S04.E12: Day of Colossus/S:04.E:13: The Last Stand (Series Finale)

[PinkRibbons]

The ride's almost over, folks! According to Bryan himself, the series finale will air on Nick.com on Thursday, December 18th at Midnight Eastern / 9:00pm Pacific, which means it should be up there a little earlier than any other sources!

 

Episode descriptions from imdb.com.

 

Day of the Colossus:

 

Team Avatar clashes with Kuvira on the streets of Republic City; Pema and Prince Wu help evacuate innocent citizens.

 

The Last Stand:

 

When Korra comes face to face with Kuvira, the fate of the Earth Kingdom and the Avatar's life are at stake.

Edited December 18, 2014 by PinkRibbons

[Brn2bwild]

Just saw it.  And have to say

 

Holy shit, KORRASAMI!!!

[MegaJ]

Wow.

Korrasami is canon. Congrats to Bryke and the crew for pulling this off and begruding nod for Nickelodeon let them toe the line.

 

Say what you wanna say about the series, they can do a damn good finale.

 

I think the series gets too much hate towards it in general, I think it’s as good as ATLA ever was, I wish Nickelodeon gave them more money and episodes to work with the world and the relationships.

 

Nothing to really go in depth with, I was satisfied. Goodbye ATLA-verse...

[FlamingWench79]

WHAT THE SHIT?  I did NOT expect them to go there with Korrasami.  I had already resigned myself to the fact that Makorra was going to be endgame.  Thanks, Bryke, for pulling off one hell of an okey-doke.

 

Still believe that LoK could have benefited from more episodes per season, and while there were some gaping holes during the finale, I'm not going to complain too terribly much.  It's just going to be weird that this is it for the world of Avatar on TV.  

[steelyis]

The finale was too predictable to be truly enjoyable. There were some good moments, but they weren't moments that amazed or impressed me. Well, except Kuvira's spirit cannon cutting up Republic City buildings like tissue paper that was pretty awesome.

 

I'm also disappointed the show did nothing with Bolin's lava bending besides have him make a shallow puddle of lava under one of the robot's feet and that spinning Glaive thing. I could think of three ways off the top of my head how lava bending would stop Kuvira's giant robot dead in its tracks. Although I will allow that at least two of those plans would probably kill everybody inside. Still, it drives me nuts when obvious solutions are ignored like that.

 

And speaking of obvious solutions, what the hell happened to Korra's Avatar state?

Once Korra and Kuvira went toe to toe their fight should have lasted about ten seconds, maybe less!

 

I hated the Korra/Asami cop out. I get why they couldn't be more explicit, I do, and I actually did like those two going off together, but with so little build up and almost no interaction, I just couldn't let myself go with the implication, even though I really, really wanted to buy into them as a couple. What could have been...

 

I'm glad Korra finally admitted she was a garbage Avatar. It baffles me why the show thought I would like or care about a lead character that so obviously lacked the ability to empathize with other people in the first place. At least it was recognized as a problem, too late, imo, but better late than never.

 

I rate the series finale better than the finales of S1 and S2, but I think it could have been much better.

Edited December 19, 2014 by steelyis

[stopeslite]

I'm just in a puddle on the floor mumbling things like "arglebargle". So good. Yes, it was predictable the way all of the fighting went, and how it got resolved, but there were so many lovely little character moments and growth. On one hand some of them didn't feel quite earned, but on the other hand being in immediate danger of death tends to make one have big flashes of insight about what truly matters in life, so I won't begrudge the writers that.

 

If I have to quibble, my one big nitpick is what happened to Zhu Li's glasses? This show is so good at having its female characters be well-developed and not stereotypical, and then they go and get rid of her glasses for her "pretty" finale. It felt like every "and then the mousy nerd takes off her glasses and is radiant" trope from the bottom of the barrel. 

 

That said, the ending was amazing. They did not go to that stereotyped expected place, and didn't go to the next predictable place, but went somewhere else entirely. I can't even think of any movie/tv story that ended like that, and I loved it.

[Stardancer Supreme]

The one time that being up at an ungodly hour actually benefitted me!  I am satisfied with the finale. Varrick and Zhu Li get to do the thing for the rest of their lives, Beifong awesomeness, Team Avatar saving Republic City.  *time to save some money for the DVDs*

[RandomWatcher]

If that doesn't start several Korra/Asami fanfics, nothing will

[Eegah]

Are we really sure that a show about an earthbending Avatar is nowhere in the cards? Not on Nick, obviously, but I'd like to see it.

[VCRTracking]

I'm really sure that if Nick wasn't going to broadcast the finale, they would have Korra and Asami kiss!

Looking back I think they probably had Korrasami endgame in mind at the first episode of season 3.

 

The battle with the Colossus was pretty awesome and when Kuvira took hold of the cannon got one last "Oh @##!" from me.

 

Varrick and Zhu Li's wedding was also nice.

Edited December 19, 2014 by VCRTracking

[Xazeal]

Scattered thoughts:

 

This was the most visually striking episode of the entire series except maybe Beginnings. The opening of a new spirit portal was stunning.

 

That ending completely blew me away. I would have been much less surprised by Mako/Wu happening - I even somewhat expected it to. And this didn't even feel like last-minute fanservice. Korra and Asami have had a really great friendship since season one, and it became obvious in season three that they were highlighting that a bit more. Despite not being as major of a character as, say, Bolin, ending the show with a Korra/Asami scene felt right to me - even thought I didn't expect them to take it to THAT place.

 

And I agree that Bolin probably could've taken that thing down himself, but I'm sort of fine with them not doing that. Lavabending seems to take a tremendous amount of effort and even though Bolin is skilled, he doesn't have the years of experience it might take to lavabend on that large of a scale. But Bolin's arc, even though he didn't have any big finale moment like Varrick, has been my favorite one on the show. From comedic sidekick to one of the most competent earthbenders around - heck, if Toph wasn't still alive, I would argue that Bolin might be the most dangerous earthbender in the world. If (and that's a very big if) we ever get to see more of this universe, whether it be in a movie or a whole new show, I hope Bolin is still around and has reached Toph-levels of awesome.

 

This was the best season of Korra, in my opinion, and overall I might actually say the series was slightly better than ATLA, even though the original show will always have a special place in my heart. And honestly, it doesn't feel like either of them are truly gone because of how incredibly rewatchable they are. Seven seasons of pure awesome, right there. I'm very glad they happened.

[cambridgeguy]

 

I'm really sure that if Nick wasn't going to broadcast the finale, they would have Korra and Asami kiss!

I don't think any network in charge of what's technically a kid's show would OK that happening.  Heck, they still refuse to have people say death/kill even though they were OK with showing Mr. Sato being smashed like a bug.

 

As it is the producers were about as unambiguous as possible about their interpretation unless they think it's typical for platonic friends to hold hands and gaze fondly at each other while disappearing into a bright light.  Of course, the best thing is that people can take whatever they want from the end and then go around stating how any differing opinions are due to idiocy/ignorance/agenda pushing/etc. 

[rozen]

Sure, Bolin's lava bending doesn't look so fancy when we say a guy who could literally magma-fy an entire cave at will. But he was also supposed to be one of the most dangerous benders on the planet, it would be a little disingenuous for Bolin to become anywhere near as proficient. He doesn't have the battle experience, and he certainly hasn't put in the time, since he spent the last year delivering care packages with Kuvira.

 

It was kind of frustrating how they had to make Kuvira suddenly incompetent in order to Team Avatar to beat her. Early episode Kuvira would never have left her key confidant and engineer in the hands of a bunch of bumbling newbies. And only two engineers defending the 'core' of her mechasuit? Plsbesrs. There should have been a legion of Dai Li level metalbenders swarming the place the instant they sensed a malfunction. I can buy bad engineering, but I can't buy her being such a terrible tactician with troop placement. 

 

Everything was just too condensed, it all felt rushed, and made the plot holes (imo) more glaring. Most important of which is spirits being a bunch of opportunistic bums. But I never really bought the Kuvira is nega-Korra storyline, they have nothing in common other than brashness. 

 

When Kuvira went running into that forest of vines, I was envisioning the spirit vines taking ultimate revenge on her. She was just there with a legion of buzzsaws, they should still remember her. 

 

Ugh, Baatar Jr. Willing to see endless legions of earth/metalbenders to die for his lady's earth empire, but she tries to take out the single most powerful bender on the planet and he immediately jumps back to the other side. Understanding that pairing less and less now. He wasn't even that smart. 

 

Korra + Asami forevahhhh. And I love that one is high femme *happy clap*.

Edited December 19, 2014 by rozen

[Ravenya003]

I never in a million years thought we'd get that ending. There was a Mako/Korra scene and I thought "oh great, they're going to hint a hook-up in the future". And then Tenzin turned up and I thought "okay, it's nice that they're going with the mentor/student bond". And then ASAMI turned up and I thought "wow, we're going to get a nice affirmation of their friendship before the credits roll." And then it just kept escalating and escalating, and suddenly I'm actually watching them walk into a bright light together to explore the spirit world with held hands. I'm speechless.

 

Right now I want to hug the world, but my little logical brain tells me that there were a couple of irritating bits - like that we never got a full understanding of what/who Dark Korra was. But whatever, my crazy crack ship came as close to canon as you can possibly get on a kid's show. I'm happy.

Edited December 19, 2014 by Ravenya003

[weyrbunny]

So, the look Korra gave Mako after he supportively said “I’ve got your back, and I always will” actually meant “Phew, ‘cause I’m gonna date your ex-girlfriend?” Hahaha! That’s outstanding.

 

I could think of three ways off the top of my head how lava bending would stop Kuvira's giant robot dead in its tracks...it drives me nuts when obvious solutions are ignored like that.

 

And speaking of obvious solutions, what the hell happened to Korra's Avatar state?

The Avatar state really was noticeably missing from the fights, and it even seemed odd that Korra focused on airbending for so long—I thought of water/icebending immediately, but they saved it as a last resort, almost. Frankly, the fighting here just wasn’t as creative or commonsensical as I’d hoped for, excepting the confined-space Korra vs. Kuvira. Otherwise...the windshield was the only thing not made from metal—melt that firebenders and lavabender!!

 

I can respect how the show wouldn’t want to repeat the elaborate Avatar fights from prior season finales, though. LoK has always seemed conscientious about not repeating itself or A:TLA, unless ironically. I can also see the psychology/rationale behind Korra embracing airbending over other elements more as she’s matured. But I’m really wondering now about the analysis I’ve seen elsewhere about how Korra doesn’t trust the Avatar state after the fight with Zaheer.

 

Oh, well. At least I loved Lin, Suyin and Bolin toppling that building. I also laughed when the mecha face-palmed itself thanks to Meelo. And Mako’s lightning bending made me realize how much it and even firebending have been missing from S4! The slight callback to Into the Inferno was appreciated...

 

I forgot to mention earlier that I really like the sound made by the spirit cannon. It reminded me of the sonic blast weapons in Attack of the Clones, of all things.

 

Nice invocation of the toxic jungle from Nausicaa in the finale, too. The Kuvira/Korra mirror image part irked me though, because it seemed like a wasted opportunity to bring up the far more provocative Kuvira-as-Dark-Avatar imagery, for continuity if nothing else. And then Korra said the mirror theme out loud to the point of over-explaining it, which only added to the irk.

 

I was also instantly against caging giant badger moles in a zoo. It’s too similar to killer whales being kept by Sea World in tanks equivalent in size to goldfish bowls. Badger moles could dig/earthbend their way out whenever they wanted, at least.

 

Everything was just too condensed, it all felt rushed, and made the plot holes (imo) more glaring.

This is my overall opinion of Book 4, I think. The emotional depth and themes were excellent, but they really needed 20 episodes or so, like A:TLA used to have.

 

The trombone player in the wedding band was Tahno, that jerkbender from S1, wasn’t he? BTW, with Zhu Li dipping Varrick at the wedding, I inferred that she would be the dominant one in that relationship, taking a page from Secretary.

 

Heh—it makes perfect sense that Varrick was taken away by circus people.

Edited December 20, 2014 by weyrbunny

[Tony]

Just saw the episode - LMAO @ that final frame with Asami! Now I know what my friend meant when he called her a "gender bender".

[VCRTracking]

I really enjoyed the show overall and getting to see all these badass female characters from Korra, Lin, Asami, Zhu Li, Suyin, Kuvira, etc. I think the Onion AV Club review said it best about the feminist themes of the series.

 

I'm also really going to miss the Avatar universe, just as I do the DCAU/Timmverse. I feel just as sad as I did after the final episode of Justice League.

[weyrbunny]

The more I think about it, the more I see the logic of the AV Club's reading of why Korra didn't fight in the Avatar state: because using the Avatar state is overpowering an opponent through force and aggression rather than reaching understanding or compromise. Kuvira and Korra actually debated this idea at an earlier point--I can't recall which episode--with Kuvira comparing her unity-through-force actions to the Avatar's prior victories. This then gives even more credence to the idea that Kuvira and Korra are mirrors.

 

The fight scenes still could've been more creative, though. Refusing to concede on that...

 

Vanity Fair also has the article "How a Nickelodeon Cartoon Became One of the Most Powerful, Subversive Shows of 2014." It's too hyperbolic, but the overview of the show's history and the perspective on Korra and Asami is interesting.

[Brn2bwild]

Now that I've had a chance to digest the finale, here are some more thoughts:

 

* I wasn't a Korrasami 'shipper, but I was open to their having a relationship -- I just didn't think Nick would allow it.  I was surprised by how moving I found it.  That said, it felt a little out of left field not because no ground work had been laid in previous episodes, but because until that moment, they had not interacted at all in the two parter.  I know the two parter as a whole was rushed, and the characters were too busy trying to destroy Kuvira's giant mech, but it would have been nice to see some quick Korra or Asami reaction shots during the episode.  Like when Asami gets ejected from the flying suit right before it gets crushed, maybe a shot of bittersweet relief on Korra's face when she sees Asami is okay?  Or when the gang is searching for Korra around the new spirit portal, maybe a shot of Asami looking worried?  I can buy a relationship between them, but their last significant moments together happened in "Remembrances," 4-5 episodes ago.

 

*  I, too, thought Mako would die in the lightening scene.  Part of me is bummed that he survived (because that would have been an awesome way to go), but I'm otherwise glad for the character's sake.  Plus, it would have made Korra and Asami's union look cheap: "Welp, he's dead.  Guess we'd better date each other!"

 

* I liked the Kuvira revelations, but wished they had somehow been laced into previous episodes (other than the one with Su).  Maybe a stray comment to Baatar Jr. here and there.  I wonder what punishment the world will give her -- can't help but think she could be sentenced to death.  Then again, Zaheer killed a head of state and he still lives.  Speaking of Baatar Jr., I hope he resists the urge to hide under Mamabird's wing and surrenders himself.  He did do bad things, regardless of whether Kuvira told him to or not.  Surrendering himself would be the most mature thing he could do.

 

Overall, any criticisms I have are nitpicks.  I'm going to miss this show tremendously, and look forward to having all of the seasons on DVD.

 

ETA: Here is a pretty cool write up about the final scene from The Mary Sue.

Edited December 21, 2014 by Brn2bwild

[Ravenya003]

I've been watching reactions videos all weekend, and this one's my favourite. It's quite fascinating though; all the girls are shrieking and crying and cheering for Korrasami, while most of the dudes seem completely bewildered by those last three minutes.

 

Fandom is usually awash with m/m pairings - it's a great Christmas present to see young women celebrating an f/f pairing instead.

[VCRTracking]

 

I've been watching reactions videos all weekend, and this one's my favourite. It's quite fascinating though; all the girls are shrieking and crying and cheering for Korrasami, while most of the dudes seem completely bewildered by those last three minutes.

 

I think it's because most straight girls are willing to experiment and think about or wish they were gay if they get fed up with boys. While most straight guys, no matter how annoyed by or been in bad relationships with girls, don't even want to consider switching teams or at least admit to it. Also they probably identify with Mako and wanted to see him get the girl.

 

 

I've been watching reactions videos all weekend, and this one's my favourite.

 

I love her reaction videos to the Korra episodes in general but the finale was great.

 

Somebody on Reddit was nice enough to put up a list of reaction videos on YouTube and Tumblr.

 

And someone else made a compilation video of the reactions:

 

 

Articles on the finale:

 

http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/12/20/the-legend-of-korra-series-finale-recap-ending-on-its-own-terms/

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/20/legend-of-korra-finale_n_6359698.html

 

http://io9.com/legend-of-korras-finale-again-proves-its-one-of-the-bes-1673484265

Edited December 22, 2014 by VCRTracking

[Eegah]

I really just have to shake my head sadly at the people (who thankfully seem to be a minority) bending over backwards to deny the ending showed what it showed. It's like, gay people have to fight like dogs in the street for even this amount of representation, so why would you want to take it away?

[Dandesun]

It weirds them out, I guess. Not that it's an excuse.

 

For me, I was always thrilled to see that Korra and Asami were able to not only maintain a friendship but that friendship actually flourished after both of their relationships with Mako. And they both said, out loud, that they were happy that the stuff with Mako didn't get in the way of their friendship. I wasn't shipping anyone in Korra but I was so psyched when I saw the ending because I did feel it made a really important step.

 

I introduced my niece, who is now 8, to the entire Avatar universe a couple of years ago when it was still on Netflix in its entirety. So she's been very faithfully watching now that Korra came back to TV. Her two little brothers also love the show but Allie is very definitely more of an age where the gets things. That being said, I don't know how much of the ending really got through to her. According to my sis-in-law, when she was watching she got really excited about how beautiful Asami looked and that Korra and Asami were sitting together but when I talked to her about it she just said she really liked how Korra and Asami went to the spirit realm together. I don't think she thinks in terms of romance too much... which I'm fine with. She's eight. But the way I see it, that image might become more meaningful in later years when she does start thinking about relationships and such. I hope it does. Korra learned compassion and empathy through her trials, it'd be really cool if the show inspired the same in the kids who watched it.

[VCRTracking]

I'm also okay with it being seen as a good friendship because I think female friendship is important to show as well.

 

Looking at the reaction videos I think Korrasami shippers were already excited with the show ending with the two of them and would have been satisfied with them just walking together into the spirit world and that's it. They could just imagine them being a couple even if it hadn't implicit. The hand holding and them facing each other really was if not as overt as a kiss but was still nice.

Edited December 22, 2014 by VCRTracking

[Kromm]

I gotta think that the primary message of the last scene likely was about friendship, simply because of the forum (a kids show) it was forced through. It didn't totally come out of left field, since the friendship has had a decent amount of groundwork. Whereas the one big problem with a homoerotic context, as socially justified as it might be, is that it WOULD have come out of left field.  That's the issue here, the ONLY one, I think.  That if they had the guts to sneak in an ending about a lesbian relationship, that they also would have had the guts to at least HINT about it earlier.  

 

While their writing can sometimes be a bit scattered, I can't see it being so weak that they'd generate a relationship literally only in the last few seconds. I certainly can't see them not being aware at all of the interpretation--I think they were perfectly okay with however people thought of the last scene.  They literally were open minded enough to not care which way people took it.  But for writing purposes, in terms of actually making sense with what we'd been shown, on paper I'm sure it's the more tame interpretation.

[Kromm]

I wonder though if this means a sequel series (with the NEXT Avatar after this) is now totally out of the picture (it was always unlikely given the ratings).  I mean as I said, even if I think the scene was mainly about friendship, specifically BECAUSE they put no groundwork for it, I also think they knowingly left it in there to be interpreted multiple ways.  Which says to me that they didn't contemplate having to explain the rest of Korra's life in some sequel series (using Aang's previous example, even if there was much we weren't told, we'd still likely know if she got married, had kids, etc.)

[Riful]

Both Mike DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko have posted about Korrasami and confirmed that they are canon. And not only that but Bryan's post gives great insight into the writer development process of the Korra/Asami relationship and other nice bits.

 

Some key parts (bolded parts are mine and did not include some paragraphs & sentences due to lenght):

 

"Korrasami is canon. You can celebrate it, embrace it, accept it, get over it, or whatever you feel the need to do, but there is no denying it. That is the official story."

"Was Korrasami “endgame,” meaning, did we plan it from the start of the series? No, but nothing other than Korra’s spiritual arc was."

 

"I have bragging rights as the first Korrasami shipper (I win!). As we wrote Book 1, before the audience had ever laid eyes on Korra and Asami, it was an idea I would kick around the writers’ room. At first we didn’t give it much weight, not because we think same-sex relationships are a joke, but because we never assumed it was something we would ever get away with depicting on an animated show for a kids network in this day and age, or at least in 2010."

"Makorra was only “endgame” as far as the end of Book 1. Once we got into Book 2 we knew we were going to have them break up, and we never planned on getting them back together."

"Personally, at that point I didn’t want Korra to have to end up with someone at the end of series. We obviously did it in Avatar, but even that felt a bit forced to me. I’m usually rolling my eyes when that happens in virtually every action film, “Here we go again…”

"...However, I think there needs to be a counterpart to Miyazaki’s sentiment: Just because two characters of the same sex appear in the same story, it should not preclude the possibility of a romance between them. No, not everyone is queer, but the other side of that coin is that not everyone is straight. The more Korra and Asami’s relationship progressed, the more the idea of a romance between them organically blossomed for us. However, we still operated under this notion, another “unwritten rule,” that we would not be allowed to depict that in our show. So we alluded to it throughout the second half of the series, working in the idea that their trajectory could be heading towards a romance."

"But as we got close to finishing the finale, the thought struck me: How do I know we can’t openly depict that? No one ever explicitly said so. It was just another assumption based on a paradigm that marginalizes non-heterosexual people. If we want to see that paradigm evolve, we need to take a stand against it. And I didn’t want to look back in 20 years and think, “Man, we could have fought harder for that.” Mike and I talked it over and decided it was important to be unambiguous about the intended relationship.

 

We approached the network and while they were supportive there was a limit to how far we could go with it, as just about every article I read accurately deduced. It was originally written in the script over a year ago that Korra and Asami held hands as they walked into the spirit portal. We went back and forth on it in the storyboards, but later in the retake process I staged a revision where they turned towards each other, clasping both hands in a reverential manner, in a direct reference to Varrick and Zhu Li’s nuptial pose from a few minutes prior. We asked Jeremy Zuckerman to make the music tender and romantic, and he fulfilled the assignment with a sublime score. I think the entire last two-minute sequence with Korra and Asami turned out beautiful, and again, it is a resolution of which I am very proud. I love how their relationship arc took its time, through kindness and caring. If it seems out of the blue to you, I think a second viewing of the last two seasons would show that perhaps you were looking at it only through a hetero lens.

 

"Was it a slam-dunk victory for queer representation? I think it falls short of that, but hopefully it is a somewhat significant inching forward. It has been encouraging how well the media and the bulk of the fans have embraced it....[snip].

 

"There is the inevitable reaction, “Mike and Bryan just caved in to the fans.” Well, which fans? There were plenty of Makorra shippers out there, so if we had gone back on our decision and gotten those characters back together, would that have meant we caved in to those fans instead? Either direction we went, there would inevitably be a faction that was elated and another that was devastated. Trust me, I remember Kataang vs. Zutara. But one of those directions is going to be the one that feels right to us, and Mike and I have always made both Avatar and Korra for us, first and foremost."

 

---

Link to the post, which is longer, awesome and definitely worth a read. It also got some information regarding their intent with the Korra and Mako relationship:

http://bryankonietzko.tumblr.com/post/105916338157/korrasami-is-canon-you-can-celebrate-it-embrace

Mike's shorter but also great post:

http://mikedimartinostory.com/2014/12/22/korrasami-confirmed/

Edited December 23, 2014 by Riful

[VCRTracking]

Thanks. I'm glad it is canon.

Moot point but here's an article from EW.com posted yesterday:

http://community.ew.com/2014/12/21/korrasami-is-real/

[Kromm]

I applaud them having the guts to come out and confirm it, but at the same time that confirmation makes me jeer how badly they "supported" it in the show.  It's easy to say they "alluded to it", when they're not being very specific.  The allusions, if there, are too subtle (up until the ones in the last episode, I mean).

 

I'm being honest here rather than just fanning out at them doing something brave.  Their intentions have been brave then, but I think they erred in the execution.

 

I'll say the ONE moment pre-final I think I credit with well supporting the idea was that Asami was the only one Korra wrote to. 

 

EDIT - after seeing that article, I suppose I can get onboard with the compliment about how Korra looked when she came back to Republic City as well.

Edited December 23, 2014 by Kromm

[Brn2bwild]

Is it weird that the biggest thing I'd look forward to in a Korrasami relationship is the arguing?  In Makorra arguments, Mako always seemed to cave too quickly, but Asami would hold her ground.

Edited December 23, 2014 by Brn2bwild

[Ravenya003]

It all works for me considering I interpreted that final scene as the beginning of their relationship rather than the culmination of it. For me, that was the moment when the two of them realized they were in love, and everything that came before that wasn't overt because they didn't know themselves quite what they were feeling (symbolized perfectly with them standing on the brink of a transition from one world to the next).

 

But if Asami (let's say) had been a male character, then fandom would have been all over every single interaction between them. It's not just the letter writing and the blush at their reunion, but a dozen little exchanges and touches and glances that were quintessential shipping fodder (just off the top of my head; when the team runs after Prince Wu, Korra automatically turns back to offer her hand to Asami as they jump on the train.)

 

Geez, I was there for the Great Zutarian Shipping Fiasco of 2005-2007, where every frame that contained the two of them was analysed and broken down and presented as "proof" that something was happening between them. Heck, even in this show, there was a surprising amount of people insisting that Kuvira was flirting with Korra's father back when she was first introduced at the end of book three.

 

The only difference is that in those instances, it was all in their heads - this time, it was real. I can't wait to rewatch the whole show with this in mind.

Edited December 23, 2014 by Ravenya003

[Dandesun]

It all works for me considering I interpreted that final scene as the beginning of their relationship rather than the culmination of it. For me, that was the moment when the two of them realized they were in love, and everything that came before that wasn't overt because they didn't know themselves quite what they were feeling (symbolized perfectly with them standing on the brink of a transition from one world to the next).

 

I think that's a great way to describe it. Korra and Asami were both interested in Mako; they didn't spring from the writers' heads fully gay. I'd argue that neither of them are... then again, maybe they are. Oftentimes, sexual orientation is not a binary thing. It's not one or the other, there is very often a journey that one goes through when they start to realize that they don't react to things the way others do. There are a lot of stories out there, within my own family there are very different tales of discovering what personal sexuality is; sometimes it's obvious to everyone from jump, sometimes it's a slow development, sometimes a person can think they're straight, or gay and then meet someone, that one special person, that just changes everything for them.

 

I've said before that one of the best parts of LoK was that Korra and Asami held onto their friendship in spite of what happened with Mako. (And it's also been nice to see Mako remain friends with both of his exes.) Korra and Mako also had to deal with Bolin's feelings for Korra and his feelings of being betrayed by his brother. It got messy there for a bit! And everyone managed to retain and then strengthen their friendships. But I can see that Korra and Asami really did deepen their friendship over the course of the books... their bond was different, it grew in a different way. It wasn't necessarily Bolin or Mako who were there at those small intimate moments, it was Asami.

 

To me, it was easy to understand why there were so many Korrasami shippers out there. The co-creators confirming it makes it even more clear. That's what they were writing. Was it as obvious as it may have been were they a heterosexual pairing? I don't think so... mainly because we're wired to look for the hetero pairing and if the pieces don't match up quite right, we don't expect any other kind of pairing.

 

I would say bravo to the team. They done good.

[VCRTracking]

Yeah it didn't come out of nowhere and Bryke said them stepping into the portal was them beginning as a romantic couple, evolving out of friendship. It's not like when I read the end of the comic book series  Y: The Last Man where

years after the event of the main story Yorick's heterosexual sister and ex-girlfriend are a couple

. I know that in the world of the book every male on Earth except for the main character had been killed but it's still was kind of a WTF?

[Kalliste]

* I wasn't a Korrasami 'shipper, but I was open to their having a relationship -- I just didn't think Nick would allow it.  I was surprised by how moving I found it.  That said, it felt a little out of left field not because no ground work had been laid in previous episodes, but because until that moment, they had not interacted at all in the two parter.  I know the two parter as a whole was rushed, and the characters were too busy trying to destroy Kuvira's giant mech, but it would have been nice to see some quick Korra or Asami reaction shots during the episode.  Like when Asami gets ejected from the flying suit right before it gets crushed, maybe a shot of bittersweet relief on Korra's face when she sees Asami is okay?  Or when the gang is searching for Korra around the new spirit portal, maybe a shot of Asami looking worried?  I can buy a relationship between them, but their last significant moments together happened in "Remembrances," 4-5 episodes ago.

 

 

I really just have to shake my head sadly at the people (who thankfully seem to be a minority) bending over backwards to deny the ending showed what it showed. It's like, gay people have to fight like dogs in the street for even this amount of representation, so why would you want to take it away?

I have to say, although not bending backwards, that I didn't see it as a show of them being more than friends. To me it was 2 friends going off to relax after being through a massive amount of stuff together. When they held hands I didn't really think of it as more than them as friends taking a journey together.

 

I can't say I really thought anything romantic of their prior interactions either. It is disappointing that tv still can't show same sex relationships the same way they do hetero relationships.

 

All that being said, overall I liked this finale better than Avatar... I couldn't get on  board with Katara and Aang.. it just seemed a bit too creepy for my liking.

 

I was surprised they ended it with Varrack and Zhu Li getting married.. Avatar did that too, made it less about the Avatar and more about the supporting characters, which I liked.. I think I'd have preferred if it were something about Bolin or Mako though.

[ApathyMonger]

Essay on the ending from Konietzko: http://bryankonietzko.tumblr.com/post/105916338157/korrasami-is-canon-you-can-celebrate-it-embrace

 

 

Korrasami is canon.

 

You can celebrate it, embrace it, accept it, get over it, or whatever you feel the need to do, but there is no denying it. That is the official story. We received some wonderful press in the wake of the series finale at the end of last week, and just about every piece I read got it right: Korra and Asami fell in love. Were they friends? Yes, and they still are, but they also grew to have romantic feelings for each other.

 

...

[magicdog]

Beware!  Unpopular opinions to follow:

 

 

Sorry to be the party pooper but the finale left me angry!

 

I hated seeing Kora and Asami go off together like that.  I was hoping they wouldn't go there, but they did.  It was out of left field and  I found it to be pandering on the part of Bryke quite frankly.  I didn't hope for either Korra or Asami to get back with Mako, but I didn't want this either.  

 

I was also disappointed with Kuvira giving up and willing to take her punishment.  I would have wanted to see her defiant and angry to the bitter end!  I wanted her to get taken down by the spirit vines (as previously speculated) or self destruct.

 

I liked that Varrick and Zhu-Li finally got together - their relationship at least made sense. 

 

Bolin is legally able to conduct weddings now?  Since when?

 

Hiroshi Sato, we hardly knew ye!   Too bad you didn't have more time with your daughter now that you've had three - four years of prison to realize what you'd lost.

 

A new spirit portal?  Whaaa?  No, I'm not happy with that.  Especially since the spirits showed no interest in protecting or helping our heroes.  RC is good enough to grow your vines in, but not good enough to defend?

 

I was also a bit disappointed with Prince Wu's conclusion;  I thought it was good that he was improving as a person and potential leader (and he seems to have inherited his great grandfather's way with animals - loved his work with the badger moles!), but I hated that he was so quick to give up the throne.  I would have liked to have seen him try to take the reins of the old kingdom and perhaps modify his role as a constitutional monarch rather than an absolute ruler. 

 

I do agree that I don't see many parallels between Kuvira and Korra other than their brash natures.  Kuvira was willing to do what it took to take over the Earth Kingdom because she wanted power, and definitely would not have stopped with RC if she hadn't been defeated.  She was williing to betray her adopted family/mentors (Su Yin's family), willing to kill her finace, subjugate her people, and destroy any city with her spirit weapon.  Korra, while she was a hot headed kid who was all gung ho to be the Avatar and take the world by storm, at least wasn't out to harm people or sell them out to do it. 

 

 

I was also unhappy Korra never reconnected with her past selves.   Secretly, I would have preferred to have seen her find a new way to do so.  IMO, she screwed up the role of Avatars big time. 

 

I couldn't get on  board with Katara and Aang.. it just seemed a bit too creepy for my liking.

 

 

Agreed.  I wouldn't have minded if they had begun a romantic relationship when they were a bit older and their age difference would have been less jarring.

[Ravenya003]

I hated seeing Kora and Asami go off together like that.  I was hoping they wouldn't go there, but they did.  It was out of left field and  I found it to be pandering on the part of Bryke quite frankly.

 

 

For what it's worth, Bryan addressed this in his post:

 

There is the inevitable reaction, “Mike and Bryan just caved in to the fans.” Well, which fans? There were plenty of Makorra shippers out there, so if we had gone back on our decision and gotten those characters back together, would that have meant we caved in to those fans instead? Either direction we went, there would inevitably be a faction that was elated and another that was devastated. Trust me, I remember Kataang vs. Zutara. But one of those directions is going to be the one that feels right to us, and Mike and I have always made both Avatar and Korra for us, first and foremost. We are lucky that so many other people around the world connect with these series as well. Tahno playing trombone––now that was us caving in to the fans!

 

 

 

No one is under any obligation to like Korrasami if they don't want to, but these guys don't sound like the type of people who would write their shows to please the fans. They sure as hell didn't cave to the Zutara shippers and those guys were LOUD.

[Kalliste]

If that is the reason then they were ultimately pandering to fans.. they could easily have had the whole group go, there didn't need to be any romance involved. Same as Avatar. As mentioned above, I found the Aang and Katara match creepy because they were just too young. It would have been nice if something had happened as friends.

If that is the reason then they were ultimately pandering to fans.. they could easily have had the whole group go, there didn't need to be any romance involved. Same as Avatar. As mentioned above, I found the Aang and Katara match creepy because they were just too young. It would have been nice if something had happened as friends.

[VCRTracking]

It might have been a little pandering but I don't agree it was completely out of left field. I think if they kissed as they entered the portal then that would have been out of nowhere, but I do think that last shot was them becoming romantic and building these past two seasons. Looking back I definitely think Asami was in love with Korra by the end of Book 3. Maybe she didn't know it herself but she was willing to go with her back to the South Pole with Korra while she recovers for however long it took, even though she had a big company to run. It's more tricky with Korra determining when it started for her. Her writing only Asami that whole time she was away if only once was a hint.  I think their reunion when she blushed after Asami complimented her hair was an indication that Korra had begun to like her that way.

Edited December 24, 2014 by VCRTracking

[PinkRibbons]

Bryan's original storyboards for the last scene:

 

 

Gotta say I think this is a very rare moment that the animation didn't do the storyboards justice. It's so subtle, but the expression on Korra's face here is amazing.

[RapBert]

I watched the finale again today and it hit me just now that this show is over. I watched Avatar shortly before Korra aired, and while I enjoyed that show very much, I absolutely love Korra. I suppose I just connected more with the characters.

 

These last two seasons have just been fantastic. While season 4 was a bit weaker than 3, and a lot of its problems were also visible in the finale ( rushed plot lines, awkward pacing, characters being pushed in the background), I really enjoyed it.

 

The ending was what really amazed me, though. During the last minutes, I was wondering where they were going. I didn't expect Korra and Mako to end up together, since their characters just changed too much. But I was not expecting this. Hats off to the showrunners for that decision. I love that final scene. It says everything without being explicit, and it is just beautiful.

 

I hope there will be a return to the world of Avatar someday. If not, there are still seven great seasons of television to rewatch. If only the Blurays were out all ready...

[VCRTracking]

Yeah, ultimately I felt more sadness at it all ending, not just Korra but the Avatar Universe. There are more stories to tell I thought.

Edited December 24, 2014 by VCRTracking

[Kromm]

Actually my biggest issue with the ending is that it's become the default discussion now.  Intentionally or not, it's overshadowed everything else anyone is, or would have, said about the show.  And I mean the entire show, not just the episode.

 

That's a problem.

[VCRTracking]

A lot of "OMG!/WTF?" moments in series finales overshadow their shows at the time they air but some overcome it. Like people still love The Sopranos even with that final abrupt cut to black while Six Feet Under has never recovered from "Narm!" The awesome finale of The Office(with the return of Michael Scott) redeemed the last few lackluster seasons while the finale How I Met Your Mother unfortunately ruined the entire show for me. Yes people are now making a big deal about the Korrasami(because it is) over the other stuff that happened  but after all the hoopla has died down TLOK is still going to be a show about a young woman going through this character arc of maturity and who she ends up romantically will be as inconsequential as if she ended with Mako. Something people in the future will take for granted the way we do events that were huge at the time like the moon landing or America electing a black president but are now historical footnotes. They'd be like "Yeah she hooked up with a girl at the end.(shrug)".

Edited December 25, 2014 by VCRTracking

[Brn2bwild]

Bryan's original storyboards for the last scene:

 

 

 

 

 

Gotta say I think this is a very rare moment that the animation didn't do the storyboards justice. It's so subtle, but the expression on Korra's face here is amazing.

 

I think I liked the animated version better, just because that last look they gave each other was so intense, Korra's especially.

[VCRTracking]

Yumchunks on YouTube and their Korracast has been doing great reviews and reactions of Korra these past two years review the finale. First they discuss what went on in the finale proper:

 

In part two they discuss the Korrasami ending. Keep in mind this was recorded before Bryke confirmed it's canon so they talk about whether that final shot meant Korra and Asami were now a couple and whether it was too major a thing that it overshadowed all the other stuff in finale. Jess comes in the middle and she brings in good points coming from a female perspective:

 

[Ravenya003]

I think I liked the animated version better, just because that last look they gave each other was so intense, Korra's especially.

 

 

I like them both, though I also probably defer on the side of the final animated look. In the storyboard Korra looks a little shy, which is sweet - but not really Korra. Korra's expression in the finished product fits in better with my personal headcanon: that this is the precise moment she realizes she loves Asami. She looks almost reverential. Asami has always been more emotionally mature; so I think by this point she's loved Korra for a while and has just been patiently waiting for her to catch on!

[VCRTracking]

Another good article from The Mary Sue:

 

On Korra, Her Relationships With Women, And That Epic Series Finale

[Donny Ketchum]

Looking back I definitely think Asami was in love with Korra by the end of Book 3. Maybe she didn't know it herself but she was willing to go with her back to the South Pole with Korra while she recovers for however long it took, even though she had a big company to run. It's more tricky with Korra determining when it started for her. Her writing only Asami that whole time she was away if only once was a hint.  I think their reunion when she blushed after Asami complimented her hair was an indication that Korra had begun to like her that way.

Thinking back, there was one other tip-off for me.  Asami being the only one to actually go off on Korra for being away in the episode in which they rescued Prince Wu.

Also, why are we so sure this is all over?  Isn't there a chance for a third Avatar series, this time with an Earth Avatar?

[Kromm]

Also, why are we so sure this is all over?  Isn't there a chance for a third Avatar series, this time with an Earth Avatar?

And who'd be paying for it?

 

You have to think that in theory this whole thing was planned with exactly four Avatars, to round out the circle.  But even though the failure of the last series was in big part due to Nik's mismanagement of the show's scheduling and press, I think the only way there'd be any more at this point is if Nik let them back out of the deal totally and allowed them to shop it elsewhere.  And I don't know if I see Nik doing that, but I guess people could hope...

Edited December 28, 2014 by Kromm