The Legend of Korra: Book 4

[FPAlpha]

I admit it.. i love (good) romantic comedies but Varrick took the cake in this one.

I have rarely seen a more romantic and fitting proposal in the realm of TV shows.. i might even let out a small Awww.. might

The Finale was just mindbending awesome.. everybody got their scene to show how awesome they are (nit just Mako.. who's awesome.. you know) and World War B(ending) inside Republic City was just near perfect.

Top Moments:

- "Almost there.. almost there" (who didn't get a Star Wars vibe off this.. including the sad but predictable end of Sato)

- Korrasami!!!! Went as far as they could on a kids show but damn... they did it and it was beautiful

- Korra in Avatar mode is really frighteningly powerful and at the same time beautiful to see

- Airbender airforce formation flying.. cool as heck

- Mako taking out the energy core.. hardcore to the bone

- City redecoration by way of Earth bending.. Bender warfare in urban settings is terrifying (and Bolin just rules at it!)

- Milo taunting Kuvira!

About the only weak part is how Kuvira had such a quick change of heart and saw her wrong doing, that came way to quick and was not set up properly and the non-fitting CGI mecha suits (it looked so bad and fake in the scene where they fell over because of the EMP).

I love the open end structure of the Finale.. it could go on for many more seasons with that end and now i'm sad that the show is gone because i really want more seasons of it. I want to see Milo grow up to be an anarchistic young airbender, to see Korra and Asami be a happy couple (surely not on Nickelodeon) and Bolin and Mako return to the Pro Bending ring (maybe with an Airbender now).

Anyway.. i really love The Legend of Korra. It was fun for all of the 4 seasons, i had some criticism of certain parts but the show always managed to turn around with a good blend of action, heart and humor.

I really hope they get to make another Avatar series, maybe set in the modern world or even set in the future, i believe there could be interesting stories to be told but most of all i would wish they just find the show a new studio and continue Korra.

 

[RoJoHen]

I love the open end structure of the Finale.. it could go on for many more seasons with that end and now i'm sad that the show is gone because i really want more seasons of it.

This is the most frustrating thing for me. I loved Avatar: The Last Airbender, but when it was over, I was totally fine with it being over. It told a complete story, and it ended at the right moment.

Korra's story is structured in such a way, though, that it could keep going. I would love to see a new season following these characters. It wouldn't even need a new villain; it could just be about how the world is finally adapting to the changes she set in motion.

I absolutely love the way this show handled relationships. Korra and Asami, two girls who both had teenage dating angst with Mako, somehow end up together. You've got Lin and Su, two girls with different fathers, and their mother Toph just shrugs it off. I also really enjoyed the way Asami reconciled things with her dad right before the end. Overall, it deals with relationships in a very grown up way.

I'm bummed that it's over. I love the Avatar universe, and this was literally one of two shows I was even bothering to watch anymore (Doctor Who being the other). I hope that somewhere down the road it finds new life. I'd love to see how the world continues to evolve.

 

[JD]

Wow, now this was how you do a finale. I think this and last night White Collar finale were two of the best series finales I've seen in a while. Pretty much every character got a moment to shine.
Now for random thoughts:
Holy crap, I bet all of the Korasami shippers probably lost it with that last scene, I know I almost did. I kept hoping they would go there when they were talking, but I didn't actually think they would until they actually held each other's hand and did the look.
I loved the little "Zhu Li, do the thing", "I don't think there are any more things to do", or whatever it was. And the do the thing bit in the wedding.
I loved seeing Varik and Zhu Li actually get to together.
When Mako was blasting the vines, I actually thought they might kill him
I was pretty sure once he showed up that Asami father would die, although I have to admit I was kind of surprised they actually showed it the way they did.

As it was tying up, I was thinking I would love to see them jump ahead like 20 or 30 years, so we can see what became of everybody later in life. I think it would be especially cool to see a huge Air Nomad group lead by Tenzin and Pema's kids. I could especially see Jinora becoming a good leader.

 

[intrinsical]

^Nick don't seem all that interested in the IP, I'm sure they'd sell if say the likes of Netflix, Disney or Dreamworks come a'knocking.

Nick may not be interested, but Nick knows value when they see it. If anyone comes knocking, Nick will want a huge chunk of the profit. That may make it a lot harder for another studio to come in and do something with Avatar.

 

[RoJoHen]

One thing I wish we had gotten to see more in Korra was the Fire Nation. Granted, we saw a ton of them in A:TLA, so Korra focused more on all the other nations, but I would have liked to see more of how the Fire Nation had changed since the 100 Years War.

 

[Mr Light]

That was a beautiful and satisfying finale. Sozin's Comet was better, but nothing could EVER top that.

HOLY SHIT. KORRSAMI IS REAL?! I always thought that was just a running joke! But they REALLY went there! On Nickelodeon! Mind. Blown. Kudos.

Best line of the evening: "that was before the circus people took me away". and everything about Varrick is explained

I really loved the protracted battle against the Colossus. I really thought it was over ten minutes in when they were tripping it. That was epic stuff. My complaint is that the big Korra/Kuvira duel took place in an enclosed space where they couldn't bend properly.

I'm so crushed this show is over. I loved this show. It feels like it was just getting started. There's so many stories to tell. I hope they continue the story in the comic books like they did with A:TLA. And that we see Korrasami made flesh

The way the camera panned up at the end... my interpretation is that they kissed just as they went out of frame.

Oh, one complaint. Mako should have died taking out the reactor. Come on. All those massive energy explosions and NOBODY died? Kuvira fired that cannon thirty times and never hit ANYONE. There needed to be a body from it. Mako became pretty superfluous after Book One anyway.

Ranking the seasons: 2 > 3 > 4 > 1

I don't get people who don't like 2. It was EPIC. It was so much bigger than anything else the show ever did. It made the last two years pretty anti-climactic. The origin two parter was just about the best thing ever. The ONLY episode I didn't love was "The Sting" which just felt very S3.

S3 was a much smaller plot and suffered for that, but I do remember enjoying it throughout. I only saw it once.

S4 suffered from a very slow start, but it had a very solid ending. S1 I didn't really love, the Equalists were an inherently weak villain and I was so sick of anything having to do with pro-bending.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Suitably big in scope though there probably should've been another sacrifice or two. That weapon was pretty nuts. And pretty well engineered (cleaning jets?).

Was the spirit energy used for locomotion as well? Because it seems like those units would be pretty effective even without the wave motion gun.

The way the camera panned up at the end... my interpretation is that they kissed just as they went out of frame.

I forgot what I was watching and thought it was going to happen (or at least lean in) and it seemed funny when it didn't.

 

[Mr Light]

http://www.vanityfair.com/vf-hollywood/2014/12/korra-series-finale-recap-gay-asami

Great article about the show's legacy.

 

[Christopher]

I admit it.. i love (good) romantic comedies but Varrick took the cake in this one.

I'm torn about the show's ongoing use of "Do the thing." Generally, I think that if a funny line or catchphrase is used too often, it becomes trite and lazy. But somehow they made it work here, perhaps by keeping it fresh with the variations. "I'm afraid there are no more things to do, sir." "You may now do the thing." And my personal favorite, from a while back: "Guards -- do the thing." "No! Not the thing!"

- Korra in Avatar mode is really frighteningly powerful and at the same time beautiful to see

Honestly, I was a little frustrated that it took her so long to act directly against the weapon energy. I mean, spiritual energy is the Avatar's, well, thing. Korra was falling back into her old habit of assuming that the way to deal with a problem is to hit it. She should've grown into a more Avatarry way of doing things by now, and realized that the Colossus was not just a physical problem, but a spiritual one.

Still, it was a hell of a cataclysmic climax, and one that resonates with the historical setting and themes. This world parallels the 1920s, but this was basically their World War II, with citywide devastation. And the ultimate detonation of the cannon was chillingly evocative of the atomic-bomb imagery that pervades so much anime... so it was really striking when they subverted our expectations and had that cataclysmic burst produce a positive result.

About the only weak part is how Kuvira had such a quick change of heart and saw her wrong doing, that came way to quick and was not set up properly

I do think they could've spent more time on that, yes. But maybe once she realized that Korra was very much like her rather than her opposite, and once she was forced to confront how much she was driven by her childhood fears, it shook her conviction that she was doing right.

Man, she really screwed herself over. All she wanted was family, a community that was strong and safe. But in pursuit of that, she ended up alienating everyone around her. I doubt Bataar Jr. will ever forgive her. But it's a sign of Korra's maturation into her Avatar role that she could forgive Kuvira, that she could recognize how alike they were and offer her the compassion that no one else could. And that, I think, was a large part of what humbled Kuvira and made her realize she was beaten, and maybe even that she was wrong.

and the non-fitting CGI mecha suits (it looked so bad and fake in the scene where they fell over because of the EMP).

I actually found that a charming bit of physical comedy.

and Bolin and Mako return to the Pro Bending ring (maybe with an Airbender now).

Holy hippo-cow, you're right. I hadn't considered that ramification of the return of airbenders to the world. They're going to have to rewrite the Pro Bending rules! This is huge!

Holy crap, I bet all of the Korasami shippers probably lost it with that last scene, I know I almost did. I kept hoping they would go there when they were talking, but I didn't actually think they would until they actually held each other's hand and did the look.

I'm frustrated that they didn't actually kiss, or at least start moving toward each other when the camera panned away. Of course there's no way they would've gotten away with it, but I wish they could've.

My hope is that they actually shelled out a little extra money to have the animators shoot the kiss, and that they'll release an "extended cut" of that scene at some point, even if it's just on Korra Nation or YouTube. Or even just animatics.

I wonder how much of a role the Korrasami subtext played in Nickelodeon's decision to pull the show.

I'm so crushed this show is over. I loved this show. It feels like it was just getting started. There's so many stories to tell. I hope they continue the story in the comic books like they did with A:TLA.

I do hope so. Or an animated feature film produced by Bryan & Mike.

And that we see Korrasami made flesh

There's already plenty of fan art of that...

Honestly, given that the comics are aimed at young readers and published by Nickelodeon, I'm not sure they'd have much more leeway to depict Korrasami than the show had.

Oh, one complaint. Mako should have died taking out the reactor. Come on. All those massive energy explosions and NOBODY died? Kuvira fired that cannon thirty times and never hit ANYONE. There needed to be a body from it.

As with Korrasami, there was only so much they could get past the censors. There were a few deaths; those guards at the observation post the Colossus destroyed in its debut scene in "Kuvira's Gambit" had no chance to get away, and of course Hiroshi was lost. But there were limits to how much violence they could get away with showing.

Besides, it's appropriate that Mako survived, because Bolin saved him. That made it less about Mako, Solitary Action Hero and more about Mako and Bolin, brothers who can always count on each other. Killing off Mako would've shortchanged Bolin.

Was the spirit energy used for locomotion as well?

Must've been. It couldn't have been so powerful and agile if it relied on coal or oil or something. Besides, we saw that the gun was powered by individual cartridges, no doubt each containing a length of spirit vine, while the engine room had a huge clump of vines at the heart.

 

[Mr Light]

Confirmation of Korrasami from the creator...?
https://scontent-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net...=8f7be31b91db817257afd419c4e91ea7&oe=553644B3


Another thing I expected to happen but didn't:

When the spirit forest seized control of the weapon and started firing it, I expected that was the spirits finally intervening and they would use it to kill Kuvira for perverting their energy.

And just for total nerdgasm, it could have been Koh the Face Stealer

 

[Christopher]

You know, it occurs to me: The series heavily featured Aang and Katara's children and grandchildren and Toph's children and grandchildren, and we met Zuko's grandson Iroh and even more briefly met his daughter Izumi. But we never saw any of Sokka's heirs, if any. Sure, Tenzin and his siblings are Sokka's nephews and niece, but didn't he and Suki have kids who went on to do awesome things? I guess it would've been a bit too coincidental if all the Gaang's kids and grandkids ended up at the center of all things, but the show came pretty close to that as it was.

Confirmation of Korrasami from the creator...?
https://scontent-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net...=8f7be31b91db817257afd419c4e91ea7&oe=553644B3

I think the scene itself is confirmation of that. As the article says, it parallels the closing scene of A:TLA's final episode, which had Aang and Katara facing each other in that same pose (before kissing); and the Avatar Wiki points out that the final word spoken in both scenes was "Perfect." So there's no question they were paralleling Korra and Asami to Aang and Katara, and A:TLA ended with Aang and Katara as a romantic couple.

When the spirit forest seized control of the weapon and started firing it, I expected that was the spirits finally intervening and they would use it to kill Kuvira for perverting their energy.

That's not what happened. Kuvira is the one who fired the weapon. But the weapon was designed to draw on spirit vine energy, and it was in the middle of a dense clump of spirit vines, so once it started firing, it couldn't stop. It just kept blasting like a runaway fire hose, out of anything's control -- and it was like firing a flamethrower in a munitions dump, threatening to release all the energy of the spirit grove at once. It might have devastated both worlds if Korra hadn't stepped in and channelled it. Well, I'm not sure just what she did, but her intervention and her will must have been somehow responsible for turning it into an act of creation rather than destruction.

 

[RoJoHen]

You know, it occurs to me: The series heavily featured Aang and Katara's children and grandchildren and Toph's children and grandchildren, and we met Zuko's grandson Iroh and even more briefly met his daughter Izumi. But we never saw any of Sokka's heirs, if any. Sure, Tenzin and his siblings are Sokka's nephews and niece, but didn't he and Suki have kids who went on to do awesome things? I guess it would've been a bit too coincidental if all the Gaang's kids and grandkids ended up at the center of all things, but the show came pretty close to that as it was.

Didn't you hear? Sokka got back together with Yue. They had lots and lots of moon babies.

Seriously, though, Suki's name was never even mentioned in this show, so for all we know they broke up. They were only teenagers when they got together, after all. Not all relationships last forever.

HOWEVER, I do like the idea of them staying together. We know from Korra Season 1 that Sokka is dead. Maybe Suki is also dead. Or maybe she's retired on Kyoshi Island. Who knows? It would be nice to find out what happened to them, though.

Also, Azula. I would have loved to find out her fate. Basically, I think we need a whole new Avatar series that takes place in between A:TLA and Korra.

 

[Christopher]

Basically, I think we need a whole new Avatar series that takes place in between A:TLA and Korra.

That's what the comics are for.


By the way, when these last couple of episodes revealed the full names of Zhu Li Moon and Iknik Blackstone Varrick, it got me wondering -- how many characters in the Avatarverse have surnames at all? There's the whole Beifong clan, of course, and there's Hiroshi and Asami Sato. There's Buttercup Raiko (the president's wife) and the announcer, Shiro Shinobi. There's Cabbagecorp CEO Lau Gan-Lan. And in the comics there's Kori Morishita. But they're about it. Most characters who have two names use them as a single name, like Ty Lee or Long Feng, so I don't think those count as given name/surname combinations. Most characters don't seem to use more than one name. Then again, we didn't know that Varrick and Zhu Li had other names until the formal occasions of their proposal and wedding. So maybe there are other characters who have full names they only use in formal contexts.

 

[SG-17]

Despite some of our personal feelings on the show we should recognize two things.

1. How immensely successful the franchise has been. How many cartoons on kids networks, or even TV shows in general get sequel series? The only notable examples I can think of are Rugrats and Star Trek. The fact that Avatar got one, and it ran for 52 episodes is astounding, despite Nick's attempts at sabotage.

2. How culturally significant it is for the main character of the show to be a woman and LGBT. In live action TV on the big networks you'll get this often, but on obstinately kids network? This is the first, at least the first confirmed on screen. Hopefully the immensely positive reception the ending is getting will convince these networks to be as open with homosexual relationships in their shows as they are with heterosexual ones.

 

[Mr Light]

Well.... you could easily interpret that last scene as platonic. I certainly wouldn't, but they didn't kiss or anything.

 

[SG-17]

Well.... you could easily interpret that last scene as platonic. I certainly wouldn't, but they didn't kiss or anything.

Only if you are looking for an excuse. The ending was so obvious that you can tell the only reason they didn't kiss was the Nick censors.

Firstly, the pose they were in, holding hands and looking into each others eyes, has only been used by couples in romantic relationships. P'li and Zaheer, Baatar Jr and Kuvira, Varrick and Zhu Li.

Secondly, it is very significant that Asami upstaged Tenzin during the final bows.

Thirdly, the music playing at the end was a modified version of "Avatar's Love" from the end of ATLA.

Fourthly, the fact that Korra and Asami were looking at each other rather than forward is symbolically significant.

When shows end like this, usually the main character is the last to bow out and ends with them looking towards their future. The entire end of the episode was about Korra and Asami, they look at each other, their futures together. There is a really good tumblr post that explains this more eloquently than I can.

Also, if any non-familiar man (Bolin or Wu for example) took the place of Asami during the final scene, would there be any ambiguity over the intent? I very much doubt it. The ambiguity between Asami and Korra is manufactured.

I never shipped anyone in this series, but as you can tell, the ending turned me into a shipper.

 

[Christopher]

Despite some of our personal feelings on the show we should recognize two things.

1. How immensely successful the franchise has been. How many cartoons on kids networks, or even TV shows in general get sequel series? The only notable examples I can think of are Rugrats and Star Trek. The fact that Avatar got one, and it ran for 52 episodes is astounding, despite Nick's attempts at sabotage.

Actually there have been a number of other animated series with sequels. The Ben 10 franchise is nearly a decade old and on its fourth distinct show (although the middle two were just the same show under different titles, really), and it's up to 230 episodes in total, plus four movies (two live-action, one CGI) and a crossover special with Generator Rex.

And there have been other series on Nickelodeon alone that have run far longer and had far more episodes than the Avatar franchise -- Spongebob, Fairly Oddparents, etc.

So in terms of sheer number of episodes, the franchise hasn't really done that great compared to others. But it's made quite an impact in terms of critical acclaim and recognition, and is bound to be hugely influential on future creators.

2. How culturally significant it is for the main character of the show to be a woman and LGBT.

Not only that, but a woman of color, and a muscular woman rather than a supermodel-skinny one. Korra pretty much busted every convention for an action hero.

Hopefully the immensely positive reception the ending is getting will convince these networks to be as open with homosexual relationships in their shows as they are with heterosexual ones.

I think it'll take a while to win that battle, but this is definitely a potent opening salvo.

Well.... you could easily interpret that last scene as platonic. I certainly wouldn't, but they didn't kiss or anything.

Not easily, I think. One would have to be willfully blind to the signs to believe that. Here's a great essay that breaks down the finale and explains all the reasons why it was unambiguously a romantic finale. [EDIT: Oops, SG-17 beat me to it.] Korra and Asami's final pose paralleled not only Aang and Katara's final pose in their finale, but Varrick and Zhu Li's pose at their wedding not five minutes before. Also, all the other relationships and arcs were wrapped up first with Korra and Asami saved for last, meaning, from a story-structure standpoint, that Asami is more important to Korra's future than anyone else -- and as they looked to the future, they were looking at each other, not at the wonders of the Spirit World. The symbolism is overwhelming on many levels, even without an overt kiss: Korra and Asami are a couple, more important to each other than anyone else is, and moving forward in a committed relationship.

And really, this has been clear for a while now. Asami was the one who tended to Korra during her paralysis -- dressing her, undressing her, bathing her. That's a very intimate interaction. Asami is the wealthiest woman in the city and could've easily hired a full-time nursing staff for Korra, but she personally took care of her. And Asami was the only one Korra wrote to during her three-year absence. She couldn't confide in her closest friends, but she could open up to Asami. There's a deep bond there.

And it was the little things, too. What finally removed all doubt in my mind was the bit in "Reunion" where Asami complimented Korra on her new haircut and Korra's cheeks briefly blushed red. Who blushes at a compliment from a platonic friend? A blush indicates strong emotion, whether arousal or embarrassment. There was clearly more going on there than a simple "I like your hair."

There's no way all of this happened by accident. This was undoubtedly a romance going on behind the scenes, told subtly and subversively because Nickelodeon would never have allowed it to be overt. So yeah, you could choose to ignore the signs and stick only to a strict surface reading of the text, but I wouldn't call that easy. It would be a lot harder to find evidence that they aren't a couple than it is to find evidence that they are. After all, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.


Anyway, maybe the producers couldn't actually show us Korra and Asami kissing, but fortunately fandom has already made up for that, and man, is it steamy (but safe for work, unless your workplace is very anti-LGBT):

http://io9.com/now-this-is-how-the-legend-of-korra-really-should-have-1673635230

 

[Enterprise1701]

Oh if only they could have shown Korra and Asami kiss in the final scene.

I wish Zuko, Izumi, Desna, and Eska could have appeared at the wedding of Varrick and Zhu Li. Everyone else was in attendance for the heroes of Republic City.

And following The Promise, The Search, and the recently concluded The Rift, we're getting the graphic novel trilogy Smoke and Shadow. Yay! I hope Zuko and Mai finally get back together and get married, showing the roots of Izumi.

http://avatar.wikia.com/wiki/Smoke_and_Shadow

 

[RoJoHen]

Okay, I need to get my hands on the comics.

 

[Christopher]

I got the first set of comics in single volumes, and then I saw the collected, annotated edition at the bookstore. So I waited on the second one until it was complete and I could get the annotated hardcover... and the dang thing's too tall to fit on my comics shelf! So I have it resting flat on top of the other stuff on the shelf, which is not a situation I'm particularly satisfied with. Not sure what to do about the third comic trilogy.