Legend of Korra Episode Recaps: Episode 4

"The Legend of Korra Episode Recaps" is a book blog feature created by the indubitably awesome Lisa @ Lisa Is Busy Nerding.

Korra airs Saturdays at 11am EST/10am CST on Nickelodeon.

Hi, everybody! Welcome to another weekly installment of The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra Episode Recaps/Commentary/Discussion/Whatever. I'm a day late, but that's okay. It's never too late to talk about Korra. 

Episode 4, "The Voice in the Night"

Recap/Commentary

This show is just so amazing! GAH! It is so much better than I ever imagined it would be. It truly is meant for a more mature audience compared to the first series, Avatar: The Last Airbender. I think that's why I'm relating to it better. I've long since graduated from Middle School, after all.

First of all, episode 4 starts out with Korra dreaming that Amon is about to take away her bending, but she awakens just before he can do it. Clearly, Amon is living rent-free in her head space. In the dream Amon even taunted her, saying she'd be nothing without her bending. She's feeling insecure because she wouldn't matter anymore if she lost her abilities. 'Tis true.

Tenzin is in a council meeting with all the other nations' representatives, and the guy representing the Northern Water Tribe, Tarrlok, is proposing that he lead a special task force designed just to track down Amon and bring him to justice. Tenzin thinks this is a bad idea. It will divide benders and non-benders even more, but the other reps all out vote him. Shady Tarrlok just got his way and I bet not for the first time (and not for the last, either).

Tarrlok mentions something interesting about older Aang that upset Tenzin. Apparently Aang had to deal with a rabble-rouser back in his day who threatened Republic City, and he dealt with him head-on. Why this got under Tenzin's skin is not clear. The dude Aang dealt with was a man named Yakon forty-two years earlier. It must mean something, but what?

Mako gets off work and tries to catch a trolly, only to get hit by some idiot on a motorbike! He's about to lay into this guy until he realizes this guy is not a guy, at all. He's a young, beautiful, rich woman named Asami, and she is a huge fan of the Fire Ferrets. Fan girl alert, Mako! But, for once it's good to be a famous Pro-bender. Bolin is rubbing off on him. Asami sets up a date at a fancy shin-dig as an apology, and he's already in lurve. 

My question: What about Korra? He all to easily forgets she exists. Son, I am disappoint. -_-

Anyway, that Tarrlok dude is shifty when he interrupts Tenzin's family dinner with Korra all of a sudden. What's he up to? He wants to recruit Korra into his anti-anti-bender task force, but she refuses him, surprisingly. She's all into her airbender training, or so she says. She's even missing out on Pro-bending practices with her boys. Tarrlok will not be turned away so easily, though. 

Mako goes to Kuang's, the fancy shin-diggy restaurant that requires he have a valet dress him in duds that would pay his rent for the next three months. Chilling with Asami, he finds out she's seen ALL of his matches (stalker, much?). But, she is the daughter of Hiroshi Sato, the man who invented the Satomobile--the answer to the automobile in the Avatar universe. Is that cute, or what? So, Mako wants to meet this cool guy, fo sho. 

Bolin drops by to see Korra and give her a red rose and a cupcake. My reaction: O__O. A red rose? Wow. Korra doesn't even pick up on the gesture. It means he's in love with you, girl. She's so clueless, but Bolin is adorable making up a reason to give it to her. A messenger brings by some big goodies and gifts from Tarrlok in order to sway her to join the task force, and Bolin thinks Tarrlok is a suitor! He's about to throw-down, but is relieved to hear he's not really, after all. All this flies over Korra's head. 

Mako gets to meet Mr. Sato and Sato offers to sponsor the Fire Ferrets because none of them have the money to enter the tournament. They'll have to change their name to Future Industries Fire Ferrets, but so what? They get to play, and Mako is so happy, he's willing to tattoo the industry's logo on his chest. If you do, Mako, then you have to promise to let us see it.... -_o

Korra gets invited to a gala thrown by Tarrlok in her honor. What is that guy doing now? She and Tenzin dress up all spiffy and Korra gets to meet Asami hanging off the arm of Mako. "Who is she?" asks Korra. What she meant to say was, "Get away from my man, little girl, or I'll knock you into Episode 5!" Needless to say, she seems jealous, and not all that happy about the sponsorship by the girl's father. The real reason for Korra's gala becomes obvious when Tarrlok throws her in front of the press, all set up with questions about why she's so afraid to join the task force. Who's afraid? Not Korra! She'd hate to admit that, so she publicly joins it, after all. Tarrlok just got his way, again. Slick politician.

She gets to help take down a chi-blocking training session and arrest the chi-blockers, gets into the papers, but she's not happy. Something's eating at her. She knows what to do to feel better. Challenge Amon to a one-on-one duel! And, that's what she does, over the radio. At midnight on Avatar Aang Memorial Island. Mano y Korra. 

Tenzin tries to talk her out of it, as does Tarrlok, but he's got an fleet of airships overhead ready to strike from the sky if need be. She waits on a statue of Aang... and waits and waits. Is he even coming? Just when he seems a no-show, she gets ambushed by Amon's chi-blockers who block her bending and tie her up in whips. Amon acts like he's going to do the deed, but he just holds up her face, telling her they will duel another day. He's got a plan and their duel is going to have to wait (until the last episode). If she loses her bending now, the benders will make a martyr out of her. 

He knocks her out and she has the coolest vision ever. She sees the grown-up versions of the deceased characters, Sokka, Toph and Aang. Not only that, but she sees Aang fighting that Yakon guy who disturbed the peace of the city forty-two years earlier! It was so awesome to see these characters all grown up. Loved them all as children and teens in the first series. Yay! More, please. Funny thing is, Korra thought Tenzin was the spirit version of Aang when he finally caught up with her after Amon left. She finally lets it all out in front of Tenzin, her fears of Amon's ability and everything, overwhelmed by feels and tearbending. Yep, she can tearbend, too, just like any girl. Tenzin gives us the episode's lesson: admitting your fears is the first step to overcoming them.

Holy crud! Episode 5 is going to blow my mind! The next two episodes will be about the Pro-bending tournament and Korra gets to meet Tahno! I can't wait for that to happen. 


What did you think of this episode? Are you liking it more than the original A:TLA series?

Until next time, Korraddicts, have a great week.... 

Legend of Korra Episode Recaps: Episode 3

"The Legend of Korra Episode Recaps" is a book blog feature created by the indubitably awesome Lisa @ Lisa Is Busy Nerding.

I'm back with another episode recap/discussion of The Legend of Korra. 

Episode 3 "The Revelation"

Recap/Discussion

I gotta say this show is already going far beyond my expectations. It's so clever at developing the plot and the characters all at the same time, like a best-selling novel. Definitely, Mike & Brian (the show's creative duo) are demonstrating that they are not a one-trick pony act. They can continue to kill it even when they write sequels.

Episode 3 basically sets up the complication and introduces us to our main villain character: It starts out innocently enough with Korra training for her Pro-bending match with her teammates Mako and Bolin. She and Mako are still not too chummy with each other. She discovers from Bolin that the two brothers are orphans and have had to scrape by in life. They still struggle to find money, and in order to enter the Pro-bending Tournament, they have to come up with 30,000 yulans. Yikes! 

Korra freely admits that she has never had to earn a living because people have always taken care of her all her life. Mako sounds a bit gruff at the remark, like a bitter pauper. We get to see Korra's mentality, having been the known Avatar all her life. It makes sense that she's been treated extra-specially since her childhood, which is rare for an Avatar (they usually find out they are the Avatar at age 16). 

There's a scene of Mako working at a power plant as he lightning-bends into a furnace with a bunch of other lightning-benders, showing just how common this type of bending is nowadays (it used to be rare). This is a world-building scenario, a clever one that shows us how Republic City is able to run on electricity, since there was none in the first series, and how Mako picks up a few extra bucks here and there when needed. When he returns to his loft home, Bolin is gone and he assumes he has gone across the bay to hang out with Korra (her island is in plain sight out his window).

When he goes to see if Bolin is with Korra, he finds out he is not, and they set out together to find him. Mako knows that Bolin has a knack for getting himself into dangerous situations. They find Bolin getting thrown into the back of a truck, tied up by people who are clearly working with the anti-bending folks--the Equalists. These guys fight and temporarily chi-block Korra and Mako from being able to bend any elements, but the two are saved by Naga, Korra's polar-bear dog.

After that, they spend all night looking for Bolin to no avail. The shipping ensues between Korra and Mako as they are alone together the entire time, but Mako is wanting to keep his distance from Korra, not give her any ideas. We are still left wondering if that's what he really feels about her. (She's clearly fine with him.) Then, they get a lead when they pick up some fliers that advertise something called "The Revelation," which is part of the anti-bending social movement in the city. The Equalists are headed up by a man named Amon, and he plans on revealing something amazing that nobody knows about just yet. 

They go undercover to the Equalist rally and see for the first time just how many anti-benders there are... hundreds, maybe thousands. It's shocking. Amon ascends from the stage and reveals that the Spirits of the Spirit World have instructed him that bending is bad and that the Avatar system is fail. He is supposed to take away all benders' abilities to bend the elements from them, and he can do it. No. Way. That is impossible. But, he shows everyone that he can do it by demonstrating on a notorious mobster named Lightning Bolt Zolt--a fire-bender. Amon holds the guy's forehead and Zolt is left with no bending. It's permanent. 

Bolin is on stage and about to get his earth-bending taken away from him by Amon when Korra wrecks a boiler, causing steam to fill up the arena, which allows Mako to grab Bolin undercover, and they all escape, barely. Korra finally returns to her temporary home with her sifu, Tenzin, who was worried sick about her. She has to tell him all about the new threat Amon poses to all benders, and Tenzin is aghast that the man has learned to do something only the Avatar has ever been known to do. It is a mystery, indeed, how he learned to do something so dangerous. (Although, I do know what he has learned, but it's too spoilery for this post.)

I'm very impressed with this new villain character, Amon, because, unlike Ozai, the villain of the first series, he seems more multi-dimensional. Amon is motivated to take away people's bending abilities because he grew up a non-bender with his non-bending family, and a fire-bender killed them all. He was left with a scarred face that he has to cover with a mask. Of course he would hate benders, and many benders are oppressing non-benders. All of this is really happening, and he wants to take the hard-line approach to fixing the problem. It's just that it's a very severe way to do it. But, I like that he is NOT motivated by greed, but a notion that he is doing good and making life better for people. That's the best kind of villain--one who doesn't know he is one.

What do you think of this episode? What do you think of Amon, the new villainous threat to the benders? 

Legend of Korra Episode Recaps: Episodes 1 & 2

"The Legend of Korra Episode Recaps" is a book blog feature created by the indubitably awesome Lisa @ Lisa Is Busy Nerding.

Okay, people. Let me explain what this is. This is a new weekly feature I will participating in along with Lisa from Lisa is Busy Nerding every Wednesday where I will be recaping and discussing the previous Saturday morning premiers of the new Nickelodeon cartoon, The Legend of Korra.

I have been a HUGE fan of the Avatar: The Last Airbender cartoon series for the past five years because it is so unique, refreshing, and like nothing else out there. What an amazing show! And, it really isn't just for kids. It's one of those kids' cartoons that can honestly be enjoyed by people of all ages. No, I don't have any kids that got me into the show. I seriously just channel-surfed one day and found it all on my own. I am that awesome (read: weird).

So, today I will be discussing Episodes 1 & 2 (they premiered together on Saturday, April 14th), and this will be the usual routine. Go HERE to watch the first 2 episodes online for free! You will be most impressed by the beautiful fantasy elements and incredible world-building. I hope you will join me in watching and discussing this amazing new series!

Re-Cap Discussion: Episodes 1 & 2

 

Korra is the next Avatar after Aang, living in a world united by his legacy, but it has fallen into a bit of chaos since his death seventeen years ago. She was born into the Southern Water Tribe, and we see right away from Episode 1 that everyone knew she was the world's next Avatar because she could already bend all the elements except air from a very young age. She comes out guns-a-blazing from the womb! This girl is p-o-w-e-r-f-u-l and she knows it. She makes sure everybody else knows it, too.

Her issue is that she needs to learn how to airbend, and the only person on the planet who can teach her is Aang's son, Tenzin, who is carrying on his airbender teachings. One thing that the creators of the show are doing perfectly for this sequel series is bringing back some old familiar characters. We actually get to see old lady Katara who has become the medicine woman for her Southern Water Tribe, and she knows through spiritual divination that Korra must leave her home and find her own path as the world's Avatar.

This doesn't sit well with Tenzin because he knows how to teach airbending, but Korra is just not having it. She thinks like an earthbender, all "shoot-em up and crush em into dust" type of mentality, which is the opposite of the Air Nomads' way. She decides to chill in Republic City, which has an anti-bending movement on the rise because non-benders feel oppressed by benders due to the natural selective process of whatever it is that endows one with bending abilities. Yeah, it is kind of unfair when you're not born with these abilities (but, life is unfair. As Korra says, you gotta deal with it!).

She doesn't have to worry much about this movement in the first two episodes just yet, and instead, opts to check out a pro-bending tournament. In this series, bending is a professional sport and there's a whole new way to bend all the elements unlike anything Korra has ever seen before. She totally digs it! It's modern and the bee's knees (this expression will make sense in a moment, I promise).

She meets a guy around her age named Bolin and his brother Mako, both of whom are on the Fire Ferrets, a pro-bending team. Mako is like the Babe Ruth of pro-bending, but he's a bit unfriendly and unsociable, unlike his outgoing brother, Bolin. Korra gets a chance to play in one of their matches when their third team member flakes out on them at the last minute. She doesn't know what she's doing, but she's found her place in the world, as pro-bending is the freakin' berries and totally copacetic.

Why am I using all this 1920's American slang? Well, that's what decade it is in the Avatar world, and you can see the style reflected in all their technology, clothing and way of life. Call it 'steampunk lite.' You'll even see some airships floating around. Despite this, I still see mostly familiar attire and martial arts from the original series, so this makes me happy. I'm still watching a show that reflects its predecessor very well.

Now, I can't help musing on what I want to see in future episodes. Korra x Mako!! Of course these two seem to be getting shipped together already. If you consider that Korra is a Southern Water Tribe girl (like how Katara was), and that Mako is a Fire Nation guy (like how Zuko was), then it's like Zuko x Katara (Zutara) gets to happen now! I always liked Katara and Zuko together, even though they never got romantically involved. I actually still hold out hope that they will get together in this series because Zuko could still be alive, for all I know at this time.  


Needless to say, I'm super excited about this season and about seeing what's in store for Korra and her new friends. Who else is still alive from Avatar: The Last Airbender? Who is this masked villain character that hates element bending? Who was that pretty boy Korra was mocking to his face in that preview I saw? Seriously, this looks like it's going to kill it, and I can't wait to see every minute of this show!


If you're following the show, what did you think of Episodes 1 and 2? Do you like this new, very different type of Avatar hero?