Korra Finale Reactions: Second Go-Round.
So, I watched the Finale again and I actually liked it a lot better the second time.
For one, the supposed 'last-minute' plot twist... well, it really wasn't all that last-minute. The only thing the series didn't really tell us is that Yakone had two sons. The layout of the flashbacks makes much more sense now-- Korra had her Yakone flashbacks in the presence of both Amon and Tarrlok, hinting at a connection. When Amon overcame Tarrlok's bloodbending, I had SO MANY HEADCANONS, but the simple fact of the matter is that the answer was in the previous series. The ONLY way to overcome bloodbending is by being a stronger bloodbender. Or being all:
God, I love that gif.
Anyway, there was some truly epic bending in the finale. Can we just get a round of applause for fucking Irohman?
Zuko's voice coming out of his mouth was weird as shit, but hot damn that boy can bend. Just as a note: he wasn't flying. He was falling with style. XD No, seriously though, he wasn't flying. Firebending can let you hover and guide your descent, but flying is only for airbenders. Even if you could use firebending to fly, it would be difficult, exhausting as shit and not nearly as effective as airbending.
I love that Asami wasn't Zuko 2.0 or even Reverse Zuko. She actually faced her father and ultimately was the one to strike him down. That moment where she had him pinned down and both of them were so emotional they could barely contain themselves... the animators on this show deserve a freaking medal. There was so much in both of those characters' eyes at that moment that it boggles the mind. I seriously expect her to be running Future Industries in season 2. She is an absolute boss and she deserves ALL THE RECOGNITION.
Some interesting Korra stuff: there is a theory going around that I really, really like, centering around the 'teardrop' shot at the very end. The fact that the teardrop falls over the cliff can only mean that Korra was overlooking that cliff. Her head was over the edge. She knows how the Avatar cycle works. With only one element, she cannot truly fulfill her duties as the Avatar. But if she died, a new Avatar would be born, one with their bending intact. That shot was Bryke's subtle way of implying her contemplating suicide. That shot, combined with Aang's "When we reach our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change," makes me almost completely certain that was their intent. And the fact that she ultimately chose to live-- to sink down and grieve her loss and think about her future without the elements she'd grown to love so much-- THAT was what unlocked her spiritual side. In choosing life over power, she discovered true power.
Aang didn't pop up to 'save the day.' He said it himself. "You called me here." It was Korra who finally connected with her inner Avatar. She earned that state. Remember, though we saw Aang struggle to master the Avatar State, he ultimately mastered it as a 12-year-old. :P I think Korra getting it at 16 is pretty damn fair. I'd also like to point out that the last thing she did before she achieved the Avatar State was to 'give up her earthly attachments,' IE Mako. ;)
As for airbending; Air is inherently defensive, so I think it was very appropriate that the moment it finally came to her was the moment she was desperately trying to defend someone incredibly important to her. I'm actually glad Amon wasn't defeated in a world-destroying Avatar State duel like Ozai. He was a different villain with a different motive and he needed a different solution. Undercutting his power base by exposing him as a bender was actually a pretty creative solution.
HEADCANONS:
- Amon failed to remove Korra's airbending because he had never done an airbender before. Each element requires a slightly different mental technique to remove it, and Amon had only ever done earth, water, and firebenders. When he went for her bending, he simply missed the spot where her airbending dwelt.
- I also think that what Amon does to people basically amounts to a very small, very precise bit of permanent brain damage.
- Amon affected the people he fought in many subtle ways. His bloodbending was precise enough that he could force subtle changes in their movements, throwing them off. He could increase their heartrate to make them fearful, nervous, prone to error. And of course, once they were in his grip, they were all but paralyzed. All this he could do with a simple thought. Psychic benders are kind of terrifying.
For one, the supposed 'last-minute' plot twist... well, it really wasn't all that last-minute. The only thing the series didn't really tell us is that Yakone had two sons. The layout of the flashbacks makes much more sense now-- Korra had her Yakone flashbacks in the presence of both Amon and Tarrlok, hinting at a connection. When Amon overcame Tarrlok's bloodbending, I had SO MANY HEADCANONS, but the simple fact of the matter is that the answer was in the previous series. The ONLY way to overcome bloodbending is by being a stronger bloodbender. Or being all:
God, I love that gif.
Anyway, there was some truly epic bending in the finale. Can we just get a round of applause for fucking Irohman?
Zuko's voice coming out of his mouth was weird as shit, but hot damn that boy can bend. Just as a note: he wasn't flying. He was falling with style. XD No, seriously though, he wasn't flying. Firebending can let you hover and guide your descent, but flying is only for airbenders. Even if you could use firebending to fly, it would be difficult, exhausting as shit and not nearly as effective as airbending.
I love that Asami wasn't Zuko 2.0 or even Reverse Zuko. She actually faced her father and ultimately was the one to strike him down. That moment where she had him pinned down and both of them were so emotional they could barely contain themselves... the animators on this show deserve a freaking medal. There was so much in both of those characters' eyes at that moment that it boggles the mind. I seriously expect her to be running Future Industries in season 2. She is an absolute boss and she deserves ALL THE RECOGNITION.
Some interesting Korra stuff: there is a theory going around that I really, really like, centering around the 'teardrop' shot at the very end. The fact that the teardrop falls over the cliff can only mean that Korra was overlooking that cliff. Her head was over the edge. She knows how the Avatar cycle works. With only one element, she cannot truly fulfill her duties as the Avatar. But if she died, a new Avatar would be born, one with their bending intact. That shot was Bryke's subtle way of implying her contemplating suicide. That shot, combined with Aang's "When we reach our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change," makes me almost completely certain that was their intent. And the fact that she ultimately chose to live-- to sink down and grieve her loss and think about her future without the elements she'd grown to love so much-- THAT was what unlocked her spiritual side. In choosing life over power, she discovered true power.
Aang didn't pop up to 'save the day.' He said it himself. "You called me here." It was Korra who finally connected with her inner Avatar. She earned that state. Remember, though we saw Aang struggle to master the Avatar State, he ultimately mastered it as a 12-year-old. :P I think Korra getting it at 16 is pretty damn fair. I'd also like to point out that the last thing she did before she achieved the Avatar State was to 'give up her earthly attachments,' IE Mako. ;)
As for airbending; Air is inherently defensive, so I think it was very appropriate that the moment it finally came to her was the moment she was desperately trying to defend someone incredibly important to her. I'm actually glad Amon wasn't defeated in a world-destroying Avatar State duel like Ozai. He was a different villain with a different motive and he needed a different solution. Undercutting his power base by exposing him as a bender was actually a pretty creative solution.
HEADCANONS:
- Amon failed to remove Korra's airbending because he had never done an airbender before. Each element requires a slightly different mental technique to remove it, and Amon had only ever done earth, water, and firebenders. When he went for her bending, he simply missed the spot where her airbending dwelt.
- I also think that what Amon does to people basically amounts to a very small, very precise bit of permanent brain damage.
- Amon affected the people he fought in many subtle ways. His bloodbending was precise enough that he could force subtle changes in their movements, throwing them off. He could increase their heartrate to make them fearful, nervous, prone to error. And of course, once they were in his grip, they were all but paralyzed. All this he could do with a simple thought. Psychic benders are kind of terrifying.