The Legend of Korra - Book One: Air

[Christopher]

Didn't see how they got back onto the platform after being thrown off though. There was an elevator on the far wall, but how did they get onto the platform?

We saw a shot of that, didn't we? There's a bridge/platform thingy that slides out mechanically to abut with the ring.

- Pabu is a cute little guy but he doesn't have all the lively quirks that Momo had. Same story with Naga, who's lacking that "something" that Appa had which made him a rich character for an animal.

I think that's because the show skews older both in cast and target audience. Making the animal sidekicks more personified is more a younger-kids sort of thing, I think. Here they're behaving more like realistic animals. I actually find Naga quite endearing, even though I'm not a dog person and would be scared to death of her if she really existed and came anywhere near me. I loved the bit last week where Naga was lying on her back and Korra was petting her belly. That was adorable.

 

[Agent Richard07]

Didn't see how they got back onto the platform after being thrown off though. There was an elevator on the far wall, but how did they get onto the platform?

We saw a shot of that, didn't we? There's a bridge/platform thingy that slides out mechanically to abut with the ring.

I must have missed it.

I think that's because the show skews older both in cast and target audience. Making the animal sidekicks more personified is more a younger-kids sort of thing, I think. Here they're behaving more like realistic animals.

That's a fair point.

 

[intrinsical]

- Pabu is a cute little guy but he doesn't have all the lively quirks that Momo had. Same story with Naga, who's lacking that "something" that Appa had which made him a rich character for an animal.

I think that's because the show skews older both in cast and target audience. Making the animal sidekicks more personified is more a younger-kids sort of thing, I think. Here they're behaving more like realistic animals. I actually find Naga quite endearing, even though I'm not a dog person and would be scared to death of her if she really existed and came anywhere near me. I loved the bit last week where Naga was lying on her back and Korra was petting her belly. That was adorable.

Sorry, but I don't see how a drunk/depressed ferret is considered as "behaving more like realistic animals".

 

[Christopher]

^The word "more" is comparative, not absolute. Of course the animal characters are anthropomorphized to some extent, but not as much as Appa and Momo were.

 

[Redfern]

After that binge session, the poor lil' thing looked like it could have out burped both Bolin and Korra.

Sincerely,

Bill

 

[SG-17]

Wow... that was an amazing episode.


Also Tenzin and Lin? Didn't expect that.

 

[Christopher]

This episode was very intense. After the end of that huge, epic action scene, I was literally panting hard. I think that's because it wasn't just exciting action, but because there were some good character beats there too, especially Lin and Korra coming together and fighting as a team. I'd been wanting to see another kickass female fighter in this show, since it didn't seem right that we only had one so far, and Lin certainly fits that bill (though I was hoping for someone younger and hotter).

But Fridge Logic kicked in afterward, and I realized the setup had some serious credibility problems. If the police knew Amon was planning an attack, why were they taken by surprise? Didn't it occur to them that Equalists might sneak in with the audience? Why didn't they search the attendees before letting them in? They must know the Equalists use electric weapons, and metalbending cops would be walking metal detectors, so they should've been able to tell that the weapons were being smuggled in.

I also have a hard time believing the Wolfbats could've gotten away with committing so many blatant fouls and bribing the referees to ignore them. Wouldn't there be some higher authority that could be appealed to in a case of such blatant cheating? Even if the refs ruled them the winners, couldn't it be overturned later and the championship taken away from them?

Anyway, I have to admire how dedicated Shiro Shinobi, the pro-bending announcer, is to his job. He just kept on reporting the play-by-play events even when he himself was being attacked (though he gave us a little too much information there). Really, the Equalists should've left him conscious to keep reporting; it would've helped spread fear if the public had heard every bit of what happened.

Korra's still getting more flashbacks of Aang, Toph, and the others. That's bound to become significant.

 

[JD]

Yeah, I was wondering what the significance of that flashback was, it definitely seems like their leading to something there.
I really enjoyed this episode, it had great actions, humor, and some outstanding character moments.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

But Fridge Logic kicked in afterward, and I realized the setup had some serious credibility problems. If the police knew Amon was planning an attack, why were they taken by surprise? Didn't it occur to them that Equalists might sneak in with the audience? Why didn't they search the attendees before letting them in? They must know the Equalists use electric weapons, and metalbending cops would be walking metal detectors, so they should've been able to tell that the weapons were being smuggled in.

Perhaps in old world naivete they didn't expect such a "dirty" tactic and were preparing for a more direct assault? Like 9/11 and expecting the terrorists to ransom the plane or some such when they commandeered them.

 

[Psylent1]

Yeah, I was wondering what the significance of that flashback was, it definitely seems like their leading to something there.
I really enjoyed this episode, it had great actions, humor, and some outstanding character moments.

I think the flashbacks are Aang trying to communicate with the Spirit-blind Korra. Until she enters the Avatar state the first time, she can't communicate with him, but maybe he can try to send her information.

I am curious as to why Amon didn't take away Korra, Tenzin or Lin's bending? Considering the only people he has stripped of their bending were criminals and cheats, maybe he can't.

 

[Christopher]

Perhaps in old world naivete they didn't expect such a "dirty" tactic and were preparing for a more direct assault?

Maybe, but even in the "old world" there's surely plenty of history of invaders getting in by stealth rather than brute force (for instance, it was by stealthy infiltration that Azula was able to conquer Ba Sing Se where brute-force attacks had failed).

I am curious as to why Amon didn't take away Korra, Tenzin or Lin's bending? Considering the only people he has stripped of their bending were criminals and cheats, maybe he can't.

Amon is a demagogue, wanting to make the biggest public splash possible. He was focused on making a political statement by, err, debendifying the champions there in the ring with the audience looking on in terror. He didn't have the time to travel around that whole big arena and put his whammy on every bender there. At least, he didn't have the chance to do so before Korra got free and attacked him.

Besides, we already know from two weeks ago that he doesn't want to make a martyr of Korra by taking away her bending, not until the time is right.

 

[RoJoHen]

I think the flashbacks are Aang trying to communicate with the Spirit-blind Korra. Until she enters the Avatar state the first time, she can't communicate with him, but maybe he can try to send her information.

That would be interesting, but the flashbacks seem to be showing Korra a very specific event. That's what I'm most curious about. What happened during Aang's time as the Avatar that relates to what is going on now?

 

[Reverend]

..But Fridge Logic kicked in afterward, and I realized the setup had some serious credibility problems. If the police knew Amon was planning an attack, why were they taken by surprise? Didn't it occur to them that Equalists might sneak in with the audience? Why didn't they search the attendees before letting them in? They must know the Equalists use electric weapons, and metalbending cops would be walking metal detectors, so they should've been able to tell that the weapons were being smuggled in.

The police were expecting a frontal attack from chi blockers, the electro gloves are something new and more compact than they've seen before. I doubt it occurred to them to search every box of popcorn for hidden weapons and even if it did, it would have been impractical.

Also, I think you overestimate a metal bender's perceptive abilities. Toph was a special case because of her blindness. A naturally sighted earth bender would certainly not be anywhere near as accurate. Plus of course the building had metal everywhere, from the structure to the seat supports.

I also have a hard time believing the Wolfbats could've gotten away with committing so many blatant fouls and bribing the referees to ignore them. Wouldn't there be some higher authority that could be appealed to in a case of such blatant cheating? Even if the refs ruled them the winners, couldn't it be overturned later and the championship taken away from them?

You have to think of it in terms of how professional sports were done back in the late 19th & early 20th century. It was often pretty crooked, especially where there was money involved and there was nothing like the kind of oversight from governing bodies there is today...where it can still be pretty crooked at times since there's a *lot* of money involved.

Really though, my assumption was that Amon arranged for the judges and the Wolfbats to throw the match (most likely through third parties, to keep them in the dark.) He wouldn't want Korra's team to win as, like he already said, he wants to deal with her when the time is right. So it wouldn't matter to him how blatant the cheating was. Given what he had planned it'd be a moot point.

For their part I think the Wolfbats were just arrogant enough to think they'd get away with it and dim enough not to know when they're being used.

I think the flashbacks are Aang trying to communicate with the Spirit-blind Korra. Until she enters the Avatar state the first time, she can't communicate with him, but maybe he can try to send her information.

That would be interesting, but the flashbacks seem to be showing Korra a very specific event. That's what I'm most curious about. What happened during Aang's time as the Avatar that relates to what is going on now?

One assumes it'll figure into the identity of Amon. I'm willing to bet it's a character we're already familiar with...though that'd make him very old.

I really like how the story is unfolding so far. It's been a nice balance of action, comedy, drama and intrigue. A combination that rarely works so well together.

 

[Mr Light]

First half of the episode; ugh, yet another pro-bending episode. I'm really sick of this concept. There's no real danger or drama to these things.

Second half of the episode: well done action sequence. Nice to see the Equalists actually doing something. But yet again, Amon is standing right in front of three excellent benders and manages to dodge around to avoid their attacks. Yeah, right. I'm thinking at this point this is just going to be a systemic flaw to this series that won't be addressed.

Here's a random thought; maybe Amon can only steal the bending from an impure/corrupted person. That's why he hasn't taken it from any of our heroes. Didn't he call bending an "impurity" and talk about their corruption? If he truly is working on behalf of a Spirit, and not evil Koh, then maybe he can only harm someone that the Spirits deem to be impure and corrupted, and not someone noble and heroic.

The first guess would be the evil looking dude Adult Aang is facing off against is the Future Amon.

 

[Agent Richard07]

First half of the episode; ugh, yet another pro-bending episode. I'm really sick of this concept. There's no real danger or drama to these things.

I thought the same thing, but there was some good humor with Tenzin's love life. Good beginning, not so good middle, then a great ending that left me wanting more. Amon and his group always leave me shaken.

 

[Snaploud]

But yet again, Amon is standing right in front of three excellent benders and manages to dodge around to avoid their attacks. Yeah, right.

It's been shown from the original show's inception that individuals in this universe have the potential to do some amazing acrobatics to dodge fireballs, water, and rocks. They also seem very resilient when hit with those elements.

It makes some sense story-wise. Otherwise, the fire-benders probably would have killed Aang and his friends within the first couple episodes.

I usually just assume that these are all aliens with better reflexes and regenerative abilities than humans.

 

[Auriq]

I don't know if anyone's mentioned it (I haven't noticed, but apologize if someone has), but I just rewatched the episode and noticed something. When Amon is dodging the attacks from the Wolfbats, he has a very specific way of moving.

He's moving like an airbender.

On top of that, during the flashbacks of Aang and Toph, in the shot where you see Aang in the Avatar State, the man kneeling in front of him has wild and spiked hair. Actually, he looks alot like the image that been released of Bumi, Aang and Katara's other son.

I am really starting to agree that Amon is Bumi.

 

[Christopher]

But yet again, Amon is standing right in front of three excellent benders and manages to dodge around to avoid their attacks. Yeah, right. I'm thinking at this point this is just going to be a systemic flaw to this series that won't be addressed.

Like I said last time you brought this up, that kind of evasion is basic to a lot of martial arts. Winning (or surviving) in martial arts isn't just about hitting, it's about not getting hit. And we saw plenty of such evasions in the original series. As I've stated several times already, what Amon and the Equalists do is the same thing Ty Lee did. She was a chi-blocker and acrobat who was adept at dodging attacks. From the Avatar Wiki:

Ty Lee was extraordinarily acrobatic.... Because of this, she was very fast and agile in battle, able to outmaneuver almost any opponent she came across. Her abilities allowed her to dodge dozens of powerful earthbenders, who were unable to land a hit on her.

So I don't understand why you think this is something new.

Yes, Amon's ability to dodge is exaggerated, but no more so than all the characters' ability to fight, jump, withstand injury, etc. is exaggerated. This is not realism, it's more like the wuxia genre where the ability of martial artists is exaggerated to superhuman or even magical levels.

I don't know if anyone's mentioned it (I haven't noticed, but apologize if someone has), but I just rewatched the episode and noticed something. When Amon is dodging the attacks from the Wolfbats, he has a very specific way of moving.

He's moving like an airbender.

Yes, I noticed that too. The same circular, balletic moves that Korra learned in episode 2 and used to dodge her opponents' attacks in the climax.

 

[RoJoHen]

While watching the battle at the end of this episode, I had a feeling I never had before. They should make an Avatar video game! A nice, big, open-world video game where you master the elements and fight to save the world.

 

[Agent Richard07]

You guys are good at picking up on a lot of these details. I don't notice any of this stuff. Maybe I watch too passively. That, and I often don't stop to consider that cartoons or TV shows in general are willing to go into a lot of detail. If what you're all saying is accurate, I'll get onboard with this Bumi business too, for now. I've tried to look at the images of Aang & Co. that Korra is getting, but everything moves too fast and I can't pick up much of anything. Haven't bothered to pause it either.