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Post by Musogato on Jun 2, 2012 1:18:45 GMT -5
Discussion for episode 8, airing June 2. "Korra quarrels with Councilman Tarrlok in the midst of growing Equalist activity."
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Esile
Casual Zuko
The Artist Formerly Known as Koikitten
Posts: 929
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Post by Esile on Jun 2, 2012 10:41:02 GMT -5
That ending was DARK. The animation in this episode was the best yet. I especially liked the camera flash shading and the action scenes. I'm very disappointed in how Asami and Korra's interactions have been going. I was really hoping they'd end up as friends, and there's still time for that of course but right now it's kind of tough to watch. Meelo was great in this episode up until the fart callback to the original series. Then again, that scene was derided in the original by fans so I wouldn't be surprised if that was a bit of trolling courtesy of Bryke. All of the Air Temple scenes were well-done and enjoyable. The Ikki/Bolin exchange was perfect. I also liked how Jinora was the one to bring the guys to the male part of the island. Something tells me she sneaks around there quite a bit. Tarrlok is officially a character I hate. When he was talking to Korra in the beginning, I was infuriated at what he was saying to her. The ending where Korra was destroying another part of the city winning against Tarrlok had me pretty much fistpumping in the air up until the moment where the tables turned. I did not call the bloodbending. I literally sat staring at the screen with my mouth agape from the second the bloodbending began to a minute or so after the episode ended. I identify more and more with Korra in every episode, and I started out really disliking her character at first. I'm glad my opinion of her has changed.
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Post by xrxpapi on Jun 2, 2012 10:48:10 GMT -5
The growing oppression of non benders was of course predictable this episode but was executed really well, gotta love the usefulness of metalbending to use barriers for arrests lol
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Post by ILZ on Jun 2, 2012 12:15:00 GMT -5
Wow, I'm still in shock over that ending. Tarlok with the water behind him was very reminiscent of Azula as firelord with the blue fire around the throne. He has always seemed like a shady character, but he was portrayed as out right evil in this episode. Korra's battle with him at the end was amazing. There was some great bending from both sides. I never saw the bloodbending coming though. I can't wait to find out more about his past and how is capable of bloodbending without a full moon. I'm also wondering if he has some kind of connection with Amon, judging by his reaction when Korra compared him to Amon. I'm wondering if Amon is paying him to oppress benders to help lead more people to his cause and is promising him some kind of power in his "new bender-free" world.
The man in Korra's vision has always reminded me of Tarlok, but I'm starting to become more convinced that there is some connection between the two men. I just hope she takes Tenzin's advice and meditates on the dreams to try to make contact with Aang. While she is a great bender, she really needs to get in touch with her spiritual side. And I think that speaking with Aang could help her airbending.
I really enjoyed watching the new team Avatar at work in this episode. They really make a great team. And it was great to see them take down some equalists finally. I also loved seeing them interact with Tenzin's children. I liked getting to see a little more of Meelo, he is just too cute. Korra's reaction to Ikki telling Asami she liked Mako was hilarious. Asami and Korra are acting civil toward each other, but you can definitely sense the tension between them. I'm alright with that though, because it seems natural, and I would probably act similarly if I was in either of their positions.
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Zidaneski
Yue
I will win in the end.
Posts: 663
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Post by Zidaneski on Jun 2, 2012 13:44:44 GMT -5
How could I have not assumed Tarrlok was a bloodbender!? That episode was intense. I mean nothing that much was going on but by the time there was 5 minutes left to the episode I got really nervous cause I knew I was about to be blown away. And amazing how I was expecting something epic and it was even more epic than I could imagine. Love this show. Something tells me that the incident with Yokone revolved around Sokka. !!! Could Tarrlok be related to Sokka!!!
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Post by citytech16 on Jun 2, 2012 13:48:38 GMT -5
Wow, I'm still in shock over that ending. Tarlok with the water behind him was very reminiscent of Azula as firelord with the blue fire around the throne. Exactly, and when Tarlok was hanging off the ledge, I was reminded of Ozai. The council is reacting in knee-jerk fashion to the Equalist movement, and Tarlok, being ever the opportunist, is utilizing it to gain power. He and Amon are not so different in trying to contrast them.
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Khil01
Long Feng
Kataangian Hunter
Airbending kataang commander.
Posts: 3,212
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Post by Khil01 on Jun 2, 2012 14:16:17 GMT -5
The other council members are such push-overs! They've just let Tarlok walk all over them.
I thought about the blood bending moments before he did it when Korra exclaimed there was no more water. I love that twist! Tarlok is a much bigger villain than I first thought.
and to throw out a wild theory, say Tarlok is/is working with Amon. What if when Amon has been draining people's bending, all of that energy wasn't just disappearing, but being transferred. And Amon was able to power up Tarlok, enough that he doesn't need the full moon to blood bend.
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Post by Musogato on Jun 2, 2012 15:04:46 GMT -5
Oh my gosh! This episode-- so many things! And wow, it must have run long if they had the credits rolling during the final scene. I'm glad they didn't try to shorten it further.
Okay. Tarrlok vs Korra fight: So Awesome. I loved their battle and how Korra went all out. The giant waterfall-wall behind Tarrlok was really pretty, and I'm glad that it became a part of the fight, especially when Korra finally took it out so Tarrlok could no longer use it. I was really afraid Korra was going to end up killing him though, because how could she explain that? I mean I know she's the Avatar and he's doing terrible things, but... to me, it really doesn't seem like the correct answer at this point in time.
The bloodbending completely took me by surprise as well. I hope it will be answered how he's doing that without the full moon, but in the flashback with old!Team Avatar and Yakone, it looked like the gaang was being stopped by bloodbending as well. I want to join the theory that maybe Tarrlok is related to Yakone, but I can't imagine that would be true without it constantly being thrown back at Tarrlok. Perhaps they're secretly from the same circle, or Tarrlok sought him out later on as a mentor or something, if Yakone was indeed the one bloodbending.
Last thought on Tarrlok: When Korra compared him to Amon, I think he rage-freaked out in a 'how dare you' denial kind of way, just like how Korra denial-freaked out when Tarrlok compared her to himself. Everyone's on different sides, but they're all more or less using similar tactics. I think it's really interesting that the major conflicts are set up this way, and it's great that it's starting to be called out. It'll be interesting to see where it goes from here.
In lighter affairs, the interaction between Tenzin's kids and the bros & Asami was really cute. ^^ Korra's reaction to Ikki spilling the beans was hilarious, and I loved Ikki's Sakura!rage face at being shutout afterwards. xD There's definitely more tension now between the teen girls, but at least it's on the back-burner for now. I'm guessing there will be some time dedicated to it later on this season, but I'm hoping they'll be able to move past it somehow, because they make a great fighting team.
Speaking of, I love their vigilante team, and driving around in the Sato-Batmobile was great. I don't understand where the car is kept, though. Was it brought onto Air Temple Island? Or did they travel with Naga on a ferry back to Republic City? Or was there a "waiting in the elevator" type of lull between falling off Naga and traveling to wherever the car was kept? I kinda want to see that now. ^^
The round-up and curfew of the non-benders really surprised me, though. I remember one of the pre-show interviews talking about a registration act like in the X-Men, but I always assumed that it would be for benders. Having the non-benders be rounded up like that was... gross to say the least, but just as surprising was Tarrlok saying they would be held indefinitely, and Tenzin's response that everyone had due process under the law. Very interesting, and again I'm glad the conflict is set up like this. Though it is scary how historical and topical it is.
Finally, I just want to add how much I love Tenzin. His little jab at Chief Saikhan was hilarious, but in general I'm just so glad that he's in this show.
The next episode will be really interesting. Hopefully Naga will be able to lead the others to Korra (Although I'm hoping she'll be able to break herself out), but I'm also curious what Tenzin will do, and what Tarrlok's plan is. His office/the building is all destroyed, and without a lot of help I can't imagine that he would be able to return from wherever he's going and then rebuild everything without anyone noticing. Is he going to disappear too, or sneak back and act like nothing happened? His assistant knows Korra was at his office, will he crumble under pressure should Tenzin question him? It'll be interesting to see if Tenzin is able to get the rest of Team Avatar out of jail as well, although personally I kind of expect for them to break themselves out should Tenzin not be able to help them officially. Also hoping Lin will reappear and show some of her plan in action.
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Leaf
Gran Gran
Posts: 585
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Post by Leaf on Jun 2, 2012 15:07:51 GMT -5
Why does Councilman Tarrlok remind me of a cross between Chancellor Palpatine and Long Feng?
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Post by KrystalFruit22 on Jun 2, 2012 16:21:56 GMT -5
Oh my. I did not see any of this coming O.o. The whole thing is so much more complex than just good v. evil and I'm loving it. When Tarrlok said "there are a lot of things you don't know about me" I thought he might be Kya's son (though upon reflection I think that's a bit farfetched) that or related to Hama? Or I suppose he could've just figured it out on his own. Or maybe he tried using Katara/her abilities to get to Aang somehow. Or maybe he was part of the reason Aang died so young, I'm sure there are many bodily functions you can mess up with bloodbending. But again, that's a bit farfetched. Still, it's fun to speculate. I really hope Bolin, Mako and Asami get out of jail so they can find Korra. Or maybe while in captivity she'll finally be able to connect with Aang and get into the avatar state and escape that way. One week suddenly seems so long!
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Post by ILZ on Jun 2, 2012 16:30:16 GMT -5
Speaking of, I love their vigilante team, and driving around in the Sato-Batmobile was great. I don't understand where the car is kept, though. Was it brought onto Air Temple Island? Or did they travel with Naga on a ferry back to Republic City? Or was there a "waiting in the elevator" type of lull between falling off Naga and traveling to wherever the car was kept? I kinda want to see that now. ^^ That bothered me as well. I don't really see why Asami would need a car on the island so I guess it was just somewhere in Republic City and the whole getting there by ferry and all was just conveniently left out. The next episode will be really interesting. Hopefully Naga will be able to lead the others to Korra (Although I'm hoping she'll be able to break herself out), but I'm also curious what Tenzin will do, and what Tarrlok's plan is. His office/the building is all destroyed, and without a lot of help I can't imagine that he would be able to return from wherever he's going and then rebuild everything without anyone noticing. Is he going to disappear too, or sneak back and act like nothing happened? His assistant knows Korra was at his office, will he crumble under pressure should Tenzin question him? Knowing Tarlok, I'm sure he will come up with some creative tale to explain the destruction, and then spin it someway in which he will be seen as a hero. I imagine he will be able to succeed since he seems to have all those in authority (except Tenzin and Bei Fong) in his pocket. Which I hope is explained soon. Surely he has to have something that has the council and even the new police chief agreeing to his every whim. I suspect it is most likely money or threats if the money didn't work. Or maybe while in captivity she'll finally be able to connect with Aang and get into the avatar state and escape that way. I would love to see Korra escape using the Avatar state. It would be priceless to see Tarlok's face when he realized that she was no longer a "half-baked Avatar".
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attonbitus
Blue Spirit
I'm in ur clouds, steel'n ur thundar
Posts: 2,121
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Post by attonbitus on Jun 2, 2012 17:27:26 GMT -5
The only thing is I had a semi issue with was the "plot pull" for the blood bending card. I thought for sure there would be metal benders there hiding on Tarlok's side to restrain Korra then charge her with assault and maybe attempted murder. Looking at the amount of "only the avatar could have done this" damage it would be every easy to manipulate public opinion to see the same. Seriously, when Korra knocked him from the balcony, into the earth smash I thought "she's going too far". Part of me cringes every time the specialty bending styles are show as being common, BUT it makes sense. It's knowledge, just like how even knowing how to read was rare, but now it's everywhere. Really interested in how they got over the requirement for the full moon. Both this and the fact that Amon's knows energy bending points to a potential common thread of forgotten/forbidden lore. Heck if we want to talk about shades of grey, maybe Amon KNOWS Tarlok is a bloodbender and has been teaching/using it further his agenda, and it's one of the main reasons Amon is focusing on RC to keep him out of power! Energy Bending only affects Benders, but Blood bending affects everyone! Oh on Asumi... alright there's her flaw, she's human and can be jealous if her boyfriend seems a bit too friendly with his "female friend".
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pressie
Zuko
Pants are an illusion
Posts: 116
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Post by pressie on Jun 2, 2012 18:41:32 GMT -5
I think Tarrlock and Amon are one and the same. They sound/look so alike!
It's clear Tarrlock is doing everything he can to make non-benders resent actual benders so he can create chaos and seize more power.
As we learned in the last season from the lion-turtle, in the beginning humans and animals bent the energy within themselves... this means Aang could take away bending, but he could also give it to someone too couldn't he?
I'm predicting Korra will have her bending taken away at some point and will have to get in touch with her spiritual side to learn that bending is within. Then she'll be able to give herself her own bending back and probably those who it was taken from.
But since Amon can take away bending, clearly this is a trait anyone could do, not just the Avatar! Perhaps the people will learn this too and be able to return their own bending to themselves (once Korra discovers this and teaches them).
As far as Korra's flashback's, it seems this equalist mess began before Korra was even born. I think Aang may have been murdered, by either Tarrlock or a relative of Tarrlock. It would be crazy if Tarrlock's father (who I'm sure was a politician) had murdered Aang and then been behind the construction of Aang's memorial monument. (I bet if Aang could see that giant statue of himself he would HATE it! It's so gaudy!)
And even though chi blocking is clearly bad for benders, it's still cook as all get out. I loved it when I first saw Ty Lee use it! It's a great fighting technique. I wouldn't be surprised if Ty Lee taught the technique herself that the equalists are now using! (Unknowing that it would be used for bad of course).
I'm also curious if the majority of machinery was inspired, instigated, or build by The Mechanist (Teo's father).
I'm super excited to see/hear about more of the old cast. The spirit world (as it has always in the past) will play a huge role in this season. It'll be a great lesson to the super high tech/mechanical world Korra lives in for everyone to get in touch with their inner energy.
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Post by MasterEcabob on Jun 2, 2012 18:45:29 GMT -5
BEST. EPISODE.
All the island stuff was great, and I was glad to see Korra and Tenzin on a Skybison...even if it was only for a scene. The kids were adorable as usual and Asami's "essentials" was pretty hilarious as well.
The car chase was great, although I don't know what Asami was thinking breaking the curfew. The whole time I figured Tarlok would use that against Korra and dang did he ever.
The Korra Tarlok battle was, simply put, amazing. Whoever mentioned Palpatine has got it right, telling the assistant to "leave us" right before the big battle seemed like it was pulled right out of RotS! And then the bloodbending...holy crap the bloodbending. In that single scene he jumped straight to Azula level of villain, he was that terrifying. Major props to Mike & Bryan for that!
"You don't know me" "I have a plan" While the Tarlok=Amon theory is now pretty much shot, it seems obvious to me that the two are playing each other, each trying to escalate the conflict in order to "gain power". And looking back on his previous actions, knowing he's a bloodbender, the council scenes are a whole lot more eerie. So far, the council-other than Tenzin of course-have had no lines and have only sat and raised their hands...like puppets. Yikes!
Can't wait to see where they go with this next week.
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Dr. Joe
Meng
Minster of Health
Posts: 255
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Post by Dr. Joe on Jun 2, 2012 20:33:28 GMT -5
Did anyone else notice how well animated that Tarlock vs Korra fight was? It was simply beautiful.
Next episode better get me some Aang vs. Yakone answers.
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