The Legend of Korra
Created by: Bryan Konietzko & Michael Dante DiMartino
Directed by: Ki Hyun Ryu, Colin Heck, Ian Graham, Melhior Zwyer, Michael Dante DiMartino
Starring: Janet Varney (Korra), Seychelle Gabriel (Asami Sato), David Faustino (Mako), PJ Byrne (Bolin), JK Simmons (Tenzin), Mindy Sterling (Lin Beifong), Dee Bradley Baker (Naga & Pabu)
Recurring stars I want to include: Kiernan Shipka (Jinora), Darcy Rose Byrnes (Ikki), Logan Wells (Meelo), Steve Blum (Amon), Adrian LaTourelle (Unalaq), Henry Rollins (Zaheer), Zelda Williams (Kuvira), Anne Heche (Suyin Beifong), Alyson Stoner (Opal), Skyler Brigmann (Kai)
Ahhh, the Legend of Korra... the second most beautiful show in the world after Avatar *laughs*. It's very hard to discuss this wonderful show without comparing it to its predecessor, but I will do my best. After this paragraph. First off, I will forever lament that it's not called Avatar: The Legend of Korra. Second, the thing I hear most often from fans is "why was Korra not as good as Avatar?" Or "Who was the better Avatar, Korra or Aang?" or "Which series was better, Korra or Avatar?" To all of these questions, I will say one thing: Avatar was the original. It was the first product from its own wellspring of creativity in Bryan & Mike's collective minds. It was their first idea and embodied exactly what they wanted in a show. Korra was the product of Nickelodeon saying "Wow, that was good, our audiences want more-- can you make more?" And they still created an absolutely fantastic sequel, but... a sequel (being created in response to demand), in essence, is simply just a little less fantastic than the original.
And let that be the end of that.
Needless to say, I was already fully on-board the Avatar train when Korra was announced. From that moment of announcement, I kept up with every detail of the series that I possibly could: production details, contests, announcements, basically every aspect of a series that someone on the outside can keep up with, I did, and I remained that involved for the entire run of the series. It was kind of a fanboy heaven.
The time between announcement and premiere was a journey in itself. Nickelodeon ran a very successful marketing campaign. They put out many teasers, like photos of characters and backgrounds, a trailer, released the first episode's intro theme, and held a SDCC (or was it NYCC?) panel. The hype was so real and I couldn't be more excited. I remember seeing a plethora of Korra cosplay photos circulating the internet -- based only on a single image of her back.
Book 1: Air
Overall impressions: Air was a dream. It was everything I could have dreamed of and asked for. I was still in high school as it aired, and I had many friends whom loved the original series to watch it with. We laughed with "I'm the Avatar, deal with it!," and our fan dreams were fulfilled as we feasted our eyes on the children of Aang, Katara, and Toph. I absolutely loved pro-bending (though I had a hard time keeping track of score), the idea of a sport based on bending was beautiful to me. And then Amon was introduced: the episode The Revelation was an awing moment for me; I was floored as Amon reduced generated lightning to blossoms of flame and then nothing. A few episodes later I was breathless as Korra and Lin fought Amon and his Equalists atop the stadium. I fell completely in love with Asami as she turned upon her father and stood her moral ground against amazing odds. I fell in love with Lin as she sacrificed her job for the same morality. When extremes met, I was glued to the fight as Korra confronted Tarrlok on his corrupt justice, and then Tarrlok unleashed his trump card: bloodbending. Finally, the last three or four episodes were pretty fun action, with Equalists clashing with benders, though there were no more particularly intense moments (besides Tarrlok's backstory) until Korra confronted Amon. I was awed when he took away her bending, and moved with passion when she unlocked airbending. The tension didn't cease until the serene ending, when Korra unmasked Noatak, and Aang appeared before Korra to restore her bending.
There are a few other things I'd like to touch on that Ioved about this season, and aspects I'll mention that I wasn't as fond of.
First off, the flashbacks. I really loved how they were used: they didn't interrupt the flow of the season; they augmented it, only appearing when Korra was in extreme distress or unconscious. They were directly relevant to the story, revealing tidbits of a case Team Avatar handled that was directly pertinent to the current mystery. And most importantly, they functioned as strings to the past, reminding the viewer pleasantly that the old characters were not forgotten. In all this, their placement and content were perfect. The only complaint I might add is that they felt anticlimactic. The culmination of all the flashbacks seemed to simply conclude: Aang incapacitated the villain without much of a fight or any other difficulty, and Korra didn't seem to apply his victory to anything in her current struggle. However, she did get information from it that helped them.
Next, characters: every single character of this season, in my opinion, was done perfectly.
Korra was the protagonist we needed, she was humbled and brought to her knees both emotionally and physically, and with help, she was brought back up.
Tenzin was a great, flawed mentor. Korra was such a foil for him -- so opposite his style -- that he really needed to mold himself to her, and helped her mold herself to him. Despite their challenges, they formed a beautiful mentor-student relationship.
Lin was an amusing and great ally. Somewhat tsundere, she took some getting used to, and I think Korra really needed her to not be impressed: her rough edges complemented Korra's rough edges, and their opposing viewpoints helped more of the big picture be seen.
Bolin and Mako were great supporting characters. They provided perfect comedy and drama to deepen the season and really push some great development forward.
Asami brought some entirely new and needed perspective to everything. The only character without bending and with some great raw fighting skill, she brought things to the table that would've been completely absent without, and ended up being absolutely essential to their victory.
Tarrlok was that villain we loved to hate, similar to Umbridge. Besides giving us someone to be frustrated with, his presence and actions gave new depth and mystery to every conflict. The #1 question most fans had during the original air were "Is Tarrlok Amon?" Or if not being Amon himself, fan theories ran wild with collaborations, secret identities, conspiracies, and partnerships. And then when all of these were proven wrong in Out of the Past, we were left reeling for the truth.
Amon was a truly great primary antagonist, I think. His secrecy and mystery were extremely compelling, and his style -- augmented by the wonderful voice work of Steve Blum -- was perfectly creepy and ominous. I felt like the balance between reveal and mystery was done excellently. There were enough on-screen antagonists between the Chi-blockers, Tarrlok, and Hiroshi that Amon didn't really need to be very visible. The Who is he? question did well to linger in our minds till near the very end.
I also wanted to touch on the pre-finale episode, Skeletons in the Closet, just because of its massive emotional weight. The episode that set up for the final battle and revealed all that there was to reveal about Amon's true identity, Noatak, spilled by none other than his brother. It was probably the saddest story in the entire franchise. But I thought that was okay. It explained the story's events very well and fit into the context of other explanations. The Avatarverse seems to have a tradition of powerful bending families, like Toph's family of metalbenders and Zuko's royal Fire Nation family of exceptionally powerful firebenders. I thought the tragedy of the story was realistic, and it made sense to me how unresolved burdens and hurts of the past can destroy more lives and set up for a completely unbalanced political campaign in a completely unbalanced city. The emotion drew me in well, and it made the final ending for the brothers -- the murder-suicide -- incredibly bittersweet.
Book 2: Spirits
I won't go into this one in quite as much detail because quite frankly, it was my least favorite season. I'll describe the character and episode highlights that did excite me.
Eska & Desna are... good characters, overall. I did not like their role in this season, but I appreciate their role in the world and their brief contribution in book 3.
Varrick is the same as the above. I wasn't hugely fond of his role in this season, but he became a very important character later, and I liked what he did in books 2 and 3. Plus, he's tied to the amazing and amusing Zhu Li!
Kya & Bumi were very, very great. I really loved their addition. The series faced a little backlash from the internet (and my own parents) for their bickering in this season, but to me, I thought it was entirely appropriate. I thought it was good to highlight how imperfect a father Aang was, and I thought it suited his character understandably. It makes sense to me that Aang would subconsciously favor Tenzin, as his only airbending heir. And I think Kya and Bumi turned out very well despite this unfortunate flaw. Overall, I thought their characters were fantastic additions to the series, especially with how different they were!
Unalaq was pretty cool, if a tad on the cliche side. I think the sibling rivalry factor with his brother / Korra's father Tonraq was good and added necessary drama and development to the series. But I did find Unalaq sadly flat and single-minded. On the positive side: I loved his new waterbending styles, especially his spirit bending!!
Raava & Vaatu were pretty dang cool! The mythology they ushered was rich and beautiful to watch and learn, though it might have brought more questions than answers, especially at the season finale.
Avatar Wan was really great! I loved learning about the very first avatar and his adventure was so much fun to watch. Definitely the highlight of book 2. Wish we could've gotten more of him.
A couple episodes (besides Wan's) were particular highlights.
A New Spiritual Age was probably the best. It was inspiring to watch Jinora come to complete mastery of her element, guiding Korra wisely and calmly into the spirit world. And then when mishaps separated them, nothing could've been more satisfying than Korra running into the best mentor of all: Uncle Iroh.
Civil Wars Pt 1 was notable for Tenzin's family's side, as I mentioned above. The story masterfully juxtaposed the troubles with between two sets of siblings: Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo, and that of their father and uncle and aunt, Tenzin, Bumi, and Kya. When Jinora and Tenzin reconcile as father and daughter, Tenzin comes to the realization that Jinora's troubles are similar and he could use his own wisdom.
Darkness Falls was visually stunning. The penultimate episode, it has multiple beautiful fighting sequences, including the heart-wrenching scene when Unalaq destroys each of Korra's past lives.
Book 3: Change
My favorite one!!
I'm a major sucker for bending, and I love that this season introduced like, 3+ new styles (or at least forms) of bending. Ghazan's lavabending was the most obvious, and Jinora's astral projection via airbending, and I count Ming'hua's armless waterbending because armless!!! Plus it brought back combusion bending, plus P'Li could control the direction of her combustion, which was more than Combustion Man could do in the original series!! So yeah, I was completely geeking out.
I also loved these antagonists more than the other seasons. The variety of people brought a lot more fun and intrigue to their villainy than the other seasons' villains, who each really only had a single skill at their disposal. (Well, with exceptions, of course.) But the downside to having a group of four villains... is none of them was really explored. We barely knew who they were, let alone where they came from individually. But in my mind, that's forgivable.
One of my favorite characters in the series was also introduced: Suyin. Daughter of Toph and half-sister to Lin, she brought some amazing and wildly entertaining depth to both Lin's character and to the show. Through her character we got to learn much more about Toph (not the least of which through flashbacks), and we got to learn how both sisters became the way they were, and how Toph's parenting shaped them in positive and negative ways. Like Aang, we learned that Toph wasn't a perfect parent, and we can understand why! Suyin also introduced the amazing and wonderful city of Zaofu, which became one of my favorite locations for its incredible beauty, infrastructure, and ingenuity.
After Suyin we met Opal. I was convinced for a while that both she and Suyin would somehow betray us, but I was thrilled that they never did. Opal ended up being a great student for Tenzin and Korra, and a perfect girlfriend for Bolin (though I honestly prefer Borra). She also opened the door for us to learn more about Lin and provided great prospective on the dynamics of Zaofu as things came into question.
Another new character was Kai.... who I had very mixed feelings about, at first. I didn't like him because of his delinquency, for a while. I was fully on board with Mako that his status as an orphan did not excuse his crime, lies, and deception -- but it did provide a great foil for the law-abiding Jinora. They balanced each other very well, and thankfully Kai finally turned fully away from his thievery. Eventually.
I already mentioned our lovely Red Lotus antagonists Zaheer, P'Li, Ming Hua, and Ghazan, but I'll do so again because all three of them were fundamental to this season being fantastic. Their incredible skills as indivudals and as a team as well as their drive to accomplish their goals made them deadly and resourceful villains who were wildly entertaining to watch. I truly feared for the lives of our heroes when facing them, which is not a common thing.
There were many episodes of this series that had wonderful highlights, so I'll try to touch on what I loved most.
The Earth Queen was probably the first one that inspired true awe from me. First, Team Avatar traveled to an old and beloved location from the original series: Ba Sing Se!!! It was super amazing and incredible to get a long, hard look at the state of the Earth Kingdom metropolis. It was fascinating (and sad) to see Earth Queen Hou-Ting (Jayne Taini). The ending scene was also fascinating as we watched Ming-Hua break P'Li out of her Northern Water Tribe prison with the help of Zaheer and Ghazan, and then the four of them fight Korra, Tonraq, Desna, Eska, and Zukoooooooo!!!! (SQUEE!!!) While I have the minor complaint that I don't think this battle was fairly written, I also absolutely loved watch it go down. Every single one of these characters was a master of his or her element, and it was beautiful and breathtaking.
The Metal Clan definitely ranks near the top just for introducing Zaofu and with it, Suyin, Opal, and the skilled "truth-seer" Aiwei (Maurice LaMarche). I greatly appreciated the omage to Toph in Aiwei's skill.
Old Wounds, the very next episode, was when we learned the fascinating truth about Lin and Suyin, and were treated with another breathtaking duel of metalbending prowess and beauty between those same two.
The Terror Within is again notable for a breathtaking battle. In this one, the Red Lotus successfully infiltrates Zaofu at night, but they're discovered. Suyin, Lin, Mako, Asami, Bolin, and the entire clan of skilled metalbenders face the Red Lotus head-on in one of my favorite battles this season.
Long Live the Queen is famous in my mind for one single moment: the first time (I think) a character dies completely on screen. Zaheer ruthlessly suffocates her with his airbending. Oh, Ghazan also single-handled brings down part of Ba Sing Se's wall with his lavabending, which is also pretty spectacular.
The Ultimatum holds another of my favorite battles as the Red Lotus attacks the Northern Air Temple where Tenzin is with his class of airbenders. In a display of devastating and heartbreaking destructive beauty, Ghazan all but melts the entire temple, leaving it in shambles. Tenzin and Bolin also each face what they believe is to be their death with awe-inspiring resolve and courage.
Venom of the Red Lotus, the season's finale episode, was incredible to me for several events. The Red Lotus holds Korra chained and dangling and administers a poison that has psychological effects on her: she's revisited by the demons of Amon, Unalaq, and Vaatu, each uttering disturbing lies to break down her resolve. Directly after, the entire final battle between Korra and Zaheer was incredible and artistic to me, with poetic symbolism against the original series: in Avatar, Aang is an airbender being chased by a firebender. In Korra, Korra uses firebending to chase after an airbending Zaheer. Finally, the last moments of the episode struck a very deep, emotional chord with me. Korra won the war against the Red Lotus and took them down. However, she sustained deep psychological and physical wounds, leaving her disabled and depressed as the other characters celebrate. As we see Korra's resounding grief on her tear-stained face, we simultaneously watch Jinora celebrate a momentous and hard-earned ceremony of receiving her tattoos. The emotions are so huge and deep, for both characters, that I was left reeling.
Book 4: Balance
...was largely, and importantly, about healing the devastating wounds inflicted on Korra by her book 3 traumas, both physical and mental. And I'm so very, very happy that they took almost the entire season to heal. Korra spends her first couple episodes simply undergoing physical therapy (with Katara, SQUEE!!!) to learn how to walk again. Even after that, she has to spend a lot of time with Toph, SQUEEE!!! in her swamp to learn the patience and understanding required to extract trace amounts of the Red Lotus' poison still in her body. And even after that, she spends almost the entire season processing through her PTSD; how much Zaheer terrified her and how to process that terror, re-learn her sense of safety, and move on. I thought it was incredibly powerful and realistic in just how much time and all the steps this took.
And that's not even getting into what actually happened in book 4!
Overall, book 4 was fantastic. I loved it. Like books 1 and 3, it dealt with complex villains, difficult story lines, respected its incredible characters, and strung together a few amazing sub-plots and character arcs.
Kuvira was obviously the "new" character this season, though technically she was introduced by name in book 3. Purposefully a mirror for Korra in aggression and drive, Kuvira made a hugely compelling villain in her passion, skewed sense of heroism, and incredible bending skill. Not to mention her relationship with Suyin brought wonderful emotions of betrayal and hurt.
Ba Sing Se's Prince Wu was the only entirely-new major character this season. Overall.. I really didn't like him... he was annoying and idiotic, but he was meant to be. His horrible pride, naivety, and idiocy was exactly what this season needed to drive the plot and character arcs forward. Plus, the writers redeemed him; by exposing him to what the real world is like and having him stumble along with Team Avatar's true heroics for a while, he figured out what's what and finally became a decent guy.
Admittedly, not many of the individual episodes stood out to me the way they did in Book 3. But I think that's okay. Because in this case, they more blended together to tell a longer, more impactful story.
Korra Alone, the season's second episode, was probably one of the best in the series. It weaves seamlessly between flashbacks and present day, showing Korra's past process of physical healing alongside her current journey with depression. It's a work of true art, poetry, and masterful storytelling. The way it portrays her difficult process was deep, true, and brutally honest, plus her parents and mentor Katara aided her brilliantly along the way, showing the best ways to help someone in such a difficult situation.
Operation Beifong had a few highlights. It was a whole lot of fun watching Toph team up with her extended family and Bolin in order to save Suyin's family. Plus, the fight between Suyin and Kuvira at the end of their rescue was another of my favorites. Seeing two top-tier metalbenders duke it out is just... breathtaking.
The Last Stand was the season and series finale, and it deserved to be. The standout moment to me was when Mako nearly sacrifices himself to save everyone. To me, seeing a character realize he or she is about to die and accept the fate to save others... it's just incredible. One of the saddest, bravest, and most respectable (depending on context) things for me. Later, seeing Kuvira's face as Korra bends spirit energy, and then their discussion in the Spirit World, were both awing. Finally, Varrick and Zhu Li's beautiful wedding, and then the even more beautiful final scene of Korra and Asami disappearing into the Spirit World together. What a perfect series-ending moment.
So there ya' have it. Maybe I should go back through Avatar in all this depth! But for now, I'm exhausted. The Legend of Korra was a fantastic and perfect series that truly lived up to its predecessor's name is almost every way.
Thanks again, Bryan Konietzko and Mike DiMartino. Hope to meet you two someday <3
The time between announcement and premiere was a journey in itself. Nickelodeon ran a very successful marketing campaign. They put out many teasers, like photos of characters and backgrounds, a trailer, released the first episode's intro theme, and held a SDCC (or was it NYCC?) panel. The hype was so real and I couldn't be more excited. I remember seeing a plethora of Korra cosplay photos circulating the internet -- based only on a single image of her back.
Book 1: Air
Overall impressions: Air was a dream. It was everything I could have dreamed of and asked for. I was still in high school as it aired, and I had many friends whom loved the original series to watch it with. We laughed with "I'm the Avatar, deal with it!," and our fan dreams were fulfilled as we feasted our eyes on the children of Aang, Katara, and Toph. I absolutely loved pro-bending (though I had a hard time keeping track of score), the idea of a sport based on bending was beautiful to me. And then Amon was introduced: the episode The Revelation was an awing moment for me; I was floored as Amon reduced generated lightning to blossoms of flame and then nothing. A few episodes later I was breathless as Korra and Lin fought Amon and his Equalists atop the stadium. I fell completely in love with Asami as she turned upon her father and stood her moral ground against amazing odds. I fell in love with Lin as she sacrificed her job for the same morality. When extremes met, I was glued to the fight as Korra confronted Tarrlok on his corrupt justice, and then Tarrlok unleashed his trump card: bloodbending. Finally, the last three or four episodes were pretty fun action, with Equalists clashing with benders, though there were no more particularly intense moments (besides Tarrlok's backstory) until Korra confronted Amon. I was awed when he took away her bending, and moved with passion when she unlocked airbending. The tension didn't cease until the serene ending, when Korra unmasked Noatak, and Aang appeared before Korra to restore her bending.
There are a few other things I'd like to touch on that Ioved about this season, and aspects I'll mention that I wasn't as fond of.
First off, the flashbacks. I really loved how they were used: they didn't interrupt the flow of the season; they augmented it, only appearing when Korra was in extreme distress or unconscious. They were directly relevant to the story, revealing tidbits of a case Team Avatar handled that was directly pertinent to the current mystery. And most importantly, they functioned as strings to the past, reminding the viewer pleasantly that the old characters were not forgotten. In all this, their placement and content were perfect. The only complaint I might add is that they felt anticlimactic. The culmination of all the flashbacks seemed to simply conclude: Aang incapacitated the villain without much of a fight or any other difficulty, and Korra didn't seem to apply his victory to anything in her current struggle. However, she did get information from it that helped them.
Next, characters: every single character of this season, in my opinion, was done perfectly.
Korra was the protagonist we needed, she was humbled and brought to her knees both emotionally and physically, and with help, she was brought back up.
Tenzin was a great, flawed mentor. Korra was such a foil for him -- so opposite his style -- that he really needed to mold himself to her, and helped her mold herself to him. Despite their challenges, they formed a beautiful mentor-student relationship.
Lin was an amusing and great ally. Somewhat tsundere, she took some getting used to, and I think Korra really needed her to not be impressed: her rough edges complemented Korra's rough edges, and their opposing viewpoints helped more of the big picture be seen.
Bolin and Mako were great supporting characters. They provided perfect comedy and drama to deepen the season and really push some great development forward.
Asami brought some entirely new and needed perspective to everything. The only character without bending and with some great raw fighting skill, she brought things to the table that would've been completely absent without, and ended up being absolutely essential to their victory.
Tarrlok was that villain we loved to hate, similar to Umbridge. Besides giving us someone to be frustrated with, his presence and actions gave new depth and mystery to every conflict. The #1 question most fans had during the original air were "Is Tarrlok Amon?" Or if not being Amon himself, fan theories ran wild with collaborations, secret identities, conspiracies, and partnerships. And then when all of these were proven wrong in Out of the Past, we were left reeling for the truth.
Amon was a truly great primary antagonist, I think. His secrecy and mystery were extremely compelling, and his style -- augmented by the wonderful voice work of Steve Blum -- was perfectly creepy and ominous. I felt like the balance between reveal and mystery was done excellently. There were enough on-screen antagonists between the Chi-blockers, Tarrlok, and Hiroshi that Amon didn't really need to be very visible. The Who is he? question did well to linger in our minds till near the very end.
I also wanted to touch on the pre-finale episode, Skeletons in the Closet, just because of its massive emotional weight. The episode that set up for the final battle and revealed all that there was to reveal about Amon's true identity, Noatak, spilled by none other than his brother. It was probably the saddest story in the entire franchise. But I thought that was okay. It explained the story's events very well and fit into the context of other explanations. The Avatarverse seems to have a tradition of powerful bending families, like Toph's family of metalbenders and Zuko's royal Fire Nation family of exceptionally powerful firebenders. I thought the tragedy of the story was realistic, and it made sense to me how unresolved burdens and hurts of the past can destroy more lives and set up for a completely unbalanced political campaign in a completely unbalanced city. The emotion drew me in well, and it made the final ending for the brothers -- the murder-suicide -- incredibly bittersweet.
Book 2: Spirits
I won't go into this one in quite as much detail because quite frankly, it was my least favorite season. I'll describe the character and episode highlights that did excite me.
Eska & Desna are... good characters, overall. I did not like their role in this season, but I appreciate their role in the world and their brief contribution in book 3.
Varrick is the same as the above. I wasn't hugely fond of his role in this season, but he became a very important character later, and I liked what he did in books 2 and 3. Plus, he's tied to the amazing and amusing Zhu Li!
Kya & Bumi were very, very great. I really loved their addition. The series faced a little backlash from the internet (and my own parents) for their bickering in this season, but to me, I thought it was entirely appropriate. I thought it was good to highlight how imperfect a father Aang was, and I thought it suited his character understandably. It makes sense to me that Aang would subconsciously favor Tenzin, as his only airbending heir. And I think Kya and Bumi turned out very well despite this unfortunate flaw. Overall, I thought their characters were fantastic additions to the series, especially with how different they were!
Unalaq was pretty cool, if a tad on the cliche side. I think the sibling rivalry factor with his brother / Korra's father Tonraq was good and added necessary drama and development to the series. But I did find Unalaq sadly flat and single-minded. On the positive side: I loved his new waterbending styles, especially his spirit bending!!
Raava & Vaatu were pretty dang cool! The mythology they ushered was rich and beautiful to watch and learn, though it might have brought more questions than answers, especially at the season finale.
Avatar Wan was really great! I loved learning about the very first avatar and his adventure was so much fun to watch. Definitely the highlight of book 2. Wish we could've gotten more of him.
A couple episodes (besides Wan's) were particular highlights.
A New Spiritual Age was probably the best. It was inspiring to watch Jinora come to complete mastery of her element, guiding Korra wisely and calmly into the spirit world. And then when mishaps separated them, nothing could've been more satisfying than Korra running into the best mentor of all: Uncle Iroh.
Civil Wars Pt 1 was notable for Tenzin's family's side, as I mentioned above. The story masterfully juxtaposed the troubles with between two sets of siblings: Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo, and that of their father and uncle and aunt, Tenzin, Bumi, and Kya. When Jinora and Tenzin reconcile as father and daughter, Tenzin comes to the realization that Jinora's troubles are similar and he could use his own wisdom.
Darkness Falls was visually stunning. The penultimate episode, it has multiple beautiful fighting sequences, including the heart-wrenching scene when Unalaq destroys each of Korra's past lives.
Book 3: Change
My favorite one!!
I'm a major sucker for bending, and I love that this season introduced like, 3+ new styles (or at least forms) of bending. Ghazan's lavabending was the most obvious, and Jinora's astral projection via airbending, and I count Ming'hua's armless waterbending because armless!!! Plus it brought back combusion bending, plus P'Li could control the direction of her combustion, which was more than Combustion Man could do in the original series!! So yeah, I was completely geeking out.
I also loved these antagonists more than the other seasons. The variety of people brought a lot more fun and intrigue to their villainy than the other seasons' villains, who each really only had a single skill at their disposal. (Well, with exceptions, of course.) But the downside to having a group of four villains... is none of them was really explored. We barely knew who they were, let alone where they came from individually. But in my mind, that's forgivable.
One of my favorite characters in the series was also introduced: Suyin. Daughter of Toph and half-sister to Lin, she brought some amazing and wildly entertaining depth to both Lin's character and to the show. Through her character we got to learn much more about Toph (not the least of which through flashbacks), and we got to learn how both sisters became the way they were, and how Toph's parenting shaped them in positive and negative ways. Like Aang, we learned that Toph wasn't a perfect parent, and we can understand why! Suyin also introduced the amazing and wonderful city of Zaofu, which became one of my favorite locations for its incredible beauty, infrastructure, and ingenuity.
After Suyin we met Opal. I was convinced for a while that both she and Suyin would somehow betray us, but I was thrilled that they never did. Opal ended up being a great student for Tenzin and Korra, and a perfect girlfriend for Bolin (though I honestly prefer Borra). She also opened the door for us to learn more about Lin and provided great prospective on the dynamics of Zaofu as things came into question.
Another new character was Kai.... who I had very mixed feelings about, at first. I didn't like him because of his delinquency, for a while. I was fully on board with Mako that his status as an orphan did not excuse his crime, lies, and deception -- but it did provide a great foil for the law-abiding Jinora. They balanced each other very well, and thankfully Kai finally turned fully away from his thievery. Eventually.
I already mentioned our lovely Red Lotus antagonists Zaheer, P'Li, Ming Hua, and Ghazan, but I'll do so again because all three of them were fundamental to this season being fantastic. Their incredible skills as indivudals and as a team as well as their drive to accomplish their goals made them deadly and resourceful villains who were wildly entertaining to watch. I truly feared for the lives of our heroes when facing them, which is not a common thing.
There were many episodes of this series that had wonderful highlights, so I'll try to touch on what I loved most.
The Earth Queen was probably the first one that inspired true awe from me. First, Team Avatar traveled to an old and beloved location from the original series: Ba Sing Se!!! It was super amazing and incredible to get a long, hard look at the state of the Earth Kingdom metropolis. It was fascinating (and sad) to see Earth Queen Hou-Ting (Jayne Taini). The ending scene was also fascinating as we watched Ming-Hua break P'Li out of her Northern Water Tribe prison with the help of Zaheer and Ghazan, and then the four of them fight Korra, Tonraq, Desna, Eska, and Zukoooooooo!!!! (SQUEE!!!) While I have the minor complaint that I don't think this battle was fairly written, I also absolutely loved watch it go down. Every single one of these characters was a master of his or her element, and it was beautiful and breathtaking.
The Metal Clan definitely ranks near the top just for introducing Zaofu and with it, Suyin, Opal, and the skilled "truth-seer" Aiwei (Maurice LaMarche). I greatly appreciated the omage to Toph in Aiwei's skill.
Old Wounds, the very next episode, was when we learned the fascinating truth about Lin and Suyin, and were treated with another breathtaking duel of metalbending prowess and beauty between those same two.
The Terror Within is again notable for a breathtaking battle. In this one, the Red Lotus successfully infiltrates Zaofu at night, but they're discovered. Suyin, Lin, Mako, Asami, Bolin, and the entire clan of skilled metalbenders face the Red Lotus head-on in one of my favorite battles this season.
Long Live the Queen is famous in my mind for one single moment: the first time (I think) a character dies completely on screen. Zaheer ruthlessly suffocates her with his airbending. Oh, Ghazan also single-handled brings down part of Ba Sing Se's wall with his lavabending, which is also pretty spectacular.
The Ultimatum holds another of my favorite battles as the Red Lotus attacks the Northern Air Temple where Tenzin is with his class of airbenders. In a display of devastating and heartbreaking destructive beauty, Ghazan all but melts the entire temple, leaving it in shambles. Tenzin and Bolin also each face what they believe is to be their death with awe-inspiring resolve and courage.
Venom of the Red Lotus, the season's finale episode, was incredible to me for several events. The Red Lotus holds Korra chained and dangling and administers a poison that has psychological effects on her: she's revisited by the demons of Amon, Unalaq, and Vaatu, each uttering disturbing lies to break down her resolve. Directly after, the entire final battle between Korra and Zaheer was incredible and artistic to me, with poetic symbolism against the original series: in Avatar, Aang is an airbender being chased by a firebender. In Korra, Korra uses firebending to chase after an airbending Zaheer. Finally, the last moments of the episode struck a very deep, emotional chord with me. Korra won the war against the Red Lotus and took them down. However, she sustained deep psychological and physical wounds, leaving her disabled and depressed as the other characters celebrate. As we see Korra's resounding grief on her tear-stained face, we simultaneously watch Jinora celebrate a momentous and hard-earned ceremony of receiving her tattoos. The emotions are so huge and deep, for both characters, that I was left reeling.
Book 4: Balance
...was largely, and importantly, about healing the devastating wounds inflicted on Korra by her book 3 traumas, both physical and mental. And I'm so very, very happy that they took almost the entire season to heal. Korra spends her first couple episodes simply undergoing physical therapy (with Katara, SQUEE!!!) to learn how to walk again. Even after that, she has to spend a lot of time with Toph, SQUEEE!!! in her swamp to learn the patience and understanding required to extract trace amounts of the Red Lotus' poison still in her body. And even after that, she spends almost the entire season processing through her PTSD; how much Zaheer terrified her and how to process that terror, re-learn her sense of safety, and move on. I thought it was incredibly powerful and realistic in just how much time and all the steps this took.
And that's not even getting into what actually happened in book 4!
Overall, book 4 was fantastic. I loved it. Like books 1 and 3, it dealt with complex villains, difficult story lines, respected its incredible characters, and strung together a few amazing sub-plots and character arcs.
Kuvira was obviously the "new" character this season, though technically she was introduced by name in book 3. Purposefully a mirror for Korra in aggression and drive, Kuvira made a hugely compelling villain in her passion, skewed sense of heroism, and incredible bending skill. Not to mention her relationship with Suyin brought wonderful emotions of betrayal and hurt.
Ba Sing Se's Prince Wu was the only entirely-new major character this season. Overall.. I really didn't like him... he was annoying and idiotic, but he was meant to be. His horrible pride, naivety, and idiocy was exactly what this season needed to drive the plot and character arcs forward. Plus, the writers redeemed him; by exposing him to what the real world is like and having him stumble along with Team Avatar's true heroics for a while, he figured out what's what and finally became a decent guy.
Admittedly, not many of the individual episodes stood out to me the way they did in Book 3. But I think that's okay. Because in this case, they more blended together to tell a longer, more impactful story.
Korra Alone, the season's second episode, was probably one of the best in the series. It weaves seamlessly between flashbacks and present day, showing Korra's past process of physical healing alongside her current journey with depression. It's a work of true art, poetry, and masterful storytelling. The way it portrays her difficult process was deep, true, and brutally honest, plus her parents and mentor Katara aided her brilliantly along the way, showing the best ways to help someone in such a difficult situation.
Operation Beifong had a few highlights. It was a whole lot of fun watching Toph team up with her extended family and Bolin in order to save Suyin's family. Plus, the fight between Suyin and Kuvira at the end of their rescue was another of my favorites. Seeing two top-tier metalbenders duke it out is just... breathtaking.
The Last Stand was the season and series finale, and it deserved to be. The standout moment to me was when Mako nearly sacrifices himself to save everyone. To me, seeing a character realize he or she is about to die and accept the fate to save others... it's just incredible. One of the saddest, bravest, and most respectable (depending on context) things for me. Later, seeing Kuvira's face as Korra bends spirit energy, and then their discussion in the Spirit World, were both awing. Finally, Varrick and Zhu Li's beautiful wedding, and then the even more beautiful final scene of Korra and Asami disappearing into the Spirit World together. What a perfect series-ending moment.
So there ya' have it. Maybe I should go back through Avatar in all this depth! But for now, I'm exhausted. The Legend of Korra was a fantastic and perfect series that truly lived up to its predecessor's name is almost every way.
Thanks again, Bryan Konietzko and Mike DiMartino. Hope to meet you two someday <3
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