The Legend of Korra: "And the Winner Is..." Review

Note: Full spoilers for the episode to follow.

In this week's episode of The Legend of Korra, s*** got real with Amon and the Equalist revolution. After announcing his plan of attack on the pro-bending championship, the Council had to formulate a strategic response. Unfortunately for them, they weren't the only ones invested. As we might have guessed, the decision to shut down the tournament didn't exactly sit well with Korra, Mako and Bolin -- and naturally, the trio had their own two cents on the matter. But it was Chief Lin Bei Fong who stepped in with the curveball in support the Avatar.

This was really the first time we'd heard from Toph's hard-edged daughter since the pilot, and her history with Tenzin proved to be very interesting. Lin and Tenzin's banter was really great here, as was Korra's coy pestering of Tenzin. It was nice getting some background on Lin, especially since we'd already seen some obvious tension earlier on in the series. It was also neat how their romantic backstory tied into Pema's account from last week.

Following last week's humdrum pro-bending match, I was bracing myself for more of the same during the championship. But I couldn't have been more wrong. This episode had some of the most creative pro-bending yet. Between the Wolfbats' dirty fighting and Korra's epic save with Mako, there were plenty of spectacles on the arena to keep things interesting. I also got a good laugh from Pabu's little dance number with Bolin at the start of the tournament.

- Nickelodeon

Even more awesome than the pro-bending, though, was the Equalists' surprise attack -- and it looks like the chi blockers have acquired a few new toys. (Anyone else think of Iron Man when they whipped out those repulsor gauntlets?) I've gotta say, it was really gratifying to see Amon's revolution and the pro-bending racket dovetailing in such a spectacular fashion. It's cool that these two storylines weren't completely separate after all. There were some great bits here as well. I got a big kick out of the pro-bending announcer narrating his own demise at the hands of a chi blocker.

But the absolute part of the episode was getting to see Lin and Korra fight side by side against the chi blockers. I loved watching Lin do her thing with those metal wrist-whips; when she first launched Korra through the arena ceiling, I literally got goosebumps. I honestly didn't think I would like her character as much as I did, but dammit, Lin had some killer moments. Not unlike her mother, I think Lin Bei Fong may soon become a fan favorite. Who knew she'd kick so much ass? (Now if only we had Tenzin there to lay down some airbending fury...)

Overall, I think this episode was one of the best yet. It had some fun interaction among the characters, a welcome infusion of comedy as well as some of the most jaw-dropping action we've seen on the show thus far. Plus, we even got a few more hints on Avatar Aang, and perhaps our first look at the mysterious Yakone -- although that's still up for debate. In any event, it's clear we're heading into some exciting territory. Where the first few episodes promised potential, "
And the Winner Is..." delivered results.


Source : http://tv.ign.com/articles/122/1224583p1.html