Let’s step back (way back) for a moment. I’ve noticed throughout dozens of fandoms that there always comes a point when the effusive love showered upon any given franchise gradually gives way to salivating hatred. And no, I don’t think I’m exaggerating here. It doesn’t take much to set off the fandom backlash: a change in tone, a ship getting sunk, a messy storyline, a bad casting decision. Just look at Star Wars for a quintessential example of this weird fan hatred at work.
The same thing happened to The Legend of Korra. After the abject joy over the original series, a lot of fans came to this show with their expectations sky-high, and consequently (and to be fair, justifiably) were disappointed in Book One: Air. Heck, I was among them.
Like most others, I hated the love triangle, felt that too many short-cuts were taken in the narrative, and thought that it concluded with a trail of unsatisfying deus ex machinas.
It was a wonky start to a new series, but not one that I thought was unsalvageable. And what troubles me the most when fandoms get disappointed is that from that point on they seem to want the project to fail, almost as some sort of punishment to the creators for delivering something they didn’t like. This was the reason I kept clear of the Korra fandom, as I was getting tired of the relentless negativity.
I never wanted The Legend of Korra to fail, and I’m supremely happy for the cast and crew that this season was not only the best that Korra had to offer, but was up there with the quality of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
It really does feel that Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino took on board some of the criticism of the first season and got to work at ironing it out: ditching the love triangle, focusing on the Korra/Asami friendship, paying attention to cause and effect, and here – finally – our first finale in a long time that didn’t rely on a deus ex machina; just characters using their skills and resources to achieve their goals and realistically deal with the aftermath.
Nickelodeon hasn’t exactly been helpful when it’s come to the airing of this season, but for the first time the somewhat rushed distribution has paid off. Enter the Void and The Venom of the Red Lotus work best as a two-parter, with certain plot points and character arcs given closure in the first episode, leaving the second to focus almost solely on Korra.
As I suspected, Korra decides to give herself up to Zaheer in order to spare the Air Nomads, a choice that echoes throughout the entirety of the two-parter. Of course, her friends and family aren’t prepared to let her go that easily, and a trap is planned to allow Bolin, Asami and Mako to free the air benders whilst Tonraq, Suyin, Lin and the metal benders lay in wait on Lahima’s Peak to assist Korra if need be.
But just as Korra’s allies have a backup plan, so too does the Red Lotus. The air benders have been moved to the cave network where Korra’s execution is to take place, and Zaheer succeeds in kidnapping Korra after unlocking the power of flight.
I’ve always loved the way these writers play around with the art of bending – having established the ground rules there are hundreds of ways in which it can be used creatively; in this case, it's not only Zaheer serenely flying away that made me go "ooh", but also having Ming Hwa create frozen manikins to pose as the air benders (which simply melt away once her use for them is over).
It’s a creepy moment, but after Asami/Bolin/Mako rescue Tenzin and escape the Northern Air Temple (mostly thanks to Bolin’s newfound lava-bending abilities) they meet up with Lin, Suyin and Tonraq and give us a brief reprieve from the action. After providing closure on Kai/Mako’s animosity and Suyin/Lin’s estrangement, as well as filling in the lengthy gap of what happened to Kai after he was rescued by the baby sky bison, the team head off to the caves in order to rescue Korra.
There the ultimate objective of the Red Lotus is finally revealed: in order to achieve absolute chaos and anarchy, they plan to poison Korra and so force her into the Avatar State. Using this strong slice of continuity from the original series, the Red Lotus reminds us that this is the only way to not only kill the Avatar, but to ensure that he/she is not reincarnated in another body. It will end the Avatar cycle forever.
It’s at this point that our protagonists split up in order to deal with the Red Lotus one-on-one, and it’s a credit to this season’s pacing and attention to detail that nothing here feels rushed, contrived or left hanging. Asami/Lin/Suyin rescue the hostages, and Bolin/Mako take on Ghazan/Ming Hua respectively.
With Kya/Bumi/Tenzin taken out of commission, and Jinora’s astral projection confirming that Korra can’t come to the rescue, it’s up to the air benders to formulate their own escape. And they do pretty well at first, with Jinora, Ikki, Pema and Meelo using a combination of air bending and whining to get the keys from the guard into Opal’s hands, but it’s really down to an awesome manoeuvre from Asami that frees them all.
But for a supporting character, I felt Suyin was surprisingly active in these two episodes, probably even more so than Lin and Asami. She made plans, she took a decisive leadership role, she disposed of P’Lii – heck, it’s down to her that Korra’s life was saved in her ability to metal bend the poison out of her body. On the other hand, as touching as Tonraq’s scenes with his daughter were, I never felt he was a properly-defined character, and his bond with Korra somewhat informed rather than demonstrated. (Though at least he did better than Korra’s mother, who is a complete non-entity).
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As for our villains – well, I was reasonably happy with the way things turned out. The mystery of what exactly the Red Lotus wanted with Korra (which included their attempt to kidnap her as a baby) has been drawn out across this season, so I’ll admit to a little disappointment when it turned out they simply wanted to kill her. I’m not sure what exactly I was hoping for, but despite the creativity with which they planned to end the Avatar cycle, it was a fairly rote end-game.
Still, I asked for complex and morally ambiguous villains, and I got them. Despite the manner in which they go about their goals, they certainly believe that their ends justify the means, and they’re allowed to keep their humanizing qualities right to the end (namely Zaheer and P’Lii’s love for each other, as well as the group’s general camaraderie). When each side says goodbye to each other in preparation for the final battle, you can tell there’s an equal amount of love and affection on both sides.
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So what actually made them villains in the end? Their actions, not their goals (“a world without kings and queens, without borders or nations, where a man’s only alliance is to himself and the ones he loves”) or their personalities (“I also lost someone I loved today”). There is no real “evil” here except the evil of extremism; believing in your own system so much that you’ll inflict it on the rest of the world, whether or not the population wants it and regardless of who has to be killed along the way.
Zaheer even had an interesting bit of eleventh hour development here, one in which he unlocks the secret of Guru Lahima’s flying ability, brought on by the death of his “worldly desires”. It was reminiscent of Aang’s soul searching when he learns he can only unlock the Avatar State if he relinquishes his connection to Katara, and elegantly foreshadowed, what with his connection to P’Lii juxtaposed with his constant allusions to Lahima, resulting in what felt like a deserved moment of revelation. Admit it, you gasped when you saw him floating there in the clouds.
But ultimately I feel that Zaheer and the rest of the Red Lotus were successful villains simply because they were so detached from Korra on a personal level. Amon targeted her reputation as an Avatar, Unalaq was her trusted uncle that manipulated her, and Vaatu was an intrinsic part of who she was.
(By the way, I loved their little cameos whilst Korra was hallucinating, all of which served to link the themes of the past three seasons: the demand for change, the fluctuating role of the Avatar, and in the appearance of Vaatu – a reminder of the power inherent within her).
But Zaheer was disturbing because he was so impersonal. There was no personal vendetta, no needless cruelty. To him, killing Korra was simply the means to an end.
And yet, the toll his actions have taken are deeply personal, as was the way in which he went about his attempted execution of Korra. Much like the Hannibal Lector straightjacket earlier in the season, the sight of Korra hanging spread-eagled in a cave by platinum chains was a harrowing image. These two episodes in particular have showcased Korra’s physicality and strength (a striking contrast to Aang who was much more spiritual and elusive), and it can be no accident that her final battle was fought with her hair loose, her feet bare, and her sleeves and trousers rolled up to display as much of her body as possible.
It’s never a good idea when a villain seeks to activate the Avatar State, as so far all of them have underestimated the raw power of any given incarnation. But once Korra moves into this heightened state, it’s clear that she’s filled with a primal rage that’s not just about self-preservation, but vengeance for the violation of her body. I’m pretty sure Aang was never this scary when his eyes started glowing, and Korra is a force of nature until that self-same poison starts to take an effect on her body.
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It is a satisfying moment of full circle when Korra is saved by the very air nomads that she sacrificed herself for, and that Zaheer is brought to heel by the chain that was used to bind Korra in the cave, but we’re left with a devastating contrast between this all-powerful young woman and the broken figure in the wheelchair.
It’s clear that Korra is suffering from either PTSD or the after-effects of the poison in her system (perhaps both), but it’s a sobering image that haunts what would otherwise be a resounding victory: Zaheer in prison, the Red Lotus scattered, the initiation of Jinora as an air bending master. Korra is witness to a moment of great joy, but despite Tenzin’s congratulatory words, despite Asami’s gentleness, despite the rebirth of the Air Nomads – she’s not a part of it.
Right from the start, her motive was to save the air benders, and that she did – but rather like Frodo being unable to enjoy the peace of the Shire, Korra is separated from the celebrations. Damn, that look on her face is going to haunt me for a long time.
I also think it’s a clear indication of how far both Korra and the show has grown – perhaps the major complaint at the end of Book 1 was that Korra’s loss of bending and her implied depression/suicide attempt was cleared up so quickly and unsatisfyingly. Not so here. The show doesn’t shy away from the personal toll this had, and Korra’s current state of mind is clearly going to be a big part of the fourth (and final?) season, along with the question that all three seasons have so far postulated: does the world need an Avatar anymore?
Miscellaneous Observations:
The deaths of Ghazan and Ming Hua were nicely done, both in themselves and in giving Mako/Bolin appropriate antagonists to go up against. I liked that Bolin didn’t technically best Ghazan – despite his new ability to lava-bend, it’s obviously not going to be much good against someone that’s been doing it for years, and ultimately Ghazan decides to bring down the caves rather than go back to prison (with a side order of Taking You With Me).
And can we collectively stop hating Mako now? I mean, I don’t love the guy, but I don’t think there’s anything to hate anymore. The love triangle shenanigans are over, he’s been fairly low-key this season, and he got a clever resolution to his fight sequence in using electricity to kill (yes, I’m pretty sure it was kill) Ming Hwa. That was a great reversal of the Katara/Azula fight back in Book 3: Fire.
As well plotted as these two episodes were, there was a bit of wriggle room here and there. Asami’s hair clip is up there with duct tape as an all-purpose plot device, Bolin finds a way of becoming a lava-bender in a way that’s uncomfortably reminiscent of Korra unlocking her air bending abilities without any training whatsoever, and amidst all the relationship closure (the Kai/Mako and Suyin/Lin moments), there is one glaring loose end: whatever happened to Varrick? I was sure he’d come back into play at some point along with that metallic armour of his.
It’s not that big a deal that he was absent, but I’m not quite sure what the point of him was. Let's hope we see him again next season. I can't help but love the the cheerful, self-serving cad.
If the poison put into Korra’s system was metallic, then it’s probably meant to be an allusion to mercury/quicksilver, which can cause hallucinations, muscle atrophy, tremors, insomnia and personality shifts. Yup, that pretty much sums up what she looked like she was going through in that final sequence.
That was a cute Pabu/Naga cameo (along with Grandma Yin) though they really are the most underutilized characters in this entire show. The two of them together still don’t have half the personality that Appa did, which is a damn shame because I love their designs.
What are we meant to make of Kuvira, the metal clan member with the mole on her cheek? I actually remember her from earlier in the season, but this felt like an oddly significant Last Episode New Character introduction. What was up with that slightly ominous musical cue? Methinks she’ll be back in Book Four, perhaps as a rouge member of the Red Lotus (who got a pointed mention at the end of the episode, what with President Raiko, Zuko and Tenzin discussing how some members are still out there).
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I’ll always love the height difference between Zaheer and P’Lii and how neither one is embarrassed about it – or even comments on it. And kudos for that little glimpse of P’Lii’s backstory in which she thanks Zaheer from rescuing her from a warlord’s prison. We’ll never know the full details, but sometimes a Cryptic Background Reference is all you need to properly flesh out a character.
The high point of this season has been the focus on Korra/Asami, and though the narrative (as usual) struggles at giving a non-bender something to do in the finale, she was at least allowed to take out that Red Lotus guard with her electro-glove and be there in a supportive capacity for Korra at the end. Hey, it’s better than last season when they simply had her fly the plane, and I hope this dynamic between the two girls continues into the next season.
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One lovely moment: that the only signs of brief happiness with Korra at the end were in her interactions with the kids.
Finally, it’s difficult to imagine given the usual quality, but the animators really upped their game for this finale. I’m going to say it: these episodes encompassed the most beautiful fight scenes ever visualized on the show. And honestly, I’m not one to pay close attention to action sequence in whatever capacity they’re in, but I was riveted by what was displayed here.
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