that his show of emotion was really just acting.

Korra is able to bring Unalaq down, but prior to subduing him, Vaatu leaves Unalaq's body and removes Raava from Korra's spirit, causing her to fall to the ground. Unalaq traps Raava into an ice shell, before being repossessed by Vaatu, who reenters his body before grinning in victory.

In the fog, Tenzin begins to be consumed by his fear of being inadequate in upholding his father's legacy. Before he is completely infected by his dark thoughts, a vision of Aang appears. Tenzin apologizes, but Aang urges him to release his false perception and see himself as his own individual. Tenzin realizes that he is not a reflection of his father, causing the fog to dissipate long enough for him to find Jinora and his siblings and leave the canyon. Shortly after, Kya and Bumi regain their consciousness, and Jinora expresses her joy over seeing her father again.



Despite their efforts to save Raava, Bolin and Mako are overwhelmed by Unalaq's bending and watch helplessly along with Korra as Unalaq begins to destroy the light spirit, severing Korra's connection to her past lives in the process. With a final blow, Unalaq destroys Raava. Jinora senses this imbalance and declares that she must go help Korra, before disappearing.

Desna and Eska appear from the Southern spirit portal and watch as Unalaq and Vaatu grow into a giant dark spirit. The Dark Avatar declares that ten thousand years of darkness would begin from that point onward, before using the spirit lights to disappear to Republic City.

Credits

 * Written by:
 * Joshua Hamilton


 * Directed by:
 * Colin Heck


 * Starring:
 * Janet Varney - Korra
 * David Faustino - Mako
 * P.J. Byrne - Bolin
 * J.K. Simmons - Tenzin
 * Adrian LaTourelle
 * Unalaq
 * Unavaatu (simultaneous performance with Jonathan Adams)
 * Jeff Bennett - Radio broadcaster
 * Richard Riehle - Bumi
 * Aubrey Plaza - Eska
 * Aaron Himelstein - Desna
 * Lisa Edelstein - Kya
 * Kiernan Shipka - Jinora


 * Also starring:
 * Jason Isaacs - Commander Zhao
 * Jonathan Adams:
 * Vaatu
 * Unavaatu (simultaneous performance with Adrian LaTourelle)
 * Greg Baldwin - Uncle Iroh
 * D. B. Sweeney - Aang
 * April Stewart - Raava
 * Grey DeLisle-Griffin:
 * Dark spider spirit
 * Spirit mushroom

Character revelations

 * It is revealed that Iroh last saw Avatar Aang's children circa 131 AG.

Series continuity

 * Zhao was brought to the Fog of Lost Souls after he was taken by La in "The Siege of the North, Part 2".
 * Jinora recalls that the last thing she remembered was being taken by dark spirits, namely by a dark dragonfly bunny spirit in "A New Spiritual Age".
 * Bolin apologizes to Eska for leaving her at the altar in "Civil Wars, Part 2".
 * The light spirit Jinora gives Tenzin to guide him and his siblings out of the Spirit World is a glittering butterfly, similar to the first spirit she and Korra encountered after entering the Spirit World in "A New Spiritual Age".
 * Korra pulling Unalaq in with water tendrils is reminiscent of Katara using the same technique against Azula in "The Crossroads of Destiny".

Trivia

 * On November 15, 2013, Korra Nation challenged the fans to reblog a short video posted by Janet Varney on Korra Nation's Tumblr ten thousand times within twelve hours of its posting; if they did so, "Darkness Falls" and "Light in the Dark" would be available on Nick.com at midnight that same night. The task was completed by Korra fans within two hours, thus prompting the unlocking of the episodes.