The Coronation

B

"URN"

- I would like to make an announcement to the world: the Earth Kingdom is no more.

"The Coronation" is the third episode of Book Four: Balance of The Legend of Korra and the 42nd of the overall series. It was released online on Nick.com on October 17, 2014.

Overview
''Wu is preparing for his coronation, while Mako has his doubts about the leading capabilities of the prince. At the coronation ceremony, shrunken down because most of the royal artifacts have been looted, Wu honors Kuvira with a medal, but she declares she is now in control, threatening to crush anyone who stands in the way of her new Earth Empire. Although anointed king, Wu does not command respect among his people, which Mako helps him realize. With a conflict brewing, Tenzin tasks his three eldest children to search for Korra and bring her back to Republic City. Meanwhile, Korra is training with Toph Beifong in the Foggy Swamp and finds out that there are still residual traces of mercury in her body. Toph gives up on her attempt to remove it after Korra subconsciously fought against her actions, hypothesizing Korra accepts the poison as an excuse to escape being the Avatar.''

Synopsis
Wu is very excited about his coronation, discussing with Mako how he has the ceremony pictured in his head, including singing earthbenders and dancing badgermoles. Mako thinks the prince shoud prepare himself for ruling the Earth Kingdom, but Wu insists he'll have ministers for that. Raiko joins the duo, but Wu is quickly distracted by a metalbending officer putting the breeches in the wrong place. Mako announces his doubts about Wu to Raiko, but the president assures him experienced people will go with him to handle the governing. Tenzin notes Wu is getting used to the royal lifestyle, to which Raiko replies that most royals like a ceremony. He informs if Tenzin has had any word about Korra's whereabouts, but the master has to disappoint him. Even though he has airbenders all over the world on the lookout for her, they can't find a trace. Tenzin is also concerned about Kuvira's growing military forces and her increasingly immoral methods. Raiko tries to calm him down, saying that she will step down after Wu's coronation. Mako still has his doubts about Kuvira handing over power to Wu. Raiko assures him that he has Kuvira's word, in that she'll step down. Tenzin would still feel better if Korra were there.

Korra is still in the swamp with Toph Beifong, and she asks the elderly woman for help getting her back into avatar fighting shape again, as she is "getting her butt kicked by losers" all over the Earth Kingdom and the world needs her. Toph begs to differ, telling her to get over herself because "the world doesn't need her one bit". Korra says that while she's been the Avatar, she's stopped some really bad people from doing some really bad things. Toph then told her that when she was Chief of Police in Republic City,  she worked very hard to bust criminals, but it didn't make crime disappear. She said that if there's one thing she learned, it was that it just had someone else's name on it every time, but the street stays the same. Korra then questions that if she believes that everything she vere accomplished was pointless. Korra doesn't like this attitude one bit, and comments that she though Beifong was grumpy, comparing Toph to her  own daughter. Toph replies that she is the "original Beifong". Korra then asks if she is going to help her to which Toph responds that she was planning on "soaking her feet in the mud" for a few weeks, but she couldn't stand seeing her so pathetic and getting her butt kicked all the time, so she thinks that she can help. Korra excitedly gets up to hug Toph, thanking her, but Toph elevated an earth wall, bloquing her and making Korra crash into it, saying that if she wants to hug something, to hug a tree. They were here to work.



In the Republic City Four Elements Hotel, Bolin arrives with Kuvira's party. He soon spots Eska, and is still scared of her. Eska thinks that she has been replaced by Kuvira as Bolin's girlfriend, complimenting him on choosing a woman with a threatening appearance. Bolin corrects her, but she waves this off. They are interrupted by a clerk, who assumes a mistake has been made, as the twins have been booked into a room with only one bed, but Eska assures him Desna sleeps in the tub. Varrick tells Zhu Li he is surprised he was allowed back into the hotel, and is also wondering about how Raiko react to giving him a full pardon. He instructs Zhu Li to grab as many hotel soap as she can get, because he loves the scent. Mako and Wu also make it, and Mako quickly catches up with his brother. He inquires Bolin about how it is working with Kuvira. The earthbender tells him she can be tough, but they are doing a lot of good, taking the improval of their family's neighborhood in Ba Sing Se as an example. Mako is slightly embarrassed to tell his brother that he is currently working for Wu. Suyin is also checking in, where she is approached by her eldest son. She greets him coldly calling him Baatar Jr. to which he responds that it is "just Baatar now". Baatar then tells her that she must feel sorry for not having gone with them because they've done so much good. Suyin responds that she doesn't know if she'd call marching all over the Earth Kingdom, and forcing people to bow to Kuvira "doing good", but Baatar Jr. tells her that she is going to have to get over her grudge with her as they are engaged, so she will be an "official" member of the family soon to which Suyin replies that she is just happy that she is going to be stepping dowm after the next day. Baatar Jr. then questions her if she'd rather be ruled by "that royal idiot". Wu tries to chat up Kuvira, by saying that he hopes he is not out of order telling her that she is "pretty easy on the eyes for a military type"  but she keeps on looking at him without saying a word. Wu then tells her that he'll "put in a good word for her" with the hotel staff to maybe get her a little upgrade because he's been living here for years and "they love him". Kuvira finally responds telling him that she won't be needing his help as she already booked the presidential suite. Wu then says that he thinks somebody is pulling her chain because he is in the presidential suite. Kuvira then informs him that not anymore because she had him moved out. Wu, shocked, pulls a staff and asks where his stuff is to which he is responded that he has been moved to a "vaery nice junior suite" on the seventh floor, Wu repeats junior suite sadly. Kuvira then tells him that something he should know about her is that she always  gets what she wants.

Later on, Mako and Wu are waiting for the delegation from the Earth Kingdom to arrive, and Wu is shocked to learn only three people, including Gun, have come. Gun informs him this is because most of the servants scattered after the Earth Queen was overthrown, and most of the royal artifacts were stolen from the palace. They only managed to save a single earring, which Gun declares to be the new "royal brooch". Wu is angry at the fact that nothing he had planned can go through, and that the ceremony will be much simpler.



Korra and Toph are practicing in the swamp, with Korra trying to land a hit on Toph, but she is unable to do so. Toph effortlessly evades every blast the Avatar throws at her, mostly with her hands behind her back. After knocking her down, the earthbender inquires how she was able to beat Korra. She replies that she thought, something Toph warns her not to do, and tells Korra to try again. The elderly woman defeats Korra easily for a second time, throwing her into a shallow pool. Korra gets back up, and Toph declares her to be pathetic, while ripping an elbow leech off the Avatar. She asks Toph why she came to the swamp, disconnected from the entire world. The earthbender counters this by saying that the swamp is in connection with everything, allowing her to be as well. Korra tries to silently land a hit, but is once again knocked down, to which Toph says that Korra is closer to being the blind one.

In Republic City, Wu is crowned to be the new Earth King by Gun, who pins the "royal brooch" on Wu's chest. He gives a small speech to the unimpressed crowd. During this speech, he gives the Kyoshi Medal of Freedom to Kuvira for her services to the Earth Kingdom. She asks the newly crowned king whether she can say a few words, and he agrees, seeing how they have a lot of time to kill. She addresses the crowd, and tells the audience about how her youth in Zaofu taught her how archaic the idea of royal lineage is, and how the reign of kings and queens is precisely what allowed the Earth Kingdom to slip into anarchy. She continues by saying that she won't allow that to happen again, and that she is removing King Wu from power, taking the actual position of power herself, much to the shock of everyone attending. The crowd meets this with much more enthusiasm than Wu's coronation. She pulls the medal off her neck and crushes it, just as she warns the world leaders not to interfere with her new Earth Empire.

Inside the presidential suite in the Four Elements Hotel, Bolin expresses his worries about Kuvira's words to Varrick, who tells him not to worry. As the businessman is distracted by Zhu Li, who brought a piece of spirit vine, Kuvira walks in, and reassures Bolin that what they are doing is good work. He has his doubts, but he tells Kuvira he'll stand by her. Suyin breaks them up, and Kuvira tells Bolin to leave. The Beifong tells Kuvira she represents the other world leaders, and that Kuvira needs to stop. Kuvira counters by saying that she was the one to step up when the whole world looked at Suyin, and that she did nothing but hide behind the walls of Zaofu. As the ruler of the new Earth Empire, she will not accept a dictator chosen by the other world leaders. Suyin asks what makes Kuvira so different from another dictator, as she came to power by force, subtly reminding her she knows what the her former captain did to get reluctant cities to follow her. The Great Uniter remarks that means Suyin will know what is coming for Zaofu. Somewhere else in the hotel, Wu is angry that Kuvira took his suite and his throne, in that order, and also disappointed that Mako does not get to go to Ba Sing Se with him. Bolin meets with his brother, but Wu is not too pleased to see him, so the bending brothers continue their conversation in the hallway. Bolin tries to persuade Mako that Kuvira is doing good, and even goes as far as comparing her to Korra. Mako still thinks she's just a dictator, but is forced to admit the Wu wouldn't be a better ruler. Bolin angrily says that Mako is just a "glorified butler for a snotty rich bozo". The lavabender storms off, reminding his bother that he is going to spread freedom across the Earth Empire. Back inside the suite, Wu admits to Mako tha he heard everything, and invites him to go shopping.

Credits
Written by:
 * Tim Hedrick

Directed by:
 * Melchior Zwyer

Starring:
 * Janet Varney - Korra
 * David Faustino - Mako
 * P. J. Byrne - Bolin
 * J. K. Simmons - Tenzin
 * Jeff Bennett - Radio broadcaster

Also starring:
 * John Michael Higgins
 * Varrick
 * Front desk clerk
 * Sunil Malhotra - Wu
 * Anne Heche - Su
 * Zelda Williams - Kuvira
 * Spencer Garrett - Raiko
 * Stephanie Sheh
 * Zhu Li
 * Kid
 * Girl
 * Philece Sampler - Toph
 * Mitchell Whitfield - Gun
 * Todd Haberkorn - Baatar Jr.
 * Aubrey Plaza - Eska
 * Logan Wells - Meelo
 * Dee Bradley Baker - Bullfrog

Series continuity

 * There are traces of mercury left in Korra's body from her battle against Zaheer.
 * Almost all of the royal ceremonial artifacts and other valuable objects of the Earth Kingdom royal family were looted during the anarchy in Ba Sing Se.

Goofs

 * When Wu notices the two girls wearing Kuvira T-shirts in the mini mall, he spits his smoothie onto Mako's shirt which leaves a prominent stain. Moments later when Mako drags Wu away from the hostile Kuvira supporters the stain is missing. It later reappears in the next scene, only to disappear again when they reach the royal palace.
 * When Toph prepares to remove the poison from Korra's body, the latter's shoes are on at first, but in the next shot of her, Korra is barefoot.

Trivia

 * A stuffed version of Bosco can be seen in the Little Ba Sing Se Fashion Mall.
 * An elbow leech gets attached to Korra, the same thing happened to Sokka when he visited the Swamp in the Avatar: The Last Airbender episode, "The Swamp".

La Coronación