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Post by Musogato on Nov 1, 2013 23:15:43 GMT -5
Discussion for Book 2, chapter 9; The Guide. Sounds like Korra's finally going to explore the Spirit World?
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Post by Paraiba Ocean on Nov 2, 2013 1:04:51 GMT -5
I really liked the episode so far, and it does explain that Unalaq has been working for some dark spirit for an extended period of time but I'm still wondering what his motives would be to work for a dark spirit and how he even got connected to Vaatu in the first place. Maybe he had a natural talent for spirituality, and that connection deepened after Tonraq was exiled and he made trips to the spirit world? However, if Vaatu is still in the tree locked in his prison, then how are all these dark spirits appearing? I assume it must have something to do with the looming Harmonic Convergence, but it makes me wonder if Vaatu is just pining his time and expecting to get released, or if the other portal is open, he will have some surge of power?
I did, however, like that it was Jinora who guided Korra to the spirit world as opposed to Tenzin. Interesting plot twist, and I'm curious to see what they encounter in the Spirit World, as well as what spirits. It would be probable that Korra should encounter one or some of her past lives (perhaps including Wan and/or Aang), and I would be curious to see how Korra would interact with Raava now that she's aware she exists. Not to mention, I've always been curious to see if Koh will ever make a reappearance!
The only thing I nitpick about the episode is the random Mako and Asami. To be honest, even if I don't like it, I can completely understand Asami. The handsome guy she's not quite over is suddenly available, and she was a little vulnerable after her company almost went bankrupt and he's offering to help her and be nice to her, and she's probably not as over the relationship as she thought, so she's trying to take advantage of the opportunity. Mako, on the other hand, I'm just not convinced by. It just seems... not random, but random to me? I don't really see him acting like, "I need to get out and date to move on past Korra." He seems so defensive whenever someone asks him if he and Asami are back together, then she asks him out and he's ready for a round of tonsil hockey? C'mon. I know people can drift back towards past relationships or serial dating when a relationship ends but ugh, man... idk. It just seemed... random.
edit: I forgot to mention I thought that Eska and Desna were interesting scene, and does open up an opportunity for the twins to turn their back on their father when they feel like he's more dedicated to releasing Vaatu than being a parent.
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Escalus (Syn)
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Post by Escalus (Syn) on Nov 2, 2013 1:27:53 GMT -5
I love the deep character development and twists that continue to move to and from the stories thus far this season. Each episode has something to offer that the last did not. However, I am VERY concerned at the lack of peace thus far. It seems Korra is just pushed this way and that, without reflection or inner conflict. We really haven't seen what is happening to the world as a result of the spirits being let loose. Its like facing the Fire Lord without having witnessed the travels of the Gaang.
I also don't understand Lin's treatment thus far this season. They took a character that seemed to be a product of her position in life (and her struggles to cope with it) and now she's relegated to being obtuse and indifferent. This may change as Mako and Korra's plot lines converge, but as of now.... I'm left wondering.
While I like Jinora's connection, and it fits very well, I think that Mike and Bryan missed a HUGE opening to bring Kya, Bumi and Tenzin together. Katara said they needed to come together and bond, they all have some kind of Daddy problem (Jinora included), and they are children of the Avatar. Wouldn't it have been a nice cameo and conclusion to that side-plot to have them send Korra and Jinora off, with a little Aang spirit action? (he could put their minds at ease, answer a few questions, and even have a little touching moment)
Probably what really makes me so on edge is the fact that I don't really see where the series can move on from here. While I still love TLA more than Korra, the scope of what is happening in Korra's timeline seems to dwarf what Aang did in his lifetime. Korra will obviously need to bring the warring people and spirits to bear.... what has she to do in the next season? Fight another secular battle in the Earth Kingdom?
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Post by Paraiba Ocean on Nov 2, 2013 2:44:15 GMT -5
Lack of peace? I kinda disagree; I think Korra's been in a downward spiral of inner conflict and just been lashing out at everyone between the SWT and Republic City since the beginning. I think this is the first episode we've seen some kind of maturity and resolution with her character since season 1. I think her inner conflict is the fact she's had decisions made for her since birth without inputting her thoughts or desires, she felt betrayed by her father as he hid something from her, her cousins and uncle truly betrayed her, she felt like her boyfriend betrayed her AGAIN by telling the president of the United Republic about her scheme, her cousins attacked her, she was swallowed by a dark spirit, and she lost her memories. Now granted, it seems like her conflict is more external (ie, it's all Mako/Tonraq/Unalaq/Tenzin/whoever's fault), but I really honestly see the frustration of a 17 year old girl who feels like she can't trust anybody and is angry and doesn't care about the implications of poorly made decisions - she just wants what she wants, and she wants it now, and anyone who could propose something contrary to what she wants is an enemy. Prior to her breakup with Mako, she wasn't even sure if she wanted him to be opinionated or supportive about conflicts in her life. I think that's some really deep stuff there! edit: I also wanted to add that I think we could also assume that the dark spirits are relatively isolated since they seem to only cluster around highly spiritual areas, like the SWT (which at the South Pole is the portal) or the Eastern Air Temple meditation circle; granted, it does beg the question of random appearances but I think so far it could be safe to assume the dark spirit activity are limited to certain areas otherwise I think there would be a lot more activity from governments (ie the Fire Lord, United Republic) if their citizens were regularly being attacked by dark spirits. For all intensive purposes, in the mortal world, I think the bigger concern in the Civil War within the WT and any knowledge of the dark spirits is confined to a small group - it wasn't even a priority for Korra after Unalaq's betrayal until she reconnected with Wan. I don't think the dark spirits will be a major factor in the mortal world until Vaatu is released (which I expect he will be) and/or the NWT portal is also opened.
Yeah, I'm a little confused about Lin myself. I think I understand her being annoyed with Mako, and yeah, okay, finding out that he hired a gang to help with an operation probably didn't help her attitude towards his recent behavior, but it seems like she's got some kind of tunnel vision. I would have assumed that if Mako was THAT persistent that something other than a NWT attack on the SWT cultural center, she would have at least asked one detective to investigate or even given Mako an inch to go on and dig deeper.
I don't really know though if anyone could see Aang's spirit except for Korra in the mortal world, though, because I think when an Avatar communicates with his/her past life while in the human world, it's like talking to your inner conscience. No one else hears your inner thoughts (you can relay them), but no one can really actually hear that inner voice. For example, Aang's group never met Roku, Kyoshi, Kuruk, Yangchen, or any of the other Avatars (to my recollection). Perhaps if Kya, Bumi, and Tenzin entered the spirit world (through meditation or via the portal) they could have that opportunity - which is still a possibility for the end of the season - where the rules of the spirit world differ. So to me, it's not so much of a lost opportunity as more of, not really within the laws of nature?
lol but I think that can be said about every season. I mean, okay, Harmonic Convergence seems to be a HUGE deal and one of the most formidable foes in the series, but it's almost like... okay, so this 12 year old has less than a year to master 3 elements and take out the Fire Lord so he can save the world from a 100 year war.... every season just really raises the bar. After Aang, how many people really thought that some little plot in some city was going to be able to top a 100 year war at the hands of a war monger whose grandfather wiped out an entire civilization? And then we see Amon is a formidable foe in his own right. And then I can imagine a lot of people think, okay but ... how can we top some of the things we saw with Amon? And now we have the Harmonic Convergence. I could be wrong and we could be sorely disappointed in the next two seasons but, I'd like to try and think positively and believe that they would save the best for the last season. It just would seem ill-prepared if they would make this season so dramatic and devastating, but the next two seasons are some lame Earth King who just wants to rule the entire southern area or whatever.
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Lady Ursa
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Post by Lady Ursa on Nov 2, 2013 12:41:54 GMT -5
Jinora! I'm sort of happy with how that turned out. So the spirit connection skipped a generation; she's still a granddaughter of the last Avatar. I was wondering, though, whether it had something to do with her witnessing Wan's statue light up. I guess she had a penchant for connecting with spirits all along?
And there's hope for the twins! I hope they see how crazed their father has become, that he would sacrifice them over achieving his goal. It's an excellent opportunity for character development.
The thing is, yeah, Vaatu may get released (I'd hate for it to come to that but how predictable/necessary would it be?), Korra comes, saves the day, season ends, but then what? It's going to be really tough for Mike and Bryan to come up with a strong third season. We've already gotten through the four elements, and now spirits, so what's next?
In the end, OMG this season is awesome, the last 3 episodes have been my favorite by far!
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Post by Alouncara on Nov 2, 2013 13:09:18 GMT -5
Maybe it was just me, but I was a little confused as to why Unalaq and the twins could bend in the spirit world. Is it because their whole bodies passed through the portal, rather than just their spirits, as was the case for Aang?
I am really happy about all the character development that arose through this episode. Jinora is one of my favorite characters and I'm really looking forward to seeing her fill the shoes of Aang spiritually. Especially when she is probably the closest in age to him. (It's funny to think that at 12, two years older than her, Aang was off saving the world). I'm really curious to see how Wan Shi Tong plays into this season.
I can definitely understand Tenzin's frustration, but he's so uptight, it makes sense that he fills a very different role. I thought that there was some understanding that happened between him, Kya, and Bumi. Having Aang there would have been excessive.
Korra seemed to have developed from witnessing Wan's story a lot as well. I think she is beginning to finally appreciate the meaning behind being the Avatar.. (I'm curious to see if she regresses, whether it's next season or in future episodes though).
As for Lin, I don't know what's going on with her. She seems oddly out of character, while oddly in character. I guess the thing to keep in mind is that Lin never had a relationship with Mako. He was Korra's boyfriend, and helped Korra out. I think she recognized that he is a very powerful bender, and by his association with Korra, she trusted him enough to offer him a job. Nonetheless, he is still new and there's a lot she doesn't know about him. It has been said that Season 3 is to feature Lin a lot more heavily than she has been in the past. Perhaps this could mean a book titled "Metal". Just throwing some speculation out there.
Even though the show is called the "Legend of Korra", Bryke have introduced a plethora of characters that they can delve into. I wouldn't be surprised if future seasons delve into their back stories more. We still have yet to meet Zuko (who is confirmed to be alive) and I think Lin definitely has an interesting story to be told.
There are also the roles that Grey DeLisle is confirmed to be doing, but have yet to be fully revealed.
Also, I'm really curious to see how baby Rohan turns out. Bryke have yet to really delve into the development or discovery of bending in children. How do you find out? Or how does your family find out? It seems like it's something that happens at a fairly young age, but without support, it can take longer to develop (ie Katara, who could bend when she was young, but had no one to properly train her).
Lastly, on that same kind of topic, I wonder if all of this could potentially be building up to a full restoration of airbending? Airbenders are my favorite as far as their culture, and life style goes. They are so different from all the other elemental benders from what we've seen of them. I know Tenzin and Aang have done their best, but there's definitely still an unbalance.
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Post by Paraiba Ocean on Nov 2, 2013 13:43:03 GMT -5
The thing is, yeah, Vaatu may get released (I'd hate for it to come to that but how predictable/necessary would it be?), Korra comes, saves the day, season ends, but then what? It's going to be really tough for Mike and Bryan to come up with a strong third season. We've already gotten through the four elements, and now spirits, so what's next? I would suspect Vaatu gets released. I don't know if they said each storyline would be wrapped up per season (ie, Harmonic Convergence will be totally resolved by the end of the season), but if not, then I would suggest Vaatu gets released and possibly escapes the Spirit World and the next season is about imprisoning him again?? Just a thought. But yeah, again, it seems like a tough feat, but so far I don't think they've been disappointing with creating antagonists so I'm gonna try and look on the bright side lol. Maybe it was just me, but I was a little confused as to why Unalaq and the twins could bend in the spirit world. Is it because their whole bodies passed through the portal, rather than just their spirits, as was the case for Aang? Yep, Unalaq told the twins that unlike other visitors to the spirit world, they could use bending because the spirit portal was open and they could travel there physically and not spiritually. I can definitely understand Tenzin's frustration, but he's so uptight, it makes sense that he fills a very different role. I thought that there was some understanding that happened between him, Kya, and Bumi. Having Aang there would have been excessive. I think, though, it feels like he's not fulfilling Aang's legacy. The mentor of the Avatar, and former sole airbender (between Aang's passing and the birth of his children) can't make it to the spirit world? It's not just that he feels like he's letting his father down, but he's letting Korra down - and himself. It kinda sucks. I think that Kya and Bumi, though they maybe didn't express it very well, maybe empathized a bit more than it appeared. For all intensive purposes, they could have felt like disappointments to Aang because neither of them are airbenders (though I doubt that is the case and I imagine Aang loved his children all the same). Sometimes, silent empathy is better than, "now you know how I feel!!!" And don't count that out yet either; they promised to watch over the bodies of Jinora and Korra, so perhaps in that time, they could address it and let him know they understand his disappointment. Korra seemed to have developed from witnessing Wan's story a lot as well. I think she is beginning to finally appreciate the meaning behind being the Avatar.. (I'm curious to see if she regresses, whether it's next season or in future episodes though). Even though the show is called the "Legend of Korra", Bryke have introduced a plethora of characters that they can delve into. I wouldn't be surprised if future seasons delve into their back stories more. We still have yet to meet Zuko (who is confirmed to be alive) and I think Lin definitely has an interesting story to be told. There are also the roles that Grey DeLisle is confirmed to be doing, but have yet to be fully revealed. Also, I'm really curious to see how baby Rohan turns out. Bryke have yet to really delve into the development or discovery of bending in children. How do you find out? Or how does your family find out? It seems like it's something that happens at a fairly young age, but without support, it can take longer to develop (ie Katara, who could bend when she was young, but had no one to properly train her). Lastly, on that same kind of topic, I wonder if all of this could potentially be building up to a full restoration of airbending? Airbenders are my favorite as far as their culture, and life style goes. They are so different from all the other elemental benders from what we've seen of them. I know Tenzin and Aang have done their best, but there's definitely still an unbalance. I expect that if Zuko is alive, it is for some kind of purpose that remains to be seen. I wouldnt discount the possibility that someone goes looking for Korra soon and knocks on Grandpa Zuzu's door to find out where the flameo she is! I've been wondering about Grey's particular character, as it's titled 'The Dark Spirit' and it has some sort of connection to Azula, I believe she said in her interview? Maybe this is a spirit introduced in the spirit world! I think parents discover that kind of ability about the same way they figure out if the child is a lefty or a righty; the kid just does it! One thing children are prone to are outbursts of emotion, so it's very likely that s/he could be sad, happy, angry, or some sort of strong emotion and shoot a jet of water, make the fireplace explode, etc, etc. Of course, mastering the bending skill does take some training and practice. I suppose unless the lion turtles make a reappearance, I don't think there's a possibility of Air Nomad culture returning to the balance it was in prior to the genocide. But I can see a fair amount of people adopting Air Nomad culture already; look at some of the people working at Air Temple Island or the various Air Temples around the world - they dress in traditional Air Nomad garb, as does Tenzin's Earth Kingdom wife, so that shows a reflection of adoption of culture. That being said, no, they're not airbenders, but it counts for something. It also seems that since the Air Nomads seem to all be airbenders, so maybe it's likely that as long as the Air Nomad gene is present? But then again, the true nature of how some are benders and others aren't has never really been fully explained to my knowledge.
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Lady Ursa
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Post by Lady Ursa on Nov 2, 2013 14:44:03 GMT -5
I suppose unless the lion turtles make a reappearance, I don't think there's a possibility of Air Nomad culture returning to the balance it was in prior to the genocide. But I can see a fair amount of people adopting Air Nomad culture already; look at some of the people working at Air Temple Island or the various Air Temples around the world - they dress in traditional Air Nomad garb, as does Tenzin's Earth Kingdom wife, so that shows a reflection of adoption of culture. That being said, no, they're not airbenders, but it counts for something. It also seems that since the Air Nomads seem to all be airbenders, so maybe it's likely that as long as the Air Nomad gene is present? But then again, the true nature of how some are benders and others aren't has never really been fully explained to my knowledge. There's also energy bending. We know the lion turtles used it first to grant bending abilities to humans, but it gets passed on to the avatars (Aang used it to take away Ozai's bending and Korra used it to restore Lin's bending). However, in previous cases, it is used on people who already have bending abilities. I wonder if it's possible for an avatar to energybend to give someone a bending ability when they hadn't had that ability before?
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Post by Paraiba Ocean on Nov 2, 2013 19:22:01 GMT -5
I suppose unless the lion turtles make a reappearance, I don't think there's a possibility of Air Nomad culture returning to the balance it was in prior to the genocide. But I can see a fair amount of people adopting Air Nomad culture already; look at some of the people working at Air Temple Island or the various Air Temples around the world - they dress in traditional Air Nomad garb, as does Tenzin's Earth Kingdom wife, so that shows a reflection of adoption of culture. That being said, no, they're not airbenders, but it counts for something. It also seems that since the Air Nomads seem to all be airbenders, so maybe it's likely that as long as the Air Nomad gene is present? But then again, the true nature of how some are benders and others aren't has never really been fully explained to my knowledge. There's also energy bending. We know the lion turtles used it first to grant bending abilities to humans, but it gets passed on to the avatars (Aang used it to take away Ozai's bending and Korra used it to restore Lin's bending). However, in previous cases, it is used on people who already have bending abilities. I wonder if it's possible for an avatar to energybend to give someone a bending ability when they hadn't had that ability before? In Lin's case, she was bloodbent to no longer have her abilities, and Korra restored it using energy bending. I feel like energy bending for the Avatar can only be used to mess with what's already there. Of course, I suppose one couldn't rule that possibility out entirely, however, that's going to open quite an interesting and dangerous can of worms if Korra were to start doling out bending abilities. If I was Korra, I would do my best to keep that particular ability silent if it's a possibility. I mean, I don't believe society would be tame enough to just let her restore the Air Nomad population to a more sustainable level.
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Lady Ursa
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Post by Lady Ursa on Nov 2, 2013 19:32:23 GMT -5
Oh another plot point I'm curious to see is how Korra is going to confront her uncle. She and Jinora only entered in spirit, so they wouldn't have their bending abilities, would they? I was wondering how Unalaq was going to trick her into freeing Vaatu.
And as for future seasons, I would love to hear more about the first few avatars after Wan. We could get into calculations and theories about how many avatars there have been, and it'd be an interesting subject to cover. (But that's straying from the topic...)
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Post by Paraiba Ocean on Nov 4, 2013 4:48:20 GMT -5
I saw an interesting theory on tumblr and found it worth commenting on:
When Asami was originally created, she was supposed to persuade Mako to not listen to Korra, but ended up taking a different characterization in the final concept (for season 1, anyway). In this episode, someone pointed out that when Mako was arrested and Asami looked away, it appeared to be some sort of guilt - as if she had been in on Varrick's plan to frame Mako with the stolen materials from Future Industries. I myself found it particularly weird that Asami didn't say a word in the defense of Mako: a young man she had dated for a decent period of time and was the boyfriend of the Avatar, when the police were hauling him off. I know if it had been my friend/"love" interest I would have said things like, "There has to be a mistake, this must be a setup, Mako would never do that."
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Post by teenj12 on Nov 8, 2013 18:40:41 GMT -5
I think it would be interesting for Asami to be a traitor, because it would give her an increased role. I mean, as it stands, she's really only used for the seasonal love triangles, and I KNOW she can be so much more than that.
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Post by ILZ on Nov 11, 2013 13:39:21 GMT -5
That is a very interesting theory. I could see Asami going along with Varrick's plan. I mean her father is in prison, and Mako left her for Korra. All she really has is Future Industries, so it is not a huge stretch that she would do anything to keep it from failing. I agree with teenj12 that it would make her way more interesting as a character because as it stands, she's a little one dimensional.
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Escalus (Syn)
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Post by Escalus (Syn) on Nov 12, 2013 1:33:29 GMT -5
I hardly think that Asami's role will be so vastly altered. I would much rather play with the idea that she is just in haitus till her role is expanded. (She's naive and young) Let's face it, the entire Republic City story is next to nothing when it comes to this season. I think its more likely that this element is a cog in a bigger end of season (or IMO next season) wheel that will come full circle in much the same way elements of the first season (Such as the war machines and Bato to Hakoda) of TLA became expanded in Season 3. (Except here I would guess it would be on a larger scale)
One thing that the first season Korra addressed heavily in the background was the thought that this is an industrial era. The traditions and bending arts don't create the line between common and extraordinary as they did in past times. We had an Amon, taking the thought and moving that into the open. Here we have the Spirits. Next season could be about the rise of industrial might (Such as trusts and the like i.e. Standard Oil) and how the Avatar fits into the faster evolving world.
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