The Legend of Korra - initial impressions
Note: There are some mild spoilers for Legend of Korra here (but not many as I haven't gotten very far in the show)
Let me start this by saying I freaking LOVED Avatar. This show was incredible. It has phenominal characers, interesting and gripping storylines, terrific writing, superb fight choreography, and is just overall a very fun show. It is probably the best animated show I've ever seen.
I loved it so much that when I finished Avatar and saw that The Legend Of Korra was like a sequel that continued the story -- I didn't watch it. I was afraid. Afraid it wouldn't live up -- that it would be an extreme disappointment. It wasn't until months later that I watched Avatar again and decided to finally give Legend of Korra a try. I figured I knew it couldn't be AS good as Avatar, but it might still be entertaining, and would be worth a watch.
First impressions were.. actually pretty good. They set up the new environment really well, they introduced the characters well, the animation was good, the fight choreography was fantastic, and we got to see how the world changed since the events in Avatar. Considering that this show takes place like 60 or so years after Avatar, I was glad to see that they didn't keep everything the same -- that technology had improved and the general lifestyle had changed as a result. That was really suprising to me, and it was a welcome change.
In fact, a lot of what the show was doing was really cool. It wasn't trying to be Avatar 2.0, it was trying to be its own show, but taking place in the Avatar universe. The characters were more or less unique and not simply retreads of the characters in Avatar (except for a select few, but I'll get into that in a bit). The plot was different, the circumstances were different, the expectations were different. Overall the show felt really fresh, and I got excited.
But as I watched more and more if it... the interesting creative changes became more and more overshadowed by the show's flaws. The biggest flaw being the characters. Strong, well-written, and enjoyable characters is what made the original Avatar so damn appealing. And this is where Legend of Korra falls short. Let's walk through the main characters. Note that I'm only partway through season 1 (as of right now, I've seen through Ep 7 of season 1):
Korra
I'm not going to lie... I freaking love Korra. She is easily my favorite character in the show. They definitely didn't try to just do 'another Aang' -- she is her own person. While Aang was apprehensive and kind of afraid of the responsibility being the Avatar entails, Korra fucking owns it. She loves the fact that she's the Avatar. She's headstrong, arrogant, but also naive. And they even throw in the 'fish out of water' element by having her raised in the country, and then being thrown into a big city. She makes a lot of really bad decisions throughout the show, but they don't bother me because they fit her character -- and her character is certainly likable enough that you don't hate her for her decisions, and fleshed out well enough that the decisions don't anger you because they're believable.
Tenzin
I like Tenzin, too. He's basically the stick-in-the-mud mentor who has to try and reign in the rambunctious Korra and keep her on track. Being voiced by J.K. Simmons certainly doesn't hurt either. He's level-headed and strict, but not to a fault. He never goes too far with it. He's still caring and compassionate, and you can tell he just wants to do what's best for Korra. I find myself being in this guy's corner in every single scene he's in. The only thing that bothers me about him is that his character doesn't really jive with the fact that he's an air bender -- which Avatar made pretty clear air benders were more 'free spirits'. If anything I would expect this personality to come out of a fire or earth bender. But whatever, that's doesn't really bother me, I just found it confusing.
Lin Beifong
I actually had to look up her name because I forgot it -- they practically never refer to her by name in the show. I just always referred to her as the police chief. Or "Toph's daughter"
This character is not as great -- she basically has the same stick-in-the-mud attitude that Tenzin has, but it's out of her own self-interest rather than her trying to be protective of Korra, so it makes her seem shittier. On top of that, her personality naturally clashes with Korra's, both of them being headstrong and arrogant, and therefore in the earlier episodes it almost seemed as though they were setting her up to be an antagonist, rather than a supporting character.
Most of the time she's on screen I'm just going "chill out lady, what's your problem". In a way she reminds me somewhat of Zuko in the original Avatar who was kind of like this too. Only he was one of my fav characters because not only did they get into his backstory to explain why he was that way, but he also started as the antagonist, so you weren't supposed to like him at first.
I don't hate this character, but she's definitely not as strong... though that could easily be redeemed in future episodes if they explore her character more and make her more relatable. So I'm still on the fence with her. I won't rule her out yet.
Bo Lin
I ruled this guy out immediately. He is clearly a rehash of Sokka's character from the original Avatar: The wisecracking jokester who provides the comic relief. Only Sokka was way smarter, way more likable, and did way more to actually contribute to the story. Bo Lin seems to have no point apart from being the comic relief.
He had a few moments... like I really enjoyed the episode where he takes Korra out on a date. That was really fun and cute and actually made me like him a lot more... but still. He has few redeeming qualities, and they're never really put in the spotlight (or at least, they haven't been so far).
So while I don't really like this character, I don't hate him either.
Mako
I hate this character.
He's bland, uninteresting, boring, and just all around forgettable. They set him up to be the responsible older brother, who is supposed to be pragmatic, self sufficient, and protective of Bo Lin -- but they really only set that up with backstory dialogue -- they never really show it.
In the show he kind of... just... does.... nothing. He's really boring. In fact, you could have left him out of every single episode and it wouldn't have mattered. The only thing he does is date that one girl who's the daughter of the Satomobile guy, but that's just for a lame plot device and to set up a forced love triangle with Korra.
Which...like... why does Korra like this guy? There's no chemistry, he never did anything to win her over (he never did anything), and they never really explain it. In fact I didn't even realize Korra liked him until they said she did in one of the show introductions. What's worse, Korra went out with Bo Lin, and they had terrific chemistry. In fact they went out of their way to show just how well she and Bo Lin got along, and how much fun they had. The date was like super successful. Yet she immediately turns around and tries to get with Mako. Why?
Screw this guy.
Let me start this by saying I freaking LOVED Avatar. This show was incredible. It has phenominal characers, interesting and gripping storylines, terrific writing, superb fight choreography, and is just overall a very fun show. It is probably the best animated show I've ever seen.
I loved it so much that when I finished Avatar and saw that The Legend Of Korra was like a sequel that continued the story -- I didn't watch it. I was afraid. Afraid it wouldn't live up -- that it would be an extreme disappointment. It wasn't until months later that I watched Avatar again and decided to finally give Legend of Korra a try. I figured I knew it couldn't be AS good as Avatar, but it might still be entertaining, and would be worth a watch.
First impressions were.. actually pretty good. They set up the new environment really well, they introduced the characters well, the animation was good, the fight choreography was fantastic, and we got to see how the world changed since the events in Avatar. Considering that this show takes place like 60 or so years after Avatar, I was glad to see that they didn't keep everything the same -- that technology had improved and the general lifestyle had changed as a result. That was really suprising to me, and it was a welcome change.
In fact, a lot of what the show was doing was really cool. It wasn't trying to be Avatar 2.0, it was trying to be its own show, but taking place in the Avatar universe. The characters were more or less unique and not simply retreads of the characters in Avatar (except for a select few, but I'll get into that in a bit). The plot was different, the circumstances were different, the expectations were different. Overall the show felt really fresh, and I got excited.
But as I watched more and more if it... the interesting creative changes became more and more overshadowed by the show's flaws. The biggest flaw being the characters. Strong, well-written, and enjoyable characters is what made the original Avatar so damn appealing. And this is where Legend of Korra falls short. Let's walk through the main characters. Note that I'm only partway through season 1 (as of right now, I've seen through Ep 7 of season 1):
Korra
I'm not going to lie... I freaking love Korra. She is easily my favorite character in the show. They definitely didn't try to just do 'another Aang' -- she is her own person. While Aang was apprehensive and kind of afraid of the responsibility being the Avatar entails, Korra fucking owns it. She loves the fact that she's the Avatar. She's headstrong, arrogant, but also naive. And they even throw in the 'fish out of water' element by having her raised in the country, and then being thrown into a big city. She makes a lot of really bad decisions throughout the show, but they don't bother me because they fit her character -- and her character is certainly likable enough that you don't hate her for her decisions, and fleshed out well enough that the decisions don't anger you because they're believable.
Tenzin
I like Tenzin, too. He's basically the stick-in-the-mud mentor who has to try and reign in the rambunctious Korra and keep her on track. Being voiced by J.K. Simmons certainly doesn't hurt either. He's level-headed and strict, but not to a fault. He never goes too far with it. He's still caring and compassionate, and you can tell he just wants to do what's best for Korra. I find myself being in this guy's corner in every single scene he's in. The only thing that bothers me about him is that his character doesn't really jive with the fact that he's an air bender -- which Avatar made pretty clear air benders were more 'free spirits'. If anything I would expect this personality to come out of a fire or earth bender. But whatever, that's doesn't really bother me, I just found it confusing.
Lin Beifong
I actually had to look up her name because I forgot it -- they practically never refer to her by name in the show. I just always referred to her as the police chief. Or "Toph's daughter"
This character is not as great -- she basically has the same stick-in-the-mud attitude that Tenzin has, but it's out of her own self-interest rather than her trying to be protective of Korra, so it makes her seem shittier. On top of that, her personality naturally clashes with Korra's, both of them being headstrong and arrogant, and therefore in the earlier episodes it almost seemed as though they were setting her up to be an antagonist, rather than a supporting character.
Most of the time she's on screen I'm just going "chill out lady, what's your problem". In a way she reminds me somewhat of Zuko in the original Avatar who was kind of like this too. Only he was one of my fav characters because not only did they get into his backstory to explain why he was that way, but he also started as the antagonist, so you weren't supposed to like him at first.
I don't hate this character, but she's definitely not as strong... though that could easily be redeemed in future episodes if they explore her character more and make her more relatable. So I'm still on the fence with her. I won't rule her out yet.
Bo Lin
I ruled this guy out immediately. He is clearly a rehash of Sokka's character from the original Avatar: The wisecracking jokester who provides the comic relief. Only Sokka was way smarter, way more likable, and did way more to actually contribute to the story. Bo Lin seems to have no point apart from being the comic relief.
He had a few moments... like I really enjoyed the episode where he takes Korra out on a date. That was really fun and cute and actually made me like him a lot more... but still. He has few redeeming qualities, and they're never really put in the spotlight (or at least, they haven't been so far).
So while I don't really like this character, I don't hate him either.
Mako
I hate this character.
He's bland, uninteresting, boring, and just all around forgettable. They set him up to be the responsible older brother, who is supposed to be pragmatic, self sufficient, and protective of Bo Lin -- but they really only set that up with backstory dialogue -- they never really show it.
In the show he kind of... just... does.... nothing. He's really boring. In fact, you could have left him out of every single episode and it wouldn't have mattered. The only thing he does is date that one girl who's the daughter of the Satomobile guy, but that's just for a lame plot device and to set up a forced love triangle with Korra.
Which...like... why does Korra like this guy? There's no chemistry, he never did anything to win her over (he never did anything), and they never really explain it. In fact I didn't even realize Korra liked him until they said she did in one of the show introductions. What's worse, Korra went out with Bo Lin, and they had terrific chemistry. In fact they went out of their way to show just how well she and Bo Lin got along, and how much fun they had. The date was like super successful. Yet she immediately turns around and tries to get with Mako. Why?
Screw this guy.
Aman
I hate this character too.
He's even more bland, more boring, and less interesting than Mako. They don't even give him a face. He has this flat, monotone voice, with zero personality, and talks from behind a mask so his mouth doesn't even move. It's like they did everything they could to make this guy boring. And yeah... he's the villain, you're not supposed to like him. But come on. Even with villains you're supposed to love to hate them.
Compare this guy to Azula (the primary antagonist from Avatar). Azula was insane -- like she was a total monster. Manipulative, cold-hearted, uncaring, ruthless, and actually really fucking intimidating and even scarey. When she gives her villainous speeches, I'm glued to my seat thinking "osht what is she going to do"
When Aman gives a speech I feel like getting up for a bathroom break. I'm so uninterested.
To top it off, this guy's motives are cloudy. In his speech he talks about how benders have been oppressing non-benders for centuries, and how he's going to level the playing field by taking benders' abilities away. Then in the next fucking sentence says that technology has levelled the playing field between benders and non-benders. Asshole, if the playing field is level, then what the fuck is your point?
And yeah I get it... he's just using the anti-bending thing as a means to grab power. Or maybe it's just revenge. Whatever. It's just so phoney. I have a hard time believing so many would follow this guy.
He even captures Korra... the Avatar... has her pinned down... and can take her bending away... and he doesn't. WHY THE FUCK NOT WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU. You fucking had her. Just do it. You'd eliminate the Avatar, your biggest threat. In the show he says he doesn't want to make her a martyr -- but that doesn't make sense. A martyr to who? The people following this asshole already don't like the Avatar because she's a bender, and people that would be turned away by this are already against him -- so there really is no reason for him not to just do it.
That moment was completely irredeemable... there's no coming back for this villain. He's off the deep end of unlikability.
Which is a shame, because I really like the scenario. The idea of a terrorist uprising with a leader that can permanently take bending away is a really good plot setup. But man does this character fuck it up.
That's about it for the characters. There's also Naga and the red ferret thing whose name I can't remember, who are clearly nothing more than this show's version of Appa and Momo.
So the characters in Legend of Korra aren't as strong, but what about other aspects?
The fight choreography is still excellent. And the animation as a whole is really good. My only complaint there is that there's too much CGI and it really clashes with the hand-drawn animation (mixing the two is tricky and it almost never works), but that's minor -- I can forgive that. Overall the fight scenes are very well paced and the animation is fun and enjoyable, just like in the original show. In fact, in some ways it's better. Season 1 of Avatar in particular had some ugly animations -- which they fixed as the show went on. But Korra seems to start out really strong in that area. So kudos for that.
As for the plot... like I said above I really like the setup. It's a cool scenario, especially for this new world they've created. I really like that they didn't just rehash the plot of Avatar, and that they tried their own thing. If the characters behind it were stronger I think it would really work well.
One episode in particular though ... I really hated it... and I think it is to blame for making me realize that I may not like this show... Episode 6, "And the Winner Is..."
The general plot of this episode is that Korra's pro bending team has made it to the finals, when Aman broadcasts a threat saying that the final should be cancelled 'or else'. It's basically the Avatar-world equivalent of a bomb threat. So of course, the political leaders of the city are gearing up to cancel the event... when Korra busts in gives a speech about how if they cancel the event 'the terrorists win' and blah blah.
This sways no one, which I was happy to see. I mean, obviously if there's a bomb threat on the Super Bowl, you fucking postpone or even cancel the Super Bowl until that shit gets straightened out. Duh. It's a public safety issue. So I was ready to write this off as Korra being naive and making a poor decision -- which again I don't have a problem with, as this decision fits her character perfectly.
But then.... Lin comes in... Lin of all people. She comes in, says she agrees with Korra, and somehow manages to sway everyone (except Tenzin, I love that guy). I was facepalming so hard at this. This was a completely inexcusable scene. Everyone (except Tenzin) shows a sudden and extreme lapse in judgement for the sake of a plot point. Avatar never did anything like this.
So of course Aman crashes the tournament, and of course he ruins everything. He even assaults the lead guy on the opposing team and takes his bending away... suprising absoltely no one.
This episode actually made me angry. I was rooting for no one. The good guys were being so stupid that I couldn't get behind them, and the villain is so unlikeable that I couldn't get behind him either. I was so uninvested and the climax was so predictable, that I couldn't help but just hang my head. It was really, really bad.
So at this point... yeah. I don't know. There are parts of the show I like but overall I don't think it's that great. I'll probably finish up the first season to see if it redeems itself, but I've kind of given up hope.
I hate this character too.
He's even more bland, more boring, and less interesting than Mako. They don't even give him a face. He has this flat, monotone voice, with zero personality, and talks from behind a mask so his mouth doesn't even move. It's like they did everything they could to make this guy boring. And yeah... he's the villain, you're not supposed to like him. But come on. Even with villains you're supposed to love to hate them.
Compare this guy to Azula (the primary antagonist from Avatar). Azula was insane -- like she was a total monster. Manipulative, cold-hearted, uncaring, ruthless, and actually really fucking intimidating and even scarey. When she gives her villainous speeches, I'm glued to my seat thinking "osht what is she going to do"
When Aman gives a speech I feel like getting up for a bathroom break. I'm so uninterested.
To top it off, this guy's motives are cloudy. In his speech he talks about how benders have been oppressing non-benders for centuries, and how he's going to level the playing field by taking benders' abilities away. Then in the next fucking sentence says that technology has levelled the playing field between benders and non-benders. Asshole, if the playing field is level, then what the fuck is your point?
And yeah I get it... he's just using the anti-bending thing as a means to grab power. Or maybe it's just revenge. Whatever. It's just so phoney. I have a hard time believing so many would follow this guy.
He even captures Korra... the Avatar... has her pinned down... and can take her bending away... and he doesn't. WHY THE FUCK NOT WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU. You fucking had her. Just do it. You'd eliminate the Avatar, your biggest threat. In the show he says he doesn't want to make her a martyr -- but that doesn't make sense. A martyr to who? The people following this asshole already don't like the Avatar because she's a bender, and people that would be turned away by this are already against him -- so there really is no reason for him not to just do it.
That moment was completely irredeemable... there's no coming back for this villain. He's off the deep end of unlikability.
Which is a shame, because I really like the scenario. The idea of a terrorist uprising with a leader that can permanently take bending away is a really good plot setup. But man does this character fuck it up.
That's about it for the characters. There's also Naga and the red ferret thing whose name I can't remember, who are clearly nothing more than this show's version of Appa and Momo.
So the characters in Legend of Korra aren't as strong, but what about other aspects?
The fight choreography is still excellent. And the animation as a whole is really good. My only complaint there is that there's too much CGI and it really clashes with the hand-drawn animation (mixing the two is tricky and it almost never works), but that's minor -- I can forgive that. Overall the fight scenes are very well paced and the animation is fun and enjoyable, just like in the original show. In fact, in some ways it's better. Season 1 of Avatar in particular had some ugly animations -- which they fixed as the show went on. But Korra seems to start out really strong in that area. So kudos for that.
As for the plot... like I said above I really like the setup. It's a cool scenario, especially for this new world they've created. I really like that they didn't just rehash the plot of Avatar, and that they tried their own thing. If the characters behind it were stronger I think it would really work well.
One episode in particular though ... I really hated it... and I think it is to blame for making me realize that I may not like this show... Episode 6, "And the Winner Is..."
The general plot of this episode is that Korra's pro bending team has made it to the finals, when Aman broadcasts a threat saying that the final should be cancelled 'or else'. It's basically the Avatar-world equivalent of a bomb threat. So of course, the political leaders of the city are gearing up to cancel the event... when Korra busts in gives a speech about how if they cancel the event 'the terrorists win' and blah blah.
This sways no one, which I was happy to see. I mean, obviously if there's a bomb threat on the Super Bowl, you fucking postpone or even cancel the Super Bowl until that shit gets straightened out. Duh. It's a public safety issue. So I was ready to write this off as Korra being naive and making a poor decision -- which again I don't have a problem with, as this decision fits her character perfectly.
But then.... Lin comes in... Lin of all people. She comes in, says she agrees with Korra, and somehow manages to sway everyone (except Tenzin, I love that guy). I was facepalming so hard at this. This was a completely inexcusable scene. Everyone (except Tenzin) shows a sudden and extreme lapse in judgement for the sake of a plot point. Avatar never did anything like this.
So of course Aman crashes the tournament, and of course he ruins everything. He even assaults the lead guy on the opposing team and takes his bending away... suprising absoltely no one.
This episode actually made me angry. I was rooting for no one. The good guys were being so stupid that I couldn't get behind them, and the villain is so unlikeable that I couldn't get behind him either. I was so uninvested and the climax was so predictable, that I couldn't help but just hang my head. It was really, really bad.
So at this point... yeah. I don't know. There are parts of the show I like but overall I don't think it's that great. I'll probably finish up the first season to see if it redeems itself, but I've kind of given up hope.
Okay so I just watched episode 1x8 and it was pretty much completely awesome. It focused more on Korra and the struggle with a different villain.
The counsel that I was upset with before made another really dumb decision for the sake of a plot point, so I've just come to the realization that they're all stupid and/or puppets.
Regardless, I'm really glad. There's hope for this show yet. As long as they keep the focus on Korra the show still has a lot of potential.
The counsel that I was upset with before made another really dumb decision for the sake of a plot point, so I've just come to the realization that they're all stupid and/or puppets.
Regardless, I'm really glad. There's hope for this show yet. As long as they keep the focus on Korra the show still has a lot of potential.
closed account (18hRX9L8)
Nickelodeon used to host all the episodes... Now I can only find episodes for Book 2. Unless I'm missing something? ( http://www.nick.com/legend-of-korra/episodes/ )
This actually works: http://www.legendofkorra.tv/
This actually works: http://www.legendofkorra.tv/
| How are you watching the episodes? |
I'm a filthy pirate.
EDIT:
Also, I finished season 1, and it did get much, much better. It just had a slump in the middle of the season I guess. The ultimate showdown was cool, the storyline was interesting, and the character development made me like some of the characters a little more (notably Lin and Asami -- Mako and Bo Lin still kind of suck)
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So I finished the entire series.
Over time they pretty much improved on everyone's character... except for Korra, strangely enough. She stayed pretty consistent throughout the entire series. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, I guess I just expected more growth from the main character.
By the end I really liked Mako and even Bo Lin. And other characters too.. like the Beifong family really got me sucked in... and even Tenzin's kids... except for Meelo -- God I hate that twerp. Every line that came out of his mouth I just wanted to punch him.
I loved Verrick. He seems like an eccentric sleaze at first, and I thought I knew where his character was going to go -- and I was right in that it went where I thought it would... but it didn't finish there. His character sort of redefined itself.
Overall summary of the seasons:
Season 1 has a very, very slow start, but ultimately turns it around with a really interesting and suspenseful climax. Aman was pretty bland at first, but once they got into his backstory he became slightly more interesting. Overall the season was pretty good as it did a good job of introducing the world and the characters, while presenting an interesting conflict. But there was a LOT of stuff they could have cut out -- or at least reworked to be more interesting.
Season 2 is definately my least favorite. Pretty much the whole season was Korra walking into an obvious trap and making one horrible mistake after another. The villain wasn't even that interesting either. The action was good and the storyline was decent I guess... but what really kept me watching was Verrick and the psycho water-bending cousin whose name I can't remember.
The whole backstory about Avatar Juan was kind of bland. It's not that it didn't fit with the show... it's just that... I dunno. I just didn't really like it. It was kind of boring and Juan wasn't very likable. And the climax was pretty disappointing -- apart from being entirely predictable it ended up being "transform into giant -- giant monster fight" which is pretty lame and uninteresting... like a bad Power Rangers episode. On top of that, Jinora chimed in last minute with a completely unexplained sort of Deus Ex Machina to save the day. Seriously, they never explained what she did or why it worked -- it was completely lazy.
After Season 2 I was almost ready to call it quits, but I figured the show was entertaining enough to keep going... so I persevered. And boy am I glad I did. Season 3 took me on a ride. The villains -- Zaheer and his entourage -- were not only menacing and awesome, but strangely identifiable and at times were even somewhat sympathetic.
Season 3 got DARK, too. Like they really took off the kid gloves, which I was surpised to see, this being Nickelodeon and all. But they flat out start killing characters rather than just capturing them. And brutally, too. P'Li's death (Zaheer's girlfriend -- the one that shoots explosions from her face) made me double-take. I had to rewind it a few times to make sure... "did they really just do that? On Nickelodeon?". Granted they don't actually show her dying, but they show HOW she dies, and they don't really leave much to the imagination.
Seriously: https://youtu.be/vFWuQ30Hi8k .. remember, she shoots explosions from her face.
And Tenzin basically gets beat down and borderline tortured. I mean it was fucking DARK. Even the ending was dark. Korra is left off in really bad shape and the epilogue wasn't even cheerful as much as it was bittersweet.
So yeah... season 3 had pretty much everything. Great character backstory and development with the Beifong family, a terrific villain and a truely interesting and gripping climax. I was hooked beginning to end, and it restored all the faith I had in the show, and I expected great things from season 4.
... and it did not disappoint. I can't decide if I like it more than season 3 or not, but damn was season 4 good. While I didn't like the villain as much as Zaheer, she certainly was good. Clear motivation, she made sense, and while she wasn't nearly as sympathetic or identifiable as Zaheer was, you at least could follow her.
And I really liked what they did with the support characters. Bo Lin really stepped up and came into his own rather than just being the tag-along dufus he normally was (although that didn't really happen until like halfway through the season). Verrick's character came full circle and really blew me away. They even brought his assistant Zhu Li more into the spotlight. Even Prince Wu, who I thought was going to be throw-away comic relief ended up being pretty cool.
And what they did to Korra -- I was kind of stunned. They carried over the idea of her being damaged from the end of Season 3 and she spends a good portion of season 4 trying to come to grips with it and overcome it -- all the while having to fight with the guilt of what her 3-year absence has caused. And it's all done sort of metaphysically -- it's really interesting to watch.
Pretty much every single episode of season 4 had me glued to my seat -- except for the flashback episode (blech). The only thing I didn't like about it was fucking Meelo. What an annoying twit. Fortunately he only had a few lines -- but good lord did they stand out. Ugh. Seriously... every single word that came out of his fucking mouth was insufferable -- I've never hated any on-screen character as much as I've hated that kid. I was actually shouting "get that fucking kid off the screen!" while watching.
And the surprise ending -- which really had me surprised. Not because I didn't see it coming -- I mean I saw clues for it throughout season 4 (maybe they were even doing it earlier) -- but man I just did not expect Nickelodeon to actually go through with it... with a kid's show. When I actually saw it my jaw dropped. Again they don't show anything explicit, but it's very clear and is impossible to misinterpet. I won't spoil the ending for those who haven't seen it, but it's really clever.
So yeah. This show won me over big time. I don't know if I like it more than Avatar or not -- but it's a damn good show. If you can stick it through the slow first two seasons, it is definitely worth a watch.
Over time they pretty much improved on everyone's character... except for Korra, strangely enough. She stayed pretty consistent throughout the entire series. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, I guess I just expected more growth from the main character.
By the end I really liked Mako and even Bo Lin. And other characters too.. like the Beifong family really got me sucked in... and even Tenzin's kids... except for Meelo -- God I hate that twerp. Every line that came out of his mouth I just wanted to punch him.
I loved Verrick. He seems like an eccentric sleaze at first, and I thought I knew where his character was going to go -- and I was right in that it went where I thought it would... but it didn't finish there. His character sort of redefined itself.
Overall summary of the seasons:
Season 1 has a very, very slow start, but ultimately turns it around with a really interesting and suspenseful climax. Aman was pretty bland at first, but once they got into his backstory he became slightly more interesting. Overall the season was pretty good as it did a good job of introducing the world and the characters, while presenting an interesting conflict. But there was a LOT of stuff they could have cut out -- or at least reworked to be more interesting.
Season 2 is definately my least favorite. Pretty much the whole season was Korra walking into an obvious trap and making one horrible mistake after another. The villain wasn't even that interesting either. The action was good and the storyline was decent I guess... but what really kept me watching was Verrick and the psycho water-bending cousin whose name I can't remember.
The whole backstory about Avatar Juan was kind of bland. It's not that it didn't fit with the show... it's just that... I dunno. I just didn't really like it. It was kind of boring and Juan wasn't very likable. And the climax was pretty disappointing -- apart from being entirely predictable it ended up being "transform into giant -- giant monster fight" which is pretty lame and uninteresting... like a bad Power Rangers episode. On top of that, Jinora chimed in last minute with a completely unexplained sort of Deus Ex Machina to save the day. Seriously, they never explained what she did or why it worked -- it was completely lazy.
After Season 2 I was almost ready to call it quits, but I figured the show was entertaining enough to keep going... so I persevered. And boy am I glad I did. Season 3 took me on a ride. The villains -- Zaheer and his entourage -- were not only menacing and awesome, but strangely identifiable and at times were even somewhat sympathetic.
Season 3 got DARK, too. Like they really took off the kid gloves, which I was surpised to see, this being Nickelodeon and all. But they flat out start killing characters rather than just capturing them. And brutally, too. P'Li's death (Zaheer's girlfriend -- the one that shoots explosions from her face) made me double-take. I had to rewind it a few times to make sure... "did they really just do that? On Nickelodeon?". Granted they don't actually show her dying, but they show HOW she dies, and they don't really leave much to the imagination.
Seriously: https://youtu.be/vFWuQ30Hi8k .. remember, she shoots explosions from her face.
And Tenzin basically gets beat down and borderline tortured. I mean it was fucking DARK. Even the ending was dark. Korra is left off in really bad shape and the epilogue wasn't even cheerful as much as it was bittersweet.
So yeah... season 3 had pretty much everything. Great character backstory and development with the Beifong family, a terrific villain and a truely interesting and gripping climax. I was hooked beginning to end, and it restored all the faith I had in the show, and I expected great things from season 4.
... and it did not disappoint. I can't decide if I like it more than season 3 or not, but damn was season 4 good. While I didn't like the villain as much as Zaheer, she certainly was good. Clear motivation, she made sense, and while she wasn't nearly as sympathetic or identifiable as Zaheer was, you at least could follow her.
And I really liked what they did with the support characters. Bo Lin really stepped up and came into his own rather than just being the tag-along dufus he normally was (although that didn't really happen until like halfway through the season). Verrick's character came full circle and really blew me away. They even brought his assistant Zhu Li more into the spotlight. Even Prince Wu, who I thought was going to be throw-away comic relief ended up being pretty cool.
And what they did to Korra -- I was kind of stunned. They carried over the idea of her being damaged from the end of Season 3 and she spends a good portion of season 4 trying to come to grips with it and overcome it -- all the while having to fight with the guilt of what her 3-year absence has caused. And it's all done sort of metaphysically -- it's really interesting to watch.
Pretty much every single episode of season 4 had me glued to my seat -- except for the flashback episode (blech). The only thing I didn't like about it was fucking Meelo. What an annoying twit. Fortunately he only had a few lines -- but good lord did they stand out. Ugh. Seriously... every single word that came out of his fucking mouth was insufferable -- I've never hated any on-screen character as much as I've hated that kid. I was actually shouting "get that fucking kid off the screen!" while watching.
And the surprise ending -- which really had me surprised. Not because I didn't see it coming -- I mean I saw clues for it throughout season 4 (maybe they were even doing it earlier) -- but man I just did not expect Nickelodeon to actually go through with it... with a kid's show. When I actually saw it my jaw dropped. Again they don't show anything explicit, but it's very clear and is impossible to misinterpet. I won't spoil the ending for those who haven't seen it, but it's really clever.
So yeah. This show won me over big time. I don't know if I like it more than Avatar or not -- but it's a damn good show. If you can stick it through the slow first two seasons, it is definitely worth a watch.
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