Yeah, while I agree that can be nice, the show hasn't developed the characters as much as it should have and the world still could do with some building. It needs some "filler" episodes to flesh out the group dynamic, give supporting characters more room to shine (Asami still doesn't have much of a personality), these kind of things make later twists and plots more emotionally engaging because we have an investment in the world and the characters.
Many of the episodes felt like they should've been two parters, if they had been the weight of some actions (e.g. Asami's father) would've had more emotional impact.
What bugged me about the newest episode is that Mako, Bolin and Asami were pretty useless when searching for Korra, Lin and Tenzin (mostly Lin) did all the work. So it would've been nice to better establish the core team than that one episode we got.
I'm really enjoying the show, but it would be even more engaging if it slowed the hell down. Oh and dear god please no more romance love quadrangle bullshit. Was a terrible way to end such a solid episode.