The Legend of Korra: Book 3

[Agent Richard07]

I figured that they'd release the episode around midnight or so.

Spoilers...

A good episode. I knew that the little blue spirit wanted to tell Korra and Asami something.

We have Zaheer's political agenda but I was thinking... What does he want with Korra? Guess we'll have to wait on that one. He could have thrown her into the pit of lost souls if he simply wanted to get rid of her but didn't.

We also have the meaning of the Book's title, "Change".

 

[Enterprise1701]

Well "The Stakeout" sure explained a ton of things.

 

[Peach Wookiee]

Got to say... if Zaheer takes out the Earth Queen, I won't have a problem with it...

 

[Reverend]

^ This show? Or The Last Airbender?

I've always assumed that it was a different planet rather than some sort of fantasy "flat world". Both shows have showed us that it's a planet. I don't know when that was made obvious though.

As for the moon, I wonder if anyone can come up with a real-world explanation for how it can turn red and then disappear. That would be quite a challenge. I've tried but haven't been successful.

Well the spirits and their abilities are clearly a "real" thing. If you want an explanation as to exactly what they are, I suppose the closest thing would be that the spirit world is a parallel, or pocket universe that has slightly, yet significantly different laws of physics.

As to how the moon could go dark...off the top of my head, say that if a spirit had for whatever reason (perhaps to anchor itself in out plane) bonded itself somehow to the moon. So when it "died", the moon--because it is semi-subject to another universe's physical laws--became a totally inert, non-reflective mass. Basically a sphere as black as the event horizon of a black hole. Or it went out of phase becoming a non-event mass, hence no reflected light or tidal effects. Mind you, the sudden disappearance of a gravity well close enough to exert tidal forces should have set off a global tsunami and probably other kinds of unpleasantness when the orbital baycenter vanished.

Or you know, maybe it was just magic....in a cartoon.

I figured that they'd release the episode around midnight or so.

Spoilers...

A good episode. I knew that the little blue spirit wanted to tell Korra and Asami something.

We have Zaheer's political agenda but I was thinking... What does he want with Korra? Guess we'll have to wait on that one. He could have thrown her into the pit of lost souls if he simply wanted to get rid of her but didn't.

We also have the meaning of the Book's title, "Change".

Personal theory: they intend to permanently separate the avatar spirit and free both Raava and Vaatu back into the world as they were when Wan first encountered them.

Killing Korra would just set the cycle off again and they'd have to go looking for the earth bender baby she reincarnated as....which admittedly could be plan B....or C.

 

[Agent Richard07]

Personal theory: they intend to permanently separate the avatar spirit and free both Raava and Vaatu back into the world as they were when Wan first encountered them.

Not a bad theory. Let's see if it comes to pass. A few adjustments will have to be made to their plan though since both Raava and Vaatu are now in Korra.

It's always looked as if Zaheer wanted equality and didn't think that there should be an avatar but I hadn't come up with that angle. I didn't think that they'd repeat last season's plot. Now we see that they are to some degree.

 

[Peach Wookiee]

Or that perhaps there was a bigger plan than anyone realized. Unalaq and a Xanatos gambit?

 

[Enterprise1701]

I have an updated theory: the deus ex machina of the Book 3 finale is Toph arriving, including counteracting Ghazan's lavabending with her own because "I am the world's greatest earthbender!!!!!"

Has anyone besides me wondered if maybe combustion can be redirected like lightning?

And I echo anyone else who hopes that the Red Lotus will take down Queen Hou-ting and the Dai Li cause screw those guys.

 

[Technobuilder]

I feel like the Red Lotus are extremists of the worst kind, those willing to tear down everything just to "fix" that which they are opposed to and where the 'solution' is just as bad if not worse than the problem at large.

Of course the mere existence of segregated nations with all powerful figureheads to begin with is responsible for much of the discord and strife that has risen in the world as well, so it's hard to just dismiss what the Red Lotus is saying out of hand.

"Change" doesn't just refer to the new spiritual status quo, it's an indication that the nations who once lived in harmony (and now do not) will have to undergo an evolution. Nothing will be the same.

Republic City. The idea that different clans could coexist not just side-by-side but heart to heart. Different benders born within the same family, something once unheard of, now is the way of the world.

 

[RoJoHen]

Don't have much to say about this one. Last week's episode was so much more exciting, but this one provided a lot of explanation. I appreciate that the Red Lotus is connected to Unalaq's story from last season.

Frankly, though, the best parts of this episode were Bolin. He's become quite the good comic relief character.

One thing that I find myself missing from this show that was very present in A:TLA is the role of the villains. In The Last Airbender, we knew as much about the bad guys as we did about the good guys. Zuko and Azula were main characters with well-developed backstories. We followed them along on their journeys right alongside the Avatar and his gang.

I didn't care about Amon. I didn't care about Unalaq. And now, I don't really care much about Zaheer and the Red Lotus. They're all just "bad guys" that want to kill/stop/control the Avatar, but I don't find myself caring much about their motivations.

 

[Mr Light]

"The Stakeout" was yet another great episode. I liked the motivations of Red Lotus and that they're not just evvvvvvvvvvil. And there was another solid fight sequence without Korra; as much as I like to see Korra go to town it definitely raises the stakes if she's not there because the good guys are incredibly outmatched then. I also loved the tie-in to Unalauq.

Funniest part of the episode? Them crammed into a tiny hotel room with massive Naga lying on her back with her puppy paws up in the air

We've had two episodes in a row without Tenzin. Hopefully he's coming back next ep!

The above poster did make an excellent point about not following the villains in this series the way we did in the other. Though we didn't "follow" Ozai and he was really the ultimate villain.

 

[RoJoHen]

The above poster did make an excellent point about not following the villains in this series the way we did in the other. Though we didn't "follow" Ozai and he was really the ultimate villain.

Yeah, but he was more like a force of nature than a real "villain." He didn't even attempt to do anything himself until Sozin's Comet arrived. The true antagonists were Zuko and Azula. Hell, we even learned more about Mai and Ty Lee than we have about any of Korra's villains so far.

I suppose it would be different if Korra wasn't being planned one season at a time. "The Last Airbender" knew the 3-year story it was telling, so it could spend more time developing other characters. Perhaps, with Books 3 and 4 having been made at the same time, we will get an extra season of development with Zaheer and the Red Lotus?

 

[Mr Light]

I think part of the problem is the villains in Korra have been fully realized adults, not teenagers struggling with their identities and roles in their society. The Korra villains don't have a character arc, they're already at their end point.

 

[Peach Wookiee]

And Zuko was someone who'd initially been in the villain role, but as we got to know him, we saw he wasn't such a bad guy. His sister, on the other hand, was truly a twisted individual.

 

[RoJoHen]

And Zuko was someone who'd initially been in the villain role, but as we got to know him, we saw he wasn't such a bad guy. His sister, on the other hand, was truly a twisted individual.

"My own mother thought I was a monster. She was right, of course, but it still hurt."

One of my favorite Azula quotes.

 

[Enterprise1701]

I think part of the problem is the villains in Korra have been fully realized adults, not teenagers struggling with their identities and roles in their society. The Korra villains don't have a character arc, they're already at their end point.

Well we can hope that somehow the villains will turn out to be "I guess old dogs can learn new tricks after all" type of characters.

 

[Kelthaz]

I think part of the problem is the villains in Korra have been fully realized adults, not teenagers struggling with their identities and roles in their society. The Korra villains don't have a character arc, they're already at their end point.

Well that's a horribly bleak view of adulthood.

 

[Reverend]

I don't see the age difference as being quite so significant as to restrict character development. Indeed, I'm pretty sure Korra is about the same age Zuko was in TLA.

Even it that weren't the case it's not as if a person just stops all character growth at 18 (I've known some that appeared to have stopped at about 8, but that's besides the point) there's plenty of potential for character arcs.
Hell, Lin, Tenzin and Bumi all just got some pretty major character growth and they're well into their 40's or 50's!

 

[Mr Light]

Right, but Amon, Unaloq, Vaatu, and Zaheer did not undergo any character arcs. If we spent half the screen time following their adventures, we wouldn't see them developing or struggling with themselves.

<<

Well that's a horribly bleak view of adulthood. >>

Hey, I'm only 33 and I can already feel it all circling down the drain

 

[Christopher]

Arrghh -- Nick's video player and my laptop aren't getting along. The image was jerky and out of sync with the audio much of the time. I don't recall it being this bad when I watched the show online in the past. Now I have reason to be upset that they pulled the show from TV.

As far as I could tell, though, it was a cool episode. We finally see more of the spirits, and we begin to see how the Zaheer arc ties in to the theme of change, specifically the change Korra made by reopening the portals. And I'm sure the discussion of pai zho is going to be relevant to the battle between White and Red Lotus, because they're both named for pai zho tiles.

I'm still not convinced Suyin isn't working with Zaheer. Those clues Aiwei conveniently happened to leave in his car could've been planted for Korra to find, leading her into a situation where her body would be vulnerable to capture. It all fell into place too neatly for me to believe it was just dumb luck that the Red Lotus got that opportunity. Although, on the other hand, the counterargument would be that if it had been a trap, the RL would've already known where Aiwei was leading her and would've been there to capture her already. So maybe I'm wrong.

So, lessons for Korra this episode: Don't astrally project unless you're sure your body is well-guarded, and don't forget to bring treats for Naga.

And leave it to Bolin to go incognito in the most conspicuous yellow ponchos on the planet. Oh, yeah, they'll totally blend into the crowd.

 

[Enterprise1701]

Wait a second, what happened to Pabu? Did he escape capture?