quote:He stripped Lin's cops of their bending too. He's clearly sincere about his desire to remove all bending, not just bending from those who misuse it. That doesn't sound anything like Aang to me.
Don't get me wrong, I think Amon is awesome. He's a great, and surprisingly sympathetic given how enigmatic he is, villain. I was hoping he'd be the one to rescue Korra from Tarrlok, and that played out better than I could've possibly imagined.
I don't actually stand by my point because the giant war machine robots suggest otherwise. But my point was Amon could want to remove all bending (because he sees bending as a source of inequality and evil) while still wanting to minimize casualties and avoid bloodshed.
I like the robot theory but I don't think it's true - he did STRUGGLE to resist the bloodbending. I saw it as a "Amon has majestic control over his own energy" (necessary for energy bending), and presumably bloodbending can be at least somewhat resisted (if people didn't have some ability to fight back, it wouldn't normally require the full moon)
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quote:He stripped Lin's cops of their bending too. He's clearly sincere about his desire to remove all bending, not just bending from those who misuse it. That doesn't sound anything like Aang to me.
Don't get me wrong, I think Amon is awesome. He's a great, and surprisingly sympathetic given how enigmatic he is, villain. I was hoping he'd be the one to rescue Korra from Tarrlok, and that played out better than I could've possibly imagined.
I don't actually stand by my point because the giant war machine robots suggest otherwise. But my point was Amon could want to remove all bending (because he sees bending as a source of inequality and evil) while still wanting to minimize casualties and avoid bloodshed.
I like the robot theory but I don't think it's true - he did STRUGGLE to resist the bloodbending. I saw it as a "Amon has majestic control over his own energy" (necessary for energy bending), and presumably bloodbending can be at least somewhat resisted (if people didn't have some ability to fight back, it wouldn't normally require the full moon)
Oh god, the robot theory had better not be true! She didn't mean it seriously in the slightest!
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Amon's identity is going to be a big surprise, I think. I just saw "out of the past" today. Is there another one up yet?
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quote:Originally posted by ak: Amon's identity is going to be a big surprise, I think. I just saw "out of the past" today. Is there another one up yet?
SPECULATIVE SPOILERS!
That's the most recent one I've seen. I've spent the past couple weeks rewatching the original Avatar. One thing worth noting is that energy bending is not restricted to the Avatar. The Lion-Turtle which taught it to Aang said that before the time of the Avatar when the elements were divided, people would bend pure energy. Another thing the turtle explained is that the person who uses energy bending to seal a person's bending must stem from an absolute spirit or some such. Basically, unless you're completely in control, it will back fire. This suggests that Amon, having successfully energy bent, must have some pure motive which he believes in fully-even if it's pure evil.
I like the idea of Koh(?) the face-stealer having taught it to Amon, but given that he seems to still have eyes, it doesn't seem like his face was actually stolen when there was that monkey thing without a face in the spirit world--including its eyes. Also, Koh is accessed via the spirit world, which supposedly only the Avatar can link to. This builds credibility to the argument that Amon is (in some way) the Avatar (a split, a fluke, whatever.
My two theories:
Amon was taught energy bending by the owl creature in the desert library. He would have information on energy bending as his library is the accumulation of all knowledge. The Owl's objection to people in his library is that they use the information for violence or to gain an advantage. Amon's stated goal is equality. That might have convinced the Owl to let him use the library.
My second theory is that Amon is somehow related to Fire Lord Ozai. If Ozai had a son after the events of the original series (perhaps in a banishment after prison) he could have told his son about how he had a dream that all people would unite under the flag of the fire nation, but the avatar and benders of other nations destroyed his dream. Amon could be acting to either 1: seek redemption for his family by getting rid of bending so another event like that could never happen again or 2: believes that his father was right and that people need to be united under a single flag but cannot do so with the national divisions rooted in bending.
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That's a remake of the song "Leaves on the Vine". It's so sad and I really like the part where Iroh sings it. For those who don't remember, Iroh lost his son in the war and every year on his son's birthday, he sings this song in rememberence of him. It's quite possibly the saddest thing I've ever seen in a kid's cartoon.
Edited to add: I also found a youtube version of the song here. Check it out!
[ June 17, 2012, 10:22 PM: Message edited by: Jeff C. ]
Posts: 1324 | Registered: Feb 2011
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quote:Koh is accessed via the spirit world, which supposedly only the Avatar can link to.
Uncle Iroh went there as well.
In the episode where Aang went to see the Face-stealer-- the ones where the network did pop-up bubbles of trivia- it was hinted that Iroh's son also went there and lost his face to the Face-stealer. That was why Iroh went.
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I'd like to see a comic or maybe a one or two episode arch that explains Iroh's backstory more. He was such a cool character and you could tell that he had a vast history, full of adventures and character growth.
Posts: 1324 | Registered: Feb 2011
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Anyone else catch the science error in Ammon's plan for subduing Korra in "Out Of The Past"?
The metal cage would act like a Faraday cage, making it impossible to shock her even if she were touching the inside.
Posts: 4600 | Registered: Mar 2000
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I pointed it out to my girlfriend, then ended up explaining Faraday cages to her.
It was pretty cool, because knowing about them seems to get me a lot of mileage in terms of "random trivia" at bars and on Facebook (why don't microwaves hurt you, why are you safe in a car/plane during a lightning storm, etc.). Plus I always get to rewatch with them a video of a guy in a Faraday cage next to a massive Tesla coil.
Edit2: And the response was quick. I don't know anything about Faraday cages past my memory from high school so I can't assess this:
"I just wanna say that I appreciate people flaunting their physics knowledge. Physics is rad. But I’m pretty sure out of all the people working on LoK, SOMEONE took Electromagnetism in school. This “Toph box” (as I heard it referred to on the latest RCDispatch) looks to be solid metal (platinum maybe?) except at the top, where the grating is spaced out large enough that Korra could probably fit her hand through. In a Faraday cage, electricity is distributed throughout a uniform surface, resulting in a total charge of zero volts. The Toph box is NOT uniform. If Korra hadn’t been quick witted, she would have been toast."
Posts: 2705 | Registered: Sep 2006
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Well, no cage is perfectly uniform. Whether the deviations from uniformity in Korra's box would be enough to make it possible to electrocute her through it, I couldn't say. It would probably also depend on how strong the battery was.
But volts are a unit of potential, not charge. Posts: 4600 | Registered: Mar 2000
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For example, the cage the two girls are in two posts down on your Tumblr link doesn't look much less uniform than Korra's box.
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Brave choice, bringing back the Zuko voice actor. I don't know if I like it yet, it may prove to be a hurdle in separating my opinion of the two characters. Unless they are supposed to essentially be the same anyway.
My question is, son? or grand-son?
If Zuko had kids around the same time as the rest of team Avatar Iroh II would be old enough to have grey hair, so I'm thinking grand-son.
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Once I realized that I became more okay with the same voice actor being used. The Dante Basco gene skips a generation, y'know.
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I hear it is a recessive gene, usually inherited from the maternal side much like male pattern baldness.
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Has anyone heard theory going around that Zuko had a daughter who married Aang's son Bumi and they are Iroh's parents? Apparently, on the official Legend of Korra family tree, Bumi is wearing a fire nation collar. There also is a strong family resemblance in terms of jawline when you compare Iroh to Bumi or Aang.
Usually (in our world), offspring of a dark skinned and a light skinned person will meet somewhere in the middle. Even if sometimes that comes down much closer to one parent than the other, its still along the spectrum.
Not something I'm upset about or anything, just think its somewhat strange.
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Does anyone else want to see more of Sokka? He was my favorite character in TLA. I'd like to know what happened to him (aside from his being on the original council) and whether he had kids or not.
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quote:Originally posted by AchillesHeel: Brave choice, bringing back the Zuko voice actor. I don't know if I like it yet, it may prove to be a hurdle in separating my opinion of the two characters. Unless they are supposed to essentially be the same anyway.
My question is, son? or grand-son?
If Zuko had kids around the same time as the rest of team Avatar Iroh II would be old enough to have grey hair, so I'm thinking grand-son.
My brother and I freaked out at the reveal. And my brother hasn't even finished watching the first season of TLA yet.
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Tomorrow is the big finale! Little more than 12 hours until we have another year and a half to wait!
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Great ending. What I like about it is that it could have stopped here and I would have been satisfied. I'd still like to know more, especially since they sort of tacked on the solution at the very end, but I guess they didn't have the time they did with Aang.
Was any one else pretty sad when Taarlock blew up the boat? I thought one of them would reveal that the bending could be restored and they'd come back next season, but that was surprisingly touching.
Nice to see Korra finally hit the Avatar state and have bending return, also nice that she can finally airbend. It'll be interesting to see what they throw at her next season now that she's a fully realized Avatar. But I'm glad they tied things up so I'm not antsy for the next year and a half.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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quote:Was any one else pretty sad when Taarlock blew up the boat? I thought one of them would reveal that the bending could be restored and they'd come back next season, but that was surprisingly touching.
I almost never tear up in movies and shows, but that got me somehow. I'm not entirely sure why.
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For me, I think it might have been the thwarted expectations. When I saw Tarlock glancing at the gauntlets and then at his brother's back and back again, I felt pretty sure we would see the cycle of hatred and revenge continue with him attacking and killing his brother. He might then be a recurring villain of sorts, however sincere his words in the cell in the attic.
Instead, we see that he HAS moved beyond all of that hatred and vengeance...but he wasn't able to be hopeful for the future, either. For himself or his brother. The animation played a part, too, his expression was particularly bereft.
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I think the part that really got me was the look on Amon/Noah Tuk's face. He knew what his brother was going to do and accepted it.
Tarlok could have left with his brother in their youth and saved him, he didn't then but he would now.
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Why? Because he shed some tears? He was specifically speaking of the future they would have together, and how nothing would stand in their way. That's not at all what someone who knew his brother was about to kill them both would say.
As for saving Noahtuk, well, maybe. Doesn't seem likely, though, present or past. He was still an extraordinarily powerful water and blood bender, and his ambition didn't seem curbed.
posted
He doesn't shed any tears until his brother opens the gas tank and readies the glove. I assumed being an extremely powerful bloodbender might give him better sense of people around him. (In the Promise comic Toph mentions she can feel metal moving even without being in contact with it)
We see that Noahtuk is not a fan of their father, neither of them are, and they have both realized they have become their father, defeated by the avatar and all.
I meant saved in a more spiritual sense, by killing them he ended the cruelty and violence of both of them.
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I was quite literally wowed by the season finale.
I'm happy Bolin got his chance to step up in the end battle, it looked like he finally could fight a Sato-bot one on one.
In the end I only have two negative thoughts. 1. Iroh II seems to be an extremely archetypal medium of Mako and Zuko. This allowed him to just be thrown into the mix without sticking out, but makes for a poor character and shows a willingness to pull rabbits out of hats for no reason to advance an otherwise very well written story. 2. Now I really really really can't wait for the next season. Bumi seems awesome, I can't wait.
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quote:Originally posted by T:man: He doesn't shed any tears until his brother opens the gas tank and readies the glove. I assumed being an extremely powerful bloodbender might give him better sense of people around him. (In the Promise comic Toph mentions she can feel metal moving even without being in contact with it)
We see that Noahtuk is not a fan of their father, neither of them are, and they have both realized they have become their father, defeated by the avatar and all.
I meant saved in a more spiritual sense, by killing them he ended the cruelty and violence of both of them.
It makes me think of Cain and Abel, and the whole "I am not my brothers keeper" idea. I think Tarlok was taking responsibility for his own actions and those of his brother rather than looking out for himself as usual. With how powerful Noatuk was, that moment on the boat with his defenses down was the only real chance to end his bloody path, Tarlok knowing all too well how easy it is to follow in their fathers ways made sure that everything that poisoned them would end. No more of that particular blood bending, the blood-line of Yakon has run dry and the world of Avatar is better for it. I find Tarlok's sacrifice very heroic indeed.
Posts: 2302 | Registered: Aug 2008
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I hadn't really been too impressed by the finale with the exception of the boat scene and Aang's appearance. I still can't believe they even did that boat scene on a Nick show!
I'm starting to think that my expectations for the show are just too high, in general. I think my primary complaint is that I just don't care about any of the main characters. I really like Tenzin and Lin but that's it. The love triangle has made it nearly impossible for me to even like Mako much less cheer for him. They've done absolutely nothing to develop Bolin which I find extremely depressing because its obvious that he's kind of the Sokka of the group, and I love me some Sokka! Asami's storyline with her father had some potential and, like with Sokka, I love having a non-bender amongst benders.
As for Korra, I don't feel like she learned anything or has really developed as a character at all. With Aang, I felt like he was growing and maturing as a person with each challenge. Early in the season there was all this stuff about how being an Avatar, especially in regards to airbending, means embracing the spiritual side. I really kept expecting some sort of scene where Korra realizes that running into danger and throwing punches isn't always the best way to take control of a conflict. I'm excited that Korra is a fully realized Avatar now but I don't feel like she's earned it, so emotionally it means very little to me.
The fight scenes are INCREDIBLE but the story and characters have been very disappointing. I really just expected more from this show.
Posts: 1733 | Registered: Apr 2005
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I will say I was a little disappointed with how Korra got to her spiritual side. Aang was there from the beginning because of his Air Temple training, but he worked at it for years whereas Korra seems to have just stumbled into it. I feel that by not working for it, it's not really worth as much.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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I agree. It was moving, but not especially good storytelling, I thought. I don't think they quite sold the connection, for Korra, between airbending and the Avatar's spiritual connection. Had they done so, the ending would've made more sense.
For awhile, though, I thought it would be a reformulation of the first show-she has Air nailed, and has to travel about connecting with the other three elements!
Posts: 17164 | Registered: Jun 2001
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Rakeesh, that would have been a cool direction. I agree with you.
I'm curious about where they will take it now. I know originally they just had this first season mapped out and that would be it, but now that they've promised another 14 episodes, I have to wonder what else they can do. I think the first season could have been longer, possibly another 10 episodes to develop the characters and make their resolutions mean more, like Korra's spiritual journey. I personally would have enjoyed more scenes with her talking to Aang, just like when he talked to Roku. Maybe there will be more room for that later.
I'd like to see them explore the characters and have their abilities grow. The original show was so great because each character evolved, not just on a spiritual and maturity level, but also in terms of their skills. Each bender achieved another level that was beyond anything they had ever imagined (bloodbending, dragon fire, metal bending). Even Sokka had a chance to develop into a master swordsman. So far all of the characters in Korra have essentially stayed at the same level and we haven't seen much development, which really feels like a waste. The characters have always made this universe so much fun, so I'm sad that we haven't seen as much with them. Hopefully next season we can get some deeper resolutions.
Otherwise, I really enjoyed the finale. I thought the battles were solid, obviously, but I also liked seeing Amon's resolution. I thought it was handled decently, albeit abruptly. In that regard, I think it should have been longer with more of a build up. That's the problem you get when you only do 12 episodes for a season and you have so many characters. It's just not enough time. Maybe if they had focused less on the tournament and more on the characters then maybe it would have been better. Who knows.
Posts: 1324 | Registered: Feb 2011
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Lyr, I feel like Korra's journey is supposed to be the opposite of Aang's. He started with all the spiritual understanding but he lacked the desire to act. We got to see reluctance when it came to accepting his responsibilities as the Avatar. We saw how his evasive style and tendency towards avoidance made it difficult for him to learn earth-bending. We saw how fear held him back when it came to fire-bending.
And yet, Korra just magically gets air-bending. I liked where they were going with the dreams and flashbacks. But they often felt more like info-dumps rather than emphasizing that Korra was willing to embrace her spiritual side and resist action in favor of inaction.
Yep, they should have cut a tournament episode in favor of more airbending training. Think of all the awesome Tenzin moments! Because what I love most about him is that he's not like Iroh (the original), he's not the perfect voice of wisdom, he's just a guy who has to learn to be a teacher as much as Korra needs to learn to be a student.
Posts: 1733 | Registered: Apr 2005
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So the airbending chakra is for Love Grief and Heart.
Korra loves Nagga more than anyone else, but did she really have the opportunity to learn how to open her heart to others while being raised by a bunch of serious old men who were training her all the time?
Did she have anything to regret before she reached the city? any pain or tragedy? No.
And heart, she had plenty of vigor but is that really the same? She was happy to plunge into most anything with no fear but was always disheartened when there was no instant gratification. Even when Asami showed up, Korra immediately was depressed even though she had yet to admit her feelings for Mako. She was ready to give up "being" the Avatar just because she couldn't automatically air-bend.
Think about the power Aang unleashed immediately after receiving what should have been a death blow in the fight against the Fire-Lord, and plus Aang said it himself "when we are at our lowest, we are open to the greatest change." Amon may have severed her physical neural connections to her other bending, but the energy of The Avatar was still inside her and had to go somewhere. I'm not surprised that between her physical training in air-bending technique and that violent flood gate introduction to air-bending chakra, she could easily disarm Amon so readily with nothing but air when Tenzin and family were powerless against him.
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This season wrap-up was so painfully abrupt and forced and tie-everything-up-with-a-bow-on-top that I think I shall call it Korra's Moving Castle.
Posts: 15421 | Registered: Aug 2005
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quote:Originally posted by Shanna: Lyr, I feel like Korra's journey is supposed to be the opposite of Aang's. He started with all the spiritual understanding but he lacked the desire to act. We got to see reluctance when it came to accepting his responsibilities as the Avatar. We saw how his evasive style and tendency towards avoidance made it difficult for him to learn earth-bending. We saw how fear held him back when it came to fire-bending.
And yet, Korra just magically gets air-bending. I liked where they were going with the dreams and flashbacks. But they often felt more like info-dumps rather than emphasizing that Korra was willing to embrace her spiritual side and resist action in favor of inaction.
Yep, they should have cut a tournament episode in favor of more airbending training. Think of all the awesome Tenzin moments! Because what I love most about him is that he's not like Iroh (the original), he's not the perfect voice of wisdom, he's just a guy who has to learn to be a teacher as much as Korra needs to learn to be a student.
I agree it was supposed to basically be the opposite, they just didn't do it as well as Aang because of time constraints. They actually showed Aang over the course of three seasons struggling with the question of how to act decisively, how to take things head on, how to deal with having to possibly kill, etc. And they also dealt with his spiritual journey as well, which came easier to him, but was still a challenge.
Korra starts off having the physical side mastered and they tell us she struggles with the spiritual side. Then with no work at all, she just GETS it at the end. No work, no learning moments, nothing like what Aang had to go through, it just happens.
They really should have cut all that Mako-Korra-Asami stuff and focused more on the characters. There simply wasn't time for a love triangle in this season.
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Ugh, yes, I could've done without that love triangle-or at least not such a cliched one. It also would've been nice had Korra said, at the end, "Wait, wait, I love you, but you're with Asami right now, so we can't do this." Don't get me wrong, it doesn't damn her as a coward or traitor or anything like that-people get caught up all the time, after all-but it still would've been nice.
The way they wrapped up some of the elements was very, very rushed, though I did enjoy it. Being stripped of 75% of her bending for...what, about eight minutes of screen time?...was a bit silly. Would've been nice to see more of a resolution between the Sato family.
I agree with whoever said some of the tournament stuff and some of the love triangle stuff could've been cut, but really, I think the season just needed more episodes. Quite a few! Posts: 17164 | Registered: Jun 2001
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I agree with the complaints about the love triangle; especially since it's one of those love triangles where the person in the center (Mako) really, really doesn't deserve it. That triangle ought to have been resolved by both Korra and Asami realizing they are way too awesome for him.
I didn't really mind the rushed quality. This isn't the first episode this season that's felt rushed. Honestly, that's Avatar for you. Season 3, especially the second half, of TLA was also incredibly rushed. It's a great show, and I'm happy to roll with it, but in general the pacing of their climaxes tends to be pretty fast.
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I thought S3 was pretty solid. At that point they'd completed all the set up and they spent four episodes on the finale.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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quote:Korra starts off having the physical side mastered and they tell us she struggles with the spiritual side. Then with no work at all, she just GETS it at the end. No work, no learning moments, nothing like what Aang had to go through, it just happens.
There's a theory over on the AV Club that Korra intended to jump off the cliff. Her entire identity had just been stripped from her, and she was finished.
Pulling back from the edge was her moment of enlightenment.
I'd say overcoming a moment of suicidal despair qualifies as a learning moment. Yeah, rushed, but not quite as easy as everyone seems to be making it out to be.
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Frankly I think it would have been interesting to see her dealing with not being the full Avatar. Otherwise it feels like the message from the end is you're not special unless you're special. You can't deal with being normal, so either their needs to be a magical solution to bring your specialness back, or you kill yourself.
One of the reasons why Zuko was so compelling is he had to go through that journey. He lived as a pauper, he lived without firebending for a long time. He grew, and he became a different, better person. Instead they took her powers away for half a day and then gave them back. Meh.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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Well, I have spent probably way too much time thinking and analyzing this and I've come to look at it this way.
I think she was not the Avatar for longer than half a day, to start. They traveled to Katara, to the southern water tribe. Bumi and Iroh were not with them, presumably, the military stayed in Republic City a bit (Tenzin had to "entertain" his brother, based on his comment.) They had to get Lin back,and then travel to Katara. They didn't all ride on Oogi (Naga was with them). She was not the avatar long enough to keenly feel the loss, and to contemplate it - but all her hope was wrapped up in Katara. No one truly believed Katara couldn't fix Korra - look at Lin's insistence that she keep trying, for example.
Korra's identity is very much an individualist bent...she does not like to depend on others. Witness her desire to go confront Amon. She didn't turn Mako away, but she didn't ask him to come with her either. She is not used to depending on people, why should she? She has been able to bend three elements from a very young age. (And you gotta deal with it!)
I look at Air bending and its spiritual nature as one of selflessness and humility. Look at how Tenzin embodies that by providing all to his family, and by his service to Republic City. Aang always knew he needed others, and was not at all shy about accepting their teaching, and their help. For Korra, who got the first three elements pretty much on her own, she's never truly learned to rely on others. Sure, she had masters that helped her refine her control of the elements, but she already could bend them. Airbending was so difficult for her because she never released her self-reliance and really allowed Tenzin to teach her.
When everything else was gone, and she couldn't fall back on what she herself knew and could do - that was when the airbending came. She had no choice, and at that moment she was helpless and seeing someone she cared for about to be destroyed, as she thought she had just been. She forgot about herself in that moment and only cared about protecting Mako - that selflessness allowed the airbending to come through. Notice, however, she still hasn't mastered it - she slung air around like a firebender, so she hasn't truly mastered it.
Now, flash forward to the last couple scenes. When Mako declares his love, she can't reciprocate - she hates herself in that moment, doesn't feel worthy. The fleeing on Naga was her running from the life she doesn't believe she deserves to have anymore - one with friends, and people who love and accept her.
The tears, including the one that called Aang - this was Korra giving up - not suicidal, I don't believe that. It was her releasing all the strength, all the individualism, everything that made her that bold little toddler that announced herself to the White Lotus. It was Korra humbling herself, and realizing she could not fix things on her own - she could not do it all. She became, finally, selfless and dependent. She needed help, and when she admitted that, Aang was able to come through and help her.
I too wish there had been at least one more episode, that we could have seen Korra struggle more with not being the Avatar, but given the time constraints, I think it was pretty well done. It rang true to me, and I liked it.
Of course, I am an unemployed English teacher with nothing to do since there are no new job postings, so I could be totally off base. Posts: 14428 | Registered: Aug 2001
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Belle, you've basically nailed my thoughts here. I loved it, and while there are things that I would change and that were a bit silly, for a Nickelodeon kids show, this adult was pretty emotionally invested in the ending.
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that finale was, looking back at it, the worst of all worlds in terms of an artificially constrained cessation of a buildup period. You work all the way up to this and .. chop. done. meh.
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Up until the last few minutes, I was really looking forward to a season 2 that explored Korra sans Avatar-powers, that culminated in her getting them back but not before she had gone through a lot of introspection, with the show continuing to exmaine the interplay between benders and non-benders and the modern world.
Posts: 4136 | Registered: Aug 2008
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quote:Originally posted by Raymond Arnold: Up until the last few minutes, I was really looking forward to a season 2 that explored Korra sans Avatar-powers, that culminated in her getting them back but not before she had gone through a lot of introspection, with the show continuing to exmaine the interplay between benders and non-benders and the modern world.
That sounds a lot like the ground they already tread with A:TLA, though. I'm excited for the possibility that we're going (once again) into unknown territory here, with a story about an Avatar in (more or less) full control of her powers. We never got that with Aang.
Edited to add: I'm with Bella here. The finale had some pacing issues, to be sure, but I'm quite satisfied with the resolution of the story overall. The "Amon a boat" scene was simply incredible - I got the same "HOLY CRAP DID THEY REALLY JUST GO THERE" chills that I got from some of the darkest moments of A:TLA (*ahem* end of Season 2). And Korra's meeting with Aang and her long-awaited entry into the Avatar State, coupled with the most powerful rendition of the main Avatar theme we've ever heard, was spectacular.
And I *do* think Korra was contemplating suicide. The key moment is the tear falling into the abyss. I also think Amon knew what Tarrlok was about to do - again, the tear gives it away.
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The only way I see Korra contemplating suicide is the idea that if she killed herself, the world would get a new Avatar - a real avatar, that could properly bend all the elements.
Still, that fits my theory - if so, then she was no longer thinking of herself, but as doing something selfless (though I personally have big problems with considering suicide a noble act or one that is truly selfless, so I hope the story writers weren't really going there). Again, that selflessness allows her connection to Aang to be fulfilled. For whatever reason the tear was shed, it symbolized something profound that changed within her, allowing her to truly connect with the avatars.
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That's definitely a reasonable interpretation.
My own thoughts were closer to those described in the AV Club review - she is definitely thinking about jumping, but ultimately chooses not to. And her decision to live is what allows her to connect with her spiritual side. Hooray for protagonist agency!
To quote another great female television protagonist: "The hardest thing in this world is to live in it." Korra's realization of that painful truth (and her decision to pursue living in the world anyway) was the "something profound that changed within her" in my interpretation of the events.
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