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

[Trini]

My disappointment with severing the link to previous Avatars hit me again in this finale, because during the battle scenes, I kept thinking that the spirit of Kyoshi would have been able to take out Kuvira very quickly! But I'm not saying they should have done that; Kyoshi probably would have killed Kuvira and her followers. I did like that Korra showed compassion to her, and acknowledged their similarities.

[VCRTracking]

As Bryke and Mike said, they severed the link to the past Avatars because they didn't want Korra to be so powerful:

 

 

Did it sadden you to say goodbye to some of the 'Avatar' history when Korra severed the link to her past lives?

BK: Not at all! I thought it was a good limitation for her. Not that we thought people would be happy about it, but that was another one where I wasn’t anticipating such an emotional response from people. We didn’t do it to troll anything, but I liked that limitation for her. When you have a fully-realized Avatar, it’s like Superman, and how do you make that interesting?

Read More: 'Legend of Korra' Creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael DiMartino Talk "Korra Alone," Book 4 and Beyond | http://screencrush.com/legend-of-korra-book-4-interview-bryan-konietzko-michael-dante-dimartino/?trackback=tsmclip

[magicdog]

I call BS!

 

It's established the Avatar is supposed to be powerful and that connection is what makes the Avatar state what it is - it helps them do their jobs.  This is their own bible and their rules!  They knew each Avatar would be a bit more powerful than the last.  They would need that power.  They were probably afraid they'd write themselves into a corner if Korra became strong enough to kick butt without her crew.

 

This excuse reminds me of Bruce Timm's excuse about Superman in the first season of Justice League - who was depowered to the point where he'd get knocked out by some alien in the first round so the other heroes could shine.

Edited December 30, 2014 by magicdog

[Kalliste]

There were 10 seasons of Smallville.. so I guess some people like watching the story of Superman.. let alone all the movies, comics etc.. what a poor excuse.

[VCRTracking]

Yeah but Clark on Smallville didn't have all his powers at the start, he couldn't even fly until the very end. Plus the makers of Superman had to come up with Kryptonite a long time ago as a weakness.

 

 

This excuse reminds me of Bruce Timm's excuse about Superman in the first season of Justice League - who was depowered to the point where he'd get knocked out by some alien in the first round so the other heroes could shine.

Or more like the Wally West Flash(who I do like) was kind of a moron. Timm said if he was actually smarter he'd be the most powerful person on Earth, as they illustrated in the mindswitch episode where Lex Luthor took over Flash's body and was far more deadlier and powerful.

[magicdog]

 

Yeah but Clark on Smallville didn't have all his powers at the start, he couldn't even fly until the very end. Plus the makers of Superman had to come up with Kryptonite a long time ago as a weakness.

 

But there were already built in weaknesses for Avatars too.  Getting killed in the Avatar state would eliminate the Avatar forever.  If their physical bodies were harmed while their spirits were separated from them they'd be killed .  Plus Avatars were subject to the same mistakes and foibles others could make - heaven knows we've seen Korra's weaknesses in earlier books.

 

Bryke, you're full of it!  You ran out of ideas or were under pressure to end your story but didn't know how.  You mistook shock and awe for character development.  Personally, I have a hunch that this separation from the Avatar's past lives was originally going to be done with Aang (when he was nearly killed by Azula) but poor reception at the idea lead them to nix it, so he decided to use it with Korra.

Edited December 30, 2014 by magicdog

[capt planet]

I took Korra losing her connection with past Avatars as Bryke making her analogous to avatar Wan: a new cycle of harmonic convergence has begun, and with it comes a new cycle of avatars.  Korra needed to learn to look within herself for solutions to her and the world's problems, and I think that's the underlying theme of the series.

[magicdog]

Korra needed to learn to look within herself for solutions to her and the world's problems,

 

 

Except the Avatars were already doing that over the centuries.  The connection allowed them to seek out their wisdom but ultimately it's up to the current Avatar to make their own decision.

[VCRTracking]

Another thing that makes Korra different from Clark on Smallville, is she actually got to end up with the rich, genius millionaire industrialist she's been having ho yay with!

[Bees]

I'm late to the party here but I just wanted to get some thoughts out.

 

* I really really wanted to Korra to remain single at the finale. I hate how finales always have to have a romantic resolution and it seemed like her relationships with any possible love interest were close enough to be considered but not close enough to be canon.

* That being said, I do agree that if she had to end up with anybody, then Asami made the most sense. And the ending was done beautifully (though I wish it was considered more open-ended, but I understand why they didn't want it to be ambiguous) and the fact that it has meant so much to the LGBT community is far more important than my minor saltiness because I wanted Korra to remain single.

* Another thing is that I never got the vibe from Korra about her feelings for Asami. I mean she did write to her but that could be considered a friendship thing and she did blush when Asami complimented her hair but that's pretty vague in itself. Plus, you know, the whole PTSD thing was more important so perhaps that's why. That being said, I completely buy that Asami is in love with Korra. The hints that we have seen of Korrasami seem to be more focused on Asami's side of things. 

* I really loved the Tenzin/Korra moment at the end and I feel like that's the most important relationship in the series. I thought that they should've ended with her and Tenzin in some way. Maybe have Tenzin echo Katara's words of "I don't know, but won't it be interesting to find out?" which I think could work with the Korrasami ending. 

* The fact that Zhu Li and Varrick got married is amazing to me. They were the only ship I had in this series and it only manifested itself like five episodes into this season? They're the ship I never knew I wanted. That proposal was so adorable and so them. Though I wanted to hear more about Varrick's time in the circus. I think that's how he met Suyin. Anyways, I love this pairing and I love that this pairing happened. 

* I hope Prince Wu and Tu (Mako & Bolin's cousin) end up traveling the world together on their badgermoles bringing peace and love everywhere they go. With the occasional guest star of Yin.

* I feel like everybody got a chance to shine in this episode and that's awesome.

* And finally, it's kind of a shame that people are going to overlook everything else that happened in the finale because of the very end of it. 

[Ravenya003]

Another thing is that I never got the vibe from Korra about her feelings for Asami. I mean she did write to her but that could be considered a friendship thing and she did blush when Asami complimented her hair but that's pretty vague in itself. Plus, you know, the whole PTSD thing was more important so perhaps that's why. That being said, I completely buy that Asami is in love with Korra. The hints that we have seen of Korrasami seem to be more focused on Asami's side of things.

 

 

For what it's worth, I'm a hardcore Korrasami shipper (well, maybe not "hardcore", but I definitely count myself as a shipper) and I honestly think that it's not until the last few seconds of the show that Korra falls in love with Asami. And I prefer it that way. She had so much to go through with her PTSD and the spirits and Kuvira that she didn't actually know she was falling for Asami until she suggested the vacation and Korra suddenly realized she really, really wanted to make it happen. Almost without knowing why.

 

It's not until that final moment when they look at each other in front of the spirit portal that Korra sees what's been in front of her for years, and just ... falls in love in that exact moment. 

 

Yeah, in case you couldn't tell, I've been thinking about this way too much. But that's how it plays out in my head, and that's why it worked so well for me.