Thoughts on Season 4, Episode 8 of the Legend of Korra

[crazygameguy4ever]

no real reason to review this episode . because it's mostly just a clipshow of scenes from past episodes... i'm only doing this because i had planned on discussing every episode of the new season after they aired... too bad they ran out of ideas and decided to use the cliche,over used idea of taken clips from past episodes and putting them all together... talk about lazy.. the people who made the show have really dropped the ball this season so far.. don't bother watching this episode.. there's no point

 

[Happiness Assassin]

At first I thought this was just a lazy clipshow, but then I realized what it was: it was the LoK version of Ember Island Players, just with a change in the narrative device. I thought the screen was going to straight up explode from all the meta from from Varrick's section. Mako's section was basically the writer's commenting on how much of a dumbass he was as well as defending him a bit. Korra's section however was boring and could have been cut for more Nuktuk.

I think this means that the finale starts next week. While I wish we hadn't gotten a clipshow, this is basically the best clipshow we could have gotten. 8/10 would watch again.

 

[Aerosteam]

I thought Varrick's section was pretty funny and shows how aware the writers are of what the audience has been saying throughout the show, much like the recap episode in TLA. That's really the best thing you can do in a recap episode.

 

[gandhi the peacemake]

it was the LoK version of Ember Island Players, just with a change in the narrative device.

Well, EIP is itself the TLA version of the usual Anime Midseason Summary Show, so... yeah. That being said, a show as short as this didn't exactly need a summary show. Skipping through most of the flashbacks, focusing on the new content, I think the evidence that this is leaning for a Korrasami ending is getting stronger and stronger, and I'm all for it. If they DO go all the way and explicitly pair the two of them off, I'll consider the entire four-year slog worth it. Seriously, this show has not been an easy watch, by any means, but if they have the guts to tackle this like they've tackled all the sociopolitical stuffs, then my hat'll be off to them.

Varrick's story is fun. It would've been nice had the creators taken some cues from it.

This type of self-mocking meta-humor worked in TLA because that show was extremely well-made. Great plot, storytelling, characters and voices, etc. Here, it just highlights all the things that LoK could have and should have done better.

But bleh. Fun Varrick, more Korrasami loving, and that's all I've come to want from this show, so I'm satisfied.

EDIT:

snip

Might want to add spoiler warning to thread title.

 

[Scarim Coral]

I swear I could of heard millions of Avatar fans cried in dissapointment that it wasn't the Toph vs Kuvira smachdown we all wanted to see!

Anyway despite being a recap ist episode, it did a better job than most recap episodes out there (I'm looking at you Gundam Wing!).

Of out of the recaps, my favourite would be Bolin and Varrick (I snicker at the villains phonecall) follow by Mako love life (I loved the chibi interferences). No offence to Korra and Asami, the other two were a great laugh!

 

[Gizmo1990]

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Figured you guys should read this artical I just read on screenrant. Explains why there was a clip show and for once there was a good reason. Personaly I think it was a really kind move on the part of the showrunners.

http://screenrant.com/legend-korra-season-4-episde-8-remembrances-reviews/

 

[Auberon]

At least that tweet about disappointment was true, I expected to see the Blind Bandit in action.

 

[WindKnight]

I swear I could of heard millions of Avatar fans cried in dissapointment that it wasn't the Toph vs Kuvira smachdown we all wanted to see!

Anyway despite being a recap ist episode, it did a better job than most recap episodes out there (I'm looking at you Gundam Wing!).

Of out of the recaps, my favourite would be Bolin and Varrick (I snicker at the villains phonecall) follow by Mako love life (I loved the chibi interferences). No offence to Korra and Asami, the other two were a great laugh!

Yeah, the Conference Call Of Evil were the best bits for me, not ashamed to say I was laughing out loud. Overall, pretty decent as a clipshow, with an interesting framing device and some nice musings on the characters and happenings. But I don't doubt that the Conference Call Of Evil is the primary thing people will be remembering.

 

[Kitsune Hunter]

no real reason to review this episode . because it's mostly just a clipshow of scenes from past episodes... i'm only doing this because i had planned on discussing every episode of the new season after they aired... too bad they ran out of ideas and decided to use the cliche,over used idea of taken clips from past episodes and putting them all together... talk about lazy.. the people who made the show have really dropped the ball this season so far.. don't bother watching this episode.. there's no point

Ahem....
http://bryankonietzko.tumblr.com/post/103173899927/a-few-preemptive-words-about-episode-408

It's best to get your facts right first before going out and insulting the writers or would you have preferred for the staff to get fired. Well?

OT: While I wasn't happy about a recap episode, but given the circumstances, I can completely understand why they went for it and for a recap episode, it wasn't that bad. It gave a nice little nod to the fans, like the Prince calling Mako out on his relationship BS and the other villains thinking that Unalaq was a shit villain. Also Varrick's part was the best moment in the episode.

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

A recap episode? Well I suppose its good for longtime fans, but I just marathoned this show up to the point where episode 5 this season came out in the last month so, I dont really need reminding of stuff.

 

[gandhi the peacemake]

http://screenrant.com/legend-korra-season-4-episde-8-remembrances-reviews/

Tumblr post referenced: http://bryankonietzko.tumblr.com/post/103173899927/a-few-preemptive-words-about-episode-408

This certainly explains the behind the scenes of it all, but it reminds me of a question I asked myself at the beginning of this show when I first started noticing things going wrong (or, at least, not living up to TLA standards of storytelling), namely "Who wanted to make this in the first place?" Certainly it seemed like the creative team behind TLA, Konietzko and co., came to Nick to pitch at least the first season of Korra, initially as just a short series OAV-type thing. And, to its credit, the first season of Korra is definitely its best.

And if that was all, it could have been a short and sweet done deal. A bit of marketing, a bit of revenue, some merchandising, hype dies down and you move on to the next project. But then there were new seasons, and you could tell SOMEONE was a bit taken by surprise there, because the seasons since 1 have been considerably less well thought out. And around the same time, the ratings go down (a lot, a bit, I dunno), and the relationship between creator and producer begins to sour, just a bit. What order those three happened, and whether they're related at all, is up for debate, but which side wanted a bit too much from the franchise?

Anyway. Behind the scenes stuff aside, any time I hear Steve Blum voicing somebody in this show who ISN'T Amon, I get really sad and wish Amon were still there, playing chess with everybody as his pawns. That ending and the boat and his brother and--UUUGH SO TRAGIC.

EDIT:

the other villains thinking that Unalaq was a shit villain.

See, I still don't see how Unalaq is any less interesting than the Red Lotus gang. I'm not saying he's MORE interesting, much less that he can hold a candle to Amon, but beyond some impressive bending battles, I didn't see enough of the Red Lotus to be very invested in them. Chalk that up to the breakneck pace at which the seasons churned along; I'm also of the opinion that introducing everybody sooner and playing multiple conflicts out over the course of the four seasons would have better served the show.

...but then I understand that it originally WAS just Amon and Republic City and that was going to be that, end of Korra, and that then somebody wanted more and somebody else agreed to it and they didn't have time to come up with a proper villain for the rest of the series so they just sort of churned out three villain-of-the-weeks for the rest of the series and couldn't be bothered to give them proper stories and stuff etc. etc. etc.

 

[gandhi the peacemake]

duplicate post my fault

 

[crazygameguy4ever]

so Nickelodeon is sabotaging the Legend of Korra again? why is it that executives of cartoon programming keep sabotaging shows that are good?.. Young Justice, Thundercats and now Legend of Korra...don't they like good shows? or is it they care more about spending the least amount of money on a show as possible like with Teen Titans go, Clarence, Steve Universe and the new Tom and Jerry show...

 

[Risingblade]

Well at least they had fun with their forced recap, it could have been a lot worse. The Varric Bolin part just killed me.

 

[dalek sec]

I really enjoyed it. They actually managed to squeeze a ton of character development into a clipshow (what with Mako getting his nose rubbed in how shitty he was, Korra learning that for all the bad stuff happening more good stuff replaced it, and...uh...Varric and Bolin being Varric and bolin)

Pretty much all this. Yeah it was a clipshow but damn it was pretty funny at times. I really would like to know what Varrick snorts/shoots/drinks to get the crazy ass idea's he has in the series, I mean wow....

Does anyone else want like an OVA with Varrick, Bolin and Zhu Li besides me?

 

[LostCrusader]

I could only make it about 5 minutes in before I had to shut off the episode. I really hate it when shows do these stupid recap episodes, it would be better for everyone if they just made the season an episode shorter if they really can't come up with anything to do for it.

 

[jamail77]

snip

To be perfectly fair Bryke and team have been very honest about everything, from knowing fans didn't like Book 2 via this clipshow[footnote]There's an interesting note to be made that the creators have implied the writing quality had to do with Nick's meddling. It's not to the serious extent fans wanted them to admit as they still maintain certain aspects were fine from their perspective.[/footnote] to Nick's mishandling even though they have to sugarcoat to stay on Nick's good side (which they have also hinted at being forced to do! XD). They stated they had more ideas past Book 1 after Nick said it was good and asked if they had enough to extend it. It originally began life as a miniseries, yes. However, that was on Nick's allowance; the creators were writing their own fan fiction in their free time, saying they thought it would never see the light of day. So, the team did want to do Books 2-4. It's Nick's reasons for wanting more Books and their assumptions and executive constrictions that led to the problems and I think that's what you saw.

the seasons since 1 have been considerably less well thought out. And around the same time, the ratings go down (a lot, a bit, I dunno), and the relationship between creator and producer begins to sour, just a bit.

Kind of like how the romantic relationships soured between characters in Books 1 and 2? *ba dum tsh* If there's anything that improved it was their handling of relationships...by kind of treating them much the way ATLA did.

the other villains thinking that Unalaq was a shit villain.

See, I still don't see how Unalaq is any less interesting than the Red Lotus gang.

then somebody wanted more and somebody else agreed to it and they didn't have time to come up with a proper villain for the rest of the series so they just sort of churned out three villain-of-the-weeks for the rest of the series and couldn't be bothered to give them proper stories and stuff etc. etc. etc.

The creators have stated they actually prefer the breakneck speed as they consider it more focused and less fillery, which is more exciting for them even though they loved working on filler all the same. The villain of the Book deal was their way of differentiating from ATLA while compensating for the limited episodes per Book. They also liked demonstrating Korra's growths through multiple crises rather than one big crisis, which I think (have no confirmation) they thought was more organic for her character versus Aang. It also allowed it to emulate the turbulent period from late 19th century to the 1920sish, a convenient time period of modernization that might also question the necessity of an Avatar, but did go through multiple huge, if isolated, crises nonetheless.

I'm not defending any of the choices. Just pointing out what went on behind the scenes.

Does anyone else want like an OVA with Varrick, Bolin and Zhu Li besides me?

You're a bit late on that. The entire Internet vocalzing part of the Korra fandom has already expressed this. Welcome. Sit down. Have a cup of tea.

I could only make it about 5 minutes in before I had to shut off the episode. I really hate it when shows do these stupid recap episodes, it would be better for everyone if they just made the season an episode shorter if they really can't come up with anything to do for it.

I know from your post that you probably don't know what happened, but I'll say it anyway. When your budget has been cut by 1 episode and you have to choose between firing employees or doing a clip show? Wouldn't be better for those fired employees, that's for sure.

"In a couple hours the eighth chapter of Korra Book 4 will be released online, and I suppose, if you are none the wiser, a few minutes into it you will feel duped and yell at your screen, ?Hey! This is a crummy clips episode!? And that is (almost) exactly what it is??except we all worked really hard to make sure at the very least it isn't crummy. I?m here to explain why we ended up having to do one." - Bryan Konietzko [http://bryankonietzko.tumblr.com/post/103173899927/a-few-preemptive-words-about-episode-408]

 

[gandhi the peacemake]

Unalaq is bad villain

All fair points, but that only damns the storytelling even more, doesn't it? It's a lot of wasted potential is what I'm getting at, I suppose, maybe. Unalaq, the Red Lotus, Kuvira all could have been amazing villains if they'd been fleshed out just a bit more, given just that much more nuance. But no, they're all kind of painted in such broad strokes that they veer into caricature territory. Then you need to find a way for such dumb characters to gain the upper hand over the good guys, and the only way you can do that is by dumbing down the good guys, too. Seriously, how is it that Kuvira could so be so blatantly power-hungry and fascist for three years without a single noteworthy person looking into it? Why, when she suddenly usurps the throne, going directly against her internationally-appointed mission; or when she announces immediately after that she will invade an independent city-state, is she not swiftly taken into custody and her entire history looked into? Gah.

The creators have stated they actually prefer the breakneck speed as they consider it more focused and less fillery, which is more exciting for them even though they loved working on filler all the same.

I guess I'll have to disagree with them on what defines filler, then. I'm sure they're very hurt by that.

EDIT:

Not that I'm not sympathetic to their situation, if what you've provided is an accurate description of it. And my headcanon has no problem substituting my version of the story for the actual one, but all the same, things happened such that the quality of the franchise suffered from the transition from TLA to LoK.

 

[jamail77]

Seriously, how is it that Kuvira could so be so blatantly power-hungry and fascist for three years without a single noteworthy person looking into it? Why, when she suddenly usurps the throne, going directly against her internationally-appointed mission; or when she announces immediately after that she will invade an independent city-state, is she not swiftly taken into custody and her entire history looked into? Gah.

Because that didn't happen in the real time period the show is emulating? Book 4 is emulating China's anarchic period before its transition into as we know it today. When intentions were stated the leader the West didn't want wasn't taken out then and there either due to politics preventing them. Same thing here. I'm not making excuses for bad writing, but because that's what actually happened in the conflict this is influenced on. It didn't happen in exactly the same way though, so there's that.

I guess I'll have to disagree with them on what defines filler, then. I'm sure they're very hurt by that.

Like I said, they actually liked the filler. They actually agree with you. They used to get into disagreements with a certain sect of fans of ATLA about what constitutes filler. They don't consider ATLA all that fillery at all. They just like that they can work on less lite episodes; I don't even think they used the word filler though they may have. They try to abstain from the word unless it's very fitting or, at least, that's what I heard last time I checked. I should have used a different term.

The creators are very outspoken about how happy it makes them to go in a different direction than what they did before and try new things. Even if you account for Nick's influence there's no denying they messed up some stuff on their own and they own up to a good chunk of it. The rest they maintain as good is simply an instance of them trying something and it not working, but them thinking it did. It also helps that I have a theory that Bryke is a good worldbuilding and visionary team rather than a writing one. A majority of the fan favorites of ATLA were written by others working on the show while I'd argue the weaker episodes often had direct creator writing involvement. Same goes for Korra with a few impressive exceptions. Seriously? Michael Dante DiMartino, you did "Korra Alone"?