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Legend of Korra Episode 8 Review
I am just not sure where this thing is going anymore. Maybe that's a good thing, but I'd rather be intrigued than confused and right now I'm in confused territory.
So the existence of the uprising gave rise to actual repression. It's a realistic dynamic, especially seeing how Tarrlok seems to be set on becoming some sort of dictator. Of course, given the bloodbending and implied connection to Yakone, his ambitions might not be anything so simple.
I was disappointed that the show so far did not explore preexisting non-bender repression. Did Amon just pull the whole "we're oppressed" thing out of his butt? If so, why does he have followers? One indication of how badly the writers failed to explore this issue is the revelation of Hiroshi Sato's Equalist sympathies in Episode 7. Here we have a successful non-bender with everything to lose, and it appears he threw all that away for revenge against one bender. Without reference to any social grievance or systematic problem that might make it a proportional response for him to join the Equalists, Sato's story becomes a story not of political conviction but madness born of grief. Add Amon's own purported story to the mix, and so far the Equalists look more than anything like a trauma support group gone horribly wrong.
The show's response to these serious events is a bunch of teenagers awkwardly forming a team. Again, the show is suffering from rushed writing. Instead of the nuanced buildup we were treated to in ATLA we get four people randomly deciding to call themselves Team Avatar and go vigilante for the hell of it. What exactly are they trying to accomplish? Are they hoping to capture Amon by capturing all the Equalists on the streets? As I recall, that's what Tarrlok's task force tried to do earlier in the season. I'm not sure of the difference between his team's methods and the new Team Avatar's, except the latter is outside the law and therefore awesome in some mysterious way. Without a motivating push for action or a clear goal, the Team Avatar scenes just felt contrived. Tarrlok evidently couldn't bear the awkwardness either, and thankfully nipped it in the bud by arresting everyone. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE SIR. Your human rights violations are officially pardoned.
At least I can comfort myself that Asami's character got some much-needed spice. The chase scene with her in the driver's seat directing the benders reminded me of Sokka in episodes like "Bato of the Water Tribe" and "The Day of Black Sun." In all these sequences the non-bender character was in the leadership role, and used a combination of technological savvy and bending power to maximum effect. Asami also showed signs of actual negative emotion, and her look in the rearview mirror at Korra and Makko gave me hope that she might not be as boring as she first appeared.
And then there was the beautifully animated duel between Tarrlok and Korra. You know, this series might be occasionally dumb, but it sure is reliably pretty. Tarrlok was unexpectedly sexy with his hair mussed, an interesting transformation from the smug politician he seemed at first. Now with his little secret and Korra's kidnapping, the story promises to go in totally unexpected directions. I don't know what the story is about anymore, and I hope to find out in the remainder of the season.
So the existence of the uprising gave rise to actual repression. It's a realistic dynamic, especially seeing how Tarrlok seems to be set on becoming some sort of dictator. Of course, given the bloodbending and implied connection to Yakone, his ambitions might not be anything so simple.
I was disappointed that the show so far did not explore preexisting non-bender repression. Did Amon just pull the whole "we're oppressed" thing out of his butt? If so, why does he have followers? One indication of how badly the writers failed to explore this issue is the revelation of Hiroshi Sato's Equalist sympathies in Episode 7. Here we have a successful non-bender with everything to lose, and it appears he threw all that away for revenge against one bender. Without reference to any social grievance or systematic problem that might make it a proportional response for him to join the Equalists, Sato's story becomes a story not of political conviction but madness born of grief. Add Amon's own purported story to the mix, and so far the Equalists look more than anything like a trauma support group gone horribly wrong.
The show's response to these serious events is a bunch of teenagers awkwardly forming a team. Again, the show is suffering from rushed writing. Instead of the nuanced buildup we were treated to in ATLA we get four people randomly deciding to call themselves Team Avatar and go vigilante for the hell of it. What exactly are they trying to accomplish? Are they hoping to capture Amon by capturing all the Equalists on the streets? As I recall, that's what Tarrlok's task force tried to do earlier in the season. I'm not sure of the difference between his team's methods and the new Team Avatar's, except the latter is outside the law and therefore awesome in some mysterious way. Without a motivating push for action or a clear goal, the Team Avatar scenes just felt contrived. Tarrlok evidently couldn't bear the awkwardness either, and thankfully nipped it in the bud by arresting everyone. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE SIR. Your human rights violations are officially pardoned.
At least I can comfort myself that Asami's character got some much-needed spice. The chase scene with her in the driver's seat directing the benders reminded me of Sokka in episodes like "Bato of the Water Tribe" and "The Day of Black Sun." In all these sequences the non-bender character was in the leadership role, and used a combination of technological savvy and bending power to maximum effect. Asami also showed signs of actual negative emotion, and her look in the rearview mirror at Korra and Makko gave me hope that she might not be as boring as she first appeared.
And then there was the beautifully animated duel between Tarrlok and Korra. You know, this series might be occasionally dumb, but it sure is reliably pretty. Tarrlok was unexpectedly sexy with his hair mussed, an interesting transformation from the smug politician he seemed at first. Now with his little secret and Korra's kidnapping, the story promises to go in totally unexpected directions. I don't know what the story is about anymore, and I hope to find out in the remainder of the season.