Skeletons in the Closet

"Skeletons in the Closet" is the eleventh episode of season one of The Legend of Korra and the eleventh of the overall series. It debuted on June 23, 2012 on Nickelodeon, back-to-back with "Endgame".

Overview
General Iroh, grandson of the now-retired Fire Lord Zuko,  joins in the war against the Equalists.  Meanwhile, Team Avatar is lying low in an alley where benders and non-benders seem to coexist harmoniously, and Mako and Korra go undercover as the war intensifies.

Synopsis
The Equalists have taken control of Republic City. Hiroshi Sato speaks to a crowd of Equalist supporters, proclaiming that the city's "tyrannical" government has been overthrown and that Amon sent the Avatar on the run. He also promised that the Equalists would defeat the incoming United Forces before creating a bending-free world where everyone is equal. As the crowd cheers, two chi blockers walk into a bush. One of them then earthbends a rock aside and they both jump into a hidden hole. It is in fact Korra and Mako in disguise. The former feels insulted by Hiroshi's speech and desires to return and "knock some heads". Mako encourages her to be patient and wait until General Iroh's forces arrive.

As Korra and Mako arrive Gommu's hideout, where he and his fellow benders and non-benders live together in peace, the two of them, along with Asami and Bolin, dine. As they eat, the vagabond reveals that their dinner is taken from "the finest dumpsters the city has to offer", which prompts a disgusted Asami to secretly pass her dish to Pabu.

As night drags on, Mako finds Korra resting against Naga. The Avatar expresses her shock that only a few months ago she was taking her firebending test in the South Pole and now she is in the middle of a war. Mako comments that they didn't know each other then, he also praises Korra as "the most loyal, brave, and selfless person [he has] ever known." They then wish each other goodnight and go to sleep.

Meanwhile on Air Temple Island, Amon begins removing the bending of the captive benders, including the White Lotus sentries.

The next day, the group exits a tunnel leading to the foggy seas. As Mako noticed the United Forces approaching, he exclaims that there are no Equalists airships or mecha tanks in sight. The group was then surprised to find that the bay was mined, and that multiple aircraft were heading towards the ships. Korra dives into the bay and tries to aid the United Forces, but their ships soon fell. As an aircraft was heading toward him, Iroh used a fire shield to protect himself from a bomb, which knocked him into the water. Korra rescued him and the gang returned to the hideout.

The group of five then discusses what a plan to stop Amon. Iroh requested a wire be sent to Bumi, Avatar Aang and Katara's first son and a commander of a division of the United Forces. He sends instructions to wait by Red Sand Island until the biplanes have been taken care of. After Gommu sent the dispatch, Bolin, Asami, and Iroh head towards the mountains to destroy the aircraft base; Korra and Mako, on the other hand, go to Air Temple Island to find Amon and end him.

As the two arrive and change into their Equalists uniforms, they see Amon's airship take off. They then begin heading towards the temple to wait for Amon's return. On the way, they are intersected by the Lieutenant; after making up an excuse, they are ordered to go to the Pro-bending Arena where Amon had planned a rally.

Korra, however, disobeys the Lieutenant and moves on to the temple using a secret entrance. As she and Mako enter the attic, they are surprised to find Tarrlok locked in a metal cell. The Avatar inquires if there were any other prisoners in the temple, but Tarrlok said no, telling her that he was special, as he is Amon's brother. Shocked, Korra and Mako listen to Tarrlok's story attentively. After Yakone had lost his bending, he underwent facial surgery, altering his appearance. Later on, he had moved to the Northern Water Tribe, where he had fallen in love and married. Two years later, a child under the name of Noatak had been born; three years after that, a second son named Tarrlok was born.



According to Tarrlok, everything had been fine until the realization that both he and his brother had possessed the ability to waterbend. As time had gone by, the constant waterbending training brought out a cruel side of Yakone. Sometime later, while taking them out on a hunting trip, Yakone had revealed his true identity to his kids and had started secretly training them in the art of bloodbending. As the years went by, Yakone took his sons out on "hunting trips" during the full moon to train them. Noatak had learned the technique more quickly while Tarrlok "hated every minute" of the training and despised the technique. Soon, their father had began taking them out more frequently, teaching them the technique without the presence of the full moon. Finally, the brothers had been forced to bloodbend each other. Noatak had obeyed, but Tarrlok had refused. In anger, his father had yelled at his younger son. Noatak, however, bloodbent his father, something that outraged Yakone. The older brother ran away, leaving Tarrlok and Yakone behind. After days of searching, the two had failed to locate Noatak. From that moment on, Tarrlok's mother had never been the same, and his father passed on a few years later.

Korra and Mako, now even more shocked, told Tarrlok that they would reveal the truth on the rally, making everyone abandon Amon's cause. Korra plans to free Tarrlok, but he tells her not to, as that would endanger her plans. He then apologizes for everything he had done and tells them to finish Amon.

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
 * Seychelle Gabriel - Asami
 * Steve Blum - Amon
 * Dee Bradley Baker:
 * Tarrlok
 * Naga
 * Pabu


 * Also starring:
 * Dante Basco - General Iroh
 * Daniel Dae Kim - Hiroshi
 * Stephen Root - Hobo
 * Clancy Brown - Yakone
 * Lance Henriksen - Lieutenant
 * Jacob Bertrand - Noatak - Age 6, 8 & 10
 * Alexander Martella - Noatak - Age 14
 * Nicholas Braico - Tarrlok - Age 3, 5 & 7
 * Zach Callison - Tarrlok - Age 11
 * Jeff Bennett - Radio broadcaster


 * Additional voices:
 * Jeff Bennett
 * Dee Bradley Baker
 * Clancy Brown

Series continuity

 * This is the second episode in which Gommu appears, the first being "Welcome to Republic City".
 * This is the first time Equalist biplanes are seen.
 * When the new Team Avatar split up, the scene was similar to the last battle in Wulong Forest where shown in "Sozin's Comet, Part 3: Into the Inferno":
 * Suki, Sokka, and Toph riding on an eel hound - Asami, Bolin, and Iroh riding on Naga
 * Katara and Zuko flee to fight Azula - Korra with Mako fight toward Air Temple Island, looking for Amon.
 * Gommu and the rest of Republic City citizens are similar to Order of White Lotus.
 * This episode is part of the second set of episodes shown back-to-back in The Legend of Korra, the first being "Welcome to Republic City" and "A Leaf in the Wind".

Character revelations

 * Asami and Mako appear to have broken up. However, he admits to her that he's sorry how their relationship got messed up and that he'll always care for her. Mako appears to have regained Asami's trust as well.
 * Amon and Tarrlok are brothers.
 * Tarrlok reveals Amon to be a waterbender and a bloodbender.
 * Yakone had plastic surgery to change his face.
 * Amon's real name and real past is revealed.
 * Katara was responsible for making bloodbending illegal in the United Republic.

Goofs

 * When the equalists attack Iroh's fleet, the smoke is stationary.

Trivia



 * when the Equalist biplants strike the United Forces ships, it was a reference to the japanese attacked pearl harbor on December 7th, 1941.
 * This episode is one of the few that had special press art released for it.
 * "Skeletons in the closet" is a colloquial phrase used to describe a shameful secret.
 * Upon noticing the mines destroying his ships, confirming that the Equalists were prepared for an attack on Republic City, General Iroh exclaims, "It's a trick!" This is similar to Admiral Ackbar shouting, "It's a trap!" at the detection of the Imperial vessels approaching, also confirming that the Empire was prepared for an attack on the Death Star in Star Wars.
 * Also, Iroh's shout of "it's a trick!" is exactly the same as Zhao's after his troops attacked Jeong Jeong.
 * Amon's mask is seen on Avatar Aang's statue, a sign of victory for the Equalists.
 * Korra and 14 year old Amon shared the same ponytail hair style.