Avatar: The Last Airbender & Korra (SPOILERS)

[Danseru-kun]

Ah yess I forget this episode was the most horrifying for me in all of ATLA (perhaps equal to the Koh episode)

- WAN SHI TONG again
- Unalaq DESTROYING JINORA'S SOUL
- Korra being pwned by evil spirits
AND THIS

Since his hair was black the theory is that he either died of dehydration or drowned in the sand D:

Another good meta:

Can I just talk about this for a second?

This little four year old girl is the spiritual representation of a seventeen year old who’s grown up believing herself to be defined entirely by an impersonal role. Because of that, her Self has never aged past the point at which she learned of that identity, and she acts accordingly. She could kind of fake it in the material world, of course — pretend to be fearless, use violence as an effective shield, wear a mask to appear as a fully-developed adult (if a rather dysfunctional one) — but it doesn’t work in the Spirit World, because in the Spirit World, your emotional state is your reality.

In the Spirit World, when she tries to use violence as a shield, she hurts harmless spirits that don’t deserve it (the baby dragon-bird) and enrages the powerful spirits against whom she herself is powerless. Pretending to be fearless doesn’t work all that well, either.
It’s only when she realizes that she’s valuable, that she has something to offer of her own that makes her special — “I have light inside of me” — that she’s able to get the spirits to back off and transform them back into their proper light selves.

That moment of realization in the last panel there is so incredibly important to Korra’s growth, and I just want to wrap my arms around her and give her a hug for finally figuring it out. She — Korra — has light inside of her. She’s valuable, she’s worthy, she can help, and it’s not because she’s the Avatar, but because she’s Korra. And, when she makes it up the mountain and places the dragon-bird in its nest where it belongs, proving herself as Korra, she reverts to her own proper age, because she’s now ready to be her own adult self instead of a spiritually-stunted permanent child.

(If Tarrlok and Noatak were to visit the Spirit World, they’d have both turned into children, too… and I’d say it’d be quite likely for spirit!Noatak to be younger than spirit!Tarrlok)

​

http://ikkinthekitsune.tumblr.com/post/66434226064/can-i-just-talk-about-this-for-a-second-this

Some people are dissing Korra for choosing to open the portal but for me it's a human choice. If Jinora's soul is destroyed she'll never be reincarnated again, Korra's helpless in the Spirit World and being killed there might do worse than good. Opening the portal might be risky but she thought she still have time before Vaatu gets out of his prison.
​

 

[ForceStealer]

So what would happen if Korra's spirit walked through the portal? *random musing*

 

[Danseru-kun]

So what would happen if Korra's spirit walked through the portal? *random musing*

Then... she's a spirit in the human world? Hehehe or she'll be instantly transported to her body I guess.

 

[Theozilla]

So what would happen if Korra's spirit walked through the portal? *random musing*

If I had to guess probably something to the situation Aang found himself in during the Siege of the North where he returned to the material world but couldn't immediately find his body.

 

[Drax]

Well we know what Tenzin's going to be doing between episodes

 

[Danseru-kun]

Hey guys I made my first AMV it's Kataang pls watch it pls pls pls :>

 

[Theozilla]

http://korranation.tumblr.com/post/67056426031/heres-our-big-news-straight-from-janet-varney

Looks like we're getting all the rest of Book 2 tonight.

 

[Theozilla]

The last four episodes were awesome (but not without it's flaws). I can confidently say I actually liked this season finale better the series finale of ATLA (just comparing the last 2-4 episodes with each other not entire season or series). Can't wait for Book 3 to come!

 

[Shademp]

So...that was Book 2. It was decent. Got a few questions though.

Spoiler

- Weren't we promised a sub-form of airbending when book 2 was being promoted?

- Where is Vaatu now? He can't be destroyed, so... I'm confused.

- Since Tenzin could air-bend in the "spirit realm", after walking there from the Tree of Time area, I could there are technically two spirit worlds? One where bending is possible and one where none is possible? One that is connected to the Tree of Time and one that isn't? Or is harmonic convergence related to these shenanigans? Argh, I'm confused.

- Will spirits pop up randomly all over the world now in greater intensity or will it mostly originate from the southern water tribe?

- Ballsy to have Korra's link to the past avatars be severed. Does this mean that no avatar after her will remember the avatars of the previous ten thousand years? Is it a true reset or just a severed connection for Korra personally?

I'm not sure if I can expect Book 3 or 4 to answer any of these questions.

 

[Theozilla]

So...that was Book 2. It was decent. Got a few questions though.

Spoiler

- Weren't we promised a sub-form of airbending when book 2 was being promoted?

I don't

Spoiler

really know what happened with that, maybe it was just a rumor? Or maybe it was referring to the spirit purification technique Tenzin used in The Guide perhaps?

Spoiler

- Where is Vaatu now? He can't be destroyed, so... I'm confused.

It's not specified in the show,

Spoiler

but I am presuming in the next 10,000 years Vaatu will eventually regrow within Raava. So I guess the Avatar will eventually contain Vaatu with himself/herself as well as Raava. Or maybe he'll only reappear exactly at the next Harmonic Convergence to do battle with Raava/The Avatar

- Since Tenzin could air-bend in the "spirit realm", after walking there from the Tree of Time area, I could there are technically two spirit worlds? One where bending is possible and one where none is possible? One that is connected to the Tree of Time and one that isn't? Or is harmonic convergence related to these shenanigans? Argh, I'm confused.

Neither. The reason Tenzin could airbend is because he entered the Spirit World physically through the portals. One can't bend if they enter the spirit world through meditation as an astral projection like Jinora, Korra, and Aang have done. But if one enters through the portals they are physically in the Spirit World and thus can bend.

Spoiler

- Will spirits pop up randomly all over the world now in greater intensity or will it mostly originate from the southern water tribe?

Well,

Spoiler

they'll probably still be able to enter through spirit sensitive areas (e.g. Hei Bai, The Painted Lady, The Mother of Faces, etc.) but the greatest deluge of them will likely be coming from the North and South portals (remember there are two portals)

Spoiler

- Ballsy to have Korra's link to the past avatars be severed. Does this mean that no avatar after her will remember the avatars of the previous ten thousand years? Is it a true reset or just a severed connection for Korra personally?

I'm not sure if I can expect Book 3 or 4 to answer any of these questions.

I pretty sure it means

Spoiler

Korra is essentially the new "Wan", future Avatars will only be able to connect and utilize the knowledge of Avatars as far back as Korra.

 

[Danseru-kun]

Here’s some quick thoughts:

What I like: Korra’s development, Tenzin-Korra relationship, awesome battles, NGE thingy, Bolin’s back to his old self, Makorra’s resolution as of now, Korra family relationships, references everywhere, Bumi, Asami the pilot, Varrick and Zhu Li

Dislike: Asami’s arc, not so good Krew dynamics Unalaq is laqing in terms of exploration, Narrative bending for Mako to the expense of Lin, the love triangle of course, violent girlfriend tropes, Ginger-Bolin, Mako

Season wise, I’d say it’s better than the first and equal to ATLA’s B1 but Finale wise it’s behind Sozin’s’ Comet and Crossroads of Destiny


My theory on the Avatar spirits:

Spoiler

We cannot say for sure they're gone forever because of these reasons:


1. Remember Yue? She died and reincarnated as the moon spirit but she didn’t lose her memories.

2. Raava likewise remembers her 10,000 cycles with Vaatu and we cannot say she never lost to him. Therefore, even if she dies she never really lost her memories of all the avatars.

3. Remember when Aang was killed by Azula while he’s in the Avatar State? He was also severed from the Avatar spirit and we didn’t know how he can connect again until a rock hit his spine.

4. There’s the Tree of Time too that shows all memories just in case it’s needed. So I think all the accumulation of experiences and lives weren’t destroyed. Either Korra just needs to find a way to repair the damage of being severed from Raava or it’s also possible the Avatars roam the Spirit world free from Raava. The latter is my bet.

More questions from me:

Spoiler

1. How can Unalaq bend more than one element? Raava was given powers by the Lion Turtles and carried it to the next Avatars... Vaatu is imprisoned for 10k years.

2. How can Unalaq bend more than one element? Did he train? It's possible he was preparing for this all his life... but it's still not something easy without actual elements to bend.

3. What kind of "disturbance of the force" LOL did the Harmonic Convergence did? I think Book 3 and 4 will build up on this.

So yeah... I'm so excited for Book 3!

 

[Theozilla]

More questions from me:

Spoiler

1. How can Unalaq bend more than one element? Raava was given powers by the Lion Turtles and carried it to the next Avatars... Vaatu is imprisoned for 10k years.

2. How can Unalaq bend more than one element? Did he train? It's possible he was preparing for this all his life... but it's still not something easy without actual elements to bend.

3. What kind of "disturbance of the force" LOL did the Harmonic Convergence did? I think Book 3 and 4 will build up on this.

So yeah... I'm so excited for Book 3!

I don't think Unalaq

Spoiler

actually did ever bend more than one element beyond water? I am pretty his tornados were made up of water not air. And plant-bending is a extension of waterbending. Any other destruction came directly from his Vaatu modified body I believe.

 

[Danseru-kun]

I don't think Unalaq

Spoiler

actually did ever bend more than one element beyond water? I am pretty his tornados were made up of water not air. And plant-bending is a extension of waterbending. Any other destruction came directly from his Vaatu modified body I believe.

Well

Spoiler

He did trap Korra into the earth right? I dunno I'll check again...

 

[Theozilla]

Well

Spoiler

He did trap Korra into the earth right? I dunno I'll check again...

I don't think so

Spoiler

he trapped her between ice I believe, not earth.

I to need rewatch as well.

 

[Danseru-kun]

I don't think so

Spoiler

he trapped her between ice I believe, not earth.

I to need rematch as well.

I checked it again and... it was indeed plants and water and ice. Evil plants.

Also I think many fans do not appreciate how much mythology is added here because of the spirit world and the possibilities of more places to go since it's like another planet. The spirits are also very memorable esp the carrot and the coconut ones.

Also I love the references: Princess Mononoke, Alice in Wonderland, Lion King (yep there's Pride Rock,) and NGE LOL

 

[ForceStealer]

Well...shit. That was crazy. And pretty excellent.

Spoiler

I was happy to see Bolin do something again. And he actually wound up being pretty badass. And I'm glad Mako's exoneration also meant the exposure of the other two as idiots. That's all I wanted out of that.

Narrative bending for Mako to the expense of Lin

What narrative bending? He was right, and she was wrong to casually dismiss any leads. Especially considering she acted on Varrick's so readily.

Since Tenzin could air-bend in the "spirit realm", after walking there from the Tree of Time area, I could there are technically two spirit worlds? One where bending is possible and one where none is possible? One that is connected to the Tree of Time and one that isn't? Or is harmonic convergence related to these shenanigans? Argh, I'm confused.

C'mon Shad, Unalaq made a big deal about this a couple episodes ago


Anyway, I freaking LOVED that handy bit of continuity with putting Zhao in the valley of lost souls. So that is where the ocean spirit took him at the end of ATLA Book 1. That was fantastic. I like seeing Katara and thinking about how it's the same character, continuity makes me happy.

As usual, the animation is unparalleled and I especially enjoyed the raid on the southern portal and the fight of just Korra and Vaatu after she tosses Unalaq away like a flea. Also the bit where he rips Raava out was suitably icky.

I also enjoyed the return of some legitimately funny humor. Tiresome as the love triangle could be, Bolin's face as Korra greeted and kissed Mako got a laugh out of me. Also the mother-in-law joke was hilarious. Those were some of the best humorous moments in ATLA, those random clips of bystanders. From the cabbage guy to, "The Captain remembered my birthday! He really does care!" to "Haven't you heard the song?!" So I very much approved.

but, as to this,

The last four episodes were awesome (but not without it's flaws). I can confidently say I actually liked this season finale better the series finale of ATLA (just comparing the last 2-4 episodes with each other not entire season or series). Can't wait for Book 3 to come!

Obviously these are all opinions - but no way. Giant Korra was...a little hokey. Not to mention the fact that it didn't really make a lot of sense. What power was she using exactly? Accepting herself or the Heart of the Cards or something, but doesn't that mean anyone could have done that? I was expecting that the spirits of the Avatars were distinct from Raava just as hers is and she was going to be able to call on them somehow. Alternatively I thought maybe she, as the Avatar would be able to enlist the help of some of the bigger, 'good' spirits such as Yue and La to help take on Unalaq. What happened was...neat, I guess. But on par with that marvel of animation and choreography that was Sozin's Comet? I don't think the Godzilla fight tops it.

And I am with Shademp on what's gonna happen with Vaatu. Raava showed up inside him mere minutes (hours?) after his reign, why would it take 10,000 years for him to do the same to her?

Good catch, Theozilla, about Unalaq only using waterbending during the fight, because I had the same question, but you're absolutely right.

Danseru - I also like your thoughts on the connections to the past Avatars. All of your points a good ones. So good, in fact, that if they DON'T reestablish her connection, I'll be pretty confused.

Uh...any other random thoughts...I guess Asami did get a little shafted...but they are writing for an absurd number of characters at this point, can't be easy to keep them all busy.
Mako needs to stop shouting Korra's name when he's trying to come to her rescue and just START HITTING PEOPLE WITH LIGHTNING. Remember how well your sneak lightning attack worked on Amon? Keep doing that.

Anyway, I enjoyed this season a lot, a lot more than Book 1, in fact. And hopefully in Book 3 we'll start to get to see more of the nations because this one didn't really do that, haha.
My one concern going forward is that they'll get in a trap of continually having to one-up the stakes. You're not gonna get much bigger than that and you can't have the world on the brink of destruction every year (SQUARE!). They did a good job of having a mostly localized problem in book one (besides...you know, rendering the Avatar impotent, but beisdes that), so I'm not saying they're going to do that. I just hope they don't.

'Twas aweshum.

 

[Danseru-kun]

@ ForceStealer

What I meant about Mako's narrative bending is that it felt to me that to make him look good and competent the story required Asami and Lin to be his props. Asami suffered much more from this There could have been more ways to achieve this without making Lin and Asami look bad. Asami just suffered this season while Mako is shown to be her ultimate helper. Lu and Gan could have just blocked Mako's access to Lin rather than make her look so guillable and be Mako's skeptic. Mako would have looked just as good to the audience.

BTW about Lin, Bryke confirmed she's be very important next season. So probably it's about Earth Kingdom. Book 1 is Air, Book 2 is focused on the Water Tribe... so I guess LoK is following the Avatar Cycle again.

Regarding the giant Korra

Spoiler

I think Titan Korra is energybending at its finest, there are some posts explaining how the Harmonic Convergence and the Tree of Time allowed Korra to energybend with the Cosmic Energy and form a spirit version of her. So technically Korra still has power as a good bender but instead of the Avatar State she pulled a Lion-Turtle-esque act enhanced by the planetary alignment. She was losing to Unalaq until Jinora guided her to the newly born Raava instead of Vaatu.

Regarding Jinora I do think it wasn't properly explained but it looked to me that she guided Korra to Raava's tiny spirit, echoing the "looking for the light" theme.

 

[Theozilla]

Obviously these are all opinions -

Spoiler

but no way. Giant Korra was...a little hokey. Not to mention the fact that it didn't really make a lot of sense. What power was she using exactly? Accepting herself or the Heart of the Cards or something, but doesn't that mean anyone could have done that? I was expecting that the spirits of the Avatars were distinct from Raava just as hers is and she was going to be able to call on them somehow. Alternatively I thought maybe she, as the Avatar would be able to enlist the help of some of the bigger, 'good' spirits such as Yue and La to help take on Unalaq. What happened was...neat, I guess. But on par with that marvel of animation and choreography that was Sozin's Comet? I don't think the Godzilla fight tops it.

Like you said it's just my opinion

Spoiler

but the main reason why I loved this finale the best (the animation is great on both, IMO I like a giant spirit fight just as much as Aang's Avatar State battle) is because it develops Korra's arc so well, learning to value and actualize her self as an individual. Instead of being defined by the Avatar, Korra is the one who defines the Avatar. That why is just works so well (at least for me) that it is Korra's own spirit (which is technically same spirit of past avatars, remember it's just one spirit reincarnated multiple times, not multiple distinct spirits) without Raava, is the one who defeats Vaatu/Unalaq. And it's not just a "Heart of the Cards" moment it's her letting go of her attachment of her identity as the Avatar that allows her to absorb the cosmic energy, it's essentially her opening her final 7th Chakra. Anyways that's why I think it's the best finale IMO. It's perfectly fine you prefer otherwise.

And I am with Shademp

Spoiler

on what's gonna happen with Vaatu. Raava showed up inside him mere minutes (hours?) after his reign, why would it take 10,000 years for him to do the same to her?

Regarding

Spoiler

Jinora I do think it wasn't properly explained but it looked to me that she guided Korra to Raava's tiny spirit, echoing the "looking for the light" theme.

Vaatu

Spoiler

is going to regrow (presumably within Raava/the future Avatars) but I don't think it's going to be near instantaneous like with Raava in the finale. Raava was only able to regrow that fast and have Korra pull her out because Jinora brought the remaining light energy in the world(s) and released it onto/into Korra and Unalaq/Vaatu and thus revealed/jumpstarted Raava's growth within Vaatu/Unalaq. Vaatu won't have a darkness equivalent of that so he'll likely take 10,000 years to regrow.

Danseru - I also like your thoughts

Spoiler

on the connections to the past Avatars. All of your points a good ones. So good, in fact, that if they DON'T reestablish her connection, I'll be pretty confused.

I actually don't think

Spoiler

that Korra's connection to past Avatar's is going to come back. Korra essentially rebooted the Avatar cycle, and is now the new Wan basically (Wan likely had previous lives before becoming the Avatar as well but he couldn't connect to them, it's implied that everyone in the Avatar universe reincarnates (unless they attain enlightenment and/or detach their spirits like some Air Nomads and Iroh) it's just that the Avatar is the only one who can connect to their previous lives, which is maintained by Raava. This meta also explains why the lost connection is important to Korra's character arc and journey.
http://shineyavatar.tumblr.com/post...ction-to-the-former-avatars-being-broken-is-a

Ask: "THE CONNECTION TO THE FORMER AVATARS BEING BROKEN IS A LAME PLOTPOINT THAT CHEAPENS THE AVATAR MYTHOLOGY, AND KORRA WILL STILL BE COMPARED TO HER FORMER SELVES, BECAUSE EVERYTHING THEY DID STILL HAPPENED!"

What Korra’s past lives did still happened, but everything has begun anew. Korra isn’t just the next Avatar in a cycle, she’s the new first Avatar. That means the entire thing has been redefined. Korra redefined being the Avatar, and there is a symbolic meaning in Korra’s heritage being erased, because it’s all she used to define herself by. Symbolism isn’t all, but it’s well-constructed anyway, because these are the fundamental themes of the show and the basic point of Korra’s character development.

And it relates back to the last finale (and much of the criticism of last season’s finale, actually) in my opinion; there Korra lost her bending, that is to say, her identity as the Avatar, but in a sense, it was also what saved her, because her former lives gave her back her power by her connecting with them. She hadn’t fully moved on or individualized as a person with an independent identity, her past shaped by her being the Avatar still defined her.

She reached her lowest point by being forced to face herself without her alter-ego, but it was also returned to her by her alter-ego itself. Much of the criticism was that she didn’t ‘learn anything’, and while I’ve always disagreed with it being pointless, it’s undeniable that Korra didn’t get to fully redefine here.

It’s different now - her heritage has been entirely erased, that wasn’t her own doing, but she as a character - as Korra - is also personally redefining the Avatar. Korra directly goes against and questions Wan’s decisions. It’s the end of one era, it’s the beginning of a new. Wan started it by separating the spirits and mankind, Korra ends it by uniting them.

Korra hasn’t fulfilled her destiny, because the Avatar’s job was to be “the bridge between the two worlds”. Korra has created her own job, she has redefined her job. It’s not just that everything has been taken away so that Korra looks better in comparison, it’s that Korra get the opportunity to fully characterize herself, by herself. And she does that.

So I really don’t think the point is whether or not Korra has or will ‘live up’ to her heritage at all; I think the point is that she doesn’t have to, she never has to. She is Korra - she is also the Avatar, but the Avatar is Korra, and whatever Korra wants to be.

It’s not Korra re-shaping to be the Avatar - she’s learning and growing of course, but it’s just as much Korra reshaping the Avatar, and that’s beautiful, because all her life she’s been struggling to live up to this legacy, but in the end, she gets to create her own legacy. The Avatar made Korra who she were - she was defined by her past, Korra learned and grew, and now Korra makes the Avatar what it is - all of her past forgotten. That’s beautiful, and absolutely in-line thematically and with character development.

I’ll also like to point out, this is by far the biggest conflict we’ve seen the characters face; Vaatu was a much bigger enemy than Amon or even Ozai ever were, yet it was handled in under a third of the episodes Aang had to deal with the war.

There’s lasting consequences, that’s good, because it means this story had an impact. Things can’t go back to normal, because the world has been redefined - just like they did after the last ‘Harmonic Convergence’. Just like they did after the 100 year war.

Things happen, they affect the world, we’re in constant evolution and change, and things we used to value and define ourselves by get lost in progress. But we move on and build something new.

Both in a good and a bad way, things have changed and the characters will have to deal with that, which also gives reason to keep telling Korra’s story.

It’s the same with Aang; Aang didn’t save the world to let it go back to how it was before the war. He also created a new world, a world of unity and technology; he challenged a very fundamental part of what had been the rock of Avatar mythology up until then - the separation of the four nations.

It’s the same with Wan; He separated the spirits and the humans, he created the Avatar and imprisoned Vaatu. He made a world without Lion Turtles, and of human progress and exploration and bending.

Korra is simply doing the same thing Aang did and Wan did. She’s affecting a changing world, because everything is always in constant change, whether we ask for it or not.

And the way they’ve set it up, this was the culmination of a 10.000 year old conflict. The end of a cycle. The end of an era. The end of a period that originally created the Avatar. It’s the clashing of the powers, the very thing that makes the Avatar. There is a change, because the mythology says we’ve reached the point where a clash is necessary - we’ve reached the separating point between ending and beginning, and that makes changing inevitable.

This is why it was necessary to spend two entire episodes on a character that wasn’t directly relevant to the story; because it creates this contrast. It showed us the origin, and now we’ve reached the ending, and a new origin can begin. It’s a cycle - just like the Avatar cycle, but a cycle on a grander scale.

This doesn’t change ATLA’s mythology at all, it builds on it. It created a new foundation and it added to it; with the new information comes a new story, and with the new story comes impacts, changes, consequences that the characters has to deal with.

This is the point of Wan’s story, and Korra’s story and why they are linked. This is the point of the entire story in the first place.

Beginning. Change. Ending. New beginning. Nothing lasts forever, and we should look forward rather than continue to define ourselves by our past.

No, the Avatar world isn’t the same, and it won’t remain the same. There literally would be no reason to tell Korra’s story if it did.

@ ForceStealer

What I meant about Mako's narrative bending is that it felt to me that to make him look good and competent the story required Asami and Lin to be his props. Asami suffered much more from this There could have been more ways to achieve this without making Lin and Asami look bad. Asami just suffered this season while Mako is shown to be her ultimate helper. Lu and Gan could have just blocked Mako's access to Lin rather than make her look so guillable and be Mako's skeptic. Mako would have looked just as good to the audience.

BTW about Lin, Bryke confirmed she's be very important next season. So probably it's about Earth Kingdom. Book 1 is Air, Book 2 is focused on the Water Tribe... so I guess LoK is following the Avatar Cycle again.

While I agree with you on Asami, I don't really agree that Lin was a prop or looked "bad". Bryke stated beforehand that Lin just wasn't going to have as large a role in Book 2, Lin was just a minor supporting character this season. And Lin had every right to be skeptical of Mako this Book IMO, he wasn't doing that great of a job in arguing his case and finding strong enough evidence to implicate Varrick and he overstepped his bounds as a beat cop too. And while Lu and Gang weren't doing a great job on their casework they were following protocol and going by the books in their police work, they weren't really blatantly incompetent until Night Of A Thousand Stars (to which Lin justifiably demoted them). While Lin didn't have the most exciting role this season, I think it is unfair to call her stupid or gullible in her actions.

 

[ForceStealer]

I actually don't think

Spoiler

that Korra's connection to past Avatar's is going to come back. Korra essentially rebooted the Avatar cycle, and is now the new Wan basically (Wan likely had previous lives before becoming the Avatar as well but he couldn't connect to them, it's implied that everyone in the Avatar universe reincarnates (unless they attain enlightenment and/or detach their spirits like some Air Nomads and Iroh) it's just that the Avatar is the only one who can connect to their previous lives, which is maintained by Raava. This meta also explains why the lost connection is important to Korra's character arc and journey.
http://shineyavatar.tumblr.com/post...ction-to-the-former-avatars-being-broken-is-a

.

Spoiler

Regardless of whether it's GOING to come back or of the narrative significance of it happening. It would still leave me puzzled given points such as Danseru's. Raava retains her memories from previous victories and defeats of Vaatu, why would this be any different?

 

[Danseru-kun]

@ Theozilla regarding Lin

I agree that Lin has every right to be skeptical, I'll defend her and it's her job. But the narrative itself makes the audience root for Mako and that's what I hate. It's similar when Korra fired Tenzin and was angry at Tonraq, Korra has every right to do so and her anger is justified but the way it's presented is not very favorable from Korra's side leading to people dismissing her as simple "rude."

@ The Avatar Spirit

Spoiler

My cents is that even if Korra rebooted the cycle and lost her connection permanently, I don't buy the theory that the past Avatar' consciousness/memories/experiences are completely wiped out and inaccessible. I would respect if Korra chooses not to access those wealth of knowledge, but I think the Tree of Time will always be there for Raava if she wants to regain all her memories with the Avatars.

 

[Theozilla]

I checked it again and... it was indeed plants and water and ice. Evil plants.

Just rewatched the last two episodes as well, just noticed that the "evil plants", actually seems to be a power that is just inherit to Vaatu. Vaatu used

Spoiler

his tendrils to control plants before during his initial fight with Korra before he even fused with Unalaq.

Just something I wanted to point out.

@ Theozilla regarding Lin

I agree that Lin has every right to be skeptical, I'll defend her and it's her job. But the narrative itself makes the audience root for Mako and that's what I hate. It's similar when Korra fired Tenzin and was angry at Tonraq, Korra has every right to do so and her anger is justified but the way it's presented is not very favorable from Korra's side leading to people dismissing her as simple "rude."

While I'll agree that the narrative is supporting/rooting for Mako in his "loose cannon cop who disbelieved by everyone else" arc, I don't think that means the narrative is also trying to portray Lin as being gullible/stupid and/or wants to audience to root against her (it definitely wants the audience root against Lu and Gang though). At least to me, it's just portraying Lin as being by the books and reasonably skeptic but is unfortunately out of the know. It's kinda similar to how President Raiko is framed by the narrative, he may not be making the "right" choices but his reasons for doing so are presented as completely reasonable and understandable, and thus is not a character your supposed to "root against".
As for Korra's anger in the first few episodes, I agree that people shouldn't dismiss her behavior as being "rude/bratty", and I don't think the narrative was doing so either. I felt the narrative was presenting her anger, while harsh, as being in the right and justified (Tonraq even says Korra has every right to be angry at him and he shouldn't have held her back and Tenzin admits he hasn't been the best mentor to Korra and that it wasn't not her fault for falling for Unalaq's manipulation (he even admits that some of Unalaq's techniques had been valuable teachings for Korra))

Spoiler

Regardless of whether it's GOING to come back or of the narrative significance of it happening. It would still leave me puzzled given points such as Danseru's. Raava retains her memories from previous victories and defeats of Vaatu, why would this be any different?

@ The Avatar Spirit

Spoiler

My cents is that even if Korra rebooted the cycle and lost her connection permanently, I don't buy the theory that the past Avatar' consciousness/memories/experiences are completely wiped out and inaccessible. I would respect if Korra chooses not to access those wealth of knowledge, but I think the Tree of Time will always be there for Raava if she wants to regain all her memories with the Avatars.

Regarding the Avatar connections

Spoiler

it doesn't matter whether Raava has memories of her times connected to previous incarnations of the Avatar, as the connection between past lives isn't a memory issue (I don't think Raava being destroyed meant that Raava lost her memory). It is that Korra can no longer connect to her past lives, because Raava is what was what maintaining the original connection, not because of Raava's memories but just by being Raava a powerful bonded spirit. When Raava was destroyed there was no longer anything to maintain he connection between the previous lives. Raava and Korra's refusion will allow her to connect to her future incarnations. But there is no longer a connection to past 10,000 years of Avatars. While Korra sitting in the Tree of Time allows her to review the memories of her past lives (as we saw in the finale, though it seems moreso that tree allows one to view the memory of the "world", not just lives, as it allowed Korra to view what was happening in Republic City as well) there is no indication that it can restore any connection between Korra and her past lives. At least that is my interpretation of the finale events.

 

[Danseru-kun]

^

But there's still the fact that

Spoiler

Raava was killed when Aang died by Azula's lightning so I dunno. But anyway, I'll miss the past Avatars if they don't come back but that's really... okay for me. Some people have a lot of issue with it and hating Korra for "destroying the mythology." Aang and the others didn't really cease to "exist" they just became the same as past incarnations of other people that are inaccessible, it doesn't mean that as if they never lived.

A lot of shippers badly wanted Katara to see Aang again or anything but the connection is already with Korra, Katara was fortunate to be with another lifetime of Aang. That's beauty of it- in the next life your relationship may be of parent-child, mentor-student, friends, enemies, strangers or lovers again.

 

[Theozilla]

^

But there's still the fact that

Spoiler

Raava was killed when Aang died by Azula's lightning so I dunno. But anyway, I'll miss the past Avatars if they don't come back but that's really... okay for me. Some people have a lot of issue with it and hating Korra for "destroying the mythology." Aang and the others didn't really cease to "exist" they just became the same as past incarnations of other people that are inaccessible, it doesn't mean that as if they never lived.

A lot of shippers badly wanted Katara to see Aang again or anything but the connection is already with Korra, Katara was fortunate to be with another lifetime of Aang. That's beauty of it- in the next life your relationship may be of parent-child, mentor-student, friends, enemies, strangers or lovers again.

Hmmm, I don't think

Spoiler

Aang's death in the Avatar State is meant to have the same impact/significance on Raava, as Aang died while still connected to Raava. Unavaatu killed her after first separating her from Korra, that is the major difference.

 

[Danseru-kun]

Hmmm, I don't think

Spoiler

Aang's death in the Avatar State is meant to have the same impact/significance on Raava, as Aang died while still connected to Raava. Unavaatu killed her after first separating her from Korra, that is the major difference.

Yeah let's just see. I really want to see the more of the other avatars but I think ultimately this is an interesting direction they're going. Probably this is the boldest decision and most painful thing to watch in the story of ATLA and TLOK along with Azula's breakdown.

Fans sometimes contradict themselves, a lot complain how everything Korra had was handed in a silver platter by her mentors and the past avatars, but when Korra was asserting her agency she's called a bitch and then the finale happened they think being

Spoiler

separated from her past lives

ruined the show :/

Overall Korra's growth this season is impressive, I'd put her next to Zuko in terms of superb character development. If only the Krew delivers as well as the Gaang...

 

[Danseru-kun]

This is a good post that explains the ending

Spoiler

A Simple List to Understanding the Korra Finale

1. No, Vaatu has not been destroyed; he was absorbed by Raava who in turn resides within Korra. Light and Dark can never truly be separated. He won’t appear until 10,000 years later.
2. Korra was able to become a giant spirit by meditating in the Tree of Time during the Harmonic Convergence which amplified the effect. It also showed how strong Korra’s spirit was even without her “Avatar” abilities.
3. No, Korra’s past lives were not destroyed; they were severed. They all reside within Korra because she is their reincarnation. However, their knowledge, which was maintained by Raava, was cut. When Raava was defeated, she was absorbed by Vaatu but was then reborn when Jinora showered Vaatu with spiritual light that revealed Raavas location to Korra.
4. When Raava was taken out of Korra, the cycle broke. If Korra had died, there would not have been another Avatar because Raava was the one that allowed the Avatars to use more than one element. Raava was also the one that shared the knowledge of the past Avatars to the current one. In other words, the “Avatar State” is basically Raava channeling all the past Avatars so that the present Avatar can acquire their knowledge.
5. Regardless, Korra was able to fuse with Raava once again which started a new Avatar Cycle. Remember that Raava was defeated and thus all the knowledge she had retained over the past 10,000 years was gone. When she was rescued by Korra, she was reborn. Sadly, she had lost the knowledge of the past Avatars. Keep in mind that the past Avatars were not destroyed, only their knowledge through the Old Raava.
6. Korra is the Last of the Old Avatars and the First of the Modern Ones. Once she passes on, the next Avatar, an Earthbender, will only have Korra’s past knowledge for guidance because the cycle was “restarted”.
And that’s pretty much it. Now, here are my opinions:
There is more to being an Avatar than talking to the past lives. Avatar Wan was the first in the Old Cycle and thus, had no prior Avatar knowledge. Does that make him less of an Avatar? No. It was his actions and his ability to use more than one element that truly defined him. Having a connection to the old lives was just an added bonus, one that he never had but his successors did.
This whole season was about Korra growing up as a character and not just Korra but even Tenzin. Both were saddled with the legacies of those before them and that was controlling their actions. In the end, Korra learned that she should be her own person and Tenzin realized that he would never be like his father because he is Tenzin, not Aang.

Source: http://rcnano13.tumblr.com/post/67447644526/a-simple-list-to-understanding-the-korra-finale\

So technically Raava's link to the past Avatars were completely destroyed but if they still reside within Korra's spirit, then there's still chance that they can be accessed again.

Anyway, I'm okay to permanent severance, but I'm still wishing for old Avatars to pop up because we love them.