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Legend of Korra Book 4: Balance |OT| A Feast of Crows

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Azula said:
Ayo Chariot, you ready to take your L for Opal being evil? :P
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Not yet. I'll hold up until the very end. Maybe she appears in the stinger of the last episode bringing the spirit bomb to Darkseid.

But of course I agree that it's looking quite grim at the moment. So, I am ok with you all preparing the penalty avatar. I choose whatever gets the most yay's from KorraGAF.
KHlover said:
Opal being evil theory still alive 'round these parts? Hm, she DID behave like Anakin 2.0 in today's episode :P
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Please, I believe in The Last Guardian, a proper end of Hunter x Hunter and the PS Vita. I won't back down on Opal.
 
Admiral Woofington said:
I wish a mod would give him the avatar, and then tag him with a link to Ave Maria.
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lol. I'll come up with a new Opal Avatar. I almost need to pick a couple people to be a small council where we decide which avatars to plague people with. Muahhaha.

Admiral Woofington said:
I wish a mod would give him the avatar, and then tag him with a link to Ave Maria.


you're dead to me
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I know i know. It sucks. BUT...I can easily re-create it (I remember all the parts and how I made it). And I'll probably make some other Opal ones too and see which one you guys like more. I have to start making some shit avatars now, since I'm going to be picking for a lot of losers.
 
opal_by_sillyselly-d80ztld.jpg
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Daww
 
Azula said:
I think what it comes down to, is whether you feel that Kuvira/and her plot is moving along in a good pace, and if you find it compelling. Some think it is, and so they are loving this season so far.

I agree with you though about story beats, and this kind of filling a bit too formulaic. It's kind of like what I said earlier. But I wish they would taken some risk here. We know Korra can't beat Kuvira this early on. But we also already spent 4 episodes focusing on her being broken and training to get better. And the Kuvira plot ( IMO subjectively of course, has been moving painfully slow)...and so it's just kind of disappointing to follow the same story beat of the hero getting bested, and falling back on her ass. It's to be expected, but I think they could have done it differently (ie. Korra and Kuvira both wounding each other, the fight being interrupted before it could be finished etc.).

I think Korra's demons and struggling for relevancy would dog her anyways as she doesn't know what her role is in all of this, or how to really solve it (physically stopping Kuvira doesn't solve the problem). So I guess I don't really feel like they needed to bring Korra back to being physically weak, when I think she already is weak with the other stuff (and that conflict).
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Well clearly her physical weakness is a representation of her inability to cope with her relevancy - highlighted by kuvira's dismissal of Korra's relevancy in internal earth nation affairs.

I have to wonder what the writers are going to do. Battling and killing people, or rendering them useless by taking away their bending are not the only two options here, obviously. When you harness all four bending abilities and the legitimacy of the Avatar spirit (though still in question), you can form new boundaries (Kioshi Island), make impassable terrain, give support and hope to smaller factions (the smaller earth states), enforce economic sanctions with ties to Republic City, or even set yourself up as a martyr (when you actually have a legitimate alternative solution... unlike korra).

So I'm definitely interested to see where they end this series... but Korra is very frustrating in her lack of vision or creativity.
 
Gummb said:
Well clearly her physical weakness is a representation of her inability to cope with her relevancy - highlighted by kuvira's dismissal of Korra's relevancy in internal earth nation affairs.

I have to wonder what the writers are going to do. Battling and killing people, or rendering them useless by taking away their bending are not the only two options here, obviously. When you harness all four bending abilities and the legitimacy of the Avatar spirit (though still in question), you can form new boundaries (Kioshi Island), make impassable terrain, give support and hope to smaller factions (the smaller earth states), enforce economic sanctions with ties to Republic City, or even set yourself up as a martyr (when you actually have a legitimate alternative solution... unlike korra).

So I'm definitely interested to see where they end this series... but Korra is very frustrating in her lack of vision or creativity.
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Yeah that's true. I mean from a plot perspective, Korra being weak right now makes sense. Either it's the metal in her body, or her own personal hang ups (ie. her metaphorical poison still left in her body). I personally think I would have approached it differently (how they've told this plot so far, and continue to tell it). But I'll be REALLY interested to see where they go with it, and how this all ties into the ending of the series. Could be really great.
 
Veelk said:
The biggest problem regarding Korra's failure here is that I think we feel a bit tricked as the audience.

We spent 4 episodes with Korra wangsting her way back to being the avatar, and it was all built up to the metalbending scene. At that point, Korra had traveled the world searching for answers, met Toph and learned from her, she looked back at her opponents and let go of her fears, and finally faced the ultimate challenge herself and bended out the remaining metal within her.

And this episode is just going "NOPE! That whole thing isn't actually resolved yet, we bullshitted you."

And we have no real hint of what could still be the cause other than general insecurity. So it comes out of left field here. This was supposed to be an awesome moment for Korra. Instead, she negotiates without actually knowing what the term means and then fails at a fight she ought to ahve in the bag.
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I agree there's a danger in that, BUT, it hasn't happened yet.

I think what happened was that, we accepted that the metal pieces where Korra's true problem, or a physical manifestation. We actually didn't fully go on board with this, because, duh, "what ever happened to Naga-Korra? her hallucination" but most of us accepted it as the solution to her hallucinations.

But it turns out that, yeah, Naga-Korra is still around, which is exactly what we hoped for, a final psychological barrier to Korra's recuperation, but a lot of us had already accepted that the metal pieces is all there was to Korra's healing journey (not me! After "Enemy at the Gates" I reminded several of you that Toph's help was only part of the solution).

There's a bit of bad writing involved with this, since it should have been clearer that Korra's recuperation is still ongoing, but, I guess some people did see it others didn't.

Theory time: Korra's last, true healing will happen after she meets with Zaheer again, in this White Lotus prison seen in the trailer:

tumblr_neoji1VZDV1rnt5iro1_1280.jpg


By the way, all those are scenes from the trailer that haven't yet "aired."
 
So, why would Kuvira want to kill the Avatar? Well, what's the next element in the cycle?

And if Kuvira controls the entire Earth Kingdom/Empire...
 
Link Man said:
So, why would Kuvira want to kill the Avatar? Well, what's the next element in the cycle?

And if Kuvira controls the entire Earth Kingdom/Empire...
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I don't think she had a plan for this. She just wanted to remove the annoying Avatar, since she at the very least could do serious damage if she escaped.
Azula said:
I hope so. BTW your avatar kind of makes Kuvira look like Bataar's brother (Skillrex). Kuvirex.
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Twiiiiiiist
 
Intense episode.


C'mon gurl...Get your shit together Korra. Always hate when they use the Avatar state "as a last resort". You just gotta do that shit real quick and end it. You know your obviously about to get your ass beat by Kuvira.



Argghhh at those trailer speculation/spoilers
 
Azula said:
I mean, that's fine. I like her too! And I agree, I like her overall story quite a bit. But I think they made some pretty huge missteps in several places. I've gone back and re-watched Book 1 and 2, and Korra really is insufferable. Which sucks, because the plot they wrote actually kind of justifies her behavior/attitude. But it doesn't make her any less likable when you get to those segments.

But as far as I'm concerned, Second half of Book 2 Korra to Book 4 Korra is okay by me. I actually like her a lot. And I like her overall story. :)
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Me too, I like her a lot but for me I don't lump Book 1 Korra in with early Book 2 Korra, I really quite liked her in Book 1 (and from late Book 2 to now), it's only that first half of Book 2 where she wasn't as likable. They did her attitude really well in Book 1 in my opinion which was probably the key, while they did it really gratingly in that first half of Book 2. And I agree with you, from the second half of book 2 to now she's been great.

Bit-Bit said:
Starting with Korra Alone all the way up to this episode, I see a Korra who is looking for alternative ways to solve her problems. I saw a Korra who went back to the Tree of Time to meditate (season 1 korra would have laughed at that shit). I see a Korra who yells at Katara out of frustration but immediately apologizes. I see a Korra still not understanding the full situation so is willing to stop and think before she charges head first into a fight (although Su was the one who fucked up that situation).

Again, this is all a continuation of her character from the second half of Season 2. When this is all said and done, I'll do a massive write-up on Korra's personality and her decisions throughout all 4 books. But already, I'm seeing the type of Avatar she is becoming and I'm happy for that.
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Agreed.
 
Apparently someone sat down and thought we needed a 4th season in a row of Korra getting wrecked halfway through the season only to redeem herself later on.
 
I still think Book 4 is the better version of Book 2.

I'll take dull and slow paced over stupid and slow paced any day of the week. God that Civil War shit was the worst.
 
I wouldn't mind Korra getting her ass kicked so much and having to go on a journey of self-discovery if she went on to train and become better in a kick-ass 80's montage.

Push it to the limit!
[Limiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit]

Walk around the razor's edge
Bend the metal with no regret

And like Tenzin is right next to her with a timer, then shows her how she has a personal best and they high five in mid-air as the song fades out
 
This episode really opened my eyes to what a shitty bender Korra is. There is no creativity to the way she fights. No mobility using airbending. No using all the earth that's around her and beneath Kuvira's feet. No using the metal Kuriva has against her either. All she does is haphazardly toss a bunch of elements at her enemies. Actually, the episode where she fights Toph is what opened my eyes. You think her time with Toph would have taught Korra to use her environment more. But at least she had the whole "metal poison in my body" excuse to fall back on then. Well to fair, I guess something is still wrong with her. But either way, seeing Korra getting her ass handed to her time and time again is getting old.

Also, it continues to be hilarious to see Varrick get more development in a couple of episodes than Asami and Mako got all last season combined. Granted, I like Varrick, but one would think "main characters" and members of the New Team Avatar would have significance. Guess not.
 
Admiral Woofington said:
And like Tenzin is right next to her with a timer, then shows her how she has a personal best and they high five in mid-air as the song fades out
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Hey Korra. It's three in the morning. I went up to your house there and they told me you was here. It's 3am, kid. You know that Opal, she's a good girl. Me, you know I'm sorry for both of ya. There's nothing I can do about it. Except, uh, I wanna tell you this once and then, uh, I ain't gonna say it again. But Korra, you got another shot. This is the second shot. At, uh, I don't know the biggest tyrant in the world, and you're gonna be swappin' elements with, with the most dangerous bender in the world. And just in case, you know your brain ain't workin' so good. All this happens pretty soon and you ain't ready. You know you're no where near in shape. So I say, for God's sake, why don't you stand up and fight this girl HARD? Like you done before, that was beautiful! But don't lay down like this! Like, uh, I don't know, like some kind of mongrel or something. Cause she's gonna kick your face in pieces! That's right! This girl don't just wanna win, you know, she wants to bury ya, she wants to humiliate ya, she wants to prove to the whole world that you was nothin but some kind of a freak the first time out. She said you were a one time lucky bum! Well now I don't wanna get mad in a spiritual place like this, but I think you're a hell of a lot more than that kid! A hell of a lot! But now wait a minute, if you wanna blow this thing, if you wanna blow it, then damn it I'm gonna blow it with ya. If you wanna stay here, I'll stay with ya. I stay with ya. I'll stay and meditate. What do I got to lose?
 
Man Korra got rekt hard. Though tbh I expected this. As for why she couldn't finish Kuvira in the Avatar state, I'm kind of lead to believe she couldn't finish it because she didn't want to finish it. Korra in this episode honestly wasn't brash for once. She didn't run into save Su like I would of expected of old her. She tried to reason with Kuvira and for most of the fight nothing really struck me as her trying to kill her opponent. When the time came, I think she faltered not because she was weak but rather because she wasn't sure of her resolve.
 
Review round up for the latest episode.

As we approach the halfway point of Book Four, “Battle Of Zaofu” considerably raises the stakes by turning Zaofu over to Kuvira. She’s made this war personal by seizing Suyin’s territory, and the season’s narrative arc gets a big boost of forward momentum as a result. Where do we go from here? My best guess is the Fire Kingdom, which is the last big area of this world that The Legend Of Korra has yet to explore. I’m ready to see the Fire Kingdom, Northern and Southern Water Tribes, New Air Nation team up to put Kuvira in her place, and it’s beginning to look like that’s the only available option to stop Kuvira’s reign of terror.
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AV Club

Ending the conflict in Zaofu on a somber note, this week's The Legend of Korra was highlighted by two major events: the first was a one-on-one fight between Kuvira and Korra, which included some excellent choreography and hinted at the root of Korra's ongoing pain; the second was a funny (and surprisingly action-packed) storyline with Bolin and Varrick, the latter of whom shined in their explosive escape.
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IGN

There’s a weird gut feeling, one I can’t quite resist, that tells me ‘Legend of Korra‘ should crescendo to its ending, building bigger and more threatening with each passing 22 minutes. “Battle of Zaofu” takes the opposite approach, Kuvira literally bashing Korra back into the curled up ball we found her in the concluding moments of “After All These Years”. The episode still paid off the underling army readying to pounce when Kuvira gave the order (most of them swept up by Opal and Jinora’s whirlwind), but instead of ‘Game of Thrones,’ we got a power play that rings a little more Shakespeare. Mano a mano fighting asks questions of the opponents: Who are they? Why do they fight? Why does the winner get the upper hand?
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Screencrush

Azula said:
ruh oh, Mako and Korra are alone together on an important quest....

Makorra is gon happen, isn't it?
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I hope it doesn't happen but I still have a niggling feeling it will occur. It is Bryke after all as they always find new ways to disappoint us.
 
I don't trust the show. I feel like there's a potentially strong concept here. I'm fine with the idea of Korra and the audience being fooled into thinking that she's all better after getting the last of the mercury out. I'm fine with Korra's waffling despite Opal sitting right there telling her what's what. But I don't trust that the show understands that this is what it's doing and so I don't see this leading anywhere good.

Otherwise, yeah, the fight was super boring and Korra looked terrible from the beginning. I've never understood why this series reduces so much of bending to just punching elements.
 
Episode would have been a lot more better if

a) Korra never took the metal out of her body and the toph scenes didn't happen until AFTER the first fight

b) Korra went completely aggro and was ready to kill Kuvira and wipe out the whole army and just went full crazy like she did with Zaheer except now she stays in that crazy state of mind.


Also Varrick was amazing in this episode.
 
Gotchaye said:
Otherwise, yeah, the fight was super boring and Korra looked terrible from the beginning. I've never understood why this series reduces so much of bending to just punching elements.
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Isn't supposed to be some type of progression to 'modern' streetfighting/boxing?
 
Trey said:
As always, General Fong was right.
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No, he wasn't in this case. Korra barely held herself against Kuvira alone and the two kids only delayed the (stupidly charging) army. As Korra is now, she woudl've been not able to take on the whole army. Maybe if Su and her security forces would've backed her up, but even then... I am not so sure. But at the very least the situation had only losing as outcome.
 
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