Legend of Korra Book 4: 'Reunion' Review

The Legend of Korra Book 4 Balance, Chapter 7 "Reunion" slows the fast pace established in "Battle of Zaofu." But after Korra is reunited with her old allies, we're taken back to that action-packed tempo.

"Reunion" gets us caught up with characters whom we haven't seen in recent episodes; Mako makes his mid-season debut, and he's still unhappy with his job as Prince Wu's personal bodyguard. Three years have passed since Korra and Mako last spoke, but they start bickering just like they did in past seasons.

In addition, Asami gets irritated with Korra after she warns her about reestablishing contact with Hiroshi.

Asami states that she's aware that her father can be manipulative, and gets defensive at Korra's assertion that he's trying to use her for personal gain.

But the rift between them is mended after Kuvira's soldiers capture Wu. A car chase ensues, and the rest period ends. This break in action, however, wasn't wasted; it reestablished Korra in Republic City and reunited her with estranged friends.

It was also nice to see Team Avatar get a minor victory amidst their recent losing streak. They managed to rescue Prince Wu from his captors--foiling one of Kuvira's plots. While it isn't a big win for Korra, it would have been excessive to see her fail again.

The one thing that was suspect about it was where they chose to hide Wu after rescuing him; they drop him off at one of Asami's old mansions where Mako's grandma--introduced in Change--is staying.

Mako's grandma, who is obsessed with royalty, hugs Wu and is elated to meet him.

Kuvira is a ruthless dictator who has no qualms about imprisoning her opposition. By hiding Wu with his grandmother, Mako is putting her in serious jeopardy.

And, considering Mako is known for thinking of all possible outcomes to a scenario, it seemed out of character for him to not realize the danger.

This, however, is minor in what was otherwise a story arc that gave us a well-needed rest from Team Avatar's recent trend of losing.

"Reunion" also covers Varrick and Bolin's adventures after escaping the exploding train. It seems as though Kuvira isn't convinced that the two are dead; an Earth Empire officer has a wanted sign of them hanging in his office.

This causes a fight, and they try to protect the fugitives that escaped one of Kuvira's reeducation camps.

These prisoners are of Water Tribe and Fire Nation origin, and they state that Kuvira is imprisoning anyone who is not of Earth Kingdom descent.

Bolin shows remorse when he's told this. Regretful, he sees it as his duty to atone for his crimes--unknowingly committed as they were--and help the fugitives escape Earth Empire territory.

This is also successful; Varrick and Bolin get on a rickety dinghy with their friends to sail to unknown locations.

Varrick is a big reason for their success in this episode. His technical genius is starting to become an asset for Team Avatar.

He uses his wit to get past one of Kuvira's guards and his intellect to disarm all of Kuvira's robots.

After serving as the series' neutral character for the past two seasons, Varrick is becoming more likable by siding with the protagonists of the series in Balance.

"Reunion" serves as a temporary pause from the intense action in previous episodes. This, however, is needed.

And it brings us back into full gear at the right time. It's also the first minor victory that Team Avatar had in a season where not much has gone their way.

You can watch "Reunion" here.