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The Legend of Korra: Season 1 -
(Michael Dante DiMartino & Bryan Konietzko, 2012)

[NEW WATCH]



Since no one reads the Television Tab, I’m going to take a cue from cricket and posting about this here.

I haven’t watched a television season all the way through in years. The other day, I needed a bit of a pick me up in the form of escapism, so I went to Best Buy and found this. Since I loved Avatar: The Last Airbender, I decided to pick up the sequel series and give it a go.

I just finished the first season. I wasn't sure how well I'd get into it with the first episode, but after that I got more and more impressed and invested. I love the intense and constantly changing emotions I felt. I loved how my opinion about certain characters, notably Tarrlok and Amon, changed as the the series progressed. I love the depth given to all the characters, which would be surprising for a Nick show unless you have seen the first Avatar series.

But the thing I especially appreciate is DiMartino and Konietzko, the creators, really know how to rock a finale. Which, to me, is unusual. Endings are difficult, and I’ve noticed in stories I’m often more impressed by the beginning acts than the later ones. It’s just challenging to know how to wrap up a story in a way that feels meaningful. However, the final episode of the original Avatar: The Last Airbender is one of the best finales I've ever seen, and the finale to this first season of Korra is similarly intense, emotional and poetic. So these guys have a great talent in that regard.

My gripes?

Not many. I think the limitations that come with this being a Nickelodeon show (though a very different kind of Nickelodeon show) are present. For example, where most stories would kill off a disposable character, they can’t do that here. So Amon will just bloodbend that character and throw him to the side and out of the picture. I both love and hate that. It feels a bit unrealistic and certainly the villain would feel more sinister if he killed, but without it, when murder does happen you know it’s important, and feels more meaningful because the use is purposeful.

I think the original Avatar: The Last Airbender left such an impression of me that even though I barely remember it from watching it right out of high school, I still kind of missed that series while watching this one. But Aang and his original crew make appearances, and I do think the creators did a great job of making the story it’s own while tying it in with the original.

Overall, a terrific first season.

Now, Voyager (1942)

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