Korra (Last Airbender)

[Windrunner he/him]

That makes a lot of sense actually Zas, I like it a lot. It was clear that they knew each other previously. There was also a lot of controlled tension going on there. I watched Korra with my little brother, and he wondered if Amon might be Aang's third kid Bumi. It made sense to me, a normal kid with the Avatar for his father, and benders for his mother and both his siblings could feel some serious inadequacy, which might lead to him turning his back on bending. What do you guys think?

Also any ideas on how Amon is managing to steal the bending of people? Advanced chi-blocking? It doesn't appear that he's energy bending, because it looked nothing like when Aang did it.

[Thought]

Something to keep in mind is that we don't know that he is actually permanently taking away someone's bending. We saw nothing more permanent than any chi-blocking we've already observed. Perhaps the criminals Amon used his power against did have their bending taking away, or perhaps they recovered after a while. At that point, presumably, Amon would have them disposed of.

That would also explain why he didn't take away Korra's bending (his excuse strikes me as quite weak). Killing her would have been counter productive, he couldn't actually take away her powers (and thus trying would have eventually undermined him), so all he could do is retreat (I mean, advance toward the rear).

Although, that said, it is interesting that Amon attacks from behind. It looks vaguely like how Aang was injured at the end of Season 2 and how his powers were restored at the end of Season 3. Amon might be specifically targeting an important chakra location. For Aang, that blocked his ability to access his avatar state. It might still influence bending abilities, though.

[Yados]

I'm not in love with this show like I was with AtLA and it's taken a while to realize that. It's a bit too serious and a bit too slow. It's set in the same place every episode and yet I don't feel like Republic City is that fleshed out beyond its premise and bender/non-bender conflict.

That said, AtLA wasn't as great as it became when it only had 6 episodes. In fact, it was pretty rough. Who knows what Korra will become. Presently, I miss the fun and more dynamic character work of the old series to the angst and dread that's capitalized this one.

[Ryan he/him]

My favorite theory about Lin Beifong?

Well you know how Pema (Tenzin's wife) mentions how he was with someone else for a long time before she said she loved him? Lin's about the right age to be dating Tenzin. And it might account for some of the tension that's there in the first episode. (Though maybe it's just me.)

Well, you called that one. Bravo!

[Arondell]

Kind of lost my suspension of disbelief at the end of the last episode.

Platinum?! Really? It must be a heck of a lot more common in that world then it is in the real world. Using a metal that is far denser then iron while also being a soft metal for something like that. Between the walls and those powered suits I would bet that is well over a thousand metric tons.

[stellgod]

Kind of lost my suspension of disbelief at the end of the last episode.

Platinum?! Really? It must be a heck of a lot more common in that world then it is in the real world. Using a metal that is far denser then iron while also being a soft metal for something like that. Between the walls and those powered suits I would bet that is well over a thousand metric tons.

Lol that must have cost a FORTUNE. Do you know how much a platinum wedding band costs?!

Also, I like the new series, even if I am 28 .

It's not as "new" as the last airbender, and it's lacking a little in the comedy area. I still like it, and it's set to my DVR every Saturday. I think it'll pick up a bit when they finally reveal Korra's avatar state, and she unloads a butt whooping (and subsequently gets blamed/banished for the destruction wrought)

Of course, I hadn't ever heard of Avatar until I randomly came across it on Netflix a couple of years ago.

1 week, that's how long it took to watch ALL 61 episodes.

[Thought]

Kind of lost my suspension of disbelief at the end of the last episode.

Platinum?! Really? It must be a heck of a lot more common in that world then it is in the real world. Using a metal that is far denser then iron while also being a soft metal for something like that. Between the walls and those powered suits I would bet that is well over a thousand metric tons.

I really hope I wasn't the only one to think "Hey, they made that out of aluminum!"

[Link Von Kelsier Harvey he/him]

"You're a bloodbender?"

"Very observant."

"But, it's not the full moon. How..."

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me."

Also, "Yes. Yes. No. No. 10,552."

Edited June 2, 2012 by Link Von Kelsier Harvey

[Yados]

"You're a bloodbender?"

"Very observant."

"But, it's not the full moon. How..."

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me."

Also, "Yes. Yes. No. No. 10,552."

This episode did a lot towards making me invested in the show again. I wish we'd gotten here sooner.

I think this is going to become an amazing show. It's not there yet, but, like I said, neither was AtLA after this many episodes.

Season 2 will be a beast.

[valkynphyre]

Despite what others have said, I do not believe Tarrlok is Amon.

[Zas678 he/him]

No, I'm pretty sure he's not. But Korra's going to be doing a lot more for the Equalists cause when she gets out. Why ?

"You're our avatar too!" Right where it hurts.

Also, am I the only one frustrated with the pointlessness of the Council? How they just always do what Tarrlock wants? And I understand why the Equalists are frustrated with the government if the Air Nation (pop: 50 with the acolades) gets a representative, and there's no one for the common people. Even if Tenzin is the best guy on the council.

[Feloxia she/her]

No, I'm pretty sure he's not. But Korra's going to be doing a lot more for the Equalists cause when she gets out. Why ?

"You're our avatar too!" Right where it hurts.

Also, am I the only one frustrated with the pointlessness of the Council? How they just always do what Tarrlock wants? And I understand why the Equalists are frustrated with the government if the Air Nation (pop: 50 with the acolades) gets a representative, and there's no one for the common people. Even if Tenzin is the best guy on the council.

I saw a pretty awesome analysis about this on tumblr, actually. Here it is.

Edited June 6, 2012 by Feloxia

[Zas678 he/him]

I got really really excited when Iroh appeared (with Zuko's voice! Whoo-hoo!) Although I wonder, will he be yet another Love Interest for Korra? And am I the only one that dislikes Mako? I mean kissing your not girlfriend, then staying with your girlfriend, then continuing to act fond toward the not girlfriend. *Humph*. I suppose it's also because of this shot with Bolin, when they're on the date at the not-eiffel tower.

I mean come on! Stupid romantic tension.

[Link Von Kelsier Harvey he/him]

You are not, in fact, the only one that dislikes Mako. There are many people who hate him. I feel he gets a lot more flak than he deserves. Nobody seems to remember that it was Korra who kissed him. Most of his behavior these past few episodes has just been him acting in his natural role of protector (see his childhood) with his repressed feelings for Korra seeping in. I don't think acting the way he is toward Korra OR Asami is at all conscious. He's running off emotion, without really thinking about the appearances of his actions. He's not a jerk. He's just a kid who likes two different girls and has no idea how to handle that.

Aaaaaaaand, I just wrote an entire forum post about shipping. What have I become?

Was it not awesome when he redirected the electricity back at the mechatank?

Also, Iroh is going to be kickawesome.

[Thought]

Since we are on the topic of shipping, I am totally hoping that Zuko and Katara will get together this go around (assuming May is out of the way, as well).

And clearly, Iroh is going to be a love interest for Lin.

[Zas678 he/him]

Well, I don't know. I think Iroh is a lot younger than Lin. I mean it's voiced by the same guy who did Zuko, and, quite frankly, he looks like I would imagine Zuko to be if he didn't have the scar. I believe that Iroh is Zuko's grandson, not son, placing him more in the "Katara" age group than the "Lin" age group.

[Link Von Kelsier Harvey he/him]

Word of God is that Iroh is, in fact, Zuko's grandson.

[FeatherWriter she/her]

I've seen a really cool theory going around that Iroh's parents are Zuko's daughter (obvious) and one of Aang's other sons, Bumi. Bumi and Zuko's daughter (fandom name is Honora ATM I believe) are about the same age, and the officially released picture of Bumi, (found here along with a picture of Kya, Aang and Katara's daughter) he's wearing the Fire Nation royalty collar. It's identical to Iroh's and very similar to the one's worn by Zuko and Azula in the original run. Since he's a non-bender, the only way he'd become part of the royal family is through marriage! Someone also pointed out that Iroh and Bumi have the same eyebrows, so that's interesting.

If that's true, that means Iroh is Tenzin's nephew! Wouldn't that be a cool reunion?

[Ryan he/him]

Spoilers for the finale:

I was a bit disappointed with the way the season ended. I did not want Korra to end up with Mako, and I thought it was all a bit abrupt. Korra didn't have to work for her spiritual awakening, so it was not really that satisfying when Aang showed up and energy-bended her abilities back...and then she gained the ability to restore the bending of others, which she didn't have to work for, either.

Remember how hard Aang had to work and struggle to master the avatar state? Remember how satisfying it was when he finally did? This victory felt cheap beside that. Korra is practically a fully-realized avatar, and she hasn't really had to earn any of it. What's left for her to learn? Emotional maturity? Will book two be titled "emotion"?

Anyway, I did enjoy the episode. It was very well done, right up to the end, which just left a bad taste in my mouth.

[Thought]

The ending made me wonder if, perhaps, they were afraid that the second season might get canceled before it airs. It reminded me of other TV shows that have had just enough warning to try to wrap up plots, but not enough time to do it right.

[FeatherWriter she/her]

Well, the second season got greenlit very late in the game, so I'm guessing they had this all writen before they knew they were going to get to continue. So it kind of originally supposed to be the ending.

[Yados]

An excellent analysis about why Korra was a thoroughly disappointing show from a storytelling standpoint.

http://chirart.tumblr.com/post/25991175534/how-you-can-have-a-bunch-of-great-ideas-but-still-storm

Personally, I've been a bit ambivalent about the show since the fifth episode but I absolutely detested how it ended. It was a very frustrating thing watching the show because I liked so many of the pieces in play and the art style and the animation and the concept but grew to abhor the writing more and more every episode.

[Joe ST he/him]

Yeah Korra was very badly put together as a story. There was no foreshadowing and the spiritual stuff was meaningless. It didn't really further the universe either, which is a pity. Too full of stupid teen drama, and pointless bad guys.

[FeatherWriter she/her]

Yeah, after Korra ended, my feelings were rather "meh" too. The set up was really good and interesting, but they just didn't develop it well enough. It looked like it was going to have really awesome, season-long themes and acing conflicts, and it just kinda didn't. I'll probably watch the next season, but I hope they learn from some of the feedback they're getting about structure and plotting.

[Lady_Yasha she/her]

Spoilers for the finale:

I was a bit disappointed with the way the season ended. I did not want Korra to end up with Mako, and I thought it was all a bit abrupt. Korra didn't have to work for her spiritual awakening, so it was not really that satisfying when Aang showed up and energy-bended her abilities back...and then she gained the ability to restore the bending of others, which she didn't have to work for, either.

Remember how hard Aang had to work and struggle to master the avatar state? Remember how satisfying it was when he finally did? This victory felt cheap beside that. Korra is practically a fully-realized avatar, and she hasn't really had to earn any of it. What's left for her to learn? Emotional maturity? Will book two be titled "emotion"?

Anyway, I did enjoy the episode. It was very well done, right up to the end, which just left a bad taste in my mouth.

This. All this.

As much as I liked the scene with Aang because it meant Lin also got her powers back (<3 Lin), it was handled rather poorly. I thought an entire second season addressing her depression from losing three of the elements would have been riveting, but they healed her in the same episode.

I can accept that Amon Bloodbending her chi essentially unlocked her Airbending, because it was already blocked before Amon got to her; considering his method of sealing the flow of chi it could easily have had the opposite effect with her Airbending.

The only problem was as soon as she realised she could Airbend, she seemed to become a master at it.

And finally, Mako sucked. The guy has no redeemable qualities and I hate that they played Bolin's grief so comically. The look on his face when he catches them kissing was perfect - I felt so sorry for Bolin that he'd been hurt and betrayed - and I couldn't even bring myself to laugh when the writers so obviously tried to make light of the situation. His comical prancing away while crying only deepened my empathy for him; I've been there, it goddamn hurts.