With The Legend of Korra debuting two weeks ago, I thought I’d take a while before diving back into it. I read through my own reviews and realised that my childish excitement may have been taking over a little bit. A lot in fact. But in my defence, it is a good show, in it’s early days; very much on its own road to greatness.
Episode 3 continued the early habit of developing the world except it brought a much more important element to the show than the world they live in. It brought the villain, the main antagonist, and it brought him in hard. Amon, leader of the Equalists, is a villain worthy of striking fear into both the characters and in fact the audience. He steals Bending powers, changing lives in an instant. It’s precisely what a villain in the world of Avatar Korra needs. A skill previously thought only to be performed by the Avatar, Amon poses a very serious threat to all of the Benders in Republic City.
Episode 3 shows how Mako and Bolin, the Fire Ferret team-mates of Korra make ends meet. In less than well behaved manner, Bolin loans out his skills to the Triple Threat Triads. Unfortunately they are apprehended by the chi blocking Equalists. Mako recruits Korra in his search for his lost brother and they find him, along with the triads, on stage at an Equalist rally. They witness the power of Amon, who embarrasses the leader of the Triads and strips him of his Bending powers. As the shocked and appreciative crowd look on, Amon continues to work down the line, taking Bending powers away. Mako and Korra manage to free Bolin before his powers are taken, creating chaos then leaving as it ensues.
We were introduced to Lieutenant, Amon’s second in command who battles Mako and Bolin and nearly defeats them but Korra saves the day and the Fire Ferrets get away. Amon stops his followers persuing them, citing Avatar Korra as the perfect individual to spread the word of what happened there that night.
Back home, Korra tells Tenzin, her Airbending teacher, what they witnessed. He is rightly concerned and Korra is clearly affected by it. I would be too, Amon is a bad man with a cause he believes in and the skills and power to back it up. That makes him a very dangerous villain indeed
In episode 4, Korra is having nightmares about Amon but is lying to Tenzin, saying she’s alright. Councilman Tarrlok, who Tenzin doesn’t trust and niether do I, gains support to create a task force to go after Amon. Korra denies his intitial offer to join him, saying she is there to focus on her Airbending training, but he manipulates the fiery young Avatar into joining them. They raid a Equalist training camp and it goes well for them. In the media address afterwards, Korra call Amon out, challenging him to a duel on Aang Memorial Island.
Meanwhile, Mako makes a new friend in the stunning Asami. She runs him over initially but we all know it’s hard to stay mad at a pretty woman. I’m a sucker for green eyes too, Mako. She invites him to dinner and it goes well and she invites him to meet her father, the Captain of industry Hiroshi Sato, who offers to sponsor the financially struggling Fire Ferrets so they can compete in the Pro Bending tournament. Korra isn’t happy when she see’s Asami on Mako’s arm; I knew there was something there. Other than thank Korra for saving him, Bolin doesn’t do much in this episode, which is a shame. The new Sokka is quite entertaining.
Korra goes to the island for her duel with Amon but he doesn’t show up. Tenzin didn’t want her to go but she’s a stubborn young girl. I don’t like Tarrlok, there’s definitely something up with the three ponytailed councilman. He’s in support of Korra duelling. At the island Korra waits a while, but Amon is a no show. As she’s leaving however she is ambushed by Equalist Chi-Blockers and then Amon shows up. He explains that they will inevitably and eventually duel but not yet. She will be the last Bender that he will strip of their power. I stated before how bad a man with a plan is for our young heroine. They all leave, with Korra lying there unable to do anything.
As she’s lying there, she see’s flashes of Avatar Aang, looking older, as does Toph, who also shows up in the quick flashes. This is just a tease, and I’m sure we’ll see more as the series progresses. Tenzin lands on the island and consoles Korra, who finally breaks down crying, admitting that she was terrified. Finally, although as Tenzin says, admitting your fears is the first step to getting over them. Poor Korra.
The latest two episodes have matched well with my expectations of the show and have enabled me to stay in my permanently excited state about The Legend of Korra. These two episodes were all about establishing the villains, the obstacles Korra will have to overcome by the end of the series. It is going to have to be some journey, as Amon may be one of the best villains I’ve seen in a long while. He is not your typical take-over-the -world, evil schemes aplenty villain. He has a plan, a cause, and followers, not minions. He believes in his cause, that all should be equal (not a particularly sinister plan in the real world, but in context, very villainous), that Bending can be lost, but that will not be a case of people losing their skill for bending but in many cases it would mean a loss of jobs, skills, heritage, culture and identity; a much more horrifying prospect than simply being defeated.
Amon is every bit as intriguing as Korra and I can’t wait for their final battle, as he leads his rebellion and she fights to preserve the world, but surely she will have to fight to incorporate some of his theories. Oh the task ahead of her will truly be the making of the new Avatar, and I for one can not wait to see how it unfolds. But I think Tarrlok will emerge as a bigger villain. There’s something about that man I just don’t trust. Anyone want to take early bets that Amon and Tarrlok are in cahoots, or even the same guy? Or Amon could be one of Avatar Aang’s kids, or Sokka! No? So many possibilities. God I love this show already. Roll on the next twenty episodes.
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