The Legend of Korra – Episode 11/12 Finale Review

*Note: I’m treating the entire finale as one collective. As such, there will not be a review for the individual episodes 11 and 12, but as the two of them together. If you want to skip the major summary of the finale, scroll down to the third triple hyphen.

There’s a lot to think about before this ends.

So, here we are. The first season of The Legend of Korra is finally over, which is a somewhat eerie thing to think about. As fans, we’ve waited for several years for another Avatar story to return to our televisions and now we’re almost done with this new experience. I’m almost a little uncomfortable with it. Nevertheless, it was surely a great ride and I think postulating the quickly approaching new season of The Legend of Korra is a better use of anyone’s efforts than dwelling on what has already happened.

Reason being is not only is there more Avatar coming, but that a season just ended, and what a finale to that season it was! I was able to suppress almost all attempts of spoiling the finale for myself and walked away completely surprised by what happened in the finale. But was it perfect? Was it the most well-rounded end to the season that it could have been? I’m ultimately not sure of that. I think this will be one of those cases where I draw my conclusions alongside my fellow fans, readers, and the rest of the community. It’s hard to judge a finale such as this, but here it goes. I’ll try not too take too much time summarizing.

—

The Legend of Korra finale begins with the complete control of Republic City under the Equalist movement, in “Skeletons in the Closet.” We find that Korra, Bolin, Mako and Asami are taking refuge in an underground hideout essentially carved out by hobos. Despite the hospitality, Mako and Korra have been using this opportunity to keep tabs on the Equalists right above their heads, finding that the Equalists are very confident that they will be able to handle the incoming United Forces fleet.

Of course, no episode of The Legend of Korra would not touch upon the romantic tension between the main characters, so quickly enough we find an awkward moment between Mako and Korra once again unfolding, only for the two to break off the engagement before any lips are locked. Meanwhile, Amon has taken post on Air Temple Island to remove the bending of White Lotus sentries, police officers, and anyone else has had captured, one by one.

Finally, the United Forces fleet arrives, but to no welcoming mat. Well, at least not one they can see. The ships run right into a minefield, which rips apart their fleet immediately. Equalist bi-planes join the fight, ravaging the already-stunned warships. Iroh and his men do their best to fight off the swarm of aircraft, but their technology is too archaic to take on the inventive strategies made possible by Hiroshi Sato’s Equalist machinery. Thankfully, Korra is able to help out the best she can and ends up saving General Iroh.

To try and put an end to the bi-plane threat, Asami, Bolin and Iroh head off on Naga to the mountains outside Republic City, where they think the bi-planes are being housed and sent off. Meanwhile, Korra and Mako decide to make their way to Air Temple Island to face Amon head-on to try and finish the war once and for all. When they arrive, they are approached by the Lieutenant, who thinks they are Equalist henchmen thanks to their costumes. Told to head to the pro-bending arena, where Amon will be holding a rally, they instead sneak into the building using a secret entrance and find Tarrlock as the island’s only prisoner. Disheveled, Tarrlock greets Korra and Mako and decides to explain to the two of them the truth about Amon and his past.

The Equalist outfits are pretty cool, though.

To quickly sum it up, Tarrlock and Amon are brothers and the sons of Yakone, who was able to set off for a new life after escaping prison and getting facial reconstruction surgery. Yakone’s plan was to get revenge on the Avatar and take back Republic City by training his sons to bloodbend to the degree that he could. Pushing them and pushing them, Amon (who’s real name was Noatak) became cold, yet strong, and surpassed Tarrlock in his skills. However, when Tarrlock was being punished and pushed too hard by his father out in the drifts of the Northern Water areas, Amon snapped and imposed his skills on his own father. Though he hated his father, he agreed with Yakone that Tarrlock was weak. Amon then set off and was never seen again – Tarrlock’s family was put into a depression, with Yakone passing away a couple of years later. His mother was never the same. With this revelation, Korra and Mako decide to reveal Amon for who he is at his own rally.

—

Following, “Skeletons in the Closet,” we enter, “Endgame.” Starting this episode is Bolin, Asami and Iroh finding the Equalist Airbase they were looking for and try to sneak in, only to be taken out rather easily by a wireless electric fence. Back in Republic City, Mako and Korra have arrived at the Equalist rally disguised as Chi-Blockers, though Korra drops their ruse only seconds after Amon begins his speech. Korra reveals Amon’s identity and past, but when he reveals his mask, a huge facial scar tells a different story. Amon doesn’t stop there; from below the stage rise a captured Tenzin and his children (Pema and Rohan are nowhere to be found). Bound, the last airbender family is to be removed of their bending in front of the Equalist crowd. However, Korra and Mako jump in and are able to hold off Amon and his forces long enough to free Tenzin, who goes hard in the paint (for an obvious lack of a better turn of phrase) and helps Korra and Mako escort his children out of the area.

At the same time, Asami, Bolin and Iroh were locked up after their electrocution. They find that Hiroshi was able to intercept the message sent out to the second United Forces fleet and now plans to destroy that squadron with more bi-planes. Later, Naga somehow finds the group and breaks them free, allowing Iroh to go after bi-planes using exceptional firebending skills, while Bolin and Asami fight off Hiroshi Sato after destroying the airstrips.

Of course, the biggest part of this episode is the conflict between Korra and Amon, which happens after Korra and Mako create a distraction for Tenzin and his family to get Pema and Rohan and escape. Amon corners them in a deep part of the building, and despite Korra and Mako’s best efforts, Amon restrains both of them with bloodbending. Then, what the entire world was hoping would never happen, Korra is stripped of her bending. Forever.

Seriously, I’d be pretty ticked if I lost any kind of super power. Being a regular human sucks. Equality!

With Korra out of the way, Amon turns his attention to Mako, who catches Amon offguard with a shot of lightning. Still, he proves too much for the young firebender and prepares to strip him of his bending, too. Korra cannot bear to watch this and forces one last punch, which somehow produces a gust of wind. Her airbending has unlocked, somehow through losing her other bending masteries. With her new found power and a ton of confidence, she forces Amon out of the entire arena and into the seas below, right in front of Amon’s followers that had exited the arena not too long before.

Rising from the water with red ink washed from his face and a blue pillar holding him high above the arena, Amon’s followers see him for who he truly is. Amon realizes that he has lost everything he has worked for and decides to cut his losses by escaping the area before Korra and Mako can take him out.

As the episode wound down, Korra is depressed that she can only airbend, pushing Mako away despite his efforts to console her. She rides off toward an icy cliff and cries, only to be met by Avatar Aang. Using the powers of the spirit world, he grants Korra her abilities back. For the first time, Korra is able to control all four elements and even accesses the Avatar state. Finally, she uses her energybending skills to bring back the powers of Lin Beifong, but not before Korra and Mako come together for a passionate kiss. And, we do eventually learn of the fate of Amon and Tarrlock – they are escaping on a boat to start a new life…well, at least, Amon thinks so. Tarrlock, however, has other plans, and in quite the surprising development, Tarrlock uses a Chi-Blocker glove to ignite the boat’s fuel tank and, well, as far as we know, the pair are over and done with.

And with the wise words of Tenzin, “I am so proud of you, Avatar Korra,” the season comes to a close.

—

Phew. That took awhile, huh?

I feel like the best way to go about this is to be really simple about it: does this finale do its job?

To be honest, the biggest thing that needed to be wrapped up was the story of Amon, which was also the most difficult to wrap up. How do you end the story of a man that, so far, has become practically invincible and has had so much influence? And how do you even go about it? Do you make him an unstoppable force that comes across an immovable object and something somehow gives? Or do you make him human and give him the necessarily vulnerabilities?

The writers went with the latter and decided to have his defeat be through the loss of his movement and influence rather than his life. Yes, he ended up losing his life, as well, but that was more defining of the character of Tarrlock rather than Amon. Amon’s defeat came when his true identity was revealed and that his movement was a lie, not when Tarrlock imploded their boat. I could certainly see traces of TLA in Amon’s defeat, as Amon has to eventually realize that he has lost. The expression that came across his face after the red ink was drained of his mug was very telling. Though I was expecting more of a fight to be put up (and if there was a longer finale, I’m sure that’s what would have happened), Amon’s reaction was nevertheless settling. And Tarrlock’s final sacrifice was satisfying, not because he took out Amon, but because he finally realized that both himself and Amon had to pay for their actions. It’s never easy to make a decision like that. Ever.

Then, of course, we find that Korra and Mako have finally come together in loving embrace. This was probably my least favorite part of the finale, not because I had other thoughts on who should be with who, but because it was so predictable. We saw it coming, but not in a good way – Mako spent every waking moment in the past several episodes making it very clear to Asami that he liked Korra more than her. At least back in The Last Airbender, the relationship between Katara and Aang was constantly flip-flopping though we hoped that they would be together in the end. I feel like, in this case, this wasn’t the most favorable outcome. Mako was pretty much a dick to Asami for almost no reason at all, other than he had no idea how to be with Korra other than to completely screw Asami over in the process. And for Korra to go along with it wasn’t amazing either, but I blame her less because she had less to do with it as more time passed. Still, Bolin pretty much got cockblocked and Asami got cheated on – not cool.

And, then we have the situation of Korra and her bending. Korra’s unlocking of her airbending was quite the revelation and was ultimately executed rather well. It came in at a moment of desperation. Scenes like these have become characteristic of the franchise as a whole, so to see the tradition carried on was great. And for Korra to break through Amon’s apparent invincibility was truly incredible. However, I was hoping to see Korra have to live with this new situation going into the new season, or at least not regain her powers back pretty much right after she lost them.

It makes me wonder – how is the second season going to pan out? Korra and Mako are together; Korra has all of her bending back; Amon and Tarrlock are dead. If anything, this clearly shows that we’ll get a very different storyline going into the next season. I’m very intrigued by this.

How can you not enjoy some General Irohn Man action?

Despite all that bothered me, the best part about this finale is that it did the show service and was entertaining. I would still say that Episode 10 is the best of the series so far, as the emotion in that episode was gut-wrenching and allowed the finale to do its job successfully. Not only was I entertained, but I felt more along for the ride than ever. The reveal that Tenzin and his family were captured by Amon and his forces was one of the most surprising points of the episode and truly made me wonder how Korra could save her friends, family and herself, especially with so much on the line. There was a ton stacked against her, but she’s the Avatar, so I always had faith.

I think that’s one of the best parts about this finale – we knew Korra and company would succeed. The good guys always win. So, in cases like these, it’s not about the destination, but the journey. I knew how it would end, but I wanted to see how it would end. That’s what interested me the most. It’s safe to say that I’m thoroughly enjoyed with the ride to the destination, as it had me guessing and constantly wondering how this mess would be cleaned up. The revelations were truly one of a kind.  Now, if things didn’t end so nicely and well-mannered, that could have been quite incredible (albeit a lot darker and less cheerful). Still, a great finale.

I mean, what more could you ask for? The finale had drama, it had character, it had a ton on the line, and of course a ton of action. Iroh’s fight against the Equalist bi-planes was a ton of fun, and the bout between Hiroshi and his daughter Asami was short-lived, but packed a lot of passion and emotion. And Korra and Mako’s fight against Amon was certainly tough to watch, but for all the right reasons. They had essentially lost, Amon had them in his clutches, and somehow they were able to escape. It was very, very dramatic.

If anything, what may make this finale not as perfect as I’d like to think is not necessarily the finale’s fault, but the fault of the show itself. The pacing, the length, the quickness of its advancement all led to a finale that had to be relatively the same. Could we have seen a longer fight between Amon and Korra? Could Korra have actually accessed the spirit world sometime during the season? Would we have seen more of outside the bounds of Republic City? I can’t say, but I sure wish I could have seen it. Having only half the length of a TLA season definitely hurt the quality of the first season of LoK, but not by much.

—

Because of its length, we’ve seen a different kind of character from this series, and though I wish it could be longer, I’m happy with what we have. That’s why this finale was as satisfying as it could be and I’m as happy as I could be. The story was wrapped up nicely after a rather good narrative and we even have more Avatar to look forward to!

For all you fans out there, I hope you all enjoyed the show thus far as much as I have. While I’ll always have The Last Airbender in a special place in my heart, and unless LoK somehow does the impossible, it will always be a step above any kind of Avatar spinoff. Still, I love this new series to death, and overall we’ve seen some great content that definitely was worth the wait since Aang took out Fire Lord Ozai.

All I can say now is I can’t wait to review the first episode of Season 2.

The Legend of Korra – Episode 10 “Turning the Tides” Review

Probably should have brought more than three henchman to take out Tenzin, huh?

Finally.

In what was a woefully disappointing attempt to woo viewers into another Saturday, last week’s Episode 9 left a bad taste in my mouth. I desperately needed something to make up for what was one of the least impressive airings of the Legend of Korra series thus far. Contemplating that it wouldn’t be until the finale that we would see truly great Avatar action once again was somewhat uncomfortable for such an avid fan like myself, but thankfully I and the rest of the LoK fanbase were saved by Episode 10, “Turning the Tides,” an episode that n0t 0nly made up for the lackluster episode that came before it, but could also be one of the best LoK episodes, if not the best, and will certainly rival other classic Avatar episodes with its timelessness.

It’s safe to say that I’m happy with this episode. I honestly could have written this episode earlier in the week, but I wanted to re-watch it when I got the chance.  There was just too much in the episode that I liked for me to watch it only once in order to form an opinion. And, personally, I suggest you all watch it again, as well.

So, yeah, this episode was really good. Really damn good. Let’s find out why.

—

“Turning the Tides” starts out with one of my favorite facets of the Avatar franchise – its beautiful articulation of music. Any fan of Avatar could recognize its tracks from a mile away and rightfully so – the calm, simple melodies that accompany even the most dramatic of times are dutifully distinct. So when the episode started out with one of these characteristic harmonies, I knew I was in for a great ride.

The episode opens up with Korra recovering from her ordeal with Tarrlock and Amon, with Mako once again showing his sympathy and care for Korra by watching over her, something Asami still feels uncomfortable about. The tension between Asami, Korra, and Mako is focused on in this early stage of the episode with Asami and Mako getting into an argument in the kitchen while Korra fills her stomach. It seems like the tension has more or less shifted from being between Asami and Korra concerning Mako to directly between Asami and Mako, to the point where Korra most certainly feels like she’s unwillingly involved (come to think of it, Korra really hasn’t had much time to show a direct appeal to affection toward Mako, has she?). Nevertheless, Asami is showing signs of being increasingly disheartened because of Mako’s actions.

From there, the action begins to escalate with the beginning of an attack upon Republic City by Equalist forces. This is the first time we really see large-scale Equalist force untainted by any government corruption created by Tarrlock. While Amon and his people used to be more of a scattered, underground threat, it is now very apparent that they mean business, and what better way to mean business than to take control of an entire city?

There plan consists of capturing all of the council members of the city, which mostly succeeds save for Tenzin handling his own against an ambush and therefore becoming the only remaining council member not seized by Amon. Once at Police Headquarters, he and Chief Saikhan try to make sense of the calamity around them, only to be forced out of the building by nerve gas being pumped into the chamber. Tenzin and company make it out safely, but there welcome mat is issued by none other than half a dozen mecha tanks.

Facing down destruction, Tenzin and the others try to fend off the mecha tanks, though ultimately unsuccessfully. However, a timely entrance by Korra, Mako, Bolin, and Asami takes out two of the six machines and evens the score. While the three benders have their hands full with the opposing mechs, Asami displays some combat finesse against Equalist fighters and is able to save Tenzin from being taken from the scene. Tenzin reacts by sweeping up the remaining forces with the help of Korra and her friends.

Time to get stuff done.

Of course, all is not over with – off in the distance, a pair of airships are spotted at Air Temple Island, attempting a direct attack upon the last remaining Airbender family. Thankfully, Lin Beifong has stayed behind to deal with the attack, but things get messy when Pema insists that her baby is ready to be born. Stressed, Lin does her absolute best to hold off the Equalist forces. Without any help, all she can do is hold them back as long as possible. Eventually she is taken down by electrocution and surely she would’ve been done for, but suddenly Tenzin’s children come into the mix and show off their airbending prowess, taking out the remaining Equalist forces with some clever forms of manipulating the air.

Without many options, everyone reconvenes at Air Temple Island. Tenzin and his children are finally able to meet their new son, Rohan, but do not get much of a chance to introduce him properly into this new world of his – more airships head their way. With that, Tenzin decides to pack up and leave with his family. Lin decides to go with him to protect his family, while Korra and her friends are told to go into hiding while United Forces make their way toward Republic City, thanks to a wire sent out by Tenzin earlier in the day.

Korra and her friends are able to safely leave the island with Naga, but Tenzin’s escape with his family and Lin is not as smoothly executed. Two airships jump right on their tail and begin to attack their horizon-bound sky bison. Lin, understanding the sacrifice that will most likely need to be made to save Tenzin and his family, jumps and attempts to take out the airships personally. With a passion upheaval of force, she rips the first airship apart, but during her destruction of the second ship, she is captured and the airship turns back.

And finally, a moment nobody wanted to see, Lin Beifong is brought before Amon, who asks for the Avatar’s location. Denying his inquiry, her bending is permanently removed from her body and she collapses to the ground.

Epic sadness.

Now entering the finale, we get to see, for the first time, General Iroh of the United Forces boldly commanding a fleet of impressive ships making their way to Republic City. In three days, his forces will arrive at Republic City. Iroh is convinced that he and the Avatar will take it back.

—

I mean, come on, how can you not enjoy drama and action  like that? That’s the kind of episode I’ve been waiting for, one that defines what an Avatar episode should be like – not only was the episode dramatic, humorous, and had a ton of action, but it also let us finally experience something in well-deserved detail. Too many times in this series have we been introduced to a new plot element or setting or something similar, only to be dragged away from it too quickly or have it stripped from us too abruptly. This episode finally allowed us to experience an event in its entirety. If this episode just made a montage of the Equalist attack upon Republic City, just to rush the entrance of General Iroh or whatever, I would have been sorely disappointed.

Granted, some of the best episode of The Last Airbender were ones that had very little action at all, which is fine. An episode does not have to be good for it to be action-packed. However, I have always found action to be just as telling as non-action – we get to see characters in a whole different light when they are put to the test physically, mentally, and emotionally. We got to see how, despite Asami’s growing disturbance by Mako’s affection for Korra, she still fights on the side of good (even though she could easily join her father and Amon essentially whenever she wanted to); Lin Beifong showed an even deeper side of herself, willing to sacrifice her bending just to save Tenzin and his family, even though not too long ago she absolutely detested the man. And what of Tenzin himself? Despite kicking major amounts of ass, almost being seized by Equalists twice within a very short period of time, and holding off enemy forces from every direction, he is still able to show a strong face in front of his children and be the caring father that he needs to be.

Speaking of the action itself, it was beautifully choreographed like always. I’m glad that I can always expect high-quality combat from this series no matter when it arises. Once again, Tenzin and Lin Beifong still the show, being able to command their elements far better than any of their friends and family around them. Their mastery of air and earth are truly remarkable, which is why I’m very sad to recognize that we’ll never see Lin’s earthbending excellence again (though her fighting skills will surely be just as remarkable if she is able to continue to fight somehow). Tenzin now remains the sole master among the main group of characters – if he too loses his bending, I would be at a loss for words.

The ultimate sacrifice, and massive, massive damage.

Very apparently, there is now a ton on the line here. I have to commend the writers for being able to inject a ton of weight and gravity to the current context of the show. With Tenzin’s family now being obviously a target, and one of those family members being a day-old infant, as well as Korra and her friends being on the run while the Equalists take over an entire metropolis…well, it’s fairly obvious that there’s no way this all can end perfectly well. I’m honestly concerned about the well-being of the characters I’ve been following for ten episodes now. This is good – as a viewer and fan, I should want to feel anxiety and concern for these characters and hope for their well-being to stay intact. That is true, honest-to-God, care for the characters that have been developed. Kudos.

And then, there’s General Iroh. To have him share the same voice actor as Prince Zuko from TLA is clear-cut fan service, which I can’t disagree with, though its somewhat jarring that a man shares the exact same voice that his grandfather had at roughly the same age. Nevertheless, his introduction is not only awesome, but needed – this is the first time that we could get to see how the world operates outside of Republic City. At the very least, we’ll be witness to the power of the United Forces, the military of the United Republic of Nations. Apparently, these guys are like the Avatar equivalent to the real world’s United Nations, which is both good and bad – it’s great that they exist, but if they’re as ineffectual as the actual United Nations, Republic City may have already been lost.

—

To round this out, all I can say is that I’m purely excited for what’s to come. If Amon is going to be put in his place, it better be done right. It’s hard to compare the confrontation of Aang and Fire Lord Ozai to Korra and Amon, but I hope that we will get the rightful style of LoK and the talents of the LoK team to put together an epic season finale both worthy of and relative to the show that it is meant for.

All we can do now is wait. And there’s only a couple of days left, so that shouldn’t be that hard at all.

The Legend of Korra – Episode 10 Sneak Peek

Aww yeeaah, depression mode.

Thanks to the team at Korra Nation, we’ve got a new sneak peek for the next Legend of Korra episode, the tenth in the series and season. In this short clip, just about a minute like the rest of them, Korra is safe and sound at Air Temple Island following the events of “Out of the Past.” Not much happens here, except that Tenzin questions Korra and Korra explains what happened to Tarrlock. With the presence of Amon in the situation, Tenzin deduces that Amon is entering the final stages of his Equalist revolution.

Check out the clip here:
http://korranation.tumblr.com/post/24981187599/new-clip-from-episode-110-korra-is-back-home-and

Episode 10 airs this Saturday,  6/16/20, at 11:00 am.

The Legend of Korra – Episode 9 “Out of the Past” Review

Hmm, I wonder what happened…

Thanks to my busy schedule, catching the show at its regular airtime just wasn’t going to happen this past weekend. I just arrived back from California (I was out enjoying Major League Gaming’s Anaheim event) and spent most of the day sleeping. Once I woke up, I knew one of the first things I had to do was to watch the latest Korra episode, not only because I had missed it over the weekend, but because if I waited any longer, I’d run into more spoilers than I had already come across.

Anticipating another awesome episode, what I got was probably my least favorite episode of Korra so far. While it’s not the worst thing in the world to be the worst of an already-amazing series, I was ultimately rather disappointed with the episode.

—

Continuing the events of the previous episode, “When Extremes Meet,” we find Korra has been locked up in a remote cabin stationed in the bitter mountains just outside of Republic City. Of course, Tenzin and Korra’s friends would have to find out soon enough, as the council’s meeting room was utterly devastated by the clash between Tarrlock and Korra the night before. When Tenzin arrives, Tarrlock is being treated by a healer due to a wound by electrocution. According to Tarrlock, soon after Korra arrived at his office the night before, Equalists attacked the building, took out Tarrlock and kidnapped Korra. Tarrlock, however, is a terrible liar, but without immediate evidence lying around to the contrary, Tenzin decides to begin searching for Korra elsewhere.

At the same time, Lin Beifong hears of the Avatar’s kidnapping on the radio, prompting her to retrieve Korra’s friends from jail and team up with Tenzin to go search for Korra. In the meantime, trapped inside a metal box, Korra begins to meditate on the visions she had been having about Avatar Aang, whom we find was trying to reach her to warn her about Tarrlock. This warning is obviously a bit late, but nevertheless she puts the pieces together, though not too long after Tarrlock explains that he wants to start his life anew with Korra as her hostage.

Meanwhile, Tenzin, Lin and Korra’s friends find an entrance to a tunnel perceived to be used by Equalist forces. Sure enough, their hunch is correct, and soon after Lin finds that a prison within in the tunnels is holding the officers captured by Amon a few episodes ago. Swiftly taking out guards, the squadron makes its way into the prison. On the way, however, Bolin spills the beans to Asami that Korra and Mako had kisses several episodes ago, much to her dismay. She’s also put off by Mako’s eagerness to find Korra, especially when he confronts an Equalist guard and threatens him. The guard too spills the beans, explaining that the Equalists had nothing to do with Korra’s kidnapping, but that Tarrlock had lied about the incident entirely.

Korra, still meditating on her visions, finally pieces together the mystery of the man that has been in court in her mind. Yakone, a scumbag criminal warlord operating within the depths of Republic City, was finally put to trial after Toph and Aang confront him with multiple witness and victim accounts under their belt. In court, Sokka, then the head of the council, issues Yakone a life sentence in prison. In response, Yakone bloodbends the entire room and escapes. Only Aang is able to break free of unconsciousness quick enough to catch up to Yakone, who once again tries to bloodbend the then Avatar during their fight. Just before Aang’s body is twisted in all the wrong places, his Avatar state kicks in, allowing him to subdue Yakone and remove his bending through an energybending maneuver.

Meditating through fist-bump, the new cool and hip way to meditate.

Back at the council, Tarrlock stumbles upon the ground led by Tenzin and Lin, as well as the current police chief. Accusations are made that Tarrlock kidnapped Korra, which are immediately declined. However, the tables are turned when Tarrlock’s secretary comes out to confirm their accusations and states that she was scared to say anything because Tarrlock is a bloodbender. No explanation is needed for the group – Tarrlock immediately bloodbends the entirety of everyone in the room (except, it seems, the secretary, who’s ninja quick skills got her out of harm’s way, it seems), knocks them out and runs off.

With Tenzin and co. in quick pursuit, Tarrlock  makes his way back to the mountain cabin with Korra inside. After explaining his aforementioned plans,  Tarrlock leaves the cellar in which Korra is being kept in, only to find Amon and his forces waiting for him in the middle of the room. Tarrlock bloodbends Amon’s Equalists, even Amon himself, but the Equalist leader is somehow able to deny his bloodbending and continues moving forward toward Tarrlock, though not without some difficulty. Tarrlock is taken down and removed of his bending soon after.

With Tarrlock out of the way, Amon orders his forces to retrieve Korra. Overhearing his plans, Korra counters his forces and makes a desperate escape out of the cabin. Amon follows, but then gives up the chase after she slides down a snowy hill. Naga somehow finds her tired body aside a tree and brings her back to Republic City, where Tenzin, Lin and her friends find them wandering the streets of the city. With the reassurance of Mako, Korra is finally safe.

—

As I wrote up that summary, I kept thinking to myself, “I honestly should have enjoyed that episode.” And I did, as I enjoy all episodes of The Legend of Korra. But the writing kept reminding me of several instances that stuck out at me to provoke the contrary. Too many times in the episode did I find myself either completely able to predict what would happen or not at all excited by the events taking place. A good narrative should have some instances of suspense or excitement, but all I found in this episode was just…a narrative.

Most of what bothered me with this episode was that many instances in it were executed poorly or just did not live up to the potential of the situation. The most encompassing example of this is that the opportunity to finally explore outside of Republic City is completely robbed from us. All we got was a cold cabin within a snowy mountainous landscape. The environment had absolutely no character to its name, which means that not only was the place uninteresting while we were there, but also that I have no need to revisit that place once again (and it seems like that will become a reality since Amon abducts Tarrlock at the end of the episode anyway).

As much it has been rather clear that Republic City will always be the main setting of the series, being able to see places outside of this realm would help put the city in an entirely new perspective and give it more depth. One of the coolest things about the original series is that we got to explore alongside Aang and his friends and find new places just as they did. However, with Republic City, it seems like the setting has been rather exhausted. I mean, of course the Equalist forces were in some random storm drain under a bridge or whatever, where else can they possibly be at this point?

I hope he doesn’t say anything relevant to the plot!

 And then, once again, the love thing comes into play, though recently all we’ve been getting are small references to the tension between Asami and Korra over and over again. This time, Bolin is in character, unable to keep himself from telling Asami that Korra and Mako have locked lips in the recent past. Now, I’m not saying that Asami shouldn’t be at all shocked, as she should be, but she approached the situation very oddly by just blatantly asking if Korra and Mako were, “more than friends.” The situation was predictable – once Asami and Bolin were clearly in view together walking down the tunnel and she turned to him, there was clearly only one thing on her mind. And despite all the evidence showing that there are obvious reasons why there is so much tension between Asami and Korra, as well as the brothers (in romantic terms, of course), she decides to poke at the issue anyway. Because, you know, that was obviously the best time for her to bring it up.

Then there’s the issue of the writing deciding to explaining everything that is obvious. One thing I seem to notice every once in a while is that an issue or event is explained directly in full view of the audience despite us viewers being very much aware of the situation. Now, this isn’t always a bad thing – the characters need to be explained things, too. But, when the Equalist guard just has to go out of the way to specifically say, “omg tarrlock lied to everyone he did it he did it,” when it’s probably already perfectly obvious to Tenzin and Beifong after searching the prison that that is indeed the case, it’s somewhat hard not to notice. At least have Tenzin have a sudden realization to himself, prompting them to run off for Tarrlock, as that would clearly demonstrate to the viewer that they, too, understand what is actually going on.

The episode wasn’t entirely lacking in good execution, though. Lin Beifong was certainly the star of the show this episode, from her Iron Man-like cladding of her armor to her “zipper-bending,” much to Bolin’s embarrassment, to her clever way of escaping Equalist forces in the tunnel. She’s still the stone-cold strategist and fighter that she has been shown to be throughout the series, and I absolutely love her for it. And even the smaller, character instances that show the small quirks of each character were there, such as Tenzin’s humorous facial expression given to Meelo climbing over his face to grab a phone. It’s small things like that that keep the characters in the story not only lovable and awesome, but human. Or it could just be that Tenzin is still amazing in every way (nothing implied here).

—

We want to capture the Avatar, but let’s not go after her, I just ate dinner.

However, despite all of that, the episode just didn’t hook me in. I constantly anticipated an epic fight or a mysterious revelation or something to make me wanting more. The episode does have me wanting more, but only because it didn’t have much to offer and now I hope that the next episode is just better overall. Sometimes its good to have episodes that aren’t completely over-the-top or super-revealing, as I’ve said in the past, but if the episode does nothing at all, it doesn’t serve much of the same purpose. I’m disappointed to say that the episode just didn’t end up where I had hoped it would – we’re back in Republic City (yawn), Korra is safe (good, but yawn), Asami is still WTF on the whole Korra/Mako thing but doesn’t actually do anything about it except experience teenage angst (yawn), Amon gives up the chase of Korra after making like maybe ten steps in her direction (puzzling, yawn), etc.

Past episode of Korra made small, yet successful attempts to keep me hooked throughout the entire episode, but I just didn’t feel the same way coming out of ,”Out of the Past.” Did I really expect Tarrlock not to be Yakone’s son and possess the same bloodbending skills his father had? Not at all. But what I did expect was a bit more suspense, a bit more drama. At the very least, we need it more often – remember, this show is not as long as the original series, so episodes cannot afford to be as relatively dull as this one was. How can I cope with an episode being not that impressive when the episode count will be so limited?

If anything, this episode was just one big missed opportunity – one big missed opportunity to create sincere drama, sincere suspense, sincere danger, or at the very least bring us places outside of Republic City. We got none of that, instead a rather predictable episode that had much to do about nothing.

I shall await the next episode in the series with eagerness, not because I want to see what happens next, but because I want to actually see something happen.

The Legend of Korra – Episode 8 “When Extremes Meet” Review

Not only do they meet, but they clash.

*Warning: This Review Contains Full Episode Spoilers*

After The Legend of Korra took a week-long break from air time, the show returned to its 11:00am EST Saturday airing with another episode continuing the saga of Avatar Korra and her adventures in Republic City. Unfortunately, due to being rather busy, I wasn’t able to watch the recent episode until today, thus the late publishing of this review. Since I’m leaving for California tomorrow to attend Major League Gaming’s Anaheim event this weekend, this was pretty much the only time I’d have to write this review. So, here we are.

For anyone looking for an early tl;dr – this was an episode of The Legend of Korra. That’s simply what it was, and by that I mean it was just another quality entry into the already spectacular, developing series. The episode did not have much that really stood out for me, but there was nothing much equally as negative in it to make me feel like it could have been done a lot better. I honestly cannot define this episode as anything other than a solid episode. If anything, we got a great progression in the narrative, so I will give the show that – we advanced positively and significantly through the plot, and that’s a good thing. Kudos. It was an enjoyable episode, but certainly not the best.

I guess that wasn’t a tl;dr.

What I’m trying to say here, and not trying to spend too much time on, is that this episode didn’t “stand out” to me. There wasn’t an amazing fight to get hyped for, there wasn’t anything that really turned the tables on me as a viewer. Was the narrative predictable? Not necessarily, but then again, maybe it was. I was a bit spoiled on what actually happened in the episode before I watched it, so that could be it. I’m not sure. But let’s move on.

—

In “When Extremes Meet,” Asami, Bolin and Mako have arrived at Air Temple Island to make their new home alongside Korra and the rest of the airbenders and their families. It’s all rather standard fare, except Meelo, who develops a crush on Asami and doesn’t hesitate to make this fact known. Meelo has established himself as great comic relief in small doses, and in this situation he once fits that bill perfectly (especially later in the show, when he enters the scene literally carried and landing with one of the most epic toddler farts of all time).

I dunno, are his eyebrows thicker than Drake’s? They have to come close.

The only thing that is generated from this scene, other than the actual act of the three characters moving in, is when Ikki decides to make it known to Asami that Korra likes Mako. As expected, this is uncomfortable for everyone involved, but that’s expected. At this point, it seems like the love interests between all of these characters has been laid out on the table so many times that these kinds of situations are just bound to happen, but of course they still come off as awkward every time. Surely, this means the tension between Asami and Korra still exists, no matter how often they are able to act nice and courteous toward each other most of the time. However, the brief moment is washed away when Tenzin alerts Korra to the crowning of the new police chief and that they should be in attendance.

We find out not too long later that Councilman Tarrlok has appointed a new police chief in place of Lin Beifong by the name of Saikhan. Saikhan is nothing more than a puppet for Tarrlok, and Tarrlok does not seem to be at all worried about keeping that fact under wraps. So confident in his actions, Tarrlok makes it clear that the captain answers to him and, when Korra and Tenzin approach him later, asks Korra again to rejoin his taskforce. Of course, she declines, but the feud doesn’t end there. In fact, it’s cranked up to eleven and beyond later in the episode.

After the new “Team Avatar” hops in one of Asami’s stylish roadsters and successfully takes out a band of escaping Equalists using vigilante justice, they hear of a supposed Equalist rally being contained by Tarrlock and police forces. However, the team finds that the rally is actually not a rally at all – the Equalists are just innocent non-benders being locked down somewhat legally thanks to a new law passed by Tarrlock and reinforced by the rest of the council not too long ago. Heavily outnumbered, Team Avatar is powerless to stop the police from rounding up and arresting a large number of the citizens, and with Tarrlock being the complete male genitalia that he is, Asami, Bolin and Mako are also arrested. Korra is unable to do much of anything.

Reminding us regular humans once again that being a regular human sucks.

Well, that is, except for busting into Tarrlock’s office later that night and giving him the smackdown of his life. After destroying essentially all of Tarrlock’s office and much of the central council room, Korra is ready to deliver a final blow, but not before Tarrlock reveals a secret power – bloodbending without a full moon. Stunned, Korra is roped up and taken away by a disheveled Tarrlock in a truck, heading toward the icy mountains just outside of Republic City.

—

It’s hard for me not to look back at this episode and just simply comment that, “I enjoyed it,” because I made this blog to do more than that. But that’s essentially how I mostly feel about the episode. It was entertaining, well-done, of high quality, and with very few hiccups. Let me quickly comment on those.

First, when Korra and Tenzin confront Tarrlock after the announcement of the police chief’s position being filled, Tarrlock comments that Korra is merely a, “half-baked Avatar,” which cuts Korra rather deep. I honestly was not expecting Korra to react in such a way – sure, she has had her emotionally breakdowns before, but those were all after rather momentous events (I can’t fault her for collapsing after Amon pretty much had her in her grasp and nothing was stopping him from destroying her right then and there). This didn’t seem to warrant that heavy of a response, especially since she has been mostly adamant toward Tarrlock and, dare I say it, very strong. So, why such a response?

Also, is it me or does the council have no spine whatsoever? Sometimes I just can’t believe that they agree with everything Tarrlock says. Why is Tenzin even in the council if they don’t listen to him? Hell, who are they anyway? They’ve been nameless representatives this entire series and not once have they ever acted upon actual logic, not even their own opinion it seems. Every scene with them involved has become entirely predictable – Tarrlock says something, Tenzin logically refutes, Tarrlock speaks again to conclude, the council votes in favor of Tarrlock. What’s the point of the council if everyone there is essentially spoken on behalf of Tarrlock himself?

Does Korra have to be the only one to question this guy all of the time?

However, as I said, these were minor hiccups – despite the fact that I don’t necessarily agree that Korra should have reacted to Tarrlock’s comment the way she did, that moment was used to shape a good portion of what followed in the episode, so at least the moment wasn’t completely useless as it was a tad out of character as far as I’m concerned. And as for the council, well, we now know that Tarrlock can bloodbend. Is it possible that he’s controlling the council directly? I mean, then, why don’t they protest, or is he blocking that ability, too? It’s not a complete solution, but it’s possible.

See, that’s the thing, once again the episode has minor issues, but those issues don’t do much to change anything, they’re really not that big of a deal. Everything is smoothed over one way or another. So all the lows of the episode, very small lows mind you, are evened out eventually. That’s why I continually find this episode as just simply solid. Not revolutionary, just solid.

Of course, the biggest development from the entire episode is the ending, when we not only find that Tarrlock is a bloodbender, but also sincerely wants Korra so out of the picture that he’s actually going to physically act on that wish by doing something with her out in the mountains (as far as I’m concerned, it seems like he’ll just dump her somewhere). Tarrlock being a bloodbender seems to be the most important development out of this entire show, as now Tarrlock’s power has indeed extended beyond being mostly political and now giving him somewhat of an edge over the Avatar. Bloodbending was tackled rather successfully by the Gaang in the original series, but in The Legend of Korra, this is an anomaly that, alongside Tarrlock’s political strength, is substantially influential and powerful.

On the other hand, Tarrlock capturing and driving off with Korra wasn’t necessarily expected, but certainly not out of the question. I don’t expect anything completely terrible to happen to Korra – isolation will probably end up granting her a stronger spiritual connection somehow. She’ll come back changed, that’s what I’m thinking. However, this situation has a lot of possibilities. Will she meet anyone new? Will she learn anything new? Will she discover anything new or reach a new area of the world we have not yet seen? Will this situation outside of Republic City be more than just an adventure in a snowy vista or will we actually get to experience the modern world of Avatar outside of the locale we’ve been through time and time again? I do like where this could go.

—

It was a good episode, that’s that. The narrative brought us farther with good pacing, discoveries were made; highs were not too high, lows were not too low, and everything smoothed out eventually. And, if anything, we’re at an open-ended part of the show that has a lot of possibilities. That’s good, right?

Actually, I’m glad nothing irritated me or seemed off this episode. While it could have been more excited or more epic, then again we may not need that every episode or it becomes too expected. We need episodes like this to keep the show leveled and make the best experiences even better, even if we don’t get to see climatic bouts every time opponents look at each other the wrong way.

I’m still on the Korra train, and the ride continues to be very enjoyable.

The Legend of Korra Episode 8 Sneak Peek – Fresh Wheels

Just not as awesome as a flying bison

Thanks to the kind folks over at Korra Nation, we’ve got a new sneak peek on the upcoming eighth episode of The Legend of Korra, which will be airing this Saturday at 11am EST after the show skipped a weekend in air time.

Episode 8 seems to pick up right after the events of Episode 7 with Korra and friends creating “Team Avatar” (not very original, I guess) to patrol Republic City. In this clip, we see that Korra’s polar bear dog ends up not being very suitable for the foursome to ride around the city, so instead Asami pulls out another ridiculously beastly, racing-esque vehicle from an unnamed garage, prompting the rest of the team to jump in. It seems like despite her father being, you know, evil and whatnot, she still has access to all the very expensive perks she had before.

The clip doesn’t really reveal much – the team is going to patrol the city, they need a new ride, Asami gets them a new ride, they go in the new ride, etc. Nothing special here, to be honest. However, there is one thing worth noting in this short clip – Asami held onto the chi-blocker gauntlet that was given to her by Mr. Sato in the previous episode (before she then delivers him sweet justice) and now plans to use it to fight the Equalists, rather than disposing of the weapon. It’s uncertain of what may come of this, except that we know that Asami is just as dedicated to fighting the Equalist scourge as the rest of the team is.

To watch the clip, click the link:
http://korranation.tumblr.com/post/24079887998/team-avatar-is-ready-to-patrol-republic-city-but

Episode 8 airs this Saturday,  June 2nd, at 11am EST.

Republic City Update

What’s up everyone?

First of all, I’d like to thank everyone who’s been hitting up the blog so far, absolutely loving the traffic! So my many thanks to all of you out there checking this place out every day or however many times you check this place out.

Anyway, so I’ve been rather busy the last week or so. Thankfully, this came when there was no new episode of Korra, so I really haven’t had the time nor topics to blog about. I’ll be writing more once again after this Memorial Day weekend is over.

Also, Republic City Radio will be starting up soon, I hope to have the first episode out within the next two weeks.

And finally, for any Starcraft 2 players out there, I myself am a Gold league Terran player on the road to super stardom (of course!). If anyone is interested in playing with me, add me as a friend and send me a chat message when I’m online! My name-character code is RaPTuReFBGMx.431 and I’m pretty much on every day.

That’s it for now. More coming from Republic City in the near future!

“The Aftermath” Episode 7 Review *Contains Spoilers*

A trip to hell and back for Korra and her friends

Last week, I spent a good amount of time talking about The Legend of Korra’s pacing problems, which raised a number of concerns for me as a fan of the show, namely in rushing the narrative and potential lack of character development. It seemed like I needed something to knock me off of that train of thought. Well, it’s safe to say that the seventh episode of The Legend of Korra, “The Aftermath,” was certainly that something – “The Aftermath” is quite possibly one of the best offerings this Avatar series has to offer, an extremely strong entry for the show as the series finishes the first half of its first season. “The Aftermath” is proof that Korra’s problems continue to be ever dangerous, and slowly more and more people are getting involved, and hurt.

The episode begins with Mako and Bolin packing up their loft, reminiscing about the now-closed Pro-Bending arena, with Korra announcing that she has made arrangements for the brothers to stay at her home. As we learned with an early sneak peek, this ends up not being the case – Mako and Bolin instead move into the Sato estate with Asami, much to the frustration of the butler. However, their accommodations prove to be less comfortable than originally thought when suspicions arise that Asami’s father may be working with Amon and the Equalists.

Despite Asami nor Mako believing Korra, Korra is steadfast and has Tenzin and Lin Beifong investigate with her. Thanks to a mysterious tip, the trio learn that Mr. Sato has a secret factory under his mansion being used to build a new type of weapon to be used for the Equalist revolution. Asami is once again in disbelief, but Korra’s suspicions turn out to be true. Korra, Tenzin, Lin, and metalbender police travel deep under the mansion to find that Mr. Sato is indeed working with the Equalists, supplying them with “mecha tanks”, large, powerful mechs on tank treads with a platinum body to assure that no earthbender can manipulate them. After a long fight, Mr. Sato and some Equalists, operating a half dozen mecha tanks, take out Korra’s group, though are unable to stop Mako and Bolin from saving Korra, Tenzin, and Lin. Asami proves her worth, too, as Mr. Sato’s gesture for her to join his cause are met with a fierce retaliation. Minus the metalbending cops, the group returns safely, finding themselves in the aftermath of yet another calamity.

—

“The Aftermath” ends up a more important episode than at first glance. Though we have lost the Pro-Bending competition, and we did not see Amon in person at all, a number of other important developments arose. The most important of them all is obviously Mr. Sato being an Equalist (and continuing to be an Equalist, as he is not completely taken out in the factory). In all the previous episodes, there is practically no reason to suspect that Mr. Sato is aligned with Amon. However, it is pretty well-telegraphed in this episode; Korra spying on him ends up giving him away as we learn that Korra was indeed correct in her suspicions from the beginning. This makes the reveal of Mr. Sato being an Equalist a little less shocking, but nevertheless its a development no one could have seen coming going into this episode, especially considering his proximity to Asami (whom we’ve always understood has no bad intentions) and the brothers.

Speaking of which, we finally get to see some quality development in Asami, who, so far, has merely been a minor rival for Korra. She stays consistent with her “independent woman” archetype, though she does clearly contrast with Korra, who has always displayed similar independent characteristics. Asami also reveals a bit more passion than usual, being very adamant that her father is not an Equalist (before finding out the truth, of course), and genuinely worrying about the situation below the workshop. Finally, we’re getting to see more and more of Asami, and in better ways, making her a more worthwhile and contributing character, which is great to see.

Apparently she’s also a very good race car driver. Go figure.

Lin Beifong and Tenzin get a lot of spotlight, as well, still teaming up without any discourse. It’s odd to see how well these two work together, or at the very least appear to be. We don’t see any bitterness between them, though it likely still exists somewhere or somehow. Nevertheless, both are amply used in this episode – Tenzin finally shows off his fighting skills, which are rather bizarre but equally as entertaining and awesome, while Lin continues to be a brutal powerhouse (though, still nothing beats her performance from last week’s episode when she fought alongside Korra). Even Mako and Bolin had some good moments as a pair (and Bolin continues to have some of the funniest lines in the show, without a doubt).

And, of course, there’s Korra, who’s still as headstrong and immovable as always. Her assertion and determination shine in this episode, and though she stays consistent, she’s not completely a two-dimensional, “let’s go get the bad guys!” kind of character. Korra shows pity to Tahno when she runs into him, as well as toward Asami, who clearly needs support after legitimately kicking her father’s Equalist ass.

—

“The Aftermath” leaves us with less closure than its title may suggest, which means we’re seeing more and more develop as time goes on. Now, Mr. Sato will continue to be a villain, which will certainly have an affect on the group, especially (and obviously) Asami. Asami’s taking of Sato’s glove showed an odd, perplexed, struggling look from her, one that reminded me a lot of Azula from The Last Airbender. Honestly, that to me is how Azula would have reacted to having that glove bestowed upon her, though she probably would have joined her father in that case rather than knock him out. I don’t believe there’s any connection there, but it’s just something I noticed.

Either way, having Mr. Sato as an enemy may make or break Korra’s group. Asami could very well find herself under the wing of her father, even Amon, in the near future thanks to this, and it may indeed come to that. We’ll have to see if Asami’s strong will will allow her to keep her faith of goodness and loyalty to her friends.

And how long will this last?

Of course, we also have to wonder how our heroes will continue to develop with each other, as well. Asami clearly needs the support of Mako, so I see them being as close as ever, which will most likely continue to get on the nerves of Korra. Then again, she seemed to get past her feelings for Mako to instruct him to take care of Asami, so maybe she has come to terms with the cards she has been dealt? I’m sure this then means Bolin will make more attempts for Korra’s heart, which may end up being more successful than before.

There are a lot of open ends left at the end of this episode – as I said there isn’t much closure; has Korra gotten over Mako? How will Lin Beifong deal with the Equalists if she does indeed resign from her post and take matters outside the law? What is Amon up to? What will become of Mr. Sato and his mecha tanks? Will Asami be able to stay on the side of good for very long?

Just like before, we’re left with a lot of questions. I guess that’s another thing I like about this show, that we’re constantly guessing. It creates a unique dynamic, especially that the dangers have increased, and that we know that Korran and her friends may have to make sacrifices in the near future to take out a growing threat that certainly isn’t going away anytime soon.

Episode 7 Sneak Peek – A New Home

Are Fire Ferrets supposed to be swimming?

Korra Nation has provided the ever-hunger Legend of Korra fan base with another short clip of this week’s upcoming episode, the seventh of the series and the first season. While the previous sneak peek was a bit morbid, this clip shows a much more cheerful scene, with Mako, Bolin, and Asami enjoying a large pool at the Sato estate. Apparently, it seems like Mako and Bolin will be making the Sato home their new place of residence, thanks to the smooth talking of Asami. Korra appears to find Mako and Bolin rather happy with their new living arrangements, though she expresses a bit of concern (not as much as the clips’ description leads you to believe, however).

To watch the clip, check the link:
http://korranation.tumblr.com/post/23236274191/korra-is-skeptical-of-bolin-and-makos-new-home-at

Episode 7 airs  tomorrow at 11am EST.

The Legend of Korra – The Pacing Problem

Indeed

One of the things that made the original Avatar series great was the character development – we saw Aang transform from a childish, frozen-in-an-iceburg-then-reintroduced-to-society youngster to the Avatar that the world needed him to be. We also got to see his relationship with Katara evolve, Sokka becoming more of a man and less of a goofy sidekick, Zuko less of a crazed stalker and more of a moral leader. Certainly the characters we were introduced to at the beginning of the series were not the same ones that came together after the defeat of Fire Lord Ozai.

Of course, none of these things could have happened without time. It took a couple of seasons and several episodes more for Prince Zuko to become a welcomed part of the Gaang, while it didn’t exactly take a couple of episodes for Aang to get romantic with Katara. Though the Avatar fanbase obviously would have loved an infinite amount of The Last Airbender seasons, the three that we got ended up being the perfect amount to start, maintain, and finish the story that we now ridiculously love.

But then there’s The Legend of Korra, a series that I too absolutely love to death, but concerns me. So far, the show has been stellar, but a painful reminder keeps nagging me internally – the show is moving very, very fast.

Now, we should be all too aware that it has been pretty well advertised by the show’s creators that this series will not be as long as the original series. The Legend of Korra is set to run for two seasons of twelve and fourteen episodes, respectively (though, interesting note, Nickelodeon has included the option for more seasons). This essentially makes Korra’s lifespan roughly equate to a full season of The Last Airbender plus some extra episodes.

With that in mind, it’s easy to see why the show is indeed going faster: there’s just not enough time to progress at the rate that The Last Airbender did. There’s just absolutely no way that you can cram 60 episodes worth of content into 26 episodes worth of time. That is certainly the reason why, by only halfway through the first season, the Pro-Bending tournament is already completed.

Still, while it makes sense given the time frame why The Legend of Korra is moving at a quicker pace, I can’t help but feel like it may end up being a negative for the show as a whole.

It wasn’t too long ago when we were introduced to Korra.

If you haven’t caught glimpses of the faster pacing of the show, possibly due to just not paying attention or loving the show too much to cast stones at it, there are three major examples that should set you straight.

First, the entirety of Episode 4. Without recapping the entire episode, it’s best instead for you to go re-watch it online. Notice while you’re watching it the very rapid changing of scenes and how short each individual scene is. The entirety of the episode culminates in what is pretty much a montage, and thus a ton of stuff happens in the narrative in very little time. Because of this, there is very little character development going on (Bolin and Mako, established obviously as two main characters in the plot, are barely seen) and more rushing through plot.

Second, the aforementioned Pro-Bending competition. Only a few episodes ago we saw Mr. Sato confirm his sponsorship of the Fire Ferrets for the championship tournament, only to somehow end up at the tournament’s finals a very short while later, our only information on the matches that took place in between being given to us by a quick recap at the beginning of the episode. The Pro-Bending tournament seemed to have been established as a focal point for the show leading up to Episode 6, so for it to be over so abruptly is rather jarring.

And, finally, love. That’s right, love. You know, that thing that somehow managed to make Mako and Asami go from being involved in a vehicular accident to being extremely close boyfriend/girlfriend material in about five minutes, and the same thing that made Korra make out with Mako as Bolin strolls in to witness probably the most disappointing event in his entire life, and the very same thing that made Korra decide to pour her emotions out haphazardly to her teammates without caution. Yeah, that stupid thing.

Let’s talk about that final example for a bit. Putting it into perspective, the love square (Korra, Asami, Mako, Bolin) established in this series is a huge contrast to the love shape (I honestly don’t know what you’d call it) seen in The Last Airbender. Despite more players being involved in the original love shape, it took a very long time for it to develop. Katara and Aang did not immediately become lovers within less than ten episodes, nor did Sokka or Suki (to a different degree, of course), and Zuko’s love interests varied a bit, as well, before stabilizing.

However, in The Legend of Korra, for some reason the 100 years between The Last Airbender and itself made it socially acceptable for teenagers to share their emotions on that level without regard. Korra and her friends are older in their series than Aang and his friends are in his series, so wouldn’t that call for more maturity?

At least Bolin was spared the sight of some tongue action.

The only one here that seems to be acting normally is Bolin, who’s persona was very well (and extremely humorously) reflected by his reaction to seeing Korra and Mako together that fateful night. The others, on the other hand, well, I just can’t say the same – Mako is generally shown as a stand-up, straight-edge guy, but even then it didn’t take much for him to lock lips with Korra.

Anyway, let’s get back on track here (I should probably just write a whole article on the love stuff going on in this show, huh?).

Now, with all of that said, despite the pacing having to be what it is because of how long the show will run, that doesn’t make the pacing itself fine. And I cannot be the only one to notice this. This makes me wonder – if they knew the show would have a faster pace than The Last Airbender, why make The Legend of Korra inherently shorter?

Despite there being the option of having more than two seasons, I’m pretty certain that the two seasons announced will be the only two seasons. I could be wrong, but that’s how it’s looking. But why? Why make the sequel to one of Nick’s most popular shows ever, which was rather short compared to other Nick flagship shows, even shorter? With such a rabid fanbase, wouldn’t they want to make the show just as long, if not longer? Fans have been waiting several years for Korra to finally start, but it seems like it’ll be over before we know it, and not at all in any good way that that phrase can be taken (if there even is a positive attribution for it).

Ultimately what worries me is that the artificial limitation that this Korra series has been given in it’s length may hurt the overall quality of the series. We may never see the kind of character development we saw in The Last Airbender because there may not be enough time for it. We may never see the kinds of epic clashes that The Last Airbender brought us because we’ll never have enough time to find the contexts for those clashes to happen. And then we’ll find ourselves once again in a world without new episodes of Avatar in no time, a kind of world that nobody should want to live in.

 I could be worrying a bit too much here, and that shouldn’t take away from my enjoyment from the series (and I will make sure that it won’t), but then again I may be very correct, or at least justified in feeling this way. And that in it of itself bothers me – I shouldn’t have to worry about this. If anything, I should be assured quality of the caliber of the original series. Not to say that Korra isn’t high quality, but quite possibly not as high quality as it could be. And that’s a disappointing thought for any Avatar fan to think.