The Revelation (episode)

"The Revelation" is the third episode of season one of The Legend of Korra, and the third of the overall series. It debuted on April 21, 2012 on Nickelodeon.

Overview
''Mako and Bolin look for ways to get the thirty thousand yuans needed to stay in the pro-bending tournament. Bolin accepts work from the Triple Threat Triad and goes missing. Korra and Mako go on a search for Bolin and encounter the group of chi blockers who kidnapped him, but the equalists flee. Korra and Mako then find out about an Equalist rally and decide to attend. There, they learn many secrets about the Equalists, their leader Amon, and rescue Bolin.''

Synopsis
The Fire Ferrets are seen practicing early in the morning in the arena's gym. Butakha, the owner of the pro-bending arena, comes to pay them their winnings from their last match, but because of debts that Mako and Bolin owe, neither of them receive any of the money. He also tells them that they need to pay thirty thousand yuans in order to play in the tournament. After discovering that none of them, including Korra, have any spare cash on hand, Bolin suggests having Pabu do circus tricks on the street to raise the money. Mako dismisses his idea and says he'll take care of the problem himself.



Bolin takes Pabu to Central City Station anyway and puts him on show, but earns only one yuan. A gangster whom Bolin recognizes as Shady Shin pulls up and offers him a job helping the Triple Threat Triad with "security". Though Bolin is initially reluctant, stating that Mako had told him to stay away from the Triads, Shin is able to easily bribe him. Meanwhile, Mako has found a job at a power plant that requires him to generate lightning. When he gets home he finds that Bolin is not there, and assumes that he must have gone to visit Korra.

On Air Temple Island, Korra is in the middle of a more successful airbending practice through the training gates. Just then, Jinora and Ikki notice Mako approaching and start prodding Korra with questions about him, especially whether she has a crush on him. Embarrassed, Korra quickly earthbends them away before turning to face Mako. He asks if she has seen Bolin, but Korra answers negatively. She then offers to help Mako find Bolin with Naga's tracking skills. Together, they go to Central City Station, where Bolin usually hangs out. Mako approaches one of the street kids, Skoochy, who only gives information for a price. After Mako gives him some yuans, Skoochy tells them that he saw Bolin leaving earlier with Shady Shin and mentions that other crime gangs are preparing for a turf war. Fearing that his brother will be caught in the middle, Mako, Korra, and Naga race to Triple Threat Triad headquarters. There, they find Pabu, but upon arriving they notice the building mysteriously deserted. Venturing inside, they spot a group of masked individuals carrying off several Triad members in a truck with Bolin in tow. Korra and Mako chase them on Naga but are stopped when two thugs block their chi, leaving them motionless on the ground. Luckily, Naga and Pabu scare their attackers off. Mako explains to Korra that the thugs were Equalists, a group that wants to end all bending in order to create equality.

The two continue looking all night until Korra decides to seek out an Equalist protestor she saw in the park when she first arrived in Republic City. While they wait for him in the park, Korra asks Mako about what happened to his parents, to which he answers that they were mugged by a firebender when he was eight, and now Bolin is the only family he has left. The two then fall asleep together. They are awakened in the morning by the protestor's usual Equalist shout. Korra interrogates him and learns that Amon, the leader of the Equalists, is holding a rally known as "The Revelation". When a policeman comes by to investigate the commotion, the protestor claims that the Avatar is oppressing him, so she and Mako flee with a few leaflets. At a trolley stop, they try figuring out where the Equalists are holding the rally but there is no location listed. Mako realizes that there's a clue on the back of the leaflets matching the map of the city, pinpointing the rally's location.

That night, Korra and Mako go to the rally disguised as a couple so as not to draw attention. They show the leaflet to the doorman, who allows them inside the building. The rally begins as Amon and his followers show themselves. Amon begins by telling the audience about his life story, say that he and his non-bending family lived normal lives on a small farm until they were harassed by a firebender. His father tried standing up to him and was cut down. The firebender then burned Amon's face, forcing him to wear a mask for the rest of his life. Amon then tells the crowd that the spirits have granted him the ability to take away a person's bending– permanently. Amon demonstrates this ability on the leader of the Triple Threat Triad, causing his lightning to slowly degrade into fire, and finally stopping it completely. With this, he declares that the era of bending has come to an end and that a revolution has begun.



Unwilling to let this happen to Bolin, Mako comes up with a plan to save him. He tells Korra to create a distraction using steam in the nearby boilers while he rescues his brother. Just as Korra works her sabotage, she is spotted by the doorman and weakly tries claiming she was looking for the bathroom. Seeing as her opponent doesn't believe her, Korra quickly subdues the doorman by hand-to-hand combat, ending the fight by slamming him against the boiler, which consequently realeases steam. She then waterbent the steam towards the stage, which catches the Equalists off guard, just before Amon can use his technique on Bolin.

As the two brothers make their escape, they are attacked by Amon's second-in-command, the Lieutenant, who subdues them with his electrified kali sticks. As he declares that there's no place in the world for benders anymore, Korra earthbends him into a wall. Naga then runs by to scoop up the trio. The Equalists try giving chase but Amon tells them to to let the trio go, stating that the Avatar is the the best person to spread word of his power.

Korra then returns to Air Temple Island. Tenzin tells her he was worried and was about to send the Order of the White Lotus to find her. He also asks if she had found Bolin. Korra replies yes, but tells him what she saw at the Equalists assembly. Though at first Tenzin finds the thought of Amon possessing such ability impossible, as only the Avatar had mastered it, he then believes Korra and becomes clearly concerned, finally stating that "the revolution is now more dangerous than ever".

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


 * Also starring:
 * Kiernan Shipka - Jinora
 * Darcy Rose Byrnes - Ikki
 * Lance Henriksen - Lieutenant
 * Carlos Alazraqui - Protestor
 * Zach Callison - Skoochy
 * Kevin Michael Richardson:
 * Butakha
 * Lightning Bolt Zolt
 * Doorman
 * Fisher Stevens - Shady Shin
 * Dee Bradley Baker:
 * Naga
 * Pabu


 * Additional voices:
 * Maurice LaMarche
 * Jeff Bennett
 * Darcy Rose Byrnes

Series continuity

 * This episode is the first to have a recap on the opening sequence despite already being the third episode of the season. This is due to the first two episodes having aired back-to-back.
 * Lightning Bolt Zolt's reaction to Amon removing his firebending is the same as when Aang removed Ozai's firebending in "Sozin's Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang". Not only did Zolt say the same line, but he also unsuccessfully tried to firebend before falling over, completely exhausted.
 * The statue of Fire Lord Zuko standing in Central City Station is similar to the one of Ozai in Fire Fountain City, featured in "The Runaway".

Character revelations

 * Despite being enemies, Mako, Bolin, and Amon share a similar past; all three of them have had their family murdered by firebenders.

Goofs

 * While Mako and Bolin were escaping the rally, the Lieutenant struck the ladder they used with an electrical charge. Despite Bolin being closer to the ground, Mako was the one who landed first. This may not be a goof, as Bolin seemed to have been blown off the ladder some distance, while Mako just dropped straight down.

Trivia

 * "The Revelation" bears similarities to the stories told in Book of Revelation, the final book in the New Testament. Christ must defeat the anti-Christ - a charismatic monster who claims he has been blessed by God - before he destroys the world, similar to how Korra must defeat Amon before he wreaks havoc upon the balance of the Earth.
 * This is the first episode of The Legend of Korra in which chi blocking is performed.
 * Amon uses an unknown ability that is similar to energybending.