[TV] Avatar: Legend of Korra

[Poppincaps]

Just to avoid speculation on them being alive, even thou I asked for it, I just found this, this sealed it 100%, dint expect anything, but went looking for it anyway.
From the Avatar wiki:
"Amon, going by his true name Noatak again, happily spoke of how there was nothing they could not do together. Tarrlok, however, used an Equalist glove to ignite the fuel tank, causing the boat to explode, killing them both. Just before that, Noatak shed a single tear."

It's a Wiki, which is just people writing what they believe is right. Now of course the contributors are usually more knowledgeable than the average fan, but that's pretty much the description of the event that I would've given. I still think they're dead, but that doesn't completely confirm it... at least not until one of the creators says that they are dead for sure.

[Deleted]

AAARG every time I see that suicide scene I'm like, cmon don't do it this time Tarrlok! Cmon don't do it... and he still does it..wonder why he never doesn't do it xD ? any suggestions ^^ haha

---------- Post added 2012-06-24 at 11:05 PM ----------

It's a Wiki, which is just people writing what they believe is right. Now of course the contributors are usually more knowledgeable than the average fan, but that's pretty much the description of the event that I would've given. I still think they're dead, but that doesn't completely confirm it... at least not until one of the creators says that they are dead for sure.

Okay true, but assuming they know more than the average fan... they're dead.... gosh I'm so sad but also excited about how it ended....

[Deleted]

The season finale of LoK was so amazing everything came together.

However, after thinking about it, it seemed slightly rushed.

Would have loved an extra finale episode where Korra tries to get her bending back in someway.
Now it seemed too fast, she lost her bending and two seconds later she got it back...

Oh well, i always seem to find that series/season finales are too short.
Even if there are 10 seasons, 20-24 episodes a season and every episode takes 42 minutes... It's always too short when it's over...

[Harthmut]

AAARG every time I see that suicide scene I'm like, cmon don't do it this time Tarrlok! Cmon don't do it... and he still does it..wonder why he never doesn't do it xD ? any suggestions ^^ haha[COLOR="red"]

Repeating the same actions over and over again, expecting different results is a sign of insanity.

[Deleted]

You don't say ! haha He still blows it up

[Gentlepenguin]

I can't believe so many people *wanted* more cliffhangers. When did cliffhangers become good, and when did everyone start throwing around deus ex machina? The god damn Avatar used the Avatar state, man didn't see that coming. Deus Ex Machina right there guys, instantly the worst show.

[Tragedia]

Tarrlok blowing up the boat was the saddest part of this episode for me really.

R.I.P Amon (maybe)

[Tastyfish]

So I think the first time Amon learned his fathers true identity is when Korra confronts him at the final rally.

[Tragedia]

So I think the first time Amon learned his fathers true identity is when Korra confronts him at the final rally.

No it is said in the episode that the time Yakone took them hunting he revealed his true identity and gave his sons the task of getting revenge.

That is why Tarrlok decided to take over Republic City. (And Amon too in his own way),

---------- Post added 2012-06-24 at 11:20 PM ----------

The season finale of LoK was so amazing everything came together.

However, after thinking about it, it seemed slightly rushed.

Would have loved an extra finale episode where Korra tries to get her bending back in someway.
Now it seemed too fast, she lost her bending and two seconds later she got it back...

Oh well, i always seem to find that series/season finales are too short.
Even if there are 10 seasons, 20-24 episodes a season and every episode takes 42 minutes... It's always too short when it's over...

I did find it was a bit rushed too we didn't really see much of Bumi. Iroh as well he just appears and like "Oh the Avatar"! Though he was pretty cool.

Though I am wondering. What was Amon's purpose with the Equalists? What was his true motivation?

I think it was because he didn't want people like his father using bending to hurt others but I'm not sure. If his motivation was explained the I probably missed it.

---------- Post added 2012-06-24 at 11:27 PM ----------

I totally agree with that, but I found it so sad... Tarrlok regretted what he did... so did Amon, he even cried at the end.... and then BOOM... but why did Tarrlok do it do you guys think.Dint he want to start again?He tought he could not let Amon get away?Felt sorry for himself of what he did?
Dint want the chance of it happening again?Generally depressed with what they did in the image of their father?

Atonement?

[Duronos]

I look back on it in retrospect and I'm sorry Bryke and Dante, but you know what, you guys should have made more for one book or at least made like 6 books with 12-14 episodes each and devote the first 3 to one villain and the second 3 to 1 villain. I loved Korra as an overall, really great but I don't know how they even thought 12 episodes was going to be enough even for a mini series and even before Nick asked them to do a Book 2.

[Annesh]

Okay fine I'll pointlessly throw my trivial opinion on the pile, in case it adds something to the discussion.

I enjoyed the season a lot, had some real funny moments and I really enjoyed the creators' vision of the way technology interacts with the magic/martial-arts of bending, the hybrid of the old and mystical, and the new and jaded. Some of my favorite bits involve Naga running down a crowded city street, lightning benders used to run the city's power grids, and the entire pro bending scene, that all made the world come alive for me.

I do have to say there was some stuff that just felt weaker than the original series.

It Was Too Rushed.

I know the creators wanted the story to be "tight" but really did seem too tight. The story dealt with some really interesting themes; politics, civil unrest, evolution of social mores. These were big ideas and it was a really unique world to use to explore them, and I really feel that the breakneck speed with which we barrel through the story to the end really squandered the potential of the idea.

I think the whole first season could have been improved dramatically by stretching it out over an entire three season series, allowing so much more time to really dig in and develop the world of Republic City. Imagine a whole episode that parallels the Jet episode from the first series, where Team Avatar encounters a small group of highly effective benders who've taken a harsher stance on the war against the Equalists. At first they seem like a great ally but it turns out they're too extreme, too destructive, and as a result of that conflict Korra learns the value of restraint.

Characters Felt Shallow

Some more shallow than others. Some were fairly (or even very) well-developed because they had enough screen time or they were just written really well from the start (cough cough Tenzin) This is, I feel, a direct result of the season being so cramped. Filler episodes don't advance the plot but they do advance the characters - that's the whole point.

Humor Was Sometimes Forced

I feel like I just committed social suicide by daring to criticize the humor, but compared to TLA, whose humor was almost always incredibly organic and hilarious, it just felt like LOK tried too hard sometimes. Don't get me wrong, it had some really great moments that gave me big belly laughs, but these felt rare, like TOK could only reach TLA level humor in short bursts. All too often I was wincing or grimacing when the show was trying to be funny. I can't put my finger on exactly what was wrong with it when it was bad, but it's almost like their hearts just weren't in the funny stuff.

The Title Character

I know you guys love her, but Korra feels so flat and uninteresting to me. Aang was not only deep, he was unique - not just for being a "reluctant hero," but because of the reason he's reluctant: he's just a kid. It felt so real and understandable that a 12 year old would run away from his responsibilities, and you see that flaw resurface over and over again in the series, when he runs off to do something fun, forcing poor Katara to herd him back on course.

Korra... there's just nothing to distinguish her - she doesn't have any unambiguous flaws. By unambiguous I mean, for example, one "flaw" you could bring up would be her stubbornness. She has a hard time learning airbending because she keeps wanting to force it. But stubbornness is just as much a strength as it is a weakness. You could bring up how scared she was of Amon, but that's not really a character flaw, it's more like inexperience.

By contrast, Aang's fear of responsibility does NOT serve him well as a hero. It makes him a fun guy, but it directly allows the war to happen in the first place, it's clearly not a trait for a hero. It's a serious weakness that, over the series, he must learn to overcome. It gives him depth.

Do I like her as a person? Sure, she has the right mixture of fun, charm, loyalty, willingness to fight. But I don't feel connected to her, I don't feel sad when she's sad. There was never a moment when she really reached out and bonded with me, the way Aang did over and over and over. She's just too perfect.

Taking Bending Away

Now I get really petty and say I really, really wish they had come up with a better phrase for this. I kept thinking they would. It's the kind of thing for which someone, somewhere in the world, is going to invent an actual name. Spirit draining, Chi severing, Mind bending. Something elegant and fearsome, something with more gravity than "taking his/her bending away." You know what I mean? "He cut her spirit" sounds so much more threatening and serious than "He took her bending away." Like I said, this argument might seem kind of petty but I really think I have a point here. The act of cutting off a person's bending is THE BIG THREAT, it's the enemy's Ultimate Weapon. Imagine if it were the Moon Sized Space Station rather than The Death Star. It sounds like something from a 9 year old's first short story.

The Ending

I don't particularly have a problem with the ending other than to say it was even more rushed than the rest of the series. I do feel it was TOO well wrapped up - every single loose end tied up. Happy endings come at the end of the story and this is only the end of the first season. But while I probably would have made some different choices with the story I feel like the ones it did make were perfectly adequate, considering the writers may have had some fairly unreasonable restrictions.

I did like the murder-suicide, that was deliciously tragic and felt satisfyingly final, but I actually kind of hated how Korra got her bending back. It was like those vomitous last moments of kids' cartoons where something sad is happening - OH BUT WAIT, NOPE JK SHES ALIVE. It artificially draws out the tragedy and then pulls a miracle out of its ass to fix it. I hate that shit.

I'm not saying it was unsupported or that it changed anything, or made up new rules (even though it did, more on that in a bit). The fact that a story event breaks no rules is no excuse for it make no sense within its context. The weight of Korra's bending being cut is disproportionate to how long she can't bend. It jerks your emotions around, makes the loss seem huge and terrible, but it only lasts half an episode before oh it's okay now. You can get emotional and cry and make it all better somehow. Aang's got your back, he's a bro.

I think anyone complaining that she got her bending back "because she's the fucking avatar" has the right idea. The gross events of a story arc need to be mirrored and supported by the emotional story arc. Otherwise they don't have any weight. The audience connects with the story by its emotional roots, and if those roots are out of balance or uneven, the audience can't connect. Korra was sad at that moment, and I actually felt sad for her, I thought it was shaping up to be a great season finale, tragic and bittersweet. The heroine wins the day but loses so much to do it. For one of the first times I actually felt drawn to her. But then nah, just kidding guys. I guess crying alone magically connects you with the spirit world so your past lives can talk to you so they can fix all your problems. No biggie. So yeah, it did invent new rules: you don't actually have to do anything to experience big, sweeping character development. Korra's role here was 100% passive. If this were TLA, Aang would have had to go visit the spirit world or a funny chakra guru, or talk to dragons, or do something. He would have felt sad for a while but then would bear down and get up off his ass and go make something happen. Yeah, Korra didn't really have time to go through the stages of grief, but that's just the point. Her problems were fixed before she even had a chance to recover - where's the character development there? What did she learn? What kind of message does that send to the audience?

I dunno. I enjoyed the show a lot, but it was no TLA, and I think if different decisions were made I could have enjoyed it a whole lot more. The sad thing is, so many of my complaints can be traced to the root problem that the whole thing was too damn compressed. Trying to tell an epic story of political posturing that becomes rebellion that becomes siege that becomes recapture, in twelve 20-minute episodes (the equivalent of a single 4 hour movie), while trying to develop a large and diverse cast, packing in worldbuilding details, history, backstory, and leaving room for jokes, fun, teenage romance, etc etc etc.

I wouldn't call it a failure, but I hesitate before calling it a great success.

Can't wait for replies.

[ElAmigo]

Honestly, I didn't really have any problems with the season finale. Except for the very end that is. Now I know people have been throwing the phrase around by the last scene pretty much was a deus ex machina, not that I have problems with them, only have problems when they are done wrong. For example, I thought the Lion turtle at the end of season 3 wasn't that bad seeing as it gave a brief explanation (and history) of how what it did worked and it was also hinted at during the episode in the secret library.

This ending though was a little too much. Now let me first state that I don't think she got all her bending back. Only that she has basically attained the ability to control the Avatar state seeing as she's become "spiritual". Let's not forget that Aang has had moments (like the first episode of ATLA) where he could bend elements he wasn't normally capable of due to entering the avatar state...though not willfully. It's just the fact her being able to control the Avatar state the first time she enters it due to her reaching her inner spirituality sounds like a cop out, especially after all the shit we saw Aang have to go through in order to control it. Sounds like a bunch of shit.

Other than that I really had no problem with the episode and the last scene with Tarlok and Noatok definitely stood out as the best scene of the episode...I honestly felt bad.

P.S. I agree that Mako is a douchebag, that Bolin really wasn't that funny overall, and that Tenzin and Meelo definitely stood out as the better comic relief.

[Poppincaps]

I don't understand how people keep saying she "mastered" the avatar form.... I mean whenever Aang went into it, it was because he or someone he was close to was in danger. Korra wasn't in any danger, so why would she freak out? Also, please don't use the "but she can energybend" excuse. Aang could energybend at the end of ATLA, but I would hardly say he mastered the avatar form. According to the Guru the only way to master the avatar form is to unlock all of the chakras.

[Xuvial]

<snip>

My thoughts exactly, summed up very nicely. Korra indeed feels quite flat and this makes it really hard to sympathize with her. She runs into stuff, throws random elements around, gets her butt whooped, cries a bit.
The comic relief also felt a bit forced, glad I'm not the only one thinking this. When you make a series that "tight" there really isn't any room left for funny/relaxing moments.

But I don't feel connected to her, I don't feel sad when she's sad. There was never a moment when she really reached out and bonded with me, the way Aang did over and over and over.

Wow @ bolded part. I said the exact same words 2 pages ago, glad I'm not the only one who feels no connection with Korra!

1. She doesnt, in Avatar state you have ALL bending powers, doesnt mean she mastered it, Aang gave her the ability to, so doesnt mean she mastered it, hold your horses.
2. She unlocked it, its something that can happen in stress or anything I assume, we do not entirely know, but amon knew she could not bend air, so I assume he somehow did not take that.
3. We have a season 2 incoming, once again bloody hold your horses mad boy.
4. He loved her from the start, my guess is that asami hooks up with either Ihro or Bo Lin, dont get mad its a fictional story, they are not trying to make you rage, they have a story, they will tell it, not us.
5. You have no sense of humor?
6. So you have exactly the same temper as your father and grandfather? seems legit.
7. Well, they said it would be quick.

All with all, dont get so mad, you knew it would be quick and you are overreacting in my opinion.

But off that topic, so I get it right when Amon and Tarrlok are now dead right?
I mean Tarrlok and Amon we're misunderstood as I tought, Amon was NOT a bad guy on himself, he was a loving brother but Yakone forced him into being the person he became.
So that part of my theory/ish was right, I am glad to see that worked out, but Tarrlok sacrificed himself to kill him and Noa Tak, you could see the regret of what they did in both of them to be honest, I am really really curious about how Season 2 will work out.

1) When she returned Lin's bending her eyes "flashed" just for a moment in the Avatar state and back. Being able to quickly transition into the avatar state and back is a sign of mastering it and having full control of it, that much should've been obvious if you have seen all previous avatars. If returning people's bending isn't a sign of mastering the avatar state I don't know what is. Korra had known Airbending for not even 1 DAY and she suddenly has full connection to the spirits, her past lives, full control over avatar state and energy bending. You can say "well Aang taught her all that" (in what, 1.5 seconds?) but I call it rushed pacing and an attempt to make everyone happy in less than 15 minutes.
2) Yup, we do not entirely know and can only assume. I hope it'll be explained in Season 2 by Katara who one of the extremely few remaining bloodbenders.
3) Looking forward to it
4) He loved her from the start? Korra made the first move with the kiss. Even if he loved it from the start, why was his relationship with Asami quietly sweeped under the rug? Season 2 has some stuff to answer.
5) I so do :P
6) Lets hope they expand on his story (and his parent's/grandparent's stories more importantly).
7) Way, way too quick.

Overall I feel that this show just isn't trying to be anything like ATLA - I know that much is been extremely obvious, but there was a REASON people loved the initial series in the first place. Pacing, character development, off-stories, amazing adventures, boatloads of humor, extremely dynamic and deep characters with backstories. So far in ATLK there was no TIME for any of that. We just have an angry girl stuck in a single city for 12 episodes, as if Republic City is the only city with problems.

I can only hope Season 2 paces things better. Removing fillers shouldn't mean you give us a slideshow of all the important bits in a blur of events.

[Deleted]

Mako is a bit of a douche. Least favorite in new series.

Mako kind of resembles Zuko in this, he is "confused" but not in the "REGAIN MY HONOR!" kind of way, but this time with the other gender; he just doesn't really know what he wants, like Zuko.
Mako is badass at his Firebending but yeah personality wise he might seem like a douche, like Zuko was at the start too, it might wear off over time.

[Annesh]

Mako is a bit of a douche. Least favorite in new series.

It's funny about peoples' reactions to Mako: I don't agree, but not because I like him. Instead, I attribute the elements of his story that make him look like a douchebag, not to him being a douchebag, but to poor storytelling. It's like the writers tried to shoehorn in some relationship drama surrounding the avatar so the show can be more "mature," but there just isn't enough time to fully explore it. There's only time to tick off, methodically, each of the behavioral ingredients of relationship drama but none of the heart of it.

As a result, Mako looks like a jerk for leading Asami on when the reality of it is he was probably deceived by his own feelings. Remember that in the beginning he was going out with her at least in part because her dad was sponsoring his team. He may definitely have really liked her, but he felt obligated to her on behalf of the Fire Ferrets and that translated into a conscious decision to go out with Asami and ignore Korra's advances (subconsciously also ignoring his own growing feelings for her).

Of course you really have to dig and reimagine things to reach that conclusion. Even if the writers intended that to be the case, they didn't have the time to give it the attention it needed.

So it's not that Mako's a jerk, it's that he's a noncharacter whose actions we don't understand. He's a robot following his programming, and when we try to humanize him, he looks like a real asshole.

[Blackdecker]

When the bomb exploded close to Iroh face,I'm the only one who thought that he will get a "fire-scar" at the face like Zuko?

When Amon is taking Korra bending and she close her eyes, i'm like "OK, NOW HER EYES OPEN THE AVATAR STATE WILL ACTIVE AND THEN GG." nah, nothing happened

[Tragedia]

The Ending

I don't particularly have a problem with the ending other than to say it was even more rushed than the rest of the series. I do feel it was TOO well wrapped up - every single loose end tied up. Happy endings come at the end of the story and this is only the end of the first season. But while I probably would have made some different choices with the story I feel like the ones it did make were perfectly adequate, considering the writers may have had some fairly unreasonable restrictions.

I did like the murder-suicide, that was deliciously tragic and felt satisfyingly final, but I actually kind of hated how Korra got her bending back. It was like those vomitous last moments of kids' cartoons where something sad is happening - OH BUT WAIT, NOPE JK SHES ALIVE. It artificially draws out the tragedy and then pulls a miracle out of its ass to fix it. I hate that shit.

I'm not saying it was unsupported or that it changed anything, or made up new rules (even though it did, more on that in a bit). The fact that a story event breaks no rules is no excuse for it make no sense within its context. The weight of Korra's bending being cut is disproportionate to how long she can't bend. It jerks your emotions around, makes the loss seem huge and terrible, but it only lasts half an episode before oh it's okay now. You can get emotional and cry and make it all better somehow. Aang's got your back, he's a bro.

I think anyone complaining that she got her bending back "because she's the fucking avatar" has the right idea. The gross events of a story arc need to be mirrored and supported by the emotional story arc. Otherwise they don't have any weight. The audience connects with the story by its emotional roots, and if those roots are out of balance or uneven, the audience can't connect. Korra was sad at that moment, and I actually felt sad for her, I thought it was shaping up to be a great season finale, tragic and bittersweet. The heroine wins the day but loses so much to do it. For one of the first times I actually felt drawn to her. But then nah, just kidding guys. I guess crying alone magically connects you with the spirit world so your past lives can talk to you so they can fix all your problems. No biggie. So yeah, it did invent new rules: you don't actually have to do anything to experience big, sweeping character development. Korra's role here was 100% passive. If this were TLA, Aang would have had to go visit the spirit world or a funny chakra guru, or talk to dragons, or do something. He would have felt sad for a while but then would bear down and get up off his ass and go make something happen. Yeah, Korra didn't really have time to go through the stages of grief, but that's just the point. Her problems were fixed before she even had a chance to recover - where's the character development there? What did she learn? What kind of message does that send to the audience?

Yeah I was kinda disappointed in the ending as well. When Amon took Korra's bending away I was like "OMG!" then I thought it would be interesting how she would live with only Air bending. It kinda feels like the whole Equalist Revolution was wasted since everyone gets their bending back. I hope the anti-bending sentiment doesn't disappear come next season since for know Korra is the Bender's hero but hasn't done much to help non-benders.

For me it would have been great if it either ended with Tarrlok's suicide or when Korra's tear falls from her face out of despair.

[Byuiso]

Entirely the best part and one of the best scenes I have ever seen in an anime/cartoon was that murder-suicide. So perfect.

[thenewzero]

The Ending

I'll admit I don't agree with you about the characters (though I do agree it was very rushed). But this part I very much agree with you on. Korra getting her bending back was way too fast for it to have any emotional impact at all. What I expected when she ran off alone and sat at the edge of the water was for the waves to somehow react to her without her noticing, sort of foreshadowing that either the condition is not permanent, that she is capable of recovering from it or discovering a way to recover from it, or that because she is the Avatar and is capable of 'learning' different bending elements that she could 'relearn' the elements she lost. Even if this plotline resolved itself in the first episode of the next season, it would have felt a lot more dramatic to end the season without her recovering her bending.

That part of the ending and the rushed feeling of the season were my only complaints about the show. I have high hopes for the second season though, as I find that I really prefer this setting to the original, and I think the characters have a lot of potential. Looking back, I feel that The Last Airbender only got better with each season. The jump from the first to second season in particular was a huge improvement. The addition of Toph and Azulah and her gang, as well as the humanization of Zuko, really made the second season shine in my eyes. So I look forward to seeing how the second season of The Legend of Korra shapes up.