"And the Winner Is..." is the sixth episode of The Legend of Korra, which aired on Nickelodeon on 12 May 2012. According to the official blurb, "Korra and the Fire Ferrets prepare for the pro-bending championship as a threat looms over the arena."
Korra, Mako and Bolin train for the tournament final when Amon's voice is heard on the radio. He threatens the United Republic Council to close the arena, or else there would be consequences. The Fire Ferrets dash to City Hall on Naga to learn about the Council's decision first hand. When they arrive, they are told by Tenzin and Tarrlok that the Council has unanimously agreed to close the Pro-Bending Arena. The team does not give up and tries to persuade them to change their minds, arguing that Pro-Bending brings people together. The Council, however, does not seem affected by their defense.
Just as Tarrlok is ready to strike his gavel, Lin Beifong enters and cuts it in two with her metal cables. She argues that closing the arena would be giving in to Amon, and she agrees to personally protect the citizens at the arena. All but Tenzin then vote for the games to continue. Korra then asks Tenzin of Lin's ill attitude toward her and, after Tenzin tells her that Lin is against him not her, Korra realizes that it was Lin that had been Tenzin's former girlfriend. Tenzin starts explaining their story, but decides not to finish, saying that there was no point in telling it to Korra.
Lin Beifong and her metalbenders secure the arena before the match, and deploy numerous police boats to surround the arena. The two teams are introduced and the games begin. The White Falls Wolfbats, however, are caught cheating by Shiro Shinobi, but the referee does nothing. The Wolfbats seemingly win round one with a knockout but Shinobi spots Mako and Korra hanging from the edge of the ring Korra throws Mako back into the ring and he lands a strike on one of the Wolfbats as they celebrate. Before round two, Mako comments that the referee has probably been bought off. Korra's suggesting of cheating follows, but Mako tells her that it would not be an option.
After another round of cheating, the two teams tie, and the Fire Ferrets win the coin toss. Korra and Tahno then collide in the tie-breaker face-off. Korra humiliates Tahno by not only knocking him out of the ring, but knocking his helmet off and ruining his hair. In the third round, multiple more acts of cheating are committed, the final one being Tahno's use of both earth and water to knock out the all three Ferrets with brutal earth head-shots.
After the Wolfbats win the match, Equalists in the stands put on their equipment and start electrocuting the metalbending cops. Lin and Tenzin, caught off guard, are also incapacitated. Amon, his Lieutenant, and some other Equalists appear on the stage. After a short duel, Amon takes the Wolfbats' bending away after Tahno begged Amon to spare him. Korra, Mako and Bolin, now in the pool, are electrified when the Lieutenant touches the water with his electrified kali sticks. Korra begins to have more flashbacks of Toph, Aang and an unknown man who is most likely Yakone. The trio is then dragged out of the water and tied to one of the ring's supports, all while unconscious.
After waking up during Amon's speech about equality, Bolin tells Pabu to chew through the ropes binding them. Amon then begins his leave via a specialized airship, and detonates the Pro-Bending ring. Debris falls as Pabu frees Korra, Mako, and Bolin. As Amon rides a small platform from the arena to his airship, Korra follows by pushing herself toward the glass ceiling with waterbending. She, however, runs out of water and starts falling back down, where she is saved by Lin using her metal cables.
Korra and Lin then proceed to go after Amon. When Korra and Lin reach the top of the arena, the harbor can be seen in the background with all of the police boats on fire. A battle on top of the arena follows, with Korra fighting the Lieutenant until she knocks him off the roof, and Lin fighting a couple of Equalists. The glass roof cracks and Korra begins to fall through, but is again saved by Lin, who had to make a split-second decision between going after Amon or rescuing Korra. Korra thanks her, but Lin tells her not to mention it.
As Tenzin rushes over to them, Lin tells of her devastation at what had just happened. Tenzin then concludes that Republic City is at war.
Tropes:
- All According to Plan: When the government of Republic City refuses to close the pro-bending arena in response to his threat, Amon replies they are doing exactly as he planned.
- Apathetic Citizens: The cheating done by the Wolfbats is painfully obvious to almost everybody in stadium but most of the watchers don't complain in the slightest. Which only serves to validate Amon's point even more.
- Back-to-Back Badasses: Korra and Lin against Amon, the Lieutenant and the chi-blockers.
- Bring My Brown Pants: The announcer.Shiro: One of them is in the booth with me right now, folks! He is leveling one of those glove devices at me now, and I believe he is about to electrocute me! I am currently wetting my pants!
- Casual Danger Dialogue: Shiro continues to commentate even as the Equalists start attacking and one enters his booth to shock him unconscious.
- Catch a Falling Star: Lin does this twice to Korra. The first time Lin boosts her back towards Amon's airship. The second time gives Amon time to escape. Lin takes it surprisingly well, though.
- Cheaters Never Prosper: Double Subverted. The Fire Ferrets do their damnedest to counteract the Wolfbats' blatant cheating, made possible by buying off the refs. Despite winning a tiebreaker in the second round, the Fire Ferrets lose miserably thanks to a myriad of fouls they couldn't stop. However, Amon takes the Wolfbats' bending away because they're cheaters, so they lost everything in the end even if they won the tournament.
- The Chessmaster: The episode that sealed Amon's status as one.
- Childhood Friend Romance: Lin and Tenzin. The latter admits to Korra that the couple had been drifting apart when Pema entered the picture.
- Combat Commentator: It's a sports match, but Beifong and Tenzin are definitely this. Beifong even comments about how she is surprised that Aang could reincarnate into someone who is "tough as nails" while witnessing Korra perform.
- Commercial Pop-Up: In the episode's first airing, a bug of SpongeBob laughing shows up just as Korra is shown falling. It's even become a meme
. It almost seems like a Call-Back to "The Beach", which had this◊. - Continuity Nod:
- Lin Beifong was Tenzin's former girlfriend that Pema mentioned in "The Spirit of Competition".
- "Cabbage Corporation" is undoubtedly a reference to the Cabbage Merchant of the original series.
- Cool Airship: Amon's airship utterly destroys the half dozen or so police airships and all the patrol boats in the water, before blowing up the stadium roof and providing a grand entrance for Amon. It later serves as his getaway vehicle.
- Dartboard of Hate: The team trains by attacking pictures of Tahno.
- Deadline News: Even as the pro-bending arena is being attacked, and an enemy comes storming into the announcer's room, Shiro continues commentating his attack for all the viewers at home.
- De-power: The Wolfbats, although they arguably deserved it for the cheating and lowly tactics.
- Determinator: Nothing short of unconsciousness will stop Shiro from describing everything going on in the arena.
- Disproportionate Retribution:
- Amon taking away the bending of the Wolfbats for cheating. While they were jerks, this would be like an Olympic athlete who cheats having their legs broken. Justified in that the Wolfbats' cheating tactics crossed into almost lethal territory, and that their debending was a symbol to where Amon was vowing to end similar, or worse, abuse.
- There's also Lin trying to throw Pema in jail for winning Tenzin's heart.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: The security sweeps before the match bring to mind the precautions taken at an Olympic event.
- Do Not Adjust Your Set: Happens a second time, after The Voice in the Night. Amon once again hijacks the radio signal to tell the City Council of Republic City to cancel both the pro-bending matches and the tournament permanently, as part of his plan to discredit benders.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Amon calls out on the Wolfbats' dishonest playing behavior and gives the credit to the Ferrets. Zigzagged: On the one hand, Amon might just be annoyed at them because, had the Fire Ferrets won, he would have been able to make an example out of the Avatar herself instead of just a sports champion. On the other hand, he really does sound disgusted by the Wolfbats' blatant cheating.
- Flashback Cut: Korra gets another one of these. This time featuring an angry Aang again, as well as Toph and the mysterious man who seems to have severely pissed Aang off.
- Foreshadowing: Possible example when Korra chases after Amon in the climax. Her water twister suddenly and mysteriously peters out in mid-air, suggesting Korra simply misjudged the distance. With the later revelations of "Skeletons in the Closet", however, it may have been another early clue that Amon's actually a Waterbender (and that he quietly disrupted it).
- Four Is Death: On fridge levels, The Wolfbats' fourth championship victory would be their last.
- Graceful Loser: Lin takes Amon's victory in stride.
- Hitler Cam: Used on Amon◊ at the end of this episode.The Revolution has begun!
- Hold Your Hippogriffs: "Pabu's not just a one trick poodle pony."
- Incoming Ham: While the Fire Ferrets entered humbly and with a little trick by Pabu, The Wolfbats go as far as a Big Entrance by dressing up as Wolfbats, howling, and setting off a series of fireworks.
- Laser-Guided Karma: The Wolfbats cheat blatantly and paid off the refs to transparently refuse any foul calls. They win the tournament handily... and for their troubles get their bending taken away permanently by Amon and his Equalists.
- Mood Whiplash: The previous episode was about love relationships and having a good time, this one get right back to where Episode 4 left off by involving the Wolfbats "winning", a massive assault on the pro-bending arena, and a large portion of the Metalbending police force out of action.
- Musicalis Interruptus: As Tenzin begins to explain to Korra the choices in life which lead to him choosing Pema over Lin a serene, peaceful music wells up, only to break off with him sputtering "Why am I even telling you this?!"
- Noodle Incident: The events involving Tenzin breaking up and Lin trying to get Pema arrested, which was Played for Laughs.
- Not So Above It All: Tenzin goes all-out soccer dad when the ref fails to call out the Wolfbats for cheating. Likely out of concern for Korra - or because he's beginning to enjoy pro bending.
- Oh, Crap!:
- Tahno's expression before and during Amon de-bending him.
- Tenzin's dawning realization as he spots an Equalist sneaking up on Lin. In slow motion, no less.
- Ominous Latin Chanting: Puts the cap on the Wolfbats' Big Entrance.
- Once More, with Clarity: Downplayed. Pema's awful advice from the previous episode is given told from Tenzin's perspective. He admitted what she did was how it happened, but it only worked because he and Lin had already been growing apart and he had realized there was no future together. He stops himself though before he can get too deep.
- Please, I Will Do Anything!: What the once-proud Tahno is reduced to...Tahno: Wait, please don't do this! I'll give you the championship pot, I-I'll give you everything, just please don't take my bending!
- Police Are Useless: Even though the metalbending police have bolstered security at the arena, the Equalists are easily able to take control. Not a single Equalist is shown being defeated until Korra and Lin chase them during the escape.
- Power Fist: How the Equalists take out the metalbender cops. As Amon describes them, the electrocuting gloves can give anyone the power of a chi-blocker.
- Pragmatic Villainy: Even Sleazy Politician Tarrlock agrees that it's a bad idea to keep the Pro-Bending arena open in light of the recent Equalist threats. He only changes his tune once Lin decides to step up security herself, since it means he won't bear any culpability in the event that they fail.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Amon delivers one to pro-bending fans about celebrating and praising the flagrantly cheating Wolfbats, (incidentally giving due credit to the above-board Fire Ferrets) drawing a parallel to societal worship of domineering, abusive benders.
- Rivals Team Up: Korra and Lin Beifong set aside their differences and team up to confront Amon. Amon gets away.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: According to Mako, the Wolfbats must have bribed the referees to avoid calling any fouls on their team.
- Shock and Awe: Not just the Lieutenant, but the Equalists in general use Static Stun Gun in the form of gauntlets to counteract the metalbenders' armor.
- Soft Glass: Averted. The stadium roof is a metal-reinforced structure that does not break despite several hard impacts. Korra eventually lands on a spot that does break, but that was near the edge of the hole made by the Equalists and it only gives way a few moments after she's landed on it.
- Tempting Fate: "Anybody else want a scrap with the champs?" Amon received your invitation, young Tahno.
- This Is Gonna Suck: Shiro's casual dialogue up to knowing he will be electrocuted.
- Tournament Arc: The climax of the pro-bending tournament.
- Unflinching Walk: Korra firebending knocks out everyone else, but Amon nonchalantly walks off the explosions. Which is even more impressive if his backstory is true.
- Villainous Breakdown: Tahno's face twists into ugly grimaces whenever the Fire Ferrets manage to overcome his cheats, and that is before Amon shows up to take his bending away.
- Watching Troy Burn: Amon and the Equalists' destruction of the Pro-bending Arena.
- Wham Episode: The first in a slew of them.
- Xanatos Gambit:
- Tarrlok, by making Lin take responsibility for the security of the arena. If she succeeds, then the arena is safe, and Tarrlok can take credit for voting to let the game proceed; if she fails, then it's her fault, so Tarrlok takes no blame and a potential political rival is weakened.
- Also, Amon: if the council closes the arena, he shows he is powerful enough to force the government to accede to his demands. If they don't, his attack goes through as planned.
