The Legend of Korra S01E10 – Review

By: Michael Dante DiMartino & Bryan Konietzko (story)

The Story: The unemployed Lin seeks a new career in childcare.  Hey, desperate times…

The Review: Amazingly, we are nearly at the end of the show’s first season, and as we get closer to the finale, it becomes increasingly clear that the story we’re getting now is the only one DiMartino-Konietzko care to tell.  I always suspected the romantic sub-plot and everything to do with pro-bending were just brazen ways to commercially fill the time until the primary material could get going, but for now, let’s set all that behind us.

And as much as we would like to, we can’t.  We still have this totally uninteresting Asami-Mako-Korra triangle nudging its way into an episode when it’s not wanted.  Frankly, the show hasn’t done a great job defining Asami beyond her love for Mako and drag-racing, but here we get to see her no-nonsense attitude, which knocks directly into Mako’s strong, silent nature.  I, for one, think the non-bending debutante has the high ground on this one; all she’s asking for is some truth and explanation, and Mako refuses to give either, citing the Equalist chaos as excuse.

The Legend of Korra S01E09 – Review

By: Michael DiMartino & Bryan Konietzko (story)

The Story: Grown-up Aang = less cute, more beard.

The Review: In some ways, this show has been quite prudent in avoiding too many references to or guest spots from the original Team Avatar.  Obviously, DiMartino-Konietzko want the show to stand on its own to some extent, and give the new cast a chance to grow without distractions from already beloved characters.  Yet it would’ve been highly unusual if we didn’t get to see the old gang at some point; I’m certain there’d be some kind of protest if that happened.

Honestly, though, while it’s exciting to see the grown-up Aang, Sokka, and Toph, the only real resemblance they have to the cute kids we knew and loved are echoes in their physical features (with Aang, you don’t even get that; you can’t see a trace of the round-faced kid in this Amish-bearded, strong-jawed man).  But that’s to be expected; they couldn’t possibly be impulsive or silly children forever.  And on the bright side, you at least get a “Twinkle-toes” out of Toph and Sokka’s borderline creepy affection for his “trusty boomerang,” so it’s not a complete loss.

The Legend of Korra S01E08 – Review

By: Michael DiMartino & Bryan Konietzko (story)

The Story: Take a lesson from the Abba Teens, guys—tribute bands aren’t actual bands.

The Review: A couple weeks ago, I mentioned how I felt DiMartino-Konietzko only had so much story to tell for this season and how they’ve attempted to disguise the fact with several plotlines that didn’t really offer any worthwhile material.  Big example: the entirety of the pro-bending arc, which basically had some flashy animation and did virtually nothing else for the show.  At times, it almost exasperatingly got in the way of the truly intriguing stuff.

I’m talking, of course, about the bender versus non-bender war we’ve currently got in full force.  With all the opposing parties are out in the open, it seems like only now DiMartino-Konietzko can stride confidently into the story they’ve wanted to tell all along.  Everything certainly clicks a lot better than it has in the first half of the season, from the character interaction and even to the battle sequences.  You can sense purpose behind every moment, which is a great feeling.

The Legend of Korra S01E07 – Review

By: Michael Dante DiMartino & Bryan Konietzko (story)

The Story: Even in the Avatar world, you can’t trust big corporations.

The Review: It gets increasingly difficult to talk about this series, not only because its strengths and problems are consistent across every episode, but also because there really isn’t all that much to talk about.  I mentioned last week how thin the plot seems to be, and for the sake of contrast, you should look to this week’s episode of Young Justice for an example of a packed episode.  I think it’s pretty clear that this show hasn’t delivered nearly that kind of substance so far.

To be fair, Legend of Korra has a much smaller cast than Young Justice’s bursting population of characters.  But it certainly doesn’t help that the show focuses so intensely on Korra, maligning her supporting cast to strictly that: support.  When you look at Mako, Bolin, Tenzin, or Lin, none of them have major plotlines of their own to help break up the episode; their stories invariably tie into Korra’s in some way, and that makes for rather stagnant storytelling.  Compare to The Last Airbender, where you can go a whole episode without seeing Aang.

The Legend of Korra Episode 4 – Review

By: Michael Dante DiMartino & Bryan Konietzko (story)

The Story: Korra learns it’s not easy to defeat the bending world’s Che Guevara.

The Review: No doubt one of the major factors which played into the original Avatar’s popularity was the irresistible charm of its star character.  Aang had such a joyful, happy-go-lucky nature (with just the right amount of pathos thrown it to keep him from being saccharine) that it was hard not to like him.  Since you naturally feel invested in anybody you happen to like, that made any change to Aang a little more intriguing and any danger a little more threatening.

So far I can’t really say the same for Korra.  While not totally unlikable in any way, she just doesn’t capture your heart.  Part of the reason is aside from her love of bending and a superficial desire to be Avatar, she doesn’t project many qualities you can get attached to.  She’s stubborn, strident, temperamental, and cocky, which doesn’t exactly make her the most appealing protagonist.  If not for her honesty and affectionate heart, she’d practically be grating.

The Legend of Korra Episode 3 – Review

By: Michael Dante DiMartino & Bryan Konietzko

The Story: Someone turn on Twisted Sister because the non-benders aren’t gonna take it anymore!

The Review: It seems pretty clear that this Avatar series won’t have the classically epic qualities of its predecessor.  The last show had all sorts of prophecies and symbolic elements running throughout the story, and the very concept of the Avatar had shades of higher powers within it.  Supernatural creatures abounded, from dragons to demons and even to demi-gods, of sorts.  Taken together, The Last Airbender was very much a spiritual tale.

Its sequel doesn’t have much to do with these rather ethereal themes, but the story it wants to tell is no less important.  Whereas the Avatar’s powers were crucial to bring an end to a senseless war driven by too much momentum to stop itself, no amount of power can really quash a war of ideas and principles.  The Equalist movement (which Tenzin foresees as a “revolution”) exists not on the basis of gaining power, but as an effort to gain dignity.