So, um, wow. I just watched the series finale of The Legend of Korra and I kind of have a bit of a head rush right now. It was certainly much more concise than the finale of The Last Airbender and on a smaller, more intimate scale, but at this point, should we really be comparing these two series? Structurally and narrative-wise, they're much different than each other. Ok, of course people (myself included) will compare the two, I just mean to say that yes, obviously, the finale of Korra is much different in feel and everything than The Last Airbender's. Korra has been a show that has aimed to tell four distinct stories across four short seasons, while also carrying themes, characters, and some plot elements across each season. With that in mind, I thought the finale was the best season finale in the series, while also hitting all the right emotional and sentimental notes a series finale should. But I don't really want to step back and take a detached, critical look at the finale and the series at large right now. No, I just got done watching the thing, and I kind of just want to tell you how I immediately feel about it, right here, right now. Obviously, spoilers.
From beginning to end, I thought the final 45 or so minutes of Korra were a rush. While I think season four as a whole has been solid, it hasn't really grabbed me in the way that season 3 did, but looking back now, it did a great job building to something. Kuvira could have been a much more interesting and nuanced villain, but if there's one department that she topped Zaheer in, it's that I really, really wanted Team Avatar to win this time. Kuvira was a horrible, corrupt dictator, and left unchecked, history would have repeated itself and it would have been the Fire Nation incident all over again. Luckily, the Avatar was not frozen in an iceberg this time around and was there to stop her and, of course, restore balance, as she should. This said, I was definitely invested the whole way through the finale and it didn't hurt that the final battle here was expertly choreographed and simply a thrill to watch. I don't think Korra has ever felt as cinematic as in this episode (I know technically it was two episodes, but I'm going to refer to the whole finale as one), which managed to combine harrowing action sequences and tender character moments in a thoughtful, engaging, focused way without seeming artificial or forced. Somehow we got satisfying closure for Varrick and Zhu Li, Asami and her father, Su and Bataar Jr., and a giant, explosive battle between all of the shows heroines and heroes and a gigantic mecha. All in under 45 minutes. Even Prince Wu, the worst part of this season, got some great character development here. I'm...impressed.
This finale also highlighted many of my favorite aspects of this show. It delivered on showcasing just about every single unique bending ability that we've seen across the series, while also focusing on the awesome steampunk elements that have helped to really make The Legend of Korra feel unique from The Last Airbender. Watching those hummingbird mechs encircle Kuvira's giant metal monstrosity cemented my love for this world even more, and I also loved Lin and Su (I just love those two period for the record) tearing up the inner clockwork of the colossal mecha. I'm kind of a nerd for giant gears, pipes, valves and industrial, steampunky stuff like this, and all this combined with the always beautiful and enchanting bending abilities was just...just...awesome. I'm sorry, I just can't think of a better word right now.
I also loved seeing all the pair-ups during the battle with the giant mech, with many emotional moments between key characters taking center stage: Mako and Bolin had a tender brotherly moment, with Bolin coming back for his brother and thus cementing the life-long bond they've shared (they've always looked out for each other), Lin and Su, fully past their differences here, working together and doing what they do best, Varrick and Zhu Li just having some of the best scenes of the whole thing throughout, and Asami and her father having a touching moment before their relationship's predictable, but still effective conclusion (I don't know what it is, those two only had a few scenes together in this season, but every one of them had me welling up; chalk it up to some good writing and acting, I suppose; Daniel Dae Kim just really sold Hiroshi Sato as an old, washed-up, pitiable man full of regret). Tenzin and his family also had some key moments, and I appreciated that for once we didn't get a "Jinora saves the day moment". Instead, Korra was at the top of her game here, done feeling sorry for herself, done being scared and conflicted, she was ready to kick ass and fulfill her role as the Avatar, and I found myself really rooting for her, more than I ever have in the show previously.
And fulfill her role she did, but not quite in the way I expected. Honestly, I was looking forward to her finally kicking Kuvira's ass, because if anyone needed a good ass-kicking, it was certainly Kuvira. I was a bit disappointed at first when their big climactic fight was interrupted by the giant mecha exploding (cool as that was), and was hoping things wouldn't end right there. Luckily, they didn't, and determined as ever, Kuvira blindsides Korra and runs off into the spirit wilds of Republic City. I had no idea what was going to happen next, and I was probably more on the edge of my seat than I ever have been during this show (the closest being the finale to season 3). Kuvira ends up stumbling upon her gigantic spirit cannon, and in one final attempt to murder Korra, harnesses the power of the surrounding spirit vines to fire a final shot. After the weapon went out of Kuvira's control, I was a little worried that it would just explode and kill her in the blast, which would have been predictable and lame. Instead, Korra ends up putting her life before her enemy's and energy bends the destructive force (or does something), ultimately creating a new portal to the spirit world in the end. This scene and the ones that followed it were simply beautiful and the music that accompanied them and the entire finale overall was astoundingly poignant. Series composer Jeremy Zuckerman really did some masterful work here.
So while at first I was disappointed we didn't get to see Korra pound Kuvira's face into the ground, I actually like how it ended up turning out better. It was a perfect demonstration of the difference between good and evil, right and wrong, etc. Kuvira, being the horribly misguided person she is (to put it lightly), does everything in her power to try to kill Korra, meanwhile, Korra, being the good person that she is, ends up doing everything in her power to save her enemy's life in the end. Through this demonstration of power, Kuvira realizes that she is no match for the Avatar and admits defeat. While the last-minute attempt at some character development/motivation in the form of Kuvira's past as an orphan was a bit "too little, too late" and felt a tad ham-fisted, at least it provided some context for her actions, and I thought overall this conclusion worked. It also brought to mind Aang's method of defeating Fire Lord Ozai at the end of The Last Airbender, where instead of killing him, he opted to take his bending away and therefore neutralize him as a threat.
Overall, it was a thrilling conclusion, and the final scenes pulled some great emotional punches, particularly the wedding of Varrick and Zhu Li, the final scene between Korra and Tenzin and especially the final scene between Korra and Asami. The visuals and, again, the music was nothing short of beautiful here and my eyes were watery the whole time. This show has had its ups and downs, for sure, but when all's said and done, I found myself affected. Over the past two seasons, it actually feels like Korra has grown as a character and her stopping a mad dictator like Kuvira finally proved what has been troubling her the whole series, finally demonstrated why the world needs her. She really seemed like she'd grown, and the consistency between season three and season four make me think that if this was only the halfway point of the show, perhaps we could have had a truly amazing show by the end (of course, this is my personal opinion; you may already think Korra is entirely amazing as it is). But alas, this is where it ends, and for that, I think it did a pretty fine job, probably as good as it could have been. I really do feel like Korra deserves a vacation after all this, and I think ending with Korra and Asami's relationship was a poignant end note to the series. Their relationship and how it has developed over the series and the past couple of seasons especially has easily been one of the strongest in the show and seeing these two have a heart-to-heart before walking off into the spirit world, hand in hand, really got me, I gotta say. In fact, I found this moment much more emotionally satisfying than Aang and Katara's kiss at the end of The Last Airbender (I wasn't much of a fan of Aang and Katara's romance and feel it's one of the few weak spots in the otherwise brilliant The Last Airbender). I imagine there will be speculation over the nature of Korra and Asami's relationship (o.k., I don't just "imagine"; I admit, I cheated and have already seen the buzz this is predictably causing on the internet), but...I don't know, I think it was pretty unambiguous, right? I felt it there at the end, and I kept thinking, "are the writers really going for it?" "Just friends" don't clasp hands and look into each other's eyes longingly in a beam of spirit light, right? I guess I'll leave that for you to decide, just like the show's writers have done for us. Either way, there's no denying that it was a beautiful ending scene.
For my money, this finale was pretty much perfect. I had qualms with the way they ended season three, but they clearly had a plan and I think it paid off. Zaheer had to be defeated at the end of season three for Kuvira to take power. and Kuvira had to take power so Korra's role as the avatar could finally be fulfilled in a satisfying, conclusive way. Amon and Zaheer were both ambiguous for me, not really "evil" enough for me to really get behind Korra taking them down (although they did both need to be stopped), whereas Unalaq, on the other hand, was just way too cartoonishly over-the-top "Saturday morning" villain and I simply couldn't take him seriously (plus, he was so boring). Kuvira was a decent middle ground; she could have been better, but she worked. Besides, there's just something a lot more satisfying, a lot more human and grounded and relatable, about Korra and friends struggling to take down a giant mecha with their brains and brawn and Korra having an old-fashioned brawl with Kuvira before talking it out in the spirit world than a giant Kaiju battle between two demi-gods that ends with a blatant deus ex machina. Kuvira may not have been the most interesting villain ever, but she performed her role as a "giant asshole that I really wanted to be taken down" well, and her role as a power-hungry dictator that used a mixture of technology and magic to attain her goals made her in a way a perfect final antagonist for this show, not to mention, as Korra herself pointed out, the two of them's similarities. Kuvira's conquest also parallels nicely with the conflict in The Last Airbender, with her campaign sharing similarities with Fire Lord Sozin's so many years before (and I'm sure Kuvira would not have stopped at taking control of just the Earth Kingdom territories, and therefore we would have been hearing, "But that all changed when the Earth Empire attacked..." some day in the future).
It will be fun for me now to think back on The Legend of Korra as a whole. It's a very flawed show, but that makes it interesting to dissect and think about. Despite its ups and downs and overall being a much lesser show than its absolutely stellar forebear, I find myself focusing now on just all the things I loved about Korra. All the steampunk elements; the interesting world that's a mix of eastern philosophies, magic, spirits, and technology; the beautiful animation and consistently amazing action. While overall, the characters aren't as strong as in The Last Airbender, some are simply cool as nails like Asami and the Beifongs, and there were certainly gems like Varrick, Tenzin, and Zaheer. Mako and Bolin both grew on me as well, particularly in these last two seasons. Korra herself, though her character has gone through a lot of hoops, in the end, I found myself pretty attached to her, and in a way, found her a bit more relatable than Aang (maybe it's just her older age, or maybe her more pronounced character flaws). The Legend of Korra is over and with it, the world of Avatar as far as we know (and the creators have said so), and while I'm certainly saddened to think of the fact that I never will get to explore this rich and amazing world again in a future adventure, I'm looking forward to going back and reliving it all again, starting with The Last Airbender. The Legend of Korra isn't exactly what I'd call a masterpiece, but it's still a work worthy of a lot of praise in many areas, and at the end of the day, I just had a damn good time watching it.
So long, Korra.
