Korra Season 3 Finale: Enter the Void/Venom of the Red Lotus

[PinkRibbons]

So sorry about the No Spoilers thing, I accidentally added it and cannot get rid of it! So yes, there are of course spoilers in this thread for these two episodes.

 

The last two episodes are streaming together here:

http://www.nick.com/videos/clip/legend-of-korra-992-full-episode.html

 

 

When other plans fail, Korra suggests a brave idea to take on the Red Lotus and save the Air Nation.

 

A few thoughts while I'm still trying to process this:

 

HOLY SHIT DID SOMEONE'S HEAD JUST EXPLODE?

 

I totally fell for the Bolin metalbending misdirection, and thought he would be awesomely bending every piece of metal in sight in the finale. So bravo, I love that he can lavabend. I wonder if that was already a thing or if Ghazan invented/discovered it? Because Bolin's gonna have to master it and either he'll have to figure it out himself (was it just me or did it seem like lavabending seems to incorporate more fluid, waterbending-esque movements?) or find a master.

 

Lesson for today, kids. Don't ever try to induce the the Avatar State. You'd think they learned that in the last series.

 

Poor Korra. I wouldn't be surprised if we return in book four to her having to relearn all her bending, if after two weeks she's still in a wheelchair, despite being both the avatar (who you'd think would need to return to peak physical condition by default) and a healer herself. Man she must have smacked into every mountain there was.

 

So, body count: P'Li is definitely, explosively dead, Ghazan is almost certainly dead, Ming Wa is probably dead and Zaheer is alive and locked up. With his powers which include flight and choking people. And an avatar who is in no condition to de-bending power him. How has he not been executed? Dude killed a Queen, at the very least, then attempted murder (quite possibly mass murder, depending on what he was planning to do with the airbenders.

Edited August 22, 2014 by PinkRibbons

[transgojobot]

That was just flat-out amazing.

 

I can't believe P'Li had her head 'combusted' like that. And the battle between Korra and Zaheer was masterful to watch. It's arguably stronger than the one with Aang and Ozai. 

 

That final shot of a broken Avatar Korra, tears streaming down her cheek, will just sit in my mind for months to come. It's ambiguous and striking. Were those tears of relief at Tenzin's offer to protect the world in her stead? Were they tears at seeing Jinora receive her tattoos, that the choices she made and her sacrifices weren't made in vain? Difficult to tell. 

 

P.S. Let me just say ...Yay, Jinora! Love that she got her tattoos and was named Air Master. I hope she grows her hair out like Avatar Yangchen. 

Edited August 22, 2014 by transgojobot

[Xazeal]

Loved it. Especially loved the callbacks to AtLA - the crystal cave they were in was very similar to the one where Azula tried to kill Aang in the Avatar State in the Book 2 finale (it might've been the same one, I'm not sure about their geographic location) and the place where Korra had her final fight with Zaheer was definitely the place where Aang fought Ozai in the series finale. 

 

Yes, someone's head literally exploded on this show for kids. Keep pushing boundaries, LoK. Though, pretty much the same thing happened to the original Sparky Sparky Boom Man. For whatever reason, this one seemed... more gruesome.

 

And I guess any theories that Suyin is a Red Lotus member are officially squashed, what with killing P'Li and saving Korra and generally kicking a lot of ass. I was completely convinced that she would turn out to be the main antagonist somehow, so consider me shocked. I'm also shocked that Toph didn't show up, although I guess there's time for that in the final book. I will be thoroughly disappointed if we don't see her at all - she's clearly out there, otherwise they would've just said she died.

 

I could do without the Kai/Jinora thing, but I really do like Jinora. She has really come into her own, and I love that she finally got to save the day a little bit and get recognition for it. I figured Bolin would be lavabending in the finale, but Mako lightningbending surprised me since I completely forgot that he could do it - has he even done it since Book 1? I wish Asami got more to do, but she still probably had more badass moments than Mako did this season. 

 

I had to laugh a little bit at the dramatic music and closeup when Kuvira introduced herself to Tonraq. Who wants to bet that she becomes a major character soon?

 

Overall, a somewhat shaky start to the season, but they made up for it in the final stretch. Unlike last season which dragged on, this one might've benefited from being a 24-episode season. The Beifong family drama was rushed, the rebuilding of the Air Nation could've been explored further, the villains could've been fleshed out more and it would've been interesting to see them attack the Northern Water Tribe and/or the Fire Nation the same way they did Ba Sing Se. And the revolution in Ba Sing Se was left hanging, but I guess it'll play a part in next season. 

[steelyis]

Okay, I love the animation! It was bright, clean, and just top notch! The fighting was enormously detailed and absolutely glorious to watch! The capper was watching Zaheer fly! Fly! Man, that was awesome to see!

 

Unfortunately, I realized half way through Venom of the Red Lotus that I barely cared about the characters I was supposed to care about.

 

Korra's fate left me cold. I felt nothing about her condition. I didn't care. I wasn't cheering about her suffering or anything like that-- I just plain didn't care. I had more of an emotional reaction to Zaheer's losses than Korra's. If that happened to Aang or any of the characters from AtLA I would be depressed for weeks.

 

Jinora's arc also failed to move me. She became too much of a plot point, in my opinion. And I don't understand how she's worthy to be a Master. She didn't do anything more than what she was always capable of, and she certainly didn't do anything clever. Unless the point was to say she was always worthy of the title, maybe? I almost wanted her to learn how to fly so it would justify her new title.

 

Bolin's lava bending also annoyed me because the show set it up clumsily. At first I couldn't understand how Bolin, Mako, and the others were trapped in a building literally made of rock and Bolin's an earth bender. And then when they escaped into the tunnel I was shouting, "Raise more rock walls behind you, idiot!" But when I saw Bolin lava bend I understood why they avoided the obvious solutions and had Bolin be an idiot. It was contrived, but that's Legend of Korra all over.

 

Another thing that made me roll my eyes was how they fell for an obvious double cross. Kids show or not, that was unforgivable. Oh, and of course, the Red Lotus wants to break the Avatar cycle! The Avatar is the ultimate symbol of ORDER, you twits!

 

Next season the show needs to stop pretending these heroes are smart, because they aren't.

 

Overall, I say this season's finale is miles better than the first two finales. There were real stakes, no Deus Ex Machina, and the good guys paid a steep price for victory. But its lazy, dumb writing kept it from being a great finale.

[stopeslite]

I think Korra's main problem now is that she's really internalizing the message that has been pounded into her (literally) since the first season - there are a lot of people who think bending is bad and/or the Avatar is not not helpful, and some of what they're saying is right, and she's now worried about her place in the world. She's having the typical for her age late teen angst of "Why am I here? Who am I, really? What am I going to do with my life?" , but magnified hundreds of times because what she's "supposed" to be is the savior of everyone all the time.

 

The only thing I didn't like about it all was that Jinora thought of the group cyclone right at the end. I was yelling at the tv when the Red Lotus airship first arrived for them to do something like that, since they were all standing around in a circle together and all then too. Could have avoided everything. Silly writers. They could have gotten around it by having the bad guys sneak up and immediately split them up so they couldn't meld forces, to keep the same storyline going.

 

I love, love, love the relationship between Korra and Asami. They are hitting every nuance of that right.

 

Loved that Jinora recognized that the shiny quality of the poison meant that it was metallic, and what could be done about it. Interesting thing about Korra's physical health, though - wouldn't it be some good writing if they tried to figure out how to have the Avatar lead from a wheelchair for a significant part of next season? Could bring up a lot of interesting topics. 

[Brn2bwild]

Fantastic finale.  Interesting that what made it in the end was not the (amazing as always) fight sequences, but Korra's broken spirit.  I predict that Book 4 will visit themes that people had wanted Book 2 to explore (if that hasty deux ex machina fix at the end of Book 1 hadn't happened) about identity.

[cambridgeguy]

 

Interesting thing about Korra's physical health, though - wouldn't it be some good writing if they tried to figure out how to have the Avatar lead from a wheelchair for a significant part of next season? Could bring up a lot of interesting topics.

It's still an action show, though.  There's a reason why (old) Professor X has never been the main character in any X-Men show or movie. 

 

They do need to establish if there's a reason why Korra is so unwilling to enter the Avatar State.  If she has an all-access pass to god-mode then she's an utter fool for not using it more often, especially in its non-continuous version.  Aang had the excuse of not being able to control/access it but ever since the beginning of season 2 she seems capable of voluntarily entering it.

[Riful]

One can say a lot about this last Book and just LoK in general, but I will forever love this series for showing their main character - the hero - having PTSD. At least that is how I view Korra's current state. It makes sense to me that after all she went through, that she does not just bounce back. She suffered several traumatic  experiences emotionally, physically and mentally while carrying a huge responsibility. I hope in the next book that they take their time exploring this, and also show how her support system not only help her, but also their experiences with having someone they love suffer from PTSD.

[Brn2bwild]

Don't know if it's too early to start a Season Four wish list, but I would love to see more about Korra's childhood.  How being the Avatar distanced her from her peers in the Water Tribe and maybe prevented her from participating in rituals that other girls her age would have experienced.  

 

I would also like to see more of Korra's mother.  She mainly hovers in the background, but one would think she has some pretty strong emotions about what her daughter has gone through. 

[Donny Ketchum]

I had to laugh a little bit at the dramatic music and closeup when Kuvira introduced herself to Tonraq. Who wants to bet that she becomes a major character soon?

I thought the same thing immediately and am already wondering how Zuvira will figure into Book Four.  Just one look at her and I'm already interested in her.

 

Excellent finale.  I'm glad the bad guys lost, of course, but I'm also glad they went down fighting like the bad-asses they were.  Though P'Li's death threw me for a loop.  Her head literally got blown off!  Wow!

 

And Zaheer.  Airbent into submission, then constricted by an Earth encasement.  Despite not much background, he's probably been one of my favorite villains of the franchise.  I hope he at least gets an appearance in the last book.

[VCRTracking]

Loved the finale! Cried at Jinora's ceremony and her revealed that she got her Air master tattoo.  The music beautiful. But poor Korra in wheelchair, still broken and crying a single tear. She reminded me of Jack Bauer's breakdown crying at the end of S3 of 24. Hope she recovers soon next season. I really also love Asami saying she'd be there for her and their friendship this season.

 

I admit I LOL'd so hard at Bolin pushing Suyin out of the way to hug Opal. Yeah Bolin's gags but when they work, they work, and his discovering he could lavabend was great. 

 

The fights in both episodes were fantastic. Even chained up Korra's a beast and her fighting the father/daughter fighting with Tonraq was awesome. The guard who saved him, Kuvira(voiced by Zelda Williams) seems like she's going to be important in the future. Holy shit, the way Suyin beat P'Li was clever but horrifying and Zaheer's reaction was great. Really that she and Lin made up and hope to see Toph next season.