Hello everyone. Back again it seems with a new review of the latest Korra episode. Enjoy!

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What I Liked

Asami

Oh yea, this was totally an ‘Asami rocks’ episode, and by god did I love it! Let’s face it; without Asami Korra would’ve ended up right in the Earth Queen’s hands, and later on it was she who both lead the fixing of the ship and the later creation of the sand-sailors. It was her ingenuity and cunning that ultimately saved Korra and the crew on the ship several times.

I dunno about you guys, but about damn time. Asami has had her moments, but sadly she is often forced into the background which is a massive shame because she is often the best teenager character in the Legend of Korra. This however was her episode to show off and remind us just how integral she is to the team.


Enjoy this Asami. You’ll probably be forgotten next episode

The Airship pilots

When I first started this episode I figured that the Airship pilots would just be your typical simple mooks who – in certain good examples – have a moment of characterisation, usually in the form of the comedic moment. It certainly played out like this as Korra and Asami escaped from prison, knocked them all out and took control of the Airship.

But then they crashed it...and were then stranded with them in the middle of the desert.

As opposed to just forgetting they were there, the episode has Korra and Asami be forced to work together with them in order to escape the desert before a huge monster attacks them. Naturally it is tense at first, but as the show progresses we see them quickly work hand in hand as a team and by the end of it a mutual respect for each other.

I loved this because these seemingly standard mooks are characterised as actual people. Not one-note fanatics of the Earth Queen, but people with personality and a simple desire to get their job done. The captain openly has no issue with Korra but is simply following orders like a captain should. That’s far more engrossing than him having some shallow hatred for Korra. It’s almost tragic seeing a man with no ill will towards someone being forced by an authority far bigger than him to cause that person harm.

However at the end it works that he no longer tries to apprehend Korra since they’ve helped save each other’s lives. Now he truly respects her and her commitment to saving other peoples lives. None of this is overly explored, rather it is done quick, simple and believably. I can’t describe how impressed I am with this.


It’s like Jaws Meets Dune

That Airship scene...

Okay, got to ask: when we saw that monster tear the Airship right in two, right after they got it working again...

...Am I the only one who laughed a little?

Bolin Making Friends

There’s always something amusing when a hero makes small talk with a villain, and Bolin making small talk with Ghazan and Ming-Hua was just hilarious. It’s just weirdly amusing seeing these people – who before were fighting and harming each other – have a largely pleasant conversation. It does fit though with Bolin, who does interact with everyone he meets with open pleasantness.

Best of all it gaves us a bit of insight into the Red Lotus, particularly Ghazan and Ming-Hua. We get a glimpse into how they coped being locked up for 13 years and how hellish it was, but we also get small glimpses into their character. It’s not much, but it’s enough to further clarify that the Red Lotus aren’t just one dimensional villains. However extreme their intentions, they wholeheartedly believe they’re doing the right thing.

Also, prepare yourself Fanfiction.net. You will soon be ravaged by Ghazan/Ming-Hua fanfics.

Bolin’s Metalbending

Oh hey, Bolin subplot number 43 has returned!

Sarcasm aside, having Bolin’s continuing adventure of trying to Metalbend be used here was pretty fitting since they are trapped in a prison and they did need something to pass the time, and I like that it’s still difficult for Bolin to perform even the slightest bit of Metalbending. Makes it more believable that Metalbending is this difficult style to achieve.

This is one of the more predictable parts of this season because it’s very likely gonna end with Bolin learning metalbending just at the right moment, but hey, no complaints from me here. Chances are that’ll be a Crowning Moment Of Awesome.

The Earth Queen Being ‘Taken Out’

I have to say; however horrible morally abhorrent The Earth Queen was...her death was genuinely grizzly and hard to watch.

Seeing the air from her lungs be forced out of her body whilst outside air is cut off from her was a harsh way to kill her, and the way it was shown was dark even for this series. You could almost feel the pain and horror she was going through as she slowly suffocated and her horrified expression is a hard one to get out of your heads.

The thing that comes to mind the most is that Zaheer has done something that no other Airbender (that we’ve seen) has done yet; he’s turned Airbending into a killing weapon.

Before Airbending’s greatest weakness was its lack of truly offensive abilities and its difficulty at killing someone, but Zaheer – the only Airbending villain thus far – finding a way to kill someone with Airbending is so bloody fitting.
Suffice to say, this was a major ‘shit just got real’ moment.

Zaheer

A fair few people didn’t agree with my criticism that Zaheer killing, which is fair enough but I still stand by it. Despite his actions Aiwei did not deserve to be condemned like that and Zaheer doing that to him was a stumble in his ‘I have good intentions’ characterisation.

That said, I simply cannot deny that Zaheer just rocked in this episode. We’ve already talked about how he brutally killed the Earth Queen, but that speech he gave whilst doing it made his disgust for her very clear, and despite how he did it you couldn’t help but agree somewhat with his observation. It also made it clear just how much he values freedom and how earnest he truly believes in his Anarchist.

The events afterwards only made it better. I loved the scene where he told off Ming-Hua for threatening the soldier; it once again showed that Zaheer is doing this for the people and that his disgust is limited to the leaders of the world and that he has no desire to harm innocents. Finally he announces the Earth Queen’s death, shows no desire for taking glory for it and destroys the wall separating the rich and poor districts, sending the city into chaos.

Admittedly I got very The Dark Knight Rises flashbacks to this, but I think it may work here because the show is certainly critiquing both sides. Yes the poor are being now controlled by a mad anarchist, but unlike The Dark Knight Rises proper time has been taken to show that the people in charge were hurting them and needed to overthrown, unlike said film which just demonized the Occupy Wall Street Movement and sucked the dicks of rich people.



It’s not the only similarity in retrospect...

Oh I can’t Wait...

For as great as this episode was, it was essentially build up for the seasons grand finale, which – as I guessed correctly – will be in Ba Sing Se. We now know Korra and Asami are with Lin, Tonraq and Zuko and are planning to head to Ba Sing Se, Mako and Bolin are now free and plan to meet back with Korra, and chances are Tenzin and the Air Nomads will be coming to help out too.

This episode was therefore just set up, but by god it was some of the best set up I’ve seen in a while. Things just got a whole lot bigger and grander with this season, and it’s great to see everything come together for this finale, something the previous season failed to do.

Like many people I am most certainly excited.

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And now ladies and gentlemen, this would normally be where I make a complaint or two about the episode and spend the rest of the week trying to defend my points from you guys (just kidding, love you all).

Well guess what; I don’t have any.

Admittedly I was gonna point out how weird it seemed that all the world leaders know who the Red Lotus and look like...except the Earth Queen, but with Ba Sing Se being so behind as it is and peoples genuine loathing of her I can sorta buy her not being in touch with outside problems as the other world leaders.

So...yea, for the first time I have no significant complaints to make. Bravo Legend Of Korra; it took 24 attempts but you’ve finally made an episode that I can’t find something to bitch about. And you know what? That makes me happy. I don’t like criticising things about this franchise, and despite what I say about Korra I truly want it to succeed, so having an episode that was sublime from beginning to end fills me with such joy.

Makes it all the more annoying seeing how Nickelodeon is treating this series.