Legend of Korra 2.05 - "The Peacekeepers"
Oct. 5th, 2013 01:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lizbeeSo, first thing's first, this year's animation isn't as good as last year, is it? At first I was a bit eyerolly about people saying that, especially since they were also claiming that Korra was no longer muscled and tough-looking, but I was watching closely this week and last week, and people just aren't blinking. Like, hardly at all. Background characters aren't changing expression. Lin's face isn't as well-defined.
Okay, research tells me that Studio Mir, which did book 1, was quite burned out by that job, so episodes 1-6 of book 2 were farmed out to the Japanese Pierrot. Mystery solved. Let's all send gift baskets and massages to Studio Mir, though, because the whole not-blinking thing is creepy.
ANYWAY, "The Peacekeepers" was kind of epic, AND YET I was disappointed because, show, you can't just go and promise us the Fire Lord and not deliver. I hope she's around next week.
On the other hand, we do get Sokka's statue, and Beifong, cranky queen of my heart. Back in her old job but, uh, kind of precariously placed? The advantage of having a four-person council was that in case of conflict, she could play them off against each other, as we saw in "And the Winner Is..." Can't do that with just one president.
Who is kind of an ass anyway, but not entirely in the wrong? I'm also pretty Team Mako this week, given that Mako is Team Not Surreptitiously Organising Military Engagements. I feel like he'd also be Team Not War Profiteering, Come On, Future Industries, Get It Together, but maybe that's just because he's in my good books. Weirdly, I never ship him with Korra more than when they're fighting.
Anyway, at least we now have proof that General Iroh is in his job because he's pretty rather than smart. I bet the average IQ of the United Forces has really dropped since Bumi retired. (I also think the Republic City Police Force suffered a big drop in numbers due to Amon and the revolution, which is how Mako is advancing so quickly, and why the detectives in the bombing seem kind of shite. Although, let's face it, that's pretty realistic.)
SO, VARRICK, ACTUALLY QUITE BAD NEWS, RIGHT? Like, I don't think (as some people do) that he's the real big bad of the season, but I'm pretty sure the season will end with Team Avatar going, "Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell ... thanks for all your ... support," and then running.
Though I do like how his whitewashed Southern Water Tribe movie just seems to defy criticism, in that Korra and Mako just shut down at the thought of it. Also, we need more Ginger. (Also, THANK YOU, show, for confirming that she is not a natural redhead, because people were insisting she had to be white, and I'm like, HAIR DYE IS A THING THAT EXISTS, AND WAS QUITE POPULAR IN THE '20s!)
The Tenzin plot was a bit eh for me this week -- adorable, but Meelo is not my favourite Airbaby. Even though, guys, we've found the real big bad of season 2. Meelo and his army of lemurs. (I do like that each of the kids gets a storyline this year, and that they gave Ikki and Meelo time in the spotlight before Jinora's spirit journey stuff.)
And Eska and Desna continue to exist. I quite like them when their plots are separate from Bolin, but Eska's pretty fixated, so IDK. I was hoping they'd end up in the Fire Nation, so Zuko could be, "Oh, creepy aristocratic sociopaths! I have experience in this field!" And then he adopts them and teaches them about boundaries. Failing that, I really like this fic, although I also warn that it contains domestic violence and general creeptitude.
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Date: 2013-10-05 07:22 am (UTC)That being said, while surreptitiously organizing illegal military intervention is super not a good idea, the Southern Water Tribe is facing potential annihilation. Which... can get into a whole long discussion of the legitimacy of military intervention. But I will say, the makeup of the United Forces does seem to be more like, well, Peacekeepers than a national military. General Iroh is a Fire Nation prince - not a citizen of the United Republic. My impression, maybe incorrect, but - was that that the United Forces is culled from all nations. That's not a national military. And I think there's a serious question as to why the President of the United Republic is its sole commander in chief. The Republic City Council was so bad for the purpose of governing the city itself, and as usual when something doesn't work, it was entirely replaced. But on the other hand, it would make way more sense for the United Forces to be directed by something like a United Nations council than it does for it be directed by just this one leader, who has no particular reason to be impartial. That the Southern Water Tribe gets no real representation in this decision when its own members may be enlisted in the United Forces is troubling. But, as I said, it's also a pretty typical step that trying to solve one problem (lack of self-governance and representation in Republic City) leads to another (inappropriate focus of power for an international organization).
(I'll also admit that after this episode, a friend and I had a very lively conversation about what the politics of a Council like that debating intervention would look like, which amounted to the Southern Water Tribe appealing to the Fire Nation and Air Acolytes that their culture was being threatened by military force, while the Earth Kingdom being made up of formerly independent areas would be more resistant to allowing the South to break away. Because we're dorks.)
Not that I'm saying Korra's actions were all justified, but I don't her position was indefensible. She's facing an immediate and potentially hugely destructive situation with no real adequate outlet to appeal to.
I'm a little mixed on Varrick, just because the bombing thing seemed too obvious (but then again, this show), whereas with the propaganda film, it just seemed like there had to be ... a lot of awareness on the part of the writers behind that. I don't know. I think there will be eventual backing away slowly regardless of just how corrupt Varrick is, because he's so openly corrupt. (I was going to say he instigated the war, but as bad as a decision his attack on Unalaq was, Unalaq's actions were really what precipitated it.) But the bombing thing just felt clear enough to be a possible misdirect. But I mean that not so much as a defense of Varrick than as a suggestion that someone else may be messing with this conflict.
And... I also partially like Asami because I see her as a potential Lady Eboshi, so the war profiteering was not surprising at all to me. I'd like her to be smart if she's going to be ethically questionable, or at least have some IC motivations apart from plot convenience. (Which I can think of! Naivete, vicarious experience of actually being able to support your family members in an armed conflict, self-interest in maintaining ties with the Avatar, whatever. I just wish they existed outside my head.) But part of the reason I always hated the idea of her as an Equalist was because I felt like, come on, if she's going to be an antagonist, she's going to be a cold-hearted industrialist. But I don't think that will actually happen. I just don't have a problem with her riding that line.
And it especially won't happen because whatever happened in the end seems ... like it could derail military intervention plans, anyway.
(ETA: omg this is the longest comment I'm sorry >_<)
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Date: 2013-10-05 04:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-06 02:39 am (UTC)On the other hand, his yelling at Korra that she keeps messing up the world and basically making all wrong decisions, especially considering that he agreed to support her last week, and up until last week pretty much all the decisions she made were the opposite of what she's doing now... not so much. But it also was, to me, IC consistent with his inability to deal with her Avatar things.
Yeah, that was dickish, albeit in a consistent way with his previous dickishness. I suspect that Mako is like Tenzin, and will ultimately find he's happiest with a partner who shares his love/need for domesticity, and who isn't particularly interested in politics. Not that Korra is interested in politics, but politics are interested in her.
Not that I'm saying Korra's actions were all justified, but I don't her position was indefensible. She's facing an immediate and potentially hugely destructive situation with no real adequate outlet to appeal to.
Oh, no, and not only does she not have an outlet or source of support, she also doesn't seem to have much grounding in any kind of civics or political theory? Which makes sense, because I can see how her mentors wouldn't want to be biasing the Avatar, but she's a bit at a loss here. It's the sort of thing Tenzin would be really good at, but ... well, she fired him. (And he seems really keen to be a full-time dad at the moment anyway.)
I didn't mean to imply that I was criticising Korra's actions or motivations -- I mean, she's making some bad choices, but they're the result of bad/inadequate advice, and she's doing the best she can in a really desperate situation. I facepalm, but I facepalm with love.
And it especially won't happen because whatever happened in the end seems ... like it could derail military intervention plans, anyway.
TRUE. But one of the loglines for a future episode suggests Mako is uncovering a conspiracy that revolves around Future Industries, so I'm keeping my eye on Varrick for now. Unless Zhu Li is playing a really long game. (I have decided to ship Lin/Zhu Li, and am therefore declaring war on Lin/Kya shippers. SO THERE.)
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Date: 2013-10-05 08:26 am (UTC)Given that the rest of Team Avatar are really sympathetic as they become merchants of death and propagandists... I think it does continue this season's trend of really weird depth and maturity, especially given how Tenzin's harsh training regimen isn't suggested as wrong.
I'm not actually sure what I'm trying to say here, if I'm honest.
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Date: 2013-10-05 04:00 pm (UTC)I also like that once Korra leaves the water tribe, where she's a big macher because of title and heredity, her credit instantly diminishes. Raiko rightly runs rings around her. I also appreciate that Korra's allowed to be one of the angriest young women on TV with no need seen by the writing staff to justify her real griefs from those blown out of proportion. I really identify with her pain.
The old animation studio coming back in ep. 7 makes me wonder if the decision to move the airtime was in part motivated by the hope no one saw the first four episodes. I think you could walk into this one without having seen them and understood almost all of it until the final spirit confrontation.
Speaking of that: did Korra's uncle Evil Kingy end up teaching her spirit bending? It sure looks like she's in more of an Aang!Uncontrolled!Fugue than we've seen before. It's also weird that Korra is getting into a death match with her cousins, whom she knew in childhood, without first trying to stop them.
The Korra-Mako breakup was so heavily foreshadowed I was surprised I found it effective. Especially enjoyed Lin's cryptic comment about the Air Temple. Did she break up with Tenzin, then? Or was she the one losing control?
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Date: 2013-10-05 09:28 pm (UTC)Her line was, "You should have seen Air Temple Island after Tenzin broke up with me. So I don't think there was much ambiguity there!
I agree with the rest of your thoughts, though, except I doubt the airtime move was in the hope no one had seen the first few eps. I mean, TV networks don't care about quality so much as eyeballs.
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Date: 2013-10-05 11:43 pm (UTC)Eh. It depends on the network. I don't really think Nick is the NBC of burnoff scheduling, though. You're probably right.
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Date: 2013-10-05 08:46 pm (UTC)I mean, why don't people seem to appreciate that your home country being invaded might make someone a bit upset? They seem to be acting like Korra is history's greatest monster for having some urgency and desperation.
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Date: 2013-10-06 02:41 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-06 04:17 am (UTC)I haven't seen it yet, but THIS.
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Date: 2013-10-06 04:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-10-06 08:10 pm (UTC)