Welcome back! Now that Korra is on Netflix, I hope everyone has started to rediscover the show. Only two episodes in and I’m already having a great time, so let’s get into it!
1. Elemental opposites.
A major beat in this episode shows Korra’s difficulty with learning airbending, and I think this quote from Tenzin sums it up the best: “Often the element that’s the most difficult for the Avatar to master is the one most opposite to the Avatar’s personality.” Korra is a headstrong, stubborn, proactive character, so of course she’d have trouble adapting to the calm, observational, reactive airbending style.
What I find most interesting about this is how she has trouble learning the opposite element of her personality, not the opposite of her native element. For Aang, those two happened to collide. He was an airbender, but he also had the personality of one. Korra, however, is a water tribe girl with an earth-like personality. The opposite of water, her native element, is fire, but she had no trouble with that; the opposite of earth, which represents her personality, is air, so she struggles there. This concept allows each nation to be more diverse, and it also allows Korra and Aang to be opposites so we get as different a show as possible.
2. Pro-Bending!
And suddenly, things turn into… a sports anime??
I know fan reaction to pro-bending is mixed, but I personally love it. I think it’s a great way to show how the world has changed in the last 70 years, in that now all the elemental benders come together for this sport, whose teams are made up of one bender from each element (besides air, of course). It really gets across a sense of equality among the nations, which is important to set up for the season’s overarching story. And the game itself is pretty fun to watch, too!
Do the rules of the game make sense? Not really. But it doesn’t matter, because with the way you’re thrown into the game, you’re as excited as Korra. Oh no! They were knocked back to zone three! The other players are advancing! Wait, is Korra not supposed to throw people off the side ledge??
I’d rather be thrown into the game the way we are here, with no explanations and immediately seeing people throwing rocks and whipping water at each other with an excited announcer, than spend even a minute listening to a dry explanation of the rules. This way, we focus on the emotions of the characters as their successes and failures occur, instead of getting bogged down in trying to understand gameplay mechanics that really aren’t all that interesting.
3. Introducing: Mako and Bolin!
Aside from one later addition, this episode rounds out our main cast with Mako and Bolin, pro-bending brothers who bend different elements. As is common in this show, the two are complete opposites in personality and visuals: Mako the slim, tall, moody firebender with a red scarf, and Bolin the shorter, wider comedic relief earthbender with green clothes. We get a good feel for their personalities here, which border on archetypes but have hints at deeper characterizations to come. For now, though, they’re mostly just the Fire Ferrets pro-bending team.
4. Be the leaf.
Is it time for me to talk about balance again? It’s time for me to talk about balance again.
With Korra joining the Fire Ferrets and the team about to lose their chance at the championship games, Korra comes through by embracing Tenzin’s teachings. Instead of the abrasive strong-arming that she’s used to, she chooses to stop, breathe, and become reactive to her environment, dodging the rival team’s attacks and striking only when she sees an opening. And she wins the team their slot in the finals!
It’s such a simple thing, but done so well: her movements, the shots, and the music all call back to the earlier movements that Tenzin’s kids made as they glided through the airbending training contraption, providing a real sense of wholeness to the episode. Korra has learned; she has grown. And Tenzin, in the end, agrees that Korra can learn from pro-bending. Both sides were right on some level, just as they were both wrong on some level. Balance.
Continued below5. Taking its time.
I really appreciate how this show is taking its time. Last episode was the epic story-starter about establishing Korra, Tenzin, and the basics of their worlds. This episode gets into the meat of Korra’s new world, introducing more of the supporting cast, exploring Air Temple Island, and developing pro-bending. And yet, outside of a brief scene last episode, we haven’t even seen the season’s major antagonist yet! Every aspect of this show is being carefully built up, which is one of my favorite parts of Avatar.
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Next week: Amon and the Equalists!
