S04.E10: Operation: Beifong

[OnceSane]

No episode description yet.

[Eegah]

"That's why Katara didn't get involved in that civil war nonsense." AKA "We could only afford so much Eva Marie Saint."

 

Toph's natural awesomeness pervades the whole episode, and we even get Bataar's one redeeming moment so far. And I'm always impressed by the show's commitment to emotional continuity, with it making perfect sense that Opal would still be angry with Bolin, but something like this would earn him those points back.

[VCRTracking]

"Kanto" huh? My reaction was the same as Bolin's. Loved Lin's face when he asked the question.

 

Did anybody really think Zhu Li turned had turned traitor?

 

Aw at Bataar being kind of a wimp.

 

The fight between Kuvira and Suyin was BOSS. Su improvising armor and Kuvira suddenly activating a retractable sword! I was watching and my jaw dropped going like "Fawwwwwwk!"

 

Either Wing or Wei likes Bolin, in that way.

 

Can't wait to see Asami's(and Varrick's) "hummingbird suit" in action.

 

Korra, spirits are not Ewoks. You can't get them to fight for you, unless you have C-3PO's storytelling skills.

Edited December 5, 2014 by VCRTracking

[Ravenya003]

Good episode! At first I thought the initial rescue of the Beifongs from the suspended cage was a little ho-hum, but the Kuvira/Suyin fight more than made up for it. That was probably the best animated fight this show has ever done.

 

So I guess this really is the end of Toph given her final words? It's a bit of a shame, as I was hoping for some interaction between the remaining Gaang members before the end (Katara/Toph/Zuko).

 

I laughed out loud at the reveal of Lin's father. So absurdly anti-climactic, but then I've no idea why fandom was so hell-bent on finding this out. And I suppose all the Toph/Sokka shippers still have the option of him being Suyin's daughter, though I always liked the fact that the show was so matter-of-fact about Toph being a single mom.

 

Good moment from Bataar Jr when he saw Opal in the village they were about to blow up; though rather chilling that they had already tied Zhu Li up in there.

 

I love the spirit world, and that strange bird/eel thing was another great design. Hopefully Korra will find a way of bringing them over to her side, and I'd love it (to the point of tears) if they brought back that lemur-spirit that befriended Wan all those centuries ago. What if he recognized her by her scent and called her "stinky"....?

[BatmanBeatles]

I love love love Lin's face when Bolin asked who her father is.

[90 Day Pinochet]

"That's why Katara didn't get involved in that civil war nonsense." AKA "We could only afford so much Eva Marie Saint."

 

Ha, Eegah! You are so right re: Katara but I like that there hasn’t been too much intervention from the remaining members of Ye Olde Team Avatar in the series. While it might not be that realistic that Katara was not involved in the civil war, this is Team Avatar: The New Class’ story.

 

This is why I loved the role Toph played in this episode. While this isn’t her story either, her absence is definitional to Lin’s story and Toph was there to deal with unfinished business. So I really appreciated that the show put her in a support role but did so in a way that didn’t betray her as the character we know from her days on A:TLA. Rather, Toph was there to protect her family and intervened just enough to enable her family to escape.

 

It would have been fun for many fans to have Toph, at least momentarily, show down with Kuvira. If the outcome of this showdown was a draw it would make Kuvira seem like a more powerful bender. However, so much of this show isn’t about the power you have but the ways in which you employ it. Kuvira’s bending is nothing compared to her political and military power. Toph’s limited intervention nicely contrasted what is so dangerous about Kuriva: that she thinks about power as an end in itself rather than understanding how using power can define and change your character.

 

This contrast with Toph and last weeks appearance of Zaheer have really done a great job at depicting the theme of balance. I appreciate the symmetry between how Kuvira and Zaheer wield power. They are both people armed with the strength of their principles that fail to account for the human costs of their ultimate aims. However, since their goals are different the way each wields power is different. Zaheer values individual freedom so much that he created chaos in the world around him. It was perfect that Korra had to go to Zaheer for help battling Kuvira because she is the other side of the same coin. She values the promise of collective freedom that a stable state brings so much that her regime cannot tolerate any activity that is outside its control.

 

However, since Kuvira has gotten so mustache-twirly as of late, I don't know how or if they will be able to pull off the same trick of being able to thematically link Zaheer's aims with the costs to him as a person. The series gave Zaheer total freedom: being free from any attachment to the world and as a result being able to fly. However, not only did this cost him the person he cared about most, with his chains the most flight the guy can manage now is a David Blaine-esque hover. 

It would be thematically appropriate if Kuvira's need for total control means that she cannot even tolerate dissent from Bataar Jr. and had to lose him as a result. I would guess that is why they included the spirit cannon moment with Opal.

Edited December 6, 2014 by 90 Day Pinochet

[rozen]

Huh, so spirits are happy to come to the human world and muck stuff up for playtime, but when ish gets real they're like "eh, human wars, we're out." Ok bro, good luck during the next Harmonic Convergence. Vaatu's corruption happened in the past even without a human conduit, he wasn't going to be stuck in that tree forever (also the doing of a human). That whole sequence irrationally angered me, possibly because it's some random spirit I'd never seen before. 

 

I can sort of understand why Toph is being a pacifist, but I can see exactly that mentality fueling the rise of Fire Nation 170 years ago. By the time she realizes how much damage an optimized weapon could do, Republic City will already be leveled and most of its political players taken into custody.

 

Why do they keep making Kuvira more and more of a bawss? I like her character so much aside from the maniacal villain part, and this is not helping. She whupped Suyin without breaking a sweat, even with a whole family of Beifongs earth- and metalbending at her. I found it interesting that Toph called her out while simultaneously acknowledging her as a metalbender, something she hasn't done with her own kids. 

 

Kanto better be The Boulder's real name. Nothing would make me laugh harder than Lin finding out she has a Bolin-esque character for a father.

Edited December 5, 2014 by rozen

[BatmanBeatles]

 

Kanto better be The Boulder's real name.

I always entertained the idea of The Duke as Kanto.

[90 Day Pinochet]

...though I always liked the fact that the show was so matter-of-fact about Toph being a single mom.

 

Me too! I also appreciate that the same characteristics that enabled Toph to be a hero in this world don’t necessarily make her the best mother.

 

The interactions between the beefing Beifongs really shows how good the show can be at exploring the nuances and emotional complexity of adult life.

[weyrbunny]

At first I thought the initial rescue of the Beifongs from the suspended cage was a little ho-hum, but the Kuvira/Suyin fight more than made up for it.

My exact reaction. And I think we found out why Suyin took the twins with her on the assassination mission--I was impressed by their skills as well. (If they had a detailed fight scene last series, I've forgotten.)

 

I love love love Lin's face when Bolin asked who her father is.

Maybe Lin is where Mako learned that face.

 

Kuvira has gotten so mustache-twirly as of late...

She did at least mentioned "greatness" again as her goal/motivation this time, which ties in with her earlier behavior.

 

I felt bad for Bolin several times. I know he's the comic relief, but...good thing he's largely oblivious to the derision/verbal abuse of those around him. For the first time, I'm hoping he doesn't end up with the Beifongs as in-laws--Bataar Sr. can attest to how rough they are.

 

On a related note, my favorite line this ep was Toph's “I can feel your enraged breathing from here.” Yeah, I'm familiar...

[Stardancer Supreme]

 

And I think we found out why Suyin took the twins with her on the assassination mission--I was impressed by their skills as well.

 

The twins and now Opal were the only ones who can bend, right?  We see that Junior isn't a bender and what about the other son whose name escapes me at this moment?

[PinkRibbons]

Huan? I'm pretty sure he's a bender, but he uses his bending to make metal sculptures. So not so much a fighter, but an artist.

Edited December 10, 2014 by PinkRibbons

[Donny Ketchum]

Catching up after weeks away.

 

For a Bolin-centric episode, it was pretty epic, though I'm a bit disappointed that it looks like he's back with Opal again.  But still the bending fights were bad-ass, Toph was bad-ass, Lin's face upon hearing her father mentioned was bad-ass, and everything was bad-ass!

 

But I can't wait till we get back to the action in Republic City!