Time to hold your breath and count to ten, I guess. At the time of this writing, Nick had recently released four episodes in one day. Ignoring the whole “Does Nickelodeon have any issue with Korra” controversy that’s been making the rounds, this proves to make the blog more challenging to write than usual. One episode allows a central topic to form. Four at once means that it’s hard to write something cohesive without rambling in the middle. In fact,…
I’m pretty sure somebody at Nickelodeon took a peek at my mind to see what I would want in an episode. This week’s was packed with non-sexual fanservice splattered all over. I knew Wan Shi Tong would appear somewhere in the season, but Iroh’s return instantly brings this episode several levels higher than the rest of this season. It even surpasses the Wan two-parter. Yeah, Iroh’s my favorite character, so this is too heavily biased. For people who couldn’t care…
After a week delay, blogging on an episode feels kind of rusty. So to get back to speed, Korra almost died, Varrick lied, Unalaq’s plotting on dry ice, and Tenzin sighed. That Wan episode really raised my expectations for Korra, so getting back to the main plot now feels like seeing them erode back to before. Sure, Korra’s kept her cool and Varrick’s still a character, but it still feels like we’re back to square one now that Korra finally…
In honor of Alaska Day, Nick’s given us a double-offering of Korra. And to make sure it’s not a hollow gift, these episodes were actually good. A bit derivative, yes, but I liked them. It was nice to get a little origin story that stood apart from the Water Tribe’s monotony. This reminded me of how good Avatar could be, and what the show has to offer to stand apart from other stuff on basic cable. Yeah, it’s not much….
Remember the episodes where Aang didn’t appear, and we focused on somebody else like Zuko and Appa? Remember how those were probably some of the best episodes in the show, depending on how you viewed The Beach? This feels like one of them. It allows for the side characters to stretch with the lead out of the way. The show did a nice job focusing on how the North-South conflict was affecting everyone else, such as Bolin’s film career and…
Well, this was a 180 from Civil Wars. Cool characters like Lin and General Iroh come back, while a political side is thrown into the conflict between Korra and Unalaq. Plenty of different perspectives are thrown into the fire so don’t we get saddled with teenagers who argue more than they actually bend. I know conflict is the soul of good storytelling, but conflict for conflict’s sake only adds to the tedium instead of avoids it. Thank the Gods that…
At least Bryke didn’t prolong the Unalaq charade for half of the season. We still don’t see much motive for being a backstabber other than how he wants power over all of the Water Tribe. What’s he up to? Why’s he evil? Why does he let his daughter claim ownership over Bolin? Those are things the show should be in the cusp of uncovering. Also, why did he want Korra to stay by his side while admitting a few minutes…
So this week gives us yelling. Kya calls out Tenzin. Mako calls out Bolin. The twins reveal why expressing positive emotions can be a bad thing. On top of that, the Korra family’s inability to communicate properly has led to a whole mess of misunderstandings between everyone. Also, Northern and Southern Water Tribes are now at odds with each other. With the Northerners stepping on the South’s turf like it’s their neighborhood. And you can’t step on someone else’s territory…
Well over a year after a season finale that satisfied no one, Korra’s back. Can the show do better than Amon’s reveal? Will Mako be more than a bit of a douche? Hopefully and probably not. Unlike Young Justice, the gap between seasons doesn’t give us a load of already-developed plot lines. Asami still has trouble reconstructing Future Industries. Korra’s still training. Bolin is a pro-bending captain for some rookies. And Mako is still a douche, but he’s now a…