12.13
Run! It's the fanfic pitches for Book 5!
Okay, I get it. Kuvira’s forming the Earth Reich. She’s making Nazi Dirtmany, with her own Groundstapo and Earthmacht. The only way to dig the point deeper would be for her to make up her own language that sounds suspiciously like German, or to name the last episode “Groundfall”. Not an episode goes by where some character doesn’t talk about evil Kuvira is. I have deep pity for anyone who takes a shot every time Kuvira’s villainy is mentioned or inferred. I know she’s supposed to be the anti-Korra, but Korra wasn’t a saint. She has problems that this season is making its duty to spell out as subtly as Kuvira’s. So in trying to make her the anti-Korra, give her the virtues that Korra lacks instead of making her the absolute evil. But let’s not go for that attempt to characterize a villain. Let’s not make her feel like a genuine person than just what a 12-year-old thinks evil is. Instead, let’s make giant robots.
In a universe that already has its niche in elemental martial arts, I always found adding mechs in the lore to be questionable at best. It felt like the writers having no attention spans when exploring how bending can work, and they just decided to add robots because that would be cool. Like they couldn’t get a giant robot show accepted by Nick, so they just threw those elements into Korra without much reason. For a comparison, it would be like if they just had guns in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. On a technical standpoint, it makes sense. But it undermines the prior concepts laid down in favor of adding things for no reason other than boredom on the producer’s behalf. While I’m sure that people who wanted an Equilibrium-style gun fight between Harry and Voldemort will disagree, it creates a rift between what’s happening on-screen and what happens from a narrative standpoint. There’s less focus on what’s going on between the lines and more detail on how wacky Kuvira’s scheme can go.
And that doesn’t amount to much when you look at her plan, to take back Republic City for the Earth Kingdom. It’s something that was better portrayed in the Dark Horse comics with The Promise arc, where Earth King Kuei decides to go on the aggressive due to a lack of knowledge given the Fire Nation colonies. Like Kuvira and her own grandstanding, Kuei wanting to prove himself to his people. He wanted to be seen as a strong king. But the story also let it known that for all of his arrogance; he was still a man with good intentions. And if it weren’t for the sympathetic portrayal of the Fire Nation colonists, with one example showing how Earthbender and Fire Nation culture could fuse together, he wouldn’t be seen as an antagonist. It was all a gray situation that took diplomacy that Aang hadn’t fully mustered yet to resolve.
The Promise was also a clumsily written comic that only gets slowly vindicated through its successors like The Search, but that’s for another article.
What I’m trying to say is that Kuvira’s role in comparison to Kuei’s feels watered down in terms of character conflict while seemingly made up for in terms of firepower and overall threat. She has more physical strength than previous villains Korra has faced, but having power and little else gives you as much importance to the plot as a DBZ movie villain. Being able to score points in a “Who would beat who” scenario isn’t enough to make a good villain. While I’ve said this repeatedly, Kuvira’s potential to be more dims at every moment. I’ve heard complaints that she’s no better, if not worse, than Unalaq, and I don’t disagree. Unalaq was a lousy villain, but you knew that right from the bat. Kuvira, however, was set up to be more, like the answer to all the complaints about Korra’s character wrapped up in a worthy opponent. Alas, we get Earth Hitler.
This mismatching also makes me wonder. Given how much of a swerve a giant robot is, was Kuvira even intended to be the final villain? Launching impractical weaponry and making loud gestures to cower the opposite side seem more like something Varrick would have done in Book 2. An overarching mech used as the forefront of an authoritarian regime? Sounds stupid. An iron giant made by an eccentric millionaire who got the idea from seeing giant spirits fighting each other? Sounds… slightly less stupid, but something that would have fit better. Maybe I’m biased, but the idea of a crazed Varrick riding a giant robot into Republic City seems more fun than what we’re getting here. Plus, it makes more sense for it come out of him than from Junior, who’s never shown the kind of character crazy enough to make that kind of machine.
In fact, he’s never shown much character besides playing Kuvira’s snide lieutenant. It’s what limits the hostage scene, because his character is only defined by his love for Kuvira (and a brotherly love for Opal that seldom goes anywhere). Korra could have kidnapped some random technician with the know-how behind the machines, and that would have had as much emotional impact. This scene feels cold, and offers little in surprise or intrigue. I could even predict that Kuvira was going to sacrifice her husband for the good of her empire, which will in turn lead him to see the errors of his ways and give Korra the information on how to stop the robot. What should be emotional isn’t because you know Kuvira was going to fire the cannon. If she can make concentration camps, she’s definitely not above murdering her own husband. I would have been more surprised if she sent reconnaissance agents to rescue Junior and kidnap Korra and friends in turn. But then, Kuvira is a villain that lacks pragmatism. And pragmatism is something that should have been used more often for Legend of Korra’s villains.
But to get away from my rambling and onto some positive points, I’m appreciative that tensions are finally rising. After weeks of watching that same flashback of Zaheer choking Korra, it’s refreshing to see something else plague her thoughts. I like the little cameos by Tahno and Gommu to imply how big this siege will be. It’s something I’ve been hoping for the final season to do, to have actual finality by tying up some things full circle like showing what season one characters have been doing or letting characters finally let go of paranoia to let people do what needs to be done. I’m still far from satisfied, but things are going on a better path now that the concentration camp allusions, Korra’s rehabilitation arc, and the clip show are history.