Amon is completely wasted as a character and villain. He?s revealed to be Tarlocc?s FAR MORE POWERFUL BROTHER, yet where Tarlocc can Bloodbend a room full of master benders into unconsciousness, Amon can?t even fully suppress Mako or Korra, neither of which could waterbend at the time. Amon took a series of airbending hits from Korra even though he can DODGE FUCKING LIGHTNING. Okay.
What exactly were Amon?s motivations, since he just undermined everything he?d been establishing the whole season? Was he not actually fighting for equality between benders and non-benders? Was he really following in Yakone?s footsteps? Why would he do that? If Tarlocc and Amon both realized what a tool Yakone is as kids, why did they try to take over Republic City! If it was neither, then what the fuck was he doing?
How did Amon BLOODBEND people to the point that their bending was removed? Apparently that?s the story they?re sticking to, and it?s absolutely hand-waved. Okay.
Why does Amon being a bender suddenly make his revolution fall apart? That?s like a white person not being allowed to take part in the Civil Rights Movement? ?it?s his fault he was born a bender, so he must not be for the cause!?? The fact that there are legitimate abuses of power by benders over non-benders is completely ignored, and any sort of interesting gray morality that was built up through the entire season becomes a boring black and white battle of good versus evil. Hiroshi just gets written off as an evil maniac even though his wife was killed by benders and there are criminal organizations that regularly extort and abuse people (though there are less thanks to Amon).
I think he?d be charismatic enough to cause a revolution even if he had revealed he could bend from the very beginning. He could have been a villain with a solid motive and a purpose, but instead he?s clumsily shoved into a ?evil for the evulz? role in the finale.
Furthermore, Amon was constantly being lauded for being a step ahead of Team Avatar the whole way, and apparently had the GODLIKE foresight to put paint on his face under his mask in case Korra happened to sneak past his army to talk to his brother, that she didn?t even know was on Airbender Island, in case his brother told her his background, and she attempted to use it as a weapon against him. Or maybe in case his mask gets knocked off even though he legitimately hadn?t taken a hit in the entire series? But he didn?t have the brains to not conjure a giant waterly spiral in front of half of Republic City? Right.
Korra unlocks airbending, which revolves around patience, and spiritual focus and serenity out of desperation because her boyfriend is in danger? REALLY? And Aang energybending back Korra?s bending and teaching her to energybend is a sad, sad Deus ex machina? I wasn?t aware the avatar state was a means for the writers to get out of corners. Any potential for Korra to be developed as a really interesting character was wasted the moment she got her bending back. The insecurities of her feeling like she was nothing without her bending was wonderfully hinted at all season, and then she finally loses it, I was pleased with that, at least. Of course then it?s all completely swept away and nicely tied up with bad writing. AVATAR FIXES EVERYTHING K.
And to really stick it to anyone hoping for this season to develop into anything interesting, or long-reaching, everything in the season is pretty much cut-off. The most promising development that could have lasted, Korra losing her bending and having to become a great person instead of just a great master bender is swiftly nipped in the bud. Amon and Tarlocc escaping and possibly returning is ruined when Tarlocc blows them up for no REAL reason.
Speaking of that. Why? Apparently they both just had the evil disease, but being defeated once in combat suddenly makes you remorseful to the point of suicide. It was not touching, it was not beautiful, it was stupid and it made no sense.
So the long-reaching impact of the season? Korra masters airbending (for no real reason), characters are introduced, and OMG MAKO AND KORRA ARE DATING <3<3<3<3<3. All of this could have been done without making and then punctually destroying a villain that?s far more interesting than any protagonist.
After such a fantastic build-up, Avatar?s season finale is just a mess of rushed resolutions, the antagonist acting out of character, and poor writing trying to nicely fit everything into one finale.
I am disappoint.
