Korra book 2- Spirits- trailer and discuss

[JME2]

It'd be a nice touch to give the Lion Turtle a cameo or small role during that flashback.

[Alkaloid]

Sokka was confirmed dead in the Korra pilot episode.

That always struck me as an interesting choice given he was practically built to become an Iroh type character later on. I get wanting to make as clean a break as possible from the first series, but it sort of seems wasteful.

[mr friendly guy]

I want to see the implications of Amon's defeat.

1. Did Korra energy bend everyone, including the Wolf Bats giving them back their bending? In effect this undoes all of Amon's works. In fact, arguably Lin Bei Fong came back stronger than before in terms of bending, adding further insult to injury as far as the Equalists are concerned.

2. Also will there be now Bender pograms against anyone suspected of being an Equalists. The Equalists might fight well against Benders who use pro bending styles, but I doubt they are a match for a Bender who isn't trying to get reasonably close for HtH combat. For example the Earth Kingdom Benders could hurl a large rock at them and keep their distance. In the confine space of the street its very hard dodge to the side.

[Mr Bean]

2. Also will there be now Bender pograms against anyone suspected of being an Equalists. The Equalists might fight well against Benders who use pro bending styles, but I doubt they are a match for a Bender who isn't trying to get reasonably close for HtH combat. For example the Earth Kingdom Benders could hurl a large rock at them and keep their distance. In the confine space of the street its very hard dodge to the side.

Rewatch the Chi-Blockers VS Benders fights from the first season. They are reactive fighters who follow an easy to understand gameplane.

First close the distance to the bender. Until the Equalists get better ranged weapons than smoke grenades and bolas they have to be close to hurt benders.

Second watch the bender and anticipate their attack. Equalists almost never attack a bender but instead react to the benders movements. The only change in tactics is between Chi-Blockers and normal Equalists, the veterans are trained Chi-blockers and dodge and move as one to disable benders. The normal equalists are trained the same way but without using chi blocking but switching in the lightning gauntlets. In two weeks I'm sure you can train someone in the basics of watching a person, anticipating attacks and strike with the gauntlets. Sure they will not go one on one in the field with benders but then the Equalists were always the insurgent group.

Also note how fast unaware Equalists go down. All that training means nothing if you don't know Korra's about to throw a slab of rock at the back of your head.

[Ahriman238]

Just a friendly reminder the first episode of the new season, "Rebel Spirits" airs this Friday. Naturally the timing will depend on your position on the globe.

There is an episode synopsis publicly posted.
Spoiler

Six months after the end of Book One, Korra has mastered airbending, Mako works as a policeman, Bolin fares poorly in pro-bending with the new "Fire Ferrets", and Asami tries to keep Future Industries afloat. With Tenzin, the friends visit Korra's and Tenzin's family in the Southern Water Tribe. After Korra's uncle and tribal chief Unalaq easily repels an angry spirit's attack, Korra chooses him over Tenzin as her spiritual teacher.

[Ritterin Sophia]

Hugely disappointed with the formulaic way this season is playing out.

[Haruko]

Not saying you're misusing a term, but not sure what you mean by it being 'formulaic'? I'm being a bit slow and can use example. Everything is too cliche? Predictable? (For example, of course such and such guy would turn out villainous?) Far more so than the previous season? Or the previous season was so disappointing and this new season looks like more of the same?

[Ritterin Sophia]

Not saying you're misusing a term, but not sure what you mean by it being 'formulaic'? I'm being a bit slow and can use example. Everything is too cliche? Predictable? (For example, of course such and such guy would turn out villainous?) Far more so than the previous season? Or the previous season was so disappointing and this new season looks like more of the same?

Predictable. Korra's uncle uses an overt threat to utilize Korra to help him with his own evil plot whilst spurning the advice of Tenzin and other advisers, like Tarrlok, Korra will see the error of her ways but not before Unalaq is eclipsed by a greater evil. It's the exact same plot as last season, the only changes are a minor theme swap of class-based persecution with religious zealotry and that the person using her is closer to her.

[Ahriman238]

I don't know.
Spoiler

The "spiritual center" of the Southern Water Tribe being inaccessible due to spirit-fueled blizzard really seems like something Aang would've heard about and dealt with at some point.

So the spiritual center for the Northern Water Tribe is the secret garden with the koi pond, but the spiritual center of the South is a forest inexplicably growing from the ice, which mirrors one also found in the North. Interesting idea of balance.

Didn't get the drama over Korra taking a different spiritual teacher, Aang had several teachers and with a few exceptions, they all lived and worked together. Every previous avatar traveled the world to learn as much as they could from a variety of masters.

Korra sees Unalaq's special spirit calming water display once, and is nearly able to duplicate it.

Did Korra's fighting in the Avatar State seem a little underpowered to anyone else?

The series listing has a VA credit for "Wan- the First Avatar" so I'm assuming that's the statue the kid found.

On the plus side, the humor got better with Bolin and Creepy Water Tribe Twin (girl.) I liked the backstory of Korra's dad, the Tenzin family vacation with the odd moment of actual connection to Aang, and Tenzin's family got some great moments.

Not sure what's up with the de facto invasion.

All in all, I have mixed feelings but I'm willing to see where it goes.

[Steve]

Spoiler

I thought it was enjoyable. It was clear the uncle was not entirely on the up and up.... but I'm still holding judgement until we see just what is going on with the issue of the spirits. Was he somehow controlling them, provoking the attacks to justify forced reunification? (And presumably having laid the groundwork to keep the Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and United Republic out of the situation, since one suspects the lessons of the 100 year war would lean toward "stomp aggression in the dust"). Or is this a case of a wider problem that he is actually trying to solve, but in a way that is going to turn out to be ultimately nonconstructive?

It's good to see Asami around. I'd like to think that her prominent role in helping the Avatar stop the Equalists would've undone the damage her father caused the family and company brand.... but people can be fickle.

I'm a little disappointed in having the political reforms in Republic City happen all off-screen. I see that they wanted to focus on this story, but since they know they're getting two more books, why not have it take a little longer and let it simmer in the background for this story so they can bring it out for Book 3?

It does feel formulaic... but that's not necessarily a black mark. Innovation is all well and good, but sticking with basic story-telling structure is tolerable if you tell a good story, even if you're not surprising everyone with a unique story structure. I am more than willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

[Ahriman238]

Oh yeah, and about that nice flashback sequence
Spoiler

Really curious about these barbarians who live in the North, and ahve iron armor and weapons. Really impractical choice of clothing there, guys. And who, besides the Souther Water Tribe, do the Northeners consider barbarians?

And the attack on the barbarians was probably a little overkill. Fighting on holy ground is bad and all, but flooding and leveling holy sites to get at a few raiders is an invitation to some seriously bad karma/PR.

[JME2]

Finally saw it last night.

I enjoyed it, but it's kind of a slow start. And I really wish they'd dealt more with the post-Equalist fallout rather than just jumping ahead 6 months.

[Mr Bean]

Hey forums back up, saw it a few hours ago Spoiler

Speaking of formals I really hope that Korra does not have Uncle Hitler and father Stalin or any such direct historical nonsense comparisons. But yeah something tells me that the Avatar can direct his resurrects to some extent if it just so happens that the first daughter of a disgraced northern air temple military General who's brother is Chief of the Northern Water tribe.

Two things I don't get
1. Why does the Spirit Uncle get so much shit from Korra Dad considering Korra dad fucked things up again and again. From where the show stands we are episode 50 of 1000 of Korra dad screwing things up and Spirit Uncle being right.

2. Why is Tenzin the only breeder in the family? He's got a brother and sister both of whom have airbender blood same as him, should they have not kicked out an airbending kid of their own? Something tells me Boomie should have like 9 Air bending bastards kicking around.

Also why were we denied Tenzin sister until the second season? More of her please

Also those barbarians look Fire Nation to me, forces that refused to bow to the Fire Lord's will and went barbarian? Or a nomadic tribe pushed out by Fire Lord reforms

Last I really hope Spirit Uncle is not the bad guy, lets throw things for a loop and let it be Korra Dad.

[Guardsman Bass]

We ought to just start a spoilers-only thread, so we can discuss without having to constantly box stuff.

Spoiler

I didn't care much for the first episode (aside from the spirit fight near the end), but the second episode. The first episode felt like they were trying to re-establish who everyone was supposed to be "like", and so we had everyone slotting back into the behavior they had at the beginning of the show: Tenzin complaining about Korra not taking her training seriously, etc, etc.

I suspect Unalaq isn't really the main "antagonist" of this season, since they've set him up to take over the Southern Water Tribe in only the second episode. That said, he's an interesting problem for Korra, because she can't just punch him in the face like Amon with airbending - he's her uncle, and pissing him off could piss off relations between the two Water Tribes. And at the same time, she needs his training in order to get a better handle on the dark spirits.

The Avatar State seems weaker with Korra (or the dark spirits are just that powerful). Aang was an absolute beast in the Avatar State, even in the first couple of episodes, but not so much with Korra.

[JME2]

Spoiler

Regarding the brothers' hostility towards each other, it's possible we only got the broad strokes of Tonraq's exile. There may be more to the story -- same to how we learned about Yakone and how that got expanded in late Book One.

[Grumman]

I want to like Korra, but I don't.
Spoiler

Handwaving as a substitute for spirituality does not sit well with me either.

Why give Korra back her other bending at the end of Season One if you're not going to let her use it? They should have either let her brute force her way to victory against that first dark spirit before her uncle showed how to do it properly, or left her with just the airbending.

[Guardsman Bass]

That was entertaining, although I think I'm actually interested more in the "b" plot right now.
Spoiler

Part of me was wondering if the attempted kidnapping of Unalaq was actually a false flag operation, giving him the justification to provoke a conflict he could use to forcibly unify the tribes without running into a wall of opposition from Korra. We'll have to wait for the next episode, but I did like that almost clash on the street alley, where the kids with snowballs almost precipitated a battle (reminds me of the Boston Massacre before the American Revolutionary War).

Things are a little tenser than they looked between Aang's three kids. I'm not surprised that Tenzin was the favorite - aside from being "the baby" of the three, he was also the only airbender (something that would have been an immense relief to Aang). That probably would have been rather difficult for the other two, and particularly for the oldest, Bumi the non-bender.

[Steve]

It was a tad irresponsible of Kya and Bumi to try to guild-trip Tenzin when his daughter is missing isn't it?

[Mr Bean]

Here's my question why are Kya and Bumi both childless, they are the son and daughter of an airbender after all.
And I really hope the obvious Uncle Villain is not the obvious villain. Please let it be the father or unnamed third party.

[Ahriman238]

It was a tad irresponsible of Kya and Bumi to try to guild-trip Tenzin when his daughter is missing isn't it?

Yes, yes it was.
Spoiler

I can see why Tenzin might be the quiet favorite if Aang had two children who weren't airbenders, and then one that he could actually share his art and culture with. That said, I can't really see Aang and Katara intentionally singling out their kids. But the complaint that Aang was always busy with some adventure or pressing duty? That I can believe.

So maybe Tenzin has an idealized vision of their childhood and assumes his siblings had the same relationship with their father that he did. That's not unusual in the least. Or that he feels his siblings can't understand the crushing pressure of being the sole hope of the Air Nomads.

I find Bumi's need to prove that he can get by fine without bending entirely understandable too. Less sure what Kya's issues are besides being the one who got to take care of mom in her old age.

That whole family theme we were promised has been strong throughout all 3 episodes. IMHO it really helps to redeem the show when Korra's being clueless and self-centered. That and Bolin's hilarious suffering.

[Ahriman238]

Also, does it anyone else find it weird that that Unalaq and Korra keep saying the North and South are One Tribe, and Unalaq claims to be chief of the Southern Tribe as well and nobody ever challenges them on this point? Or mentions that they kind of already have a chief (whose now been arrested, I assume the fallout for that will be part two and the reason for the Civil Wars title.)

When Korra says "You're all one tribe, act like it." I was expecting something more along the lines of "like hell we are."

[ray245]

Also, does it anyone else find it weird that that Unalaq and Korra keep saying the North and South are One Tribe, and Unalaq claims to be chief of the Southern Tribe as well and nobody ever challenges them on this point? Or mentions that they kind of already have a chief (whose now been arrested, I assume the fallout for that will be part two and the reason for the Civil Wars title.)

When Korra says "You're all one tribe, act like it." I was expecting something more along the lines of "like hell we are."

The creators mentioned that legally, the leader of the Northern Tribe is the leader of both tribes. However, when the two tribes are separated that far apart, they are de facto two different nations.

[Ahriman238]

How exactly does that work if they're on opposite sides of the globe with divergent cultures? What with the North's religious and anti-feminist bent contrasted to the Southern Tribe's attitudes. Or is it because 50 years ago the Southern Tribe were a couple of villages and then the North sent lots of people to rebuild. I suppose by now the Southern Water Tribe might have a lot more Northern than Southern blood in it.

[AMX]

They were connected by the spirit portals.
The southern portal was closed by the war and the northern portal probably lasted longer (I expect to hear soon that it's closed due to Tonraq's indiscretion).
So they have been disconnected for 170 years, maximum.

[Stormin]

I figured the Avatar fans here might enjoy this. Sokka's sword made with actual meteorite.