The Legend of Korra Book Air Ending

[Random Person]

Sup peeps, Random Person here.

I saw the Legend of Korra thread, but it was mainly talking about couplings so I thought it was appropriate to start this thread since this is a different topic.

Am I the only one who was disappointed with the ending to book air? Seriously, I was all up into the series, excited whenever a new episode was released. But that ending... it just didn't cut it for me. I literally went and wrote an article about the things I disliked about the series because of how it ended. I thought the ending was gonna tie up a lot of lose ends because a lot of times the series said "I know this is a rule, but I'm gonna break it anyway" so naturally you'd think the ending would give explanations, but nope. Also, it was very cliche imo. There are some damages that shouldn't be reversible in stories; it makes the story more real that way. Korra not only reversed everything, but did it in a "and they all lived happily ever after" kind of way. I have several more complaints, but bottom line, the ending made me realize that the series is not nearly as good as its predecessor.

Thoughts?

 

[Garo]

I saw the Legend of Korra thread, but it was mainly talking about couplings so I thought it was appropriate to start this thread since this is a different topic.

Am I the only one who was disappointed with the ending to book air. Seriously, I was all up into the series, excited whenever a new episode was released. But that ending... it just didn't cut it for me. I literally went and wrote an article about the things I disliked about the series because of how it ended. I thought the ending was gonna tie up a lot of lose ends because a lot of times the series said "I know this is a rule, but I'm gonna break it anyway" so naturally you'd think the ending would give explanations, but nope. Also, it was very cliche imo. There are some damages that shouldn't be reversible in stories; it makes the story more real that way. Korra not only reversed everything, but did it in a "and they all lived happily ever after" kind of way. I have several more complaints, but bottom line, the ending made me realize that the series is not nearly as good as its predecessor.

Thoughts?

You are absolutely not the only one disappointed. Rather than retype out all my thoughts, I'm just going to quote my thoughts from my personal blog.

Spoiler

The last three episodes of the season are the most rushed episodes of either series. They are so rushed, in fact, that characters do things blatantly out of character - not because the character wouldn't do that, but because the growth that would allow them to make that decision is completely absent. Tarrlok, fresh from trying to take over Republic City by becoming its hero, decides to help out Korra from his jail cell. Amon, fresh from a victory over benders and now working to create equality by removing the bending of Republic City, is revealed to be a bloodbender and Yakone's older son (another reveal with absolutely no impact whatsoever - Amon had been developed as a great villain already). This reveal in particular is a grave sin, for it makes the Equalist movement, once a morally grey one that had a very fair point, a hypocritical one that is the center of a revenge scheme.

And then comes what is, in my eyes, the worst offense Korra could commit. Despite having entirely dropped the subplot involving Korra's attempts to learn airbending since THE SECOND EPISODE, after having her bending removed by Amon, Korra suddenly is able to airbend and save the day.

One of the best things about the show had been the interesting questions it raised about secularization in industrial society. What was once a spiritual discipline - bending - was now being used for vanity and recreation (pro-bending), quality of life improvements (generation of electricity), and crime (the bending Triads). This was personified in Korra, a headstrong Avatar with little regard for the spiritual requirements of the job. Her journey to become more spiritual should have been a focal point of the show - but instead, they completely dropped that plotline and tied it into her romantic interest. Rather than airbending being achieved through great spiritual growth, it was achieved because her love interest was in danger.

Now that sucks.

The finale of the first season ruined the political messages, and sent a clear one that bending truly does equal power - so much for equality. It ruined the spiritual undertones of the show, instead opting for the most hackneyed "love conquers all" drivel imaginable - so much for spiritual growth in a secular world. And it did all of this while abandoning the character development that made the first series so great.

EDIT: Stuck it in Spoiler tags instead, just in case.

 

[Ventus]

I was disappointed but I loved the ending regardless. The series, after I watched Episode 10, felt really rushed and it was. The pacing storywise was good enough, but I feel the creators just wanted to get the show out because they had something else on their minds.

I very much agree about certain things that shouldn't be reversible. If Korra could do what she did, I'd expect for her to have to go through a much longer, much more intense trial than "I'm sad so boom I win" which is essentially what she did. The feeling of sadness and grief that she had...I didn't share that because the feelings dissipated as soon as they appeared. When the next Book releases, I'd hope Nick and the producers/directors don't rush it as fast as they did Air.

 

[Yoda's LSD Dealer]

The first season of Korra certainly had it's ups and downs. When I first started watching the series, I thought it was one of the best things ever. The first few episodes with the pro-bending and the love triangles were some of the best in the whole Avatar series, IMO. Things went downhill as soon as the plot started to revolve more around Amon and less on things such as Korra's training and pro-bending.

Spoiler

I'm not gonna say that was the season finale was awful, but it was strikingly worse than the rest of the series. They could have ended the whole show with how it ended - at least give us a little bit of drive to get us pumped up for the next season. It was very cliche and predictable. Amon wasn't even a character in the series - just a random barely introduced. I wanted Amon to be somebody who was already in the series but disguised.

 

[Big Octo]

The finale to the first season of Korra was action packed and full of information. However, it was also felt very rushed. The mystery behind Amon and the Equalists seemed as though it should have been revealed gradually, and not spewed out in the length of one episode. The confrontation of Amon and his defeat seemed way too darn fast, with little explanation as to why blood bending can take away another's bending. The final battle was anti-climatic, with Korra conveniently being able to bend air just after her other bending powers were removed. A fast blast of air and Amon was out the window. I do, however, commend the demise of Tarlok and Amon, very well resolved, unlike anything else. The final resolution of Korra's bending being returned by past Avatar Aang and her gaining that skill as well was at a pace too quick, and felt like a last ditch idea to end the season happily.

Concluding, the finale felt like the content of 4 episodes packed into two.

 

[Random Person]

One other complaint I'd like to throw out there is Korra's Airbending as well. It was indeed cliche how she suddenly got it, like others have mentioned, but what really frustrated me was how she airbended. Airbending is strictly defensive. It involves dodging your opponents blows and avoiding violence. Korra did not want to avoid violence, but rather she wanted to hurt Amon (as demonstrated by her trying to hurt her enemy instead of saving her friend) Korra balled up her fist and hit Amon with an airbending punch. I didn't think that was possible! Honestly, I think this is the first time we've seen an "air punch" as punching is associated with firebending and earthbending. (Which I believe are karate and sumo wrestling) It's not as bad as I'm making it out to be because airbending is more about spirit than technique. But still, it felt like an insult to the series' great reputation of continuity to see that.

 

[zellinkda]

Book one of The Legend of Korra, I watched it. when it was over, I was like, "so that's it? wait so now what. there's nothing to base the story off of. What about Nowatak? (sorry I don't know the spelling of his name.) so is Tarlok dead??" You're absolutely right. the ending was very cliche. but look at pretty much EVERY Nick show with a story line. ending? Main girl character and main guy character kiss and then they lived happily ever after. How sweet. cliche, indeed. Mako is a nice character, but in my opinion, bad time to break the news that he loves Korra to her when she just lost her bending. Love is not on her mind at the moment. If you want to be sweet, be there for her and respect her wishes. I don't know where The Legend of Korra is going now, but I hope it's somewhere good, because I don't want it to be cliche and just a love story for the rest of the series. Avatar: the Last Airbender had a perfect balance of cute romance while still keeping the main story in control. I really want The Legend of Korra to do that, because Mako forgets he has a girlfriend. If he likes Korra more than Asami, then he should tell her that he wants to see other people. because at this point, he's just being a jerk.


Hoping for a story of action in Book 2!

 

[Hachi]

I think this goes without saying considering the name of this thread, but... spoilers ahoy!

I had mixed feelings about the end of the season when I finished watching it. Like others have said, it moved at a lightening quick pace. In fact, Tim and I talked about comparing the pacing to the season finale to Star Wars Episode 3. Way too much happened in a relatively small amount of time, the difference is that Star Was had two prior movies full of a whole lot of nothing to build up to the climax. The Legend of Korra is, in fact, a television program- a really good TV show that used every episode they had to build the story up instead of sticking us with filler, and still simply ran out of time/episodes/money at the end of the day.

There was also an interview with someone who works on the show which stated that they really wanted each season to have a complete story, though there will be some overarching plots between them. So, taking all that into consideration, I was pretty content with the ending.

And to be honest, I don't think Tarlok cooperating with the Avatar came out of nowhere. It felt that way as I was watching it, but of course there was a lot more at work than what we knew prior to those episodes, such as the rather complicated family dynamics between him and his brother. Along with his realization that they had both, though in different ways, followed the exact path their father wanted them to was more than enough motivation for him to give Korra an explanation on exactly what was going on. And seeing the murder suicide at the end on a Nick show was just... SO unexpected, in the best way possible.

Also, what makes everyone believe that the Equalists are simply going to disband because Amon is gone? We saw at the end when his right-hand man attempted to attack him because he was a bender. Amon may have started the movement by misleading them, but now the non-benders are organized. Not only that, but the city is still politically in shambles. So, I really hope they continue on with the Equalist storyline as it would be quite interesting to see where things go and to see a new leader rise up. c:

 

[Random Person]

Also, what makes everyone believe that the Equalists are simply going to disband because Amon is gone? We saw at the end when his right-hand man attempted to attack him because he was a bender. Amon may have started the movement by misleading them, but now the non-benders are organized. Not only that, but the city is still politically in shambles. So, I really hope they continue on with the Equalist storyline as it would be quite interesting to see where things go and to see a new leader rise up. c:

I wouldn't say mustache man attacked him because he was a bender, I'd say he attacked him because he felt betrayed. Amon was a symbol that things were unfair for nonbenders and that now was the time to get equal. He was done wrong by firebenders and the spirits gave him powers. However, it was discovered that Amon's firebending scar was fake and he was in fact not given his powers by the spirits, but by bending. This meant that everything he stood for was a lie, including the equalist movement. This type of thing is typical in both history and story telling as anyone can be lead by blind hate. But once its discovered that the leader is a hypocrite, in any tale the people start to see the light because they realize that if the guy telling them what to do was a hypocrite, then what they were doing wasn't justified.

 

[Koosholts]

I wouldn't say mustache man attacked him because he was a bender, I'd say he attacked him because he felt betrayed. Amon was a symbol that things were unfair for nonbenders and that now was the time to get equal. He was done wrong by firebenders and the spirits gave him powers. However, it was discovered that Amon's firebending scar was fake and he was in fact not given his powers by the spirits, but by bending. This meant that everything he stood for was a lie, including the equalist movement. This type of thing is typical in both history and story telling as anyone can be lead by blind hate. But once its discovered that the leader is a hypocrite, in any tale the people start to see the light because they realize that if the guy telling them what to do was a hypocrite, then what they were doing wasn't justified.

I've only seen the last two episodes of Book One (I literally just finished watching the season finale and came here to find a thread about it), so I don't know if my comment is really worth much, but I do think the equalist movement will continue. Also, even though Amon was a water bender he still believed that bending was the root of all evil. He's not really a hypocrite because he truly believed in what he was fighting for. He just had to hide some things from the masses to gain more support. The only reason he kept his bending around was because he needed it for control and to take others bending away?

Now, I say the last sentence with a question mark because I'm a little bit confused. How exactly did he take others bending away? I know Aang took the Fire Lord's bending away but I thought only Avatar's could do that. I assumed he did it with his blood bending but in the two episodes that I saw it never explained it fully. This is off topic but could someone tell me how he took the peoples bending away? Or atleast PM me and tell me because I really want to know lol.

 

[Trio the Punch]

Not gonna use spoiler tags since this whole thread is about the ending so anyone who hasen't seen it shouldn't be reading posts here in the first place.
I just finished the season a few minutes ago, and I'll agree it was disappointing. I especially didn't like how lame Amon ended up being. He was pretty much the whole reason I was into the show to begin with. His being a chicken **** and buddying up to his brother was lame enough, but then blowing up in a boat? Too lame. Plus I felt like the whole "All Better" plot resolution was pretty weak. I still like Korra a lot more than ATLA, but I never liked that show to begin with. Anyway, who knows, maybe the next season will kick ***.

 

[Random Person]

I've only seen the last two episodes of Book One (I literally just finished watching the season finale and came here to find a thread about it), so I don't know if my comment is really worth much, but I do think the equalist movement will continue. Also, even though Amon was a water bender he still believed that bending was the root of all evil. He's not really a hypocrite because he truly believed in what he was fighting for. He just had to hide some things from the masses to gain more support. The only reason he kept his bending around was because he needed it for control and to take others bending away?

Its easy for us to see the logic, but not for a mass of people who are following blindly. Like I said, this is used throughout both literature and history repeatedly. The Leader being what he says he hates, always justifies his lies with "the people would never follow me if they knew" but once its revealed, the people never stop to think "Hey, maybe he had a reason." because they were following blindly anyway. Ignorant people will most likely remain ignorant, thats why you have to throw a bold face truth that doesn't need explanation in order to sway them. You could say "Amon's way is doing more harm than good." and they will just say you're not looking at it from their side. But if you say "Amon's a bender! The exact thing he says is evil!" and can prove it. All they know is that Amon is now the enemy.

Now, I say the last sentence with a question mark because I'm a little bit confused. How exactly did he take others bending away? I know Aang took the Fire Lord's bending away but I thought only Avatar's could do that. I assumed he did it with his blood bending but in the two episodes that I saw it never explained it fully. This is off topic but could someone tell me how he took the peoples bending away? Or atleast PM me and tell me because I really want to know lol.

This is one of the frustrating things. They don't explain it! The show only says Amon did it through blood bending, but that makes no sense.

 

[ShionRasenka]

Yeah, I do agree the ending was horribly rushed. The first season should have gone longer to help it make more sense and answer questions. Korra should have been trying harder and more to connect to her spiritual side in order to airbend better. She never attempted throughout the whole series to better her bending by meditating and seeking help form the past Avatars. Also, it was focusing way too much on romance, which leads me back to my point about Korra not seeking spiritual guidance when she should have been. And it also suffered because, as the OP stated, the chracters were acting out of character, which made things worse. They should have focused more on Korra learning airending then trying to hook her up with someone by the end of the season. I REALLY hope they get their heads back on their shoulders and make the second season better.

 

[A Link In Time]

After rewatching the entire Avatar: The Last Airbender series in preparation for The Legend of Korra, I must say I am very disappointed. I was already skeptical from the beginning but the perfect ending entirely confirmed my suspicions. Action and romance are perhaps the central elements of Korra and its predecessor. This sequel show, however, developed both themes in a superior way to the original. Or so I thought until everything was ruined by the structure and pacing. A 12 episode season is far too little for the story that needed to be told.

Spoiler

Avatar: The Last Airbender was a show whose characters I cared for. Korra may have seemed a spoiled brat at first but she grew onto me, much like the supporting cast of Tenzin, Mako, Bolin, Asami, and Lin Beifong. The love triangles felt especially well developed. Problems were touched on that many contemporary teenagers experience-rejection by their true love, jealousy, conflict revolving around who one's true soul mate is.

And then comes the action aspect. It was actually handled very well. Amon and the Equalists certainly brought the goods as the war between benders and non-benders unraveled. The new technology helped showcase what the world had become since the four nations united and urbanization took root. It also provided for an interesting plot device which harnessed the threat of a diabolical group.

Most of the story, however, felt poorly handled and rushed. While it felt somewhat fitting that Korra should finally unleash air bending against Amon, the entire backstory revolving around Yakome was not. Everything seemed to fit together too perfectly. From a story perspective, Korra's uncovering of the spiritual side of bending was completely unexpected. Her folly was the perfect juxtaposition to the growing secularism of society as GaroXicon explained. After countless struggles with clearing her mind, Korra is not only able to communicate with Aang but also learn air bending and enter the fully realized Avatar state! A traditional happy ending but so very out of place. Amon was removed from the plot in the silliest way possible unlike the first villain of the prequel series, Zuko, who continued to play a prominent role throughout and showed major character development.

Maybe I'm being a bit too critical but the first season of Korra generally failed to floor me. When Aang single-handedly defeated the Fire Nation fleet at the end of Avatar's first book, I felt the sense of urgency, disbelief, and grandeur that the Korra season finale should have been. This was the Avatar, awakened at last, a minor but important victory in a major war. Korra was an idealist story and I have no clue where the series goes from here.