Things are heating up quite quickly. I thought it seemed almost too fast, the way it jumped around. Anyway, I can't help but wonder if the avatar will have the power to give people their bending back.

Tarrlok is Amon, duh.

That is the councilman, right? If not, he is at least an informant. Amon has to be a bender, or else the character design would be ridiculously flawed. Bet money he gets found out, his movement turns on him and he becomes Korra's ally/teacher.

Don't count on it. I had my suspicions about Amon early on, I couldn't quite think he'd go to such great lengths just because his parents were killed, but it may have started him off on an early quest for power. If his story is true, anyway. I suspect his parents did die, but not by fire bender thugs or anything so random.

Tarrlok seems to be the perfect politician, and has a thirst for power. I imagine his ultimate goal is to become an emperor. He created the visage of Amon to create a rift so that he could seize more power. And with the Equalists and the council under his command, he can ingeniously work his way into a position of more and more power.

Well Tarlok just got pwned...
Now that Korra's got previous-avatar contact maybe she'll end up mastering air. I also can't help but feel that she'll end up having the ability to give benders their bending back after Amon takes it. Also the finale looks like Amon will try to take Korra's bending away, my pick is it will fail because she's the avatar.