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The Legend of Korra: Book 3

If it weren't for the Trek BBS I never would have known it was airing and I totally love that show.
 
The whole show was only going to be a miniseries that the creators thought up in case Nick wanted more Avatar after they told their story. We then get 50+ episodes so I'm not complaining.

If Nick wants to know why the show is failing. There was 15 months between seasons 1 and 2 and everyone probably thought it was canceled. Then they moved the show from Saturday or Sunday mornings to Friday night which is silly.

I think the creators know well enough that the show is doomed and will wrap it up for season 4. Futurama creators have done great endings several times when they didn't know if they would get episodes or not.

So they will be showing 12 episodes of a show in 7 weeks? That's hardly burning off. Three episodes premiere and finale, and the rest is regular. The seasons only are 12 episodes and 22 minutes.
 
A conspiracy theorist might say it's all an excuse to not give the show the chance it deserves.

Which just goes to show that conspiracy theorists are fools. The fourth season is already in production and guaranteed to air. The series will complete its planned run -- there's no need to worry on that count. Nick's bizarre scheduling may not help its ratings much, but it will get aired and released on DVD -- the latter of which seems to be the main source of revenue for shows these days anyway.
 
Maybe since Nick is a channel aimed at kids they're not overly concerned with scheduling and figure if they just stick a new show in the weekly repeat cycle that the'll get to it eventually.

As for the piracy thing...I'm pretty sure the piracy isn't solely to blame here. I mean if you just look at torrent sites you'll see that *every* damn show gets pirated these days, including the last two seasons of Korra. What's different here is that (assuming I heard this right) some affiliate accidentally made the Spanish version available earlier than they were supposed to.

Lets be realistic here, out of their total core audience, very few non-Spanish speakers are going to go to the trouble of watching the show in anything other than English. Those that will are the kind of fans that'll watch it again in English anyway.
 
It's nice to get a full hour of episodes, but I'm disappointed they're burning through the episodes so quick/
A conspiracy theorist might say it's all an excuse to not give the show the chance it deserves.

Which just goes to show that conspiracy theorists are fools. The fourth season is already in production and guaranteed to air. The series will complete its planned run -- there's no need to worry on that count. Nick's bizarre scheduling may not help its ratings much, but it will get aired and released on DVD -- the latter of which seems to be the main source of revenue for shows these days anyway.
A few years back, I had a marketing teacher who told us the DVD releases of movies made so much more than the theatrical release, that the theatrical release was basically just a two commercial for the DVD. I have feeling it's probably the same for TV shows now.
 
Actually TV shows have almost always lost money on their initial airings, only making a profit later in syndicated reruns (which is why so many shows were so driven to get to the magic 100-episode number that was considered necessary for syndication desirability, even though plenty of shows, such as Star Trek: TOS, got syndicated with considerably fewer episodes). These days it's the same, but home video and streaming have replaced syndication as the eventual profit source.
 
It's nice to get a full hour of episodes, but I'm disappointed they're burning through the episodes so quick/
A conspiracy theorist might say it's all an excuse to not give the show the chance it deserves.

Which just goes to show that conspiracy theorists are fools. The fourth season is already in production and guaranteed to air. The series will complete its planned run -- there's no need to worry on that count. Nick's bizarre scheduling may not help its ratings much, but it will get aired and released on DVD -- the latter of which seems to be the main source of revenue for shows these days anyway.
A few years back, I had a marketing teacher who told us the DVD releases of movies made so much more than the theatrical release, that the theatrical release was basically just a two commercial for the DVD. I have feeling it's probably the same for TV shows now.

That was a few years ago, the DVD market is no where near as strong as it used to be. If it was we would have a third Stargate SG-1 movie and an Atlantis movie.

Plus reruns are always good. The series was planned for just a few episodes because Avatar was so popular, we are getting 52, let's not complain.
 
Finally got around to watching these. Interesting that the first two episodes were presented as a 60 minute episode. I wonder if that would suggest that Nick had planned to show it this way prior to the piracy thing mentioned.

I liked that the recruitment process didn't go so well. How many shows have we seen where it seems all too convenient that people just pack up their lives and go.

The action scenes continue to be top notch but what I really like is how the plots are more involved than typical action cartoons. There's a nice variety to the different aspects of the storyline, characters and so on. In so many of these shows it seems like it's just about getting the heroes to the showdown with the villains. Here the bratty kid subplot leads to a family reunion and seeing the culture divide, we see Korra questioning whether a gang or a queen is the true villain, and so on. Sometimes stuff like that will be touched on but I like how they ease into it in Korra, it just feels more fleshed out.

And Zaheer is Henry Rollins, who was Mad Stan in Batman Beyond, Johnny Rancid in Teen Titans, and Robotman in Batman: The Brave and the Bold. Okay, he's someone Andrea Romano likes to work with, but I still don't find his voice very impressive here.

The funny thing is he's known for his work in spoken word. Maybe they need to give him a long diatribe to spout? :)
 
^I had gathered that Rollins is someone fairly well-known as a musician, though I've never heard of him outside of his animation work.
 
I'd been planning to rewatch the first three episodes of Book 3 before episodes 4 & 5 premiered tonight, but I didn't get around to it until just about 6:30, so I basically spent two and a half hours straight watching Korra, with only a 6-minute break between episodes 3 & 4. The first three still hold up well, and the next two are both effective.

It's actually unfortunate that they're airing them in the sequence they are, because it would've worked better to air 3 & 4 together, since they form a 2-parter -- and it looks like episode 5 is part 1 of a 2-parter about the Metal Clan city. Maybe that's the format for this season, a series of 2-parters with the airbender arc and the Zaheer arc running through the whole.

So these four criminals tried to kidnap Korra when she was four, for reasons that we still don't know, and that's the real reason she was sequestered all those years. Feels like a bit of a retcon; does anything that was said in the past about the decision to sequester her conflict with that? And I would've thought that revelation would have more impact on Korra.

And Kai turns out to be not such a bad kid after all. And all it took to get some airbender recruits at last was to show them how much worse the alternative would be. Hey, suddenly I wonder about those other airbenders who turned them down along the way. The map seemed to show that most or all of them were in Earth Kingdom territory; does that mean the Earth Queen could conscript them now to replace the rescuees?

Nice to see that Jinora still has some of her astral-projection ability. But I'm puzzled, since she said it was a way to scout in secret without the guards seeing her, yet Kai could see her fine. I wonder, could he see her spirit because he's an airbender? Or because he's the one she was specifically attuned to?

Nice to see that some trainees have shown up on Air Temple Island; I was wondering what had happened to Daw, but he's still there. And I almost didn't recognize Zaheer when he showed up with his head shaved. This franchise is unlike most animated shows in its willingness to change its characters' looks. (Cf. Mako giving up his scarf.)

"The Metal Clan" was a pretty quiet, character-driven episode aside from the Zaheer-Kya fight. The Metal Clan city was really cool-looking, and it's neat to learn that Toph has so many descendants (and that she's still alive!). Lin came off as a real jerk here, though. What happened to make her so intractably bitter?

Also, how does that guy's truth-telling ability work? Is that a form of bending, like maybe waterbending to sense a person's blood flow? (That seems a little too close to bloodbending, though.) Or maybe it's more some kind of chi-sensing ability that doesn't involve bending, like the way the non-bender Guru Pathik was able to guide Aang's chi.

Opal is reallllllly pretty. And no doubt a damn sight better for Bolin than Eska was.
 
I think the truth-teller's ability is something Toph realised she could pass on.

So it seems Toph was a bit of a rebel...
 
...Kai turns out to be not such a bad kid after all.
That's usually the case with characters like him. Or at least I see that a lot.

Hey, suddenly I wonder about those other airbenders who turned them down along the way. The map seemed to show that most or all of them were in Earth Kingdom territory; does that mean the Earth Queen could conscript them now to replace the rescuees?
I was thinking the same thing. Sure these few were rescued but what about everyone else who may fall victim to the Queen? I'm sure this will be dealt with later. Either Team Avatar will do something or this airbending business will go away, making conscription pointless. Will air bending really go away once the arc is done though? It's a possibility that I'm willing to entertain at this point. Somehow I get that vibe even though I've been a big proponent of some sort of paradigm shift.

Nice to see that Jinora still has some of her astral-projection ability. But I'm puzzled, since she said it was a way to scout in secret without the guards seeing her, yet Kai could see her fine. I wonder, could he see her spirit because he's an airbender? Or because he's the one she was specifically attuned to?
Interesting. Didn't catch that.

...I almost didn't recognize Zaheer when he showed up with his head shaved.
I recognized him right away. Nice detail with all his scars too.

Lin came off as a real jerk here, though. What happened to make her so intractably bitter?
She was quite unpleasant wasn't she? That display with Opal really got to me.

Also, how does that guy's truth-telling ability work? Is that a form of bending, like maybe waterbending to sense a person's blood flow? (That seems a little too close to bloodbending, though.) Or maybe it's more some kind of chi-sensing ability that doesn't involve bending, like the way the non-bender Guru Pathik was able to guide Aang's chi.
Hmmm... Never thought much about this.

Opal is reallllllly pretty.
She was indeed. Sokka had Suki and now Bolin has Opal.

So it seems Toph was a bit of a rebel...
Yeah, they gave Toph an interesting life. I figured that she went the traditional route and got married but instead they had her as a single mother with two kids from different fathers. Quite the move for a kids show.

Modern times.
 
I think the truth-teller's ability is something Toph realised she could pass on.

Oh, that's right, Toph had that ability too because of how she'd trained her hearing, or something. Makes sense that it would be teachable.


was thinking the same thing. Sure these few were rescued but what about everyone else who may fall victim to the Queen? I'm sure this will be dealt with later. Either Team Avatar will do something or this airbending business will go away, making conscription pointless. Will air bending really go away once the arc is done though? It's a possibility that I'm willing to entertain at this point. Somehow I get that vibe even though I've been a big proponent of some sort of paradigm shift.

No, I don't think the plan is to make the airbenders go away. The restored balance of the world depends on the Air Nomads regaining their numbers somehow, and Tenzin and Pema can only churn out so many babies. This, like the renewed presence of spirits, is meant to be a permanent change in the world. This whole season is entitled "Change," and the premiere set out pretty clearly that the theme is about the process of adjusting to irrevocable changes.

I think that, if those other airbenders are revisited at all, either they'll be convinced to join the nomads after all for their protection, or the Earth Queen will be deposed and her tyranny overthrown. I'd be surprised if the writers allowed a villain of her magnitude to remain in power.


Yeah, they gave Toph an interesting life. I figured that she went the traditional route and got married but instead they had her as a single mother with two kids from different fathers. Quite the move for a kids show.

Oh, I hadn't thought of that. I'd figured maybe she'd gotten divorced and remarried, or that the show would go the more cautious route and say she was widowed and remarried. But Suyin did say that she and Lin never knew their fathers, didn't she? Which implies a degree of casual promiscuity from Toph. Interesting.


Modern times.

Well, it'll be modern when they include a gay or lesbian couple. (Please be Korrasami, please be Korrasami!)

Speaking of modern times, did you catch how Nickelodeon promoted next week's episodes, now that they're past the five leaked ones? "All-new episodes that you can't see online!" As if they didn't seem defensive enough already...


By the way, turns out that Suyin "Su" Beifong is played by Anne Heche. Her husband Bataar is Jim Meskimen, who also plays Daw, the new airbender from Chapter 1. Jason Marsden (formerly the aye-aye spirit from "Beginnings") is her artist son Huan, and the twins Wing and Wei (the ones who invented that "Powerdisc" sport) are both Marcus Toji. And I easily recognized both Suyin's assistant Aiwei and her chef as Maurice LaMarche.

Hmm. Bolin seemed pretty interested in the Powerdisc game. And he's pretty interested in Opal. I'm grinning now, because I bet this is a setup for Bolin training to become a metalbender.
 
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I don't think the plan is to make the airbenders go away. The restored balance of the world depends on the Air Nomads regaining their numbers somehow, and Tenzin and Pema can only churn out so many babies. This, like the renewed presence of spirits, is meant to be a permanent change in the world. This whole season is entitled "Change," and the premiere set out pretty clearly that the theme is about the process of adjusting to irrevocable changes.
I hope so. I just got to wondering briefly if we might see a reset, at least with air bending.

Well, it'll be modern when they include a gay or lesbian couple. (Please be Korrasami, please be Korrasami!)
Oh, there's lots of that online…

korrasami1.jpg


Speaking of modern times, did you catch how Nickelodeon promoted next week's episodes, now that they're past the five leaked ones? "All-new episodes that you can't see online!" As if they didn't seem defensive enough already…
Yep. I caught that but I thought they meant that they simply weren't putting the episodes on their website.

Bolin seemed pretty interested in the Powerdisc game. And he's pretty interested in Opal. I'm grinning now, because I bet this is a setup for Bolin training to become a metalbender.
I didn't consider that we could see more of that powerdisc game. I trust though that after all the pro bending we got in Book 1, the showrunners learned something and will tone things down with powerdisc if we do see more of it.
 
Also, how does that guy's truth-telling ability work? Is that a form of bending, like maybe waterbending to sense a person's blood flow? (That seems a little too close to bloodbending, though.) Or maybe it's more some kind of chi-sensing ability that doesn't involve bending, like the way the non-bender Guru Pathik was able to guide Aang's chi.

Maybe feeling the subtle vibration changes through the earth?

Speaking of modern times, did you catch how Nickelodeon promoted next week's episodes, now that they're past the five leaked ones? "All-new episodes that you can't see online!" As if they didn't seem defensive enough already...

Yeah, I had wondered if that was alluding to the leaks.
 
I think the truth-teller's ability is something Toph realised she could pass on.

Oh, that's right, Toph had that ability too because of how she'd trained her hearing, or something. Makes sense that it would be teachable.

She "saw" by feeling vibrations in the world around her, which extended to being able to sense changes in people's heart rates.


Anyway, I'm LOVING this season so far, much more than I liked the previous two. Can't wait for more.
 
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