I was so excited for the 4th season of Legend of Korra. I thought that the series (and Korra) was going through a period of maturation as it geared up for a new world riddled with political turmoil and strife. But Korra's journey from her disability and traumatic experience was devoid of deep meaning. Symbolically it was confusing as Korra did not overcome the disability by herself or with the help of a sage character (two to be exact), or through the love and acceptance of her friends. Instead she sought out the source of the disability, an evil source, and in a few moments of dialogue resolved all the issues with him. It just didn't make sense. I believe that had an entire episode been devoted to a spiritual awakening that stood in for the acceptance of her disability not as a hurdle to be overcame, but as a piece of her to be acknowledged and adjusted for, then I would not have been disappointed. But the show doesn't seem to be making any commentary. Instead it just felt like they needed her better and Zaheer was the only deus ex machina left. Even if they were going to go through the trouble of making her better, it has now been two episodes and Korra is MIA in terms of definitive action. She is on the sidelines while others are making moves. The Avatar should be integral to the process, it should never feel as if everyone else is more significant than the avatar, and yet I feel like Korra isn't even necessary. I'm sure the show will come up with some reason to make her necessary (cue the super weapon that can't be stopped), but for two episodes, I honestly cared more about Toph and Bolin than I did about Korra. I'm going to organize my thoughts a bit more. I don't have time to organize this into a well sculpted essay, so a list will have to do.
1. Characters- Characters in Korra never complete their character arcs. The show has developed some amazing characters: Korra, Bolin, Janorra, Kai, etc. But the show hasn't leveraged the character arcs in this current season. We need to see characters change, but it feels as if the only character who has significantly changed was Korra. All other characters have pretty much remained static. A great example of this is Bolin. Bolin foolishly joins Kuevera thinking he is contributing to the greater good and eventually turns his back on his friends and family in devotion to this facade. When the facade comes tumbling down he takes it lightly. Sure he shows remorse, but it's as if he disassociated himself with the tragedy. The work camps and reeducation camps described in the show are reminiscent to Japanese internment and the Holocaust, yet Bolin absolves himself of direct responsibility. It would have been nice to see him become frustrated and a tad consumed with guilt. Then his friends and his eventual resolution with Opal could help him forgive himself for the atrocities he accidentally supported. Also, why is it that Kai has basically been MIA for the majority of this season? The budding romance between Janorra and Kai is an important tool to be used. Their naivety and youth reminds us of the old avatar squad and could have easily been juxtaposed with Korra's group to make an interesting meta commentary of the differences between the two shows. Instead Kai, who in my opinion has developed nicely in the previous season, is completely missing and Janorra is still just as prominent. Also, the drama between Bei Fong, her sister and Toph was good, but lacked the emotional depth to be compelling. That episode where she forgives Toph felt unrealistic. One act of remorse is not enough to mend years of neglect.
2. Universe Logic- In every great fantasy series there is a logic that the universe follows which allows fantastical things to be significant and meaningful to us. In star wars, the metaphorical significance of light saber fights as a method of expressing personal discord was evident in the original series. In the original avatar the spirit world as a source of wisdom, but also mystique and danger. This trope of a wise yet dangerous spirit world was logic put into place. But with the convergence of the spirit world and human world there is massive confusion. First, why was the spirit world ever merged? This question is never answered. Second, why did the airbenders get their powers through this convergence? You can suspend disbelief for it, but why do so when you can construct a logic to explain the phenomenon, while also developing a more believable universe for your audience. You see the spirit world in the human world, but not the human world in the spirit world. Why is that the case? Also, with all the past avatar's dead is there any way to get them back? If there is anything the show needs to deus ex machina it is that. The process of looking back on past lives was symbolically powerful in the first series. To lose that is to lose a powerful moment in the show. As the show continues we see the spirits unwilling to engage in the human conflict. Why? What possibly could be this holier than thou attitude the spirits have. That's the issue the spirits and humans in the Legend of Wan arc did not merely act holier than thou, but instead acted with genuine distrust. The spirits in the old avatar and in the first two seasons of the new have consistently acted holier than thou. Interactions or discussions about the spirit world also had this holier than thou feel. You can't add a religiosity to a show and then dismiss its religious element when it is convenient. Even arguing the difference between spirituality and religiosity is moot. We revere the spiritual world because it's a source of wisdom, therefore the convergence of the human and spirit world just seems disrespectful and more analogous to a tower of babel type tale.
3. Political banter- the political undertones of the show are too broad. Of course you want to use a political archetype as the basis of your show to draw audiences in and provide a bedrock for narrative complexity, but eventually this must be nuanced. Kuevera is a general, but what does she do that makes her so fearsome? She has labor camps. Show them. I want to see the plight. She steals resources. Show that. You need to be able to see why Kuevera is that big of a threat. Instead the show took their favorite "let's turn the main baddie into a raving lunatic approach." The ending of season 3 was so great because you knew Zaheer wasn't just some raving lunatic. He had a logic behind his actions and there were even times where we could take a second and sympathize with his loss. Also, I felt like Korra was thematically taking on flawed views of government. Amon- Racist dictatorship, Unalaq- Monarchy/Theocracy, Zaheer- Anarchy, and Kuevera- military dictatorship. But the way they dispose these governments are essentially the same. The leaders end up being psychologically disposed. Desperation does not always breed such rash judgement. For example, Kuevera killing her fiance seemed to make very little sense. Why did she press so quickly when she could have easily waited sent a team to extract him out? Sure, she might view him as an asset, but he was a very strong asset as he was the one who constructed the super weapon. She had the full advantage and it wasn't like he was disloyal.
1. Characters- Characters in Korra never complete their character arcs. The show has developed some amazing characters: Korra, Bolin, Janorra, Kai, etc. But the show hasn't leveraged the character arcs in this current season. We need to see characters change, but it feels as if the only character who has significantly changed was Korra. All other characters have pretty much remained static. A great example of this is Bolin. Bolin foolishly joins Kuevera thinking he is contributing to the greater good and eventually turns his back on his friends and family in devotion to this facade. When the facade comes tumbling down he takes it lightly. Sure he shows remorse, but it's as if he disassociated himself with the tragedy. The work camps and reeducation camps described in the show are reminiscent to Japanese internment and the Holocaust, yet Bolin absolves himself of direct responsibility. It would have been nice to see him become frustrated and a tad consumed with guilt. Then his friends and his eventual resolution with Opal could help him forgive himself for the atrocities he accidentally supported. Also, why is it that Kai has basically been MIA for the majority of this season? The budding romance between Janorra and Kai is an important tool to be used. Their naivety and youth reminds us of the old avatar squad and could have easily been juxtaposed with Korra's group to make an interesting meta commentary of the differences between the two shows. Instead Kai, who in my opinion has developed nicely in the previous season, is completely missing and Janorra is still just as prominent. Also, the drama between Bei Fong, her sister and Toph was good, but lacked the emotional depth to be compelling. That episode where she forgives Toph felt unrealistic. One act of remorse is not enough to mend years of neglect.
2. Universe Logic- In every great fantasy series there is a logic that the universe follows which allows fantastical things to be significant and meaningful to us. In star wars, the metaphorical significance of light saber fights as a method of expressing personal discord was evident in the original series. In the original avatar the spirit world as a source of wisdom, but also mystique and danger. This trope of a wise yet dangerous spirit world was logic put into place. But with the convergence of the spirit world and human world there is massive confusion. First, why was the spirit world ever merged? This question is never answered. Second, why did the airbenders get their powers through this convergence? You can suspend disbelief for it, but why do so when you can construct a logic to explain the phenomenon, while also developing a more believable universe for your audience. You see the spirit world in the human world, but not the human world in the spirit world. Why is that the case? Also, with all the past avatar's dead is there any way to get them back? If there is anything the show needs to deus ex machina it is that. The process of looking back on past lives was symbolically powerful in the first series. To lose that is to lose a powerful moment in the show. As the show continues we see the spirits unwilling to engage in the human conflict. Why? What possibly could be this holier than thou attitude the spirits have. That's the issue the spirits and humans in the Legend of Wan arc did not merely act holier than thou, but instead acted with genuine distrust. The spirits in the old avatar and in the first two seasons of the new have consistently acted holier than thou. Interactions or discussions about the spirit world also had this holier than thou feel. You can't add a religiosity to a show and then dismiss its religious element when it is convenient. Even arguing the difference between spirituality and religiosity is moot. We revere the spiritual world because it's a source of wisdom, therefore the convergence of the human and spirit world just seems disrespectful and more analogous to a tower of babel type tale.
3. Political banter- the political undertones of the show are too broad. Of course you want to use a political archetype as the basis of your show to draw audiences in and provide a bedrock for narrative complexity, but eventually this must be nuanced. Kuevera is a general, but what does she do that makes her so fearsome? She has labor camps. Show them. I want to see the plight. She steals resources. Show that. You need to be able to see why Kuevera is that big of a threat. Instead the show took their favorite "let's turn the main baddie into a raving lunatic approach." The ending of season 3 was so great because you knew Zaheer wasn't just some raving lunatic. He had a logic behind his actions and there were even times where we could take a second and sympathize with his loss. Also, I felt like Korra was thematically taking on flawed views of government. Amon- Racist dictatorship, Unalaq- Monarchy/Theocracy, Zaheer- Anarchy, and Kuevera- military dictatorship. But the way they dispose these governments are essentially the same. The leaders end up being psychologically disposed. Desperation does not always breed such rash judgement. For example, Kuevera killing her fiance seemed to make very little sense. Why did she press so quickly when she could have easily waited sent a team to extract him out? Sure, she might view him as an asset, but he was a very strong asset as he was the one who constructed the super weapon. She had the full advantage and it wasn't like he was disloyal.
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