Avatar: The Last Airbender/Legend of Korra

[MarcelloF]

I'm late, but I watched the finale yesterday. It was sort of disappointing.

Spoiler:

It was great until Korra air bended. I don't understand how that should've been possible. She got her bending taken away, but she could still airbend, because she couldn't before? Can someone explain that to me?

But, the ending.. WOW, that was horrible. Mako has become so unlikeable throughout the series, but this took the crown. I didn't like Asami, before as she was boring and in the last few episodes her sole purpose was to shoot angry looks around. The finale redeemed her with her fight against her dad, though. I don't care about shipping, but I don't want Mako to be with anybody. I think both Korra and Asami work better without him.

Then the asspull of Aang appearing and giving Korra her bending back, because out of nowhere she has control over the spiritual side of things and can even go into Avatar mode at will. I'd rather have had Katara give her her bending back by reversing it with her own blood bending. I'm not sure how late into the game they found out about season 2, but if they really wanted it to go down like this, I wish they ,ould've went back and changed this so it could be done in season 2, even if it was only a few episodes.

I dunno, maybe the Avatar writers are just bad at endings? I thought the original series ended awkwardly, but better than this and it's at least getting closure with "The Promise" now, but it was still disappointing.


Also, Iroh's voice sucked. Every time he talked I had to laugh. I really couldn't take this guy seriously.

Other than that I liked it. I thought Amon and Tarlokks deaths were great. Iroh did some cool stuff.

[captain usopp]

no silence. just no. sorry bud. she's just very sad and lost right now. that tear was just to symbolize her spiritual awakening.

[The Master Piece]

Spoiler alert!! but not really cause im sure everyone one here has already seen it, so not sure if this has been said yet, but did anyone notice that korra was potentially standing on a giant glacier which means when she earth bended it was ice so technically korra never got her earth bending back

[MarcelloF]

Spoiler alert!!

Spoiler:

but not really cause im sure everyone one here has already seen it, so not sure if this has been said yet, but did anyone notice that korra was potentially standing on a giant glacier which means when she earth bended it was ice so technically korra never got her earth bending back

Forgot about that. I wondered about that, too when I saw the episode. I'm sure it was just an oversight, though.

[krule274]

Hidden:

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6529v1sut1r1flh4.gif

Don't know if that's been posted.

In other news, I would totally pay big money for season 2 to be:

"Book 2: Meelo and Bumi's Wacky adventure (With Special Guest Star: Bolin)"

The season premiere can be them trying that fantastic cactus juice.

That would just be glorious.

You just made my day

[GJardim]

Spoiler alert!! but not really cause im sure everyone one here has already seen it, so not sure if this has been said yet, but did anyone notice that korra was potentially standing on a giant glacier which means when she earth bended it was ice so technically korra never got her earth bending back

Korra: Aang, I thought you brought back to me earthbending!
Aang: Sorry Korra, but I had a really hard time with it, so it would be unfair to be this easy for you, but look at the bright side, you can learn it with Lin!
And thus, season 2 is all about Lin and her awesomeness.

[RobbyBevard]

Really, it's a mystery why Nickelodeon doesn't just hand Team Avatar the keys at this point

I mean, you only trusted them for 12 episodes worth of $$$? Really?

They already had 61 episodes for syndication, and each episode costs a million bucks to make.

Sure they trust the team by now, but... diminishing returns. After 13 episodes (for a weekly) or 65 episodes (for a daily) a show doesn't make as much money in the long run. It's already making its money in beign sold to other channels for perpetual reruns, and on dvd, and... its made most of the money its going to make once it reaches that point and any further episodes only bring in a little long term profit. (Plus, teh longer a series runs, the more you have to pay the creative teams.) Unless it passes 100 episodes, then it gets a rate bump.

As is, its Spongebob that's carrying the network, and they don't really have anything else they can partner with Avatar to make an appealing block. (They've got Ninja Turtles coming at least.) Avatar is a great standout show... but its the only thing like it on the network.

Its why even popular long running shows that go for 7-10 years have to end eventually, even if the ratings are still good and high. $$$ logistics.

And hey. If the creative team AND the fanbase is just as excited by 12 episodes as they are by 20 episodes...?

[Silence]

no silence. just no. sorry bud. she's just very sad and lost right now. that tear was just to symbolize her spiritual awakening.

Don't be sorry because it sure ain't my theory - and it sure isn't one I like.

[RobbyBevard]

http://art.penny-arcade.com/photos/i...JDd4MZ3-X3.jpg

[Gizmo]

About the fan theory.

Spoiler:

There's parts I can buy about it. Her big fear was being nothing without being the Avatar. She no longer has a purpose in life. And being a non-bender has essentially been said to be the worst thing ever.

I didn't believe it, but I don't think it'd be bad if that was true, aside from the rushed feeling of it. But I am starting to buy that since Korra was at her lowest point, she turned to a spiritual connection kinda like people turning to God when they feel like they have no one else to turn to. Still needed room to breathe, could've been more explicit, and doesn't justify Aang giving back her bending, but I can buy Aang showing up.

More importantly, we will finally learn the story of Zuko's mom via comic book form in "The Search". It'll be made by the same guy who's making the Promise. And Azula will be in the story.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=39354

[maxterdexter]

It's not being a Not bender, it's stoping being a bender is the worst thing ever.

Imagine that you had a tail, a preensile tail, with a little hand in the end, you can grab objects, scratch your back, and accesorize it. Now imagine it cut away forcefuly, you can't touch things in the reach of your back, you have to wash with your hands, and that's not talking about your lost balance.

[Silence]

It's not being a Not bender, it's stoping being a bender is the worst thing ever.

Imagine that you had a tail, a preensile tail, with a little hand in the end, you can grab objects, scratch your back, and accesorize it. Now imagine it cut away forcefuly, you can't touch things in the reach of your back, you have to wash with your hands, and that's not talking about your lost balance.

In the beginning of the season, there were a lot of nods to "you know, Amon and the equalists have a point" because characters like Korra and Tarrlok were such blustering bullies about being benders.
So seeing all this equalist stuff resolved by "oh well i guess amon's a big hypocrite" and just turning him into a larger and larger villain without there being any... closure on these oppressed normal citizens is... bleh.
You thought the writers would sort of do more with the oppressed non-benders because Korra was "their Avatar too." I wish we had seen that.

It would've made it easier to place Korra's purpose as an Avatar in this rapidly changing world (besides just chasing down a bad guy). But I guess that's not the direction they wanted to head.

[Hiroy]

Man, I hate it when you sum up what I tried to say in a lengthy paragraph more effectively with a sentence. :(

You should practice that.

[Gliblord]

This fan theory is ridiculous. She wasn't going to kill herself. That would have been awfully selfish of her to just leave a world that needs her

[Huschel]

I don't think that a lot of people here have read Wheel of Time and I keep mentioning it here and there which might be annyoing. But! How they portrayed people who had their bending taken away reminded me a lot of the repercussions of stilling a One Power (~magic) user which means cutting them off from their "magic".

People who have been stilled just lose their drive and wither much like Tahno did. They usually die a couple of months or maybe years after unless they find something to put their mind to. Which is exactly what Yakone did. He was hellbent on getting his revenge and that kept him going. When he realized that that would never happen he gave up and died a few years later.

Yeah, that's all, I just like the parallels :P

[Taggerung]

This fan theory is ridiculous. She wasn't going to kill herself. That would have been awfully selfish of her to just leave a world that needs her

How is that selfish. It would've been the most selfless thing she was capable of doing. I support it.

[Gliblord]

She knows her consciousness will live on in the next incarnation, so it's not flinging herself into the great unknown to kill herself

[Hiroy]

I support someone killing herself too.

[Md-Martin]

Here's my idea on the whole thing with Korra Airbending and Amon taking bending.

Amon was taking bending in a physical way, by bending the body. It was implied that he was bending the pressure points that control Chi, the very ones that Chi-Blockers strike, or rather the Chakra in the forehead as they are pools of energy.

He was taking bending in a physical manner. We know bending is based on spirituality and physicality. We know the world has changed from a spiritual one to a physical one. There is less focus on balance in the world and respecting spirits, the focus is on industrialization.

We can even see this change in the length of peoples lives. Somebody like Bumi lived to be at least 120, and Guru Pathik who was over 100, meanwhile Sokka...well assuming he died of age, then he died much younger than Bumi.

We know that bending itself has changed to more of a physical side. Instead of focusing in strict discipline in certain forms of bending, more of a freestyle form has emerged, as we've seen with the boxing style pro-benders use.

Amon was able to take the bending of those that would most likely not be spiritual at all. Lin sure as hell wouldn't be, and Zolt didn't seem to be either. Now Airbending his completely built around spirituality, all the Air Nomads were Aibenders because they were so spiritual.

So when Korra loses the ability to bend based on physicality, something her Waterbending, Earthbending, and Firebending were based on with her non spiritual personality, all that's left is that spiritual side of bending, and that's all that Airbending needs.

This is also why I doubt Amon was just going to take the Airbenders bending, he wanted to end bending, he was most likely going to kill the Airbenders to end the Avatar cycle.

[tigerlilly]

So just now had the chance to finally watch this (and actually without getting spoiled beforehand wow!)

I have to say I enjoyed the finale. The revelation was a tad underwhelming after reading all the mindblowing Koh fanstuff haha
But the flashbacks was one of the finest I have ever seen in this series. Really loved this one. They way Amon and Tarlok were sent off was also gut-wrenching. Didn't think I would see something as serious and grim as this in this show. The whole tone of the final with the motif of inherited evil and blindfolded benders lined up as if in an actual war zone, was damn mature.
The battle scenes were great with some of them bordering into the realm of the ridiculous (Iroh I am looking at you) but thats not even a bad thing. It was real fun to look at. Naga was badass and so were Asami and two seconds of Bumi.

All in all, when not analyzing too much into it, I got just what I was hoping for.

On the down side, when I think about some things for a bit too long I realise some parts of the storytelling have been kinda... dumb in hindsight...

Spoiler:

I have a question here: Did Amon actually bite off his upper lip and shave of his eyebrows for this particular scene, just to have both magically reappear one scene later? Ok he's a waterbender and probably a healer but this was sloppy.
Also Tenzin's family was apparently just captured for the sake of being freed anyway, making everything Lin did one episode earlier pointless and her sacrifice kinda void. And she pops out of nowhere in the end too. Probably was with Pema but they could have atleast showed it.
I agree with everything Nex said about Korra learning airbending, without actually understanding its concept. I could buy her learning airbending because Amon disconnected her physical side of bending, opening the spiritual paths in her body. But for that they would have to atleast mention it and not have me fill out the blanks with borderline fanfiction here. I am trying to cooperate story writers! Give me something to work with here!
And the sudden resolve of everything at the end was too rushed and didn't come with the satisfaction of her earning it. Suicide intents or not. Personally I think she was just depressed and didn't want to jump. And that shouldn't be enough to trigger the avatar state.
And finally
My personal stance on ALL THE ROMANCE.



I seriously thought in the final scene that Korra and Mako were standing in a chapel and were getting married. Thank god it was just Lin kneeling to get her bending back. I'm happy for them and I will let them finish, but shit, the build up to this couple was damn weak. Good looking designs still don't make good character chemistry. And there was almost none to speak of between these two.
I am glad there are other writers other than the two original ones involved next season so things will maybe feel a bit more natural with things like these?

Still very great finale, I hope I don't sound too picky or ungrateful with all my ranting. Cause I really liked it! Wish they left a cliffhanger. But I know of the production issues and them having to wrap things up, so there's nothing you can do about that.