Avatar Seven Havens S1 Eps 7-9 Quick Thoughts

Okay, sizable chunks of new info in this ep, but I do want to start with the plot as it pertains to the Future Industries site & the Faceless camp. The Future Industries video along with the site & the man-made scaffolding above the giant object of red energy where the anomaly originates from (?) all but confirms that Future Industries messed with something pertaining to the planet that they shouldn't have and Korra got involved. The only glaring issue is Asami, Korra's wife (confirmed sometime in the past 2 weeks), was the CEO of Future Industries and I can't imagine she'd approve of something that Korra would be against. Either someone did this behind her back, or she stepped down as CEO and whoever took the job approved of this.
Second, though it's absolutely sound that the Faceless camp is right under Ellora, something always irks me about the "the enemy's base is right under our noses" trope.
Third, the visions of Korra. Before we jump into them, we have to take note that Republic City from the video & visions was much more advanced than what we saw from the actual TLOK series. This is likely due to Future Industries tapping into the planet's energy to power these new advancements. The first vision (Korra gliding to Republic City) is probably when she decided something had to be done about drawing power from the planet. That meant drawing the ire of the city that she came into her own as the Avatar, which is why she looks so somber. The second vision of her in the Avatar State (especially the sinister smile part) opens the probability of Vaatu regenerating inside Korra. If the destruction of Republic City is something she never would have done, that means she doesn't have control of the Avatar State. I have to imagine this instance of using the Avatar State was forced on her (like maybe she was struck by a surge of spirit energy which caused Vaatu to RAPIDLY regenerate, act through her & blocked her from gaining control of it until the energy was released). It would make sense because, without the ability to separate Vaatu from Raava in the World Tree like Wan did, the logical place for Vaatu to be after his defeat would be linked to Raava again.
Nice beat of Nisha telling Pavi she can't lose her too. It mirrors what Aang was doing in "Aang: The Last Airbender" (Watched it, loved it). Aang was so fixated on the past (all the Air Nomads he lost) & future (potentially bringing back Air Nomads in his lifetime), that he forgot to appreciate what he already has in the present, Katara & his friends (I mean he was right to desire to bring Airbenders back and, really, Aang:TLA is the most development we see of Aang as a character so far (he was basically served one purpose the entire show while everyone around him had development & only had some development at the end with his decision to spare/kill Ozai), but the point still stands... I may do an Aang:TLA review as well lol). Pavi, mirroring Aang, is so fixated on her past (finding out the fate of her parents) that she thoughtlessly touched the Anomaly by herself when we know it took both her & Nisha to survive it from last ep. She could've died, & had Nisha lose her family twice.
Yuki wanting freedom over conscription is fine, but is the Brigade so active that she couldn't request to work as a farmer or camidillo herder when not "patrolling"? The Brigade seemingly get more privileges than the average person; Are they so strict that they don't have any Brigade members even HELPING farmers or rancher (for livestock)?
So this sigil is the new key to finding their parents, especially because Yuki reveals the song was common in the Eastern Outskirts, the area we already learned Pavi & Nisha were from from Karthik in ep 5.
Hey, sky bison! New Ba Sing Se? I guess that city above all else would be resilient enough to be one of the Seven Havens as well as retain enough of the past in its walls to know it was called that pre-Cataclysm (aided by the fact the biker says they're predominantly historians). Something else of potential importance; a motto we've heard Kayoko, the head of Ellora, say is "For the survival of Ellora". That has me wondering if the other Havens will have such direct ties to the chakras to which they are associated. It's hard to peg down where Ba Sing Se is when looking at the Havens' locations in the opening, but if we were to assume it's like the usual map of the Avatar world, Ba Sing Se would be closer to the top right. There is one in the Seven Havens opening, but it being yellow lines up with the Fire Chakra, which deals with willpower. Hopefully, the shot in the opening is looking at the world from a different angle, because there are MUCH better fitting chakras for historians; Historians gather knowledge, knowledge is truth (5th chakra/Sound/Blue) and truths can reveal insights (6th chakra/Light/Indigo).

Getting the names of most of the other Havens, though except for New Ba Sing Se, their mostly irrelevant. Akasha is the tech-centered one. Feather Mountain, along with its empress being an Airbender may be one of the Air Temples. Next is Nubah (not sure of spelling), mentioned by Karthik when 1st meeting the other White Lotus members on the balcony. Completely in the dark on this one. Last one (mentioned later in the dinner/negotiations scene) is Republic Forest which is obviously Republic City but overtaken by a forest stemming from the Spirit World (the Spirit Portal there allowed overgrowth to disrupt life in Republic City. It was a subplot of Korra S3). This pudding guy is gonna be our new Cabbage Merchant?
Nice back and forth with Pavi & Nisha about their desire (in Nisha's case, lack thereof) to find their parents. From what she can remember, Pavi was alone, so her desire to potentially expand her family to more than just Nisha makes sense. Nisha, on the other hand, not only was and feels abandoned by her parents, but also wants to stand on her own as an Avatar. Remember this, as this will be turned on its head nicely when the White Lotus members try to separate her from Ellora, Karthik & Pavi later.
Like the importance the Lotus members place on spiritual state, given what happened to Korra, and tying it to the elements. "Eye of the storm" airbending test highlights finding a core emotional stability amid a volatile outward appearance. Earth was the weakest of the 3; just badgering, but it did remind me of Toph's training of Aang & getting him to Earthbend by getting him angry enough at her that he'd stand his ground against her. Fire was short but the best of the 3 by highlighting fire's ability to grow & spread on its own (Jeong Jeong's teachings in ATLA S1E16) & firebending's connection to the bender's emotional state and their "inner fire" (shown in ATLA S1E1 when Iroh is teaching Zuko about the importance of breath & how it becomes energy, S2E9 when Zuko tries to generate lightning & keeps creating explosions because he was feeling shameful & S3E13 when Zuko rediscovers his inner fire after resolving to teach Aang instead of hunt him). On top of failing the other trials, making her feel she can't stand on her own as the Avatar, having the threat of losing the things she thought she didn't need or care about (Ellora, Karthik & Pavi) was a great narrative turn from her discussion with Pavi on the roof. Let's just hope it doesn't push her down a more emotionally unstable path before Pavi can ground her back.
Was able to get the parent's names from last week's credits (Saumya & Pramodh) but didn't wanna drop them out of the blue & potentially cause confusion. Kinda thought Pavi & Nisha's home being in the Eastern Outskirts was obvious, but it does bring up something interesting: It means their 2-week trek into the Harshlands shown in the Anomaly flashback in ep 6 would take them AWAY from Ellora. Where were they going? To another Haven? Somewhere else? And why? Plus, Amow (the thief kid) is growing on me.
Yay, the Havens will work together. Quick question: HOW? They're separated from each other by VAST SWATHS of the DANGEROUS Harshlands that, even if traversed by the best equipped of them, takes WEEKS! Supporting one weakens the other by seemingly every important metric (for now, just supplies & benders).
Everything coming to a head now; Nisha may expose herself as Avatar. Pavi has to choose between continuing her search for info on her parents and protecting Nisha and a twist from left field with Agam being the true Faceless Queen. Excited for next ep.

...Holy shit. WHAT AN EPISODE!
Not to undercut Agam's motives, but again, couldn't her father be a cook for the Brigade? Are they really THAT restrictive? And I thought Yuki didn't want to be outed. Yes, she intended to go to Republic Forest, but she said her family would be pariahs to those who remained in and were still loyal to Ellora. And for these benders, surely the relative safety of a Haven is better than the comparative unpredictability of the Harshlands. Better the devil you know, right? Anyway, that's my main gripe with the ep. Onto the meat & potatoes.
The earthbending portion of the Nisha/Agam fight was entertaining. Cool reveal of Agam's sandbending. Then HOLY SHIT SHE REVEALED HERSELF! I thought it'd be closer to the season finale (at least in eps 10-12). Even if fear is the prevalent force that needs to be quelled this season, the other Havens will still fear Pavi & Nisha. All this fear attracting the Anomaly. Nice job by Nisha's actor & the animation team (particularly the scene where she's grabbing Karthik's arm). They're really making you feel & see Nisha's helplessness as her decisions worsen the situation. Really making you feel for her. Another vision, this time seemingly not of the past but what I can only assume is the origin of the Anomaly. But then what about the giant object we saw in ep 7?
KARTHIK STEPPING UP! I am SO HAPPY to be wrong about him hiding something else! Oh damn, this music! THE TAIKO DRUMS WITH THEIR CLACKING OF THE STICKS! HELL YES! The difference of bending techniques from the Brigade benders vs. the White Lotus members (who'd be more privy to the more elegant bending of the past). And the sacrifices each make to keep Nisha safe, especially Karthik who kicks major ass before saving Nisha & going down.
Huh, the Anomaly seems out of whack after its contact with Nisha. That just means that vision Nisha saw is something it didn't intend to reveal. Jae playing the redemption card here has to be so he can aid Karthik in the future. There was nothing known tying him to Karthik so this outing of himself would be unnecessary if not to curry favor with Kayoko.
Well, if it wasn't apparent now; chakras confirmed. Strange how the only time the Anomaly dissipated was when Pavi was involved and only when the twins were by themselves did they get visions not pertaining about their parents. I gotta be up at 9 & it's 7:30 now, so I can't think clearly on any reasoning for it ATM. I'll revisit it later.
The New Ba Sing Se rep was named Kuzon? Neat (Kuzon was the name of Aang's Fire Nation friend before the Hundred Year War and the name he took when he went to school in the Fire Nation (ATLA S3E2)). Empress Yeshe said "Feather Mountain makes space for forgiveness." Might be reading too hard into it, but forgiveness was tied to the guilt of the 2nd chakra (Water), but I would think the one ruled by an Airbender would be the 4th (Air/Love/Grief/Green).
And Nisha out on her own? Said it already, but MAN, what an episode! Great low point that hopefully means a rebound for the season finale. Hooked all over again!