Legend of Korra Book 3

[Majinash]

I wanted to start off this thread simply by saying, the last 2 episodes of this season were incredible. I know a lot of people don't like Korra as much as Aang, and those who do like Korra seem to mostly agree the show peaked in its first season.

I agree with a lot of what has been said about some of the shows more lackluster aspects. In fact I thought the pacing of this season was very odd and made it a bit hard to watch.

But these last 2 episodes not only redeemed the season in my eyes, but I now think that season 3 is by far the best season of Korra.

I left this first post spoiler free as a precaution. But I want to know what everyone thought of season 3, and in particular the final 2 episodes that came out today. Obviously this means we'll be talking all kinds of spoilers, so please be mindful of that if you continue reading.

 

[Keoul]

I really disliked Korra but for some reason the last 2 episode really made me feel bad for her...
I mean come on she's had 4 major plots to kill her in these past 3 season. I don't think any Avatar had that many major attempts, sure Aang had a few scrapes but they were usually just a ragtag group not professionals.

Ah well it was pretty good, felt bad that

Spoiler

Bolin didn't convince Ghazan the earthbender to join em, he seemed kinda cool with Bolin in that episode where they were stuck in the truck but I guess it is what it is.

Kinda wondering what they're gunna do now with that cliffhanger sorta thing.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Yeah I do agreed that season 3 is a huge improvement over 2 by a mile! It mainly cos Korra was no longer immature but rather coming to fully grip to be an Avatar (wisdom, selfless and try to find reasons) and the villain wasn't one demisional. In fact Zaheer and the group are my favourite villain in Avatar!

Anyway onto the episodes-

Spoiler: Episode 12

Bolin plan suck due to the fact that they already know Bolin face!

I thought they would of been darker/ more violence with P'Li death in that it cause an explosion when Zaheer look at her direction!

Speaking of her death, I did find it somewhat dishearting that for Zaheer to achive flight, he had to let go of her. It kind of make him somewhat no longer human in a way or rather the old Jedi ideaology (no attactment to anybody).

I did find it abit weird that they introduse that metalbending captain at the last minute even if she has a very minor role. It make me wonder if they are planning something for me (I was thinking a possible Red Lotus member in disguise).

So Bolin true calling was lava bending, not metal. That's pretty cool and unexpected!

Spoiler: Episode 13

So their plan was to killed the Avatar after all althought it did make sense to killed her in the Avatar state to prevent the reincarnation cycle! Granted the plan did backfire as they did face her at her strongest!

Why was it only now that Mako used lightning bend to take out the water arm lady? It never occur to me to used that in the first place (I did thought she got the strongest weakness as Mako did get her to run out of water)! I guessing it take abit of timing and perperation to use lightning bending?

Sure it was cool seeing Bolin being on par with the other guy now but it doesn't look like Bolin know how to create lava which is a shame (it would of been destructive but awesome if he did know how to do it)!

I kind of liked that it ended on a bitter sweet note since Korra losing her past incarnation is the least of her problems now. Does anyone know the full extent of mercury posioning and if she can recover from it at all??? I guessing the next season will take place months or years later or the episode start with an deux ex machania medience/ healers.

So wait, the Air Normad are going to be peace keepers now? I thought that was somewhat implusive since Tenzin come up with that at the last moment and I thought his people needed more training and growning. I guess they aren't fully want to be monks per day (meditate and all that?).

I think it kind of suck they didn't fully resolve Mako awakward toward Korra and Asami (past dating etc) althought from the look of it, it look like he had gotten over it.

A couple thing left unresolve, so Ba Sing Se is still in chao. I wonder when they are going to fix that and is Mako and Bolin family are going to moved to Republic City. Speaking of the city, are they still having trouble with the vine but yet again there is nothing Korra can do at her current state?

Lastly, awh! No Toph cameo at all!!!!!

 

[Gizmo1990]

Despite my dislike of the first and second series I really did try to like this one but I am done for good now due to a combination of:

Not liking any of the characters - Kind of like Tensin but he is not enough to make me stick around.

Seeing the characters get the crap kicked out of them for the 50th time - I realise that the show needs effective villains for the protaganists but do the new team Avatar ever win a fight until the last episode?. When you consider that a number of the characters are the children of and were taught by members of the original Team Avatar, who were amoung the most gifted benders of their generation, they seem to get their arse kicked, alot.

The fight scenes seem less impressive - This one could actually just be me as I have not seen anyone else bring this one up but bending looks alot less impressive to me. TLA had benders pulling off crazy big, powerfull and complex moves whereas in Korra in feels alot less powerfull.

The old cast - I am NOT saying I don't like the show because of a lack of TLA characters, I get that it needs to be it's own thing but I DO hate what it has portraied some of TLA characters doing. Aang was not the kind of person who would let two of his children think they were less important to him than their younger brother and Katara is not the kind of person who would have let him do that even if he were.

But people love the show the way it is and I am glad. I like the world and I would love to see another show after Korra with new characters.

 

[Kopikatsu]

Spoiler: Episode 13

So their plan was to killed the Avatar after all althought it did make sense to killed her in the Avatar state to prevent the reincarnation cycle! Granted the plan did backfire as they did face her at her strongest!

Why was it only now that Mako used lightning bend to take out the water arm lady? It never occur to me to used that in the first place (I did thought she got the strongest weakness as Mako did get her to run out of water)! I guessing it take abit of timing and perperation to use lightning bending?

Sure it was cool seeing Bolin being on par with the other guy now but it doesn't look like Bolin know how to create lava which is a shame (it would of been destructive but awesome if he did know how to do it)!

I kind of liked that it ended on a bitter sweet note since Korra losing her past incarnation is the least of her problems now. Does anyone know the full extent of mercury posioning and if she can recover from it at all??? I guessing the next season will take place months or years later or the episode start with an deux ex machania medience/ healers.

So wait, the Air Normad are going to be peace keepers now? I thought that was somewhat implusive since Tenzin come up with that at the last moment and I thought his people needed more training and growning. I guess they aren't fully want to be monks per day (meditate and all that?).

I think it kind of suck they didn't fully resolve Mako awakward toward Korra and Asami (past dating etc) althought from the look of it, it look like he had gotten over it.

A couple thing left unresolve, so Ba Sing Se is still in chao. I wonder when they are going to fix that and is Mako and Bolin family are going to moved to Republic City. Speaking of the city, are they still having trouble with the vine but yet again there is nothing Korra can do at her current state?

Lastly, awh! No Toph cameo at all!!!!!

Spoiler

I think the reason Mako never used lightning against Ming Hua before is because it would probably have killed her. Which... sort of happened.

Anyway, I'm kind of disappointed that they didn't have Zaheer executed. I mean, the rest of the Red Lotus members were killed. Why not just finish the job? Leaving him alive only risks him escaping later. I really expected Suyin to turn around and force the poison down Zaheer's throat.

 

[bliebblob]

Absolutely loved it! Just... Wow!

Spoiler: And now for the spoilery bits.

I was worried it'd just be an awkward wrap up of plot threads again, which it was a little bit. Bolin's lava bending for example was predictable and when it finally hits it's pretty underwhelming. "Oh noes, we're trapped! Oh wait I can lavabend! Oh hey it's Kai, hi Kai!" It takes like seven seconds... Luckily the hits completely overwhelm the misses this time so huzzah! Points like P'li's death, Korra in a wheelchair and Jinora looking like Aang where very powerful.

Now if only they'd have gotten confirmation for four seasons from the start, instead of this maybe-maybe game for three seasons. So much awkward shoehorning of plot thread resolutions could've been avoided, as well as these graceless introductions of next season's takeoff point.

 

[Happiness Assassin]

Spoiler

Anyway, I'm kind of disappointed that they didn't have Zaheer executed. I mean, the rest of the Red Lotus members were killed. Why not just finish the job? Leaving him alive only risks him escaping later. I really expected Suyin to turn around and force the poison down Zaheer's throat.

Spoiler

Keep in mind that Zuko said at the end they still know next to nothing about the organization and that there are almost certainly other members out there. If there is even a chance he may give up information, they are probably going to take it. Of course, he didn't give up information the first time he was captured, so...

OT: Loved it. Animation was top-notch, villains go out is spectacular ways *cough*P'li*cough*, and it ends on an appropriately bittersweet note. This season has all around been amazing and I hope they can keep it up for one more, though I hope Nick doesn't screw with the creators anymore.

 

[Harpalyce]

I'm actually really heartened to hear that everyone has been near-unanimously saying that Season 3 is the best. I tried really, really hard to like LOK. But how they resolved Amon as a villain completely lost me (come onnn, let the nonbenders have some agency for once, dude's got a point that then gets barely addressed and swept aside? oh but it's okay because we have a nonbending prez, just like how a black president has solved all racism forever in america...) and Season 2 made me get more and more infuriated with bad story choices.

Bryke know how to make a good story. I'm really really glad to hear that they have actually remembered this fact. Maybe now I can watch it without so much trepidation that everything's going to go to hell in the finale, lol.

 

[mmmikey]

I'm kinda meh about the show at this point. I'll grant this season the show creators are willing to go further in consequences. And it was huge step over Season 2. But I find myself underwhelmed by the show on the whole.

Korra opens up the spirit portals and this somehow makes airbenders out of otherwise completely normal people. Seemingly going in the face of the Wan episode that showed Lion-turtles dispensed bending (which I found to be a crap retcon of humans learning bending via mystical creatures). And they airbend via instinct. Normal people could magically airbend more proficiently than Korra could who was undergoing training from Tenzin.

The bending itself has turned to Dragon Ball Z. It bothered me in season 1 when bloodbending could be achieved by just thinking it. No distinct motions anymore or art form to it. An armless water bender can make arms from water and hold an advantage over other master benders. I can't find some sort of advantage an amputee would have over others, like you could argue for Toph being blind. The lava bending had been alluded to being a combination only the Avatar could pull so they give it to a guy with virtually no limit. And then have the comic relief pick up the ability too. And then Zaheer can just fly. Out of nowhere. No support himself via air with a tornado like only the avatar had displayed, just defy gravity completely. The guy masters things the practicing airbending masters couldn't or did in years in what - days? Weeks?

Plus the show repeats all of the same beats as TLA. The first season seems to be the only one they were really looking to put themselves apart. Throw it in a modern era in a city with no clear allegiance to any one nation with an elected government body and the avatar's role is almost seen like a relic.

It's entertaining but just fails to deliver on the level the Last Airbender did while repeating a lot of the same motions while also throwing away all the things that set it apart. Team of characters with all the different bending sets including someone normal. A comic relief character. Animal sidekicks. Korra gets taken down a notch just like Aang. All the new content seemed to be used up in season one.

As for the last 2 episodes just released the best the series has had since season one in my opinion. I still think Amon holds up as the strongest villain the Avatar series has had next to Azula. Zaheer approaches it but falls short in the ideology department. I expected him to undermine Korra psychologically and question her existence and influence in the world. Definitely raised the stakes for everyone at the end. Between Ultimatum and Venom of the Red Lotus, it was the most intense of any of the season finales.

Honestly given how much the final battle looked like the final battle in ATLA I honestly thought Zaheer was about to get spritbended back to normal. Looking forward to Jinora and Korra's continuing arcs in the next season and if Zaheer will have the same influence going forward.

 

[Tanis]

THAT was really kind of depressing, one of those 'bittersweet' ending.

Wonder how they're going to handle it in Book 4.

My guess?
Something happens at the end of Book 4 - EP2 that brings back the past lives AND heals.

 

[Timpossible]

Okay...attention: this might be spoilerfor folks who haven't seen episode 12 and 13.



Well first I thought about book 3 that they have no idea where they wanna go. The whole Airbender Arc was so streched and kinda boring. And it took a bit too long to explain who those 4 guys are that are after the avatar.
Now in the end a lot makes sense and payed off. In general the first 2 thirds of the season had a slight aura of "filler"...

About the final 2 episodes?
Loved it. Much suspense. Epic fights. And a suprisingly high bodycount. I mean the death of the earthqueen was already kinda cruel. But how they killed off the combustion lady...outch. And that cut i noticed...i mean...she blew of her head. And well...water-arm-lady and lava guy...gone, too. What I wanna say: The episodes showed some balls in my opinion.

I kinda hoped Korra would snap and just rip the flyguy (zahir?) into shreds and book 4 would kinda be about her facing her dark side. But I really liked it and hope book 4 will happen. (not really deep in that whole online-not on tv-rating stuff...wasn't it kinda about said balls?)

 

[laggyteabag]

I started off skeptical about the season as a whole, but around the time of the "Terror Within" episode, things really started to pick up. The finale on the other hand, was exceptional. I wasn't a fan of Zaheer's sudden ability to fly, especially for a guy who has been airbending for 3 weeks at most, whereas airbending master such as Tenzin couldn't. Otherwise, the action was great, the story was great, and wow, that reveal at the end, with Korra being wheelchair bound, was in no way expected. I'm interested to see how they are going to explore this in Book 4, as in, is she permanently paralyzed, or have her legs just been seriously injured?

 

[Daystar Clarion]

I started off skeptical about the season as a whole, but around the time of the "Terror Within" episode, things really started to pick up. The finale on the other hand, was exceptional. I wasn't a fan of Zaheer's sudden ability to fly, especially for a guy who has been airbending for 3 weeks at most, whereas airbending master such as Tenzin couldn't. Otherwise, the action was great, the story was great, and wow, that reveal at the end, with Korra being wheelchair bound, was in no way expected. I'm interested to see how they are going to explore this in Book 4, as in, is she permanently paralyzed, or have her legs just been seriously injured?

The poison was probably mercury, Korra may very well have erethism.


OT: Loved the last two episodes, much hype and feels.

 

[Timpossible]

or have her legs just been seriously injured?

I thought this was just because she was really messed up after that fight and the venom and stuff. And not because she's actually paralyzed.

 

[Cowabungaa]

This season had such an awesome Empire Strikes Back feel to it, including the bittersweet ending. Man am I psyched for the next season. As long as we don't get the Korra equivalent of Ewoks.

And I gotta say, I loved how the final battle went all-out Dragonball Z there, hell even more than the final fight in Legend of Aang. Somehow I felt the fights being more high-octane than in LoA in general, this season even more so.

 

[Souplex]

This season got pretty gruesome. We saw people suffocate, people get poisoned with mercury, cranial explosions, electrocution, and assorted other gruesome deaths.
I thought this was a kid's show.

 

[Marik2]

I'm wondering what they will do for season 4

Spoiler

Would we ever see a dark avatar reincarnation cycle in the future? It would be interesting to see 2 avatars on opposite poles existing together.

 

[Souplex]

I'm wondering what they will do for season 4

Spoiler

Would we ever see a dark avatar reincarnation cycle in the future? It would be interesting to see 2 avatars on opposite poles existing together.

If so, they'd be an infant, and be no threat to anybody.
Also, I'm pretty sure Unaloq was in something equivalent to the Avatar state when Korra defeated him.
Season 4 might be rebuilding the earth kingdom now that the royal line is over.