Legend of Korra; Book two trailer

[The Artist Formerly Known as Hawk]

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FINALY!

Been a while since we heard anything about this, but it looks like it was worth the wait. Trailer shows of some pretty cool things. Korra appears to have gotten the hang of airbending, spirit attacks up the wazoo, a few new characters (including one who I hear is the very first Avatar), and looks like we'll be getting a deeper look at the history of the Avatar line, and some of the lesser shown mystiscism of the verse.

Still have to wait until september for the series to start, but may as well start the hype now. So, who's excited?

[Gregness]

Huh, not that book one looked bad but it seems like the animation budget got a boost.

[Tev]

As well it should have. This show is worth it over and over again.

I'm psyched about this coming out so soon. I've been in Avatar limbo chasing "Coming next year" promises for what feels like forever!

[shiney]

Let's hope it's an actual season with well paced developments and not twenty+ episodes hastily crammed into ten. The pace of book one was horrendous and everything felt completely shoehorned in, I never had a chance to really connect with any of the characters and overall I was left feeling wholly disappointed.

[POS Industries]

Let's hope it's an actual season with well paced developments and not twenty+ episodes hastily crammed into ten. The pace of book one was horrendous and everything felt completely shoehorned in, I never had a chance to really connect with any of the characters and overall I was left feeling wholly disappointed.
It's a full season with a lot of guys from the ATLA writing staff hired back on instead of a half season written by the show's creators alone, so it's safe to say that season 2 is probably going to be a huge improvement in terms of writing.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Hawk]

Well, sort of. It's 14 episodes, 2 more than the first book, so with both book 1 and 2 it'll bring it up to 26 episodes, ie a full season.

Then we have books 3 and 4, which is the real season 2. Basically each season divided into 2 books each.

[POS Industries]

Oh.

Well.

At least they have a real writing staff this time.

[Lumenskir]

It's a full season with a lot of guys from the ATLA writing staff hired back on instead of a half season written by the show's creators alone, so it's safe to say that season 2 is probably going to be a huge improvement in terms of writing.
I'm in such a "fool me twice"-mode that it's almost heartening to see such persistent faith.

[Gregness]

I'm not worried about the series proper being good since after the 60+ episodes of Aang's story and the first part of this one they've proven that they can write compelling characters and interesting stories.

What they haven't proven is that they can end those stories with something other than an asspull.

[POS Industries]

I'm in such a "fool me twice"-mode that it's almost heartening to see such persistent faith.
It helps to be able to have a sense of middle ground between rancid dog shit and TEN BILLION ORGASMS.

LoK didn't lived up to how much it was overhyped and it had some flaws in the later episodes, namely in pacing, plot focus, and the ending. But it was still a pretty good show, the major issues that resulted in last season's flaws have been addressed and improved upon, and the probability of it being better than last season--which, once again, was pretty good--is strong.

It's just always weird to me to see people on the internet get all up in arms that a show couldn't live up to their fantastical expectations.

[Lumenskir]

the major issues that resulted in last season's flaws have been addressed and improved upon
This is the more of the persistent faith thing that I was more talking about, since I don't really see how bringing back some of the original writing staff, while still leaving Dimartino and Konietzko in charge, really solves the problems that have been evident since Book 3 of AtLA.

I guess my main concern is that the showrunners love the beginnings of things when they can gush and show off new aspects of the world, but can't really land the winding down aspect, which wouldn't be so bad in and of itself if it was just a soft whiff, but they tend to drag the parts I liked before down in their rush to get to "And they were saved by, oh, let's say Moe."
It's just always weird to me to see people on the internet get all up in arms that a show couldn't live up to their fantastical expectations.
For me personally, it's always been more like

:D
:)
:I
:/

[Gregness]

This is the more of the persistent faith thing that I was more talking about, since I don't really see how bringing back some of the original writing staff, while still leaving Dimartino and Konietzko in charge, really solves the problems that have been evident since Book 3 of AtLA.

*snip*

I don't get it, were they not in charge before Book 3?

[Lumenskir]

I don't get it, were they not in charge before Book 3?
They've always been in charge. Their problems with endings have only been evident from Book 3 on because Book 3 was when AtLA started to wind down.

Korra's shorter episode orders also hurt extra hard in this respect, because the turnaround from "Ooooh, new!" to "Talking Island From A Time Before Bending/You Get Your Bending Back, You Get Your Bending Back, Every-Body-Gets-Their-Bending-Back!" happens like like whiplash.

[POS Industries]

They've always been in charge. Their problems with endings have only been evident from Book 3 on because Book 3 was when AtLA started to wind down.

Korra's shorter episode orders also hurt extra hard in this respect, because the turnaround from "Ooooh, new!" to "Talking Island From A Time Before Bending/You Get Your Bending Back, You Get Your Bending Back, Every-Body-Gets-Their-Bending-Back!" happens like like whiplash.
I see that the last few minutes of a TV show are super important to you.

[Lumenskir]

I see that the last few minutes of a TV show are super important to you.
Close!
but can't really land the ---->winding down<----- aspect
That's why I say "Book 3" and not "the last five minutes of AtLA", ferinstance.

[Gregness]

I thought book 3 was fairly strong outside of the lion-turtle asspull...

[POS Industries]

I thought book 3 was fairly strong outside of the lion-turtle asspull...
Seconding this. It had a couple episodes that weren't amazing, but so did every season.

[Lumenskir]

I thought book 3 was fairly strong outside of the lion-turtle asspull...
I used to attribute my displeasure to a comedown from the gloriousness of Book 2, but I did a rewatch of AtLA with my roomie recently and there was actually a lot I found inherently unsatisfying way before the TIFATBB, both on a macro ("We are on a STRICT deadline to save the world and we will stop for nothing. Nothing, except space sword. Ok, we will only stop for one thing, space sword and Footloose. Ok, we will only stop for two things, space sword, Footloose, and the Painted Lady. Ok ok, we will only stop for three things...") and micro level (in that I felt the characters started to revert to less appealing Book 1 characteristics and the introduction of Zuko to the Gaang never really did anything for me).

Of course, I'm also someone who thinks "The Beach" is a worse episode than "The Great Divide", so fuck me.

[Gregness]

"The Great Divide" is the one where they're going through the canyon with the two feuding tribes right? I always thought that one was fairly weak to be honest. It just feels too much paint-by-the-numbers 'OH THE NEATNICKS NEED TO LOOSEN UP' and 'THE SLOBS NEED SOME FORESIGHT' then 'OHOHOHO MAYBE THERE WILL BE A COMPROMISE OF SORTS'. Sokka and Katara fall in line with the side you expect them to and the main 'clever' part of the episode is Aang lying his ass off at the end.

I mean, not that the villains getting Freudian excuses in 'The Beach' is the height of television either, but I can see where someone would be willing to argue for it over 'The Great Divide'.

[Aerozord]

I thought book 3 was fairly strong outside of the lion-turtle asspull...

part of me wonders how much of this was Nickelodeon going
"guys, you really cant have Aang flat out murder a guy, you just cant."

Especially after reading some of the comics.

I like Korra personally, I mean yea it wasn't as good as Avatar partly because they were kind of in limbo for awhile and were unsure if they'd get a second season. Still better than most shows I've seen in awhile.

Also in my opinion, even the worst episode of Avatar is pretty good. I think the only time I was meh on an episode was The Drill but that was more because they built that episode up so freakin much and it wasn't the strongest episode either. Looking back I still dont hate it. I'd watch them all again given the chance.

[Gregness]

part of me wonders how much of this was Nickelodeon going
"guys, you really cant have Aang flat out murder a guy, you just cant."

*snip*

If they'd had Aang imprison him without removing his bending they could have hammered home the 'do the right thing, even when it's hard' message a million times better.


Also in my opinion, even the worst episode of Avatar is pretty good. I think the only time I was meh on an episode was The Drill but that was more because they built that episode up so freakin much and it wasn't the strongest episode either. Looking back I still dont hate it. I'd watch them all again given the chance.

Yeah, seconded, I mostly just complain about the end of book 3 as a missed opportunity in an otherwise excellent work.

[Aerozord]

If they'd had Aang imprison him without removing his bending they could have hammered home the 'do the right thing, even when it's hard' message a million times better.

I get what you are saying, cause then "the right thing" would be the harder instead of the easier option. That still wouldn't have fixed the issue of them actually hammering in "sometimes you have to shoulder the burden of responsibility and serve the greater good". Its good and bad, this gave Aang a 'third option' where if he did just lock up Ozai he'd just be running from his responsibility and we also wouldn't have as much closure at the end.

While we are on the topic one issue I did have with Korra was this part
"He took away his bending"
"Impossible only the Avatar has that ability"

With me thinking, how do you know that? Aang was the only person (that they knew of) to do it at all. There was no evidence that it was something no one else could do and even if it was that it was an Avatar ability instead of just Aang's.

[Lumenskir]

I mean, not that the villains getting Freudian excuses in 'The Beach' is the height of television either, but I can see where someone would be willing to argue for it over 'The Great Divide'.
Many, many people have argued that "The Beach" is a top 10 episode. To me, "The Great Divide's" main failing is that it's an unnecessary diversion. "The Beach" has always felt to me like men in suits using spreadsheets to give the fandom what it knows it wants.
I like Korra personally, I mean yea it wasn't as good as Avatar partly because they were kind of in limbo for awhile and were unsure if they'd get a second season.
Why is this still being tossed around as a justification?

They knew from the very beginning that they had 12 episodes. They were always upfront that the season was going to focus on one Big Bad. It's not like they were flipping a coin after every episode to see if they could get to produce one more. The fact that they weren't locked down for a second season doesn't automatically absolve them if that the 12 episodes they gave us were disappointing.

I mean, how many 12 episode or less animes are there that tell complete, satisfying stories? There are great British series that routinely clock out in the 8-12 range. It's possible to tell something completely, and tell it well, in 12 episodes.

And the fact that they had a Schrodinger Second Season isn't an excuse either. I mean, look at Chuck, or Friday Night Lights, or Buffy, or any other number of shows that were routinely on the bubble and still managed to close off plots and then pick back up later. I mean, ff sake, Star Wars IV was made without a sequel pickup locked down, they managed to do ok.
Still better than most shows I've seen in awhile.
This is less Avatar related and more of a personal grindstone, but if someone says "Here are my gripes with this piece of entertainment" a response of "Well, it's better than crappy things" doesn't really address those concerns. Even being better than 90% of everything else means you're basically at the C-range.

[Azisien]

I was puzzled as to why Korra Book 1 was made so short, but in the same way, that made me do my best to only compare Korra Book 1 to the first half of Avatar Book 1. In that regard, Korra was a vastly superior show, even if the plot was rushed. A few characters hadn't come into their own yet, either, but that's okay, for 12 episodes in. I did not think Avatar hit its stride until Book 2 (or the season finale of Book 1, if I'm splitting hairs). Though once it did, it became awesome incarnate (minus the smallest handful of filler episodes).

[Aerozord]

This is less Avatar related and more of a personal grindstone, but if someone says "Here are my gripes with this piece of entertainment" a response of "Well, it's better than crappy things" doesn't really address those concerns. Even being better than 90% of everything else means you're basically at the C-range.

I meant it was better than what most consider good, that it was still above average. The original show was far above that, it was one of the greatest shows of all time with great pacing, character arcs and a deep narrative. Korra wasn't one of the greatest shows of all time but it was still pretty good and I personally think its in the top 10 for shows made since the original.

[Locke cole]

I'm one of those weird people who will say that Aang learning Spirit bending made sense, as it satisfyingly tied together the Avatar's ancillary powers, like astral projection and the Avatar State/Koizilla. That being said, the way he learned it was definitely rushed.

As for giving Aang an easy way out, I think it totally could have done with more elaboration on the fact that attempting it was hella risky, some time before it was already underway. Emphasize the fact that Aang is choosing a solution that could easily destroy his OWN soul.

[Lumenskir]

I was puzzled as to why Korra Book 1 was made so short, but in the same way, that made me do my best to only compare Korra Book 1 to the first half of Avatar Book 1. In that regard, Korra was a vastly superior show, even if the plot was rushed.
That doesn't really seem like an actual equivalency, outside of length. Like, would you compare a 12 chapter novella to the first 12 chapters of the first book of a trilogy?*

*Keeping in mind that the 12 chapter novella gets the benefit of the author already having experience writing the first three books and not having to explain the basics of the world**

**Originally this was just going to be a specific analogy about George R.R. Martin and Game of Thrones, but I wasn't sure if he actually wrote novellas in the GoT universe??
I meant it was better than what most consider good, that it was still above average.
Yeah, I got that, but you do realize that saying "It is better than other shows" as a blanket statement says absolutely nothing about the actual merits of the show, right?
Korra wasn't one of the greatest shows of all time but it was still pretty good and I personally think its in the top 10 for shows made since the original.
This space was originally reserved for me going through the Wikipedia articles for television from 2008-2012 and highlighting all of the great(er) shows, but then stopped when it was just turning into a memorial to how much TV I watch.*

*Fun fact though: In looking through the list, Korra has only a tenuous hold for a spot in the top 9 of American animated shows.

[Azisien]

That doesn't really seem like an actual equivalency, outside of length. Like, would you compare a 12 chapter novella to the first 12 chapters of the first book of a trilogy?*

It's not the best equivalency in the world, but it's the one I'm running with. Of course Korra should hit the ground running in terms of the world already being fleshed out, and frankly I thought it did. Everything bending/world related was awesome. But Aang and Gang didn't really hit their stride for me inside 12 episodes, so I am okay with not being complete enamoured with Korra and Gang inside 12 episodes. Now, I do like Korra, and I liked Amon (irrelevant regarding book 2 but whatever). The side characters were the weaker ones in my eyes, so hopefully they'll develop more in Book 2 by having some episodes dedicated to them.

[Aerozord]

Yeah, I got that, but you do realize that saying "It is better than other shows" as a blanket statement says absolutely nothing about the actual merits of the show, right?

No, no you didn't understand. I am using other works to represent the abstract quality of an audio-visual medium serialized into a 21minute episodic format. By comparing this work to other works using a similar format I am able to succinctly describe my opinion of the shows merits without having to list its objective strengths. I now see that you require me to painstakingly list them, so fine.

The show has excellent world building by drawing analogies to 1920's american culture which was an excellent idea not simply for showing the advances of technology within the show but also the chaotic melting pot of the time which allowed for sharp rise in organized crime.

It did a good job making itself different from the show by having a sharp contrast between the Avatars which the creators did not only for narrative but also simply to explore what can be done with the series. Even with that the series kept good continuity by giving logical consequences of advances made in the show. Two good examples are metalbending and chi blocking.

Now while the narrative was abit convoluted and pacing was not ideal it did make sense, was explained, and properly foreshadowed. Fight scenes were as engaging as ever.

Characters didn't see the satisfactory arc I'd like but they were well defined and like-able.

Most shows dont do these things. Assuming that would imply "other shows make many mistakes that this show doesn't". To make sure that isn't the case again. All of the above, the reverse are issues I usually have with shows. Even more muted character arcs, flat out annoying or pointless characters, poor sense of continuity, lack of long term consequences and the few times parallels are used with real world society its almost always ham-fisted commentary.

To reiterate. In my opinion Legend of Korra is an objectively good show. I'd go into an episode by episode deconstruction but I already got people telling me to get back to Prof Penn so I'll leave it at this

[Lumenskir]

lol

[Locke cole]

**Originally this was just going to be a specific analogy about George R.R. Martin and Game of Thrones, but I wasn't sure if he actually wrote novellas in the GoT universe??

Well, there are the Hedge Knight comics...



(And it's A Song of Ice and Fire)

[Lumenskir]

and I liked Amon
Serious request: Can you explain Amon's plan to me?

It honestly seems like

Step 1: Take over Republic City.
Step 2: ???
Step 3: No more bending anywhere!(?)

While you're at it, what was his motivation for doing so? I'll spot you the "Dad who was a criminal mastermind who escaped prison through use of Face/Off tech" as a gimme, but generally how did you think the audience was meant to understand him from child to Amon.

Like, Ozai's plan was A+, moustache twirling simple-stupid (10: Burn Everything, 20: Add More Fire, 30: Go To 10) but motherfucker could was delivering. I've never heard a way that Amon's plan makes sense as presented in the show unless you bring in conjectures with no actual support in the show (my favorite of course being the "Oh, the Equalists all around the world that of course exist in positions allowing them to take over the rest of the world's bending governments" rationale (or, rather, rationale?)).

[Kyanbu The Legend]

Eh they could have had amon become a martyr. Turning Korra's win in to a huge loss making the situation much worse as Amon's beliefs spread throughout the world like wild fire thanks to his followers spinning Korra's victory into a sign of oppression against none benders. Turning into large scale conflicts and riots eventually growing into a second war.

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

Serious request: Can you explain Amon's plan to me?

It honestly seems like

Step 1: Take over Republic City.
Step 2: ???
Step 3: No more bending anywhere!(?)

While you're at it, what was his motivation for doing so? I'll spot you the "Dad who was a criminal mastermind who escaped prison through use of Face/Off tech" as a gimme, but generally how did you think the audience was meant to understand him from child to Amon.

Like, Ozai's plan was A+, moustache twirling simple-stupid (10: Burn Everything, 20: Add More Fire, 30: Go To 10) but motherfucker could was delivering. I've never heard a way that Amon's plan makes sense as presented in the show unless you bring in conjectures with no actual support in the show (my favorite of course being the "Oh, the Equalists all around the world that of course exist in positions allowing them to take over the rest of the world's bending governments" rationale (or, rather, rationale?)).


Well you have to remember that Amon was after Republic City specifically, just like his dearest papa and brother. Far as I remember benders are outnumbered by non-benders, so by militarily Holding Republic City against the world government he was giving a chance for his message to be spread (For the anti-bender movement) and control the city (For himself).
I don't think the ALL BENDING EVERYWHERE MUST GO rhetoric was what he was really after, but given enough time and sunk fleets there'd be pressure from inside the other nations to just give up on taking the city back, both from the non benders who kind of see Amon's point and from everyone because who really wants to keep throwing lives away to reclaim a city. Amon would be free to proselytize and tell people all about how non benders were legitimately being abused like all fuck. His followers would be satisfied that seemingly their long term goals were feasible, and Amon would be in control of Republic City.

[Lumenskir]

Wait, so Amon in-universe was supposed to believe that non-benders were being oppressed? Which is to say, the audience was supposed to believe that non-benders were actually being oppressed and that it was something that all the heroes were aware of and satisfied with as a status quo?

If so, that does make me think a little higher of Amon* while also cratering any esteem I formerly gave to the writer's ability.

*Well, to his motivations. His actual entrenchment plan makes no sense considering what we know the bending nations are capable of.

Platinum mechs? Shown to be taken out by lightning bending (not to mention that entombment trick the Earth Kingdom general pulled on Katara in the Book 2 premiere would probably work wonders even if direct metalbending was nullified).

Airplanes? Great for that initial surprise attack, not so great when reinforcements arrive. See: "The Great Divide", where the only reason they actually went through the canyon was the Fire Nation's ability to light up the sky with so much fire Appa couldn't handle it.

Not to mention that Republic City being, well, an industrialized/urban city with nary a farm in sight would be so easy to just siege down.

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

Wait, so Amon in-universe was supposed to believe that non-benders were being oppressed? Which is to say, the audience was supposed to believe that non-benders were actually being oppressed and that it was something that all the heroes were aware of and satisfied with as a status quo?

I dunno if Amon himself really believed that the oppression of Non benders was a thing, but he was head of an organization dedicated to fighting it. Whether he personally believed it or not, he acts in accordance with the beliefs of the organization, and does things that he can make his followers believe will lead to the fulfillment of their goals.

By the time his revolution has really kicked off though, it's totally obviously a thing because whatshisface politician is going around abusing power over nonbenders like it's nobodies business. But that's really only because Amon was a thing to begin with.

[Lumenskir]

I dunno if Amon himself really believed that the oppression of Non benders was a thing, but he was head of an organization dedicated to fighting it. Whether he personally believed it or not, he acts in accordance with the beliefs of the organization, and does things that he can make his followers believe will lead to the fulfillment of their goals.
This is where my disappointment in the writers is mainly, seeing as they could have tailored Amon and his organization/his organization's message however they wanted, and what they chose was...I mean, there aren't really enough "h"s in the world for the eh I'm envisioning.

More specifically
By the time his revolution has really kicked off though, it's totally obviously a thing because whatshisface politician is going around abusing power over nonbenders like it's nobodies business. But that's really only because Amon was a thing to begin with.
Doesn't seem to actually be the case. When Korra first shows up there's that guy who's protesting for non-bender rights. Then we see that the same sentiment is deep enough in the populace that a pretty big warehouse full of people will show up to a rally for that subject (in fact, will collect four posters to decode a map to show up to a rally for that subject). This is all before Amon has made his biggest moves, and well before crackdowns actually start in response. In the first half of the season, this isn't being set up as something Amon brought with him, it's something Amon was capitalizing on. Which is why it's really unsatisfying when the season wraps up and Korra (nor the actual leaders/adults of Republic City) have once mentioned the problem.

I mean, if Amon's ultimate goal was to make his abusive daddy proud and take over the city, why not just stroll in as a ganglord of a gang of non-benders? You still get the bender v. non-bender fights, Saito can still join because a rival gang killed his wife, etc. etc.? Why dabble in oppression and privilege narratives at all?

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

I dunno man I didn't write it.

[Kyanbu The Legend]

I can see why they went with the oppression angle though. After the war with the Fire Nation that lasted nearly a century. I wouldn't be surprised that non benders would start to fear the power, benders possess. Wondering when the next bender war will happen and who will throw the first element in the name of oppression. It also doesn't help that thanks to advances in technology, Benders are slowly become unnecessary.

[POS Industries]

I mean, if Amon's ultimate goal was to make his abusive daddy proud and take over the city, why not just stroll in as a ganglord of a gang of non-benders? You still get the bender v. non-bender fights, Saito can still join because a rival gang killed his wife, etc. etc.? Why dabble in oppression and privilege narratives at all?
Because they weren't trying to correlate the story to modern oppression and privilege narratives. It was pretty plainly inspired by the rise of the Nazi party, with economic strife being used as motivation to scapegoat a particular group that is perceived to have a social and economic advantage that ultimately doesn't exist in a rise to power over an early industrialized state led by a charismatic speaker with an end goal of genetic purity through violent means. It even borrowed from the rumors of Hitler having jewish ancestry by making Amon secretly a bender himself.

It certainly could have been handled better, but I feel like that misunderstanding and the expecations that came from it is the root of a lot of people's issues with the portrayal of the equalists. It doesn't help that Nick probably could only let them be so overt with the "Amon is a Hitler allegory" thing.

[shiney]

What POS said is pretty much exactly what I got out of it. He used a movement that was gaining steam to further his own ends and they were drawing parallels between that and the early industrial revolution / rise of the Nazi party around the first world war. It's not that he believed, or even cared that non-benders were oppressed, they were tools in his own quest.

A lot of the other criticisms I feel are valid though. Every romantic arc was rushed and in my opinion unnecessary at least at this stage of the show. It felt like the producers got involved and said "Yeah we need a romantic arc, so put that in."

I just didn't like the pacing. Given the enormous success of ATLA, I cannot fathom why Nickelodeon thought "The first series was fantastic and super profitable with over 60 episodes in total!! Let's cut the new show down to ten episodes."

Even if it was intended to be a mini-series from the get-go, it was really poorly executed and when it ended with "Super #1 ultra happy endings and bad guys are gone 4lyfe" I was like

:|

[Ryong]

My issue with the pacing IS THAT THE GODDAMN TOURNAMENT WENT ON FOREVER

[Lumenskir]

It was pretty plainly inspired by the rise of the Nazi party, with economic strife being used as motivation to scapegoat a particular group that is perceived to have a social and economic advantage that ultimately doesn't exist in a rise to power over an early industrialized state led by a charismatic speaker with an end goal of genetic purity through violent means.
That's a nice intent, but it doesn't really reflect what they actually showed.

Or, to put it another way, The Protocols of Zion was a fabrication so that a minority outside group with no actual power or real influence could be scapegoated. It's not like the shtetl's were capable of sending out strike forces after Hitler's first public rally.
I feel like that misunderstanding and the expecations that came from it is the root of a lot of people's issues with the portrayal of the equalists.
And the fact that the misunderstanding was pretty much entirely caused by their mishandling the writing. "Artistic Intent" isn't some magic gloss that can erase how they actually presented things*

*See: Benders being in all the positions of power, Benders having more opportunities for jobs, etc. Also, not for nothing, but if you're going for a Hitler allegory, maybe try to come up with a way to resolve the conflict other than the fascistic ideal of Might Making Right.
It doesn't help that Nick probably could only let them be so overt with the "Amon is a Hitler allegory" thing.
Given the enormous success of ATLA, I cannot fathom why Nickelodeon thought "The first series was fantastic and super profitable with over 60 episodes in total!! Let's cut the new show down to ten episodes."
I look forward to the day when we actually give cartoon writers the respect of holding them to their own mistakes, rather than coddling them by blaming the boogeyman.
My issue with the pacing IS THAT THE GODDAMN TOURNAMENT WENT ON FOREVER
Seriously, the 18 seconds Iroh spent playing soccer with those earthbending kids in Ba Sing Se had more fun and utilization of bending than stationary bending pong all of pro-bending.

[shiney]

I look forward to the day when we actually give cartoon writers the respect of holding them to their own mistakes, rather than coddling them by blaming the boogeyman.

Got it, it's entirely the writer's fault and the producers that mandated a fixed number of episodes were entirely unrelated. Glad you cleared that up for me, before I went and got all confused thinking that the writers had 100% creative control over a lucrative franchise.

e: Like, I'm dissatisfied with the writing too. But this is not a story that was written for a short series. Pacing was an issue because there was a lot more pushed into the limited number of episodes. I have a feeling there was a fleshed story that had to be cut back and sacrifices made. They did an okay job with it, I am left dissatisfied with a lot of the interactions, but much of that simply feels because it was rushed rather than poorly designed. And that to me feels like an issue on the end of the producers rather than writers.

[Lumenskir]

Got it, it's entirely the writer's fault and the producers that mandated a fixed number of episodes were entirely unrelated.
I tell you I'm giving you enough money to write a 12 chapter novella, which I will then publish. You agree to write a 12-chapter novella.

You then turn in a 12-chapter novella that is disappointing. You blame it on the fact that it was only allowed to be 12-chapters long.

Who is in the wrong?

But this is not a story that was written for a short series. Pacing was an issue because there was a lot more pushed into the limited number of episodes. I have a feeling there was a fleshed story that had to be cut back and sacrifices made. They did an okay job with it, I am left dissatisfied with a lot of the interactions, but much of that simply feels because it was rushed rather than poorly designed. And that to me feels like an issue on the end of the producers rather than writers.
Again, this would make a lot of sense to blame the producers for if they were at all coy about the chances of the 12 episode order turning into 20+.* That is not at all what happened here. The writers were given 12 episodes, knew all along they would only get 12 episodes, and wrote a story that was not fit for 12 episodes. Nick had nothing to do with their inability to write a story that fit into the order they were given and accepted.

*See pretty much every post season 2 season of Chuck.

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

I tell you I'm giving you enough money to write a 12 chapter novella, which I will then publish. You agree to write a 12-chapter novella.

You then turn in a 12-chapter novella that is disappointing. You blame it on the fact that it was only allowed to be 12-chapters long.



Is... that how it works? I don't think I've heard of a studio coming to the creators and saying "This is what we want." The creators put together a pitch or script and the studio gives them permission to do something with it. The way I saw it, they put together a script for a series of Avatar the blank Airbender and Nick said for no obvious reason that no, you won't get a full season. So they had to cut things down to fit.

I don't know if you've ever gone over the limit on an essay or speech, but cutting things out when you realize they won't fit is pretty hard. All the stuff you've put time and effort into, stuff you've imagined going so damn well there's no way we can cut this it will be awesome Especially when you're dealing with a work created by multiple people "We have to cut this" "How can you even say that this is the best part" . It really might seem better to just cut down on everything to try and make all the things you wanted fit.

[Lumenskir]

Is... that how it works? I don't think I've heard of a studio coming to the creators and saying "This is what we want." The creators put together a pitch or script and the studio gives them permission to do something with it. The way I saw it, they put together a script for a series of Avatar the blank Airbender and Nick said for no obvious reason that no, you won't get a full season.
You're right in that there is an initial pitch, but the pitch is basically the outline of the world/characters/general plot. Normally, writers don't write an entire season out on spec* and then cut it down to the amount of episodes they were actually paid for, they write an outline for the pitch, get the episode order, and then get paid to write out the rest of the episodes.

*A spec script is one you write when you don't have a deal to actually write it.

All the stuff you've put time and effort into, stuff you've imagined going so damn well there's no way we can cut this it will be awesome
Yeah, it's a common problem writers face.* The good ones prioritize.

*Google "kill your babies"

[shiney]

That's my main argument. I think it was designed as a 20 episode, they were given 12, and to still get the story through they made a lot of sacrifices and had to rush things.

THAT SAID

COULD HAVE DONE WIHTOUT PRO BENDING ENTIRELY

[Azisien]

I'm torn because removing the major of the pro bending scenes could have freed up more room to fix the pacing issues, but from a spectacle point of view, I also really enjoyed the pro bending stuff a lot. Oh well! What's done is done. There is only forward.

[POS Industries]

*See: Benders being in all the positions of power, Benders having more opportunities for jobs, etc. Also, not for nothing, but if you're going for a Hitler allegory, maybe try to come up with a way to resolve the conflict other than the fascistic ideal of Might Making Right.
Except for the fact that the wealthy elite were non-benders, the city council had been historically shown to be inclusive of non-benders and were more of an issue with Republic City being ruled by the outside nations with no input from the citizenry, and most of the bending-specific job opportunities were hella exploitative including professional sports, which was only lucrative to the owners. And I mean we all know Hitler's story in real life had such a peaceful resolution, it's crazy that it ended in violence in this story.

It's like we shouldn't have been buying into a cartoon supervillain's rhetoric or something.

I look forward to the day when we actually give cartoon writers the respect of holding them to their own mistakes, rather than coddling them by blaming the boogeyman.
I look forward to the day that we don't hold children's cartoon writers to unreasonable expectations and can recognize a show's flaws without swearing blood vengeance.

Seriously, the 18 seconds Iroh spent playing soccer with those earthbending kids in Ba Sing Se had more fun and utilization of bending than stationary bending pong all of pro-bending.
Agreed. Pro bending sucked.

[Lumenskir]

I look forward to the day that we don't hold children's cartoon writers to unreasonable expectations and can recognize a show's flaws without swearing blood vengeance.
Please tell me what the "unreasonable expectations" are that you keep referring to.

Also, pointing out and trying to discuss a show's flaws does not automatically equate to...whatever you're trying to equate it to. It equates to trying to engage with art. Trying to stifle any discussion with "Well, they did ok for a thing meant for children" is a direct contributor to the whole ghettoization of the medium.

[POS Industries]

Please tell me what the "unreasonable expectations" are that you keep referring to.

Also, pointing out and trying to discuss a show's flaws does not automatically equate to...whatever you're trying to equate it to. It equates to trying to engage with art. Trying to stifle any discussion with "Well, they did ok for a thing meant for children" is a direct contributor to the whole ghettoization of the medium.
And coming into a discussion with "It's cute that you have high hopes for a show you enjoyed because you're wrong and it's shit" accomplishes what, exactly?

The show was hyped to the moon, you expected something that didn't happen, and got mad when it didn't. No one's saying that you have to like it, but just because you didn't like it doesn't mean it's objectively bad. It means you have an opinion, which you're welcome to share, but don't fucking act like anyone who disagrees with you is destroying the soul of art.

[Sky Warrior Bob]

http://www.nick.com/videos/playlist/legend-of-korra-113-114-full-episode-playlist.html

So if you don't know, Korra has started its new season. Both episodes of the premiere can be found at the official site, so if you missed them no big deal.

I almost missed out because it came out of nowhere, and hadn't seen much advertisement until the actual airing week.

Not a fan of how Asami seems shoehorned into this, but maybe it'll improve.

[Tev]

Not a fan of how Asami seems shoehorned into this, but maybe it'll improve.Well, on the DVD commentary of the first season, the writers were pretty much done with her. They had written her off as joining the military forces and almost never showing up again. Then they changed their minds and decided to keep her around. They may not have decided yet what they are going to do with her.

[Locke cole]

Dammit, but Asami was like, my sec-...thir-... amongst the top several slots for my characters in that first season.

[Kyanbu The Legend]

Well she seems to have more of a purpose now.

Anyone else been keeping up with this besides me?

[Aerozord]

I got caught up, they have nearly all the episodes on their website, which is good for people like me who often work when its on.

So far I'm liking this season better. Great humor and more interesting characters. Still dont have enough of a feel for the story to make a judgement though

[POS Industries]

Things have been picking up a lot with the past two episodes, and I'm honestly kind of digging the idea of an Avatar whose heart is certainly in the right place but ultimately has no idea how to go about achieving her goals in a way that won't ultimately make things worse. On top of that, even the story has been doing a fairly decent job of making that unclear to the viewer with the exception of Uncle Loki Palpatine obviously being the villain, but in this most recent episode has introduced a secondary villain without making it completely obvious to the audience precisely which character it is.

I mean, when you think about it, it's probably Varrick, but they've done such a good job making everyone fall in love with him and, on the surface, make it appear like his ideas really are the best course of action while framing President Raiko in all his scenes as a bad guy out to stop Korra at every turn that I can see that being tough for a lot of people to pick up on. The only dead giveaway is Mako's subplot (which, by the way, thank god he finally has one), and since the show is primarily shown via Korra's perspective (as well as riding the wave of well-deserved hate Mako got during the first season to keep the audience turned against him), one could be led to believe that he betrayed her when in fact he's the only one that hasn't been misled by the fast-talking, charismatic war profiteer.

These two episodes have done a lot to turn things around toward a good direction for this show, with the only real remaining gripe a lot of people seem to have being that Korra's a hotheaded idiot, which is the whole point of the story. It's different, it's not the same sort of lighthearted and fun adventure, and let's be honest the show in general just isn't as good as TLA, but it's still an interesting story and I'm curious to see where it goes.

[Aerozord]

Maybe just my experience but I look at Korra and think, yea that seems like a 16 year old girl going out of her way to create drama without realizing it.

Personally I hope both Raiko and Varrick are mostly self serving. Both doing morally questionable things to ensure their own career success, but nuanced that they do have valid arguments and do believe that they are doing the right thing.

Varrick definitely profits from independence but I believe he legitimately believes in the cause as well just as I think Raiko really does think they shouldn't interfere with internal matters.

Only thing that would make it better for me is if this whole terrorist thing is really the uncles xantos gambit

[POS Industries]

Only thing that would make it better for me is if this whole terrorist thing is really the uncles xantos gambit
That would mean that the entire plot thread for it would go absolutely nowhere. Why have all this stuff about it being the Agni Kais setting the bomb and the shady cops trying to bury his investigation and pin it on the Northern Water Tribe if it really was the NWT all along? Sure, Unalaq is still totally the big bad for this season, but he's not trying to start a world war and whoever is behind the bombing is. Raiko comes off vaguely villainous on the surface but so far all he's done is put the interests of the United Republic first and opted to not interfere in what has so far been a completely bloodless civil war. It even showed Unalaq straight up saying that he had no interest in engaging the rebels for the time being. He's basically been a totally reasonable president that's just been framed in an antagonistic light because he's up against a protagonist that's currently in the wrong, but we're not quite supposed to know she's wrong yet. Raiko was also shown wanting updates from Lin about the bombing case and whether or not they'd determined that the NWT was responsible, suggesting that he would be interested in acting against them if it could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that they've attacked Republic City.

Then you've got Varrick who's been pushing for armed conflict since day one, and he's been pretty blunt about why: money. First it was the fact that he apparently had a shipment of fish that he couldn't move because of the blockade. Now he's trying to get Asami to sell weapons to the southern rebels so he can get a cut of the profit for shipping them, he's producing a propaganda film with product placement for his own brand of hair die (not to mention the possible jab at the TLA movie by casting a light-skinned earthbender as a water tribesman), and manipulated the Avatar into trying to convince the head of the United Forces to go behind the President's back and drag the Republic into the war which, naturally, only serves to increase his profits since of course he'd be helping Asami sell them weapons as well. And then he convinces everyone, including a large share of the audience, that these are all good, helpful ideas because he's just so darn likeable.

The Agni Kais committed the terrorist attack, but a firebending street gang has no stock in a Water Tribe civil war, which means they were paid off. And if someone paid them off, it's quite a coincidence that the richest guy in the Water Tribe happened to come into town that day with a hastily thrown-together alibi. Maybe he does believe in the cause, but his priorities clearly lie in the best interests of his bank account first and foremost, and that's worrisome.

[Kyanbu The Legend]

New episode.

Mako gets closer to solving this mystery, but hits a wall after discovering that our lovable Varrick was the one behind the bombing.

Also it seems Korra has amnesia now.

[Aerozord]

My only issue with the last few episodes is Lin seems very out of character. Either something is up or, just bad writing in my opinion

[Sithdarth]

Soooo much awesome exposition. The origin of the avatar was actually pretty well done and if you payed attention there were explanations for a lot of little things. For example, the avatar cycle of Fire to Air to Water to Earth makes complete sense now and while there might be some seasonal symbolism to it there is a much deeper symbolism in terms of Wan's journey.

[Aerozord]

My only complaint is I think this could have been an awesome series in and of itself.

Something also just occurred to me. Wan was killed in battle, how freakin epic would that fight had to have been?

[Kyanbu The Legend]

My only complaint is I think this could have been an awesome series in and of itself.

Something also just occurred to me. Wan was killed in battle, how freakin epic would that fight had to have been?

Or at the very least, it could have been an animated movie. Though this flash back will probably be as long as one.

[Sithdarth]

I mean they left a lot not done. I suppose they could go back and revisit it as a movie (I'd totally watch it) if they felt like it. Though they probably won't.

[Kyanbu The Legend]

Wow it's amazing how it only took one episode for Bulin to completely redeem himself. Also this season is almost over now with only a few episodes left.

And Varrick knows how to lose in style, I'll give him that. XD

[Aerozord]

actually the finale is up on their website if you dont feel like waiting.

Also, turns out there is such a thing as Hell in Avatar

[Lumenskir]

So my plan this season was to wait until it was all over and then just mainline it, since I heard enough "It's better if you watch it not as spread" defenses of LoK book 1. So I did that yesterday. (with a little help from the 1.5x speed feature on my video player).

I think I'm just out on Avatar now. I might return someday, but I'll have to watch AtLA Book 2 a whole bunch before my general Avatar acceptance reservoirs are restored.

I didn't really take notes throughout since after the first four episodes I wanted to get through them all as fast as possible, but as general thoughts go:

-I kept out of most of the Avatar chat here and elsewhere, but they went off-model for a while there in the beginning, right? I'm pretty sure Asami didn't have a nose for like three episodes, and once I noticed no one was blinking it was all I could see.

-How frustrating that during the interminable Aang's Kidz on Vacay sections, the writers quickly and efficiently set up two interesting contrasts (Aang's unloved siblings v. Bendings) and then proceeded to do jack with them for the rest of the season. I almost prefer it when the mediocrity is consistent throughout, don't taunt me with that fact that you could be doing so much more if you actually put in any effort.

-Aubrey Plaza is a Prince of the Earth and should be in the top 4 of everyone's Hollywood Girlfriend laminated list. This show made me realize that while she can elevate gold writing into canon-worthy entertainment, she can't do shit with shit.

-They tried so hard to make Bolin into Sokka it hurt. And while every ensemble show can find a place for a The Dumb Guy in the mix, Bolin went way past that into "Wait, did Bolin suffer serious head trauma, I am seriously concerned he might not be well." levels of stupidity.

-Glad they managed to sneak in some quarter-hearted love triangle shenanigans there, that's how you know you've got authentic LoK. Quick solve amnesia was a nice garnish.

-So after they tried to make a 'complicated' villain in Amon and succeeded in making everyone unsure what his actual motivation was (He's a Communist leader who really does fight for the actual plight of the non-benders! No, he's a Hitler analog trying to get mob power and doesn't believe what he says since there is no non-bender struggle!), they went back to generic formula with Unalok. Kudos for not going with the "Order v. Chaos" dynamic and explicitly saying over and over that Vata represented Darkness and that his influence on other spirits was bad, I guess, although Unalok's motivation is basically "Unleash 10,000 years of Darkness because ???" At least there isn't room for disagreement.

-Was the too extended Varrick subplot supposed to be like a "Kids First Primer on Propaganda's Evils" thing? Cuz, uh, if you wanted to show how propaganda can dehumanize the Other, maaaaaybe hash together a villain with at least some humanizing qualities. I don't expect a Inglourious Basterd's level treatment, but the cartoonish Unalok of the mover was a saint compared to the guy who sacrificed his children in his quest to throw two entire worlds into Darkness for no reason.

-Avatar world is round? I always assumed it was flat.

-What Forever War is going on? I mean, I assume there's a Forever War somewhere, otherwise Asami's reasons for not converting her factories to produce literally anything other than gigantic war machines makes no sense.

-That Iroh appearance was so painful. I could barely even see it through the "This nostalgia will definitely get them back on our side!"-flopsweat staining the cells.

-You know that episode of the Simpsons where Homer gets super smart by taking a crayon out of his brain, but eventually they have to put it back in, and there's that sequence where after every tap in he says progressively stupider things until they hit a sweet spot? I'm trying to figure out how many extra taps it would take to get to that "Jinora is Spirit World Jesus" deus ex machina.

-I'm not opposed to Giant Kaiju fights. And that fight fight could've been really, really cool if it involved bending scaled up to the level of kaiju—tidal waves, tornados, shifting tectonic plates, pulling down stars. Instead...lasers.

-I understand that there's a technical reason they can't make the entire plane out of the black box. What's the reason for not making the entire season out of Wan?

[Aerozord]

I don't think Vatu was evil personified as much as conflict vs order. Also that Wan's solution was not objectively good. Up until Aang the solution to the fighting was some rather hard lined segregation. Everyone with differing ideologies (the four nations) are to be separated into their little areas and never allowed to move beyond them. Same going for the spirits.

While technically keeping two people that are fighting in separate rooms is "peaceful" its not really solving underlining issues. Lets keep in mind that in Aang's time racism, classism, and prejudice was very much a thing.

So Korra's solution, hey lets give the whole integration and cooperation thing a try. Yea it will be harder, but long term things will be better.

[Lumenskir]

Uh, you can grind my post down to the finest powder and sift it with the finest sieve and you won't find a single mention of "evil", although Unalok was aware that Vata utilized the Sith Smorgasbord of hate, fear, anger, etc. so it seems like the 10,000 years of Darkness would have been slightly less than fun for all involved.

Also, I can kinda see your point vis a vis the spirits, but I don't think we've ever gotten any indication the Avatar was responsible for ensuring the division of people's. like, it seems much more de jure rather than de facto separation, and Wan seemed to die trying to make people stop fighting after they had started to mingle, not battling them back to their respective corners.

Also also, after watching Wan's episode again, I think an entire season of him is unnecessary. The beauty of that story is its simplicity and legend building, no need to muddy that up with needless detail. However, can you imagine what it must have been like for the second Avatar, suddenly being thrust into this war torn world saving role with none of the infrastructure that Aang or Korra had for training and such, with only one past life to make sense of it all? That'd be something to watch.

Basically, bring on Avatar: The First Airbender.

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

I haven't watched the second season so I might be out of the loop, but I think the Avatar has been portrayed as responsible for maintaining if not the originating the division of the four elements into kingdoms. It was explicitly Avatar Roku's duty to prevent Sozin from colonizing Earth Kingdom territory.

[Kyanbu The Legend]

Uh, you can grind my post down to the finest powder and sift it with the finest sieve and you won't find a single mention of "evil", although Unalok was aware that Vata utilized the Sith Smorgasbord of hate, fear, anger, etc. so it seems like the 10,000 years of Darkness would have been slightly less than fun for all involved.

Also, I can kinda see your point vis a vis the spirits, but I don't think we've ever gotten any indication the Avatar was responsible for ensuring the division of people's. like, it seems much more de jure rather than de facto separation, and Wan seemed to die trying to make people stop fighting after they had started to mingle, not battling them back to their respective corners.

Also also, after watching Wan's episode again, I think an entire season of him is unnecessary. The beauty of that story is its simplicity and legend building, no need to muddy that up with needless detail. However, can you imagine what it must have been like for the second Avatar, suddenly being thrust into this war torn world saving role with none of the infrastructure that Aang or Korra had for training and such, with only one past life to make sense of it all? That'd be something to watch.

Basically, bring on Avatar: The First Airbender.

Yeah, I imagine it may have actually been the second Avatar that established or at least laid the seeds for what would eventually become the training infrastructure that Aang and Korra both went through. Would be an interesting story to see.

[Aerozord]

Uh, you can grind my post down to the finest powder and sift it with the finest sieve and you won't find a single mention of "evil", although Unalok was aware that Vata utilized the Sith Smorgasbord of hate, fear, anger, etc. so it seems like the 10,000 years of Darkness would have been slightly less than fun for all involved.

Also, I can kinda see your point vis a vis the spirits, but I don't think we've ever gotten any indication the Avatar was responsible for ensuring the division of people's. like, it seems much more de jure rather than de facto separation, and Wan seemed to die trying to make people stop fighting after they had started to mingle, not battling them back to their respective corners.
Mostly this
I haven't watched the second season so I might be out of the loop, but I think the Avatar has been portrayed as responsible for maintaining if not the originating the division of the four elements into kingdoms. It was explicitly Avatar Roku's duty to prevent Sozin from colonizing Earth Kingdom territory.
I dont know if you've read the comics, but Aang's first order of business after the war was to kick out all of the fire nation from the Earth Kingdom. Keep in mind the earliest colonies are so old none of the original colonists are still alive and every single one of them was born there. And to further add to that JUST the fire nation decedents. The Earth Kingdom decedents living there are expected to stay.

Obviously in the end Aang didn't do this but its clear he was expected to.

Yeah, I imagine it may actually been the second Avatar that established or at least laid the seeds for what would eventually become the training infrastructure that Aang and Korra both went through. Would be an interesting story to see.

I am betting there were several generations of the Avatar struggling and fighting to create some form of stability. Keep in mind even if everything was all peaceful and people were all for helping him the martial arts that became the bending styles weren't created yet. One reason Wan was such a skilled fire bender is from learning and honing the style from the dragons (seeing him do the dancing dragon was such great fan service). My guess is it would be much like Exalted, with the new Avatar having to rely mostly on past life memories to learn how to bend

I do agree it would be fun to watch if just to see how the world was early on.

Still my vote is for the Avatar after Korra. I want my Avatar: modern

[Lumenskir]

I haven't watched the second season so I might be out of the loop, but I think the Avatar has been portrayed as responsible for maintaining if not the originating the division of the four elements into kingdoms. It was explicitly Avatar Roku's duty to prevent Sozin from colonizing Earth Kingdom territory.
I guess, but I thought that was more along the lines of "Hey, guy, don't go acting all imperial and starting shit," rather than "Stay within your boundaries or else." I mean, if it had been more of a Louisiana Purchase/mutual thing with no way to incite war I don't see how that would be upsetting the balance or whatnot.
I dont know if you've read the comics, but Aang's first order of business after the war was to kick out all of the fire nation from the Earth Kingdom. Keep in mind the earliest colonies are so old none of the original colonists are still alive and every single one of them was born there. And to further add to that JUST the fire nation decedents. The Earth Kingdom decedents living there are expected to stay.

Obviously in the end Aang didn't do this but its clear he was expected to.
Nope, haven't read the comics. That all sounds p stupid.

Also, what do you mean by "expected" to? From what I can tell, especially after Wan's story, being the Avatar doesn't really come with set of conditions. That is to say, Wan just sort of declared himself the keeper of the balance, but have we really ever gotten any indication that the Avatar state can be revoked if "the balance" isn't upheld rigorously enough? What, besides some past life scolding, is really stopping an Avatar from becoming a despot and ruling by his whim with his awesome power?

[Aerozord]

I guess, but I thought that was more along the lines of "Hey, guy, don't go acting all imperial and starting shit," rather than "Stay within your boundaries or else." I mean, if it had been more of a Louisiana Purchase/mutual thing with no way to incite war I don't see how that would be upsetting the balance or whatnot.
Roku's exact words "The Four Nations are meant to be exactly that, Four Nations", and this wasn't his reaction to talks of war. This was his reaction to Sozen simply talking about 'spreading fire nation culture and prosperity'. Roku wasn't freaking out at talks of war, he was freaking out over talks of cultural expansion.

Also, what do you mean by "expected" to? From what I can tell, especially after Wan's story, being the Avatar doesn't really come with set of conditions. That is to say, Wan just sort of declared himself the keeper of the balance, but have we really ever gotten any indication that the Avatar state can be revoked if "the balance" isn't upheld rigorously enough? What, besides some past life scolding, is really stopping an Avatar from becoming a despot and ruling by his whim with his awesome power?
obviously not, cause he totally didn't do that. Expected to as in from a societal/cultural view point. People expect him to do that just as they expect him to calm spirits or stop pyromancer Hitler. As far as they are concerned this is just something the avatar does

Not saying Wan intended this, but I'm sure there was some Avatar down the line that essentially said "you four different cultures pick a corner and stay there". After all I doubt its a coincidence that for the most part each nation is completely comprised of one type of bending.

[Tev]

After all I doubt its a coincidence that for the most part each nation is completely comprised of one type of bending.Well sorta. Didn't they run into those swamp people water-benders while traveling in the Earth Kingdom? And then there were the not-really-air-nomads that were traveling through all sorts of places.

[Aerozord]

Well sorta. Didn't they run into those swamp people water-benders while traveling in the Earth Kingdom? And then there were the not-really-air-nomads that were traveling through all sorts of places.

They weren't air benders and the swamp people were isolated and unknown. Still not mixing with the Earth Kingdom. Remember they even stopped attacking simply because Katara was a water bender "that makes us kin". They associate themselves more with fellow water benders than they do with others living in the Earth Kingdom.

[rpgdemon]

My biggest issue? If giant glowing Korra was what they did before they had bending... Why the heck would they change over to bending and never do that again?

Plus, if she doesn't solve every problem from now on like that, why?

[Karrrrrrrrrrrresche]

Either A) Because the full moon or whatever bullshit allowed her eleventh hour super power to come into effect is gone now or B) For the same reason the Power Rangers don't call in the megazord the split instant the monster shows up.

[Aerozord]

There is also the matter of scale. I think a giant glowing Avatar might do more harm than good when it comes to deal with say chasing a guy down a back alley.

Also makes it harder to handwave "no one died" which is one thing, from day one, that bugged me abit. When Aang did his giant fish monster thing there is no conceivable way he didn't kill alot of people.

[Kyanbu The Legend]

Considering what happened to Katarra's Mother. It's probably a safe bet to assume that Aang pretty much killed a good number of Fire Nation soldiers that day on accident. And they simply just didn't bring any attention to it.

[Bum Bill Bee]

The climax of defending the Northern Water Tribe City? I know, that always bugged me, since they made such a big deal out of killing the fire lord (one man). I always had assumed it was just a matter of "individual is a tragedy, thousand is a statistic".

[synkr0nized]

So I watched this show for the first time last weekend while visiting friends. Now all I want to know is why the couples I think should be couples aren't really couples right now.

---------- Post added at 01:09 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:06 AM ----------

I am legit angry that Bolin and Eska didn't carry that through. What the actual shit, writers.

[Tev]

If it makes you feel better, at least Bolin was sad about it in the end.