Legend of Korra 1.04 - "The Voice in the Night"

[lizbee]

So this episode leaked a few days ago, basically because Nick have the worst IT department in the history of television (the first episode leaked because the press screener had an easily guessable username AND THE SAME EASILY GUESSABLE PHRASE FOR THE PASSWORD, and this episode leaked because someone played around with the URLs and realised it had been uploaded early). I didn't watch it at the time because I was tired and busy and didn't have the energy to hunt down a copy that I could view from Australia.

I'm kind of regretting that now, because I feel like all the excitement got my hopes up needlessly. Yes, there were glimpses of the Gaang, but that was it. Glimpses. Nice glimpses, but maybe I'd be more excited if I hadn't known it was coming. And that is a shame, because this is the closest Korra has gotten to the Avatar State, and probably the incident 40-odd years ago is going to prove important later on! Also, damn, Aang, Sokka and Toph, you all grew up fiiiiiiiiiiine.

(I'm still miffed that Toph grew up conventionally slim, on account of how it takes my headcanon and beats it into the ground, not to mention my fic, but whatevs, apparently the world is not yet ready for a plump superhero.)

ANYWAY, aside from the context in which I watched it, this was pretty great. I KNOW, I SAY THAT ABOUT ALL THE EPISODES. But it was good to see Korra experience fear for the first time, and to get glimpses of the politics of Republic City and also Tenzin's home life. I kind of wish the whole series was about Tenzin and his family, and how apparently they can't find a babysitter on gala nights. I don't think Tenzin actually trains his kids to say inappropriate things to people he doesn't care for, but I also don't think his heart was really in the telling-off he no doubt gave Ikki once Tarrlok was out.

ALSO, TARRLOK. rj_anderson and I were saying the other day, based on the promo clip of the taskforce raid, that Tarrlok/Korra is our new inappropriate OTP. STILL IS, JUST FYI. I mean, he gave her a car! That's like a Chris Evans wooing Billie Piper move, only possibly actually creepier!

I do like how so far, everyone's reaction to the Equalists has been at best useless, at worst damaging. (And here they said it wouldn't be like The Wire!)

(Things I enjoy: when the taskforce raid clip was released, a bunch of people on Tumblr were going, THIS IS NOT HEROIC, IT IS WRONG AND BAD AND KORRA IS THE WORST HEROINE EVER AND WE'RE EXPECTED TO BLINDLY APPROVE OF HER! Meanwhile, the official Nick-run Facebook page posted the clip with a caption, "Korra and Tarrlok lead a raid against the Equalists, but what do you think of their methods?" I'M NOT SEEING THE EXPECTATION OF BLIND APPROVAL, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?)

Things we need more of: LIN BEIFONG. Doing more than just wandering past and being disapproving of Korra, although obviously the sexual tension was thick enough to cut with a knife and she secretly admired Korra's formalwear.

ALSO, we finally have the Satos! PRETTY GREAT TO SEE YOU, ASAMI! She's gotten a lot of hate for, um, being interested in a guy who doesn't realise a different girl is interested in him on account of how he thinks that other girl is into his brother. But she seems nice so far. So nice that fandom has given her all kinds of ulterior motives for liking an attractive boy who plays the sport she loves! So she's basically the Megan Draper of Republic City!

(ETA: It occurred to me that I should probably give some context here! Megan Draper is a character in Mad Men who was first introduced a little way into season 4 as one of the many recurring secretaries seen in the background. Over the season she became increasingly prominent, being both good at her job and a pretty nice person, until -- SHOCK -- at the end of season 4 she's engaged to protagonist Don Draper.

Fandom is ... having a hard time dealing with this. And her. If she demands respect from Don, she's being a brat. If she wants to do her job -- because her marriage came with a promotion to a more prestigious role as a copywriter -- she's a bitch. If she objects to the lack of boundaries in her marriage and working life, she's an immature child who doesn't understand her husband's needs. And this is without the dysfunction that actually exists in a marriage between a fairly average (if clever and beautiful) young woman and a sometimes-abusive head-case like Don.

Anyway, there have been a lot of theories as to why a young, intelligent, beautiful woman would want to marry a wealthy executive who looks like Jon Hamm. My very favourite is that she's a KGB agent. Because you know those Soviets, they were all over Madison Avenue.)

Whatevs, fandom. I was hoping she'd be the non-villainous Equalist sympathiser we're due for, but there's no sign of that yet.

So far she's not a character I see myself falling madly in love with (she's so ... emotionally and psychologically functional! WHAT IS UP WITH THAT?), but I like her just fine.



AND NOW, I wrote, like, 400 words of the Epic Tophzula yesterday (more than I've written in months!). It took hours, and engraving Da Vinci's art on my own teeth would have been easier, but words happened. And now to write more! Or, actually, go to the supermarket and complete the paperwork my boss has been asking for for weeks.

Comments

[nonelvis]

I didn't see this episode until after I'd seen some of the Asami-hate, which had led me to believe that Asami was some kind of vicious, manipulative, slutty whore. I must always remember that "vicious, manipulative, slutty whore" is merely the batshit shipper response to any female daring to walk onscreen anywhere near the OTP.

I'm also glad I managed to remain unspoiled enough that the shots of the Gaang were a big surprise. Toph didn't look too slimmed-down to me; she looked like she'd gotten taller, but stayed muscular. Maybe I need to rewatch. OH WELL.

[lizbee]

I must always remember that "vicious, manipulative, slutty whore" is merely the batshit shipper response to any female daring to walk onscreen anywhere near the OTP.

HOW DARE SHE FLIRT WITH A MAN WHO IS UNAWARE HIS FRIEND HAS A CRUSH ON HIM?

THAT SLUT

Also, I'm filing "Asami is obviously an Equalist spy" away under "Megan Draper is a KGB agent."

Toph didn't look too slimmed-down to me; she looked like she'd gotten taller, but stayed muscular. Maybe I need to rewatch. OH WELL.

No, she looked fine, I just had a very specific idea of what she would look like, and it involved much more luscious belly. MAYBE THAT ARMOUR HAS A CORSETING EFFECT.

[thewindwarns.livejournal.com]

Here via ljwrites. I also watch Mad Men and loved that you brought Megan into the conversation, though given last night's episode I'm sure there are more people that would speculate that she has Marxist sympathies. (It's interesting how many viewers initially preferred Megan to Betty, but are now sick of her with her increased screen time.)

I also have a hard time believing that the Satos are Equalists, though I could see them having sympathies to a certain extent. Based on what little we've seen so far, I just have a hard time imagining Asami being the spy/aggressive chi-blocker that a lot of fandom is already making her out to be, though that could change in an episode or two.

[rj_anderson]

Korra fandom makes me want to cry and eat two litres of chocolate ice cream at once and then set myself on fire. It's a good thing I don't actually track the Korra tag on Tumblr anymore, but I made the mistake of looking at it just now and... yeah.

I do have dark suspicions that Asami and her lovely dad can't possibly be as lovely as they seem, but that's solely because otherwise it seems like a waste of dramatic potential. I would be perfectly happy to be proven wrong on that point, though, since I don't especially ship Makorra so I've no complaints about Asami/Mako anyway.

In fact, I have no idea what I ship on this show anymore (aside from Tenzin/Pema, obviously), but that's not a bad thing. I jumped off the Tarrlok ship as soon as he started being REALLY PUSHY AND MANIPULATIVE AND CREEPY, not to mention that Korra called him "some old guy" so I don't think she's feeling it somehow.

[lizbee]

I do have dark suspicions that Asami and her lovely dad can't possibly be as lovely as they seem, but that's solely because otherwise it seems like a waste of dramatic potential.

Yeah, that's why I'm hoping one or both of them has Equalist sympathies, even if they abhor the methods etc.

I jumped off the Tarrlok ship as soon as he started being REALLY PUSHY AND MANIPULATIVE AND CREEPY, not to mention that Korra called him "some old guy" so I don't think she's feeling it somehow.

I like a bit of MANIPULATIVE AND CREEPY, but I find what I really liked about him was how he pushed Korra and Tenzin closer together. *weeps for the OTP that never was*

At this stage, I feel like the only things it's "safe" to ship are Tenzin/Pema and Korra's mum/Korra's dad. Otherwise, the relationship that interests me most is Lin Beifong and everyone, but especially her Snape-like attitude to Korra.

[drakyndra]

I do have dark suspicions that Asami and her lovely dad can't possibly be as lovely as they seem, but that's solely because otherwise it seems like a waste of dramatic potential.

My personal speculation on the matter is: you know that loan Hiroshi pointedly mentioned got him started on his business, but also pointedly mention who it came from? I'm speculating that it came from someone who was invested in seeing non-benders succeed, and fairly soon they are going to call in that loan and ask for a favour. And doesn't that lovely daughter of his spend a lot of time with friends of the Avatar...

Ah blackmail. It provides drama without insisting people be secretly evil.

[deird1]

...and this is why I am staying away from ALL SPOILERS until I've watched each episode. From what I've heard, I would have been going into episodes expecting to hate Asami, critique Korra, and madly ship Korra/Mako. It's nice just... not knowing.

[danel4d]

Certainly, there's potential for problems in the relationship between Asami and Mako, given the interesting intersectionalities of privilege inherent in it - he's a bender, she's not; her father is bankrolling his family's entire future - but leaping from there to "She's an evil whore!" is just classic shipper obnoxiousness.

Mind you, I blame the creators for handling their relationship so strangely - they meet, and then on the basis of mutual attraction decide to go on a... 'date'(?) to get to know each other better? Weird! Why couldn't they build UST over the course of years before falling into bed together at sweeps like normal people?

If Tarrlok's absurdly hammy "I'm not interrupting... am I?" entrance doesn't become a meme, I will be disappointed with the internet.

[sabra_n]

I admit I was a bit "..." about Asami because she was so, so glammed-up compared with any Avatar-verse woman who came before her. But that's on me; it doesn't mean she's horrible. I'm just not sure what to make of her yet.

And I really like Megan Draper as a character, the way she and Don push off each other, and the way it really seems like their marriage is equally likely to become better or to turn into a hot mess even worse than the one with Betty. Maybe it's the passive-aggressive sherbert-eating that got me. :P So if this was Asami's "Tomorrowland", it makes sense to wait and see who she is going forward.