THE LEGEND OF KORRA - Season 2, Episodes 1-4 (Patreon)

Korra coverage continues! If you missed season one recaps, here ya go! 

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 / Season One Finale 

Onto Season two!

1. REBEL SPIRITS

Ya know, call me crazy, I’m beginning to think maybe this show has brother issues.

Though that could certainly be extended to sibling issues. Or family issues in general. Part of the reason this is true is because EVERYONE’S FREAKING RELATED. The moment when Korra’s Dad looks to the northern water tribe leader and is like “brother!” and Bolin and Mako look at each other like “oh no!” gave me all sorts of bad flashbacks to the worst instincts of last season. Again, there’s so much short-hand assumption that blood means EVERYTHING (along with assuming characters will fill roles that ones in the old show did). And it’s not that the show doesn’t sometimes explore that, it’s that it often explores it so tepidly as to render the constant decisions to make everyone family feel hack. Meanwhile, everything good in this show happens when humans just interact with each other and aren’t drawn into some needlessly complicated web of genealogy. 

But truth be told, I kind of liked the first episode anyway.

The first good sign was this little bit of interiority with Asami. First she tells her financial advisor that she’s going to put Future Industries back on top after her dad’s bad guy turn! But then there’s little sullen, stoic face she makes afterwards where it’s telling the audience she knows how hard this is going to be, but she’s still trying to put her best face forward. I honestly don’t know what to expect from her character this season but 1) not knowing is refreshing after leaving her in a reactionary state last season and 2) I certainly want something substantial. So far the choice of even of focusing on her personal BUSINESS GOALS is something I’m into. As for them not really addressing the Mako break-up stuff, I’m pretty okay with it mostly because I don’t want them to rehash the weakness of last season (though I already have worries about Bolin getting close? Maybe that moment was nothing).

Meanwhile, Korra’s first moment on screen with the air bubble race and using the Avatar State to win? That feels like a good start and getting at something more solid with her characterization! Don’t get me wrong, these competitive elements of her personality were there before, but she finally feels like less a blank slate of a person, nor as naive, nor as reactive. Sure, she always gets ahead of herself, but we’re really seeing is the clearer articulation of two kinds of ways of being stubborn. The first is with boyfriend Mako, who she’s constantly getting frustrated with it (though I worry “ugh how do I talk to my girlfriend!” gender politics already feels so dated). At least it resolves with some maturity.

The second and more pronounced depiction of stubbornness comes with her ongoing training with Tenzin. Korra already feels like she’s got air bending down and is ready to move on, but he rather adequately points out that she still has a way to go. I like the reset here for the most part, but it’s sadly inheriting a little of the psychological fuzziness of what came before. To put it simply, I wish if there was a bigger “lesson” at the end of season one other than Korra simply being able to say “I know airbending now!” and it not really being attached to a deeper change. But at least the Tenzin dynamic continues to just be one of the stronger bits of the show. And I even like how the episode ultimately upends it.

First, we go to Korra’s home Northern tribe and (re-meet?) her dad. As far as his personality goes, he’s more or less playful? I dunno. It’s hard because a lot of times in this show we get some affectation or THE HISTORY of a character, but there’s not much psychological meat on the bones. The big thing seems to be that Korra’s dad has turned their big spiritual festival into, well, a crass commercialization of Christmas? I guess it’s that kinda parable? Only thing is that the narrative sort seems to be fine with the modernization, but his stern northern spiritual brother is most definitely not. 

Especially because it’s making the spirits are upset! Stern Uncle is thus convinced he should take Korra to train her in the spiritual ways. Tenzin thinks it’s a terrible idea, but more than anything, Korra wants a change. It stays briefly at an impass, but when a spirit attacks the festival (sort of) it’s stern uncle to the rescue! And after demonstrating his spirit-calming prowess, Korra makes her decision: she’s going to train with her uncle and learn the spiritual world. But then he sort of gives this ominous words of “i have great plans for you.” Dun Dun DUNNNNNN.

Okay, let’s talk about information and timing because it seems to be an ongoing problem with this show. Last season there was this whole “air of mysteriousness!” around certain characters like Tarrlok, but it’s just them not understanding how to set-up a reveal. To wit, character rooting mechanics are usually very simple in their architecture. We build it up so you like and trust some characters! Then we learn to hate others! Good storytelling turns happen when the ones we like will deceive us, or often better, learn to genuinely like the ones we previously misjudged (or in Zuko’s case, show us how they are capable of change). You do this through meaningful reveals and change points. But last season of Korra (and now this episode) opts for this ineffective writing technique where it’s squarely placing them in this vague in between. Every time we get a look at behavior and motivations it’s always sort of hinting with this “that guy might have worse motivations!” And then the cinema / dialogue emphasizes them in this way where it’s obvious like “WHoooOOOoo meeeEEEeeeeEe??? MayYYyyYyybe!” 

Ugh. I see it all the time from writers who don’t know how to layer in their storylines and you use tactics, you know, like basic misdirection. Remember, when you’re being a magician, the goal is to make “look over here!” and not see what you’re doing with your other hand. But they don’t do that at all. It’s like POINTING AT THE HAND and saying “oh what’s going on here, it MIGHT BE MAGIC!” which renders any reveal with the hand to feel lacking in catharsis. It’s this purposeless cryptic teasing that just makes us sit on our butts and wait for the information to be more clear - AKA when it gets later into the seasons run’s and “it’s time for actual storytelling to happen.” 

I really have trouble with this kind of writing because it’s born out of the worst instincts. So many people hid their story because they literally don’t know how to tell a straight forward story (and often mistakenly assume “straight forward” is boring). I mean, if Uncle Spirit Guy is evil? Tell us now because it the dramatic irony better. If you want to make it a reveal later? Make him more endearing. Or make the relationship actually with Korra’s dad or someone far more important than some meaningless blood relative. And if you want to make us hate him THEN like him? Come on stronger. Cause right now I don’t know what to do with it. He’s just Tarrlok 2.0 which is a really bad sign.

To the point that their design is even horrifyingly similar????? I mean: Tarrlok VS. Bad Uncle. Like sheesh.

Even with all that, the thing about Korra is that I’m at least at peace with what the show “is” at this point. Largely better understand who is actually telling it and hoping that they’re going to be learning the right lessons along the way.

Random thoughts:

-Bad Spirit Uncle’s name is apparently Unalaq!

-Pretty sure there’s an homage / rip of the Simpsons gag where Principal Skinner backs out of the while bowing to Homer (it was during The Stone Cutters episode).

-“Some funny animal stuff for the kids”/ “Looks like someone trying to take your place as “stick in the mud mentor!” It’s funny, but I feel there’s a little too much of calling out of / joking about the established dynamics of the show instead of simply BEING and CARING about those dynamics. You really need the right balance.

-Okay, the “movers” gag is good

Moving on!

2. THE SOUTHERN LIGHTS

Well, that’s less like it!

All in all it’s a pretty light-on-everything episode considering Korra literally connects with the spirit world and opens up the southern lights, but alas, it’s what to expect of a show that rarely seems seems to connect anything the Avatar does to a deeper thematic idea, nor a character’s internal journey. It’s all just Macguffins and power enablers up in here! 

Weirdly, the thing I was most excited about was seeing Tenzin arrive at the air temple for his vacation. I hope there’s something substantial to this plot, but it sort of just feels like busy time right now? All we get is the little beat of the oldest (middlest?) daughter walking around a temple and hearing a noise and it feeling all like some kind of draw in? I mean I’m curious to find out what’s going on there! 

Note: I’m editing this piece and having watched the first four episodes, the answer so far is nothing. Sigh. What is it with the penchant of this show for me getting me excited about the possibility of things that don’t become real stories? Womp - womp! No arcs! ONLY TEASING OUT NONSENSE!

It’s also the show’s penchant for plot blocking. This episode sort of has a textbook exchange for the series: Korra “What happened in the past?” Dad: “it doesn’t matter! (audience: uh, it clearly does though) Uncle / Dad (I can’t remember which): “What matters is the Everstorm???” (Audience: I don’t care, it seems like we’re trying to distract) Bolin, interrupting our thoughts: “The Everstorm???” Uncle: “YES, THANK YOU FOR REPEATING THE WORD WITH A QUESTION THAT MAKES THIS SEEM LIKE A DIALOGUE VERSUS ME JUST EXPLAINING PLOT MCGUFFIN STUFF, ANYWAY, HERES SOME PLOT MCGUFFIN STUFF.”

The delay of this information is even more pointless because it comes out just a few scenes later. Why? Because this show would always rather spill out exposition in a long drawn out explanation rather than have it happen through conflict of argumentation (god forbid there’s character based conflict!). Korra gets angry people keep hiding things from her and it’s like, hey, we’re right there with ya, Korra.

We also get hinting the dark spirits seem GOOD or ALSO BAD, MAYBE. Again the show is just presenting vagueness. Same goes for the continued obvious problems of Unalaq’s sinister motivations and we’re just constantly on our heels going, “what do I think of this person?” It’s just another one of those things that makes me realize that when I was watching Avatar I wasn’t thinking about people’s motivations at all. It presented itself in a straight forward manner so we could just BE IN IT. And if story turns happened? Then we could simply be surprised because it wasn’t always trying to hint at stuff. 

But because season one of Korra was so wishy washy and obvious, I’m not sure what to do with these equally obvious tells. Like when the show drops SUPER CLEAR tells of showing Unalaq controlling the spirits and “YOU were supposed to be chief, then he became chief!” it’s establishing the clear motivation for his meddling. But hell, we could tell this ten seconds into meeting them. But Korra is so so so so SO far behind the audience. And it only gets worse after the super obvious sting where Unalaq’s northern army shows up at then. Again, if you can tell someone’s bad? THEN USE IT FOR DRAMA. But again it strides to the wishy washy middle of people having to go through all the nonsense plot mechanics.

At least the show is moving a bit faster? Ugh. I have to say. If it’s gonna repeat all the same mistakes, honestly, It should be faster still.

Random Thoughts:

-That sounds like Aubrey Plaza? … *Looks it up* … It is! 

-Whoa, Korra’s dad is ripped and can get it.

-It continues to be clear that Unalaq is either controlling the spirits or they are controlling him or something, So how long will they make this super clear and yet pretend the audience can’t see this? The problem is not that it’s doing good plants and set-up. Those are good! They make eventual reveals feel earned! It’s that there’s absolutely no other dramatic misdirect happening around it.

Which makes the audience have to wait…

3. CIVIL WARS - PART 1

Sigh. Y’all this is getting harder. 

First, let’s talk about story parameters and the problems of forced conflicts. Because everything about the army showing up, the two sides arguing, the Uncle Unalaq kidnapping is just so utterly forced. Meaning I don’t believe the construction of any of it. Nor do I believe that Korra would be middle-of-the-roading-it and reacting as tepidly as she does to obvious evil. Nor I do not believe that people would be reacting the way they do in the streets. Nor do I believe that Korra would take nonsense hand wavy lines from Unalaq like “I must protect it from those who would do the spirits harm!” (audience: wait, WHO would do spirits harm?) and not even have a follow question. He can even say the most bad guy lines possible like “I’m uniting, not invading” And nothing gets addressed. All of it is a ridiculous farce of a set-up. But the writing NEEDS all these things to go unquestioned or else the flimsiest, most ridiculous construction of an overarching conflict I’ve seen in this show yet would shatter into a billion pieces. 

And it makes it so hard to care. When you watch characters go through these nonsensical permutations of plotting and you can see the architecture in a way that feels like such empty manipulation, again, you just end up waiting. It’s mostly because the show is hell-bent on delaying / hiding the ACTUAL clear conflict at the center. Like in season one with the nonsense reveal of Amon being the brother (like it meant anything). Likewise, I just think for a story that’s genuinely about two brothers in direct conflict we see very little actual drama between them and more something that’s being deferred for later.

Meanwhile: WAIT, WAS AANG A BAD DAD WHO ONLY TOOK ONE OF HIS KIDS ON VACATION??? WHAT THE FUCK. Truth be told I like exploring the ways big, beloved characters can be flawed. Avatar actually handled their journeys to maturity quite well, but that’s not quite what’s happening here, is it? For one, they aren’t dramatized hiccups along the way to understanding (aka storytelling). In fact, there’s something about “not seeing it” that gives me outright pause. It’s such telling not showing for something that feels like A BIG thing to explore with a given character. And it’s the three kids letting out all their prehistory like it’s a list of lore and very little in terms of actualization within the narrative. But hey, uh, at least their after a goal in finding Ikki???

Sigh. I miss adventures and objectives.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

-Where is the shark squid??? How dare it not show me the shark squid!!!

-Every single time we get good, clear character interactions like Korra’s dad asking “Do it for the me?” and a disappointed Korra answering, “I’ll do it for the tribe,” I’m reminded of what this show COULD be and I don’t know if that makes me like it better or worse.

-The joke of Mako being band-aid-ripper-offer and Bolin joking “Korra better watch out,” is the kind of jokes that work as good things that actually set-up character dynamics. Will this actually play out? Knowing this show, likely not? It’s just a funny line? But maybe? Hopefully???

-Okay, am I crazy or are they turning TOO HARD into Bolin’s new girlfriend being an “let’s write Aubrey Plaza as an Aubrey Plaza type character” to the point that we’re just on ANOTHER PLANET with this story? Just me?

-I just realized there’s so much brother fighting in this show it makes me think about any close creative partnership and I’m like, wait are DIMARTINO AND KONIETZKO OK???

-“Dark spirits would THRIVE off this war!” Annnnnnd there’s Unalaq’s deeper motivation. This one is better hid, but man, conflict always in shows sucks when it’s always part of some master plan that’s slowly being unfurled and not part of an organic story with it’s own motivations along the way.

- I wrote a note at the final gotcha-style arrest of Korra’s dad, “this is show is nothing.”

Again. Sigh.

4. CIVIL WAR: PART 2

If the forced plotting was bad in the episode prior, the courtroom stuff at the start of this one makes it look downright subtle. I genuinely couldn’t believe Korra’s reaction to the artificial conflict at points. Judge: “Needed you to think the trial was fair!” Audience: Uh, dude that took two seconds and no one thought it was fair!?!?!? And later there’s the moment where Korra is like “I can’t believe I trusted you” to Unalaq and it’s like “I can’t either, you had no reason to, narratively speaking and yet the writers made you anyway!” 

Still, this eventually becomes what is now part of now traditional THE LEGEND OF KORRA brand of episodes that “reveals all the things that were super obvious and sure, it feels better because now we’re fighting with clear objectives and yet it also feels somewhat unsatisfying because we haven’t really built up to anything… yay?” 

Right now Varrick is pretty much the only character getting me through this. It’s not just that he’s comic relief, nor is he some amazingly articulated character. It’s more that at least I get who he is and understand the decisions he’s making! And doing so with agency! In other words, he provides positive conflict against our villains and qualifies a basic character. The fact that this is something direly needed tells you how bad the state of psychological affairs is for everyone else.

I mean, remember three episodes ago when I was excited for that moment of interiority with Asami? Yeah it was my fault for having hope. She hasn’t gotten to do anything since. Nor has Mako, really? And Bolin’s story with Aubrey Plaza is at least amusing, but it’s also flimsy (and absolutely too “OMG CRAZY GF” for my taste). Meanwhile, Korra’s story still has nothing really to do with her characterization or arc with her family. And even though we finally have Unalaq’s clarity of being the bad guy, we’re still gonna be waiting on that whole “him controlling the spirits” thing, huh? Then they’ll present like it’s a huge reveal? Cool cool cool.

Still, the best part of the season so far comes in the form of the tea party. Tenzin sitting down with Ikki to have the little meta conversation about family, well, it was just one of the moments in the show that felt right. It was properly set up in how it mirrors the conflict within each of them. They talk it out with understanding and growth. Even if it’s not exactly dramatized, it’s the show giving us some kind of shape and insight. And given that we’re struggling for it, I’ll take it.

Random Thoughts:

-There’s a lot of discussions about the inherent problems of white people making a show like this and the problems of the depiction and I agree. Know I’ll get to it once through and likely pointing to others’ more cogent thoughts on the matter.

-For the all the drudgery, it’s still getting laugh out loud lines from me like “yeah… he’s a cop” and “inside Ping Ping!” 

-Awww, little appas!!!!!

-One last note about writing: Look, writing is really hard. I’m never, ever, ever, ever pointing at these solutions and being like “yeah, it’s easy!” In fact, taking all these instincts and ideas and synthesizing into compelling drama, characterization, plotting, and theme? That’s hard as hell. But if you are not going to even aim in the right direction? it makes it SO HARD to appreciate the spirit of the effort. Because there are things about this show that I can’t believe are happening. Like the lack of arcs / psychological insight to characters and now, the aforementioned parameters of forced conflict. To wit, we like that kind of forced plotting stuff in soap operas because we laugh at the audacity of the construction. It’s cheap and flimsy on purpose. But to employ the same kind of dramatic tactics in this show? it makes it hard to take any of the show’s conflicts seriously. Which makes it hard to root and get invested with anything happening, too. We don’t believe in the character’s journey? What are we doing actually? W’re just watching a hamster run in a wheel and all they have to do is walk outside of it. 

It makes it so so so so hard to care.

And yet, “THAT PLATYPUS BEAR IS POOPING MONEY!!!!”

With that, my heart will go on.

<3HULK