At Some Disputed Barricade (Korra, Pt. 4)

This is an ongoing multipart review of the Avatar saga season by season. You can read the introduction and the discussion of Seasons 1, 2, 3 of Avatar: The Last Airbender and Seasons 1, 2, and 3 of The Legend of Korra in the hyperlinks.

“Do you really think friendships can last more than one lifetime?” – Toph, Avatar: The Last Airbender

And so we come to the final season of the Legend of Korra, which effectively ends the saga of the two heroic avatars. As I’ve stated before, Avatar Aang was the hero the world needed, while Korra is the hero the world deserves. Interestingly enough, Book 4 (Balance) dramatically moves the narrative forward by skipping three long years, presenting a world that has lost the influence of the avatar in its affairs. Korra finds herself now transitioning into the role her predecessor filled: the much-needed hero.

 

“You can’t sell that junk in here! This is the little Ba Sing Se fashion mall, and I’m the little King here! Respect the brooch! I am the glorious defender!” – Prince Wu

When we last saw the Earth Kingdom things had taken a terrible turn. The capital was burning and the queen was dead, fragmenting an entire continent into chaotic disputes. The first quarter of the season jumps around the storyline, outlining all the changes that have occurred within the last three years. Asami is rebuilding Republic city and Mako is forced to be the personal bodyguard of the Earth Kingdom’s crown prince Wu. Wu is holed up in the city, eagerly awaiting his gaudy coronation.

Meanwhile, Tenzin and the air benders are busily trying to maintain peace across the continent, while Bolin and Varrick have signed up with the new unifier of the broken lands: Kuvira. Strong and unyielding, Kuvira brings peace and stability with an iron fist and a huge army of metal benders behind her. While routinely criticized, she has had great success with the absence of the avatar. Naturally, Kuvira upstages Wu immediately.

“It was the pathetic rule of Kings and Queens that caused the Earth Kingdom to descend into such incredible disarray. It’s taken me three years to get it back on track, and there’s no way I will allow it to slip back into the dark ages. I’d like to make an announcement to the World. The Earth Kingdom is no more. … I have created a new Earth Empire, and I will continue to lead it into the future myself, bringing about a new era of prosperity for my people.” – Kuvira

In contrast, Korra herself is trapped in a never-ending rehabilitation period, struggling to overcome her PTSD and the loss of her avatar spirit. That’s when she discovers the elderly Toph in the swamp who is currently living out her life as prophesied in the first show. Throughout the course of the season, the audience gradually watches Korra overcome her barricades to recovery. It’s a difficult process for all, showing Korra’s accumulated pain and fatigue.

“Listen, what did Amon want? Equality for all. Unalaq? He brought back the spirits.  And Zaheer believed in freedom. The problem was, those guys were totally out of balance, and they took their ideologies too far.” – Toph, The Legend of Korra

What’s interesting about this storytelling is that Korra never eagerly assumes the mantle of the hero needed, instead choosing to wearily carry out her role with a heavy heart. Everyone who is a player in the game of world affairs wants to use her, either for good or bad. Mistakes have been made on all sides, especially within Toph’s supremely dysfunctional family. Ultimately, Korra ends up facing down the steady march of Kuvira, the very woman who saved her father’s life in season three.

On the more comical side, Varrick provides a never-ending source of laughs with his buddy Bolin and partner Zhu Li. Together they accidentally create a super-weapon and then have to run for their lives from the army that they were a part of. Varrick marries Zhu Li in a wedding that concludes the entire series, featuring the entire cast present. In many ways book 4 is an epilogue for all of the major characters, detailing how their lives have continued past the events of the last book.

After the final visually-arresting battle subsides somewhat anti-climatically Korra walks off into an uncertain future, still struggling with her role in the very grey world that has increasingly become chaotic under her reign. While Avatar Aang ended his military triumph with a kiss with his future wife, Korra takes the hands of her closest girlfriend and walks off into the spirit world looking for a vacation. The hero the world needed doesn’t want to be a statuesque hero, a notion I found invigorating and intriguing.

And so there you have it, the epic yet still-open conclusion to one of the greatest sagas ever told! Will there be a third series? Maybe if Netflix makes enough money on the first two. Thanks for hanging in there with me on my longest blog series! I promise that I will keep things shorter in the future.

 

Reap the Whirlwind (Korra, Pt. 3)

This is an ongoing multipart review of the Avatar saga season by season. You can read the introduction and the discussion of Seasons 1, 2, 3 of Avatar: The Last Airbender and Seasons 1 and 2 of The Legend of Korra in the hyperlinks.

They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. – Hosea 8:7

Season 3 of Korra is one of those special seasons that only comes around once in a blue moon for a TV show. The two excellent preceding seasons were both constructed with the understanding that there might be no successor season, meaning that they both had to have conclusive endings or risk letting down the viewership. In contrast, season three was green-lit along with season four, meaning that the creators could end this story however they wanted to as they boldly marched to the final season.

And bold the writers were! Things pick up immediately after season 2, as Korra returns to a Republic City that is struggling with the new world order created by the avatar herself. Vines permanently infest the city and now spirits themselves occupy the urban wildlands, their activities left unchecked by Korra choosing to leave the spirit portals open. Within a single episode, we see the frustrated avatar exiled by the President of the United Republic, who sees Korra more as a liability than an asset.

But there is good news as well! The latent powers of air bending have started to manifest themselves in select individuals, making Korra’s master Tenzin overjoyed. Elated, Korra and Tenzin set off into the Earth Kingdom searching for new air benders, hoping to restore a nation wiped out by genocide during the Hundred Years war. Unfortunately for them, a mysterious man in a solitary maximum-security prison escapes his confines with his newfound air bending powers.

“Laghima once wrote, ‘Instinct is a lie. told by a fearful body. Hoping to be wrong.’ It means that when you base your expectations only on what you see, you blind yourself to the possibilities of a new reality.” – Zaheer

Powerful and elusive, the villain Zaheer resumes his ruthless agenda of anarchical liberation first for his confined friends and then for the world at large. While every season of The Legend of Korra has a different antagonist, Zaheer’s story supersedes the more limited villains in his impact on the avatar. Gradually we learn of his long-ranging influence in Korra’s life as a member of the Red Lotus. Unfortunately for Korra, she has no idea of the powers unleashed that are coming to kill her.

“Well, technically the Earth Queen has a right to conscript her citizens. What? It’s true.” – Bumi

On a lighter note, much of the supporting cast surrounding Korra steps up into the limelight. The always likable earth bender Bolin has a tremendous amount of character development, as does the curmudgeon police chief Lin Beifong. On the air bending side, both Tenzin’s daughter Jinora and brother Bumi continue to be developed, each one charming in their own unique way. Romance is also tactfully deployed, featuring the newly gifted air benders Kai and Opal sliding into relationships with the established cast.

While not immediately obvious, in retrospect it is clear that season 3 serves as a setup for season 4 for many of the new or returning characters, featuring the passionately rogue Varrick and the stalwart Kuvira who gradually edges into the end of the season. This is impressive considering that much of the season is an ode to the original Avatar series, featuring familiar locations, situations, and fight scenes reminiscent of the original Team Avatar. Even Firelord Zuko makes a dramatic appearance on a dragon!

“You think freedom is something that you can give or take on a whim.  But to your people, freedom is just as essential as air. And without it, there is no life. There is only…  darkness.” – Zaheer

And so this brief season gradually but surely races to its dramatic conclusion, reaching the force of a freight train operating at top speed on a straight rail. All of the narratives intertwine at the Northern Air Temple, culminating in a shocking finale that explores the underlying themes of sacrifice, agency, and the quest for self-actualization in a morally gray world. Korra and Zaheer face-off in a fight for the ages, each one ascending to the height of their powers within a country quickly collapsing into all-out chaos.

In a heart-wrenching final scene, we see a crippled and deeply wounded Korra watch as the air bending nation is reborn from the ashes. She has succeeded beyond her wildest dreams with the change she has wrought during her short tenure but has also failed to maintain balance in a delicate world now spiraling into the void Zaheer desired. Will the hero that the world deserves become the hero that the world needs? Next time, we will cover the final season of Korra: Balance!

 

The Goblet (Harry and I, Pt. 5)

As I stated in this blog series, the posts are sequential reviews of the Harry Potter novel series. I don’t plan on being exhaustive or even shockingly insightful, but I hope to lend some unique perspective to the franchise that everyone has an opinion on. My reviews:

Part 1 – Prelude

Part 2 – The Philosopher’s Stone

Part 3 – The Chamber of Secrets

Part 4 – The Prisoner of Azkaban

‘Percy wouldn’t notice a joke if it danced naked in front of him wearing one of Dobby’s hats.’ – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Here we finish year four of Harry Potter’s epic journey, one that brings new faces, higher stakes, and even more pages to Rowling’s tale. Anyone reading The Goblet of Fire not on a Kindle will immediately realize that the author is continuing to accelerate the growth of the books, literally speaking! It’s quite remarkable when viewing the page increase percentages. Book 2 increased its page count size by 10%, while book 3 continued the growth at 28%. Clocking in at 734 pages, book 4 is an astounding 69% increase!

While you might think it absurd for me to crunch the numbers, I feel like this is a very important aspect related to the reading experience. Roughly speaking, it took me 69% longer to finish this book! As you can imagine, this impacted my experience greatly. Rowling is a tremendous writer and still continues her page-turning prowess in The Goblet of Fire, but the size of the book slows down the pacing dramatically. Gone is the tight thriller aspect of the first three books, replaced with a saga-like experience.

‘If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.’ – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

And that brings me to the story, or should I say stories. Rowling chooses to split the narrative between two major storylines: the return of Voldremort and the interschool championship. Largely speaking, both of these storylines work exceedingly well. All of the new visitors to Hogwarts are entertaining, as is the world-building that accompanies them. Likewise, Voldremort and his plans are as creepy as ever, which raises the stakes dramatically. The ending of the book does an excellent job in setting up the final run.

There is one major problem, however. While both of the previously mentioned storylines work perfectly well by themselves, Rowling attempted to fuse them together with a very weak plot device: the magical “portkey” trophy that warps Harry Potter off to his doom. The concept of such a magical device is very interesting and was set up well in the book, but Voldremort’s scheme was laughably complicated and contingent on Harry Potter winning everything. Couldn’t he have just made a textbook the portkey?

But Ron was staring at Hermione as though suddenly seeing her in a whole new light.
‘Hermione, Neville’s right — you are a girl. . . .’
‘Oh well spotted,’ she said acidly. – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

On the stronger side, there’s a lot of great character development going on in between all the epic moments. Ron and Hermione are both great and very believable as they transition from children into angsty teenagers, as are even minor characters like poor Neville. Thankfully even Dumbledore gets his moment, rising above simply being an expositional character. Unfortunately, the headmaster has yet another disaster appointment regarding the ‘defense against dark arts’ position. Poor Snape!

‘You know your mother, Malfoy?’ said Harry ‘That expression she’s got, like she’s got dung under her nose? Has she always looked like that, or was it just because you were with her?’ – J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

I feel like this book, in particular, did an excellent job in improving the quality of the villains, Malfoy aside. There’s a real sense of danger pervading the entire book, raising the tension to a new level that puts the reader on edge even after flipping too many pages. Both Wormtail and the disguised Crouch are both unnerving and tragic, proving that anyone can be twisted by Voldremort. Rita Skeeter and Minister Fudge also prove to be excellent antagonists, even if they are really not that villainous in the big picture.

While I feel like book 4 was ultimately a step back in the greater Harry Potter experience, it nonetheless does an excellent job in many ways and has me keen on reading the final three books. By this point, I have great faith in the author, as she has proven time and again that she knows what she is doing with just about every aspect of this story. Hopefully, her editors reigned her in a bit once she starting writing book 5. In a few months, I hope to have my book review up of The Order of the Phoenix!

Seeds of Destruction (Korra, Pt. 2)

This is an ongoing multipart review of the Avatar saga season by season. You can read the introduction and the discussion of Seasons 1, 2, 3 of Avatar: The Last Airbender in the hyperlinks. Season 1 of Korra can be found here.

Six months have passed since Amon’s shocking secret was revealed and Korra’s avatar spirit was unlocked, but much has changed. Team Avatar’s respective members have gone back to their regular lives, and a non-bending president of the United Republic has been elected for the first time. Nonetheless, several of the characters have been freed from having to confront their character flaws instead of growing. Avatar Korra has reverted to her bully self and her master Tenzin continues to suffer from expectations.

Korra is a master of all the elements, but her spiritual side is severely lacking. Likewise, her ability as a peacekeeper is severely compromised by her hotheaded behavior. Going back home to the Southern Water Tribe to celebrate the winter solstice results in a perfect storm of events that threaten to undermine Korra’s family, her connection with the spirits, and ultimately her very soul. Unbeknownst to her, the seeds of destruction that have been planted by the villain of the season have already begun to sprout.

‘And that is a shame, since the Avatar is the bridge between the material world and the spirits. That is why I want so badly to teach you, to help you fulfill your destiny. Every Avatar before you traveled the world to learn. It was Tenzin and your father who kept you secluded at the South Pole.’  – Unalaq, The Legend of Korra Season 2

At this point, it is important to pull back and look at the broader story across all four seasons of Korra. While the last Avatar series started with most of the critical details in the first season, the Legend of Korra gradually reveals all the tragedy one episode at a time. You see the primary villain of season two is Korra’s mentoring uncle Unalaq, who has been busy being the Loki trickster of this show since his life began. While not infallible, he tends to win at least partially with all whom he influences.

A whole series of events seeded by Unalaq initiates destruction in everyone else: Korra’s master Tenzin, Korra’s father Tonraq, future unseen villain Zaheer, the crazy impulsive Varrick, the dark spirit Vaatu, and even Korra herself. Unalaq tactfully preys on everyone’s inner impulses and weaknesses, mixing wise truths with his own deceitful desires. While the Unalaq narrative comes to a close rapidly, his decisions reverberate to the bitter end. By the end of the season, Korra still can’t shake the shadow of her uncle.

‘Don’t tell me you guys are still mad about everything that happened. I did some good things too. Korra, who warned you about Unalaq? I did. Bolin, who got you into the movers? I did. Asami, who saved your company? I did. Mako, who got you thrown in jail? I did! Oh, yeah, I guess that was a bad thing. … I just needed to start a war. Well, a bigger war.’ – Varrick

While every season of Korra was shades of gray, season two featured the light battling the dark in a blurry grey battle that had no easy answers in the middle. Throughout this entire chain of episodes, we see the heroes and the villains fail in a way that strongly resembles Star Wars The Last Jedi. Two key standout episodes in the middle of the season recount the story of Wan, the first Avatar ever conceived. This mythological and highly stylized adaptation of Prometheus is also riddled with pivotal poor decisions.

‘The spirits must stop fighting with humans and return to their home in the Spirit World. I will teach men to respect the spirits so that balance will be maintained. I will be the bridge between our two worlds.’ – Avatar Wan

Ultimately, a victorious yet spiritually damaged Korra has to make a critical decision without the help of the collective knowledge of her predecessors. With only the argument of her annihilated Uncle still ringing in her head, Korra chooses idealistic chaos over static order. The season ends on a hopeful note as spiritual energy floods back into the physical realm, but the series continues to pound home the show’s message: idealism never leads to the desired end, only more consequences for all.

Avatar Korra has now started her shift from the young upstart influenced by events outside of her control to the new reigning power that is unprepared to deal with the collateral damage of her new world order. She has sown the metaphorical wind and now has to reap its very literal results. Next time, will move on to season three of Korra: Change!