To any consumer of entertainment, I urge you to question the values of the content you consume to prevent the perpetuation of such harmful rhetoric. I’m well ready for this depressing plot line to come to an end already. The climb for power by empowering people with causes one doesn't actually care much for theme is unfortunately also very believable, and can sometimes be very interesting to watch, despite how common this trope is. Korra begins the show with crippling insecurities about who she is and what is expected of her. Korra’s future is suddenly a lot brighter now that she has Toph on her side, and bringing one of Avatar’s most popular characters into the … The Equalists’ initial powers of close combat and electrocution gloves escalate to a trump card: Amon’s ability to permanently take away someone’s bending. Avatar Korra, a headstrong, rebellious, feisty young woman who continually challenges and breaks with tradition, is on her quest to become a fully realized Avatar. Don't watch probably anything. by Morgan Sloss. She accepts that she won't always make the best decision, and returns, humbled, to the man who was always there to help her. In Book Two, its when she apologizes for choosing Unaloq over Tenzin. Oppressors seem to have no responsibility to understand their privilege and a revolution of the oppressed can evolve to terrorism and evil, only to be squashed and never revisited. This defining moment showed Korra her own strength, and she stopped letting her fear weigh her down. I expected the show to hold up on the rewatch just as well as “Avatar.” I remembered the show for its fresh take on the modern world of bending, with its impressive animation, memorable villains and empowered female lead. The Legend of Korra Ranking All of Book 4: Balance. Korra is a lot like Zuko, except she is the hero trying to fix her own problems to routinely save the world, rather than a villain trying to find himself. I get that this is more realistic than ATLA, because the real world is also full of suffering, stubbornness, and stupidity, but I'd read a history book if I just wanted to feel bad. Avatar: The Last Airbender became available on Netflix not too long ago, and The Legend of Korra did the same just this month. But Korra does have the opportunity to curtail her anger and constant pursuit of combat. Korra's whole situation in this episode is as heartbreaking as it is terrifying. I fail to see how anything is bland, generic or half-baked in the series. Avatar Korra fights to keep Republic City safe from the evil forces of both the physical and spiritual worlds. The show portrays a message that violence is the answer. Her internal conflict is very interesting. Let's say that the final of Book 3 and the first half of 4, is when Korra has her biggest struggles. Korra keeps getting fucked over, but she never really learns to deal with it and unfuck herself, the plot always seems to provide some deus ex machina to do the unfucking for her. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});Not unlike the burgeoning Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd, non-benders united to fight back against their oppressors under a radical new organization, The Equalists. @Soyouwanttotalkabout Makes It Easy To Stay Politically Informed, Chloe x Halle Have Cemented Their Place in Music History With ‘Ungodly Hour’, Playlist Making Is a Delicate and Personal Art Form, YouTuber Stephanie Soo Combines True Crime and Food for a Good Time, More Young People Are Buying Records: Here’s How To Make Them Last, ‘Headspace Guide to Meditation’ Is the Perfect Show for Meditation Newbies, 2021 Will Be Defined by Empowering Women in Music, ‘All About Us’ Is a Romance Novel Written by *Gasp* a Man. You’ve Heard of the Male Gaze, but What About the Female Gaze? By granting the Equalists’ the power to rid the world of bending, the writers provided enough justification for the “good guys” to solve the conflict with non-benders by simply fighting Amon to take down the Equalists. Unfortunately, Amon exposes just how vulnerable she feels without her powers, and Korra rejects her boyfriend and almost kills herself in a depressive malaise. The unarmed non-benders did not break any stipulation of the unspoken social covenant embraced by benders in which non-benders must remain submissive and obedient. I really like Korra as a character. The Thin Blue Line Flag Doesn’t Belong in Schools, or Anywhere Else, ‘Tuca & Bertie’ Gets a Second Life Thanks to Adult Swim. It's really depressing, when her most believable moments are all when she reacts to bad things that happen to her. Time and again Korra encounters the plight of non-benders and their advocacy for equality. Korra’s mentor, Tenzin, constantly advocates for nonaggression and de-escalation to heal the contentious relationship between benders and non-benders. Can I expect seasons 3 and 4 to be depressing for me as well? However, towards the end of the season, Korra exposes Amon as a water bender who uses the illegal act of bloodbending to permanently take away others’ bending. The bender vs non-bender conflict is very believable. I think that season 3 and 4 are the two best seasons of the series, season three does end on a downer and season 4 has a lot of struggle for Korra but I think that the ending is very worth it. All of these distribution fuck-ups could potentially spell the end of The Legend Of Korra, which is just incredibly depressing considering how great this season has been. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, More posts from the TheLastAirbender community. A teenaged, fresh-faced, hot-headed new Avatar, Korra enters the scene of Republic City as a widely regarded symbol of peace and harbinger of balance. She gets her powers back, this time at an extraordinary cost, and the rest you've yet to watch. I'm sorry if I made it depressing. This imbalance of power results in benders oppressing non-benders in nearly every aspect of life. Created by Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko. In this story, the Avatar struggles to find balance within herself. Do you think the rest of the series would feel equally hopeless and depressing to me? These advancements are driving political and social strife between benders and non-benders — those who have power, and those who don’t. What kind of message is this for a world plagued by systemic racism and police brutality? The season thus does a massive disservice to the legacy of “Avatar” by defending the oppressive use of bending in a manner that is trite, thoughtless and safe in more ways than one. The subreddit for fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra, the comics, the upcoming Avatar Studios animated movie and other projects, novels, games, and all other Avatar content. Book 3 is one of the best season in my opinion. As a result, the season morphs into a battle of strength between Korra and Amon, rather than a chance for Korra to see value in nonaggression and grow into a more understanding and level-headed protagonist. I recently watched ATLA for the first time, and thought it was really fun. The 'changing world' theme is not fun to watch after ATLA, but believable. Byrne, David Faustino, J.K. Simmons. It’s a great story in which you’ll think about frequently. However, the writers of “The Legend of Korra” did not use the season’s premise as an opportunity to expose brutal inequalities that have plagued our own modern society for decades. Korra goes through so much believable, awful shit, and the vast majority of the time, when the plot seems to want that shit to be over, there's some contrived event or change in attitude that makes Korra resolve these issues in very unbelievable fashion. She does not attempt to meet with the Equalists and negotiate terms for peace, but rather fuels the flames of conflict by challenging their leader, Amon, to a duel. The Legend of Korra Welcome to the world of The Avatar, where some humans have the power to manipulate earth, air, fire or water, and others will stop at nothing to take that power away. The Legend of Korra is an American animated television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. I get that this is more realistic than ATLA, because the real world is also full of suffering, stubbornness, and stupidity, but I'd read a history book if I just wanted to feel bad. Are Digital Notes Better for Learning Than Paper Notes? The world feels fucked, everyone is perpetually fucking things up for each other. Zaheer and his minions try to kill her, but they underestimated the Avatar State. But as I started to watch the first season of “Korra” again, this time as a 19-year-old living through the societal upheaval of the Black Lives Matter movement, I began picking up on the show’s utter mishandling of systemic oppression. But y'all on Twitter wanted this instead of the happy fixfic post and I seek validation, so here we go. You need the history of Korra. They're interesting, though underdeveloped. With Janet Varney, P.J. Book 3 and 4 will break you. I’m so glad that I started doing these so long ago and that people have enjoyed them. Metropolitan, technologically advanced cities have brought people together from all four nations. It hasn't been an enjoyable experience. A lot of the time however, he's about as flat and generic as Mako, Asami, Lin, and every other character in the supposedly supporting cast. In the end, nothing changed — non-benders remain under the thumb of benders. Sometimes, I like watching Bolin. And though she might have good intentions, they are not reflected in her actions. Oh boy. Beyond her evasion of empathy, Korra uses her own powers of bending to reinstate her version of balance to Republic City. She writes off the protestors chanting for equality because listening to their message would entail doubting the system that enlisted her as an ultimate source of power in the first place.if(typeof __ez_fad_position != 'undefined'){__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-studybreaks_com-medrectangle-3-0')}; In one instance, Korra defends innocent non-benders against Tarrlok, a government official who imposed a curfew and threatened to arrest the civilians. LOK is all about facing challenges that come your way and the changes that need to happen when you are faced with challenges. Korra has a big responsibility and does ultimately live with the guilt that she has to sacrifice time for training before saving the city. So far, this show effectively consists of watching Korra fail over and over again, in a world full of bland characters and awful people. I think the writing is stronger than you give credit for. ‘De Una Vez’ Delivers a Mesmerizing Message of Self-Love, ‘WandaVision’ Portrays Grief in a Refreshingly Nuanced Way, How To Construct a Frog Pond That Benefits Your Garden, What Tilt in League of Legends Tells Us About the Entertainment Industry, NBA All-Star Weekend in Atlanta Ends in a Wild Disaster, How ‘The Legend of Korra’ Confronts Systemic Oppression — And Fails, societal upheaval of the Black Lives Matter movement. Press J to jump to the feed. I have my criticisms, but for the most part I really enjoyed nearly every episode. Book 4 touches on Korra's struggles, and how they haven't been just going over her head. You haven't even begun to witness true depression yet. In one of the most depressing and inspirational episodes of either series, we follow Korra’s solo journey across the world, searching for a reason to continue living. What made “Avatar” special was its skillful navigation of weighty themes like war, genocide and power. Yet, it was not too heavy or dark. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});This is where the show’s writers made a fatal misstep. Amidst all of this, Tenzin and the others realize that Korra has gone missing after 6 months. Instead, the show’s writers flattened an otherwise three-dimensional portrait of oppression and skewed the central conflict in favor of benders. After binging the show and witnessing its triumphant conclusion, many fans (like myself) turned to the “Avatar” sequel, “The Legend of Korra,” to soothe their withdrawal symptoms and get their fix of the “Avatar” universe. The resolution of the first season of “The Legend of Korra” is its greatest failing. Avatar: The Last Airbender was a tough act to follow. The Legend of Korra is a very "adult" show, not in terms of violence or sex, but rather its actual maturity level. TL;DR LOK seasons 1 and 2 were really depressing to watch for me. While Korra is struggling with PTSD by the metal poison Zaheer injected in her, she sets off on a journey to try to connect with Raava. Many of us were excited to see “Avatar: The Last Airbender” return to Netflix on May 15. Nearly every time, Korra does not try to understand why the Equalists are rebelling or question her own privileged position of power as a bender. The relationship between them worsened during the Water Tribe Civil War, as Eska blamed Korra for Bolin leaving her and accused the Avatar of stea… I also like Tenzin, his siblings, and his daughters. Favorite and Follow. Disregarding his advice, Korra leans into her teenage angst and engages in violence as a method of resolving conflict. God, this was depressing to write. Really, I hope the whole recovery story arc runs on an accelerated track. Throughout the season, the Equalists acquire increasingly more power in their fight against non-benders’ oppression. It's not the "I have learned a new fact about wasps" kind of horror, nor the "fucking loud noise as something suddenly appears on screen" kind of horror. For an entire universe based on the marvel of bending the four elements, non-bending is clearly not an option. Korra enters the Avatar State against her will, and she is dying from metal poison. Even in her daily interactions, Korra does not hesitate to use her bending to exploit non-benders. Some Social Media Activist Hashtags Are Disconnected From Their Origins, The Pros and Cons of Being a Second Wave ‘Hamilton’ Fan, Shining a Light on Shein’s Unethical Labor Practices, Kanye West Directed the First-Ever PornHub Awards, 10 Tips for Having First-Time Sex with a New Partner. Fandom Apps Take your favorite fandoms with you and never miss a beat. I want to watch her grow and see how she handles her deep problems. Seventy years after the events of “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” the “Avatar” universe has been transformed into a world more closely resembling our own. Jinora finding Raava inside Vaatu ties in with Iroh and Unalaq's lessons about finding the light in the dark, and so does Korra using her own spirit to fight Vaatu. BuzzFeed Staff. You, uh...you might wanna skip the last two books if this is depressing..... Book 3 picks up nicely and Book 4 is wonderful. God, that’s depressing, but I enjoyed doing this countdown so much. In legend of Korra it says that people started bending by getting the power from a giant lionturtle, this was them trying and failing at referencing avatar. The Finale Countdown Well, guys.