Legend of Korra 2.03 - "The Civil War" (part 1)

[lizbee]

APPARENTLY I'm having too many feelings to type a cut tag. THAT'S PROMISING. In fact, I'm having a lot of thoughts, and am looking forward to watching this again tonight with weaver and indeed. (Saturday nights are Feels 'n' Korra nights for the next few weeks.)

So narratively, the Water Tribe plot and the Air Temple plot were only linked by themes of family, but I found them equally compelling. But let's cover the Water Tribe first.

It's interesting that both seasons of LoK so far have been about pitting the Avatar against Fascism in its various forms -- season 1 had your "let's persecute minorities while appropriating the language of social justice" types versus Tarrlok's law and order types, and Unalaq is more your nationalist, I think. delphi remarks that Korra's so sheltered she has no Fascistdar, but let's face it, lots of people don't.

I sense some retconning here, with the establishment that Southerners who hold the title of "chief" are merely village chiefs -- sorry, Hakoda, turns out all this time we've been promoting you -- and that the Northern Water Tribe technically has sovereignty over the South. I'm kind of glad that has been made clear, because the two tribes, though quite similar, have been separate for at least a few hundred years, and have different cultures in many respects -- and basically, I've been feeling like calling this a civil war is like ... okay, if England invaded Australia (again), and people called it a civil war, I'd be pretty shirty, you know? So setting up that the tribes are, on paper, a single political entity works.

Having said that, like Senna says, the conflict between the tribes has been going for a really long time. Probably since before the North said, "What, you're the subject of genocidal attacks? Welp, good luck with that!" and effectively abandoned the South. They're closer again, with the infusion of northerners to repopulate the SWT, but that in itself is probably a source of tension. I mean, they have a seat each on the Republic City council.

Anyway, this is all what Bryke neatly described on Tumblr as "Trade Federation stuff", and the important question is, how does it affect Korra?

Things Korra's not good at: politics, defusing hostilities, admitting she's wrong. I get a certain sadistic amount of glee at watching her try, and then fail, and then try again and fail differently.

(Fandom has been exceptionally misogynistic this week with regard to Korra. It's been quite ugly, and between you, me and the entire internet, I'm beginning to side eye anyone who says Asami is a better character. I mean, Asami's great and all, but there's something dodgy about disregarding the unfeminine, imperfect, bolshy heroine in favour of the pretty, feminine one who never causes any upset.)

I really loved the scenes where Korra interacted with her mother. And not just because Senna's voice actress is amazing. Senna seems terribly quiet, maybe even shy, but there's immense strength behind that. I'm curious, though, because she says she and Tonraq really wanted to raise a family -- but Korra is an only child. Did they think it would be best if they could give Korra all their attention, or were there other factors? (There's four years between Korra's birth and her manifestation as the Avatar, after all.)

Oh, and Bolin and Mako were around.

MEANWHILE, AT THE AIR TEMPLE, we have some really unexpectedly mature stuff about being the middle-aged children of a Great Man, and being an adult who feels that your childhood(s) could have been better, and sibling rivalries and stuff.

Judging from my Tumblr dash, fandom is not happy (HAH! AS IF FANDOM HAD THE CAPACITY FOR HAPPINESS!) to learn that Aang was not in fact the perfect dad. Words like "character assassination" are being chucked around.

For my part, I'm over the moon, and not just because "established character turns out to be a pretty average parent" is a major narrative kink of mine. (Why do you think I love writing kidfic?)

It makes a lot of sense that Aang wouldn't necessarily be a great dad. For one thing, as Korra's plot demonstrates, there's a certain amount of inherent conflict between "being the Avatar" and "having a family". And Aang grew up in a culture where children weren't raised by their own parents. He probably saw his relationship with Tenzin as replicating the one he had with Monk Gyatso -- a sort of loving spiritual mentorship (with pranks), very much paternal to our eyes, but I doubt the Air Nomads perceived it that way.

I mean, there's also the bit where Kya and Bumi's perceptions may not accord with reality either. As kids, my sister and I were convinced that our brother was Mum's favourite, when really, it's just that they had the same temperament and communicated more easily. Families are complicated! And it's actually kind of cool that all this is coming out in a setting outside of Republic City, because if Lin was there, she'd be able to offer a more objective outsider's perspective. And I kiiiiind of don't want that yet. I'm quite enjoying the sibling dynamic in isolation.

I'm also enjoying that, both last week and now, there seems to be a growing conflict between Jinora and Ikki. Which makes sense to me, because while they're very close in age, Jinora's on the cusp of puberty, and that's a time of, you know, tension.

GROWING UP IS HARD. JUST ASK KORRA.

Comments

[rj_anderson]

I loved this episode SO HARD. I was taken aback too at first by the revelation that Aang wasn't the perfect dad, but that feeling only lasted about five seconds before I mentally shot my arms up in the air and went "WOOOOOOO!" over how much sense it made and how smart the writers are not to deify their past hero just because he's dead.

Of COURSE Aang gave all his attention to Tenzin. He must have figured Katara would look after Kya since they were both female waterbenders, and that Bumi was tough and resilient enough to make his own way in the world, whereas Tenzin was a fragile airbending flower who must be protected for the sake of future generations. Actually it's fairly amazing that Aang let Tenzin ride dragon-koi because WHAT IF HE DIES NO MORE AIRBENDERS EVER, but I suspect he was guarding Tenzin pretty closely the whole time. I wonder if that's going to come out later, and whether it plays into Tenzin's desire to protect Korra and keep her in the bosom of her family (or, that failing, his family)?

Basically I have no idea where things are going to go from here and I adore it.

The only thing that bugged me a bit was Korra's meekness toward Unalaq even after he brought in his troops. I was expecting her to show more anger and challenge him for making such a radical oppressive move, as opposed to merely asking him why he did it and then accepting his explanation as though it made perfect sense. It didn't seem like Korra somehow. And Unalaq's explanation of what he wants her to do with the portals might as well have DRAMATIC MUSIC all over it, because there is no way a teleportation portal between the North and South that spirits can use is going to lead to good.

Also grating, though not because the show's writing is bad but because Mako annoys me: Mako's advice to Bolin on dumping girls. I suspect you're right about the foreshadowing, and that Mako is going to get dumped by Korra and feel the pain for once instead of causing it (in which case I will rejoice, yea, rejoice evermore). But hey Mako, it would be nice to factor in the girl's feelings to this equation, even if the girl in question behaves like a robot.

[lizbee]

I loved this episode SO HARD.

YES, SO DID I! *clings*

The only thing that bugged me a bit was Korra's meekness toward Unalaq even after he brought in his troops.

That bugged me, too, except that she's trying really, really hard to be diplomatic and politic, and she hasn't realised yet that there are times when it's appropriate to be really mad. (Also, unlike with, say, Tarrlok, she actually respects her uncle, and he's much more formal with her than Tenzin was.)

Also grating, though not because the show's writing is bad but because Mako annoys me: Mako's advice to Bolin on dumping girls.

See, I thought it was quite good advice delivered badly. I mean, a break-up is something you want to get over fast (and it's nice that Mako actually realises that now!) because if it drags out, it just becomes more painful in the long run for everyone. But I'm seriously feeling like the show could lose Mako and Bolin, and that would be perfectly okay with me. As long as Pabu stayed.