So...Korra

Just finished and the OP didn't really spoil anything for me. I'm moderately happy with the way things ended.

Spoiler: Just cause

I was disappointed that Bolin and Eska didn't become a thing. That scene where you think he's acting to get out of the ice trap and go help Korra was ... just so ... I don't even *cries* I was kind of like, "Wait, why'd dude disappear with Rava instead of just seperating?" but what the heck. Was kind of surprised by the rushed-sort-of storyline. I mean they find Jenorah and then she leaves and appears with some sort of spirit light that helps Korra win ... Really? All in all it was a decent book. I don't really have any complaints. I will say the Jenorah thing should probably be a meme or something. Meh.

*insert comment that has absolutely no backing whatsoever, saying that you're wrong and the show awesome and derp*

I have to agree that a lot of the show was kind of disappoint in comparison to the original series. The biggest issue I have is that it takes Aang the entirety of the series to fully master all four elements and Korra did it in one book. Having said that I still enjoy the show simply because ... I don't know, I just like the show.

#inb4alldeminstahaters

 

Well, from what I can see, Avatar: The Last Airbender already did the "learn all elements" concept, so The Legend of Korra wasn't about learning all the elements, but something else.

 

That's pretty much what made the original series was Aang having to learn all the elements to save the world. Given Korra found out she was the avatar from an early age and had plenty of time to master the elements, it's still kind of a bag on the original. Really, so far the only thing I've seen the show to be about is basically your average everyday drama with bending thrown into the mix. They basically appear to just be throwing story arcs out there to see what hits. I don't think there really is a common theme, lest you can point one out for me.

 

My main grievances with Korra as a show is that it needs a lot more time than the creators are working with. A lot of characters end up getting sidelined (as of this season what I like to refer to as "Getting Asami'd" :v), and others we hear an interesting tidbit about or they have a nice plotline, but then we either briefly or never explore that again.

Spoiler: Book 2 Spoilers All Over

A few of Kya's lines this season, particularly the argument she had with Tenzin/Bumi and the part in the last episode where she was like "I DON'T HAVE BROTHERS OR A FAMILY"

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Like, what? What happened to make her have been like this in the past? That is so interesting, why are we hearing it in the last dang episode? What did Aang or Katara do to make her wanna bounce? Why did Aang (hallucination or otherwise) appear to Kya or Bumi? Or even Jinora? Why did we never really resolve that argument in the first place?

LOK raises a lot of interesting questions and opportunities to learn about these characters, but it gives a slight "hey this is a thing that's happened INTERPRET IT AS YOU CAN PLOT TRAIN AWAY". If they even had the ATLA season structure (20-21 episodes), they would have had an additional six episodes to go through and let us learn about and connect to the characters. Mako in particular, is one of these; I really enjoyed The Sting, it was nice to get away from Korra for a bit and sit down with someone else. While the plot twist was obvious, it was still really well done. Likewise with Bolin's time in Night of a Thousand Stars. We got to see into their heads, if only briefly, and that made us as an audience be able to look past the love dodecahedron mess and see these characters as they are naturally.

Asami-wise, this season she's basically everyone's punching bag, lol. She didn't really get to do too much. All we saw was some badass driving, talking for a few seconds and then glares at Mako. I am hoping Book 3 will bring her into the mix a lot more (as well as Korra/Asami makeouts but friendship is fine), but this season she justfelt like this background character when she is a part of The Krew -- a part of the main cast.

Like Fork said, Deus Ex Jinora was weird and can be rationalized as her guiding Korra to the "light in the dark" (Raava), but as it's shown in the show, it just looks like Jinora H. Christ is descending to lead Korra to the Land of Heaven and Fanfiction. And that bothers me, because it's, again, leaving it up to us to figure out rather than coherently showing what is going on. I don't expect to have my hand held throughout the show. I don't want that, and I doubt any of the audience needs it. However, leaving things just "interpret at yr own whimsy" for plot points this big is just telling the audience to figure out for themselves rather than showing it, which is a very basic and integral part of storytelling, especially in a show.

Which, we also have no idea how Vaatu even contacted Unalaq. Or what Unalaq's true motives were, until again, like with the Tarrlok/Amon backstory, put towards the end of the show. True motives, which were easily predictable and made me groan when he said "I WANT TO BE THE DARK AVATAR, YIELD SUBMIT DARKNESSDARKNESS." Not only was it that, but it also conflicts with what, at least I, thought of Vaatu -- someone who would never work with a human and stoop to Raava's "pathetic level". Me, and a good number of posts on the subject I've seen, expected Vaatu to turn against Unalaq and simply go inside Korra to destroy Raava or possess Jinora or something other than "I will work with human willingly for lifetime". Predictability isn't anything bad, but this was a letdown and almost seemed out of character for Vaatu? Ierno.

Korra's maturity nerf at the start of this season, too, was understandable when you thought about all the circumstances, but she was written and shown so often as such a HUGE 8ITCH that even then it was difficult to empathize. The only time I really felt it was when she talked to her mom, when we got to see what was on her mind and how it was effecting her. Lin's incompetence was also very aggravating, and that will also hopefully be fixed with Book 3, which is apparently going to feature her heavily.

Despite all this though, I think what they do do well is very good. I thought Korra's spiritual journey in the season, despite the SIED IHR DAS ESSEN? NEIN, UND WIR SIND DIE KORRA! fight being weird. Her experiences & reactions after viewing Wan, her rebuilding her relationship with Tenzin, her mediatating and connecting to the cosmic forces while Raava and especially Unalaq's/Iroh's advice ("Find the light in the dark"/"You have the light inside of you") was very enthralling for me, and I really felt like as an audience we could come to connect with her character and feel her struggles and just be proud that she finally reached this stage of spirituality by accepting herself.

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She was so caught up in trying to live up to Aang and Wan, she only defined herself as the byproduct of previous Avatars work and not herself as the Avatar. But by going on this journey and being forced to rely not on Raava or the other past Avatars, she rconciled her role with who she is. She is not merely the next Avatar after Avatar Aang or Avatar Yangchen, but rather she is Avatar Korra.

I am still torn about the past lives thing. I always enjoyed the Aang and Roku/Kyoshi/Kuruk/Yangchen moments, and to not have any of that anymore is a slap in the face. But narratively for Korra, it fits really well and I'm interested in seeing how she goes from here. At this point she's the character I like the most out of everyone (barring Cloudbabies and the Airbabies), and as a character she's come really far from how she was at the start. Her arc here was probably the most satisfying one the show has had yet.

Plus Studio Mir continues to be excellent at their animation, and the battle sequences are definitely notches up from the previous season.

In the end, I do have a lot of problems with LoK. It's writing is shoddy if you aren't part of the bigger plotline and you have a rather large chance of being sidelined if your name ain't Korra. But I do still really like the show for the good things it has, and will continue to watch it as it comes out.

 

As much as I loved the entire second half of the season, I can't help but feel that

Spoiler

Korra leaving the spirit portals open

is going to come back to bite her in the ass next season.

Also BOLIN MY BABY

also also

Spoiler

Varrick is the best character i'm sorry his escape was beautiful and I hope they bring him back.
"JU-LEE, DO THE THING!"

 

Spoiler

I literally lol'd when she jumped on his back.
I have no doubt that they're going to bring him back though. He's such an amazing character.