posted
Another thing I appreciate so far is another meta angle: Korra is unabashedly feminine*, without being what I would call a 'tomboy' as is often portrayed in shows. She's athletic, adventurous, confident, snarky, and powerful, but so far at least (and I don't expect this is something that will change), I haven't caught a whiff of it being in spite of her being female, or somehow more special because she's female.
But then, that goes all the way back to the first series too, with the differences between Toph, Katara, Mai, and Ty Lee. It's often difficult finding a 'grown-up' show or film in which a female character isn't pigeonholed in many ways, so to see it in a kids show is refreshing, but unsurprising given the first series.
I wonder if as time passes, there will be more special discoveries in bending? Because if memory serves in the first series, lightning bending and metal bending came from very special, unique (at the time) forms of mastery, on the one hand from Iroh's study of other forms of bending and incorporating them into firebending, and on the other from Toph's total immersion in earthbending. It seems neither of the two are unheard of at all anymore, certainly metalbending is something that can be reliably discovered or trained in people, given the police, and lightning bending is far from unheard of too.
I wonder if the show will throw any other such innovations, ongoing sorts of things, at us-along with chi locking, too. Perhaps they already have, someone in this thread suggested it might not be energy bending at all that we see Amon doing, but rather a specialized, permanent chi blocking.
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quote:Originally posted by Raymond Arnold: I'd rather the series be lean and perfect than stretched out (based on the third episode, which cuts directly into some gritty action and introduces a menacing threat, I'm happy with the decision to have no filler episodes).
Agreed.
I'm loving this show. A buddy sent me an email with the following insightful point.
quote:I also love that they've got the villain speaking out against the inherently elitist nature of an inherited power like bending -- something Star Wars has never addressed in a major way. It will be interesting to see if the writers keep it balanced (treating the inequality created by bending as a problem to be resolved) or if they take an Incredibles/Ayn Rand approach (in which "special" people must deal with the jealousy of the less talented masses). I hope for the former.
posted
Yup, I really like that as well. A sci-fi/comic book sort of spin on haves/have-nots that's interesting for more than just the story's own sake.
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posted
I'm interested in the justification for the revolution, which the series so far has not shown at all. The only reason that's been given that the Equalists are bad is that Korra opposes them.
I'm inclined to be sympathetic with the Equalists; I liked that
SPOILERS . . . . . . . . . . . . Amon ambushed her with his goons in direct opposition to the "rules" she'd set out for their duel. It really heightens the menace he presents-- it implies that this is a guy who can/will do anything to achieve his purposes. I have to think, though, that whoever said that he's not really capable of stealing benders' powers is right. I expect that he WILL block Korra's power at some point, and that she'll be forced to either fight him without, or regain them. . . . . . . . . . /SPOILER
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posted
That's true, Scott, I hadn't thought of the way in which Amon completely breaks the 'rules' really amps up his menace in a story-telling perspective. Of course in one sense, his treachery (though not really, I mean it's not as though he ever agreed to abide by the rules of that duel, or even to duel her at all) was totally to be expected. In good stories, the bad guys are more often willing to violate convention than not, in fact.
But for a story more geared towards kids than cynical audiences, I suspect it carried additional oomph.
As for the Equalists being good or bad...hmm. Thinking back, I'm not recalling anything, actually, they did that was especially heinous. Even the bending removal, who did they target? A bunch of triads who were making life miserable for the ordinary citizens of the city. Well, actually, permanent removal for all such thugs is probably excessive, but it's not super-extreme villainy either, rendering them as ordinary human beings, that is.
SPOILER in response to Scott:
My money is that Amon will, at some point, remove or seriously weaken Korra's bending, and this will be the make-it-or-break-it high stakes pressure cooker sort of challenge that will lead to her developing the spiritual side of her Avatar abilities. It's episode four, what is that, 1/3 through the first season?, and the only whiff of anything spooky has been a very brief vision? Memory? of past events.
ETA: If speculation as to Amon's involvement with the Face Stealer is right, though, I think it would be totally possible the removal would be permanent, at least until the Avatar did something about it.
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As much as I love the Face Stealer theory, the fact that we see his eyes move is having me doubt it.
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After having to purchase the episode on iTunes today to watch it, I can say I feel the suspense in this new series is a much more noticeable element than in the original series. When the episode ended, I found myself desperately wanting more as much as when I watched LOST. The pacing of this most recent episode was almost breathlessly brisk, but it was astounding.
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posted
Anyone else really weirded out by Mako's new girlfriend? They hook up faster and blandly than I'd expected a long-term TV relationship to have hooked up in. At first I assumed she'd somehow be evil. But she really doesn't show any signs of being evil.
I assume her father will continue to be a character as the team sponsor, so she'll be involved for awhile.
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I think there's something TOO convenient about his new gal pal being the daughter of a guy rich enough to get the Avatar and pals into the pro-bending tournament. I think that'll end up playing a role in the show. Seems like something diabolical is afoot.
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Kidnapping and attacking while preaching violent revolution against a minority who are different only because of their spirituality is not sounding good. (I can remember a time in the not too distant past where a demagogue riled up a group of people against a certain minority that was perceived as having too much 'power')
The Equalists are completely wrong, yes, the council is populated entirely with benders, but the richest man in Republic City (and probably the world) is a non-bender. And we have also the fabulous bending brothers, who grew up completely poor and don't have a lick of power at all.
Asami doesn't trouble me at all, I think it's pretty cute. Remember they met and dated for almost two weeks before Korra met her.
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A few things. One, I'm not saying I'm a fan of the Equalists in the show, just that their ideals as stated aren't as awful as one would expect from the traditional evil gang of a cartoon. Two, unless I'm mistaken the people they kidnapped so far have been entirely Triads who were suiting up for a well known turf war, the likes of which in the past caused serious problems for the ordinary citizens. Applying the same punishment to all members, from boss on down, though, is excessive.
I don't know which demagogue or which minority you might be alluding to, but whichever it is in the real world, the comparison falls flat on its face for a simple reason: real world minorities don't have superpowers. I mean, that's obvious. It's not just a matter of 'greater spiritual connection'. An airbender can *fly* with a cheap handheld glider. An earthbender is almost always moments away from durable shelter wherever they go. A waterbender can heal and has instant refrigeration, and a firebender never needs worry about energy or heating. And, heck, those are just the very easily imagined examples-there are so many more. In more practical terms, any bender has at least quite a few job opportunities available to them by default than ordinary citizens.
All of these benefits are forever totally excluded to the rest of humanity, and they're things that are available in a genetic lottery. Hiroshi Sato, if he wants to fly, must build or hire a dirigible. An airbender focuses a bit and whips out a glider.
ETA: Right there in Sato's backstory, do you think he would've started off with a shoeshine stand had he been able to earthbend? How much help would have been needed from his unnamed benefactor? As for Mako and Bolin, not only are they poised on the brink of fame due to their bending skill, but Mako himself has made ends meet and who supported two orphans for years, a least in part due to bending. Would be have been able to do that as a non-bender? Well, perhaps, but probably his job would not have built spiritual bending muscle he could use to help his pro fighting, know?
It's unavoidable, the Avatar world has some pretty serious built-in unfairness. That's fine, it's realistic, and I like that they're not just pretending it's a fake unfairness.
posted
Not all benders are created equal, we've seen a lot of masters but we also saw quite a few airbenders back before the genocide that couldnt keep up with aang at all. We saw waterbenders who could barely splash water.
And yes the benders are benders only because of their greater spiritual connection. That's why we see so many air acolytes on air bender island. They're trying to gain a greater spiritual connection and better grasp the philosophy of the air nomads so they can become air benders. Uncle Iroh spelled it out in the second season in ATLAB, I forget which episode, but I think it was around the chase.
The genetic benefit that Asami Sato got was much better than any bender. She will never have to join a triad just to survive.
I think what this series is moving towards is a future that is less and less more favorable to benders. We saw men like the mechanist building flying devices, we've had the ability to make fire for thousands of years, propelling ourselves through water, and medicine we've also had. (I'm not so sure how water bending healing works, though)
I agree though, they do have much greater depth than most villains and is a great improvement on the pure evil that was Phoenix King Ozai and I'm super psyched to see what the rest of the season has to offer. I just have this feeling in my gut that Amon is just out for power, his story about his face rings false and his, I don't know, image just, well it really gives me the creeps.
I feel like these posts are coming off as hostile and I don't mean them to at all, and I'm sorry if that's how I sound.
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quote:The genetic benefit that Asami Sato got was much better than any bender. She will never have to join a triad just to survive.
Than ANY bender? Nonsense. Tenzin, Chief Bei-Fong being two very easy prominent examples. You can't really say Asami is vastly better off than either of them, both have major power.
As for the spirit thing...yeah, I know why according to the story they have bending. But that's not why people are unhappy. They don't chant thst it's unfair some are born connected to the spirits, they are unhappy some are born with access to superpowers while most aren't. And yes, of course not every bender is equal, but an average bender will have more options than the average son of a farmer.
As for flying machines...yeah. Ordinary people CAN fly, if they've the money and access to aircraft, which itself takes major money and skill to create and operate. An airbender needs a stick with some fans on it. To build a fire needs tools and/or expertise. All of these examples highlight my point.
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posted
Not all benders are created equal, we've seen a lot of masters but we also saw quite a few airbenders back before the genocide that couldnt keep up with aang at all. We saw waterbenders who could barely splash water.
And yes the benders are benders only because of their greater spiritual connection. That's why we see so many air acolytes on air bender island. They're trying to gain a greater spiritual connection and better grasp the philosophy of the air nomads so they can become air benders. Uncle Iroh spelled it out in the second season in ATLAB, I forget which episode, but I think it was around the chase.
The genetic benefit that Asami Sato got was much better than any bender. She will never have to join a triad just to survive.
I think what this series is moving towards is a future that is less and less more favorable to benders. We saw men like the mechanist building flying devices, we've had the ability to make fire for thousands of years, propelling ourselves through water, and medicine we've also had. (I'm not so sure how water bending healing works, though)
I agree though, they do have much greater depth than most villains and is a great improvement on the pure evil that was Phoenix King Ozai and I'm super psyched to see what the rest of the season has to offer. I just have this feeling in my gut that Amon is just out for power, his story about his face rings false and his, I don't know, image just, well it really gives me the creeps.
I feel like these posts are coming off as hostile and I don't mean them to at all, and I'm sorry if that's how I sound.
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quote:And yes the benders are benders only because of their greater spiritual connection.
Utterly unsubstantiated. If the only airbenders arise only from the descendants of the air nomads, and earthbenders only arise among people with Earth Kingdom ancestry, and firebenders only arise among Fire Nation descendants, and waterbenders arise only among the water tribe peoples, then it's obviously quite likely that there's a significant genetic component at work as well.
Either way it doesn't matter. The series has established that whether someone is bender or not is pretty much determined from birth. If it's genetic or the soul's spiritual connection, or whatever; it doesn't really affect in-world politics.
quote:I can remember a time in the not too distant past where a demagogue riled up a group of people against a certain minority that was perceived as having too much 'power'
Though the situation is rather reversed; Jews had no significant political or military power, but had disproportional influence in finance and the sciences.
In both Avatar:The Last Airbenders and The Legend of Korra, benders have all the political and military power, but the leaders of industry and science seem to be non-benders.
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quote:Applying the same punishment to all members, from boss on down, though, is excessive.
I disagree. Someone who owns a weapon and shows himself willing to use that weapon in order to threaten others should AT THE LEAST have their weapon taken away from them.
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Well, sure, but what if that weapon is, say, a part of their arm, literally, and the given criminal was a first time offending kid? Snatching off a part of their arm forever would seem excessive in that case to me, whereas it wouldn't in the case of the career, boss criminal.
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quote:And yes the benders are benders only because of their greater spiritual connection.
Utterly unsubstantiated. If the only airbenders arise only from the descendants of the air nomads, and earthbenders only arise among people with Earth Kingdom ancestry, and firebenders only arise among Fire Nation descendants, and waterbenders arise only among the water tribe peoples, then it's obviously quite likely that there's a significant genetic component at work as well.
I've been wondering about the genetic component at play some myself. In the original series, I recall only seeing benders with familial ties to benders of the same element.
So, what's the deal with Bolin and Mako? If they're biological brothers, how is one a fire bender and the other an earth bender? I imagine one of their parents would have to be a fire bender, and the other would have had to be an earth bender? This seems to support the notion of a genetic component to bending.
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I suspect there's a blood component but also, whenever they feel like it, a 'whee! Spirits' component too.
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I'd felt the Spirit World connection to be more on a voluntary basis. In the original series, the prime example I can think of is the differing ideas between General Zhao and Iroh when the former killed the Moon Spirit. Toph doesn't seem to give much creedence to the spiritual aspect either.
posted
They've stated explicitly that there is a genetic component, and spiritual component, but that the rules are fairly loose. Air Nomads had the highest density of benders because they were the most spiritual of the nations.
The point of Bolin and Mako is that Republic City is a cosmopolitan melting pot.
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posted
Maybe it's just that some people who take the time to explore the more spiritual aspects are better able to take advantage of the inherent biological potential to bend?
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Pretty much. It's not that different from how talent works in the real world. Natural potential + work.
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quote:Originally posted by Raymond Arnold: They've stated explicitly that there is a genetic component, and spiritual component, but that the rules are fairly loose. Air Nomads had the highest density of benders because they were the most spiritual of the nations.
Or maybe the smaller air bender societies had a genetic sample better suited for passing on the bending trait?
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quote:MDD: Yeah, Katara's mom and dad weren't benders. Maybe it's a recessive gene. I've always seen it as more spiritual connections, though. A little bit mysterious...
BK: I mean we've definitely talked about it. I think, again, sometimes we might not know...it's more of what we don't want it to be. We didn't want it to be like there is a lineage...a royal family or something...and these people can bend and then there's everyone else as non-bending, people who never will. Some sort of caste system. Mike and I are more attracted to more of the flux type universe. The only constant is change, variation, that sorta thing. I'm sure it's a bunch of factors.
***Interviewers note: About 20 mins after the interview, Bryan came back to me and we spoke a little more about the basis of bending off recorder. He described bending as more of a talent. You have some genetic basis for potential, but you could go your whole life without developing the talent into ability. Some people have more inherent talent than others, while others with minimal inherent talent can still develop it through hard work and practice. He reiterated a connection to the spiritual energies is the underlying basis. How it manifests is based on upbringing and experience.
quote:BK: We always have liked the idea of who will be a bender and who won't be to be kind of an ambiguous mystery, even to the people in the Avatar world. From early on we thought the Air Nomads would be all benders. Again it's like Mike was saying, it's more of a spiritual connection. But they have...they had...the smallest population. Earth Kingdom has the biggest population but the smallest percentage of benders. So yeah, there were these notions we kicked around that is wasn't going to be regimented or ruled through specific lineages. We liked the idea that each of the cultures have a different spiritual vantage point...coming at it from a different angle.
MDD: Then the Air Nomads would have been the most spiritual...the most connected to the spiritual energy of the Earth.
quote:Originally posted by SteveRogers: After having to purchase the episode on iTunes today to watch it, I can say I feel the suspense in this new series is a much more noticeable element than in the original series. When the episode ended, I found myself desperately wanting more as much as when I watched LOST. The pacing of this most recent episode was almost breathlessly brisk, but it was astounding.
Psst, you can stream it off Nick.com
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posted
One thing I find neat, is that benders seem to have the strongest connection to their nations. Most benders seem to dress in a way that relates to their home nation. There has been no mention of any type of "Earth Town" or "Little Water Tribe" like most major cities with huge populations of foreign ancestry develop. Maybe it is because they already know. I really have no idea where my family comes from, but if I were a firebender, and all firebenders were of Irish descent then I guess I would know.
Also I am not sure where it was stated that Sato was not a bender, maybe he is one, he just figured it wasn't worth mentioning. Still I found the rhyme of Satomobile,and automobile amusing.
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posted
What's the deal with the metal benders? Is it a specialized subset of earth bending or an entirely different kind of power?
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quote:What's the deal with the metal benders? Is it a specialized subset of earth bending or an entirely different kind of power?
In the first series, Toph Bei-fong was able to metal bend, though not easily. She pioneered the skill, and it was due to her immersion and mastery of earthbending that she was able to do it at all. I think Bumi might've learned it too, eventually, but I could be mistaken.
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Whew! This episode certainly makes up for the last one in terms of plot advancement and action. Man.
Yeah, I noticed Cabbage Corp too-not entirely clear what they manufacture, but to rate an advertisement in the championship match things probably turned out OK for him:)
Goodness, Korra could really use some lightning bending techniques as well as airbending. It's a world with flying machines. Pretty important!
Tarlock doesn't look any more suspicious to me than he has already, actually. The voice is...ehh, kind of similar I suppose, but his reasoning did seem sound to me-he didn't seem committed to his initial vote because of any kind of moral stand, but rather one of public safety. And since apparently Lin (Lyn?) has a pretty stellar record in that department, her committment would serve as a good backup. Unless y'all are suggesting they were betrayed from within the council? That's possible, but really it could've come from so many places. From within the arena, from the police, or from the council.
More than a little peculiar that Amon didn't target, y'know, Tenzin and Lin while they were totally incapacitated and the entire crowd was subdued, instead going for the (admittedly compelling, in this case) political statement. Given that it doesn't make sense that he would fear making a martyr of them, I'm going to note that down as another sign that there's more to this bending-blocking schtick than simply performing a few moments of technique followed by irreversible removal. I won't be surprised if dealing with an honest to goodness master of their bending such as either of them (both of them extremely willful people, too, in their own ways) might be entirely different than snuffing out a smug crime lord or an absurd cheater.
Korra seems to have handled her nigh-crippling fear of Amon pretty well, it seems. Was that handled off-screen? Her actually getting over it, I mean-I remember the episode with the ambushed duel...which actually makes me think the council or the police force are thoroughly infilitrated, actually, given that this is two major operations Amon has managed to stage right under the noses of the authorities, in both cases when they were actively searching for trouble. Anyway, this time Korra showed no hesitation, and given her last encounter with Amon, I gave her some more rad points in my head:) Though she never actually faced him directly.
Also seems clear her straight-up fighting has improved dramatically. If memory serves, earlier in the season she fought that particular goon of Amon's and he beat her quite handily, whereas this time even after taking a beating in the arena, she was still able to handle both him and a few others of his stooges and beat him head on.
The flashback was interesting. Clearly it's seen through the Avatar's eyes, looking at both Tenzin and Lin, I think. I wonder who the third person was?
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posted
Tarlock gets put in charge of the anti-Amon task force. Tarlock discredits the city's peacekeeping force and sets himself up to be the new chief of police. What's he going to do next to discredit a power rival and take their place?
It's starting to look at lot like Phantom Menace in that regard. First you create the problem, then you step in with the solution.
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You could very well be right, but it seems to me that if he discredited anyone with his task force shenanigans, he also discredited himself. Unless his promise to be vigilant for any treachery on Amon's part the night of their duel was secret somehow, or the entire incident (which actually seems likely) was brushed under the rug.
We'll know more next episode, though. Amon is certainly in a position to make some pretty nasty political power plays. I also think a lot depends on just how much bending presence there is in the police and city government.
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posted
That's not Tenzin and Lin in the flashback, that's Aang and Toph. You may want to deny the Lincoln beard, but it is there, and it is his.
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Yeah, you could see Aang's tattoos briefly glow in the flashback. Korra keeps having random extremely brief flashbacks.
I can't WAIT for a scene when Korra finally interacts with Aang either via the spirit world or meditation like Aang did. I imagine we won't get that for awhile, unless there's a solstice or something, because Korra is so much less spiritual.
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I saw the tattoos, but is that strictly an avatar thing, that they glow? I can't remember. Any Air Master gets them, I believe, but Aang is the only real example from that series.
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If the flashback is showing the Yakone incident, then forty-two years ago, Tenzin and Lin would have been around ten. The Airbender in the flashback is quite a bit older. Plus, only the Avatar glows like that.
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quote:Originally posted by Rakeesh: I saw the tattoos, but is that strictly an avatar thing, that they glow? I can't remember. Any Air Master gets them, I believe, but Aang is the only real example from that series.
It's never been explicitly stated, I suppose, but I think we're meant to assume that the tattoos only glow for an Avatar.
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quote:Originally posted by Rakeesh: I saw the tattoos, but is that strictly an avatar thing, that they glow? I can't remember. Any Air Master gets them, I believe, but Aang is the only real example from that series.
We only ever see aang and yangchen's tattoos glow.
I'm forgetting where but they do explicitly state somewhere that you get your tattoos when you becomea master.
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According to the Avatar Wiki the information regarding airbender tattoos as a sign of master status comes from the old Nick website. Aang actually got his, not for being the avatar, but for inventing the air scooter technique making him the youngest master ever at the age of 12. The show's creators have also said that the tattoos glow because they run along the body's chi paths, so I sort of suspect that the glowing feature is something specific to the Avatars. The only other tattoo that is similar to the airbender markings was probably Combustion Man's third eye.
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