Korra Discussion Post: 'The Voice in the Night'

[pts]

Who's got THOUGHTS? Perhaps it goes without saying, but there will be Spoilers through Korra episode 4 in the comments.

Comments

[sholio]

WOOHOO finally got a chance to watch it now that Nickelodeon has it streaming on their website, and EEEEEEE LOTS OF FEELINGS. :D

I like how the conflict and the characters' relationships are starting to gain depth and complexity. I'm tossing out my guess right now that Tarluk's reference to the enemy they took down 40 years ago is plot-relevant. Whoever that enemy was (I can't remember the name they referenced him by in the episode), I'm guessing that this is both:

a) the genesis of Amon as a threat - either Amon IS that bad guy or his son (and the firebender who killed Amon's family is either Aang or Zuko *squeaks*), or that bad guy was the firebender who killed Amon's family,

and

b) how those members of the Gaang who are not currently with us lost their lives. (Hence why the only ones we see in the flashback are those who are known to be dead -- Sokka and Aang -- plus Toph whose current fate is unknown.)

Those are my guesses, anyhow. :D

But anyway, I really like how new plot threads are being woven in. The black-and-white conflict between the Equalists and the city's government is picking up detail and depth, as is Korra and Mako's relationship with the addition of Sato's daughter. I don't disagree with pts's criticism - all good points, I think - but for my part, I was pretty happy with how things are shaping up, especially how much depth and complexity the series gained from last week in just this one episode. It's still a bit rushed and overly convenient simply by necessity (although if Asami running into Mako on her moped was total coincidence, I will be absolutely shocked; someone orchestrated that somehow, for some reason), but given that we're only four episodes in and we've already got about a dozen characters and several major storylines going on, I am pretty darn happy with what we've got.

Random comments:

SOKKA AND TOPH AND AANG, O SQUEE!

I love that the adults (Tenzin, Lin Bei Fong, Turlock, etc) are a continued presence in the show. Not that I don't love the kids; it's just that I really enjoy how the series is balancing all the different characters without the older generation being completely overshadowed by the younger. And I like the glimpses of how the city operates -- the council, for example.

Asami and her father! (That is her name, right?) Like I said above, I really don't think her almost hitting Mako was the coincidence it seems; having said that, I like the fact that she doesn't seem to be the femme fatale I thought she was at first. Whether or not she's at least partly working for/with the bad guys, I definitely think she looks like she's going to shape up to be a fun character, and makes the Korra/Mako relationship more interesting to me. Thus far, the show doesn't seem to be really blatantly pitting Asami and Korra against each other - in a circumstantial sort of way, but not directly, so I hope it doesn't come to that; I like the contrast between Korra's tomboyishness and Asami's flamboyant femininity on a character level, and hope the show doesn't end up pitting them against each other as one being "better" than the other. (The original series handled this stuff pretty well, so I am optimistic!)

I also like the addition of the Satos and their automotive empire as a neat worldbuilding touch.

The detail in this show is so amazing. One thing I was noticing is how Korra's party dress shows off her bust, but her normal workout shirt squashes down her boobs. HOW MANY ANIMATED SHOWS HAVE THAT LEVEL OF DETAIL, OMG?!

Is it just me, or is the physical appearance of two of the reporters blatantly modeled on Clark Kent and Lois Lane? XD

BOLIN HOW ARE YOU SO ADORABLE. His little cupcake! I really would not mind if the show eventually decided to go in a Bolin/Korra direction (at this point, I'm basically agnostic on all pairings - don't mind if any of the characters get together, don't mind if they don't) but the two of them also have a truly darling sibling/buddies vibe.

Tenzin's kids are so wonderfully, unsentimentally kidlike. :D I adore that serene, unruffled Tenzin has this large brood of highly energetic and intensely stubborn kids (and fairly late in life, too, as far as I can tell).