Korra book 2- Spirits- trailer and discuss

[Lord Insanity]

Wow the last four episodes were not what I was expecting at all, (save the good guys win which we all know happens anyway) but it was awesome.
Spoiler

There where lots of little things I loved that were already mentioned like Zhao's cameo. As much as I wanted to see more of the older Avatars I thought it was brilliant to have their spiritual imprints destroyed when Rava was killed. Although from a purely nitpicking standpoint the elemental bending should have also been destroyed but I understand why they wouldn't do that in the show. I was not expecting them to leave the spirit portals open but that does set up a lot of interesting potential for seasons 3 and 4. The most interesting thing to me is that Vaatu was not imprisoned but was destroyed. That means he will grow back out of Rava. So one of two possibilities is either Vaatu comes out and must be stopped or Vaatu is also bound to Korra just like Rava. While I will fully understand if they go with the first option that second could really make for an interesting plot. Now I know some are going to go why should "balance" be anything other than good guys win. Maybe I am just reading too much into the show's "smacking us over the head" use of the Yin and the Yang. Looking at real world Taoism "balance" is just that, balance. Neither good nor evil has dominance. There is no great fortune but neither is there any great misfortune. In the context of the show making the Avatar the living embodiment of both sides rather than just one could be very interesting.

I have been constantly impressed with the overall Avatar series. Come what may, I can't wait to see where they go from here.

[Steve]

Vaatu will not be growing back any time soon unless someone triggers it, since the entire idea is that the loser of each 10,000 year cycle takes that amount of time to come back.

[JME2]

I wonder if Unalaq's spirit will still be bonded to Vaatu during his re-emergence, or if it's gone for good.

I'm sure it's the latter given Korra's comment to the Twins in the aftermath.

[MrDakka]

Just wanted to clear this up, will the whole cycle of the avatar restart now that Korra has been rebonded with Rava (sort of like a reset button on the avatar cycle, making Korra the last and first avatar)?

[Lord Insanity]

Vaatu will not be growing back any time soon unless someone triggers it, since the entire idea is that the loser of each 10,000 year cycle takes that amount of time to come back.

During the Wan flashback episodes Rava said she had been holding Vaatu in check for 10,000 years not that he took that long to grow back. The whole "one can not exist without the other." Granted Rava grew back far more quickly than Vaatu was expecting this time around but I never got the impression it normally takes 10,000 years. From what was presented in the show it seemed more like most of the 10,000 years between cycles was the victor holding the loser in check till the next round. I guess we will find out one way or the other in seasons 3 and 4.

[Lord Insanity]

Just wanted to clear this up, will the whole cycle of the avatar restart now that Korra has been rebonded with Rava (sort of like a reset button on the avatar cycle, making Korra the last and first avatar)?

That's what it looks like.

[JME2]

Vaatu will not be growing back any time soon unless someone triggers it, since the entire idea is that the loser of each 10,000 year cycle takes that amount of time to come back.

During the Wan flashback episodes Rava said she had been holding Vaatu in check for 10,000 years not that he took that long to grow back. The whole "one can not exist without the other." Granted Rava grew back far more quickly than Vaatu was expecting this time around but I never got the impression it normally takes 10,000 years. From what was presented in the show it seemed more like most of the 10,000 years between cycles was the victor holding the loser in check till the next round. I guess we will find out one way or the other in seasons 3 and 4.

Then Vaatu could remain an over-arching threat that re-emerges in the later episodes.

[Steve]

I thought it implied that it took a long time for the loser to grow back, it's just that Jinora's spirit super-charged Raava to the point she grew back enough that Korra could pull Raava back out.

[bilateralrope]

I doubt there will be a major conflict between spirits and humans, as such a conflict can always be ended by closing the spirit portals.

(Just as an side, I love Bumi's whirlwind rescue of the others and single-handed completely unintentional destruction of an enemy stronghold. Followed by his starting to explain how and- "Oh nevermind. You'll never believe it." Sokka probably couldn't have pulled that off, or if he did it'd come off a lot more like planning and less slapstick. I love Bumi.)

I wonder how many of his other stories are true.

[JME2]

I doubt there will be a major conflict between spirits and humans, as such a conflict can always be ended by closing the spirit portals.

Yeah, Korra is holding that Sword of Damocles over the heads of any would-be troublemakers.

One thing I'm hoping for with Book 3 is a much large time-jump as opposed to only 6 months. It'll allow more room for focusing on the consequences of Korra leaving the Spirit Portal open.

[Ahriman238]

I'm pretty sure Vaatu will be back, and it won't take 10,000 years. Maybe a couple of lifetimes though. Major question is whether he'll have Unalaq when he does, possible but unlikely. What's more unlikely, but would definitely do wonders for a new dynamic balance is if Unalaq were killed and as seems to be normal reincarnates, taking the spirit of Vaatu with him. A true Dark Avatar, reborn in each generation to challenge the Avatar of Rava. Then we get fun things like Korra debating the morality of killing a young child to prevent his becoming an evil overlord and so on.

I was thinking about reincarnation, which seems to be a fact of life in that world, recently. Specifically, I was wondering if everyone followed the same fire-air-water-earth cycle as the Avatar. That would make Zuko's next life Air Nomad (or Water Tribe, there's still a lot more dead Fire Nation than live Air Nomads) and I thought of Tenzin's children. Don't really see him as Meelo or the younger girl but maybe Ginora... Kind of puts a new light on the interactions with Iroh, serving as a spiritual guide and aid to the Avatar etc. no?

Of course, we all know Zuko reincarnated as Iroh II.

...subtle difference in Aang's appearance when Tenzin saw him. Korra's seen Aang as he existed during the height of his career and the Yakone Crisis. We've also seen this with the appearances of past Avatars like Wan, Kurruk, and Kyoshi as well.

So somehow, it's not surprising that Tenzin instead sees Aang as he remembers him at the end of his father's life. The design is therefore older and his features more lined.

Again, it's subtle, but it's a nice touch.

Now that you mention it, Roku is the only Avatar I remember seeing as an old man when he appears as a spirit. Probably because otherwise he couldn't be the wise old man sort of mentoring Aang from beyond the grave in Atla.

[Imperial528]

Of course, we all know Zuko reincarnated as Iroh II.

Psst, Zuko's not dead yet.

It would be interesting to see if the Avatar's reincarnation cycle is caused by the connection to each of the four elements. Even as the Dark Avatar, Unalaq could only waterbend, so it's not a far off assumption to think he will not reincarnate to any other nation.

Now that you mention it, Roku is the only Avatar I remember seeing as an old man when he appears as a spirit. Probably because otherwise he couldn't be the wise old man sort of mentoring Aang from beyond the grave in Atla.

It's also a possibility that his most notewory act as the Avatar was denying Sozin's wishes to start a war until the very end, so this is the form he is remembered in. The statues of him in temples, etc. are also of him at an older age, IIRC, so it may be that from all outside perspectives his life as the Avatar didn't amount to much, and we have no idea just how publicly known Sozin's ambitions and Roku's counter to them were before the war started.

[JME2]

Well, I imagine it was kinda hard to sweep Roku's destruction of the Imperial Palace under the rug.

[Imperial528]

Well, I imagine it was kinda hard to sweep Roku's destruction of the Imperial Palace under the rug.

Yeah, though why he did so may have been kept on the down-low. Or maybe Roku just likes the old man look and it's a matter of personal choice.

[JME2]

Well, I imagine it was kinda hard to sweep Roku's destruction of the Imperial Palace under the rug.

Yeah, though why he did so may have been kept on the down-low. Or maybe Roku just likes the old man look and it's a matter of personal choice.

If Sozin was manipulating Fire Nation propaganda to build support for the War, then I agree the former's possible.