The Legend of Korra

[BirthNote]

I'm tired of Tarlock convincing the council to let him do whatever he wants. Its like the only one with a brain besides him is Tenzin, and I bet that if Tenzin said Tarlock's actions are proving Amon's point, the others wouldn't agree with everything Tarlock pushes for.

 

[ShroudedOne]

The council is comprised of a bunch of idiots. They just don't seem to think for themselves.

 

[Strong Badam]

This episode
Man
Man

 

[Mr. Johan]

The council's obedience towards Tarlok becomes a lot more frightening when you consider how advanced his Bloodbending abilities must be that he can throw bodies around with a crescent moon present. If he has some basic form of Bloodbending down that he can perform whenever, he can just Bloodbend the councilmens' hands up whenever he needs a popular vote. Raise his hand up while Bloodbending = everyone else's hands follow suit. Yikes.

 

[ShroudedOne]

I.....didn't....even think about that....oh my....

 

[Smooth Criminal]

The council's obedience towards Tarlok becomes a lot more frightening when you consider how advanced his Bloodbending abilities must be that he can throw bodies around with a crescent moon present. If he has some basic form of Bloodbending down that he can perform whenever, he can just Bloodbend the councilmens' hands up whenever he needs a popular vote. Raise his hand up while Bloodbending = everyone else's hands follow suit. Yikes.

I don't think it quite works like that. You're forgetting that the council members are in their right minds whenever they take these kinds of votes, and I'm sure that if they actually disagree with something they're not going to just idly let their blood be Bended without protest. In this case, I think Tarlok is just a persuasive sonuva***** and he has the council's ear.

Anyways, fantastic episode. I really wanna learn more about Korra's "hallucinations" of Aang being in some kind of trouble. Needs more of dat Avatar spirituality, damn it all! I'm also curious as to how Tarlok knows the likes of Sokka and Toph, as well.

Smooth Criminal

 

[The Real Gamer]

Ohhh my godddd that was the best episode of the season so far!

That ending!!!

I have soooooooooo many questions now!

 

[theeboredone]

**** that episode was too intense. I hope her disappearance causes hate among both benders and non towards Tarlok. Dude needs to be put down.

That council is super weak. They are so old, so I figure they would have been around Aang's time. You figure his influence would have taught them better.

Finally, blood bending without the full moon? Talk about being broken.

 

[Spelt]

Finally, blood bending without the full moon? Talk about being broken.

Totally called it.

 

[Big-Cat]

I don't think it quite works like that. You're forgetting that the council members are in their right minds whenever they take these kinds of votes, and I'm sure that if they actually disagree with something they're not going to just idly let their blood be Bended without protest. In this case, I think Tarlok is just a persuasive sonuva***** and he has the council's ear.

Anyways, fantastic episode. I really wanna learn more about Korra's "hallucinations" of Aang being in some kind of trouble. Needs more of dat Avatar spirituality, damn it all! I'm also curious as to how Tarlok knows the likes of Sokka and Toph, as well.

Smooth Criminal

While the councilmen have minds of their own, it's quite possible they're all too aware of what would happen if they didn't agree. He doesn't need to blood bend them for every vote. It's like knowing he could pull a gun at any given point. If that's the case, I wonder if Tenzin knows about this.

 

[The Real Gamer]

Very good points being brought up here. Maybe the council members aren't as brainless as we thought they were... Perhaps they've individually been intimidated/threatened by Tarlok at one point or another? If this is the case then Tarlok really does have full control.

Kinda funny how Tarlok went from being my most disliked character in the series to now being the one I'm most interested in... and in just one episode!

 

[theeboredone]

Hey guys, was talking to someone on AIM about Korra. She has a lot of knowledge on animation/cartoonists. She has a big problem with a lot of shows these days and how animation has gotten lazy. She praises Korra (rightfully so) with how they've stepped it up compared to TLA. I brought up the premise that, not many people would care enough, let alone notice if the animation was the same or maybe even a notch down, because I feel most of the discussions and talks about the show are in regards to the story, not the animation. It's not just Korra, but other animated shows as well. You don't see many topics saying "OMG, the animation was awesome/bad!"

So hypothetically speaking, how often do you guys think about the "animation" as well done? I know I made a comment about the framerate in the first two episodes during the action scenes. Other then that, I haven't really complimented or complained. I feel like most of the talk here has been story related.

 

[Smooth Criminal]

@ TRG and Kuma:

I thought of that, too. Makes a lot of sense.

As for the animation? Shoot, I'd definitely say this is one of the prettier cartoons out right now.

Smooth Criminal

 

[LLDL]

The animation is pretty much phenomenal, not really much talk about it because not much to comment on it. It's just something that was established when it came out.

 

[Wizzrobe]

This Series is too good

 

[theeboredone]

Anyone hear this theory yet? Yakone, the guy who caused trouble 40 some years before Korra, and Aang stopped him might be the father of Amon and Tarlok. Meaning the two are brothers, and are just operating on their own MO. Not sure if that means Amon knows who Tarlok is and vice versa.

 

[BirthNote]

Anyone hear this theory yet? Yakone, the guy who caused trouble 40 some years before Korra, and Aang stopped him might be the father of Amon and Tarlok. Meaning the two are brothers, and are just operating on their own MO. Not sure if that means Amon knows who Tarlok is and vice versa.

I've read it on ign, which has some good speculation on this show at times. I think that theory doesn't really add up. Amon said he's from a non-bender family that lived on a farm and was terrorized by a firebender. No siblings who could bend, iirc.

Unless they're brothers from another mother I doubt they're related.

 

[KrIsP!]

Anyone hear this theory yet? Yakone, the guy who caused trouble 40 some years before Korra, and Aang stopped him might be the father of Amon and Tarlok. Meaning the two are brothers, and are just operating on their own MO. Not sure if that means Amon knows who Tarlok is and vice versa.

Yakone was a fire bender though and Tarlok doesn't look like a mix between the two nationalities. I would believe however that Amon is his son. However Amon said he lost he lived on a farm with his parents when a fire bender killed them, I thought that was Yakone.

What interested me was the vision of Aang and Toph's bending not working against him.

 

[BirthNote]

I'm counting on Lin to save Korra. I'm also hoping Tarlok can't repair the damages done in the building before Tenzin arrives. Hopefully he can connect the dots.

 

[theeboredone]

^ Yeah, I just assumed the theory has little sense of making, though this Yakone guy appeared to be rather powerful. Wouldn't surprise me if he held some relation to Tarlok or Amon.

And I am also counting on Lin to bust Korra out. Perfect fit, given she is now going to be doing things without much regard for the law.

Btw, I still find it a bit sad/funny that Mako can just lightning bend (among others) on whim, when it was such a rare thing to see 70 years ago.

 

[The Real Gamer]

Btw, I still find it a bit sad/funny that Mako can just lightning bend (among others) on whim, when it was such a rare thing to see 70 years ago.

I also felt this way when I saw him randomly lightning bending the cars. It was almost as if the writers were thinking "lets randomly make Mako a lightning bender to make him even more awesome!" Kinda lame if you ask me...

BTW during Korra's fight with Tarlok did anyone else notice her utilizing her "pro-bending" stance when fending off the ice shards (during the slo-mo)? I knew she would eventually incorporate pro bending techniques into some of her fights but actually spotting it for the first time made me smile.

 

[Airgemini]

It wasn't completely random. They showed him along with those other workers using lightning as a power source or whatever for a job a couple of episodes back. But I agree, it doesn't look as cool anymore.

 

[theeboredone]

^Yeah, I didn't forget that. I just assumed in the factory...you have more time to concentrate it at least? In the car chase, he just pulled it out like it was nothing lol. Maybe I'm having poor memory, but I know at least deflecting lightning required a high level of skill. Lightning Bending in itself was a rarity.

But yeah, too mainstream -hipsters glasses-. Time for thunder bending. Make things go boom.

 

[deepseadiva]

Flying in an airplane used to be a rare event as well. Traveling faster than 50 MPH would have been basically witchcraft. People and societies inevitably become more and more advanced, taking the innovations of the previous age and pushing them further and further. Times change.

And that's why this show is so cool. It takes the entire lore and universe of ATLA, and pushes the envelope everywhere. It used to be impossible to bend metal 70 years ago - now we have entire fleets of metalbenders patrolling the city. Lightning is more widespread, and now we have bloodbending that can suppress an entire room of people.

Everyone's of higher skill now that these ancient skills are common knowledge. You can call it cheap, thinking it might have been more interesting when only a select few could harness these abilities - but your criticizing Korra for it's most interesting feature. A world after Aaang that's a lot more dangerous, a lot more understood, yet still unpredictably new to us... Dis ain't Ba Sing Se.

 

[Smooth Criminal]

<3 Menoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Smooth Criminal

 

[The Real Gamer]

Yeah hats off to Meno that was a mean post.

 

[Wizzrobe]

I also felt this way when I saw him randomly lightning bending the cars. It was almost as if the writers were thinking "lets randomly make Mako a lightning bender to make him even more awesome!" Kinda lame if you ask me...

BTW during Korra's fight with Tarlok did anyone else notice her utilizing her "pro-bending" stance when fending off the ice shards (during the slo-mo)? I knew she would eventually incorporate pro bending techniques into some of her fights but actually spotting it for the first time made me smile.

Pro-bending stance? Didn't she learn that from airbending where she was able to dodge things very well?

 

[theeboredone]

Flying in an airplane used to be a rare event as well. Traveling faster than 50 MPH would have been basically witchcraft. People and societies inevitably become more and more advanced, taking the innovations of the previous age and pushing them further and further. Times change.

And that's why this show is so cool. It takes the entire lore and universe of ATLA, and pushes the envelope everywhere. It used to be impossible to bend metal 70 years ago - now we have entire fleets of metalbenders patrolling the city. Lightning is more widespread, and now we have bloodbending that can suppress an entire room of people.

Everyone's of higher skill now that these ancient skills are common knowledge. You can call it cheap, thinking it might have been more interesting when only a select few could harness these abilities - but your criticizing Korra for it's most interesting feature. A world after Aaang that's a lot more dangerous, a lot more understood, yet still unpredictably new to us... Dis ain't Ba Sing Se.

That's not my point at all. Yes 70 years have passed, but it's two different things you're talking about. Technology as we know, is easier to innovate and upgrade. Why? Because once it's out there, it just requires mass production and physical labor. However, in the world of bending, such things come at such a slow rate, that an explosion following it seems a bit...inconsistent. Bending is more spiritual, and it's hard to think an artform that was just discovered (metal), and lightning (super rare) is now just some mainstream do-hicky thing that can be done by snapping your fingers.

Just think how hard it was for Toph to achieve metal bending. She was in a desperate situation, and not only because of that desperation, her blindness aided in her being able to bend metal. Given there's only been one generation that has passed (Toph's daughter), I just have a hard time imagining how metal bending became so easy. Even if she did open up a school, just the dedication and practice...and then you consider how anyone in the task force can do it just makes it seem like it's something that simple and easy to perform.

Lightning on the other hand also required a deep level of concentration, and given its rarity...who was teaching it? Remember what Uncle said about lightning bending? You must have "inner peace" and absence of emotion. So where the hell did all that stuff go? Out the window and into plot irrelevance?

Tl;dr

1. Not everyone should be able to do both types of bendings. Should still be reserved to the elites. Like the chief of police, and high standing officers. Lightning the same thing. Powerful people. Not your run of the mill peasant kid (Mako.)

2. They threw what was considered requirements for such bending out the window.

 

[Oneupsalesman]

I was thinking that

Spoiler

Yakone

might be the

Spoiler

firebender that was killing everyone's parents,

but since he was shown

Spoiler

bloodbending

that should show that he's from the

Spoiler

Water Tribe.

 

[The Real Gamer]

Pro-bending stance? Didn't she learn that from airbending where she was able to dodge things very well?

Nooo she learned how to dodge attacks better from air bending. She uses the same exact movement to break an ice shard as she does when she pro bends stuff. Wish there was some sort of gif I could use to show what I'm talking about but if you rewatch it you'll see what I'm talking about.

EDIT: Oh wow TBO came back with some good points as well. *grabs popcorn*

 

[Smooth Criminal]

*cracks his fingers. Pushes up his glasses.*

That's not my point at all. Yes 70 years have passed, but it's two different things you're talking about. Technology as we know, is easier to innovate and upgrade. Why? Because once it's out there, it just requires mass production and physical labor. However, in the world of bending, such things come at such a slow rate, that an explosion following it seems a bit...inconsistent. Bending is more spiritual, and it's hard to think an artform that was just discovered (metal), and lightning (super rare) is now just some mainstream do-hicky thing that can be done by snapping your fingers.

How is it inconsistent? Toph founded a public school specifically for Earthbenders to help perfect and improve upon their Bending, to achieve a state where they could bend Metal as well as Earth. In a world based around these supernatural martial arts, how is it unrealistic that this kinda knowledge could be disseminated to the Earthbenders at large? Regardless of the sorta characters you stumble across in this series (even the mobster-style Firebenders popping up in Korra), Benders of all stripes have this sort of initiation into this "martial arts subculture." A lot of stuff stems from the whole teacher-student relationship. There's a baseline level of spiritual awareness inherent as well; if they didn't have it, well, they wouldn't be Benders at all. The Earthbenders have always had the potential to bend Metal thanks to the impurities of Earth extant in it; Toph just gave Earthbenders the means to do so by imparting her wisdom and her knowledge of it. Also, 70 years is a long *** time to train quite a few Metalbenders, who would in turn train more Metalbenders, ad nauseam.

As for "everybody being able to channel lightning...?" Consider this: What was the Fire Nation like around 100 something-odd years ago? Positively ****ing warlike. Aggressive. Most of your Firebenders then had little patience to meditate on their art, and they almost always took the most immediate path to power (which was just flinging fire everywhere). They were characterized by being rash, impulsive, and prone to fighting at the drop of a hat, all things that assisted in Firebending but very limiting at the same time. It clouded their spiritual enlightenment; Iroh himself said that manipulating lightning was rare for that reason, because not a lot of Firebenders can achieve that state of Zen-like calm to muster their energies.

Fast forward to the present: The world's a (more) peaceful place, and the Fire Nation is no more. There's a lot less aggression and a lot more time to focus on the introspective parts of the art. Plus, I'm sure it didn't hurt that Zuko's resolve to spreading peace and co-existence between the denizens of the world and the Fire Nation also clued Firebenders in to his revelation at the hands of the last two Dragons, that Fire is a force of creation and life, not just destruction.

Just think how hard it was for Toph to achieve metal bending. She was in a desperate situation, and not only because of that desperation, her blindness aided in her being able to bend metal. Given there's only been one generation that has passed (Toph's daughter), I just have a hard time imagining how metal bending became so easy. Even if she did open up a school, just the dedication and practice...and then you consider how anyone in the task force can do it just makes it seem like it's something that simple and easy to perform.

Simple phrase: World of supernatural martial arts. Read my first paragraph.

Smooth Criminal

 

[BirthNote]

This thread has some very good posts.

Now that the metalbenders, Mako (and others), Amon and Tarlock have shattered our expectations of abilities, I'm gonna expect the unexpected. Glassbending, Soundbending, lavabending (or napalmbending), plantbending an entire area, separating blood from an unlucky victim, spirit creatures, more element bending animals, gadgets that enhance bending...so many possibilities.

I also thought it'd be cool if someone could fool others into thinking they could bend more than one element. Like, if a waterbender manipulated a combustible liquid. That person could light it with a match and make it seem like they're firebending. That'd be pretty cool.

EDIT: Oh....well...no comment.

 

[Smooth Criminal]

>_>

My expectations haven't been shattered at all. It's a logical step in the evolution of these abilities.

Smooth Criminal

 

[Jmorsch]

I'm pretty sure it has been brought up in this thread before, but i'm fairly certain Iroh was talking about deflecting lighting not creating it when he said, you must have inner peace and stuff.

 

[BirthNote]

Nah I think he meant that for generating it. Deflecting it had more to do with the way waterbenders manipulate their element iirc.

 

[Spelt]

It was for deflecting.

I've already corrected this multiple times earlier in the thread.

 

[theeboredone]

I made sure to check the Avatar Wiki. Under lightning bending, that is where they mention Uncle Aroh's comments about "inner peace" and "emotional detachment" when it comes to generating it. Something clearly none of these benders today have, which makes, as I said earlier...the plot out the window. I have feeling the same expectations should be met for Metalbending, given Toph had to work so hard to achieve it. Even if it's 70 years later, there's no way everyone and their kids should be able to generate either technique. I doubt Mako has found "inner peace" and "emotional detachment" let alone those factory workers who help make the cars.

 

[Airgemini]

Yeah, it was definitely for generation that he said those things were required. Hence why Zuko could never learn how to do it. It's in Bitter Work iirc.

I don't necessarily think Metal bending being a part of the mainstream in 70 years is completely far fetched. Toph was pretty proficient at it in less than one season after discovering it. Yeah sure, her blindness gave her an edge on becoming proficient at it, but Aang not being blind also learned how to sense the vibrations in the earth similar to her in the course of like, two seasons. Teaching a mass group those basics doesn't seem too hard to grasp for me.

I liked it better when lightning was exclusive to the royal Fire Nation family, but I can deal.

 

[theeboredone]

I dunno. It's one thing to say Toph, who is blind and excels at Earthbending to learn Metal. And then you got Aang, who could sense vibrations...but he is the Avatar. His growth rate and skill proficiency should be much higher than your average Joe. Plus, given he's a nomad, I figure he would be able to achieve that level.

Just the average person doing it like that is a bit meh. I mean, a part of me wants Lin to discover Platinum bending. However, if it becomes this mainstream thing again...what stopped someone else from discovering Platinum bending before her? Did they just not think about it?

 

[Smooth Criminal]

...wait, what?

.___.

I'm confused. How do you figure that none of the Benders today could achieve that level of enlightenment? Is it because of the "encroachment" of civilization? As long as that part of the Bending culture is preserved, it shouldn't simply gutter and die. It'll progress and adapt just like everything else in the world.

And Mako easily meets the criteria necessary for being able to manipulate lightning, considering the kind of character he is. Except where Bolin's immediate safety is concerned (i.e. when he was kidnapped), he's as cool as a cucumber and extremely thoughtful (as in, full of thought). Hell, I'd argue that his origins lend even more credence to the fact that he'd be able to Bend lightning---you don't survive on the streets acting the fool and trying to beat the **** out of everybody you meet. You gotta be smart and show a little circumspection; otherwise, you're gonna be just another statistic.

Also, perhaps the technology required to refine the metal to such a degree wasn't developed until very recently. And Aang being a nomad has NOTHING to do with anything, really. Just the fact that he was the Avatar. Unless, of course, you're getting at his spiritual development...then I can kind of agree with that.

Smooth Criminal