Discuss and Rate the Last Thing You Watched (non-movies)

[Dalisclock]

I haven't watched much as far as TV goes so I'll throw this out here.

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts: 3rd/Final Season

It's a kids show but my kid loves it and it's a pretty good show in it's own right. For those who haven't heard me mention it before, this show is basically a kid friendly version of Fallout but a lot more light hearted(though not without it's dark overtones). 200 years before the show started, something bad happened that caused animal life all over the world to mutate to massive degrees. A lot of animals became anthropomorphized and gained the power of speech and intelligence, whereas other became mega-mutes(as they're called) the size of cars or even buildings(one shown early in the shown is a mega-bunny, a massive rabbit with ears all the way down it's back and 6 or so legs. DO NOT TOUCH IT'S BABIES!). Humans were driven underground to live in shelters called Burrows, abandoning the surface(now a wild and dangerous place) to the mutants, who formed tribes that constantly war amongst themselves.

One of the things that makes the show kid friendly is that the the mutants tribes all have their own particular theme. The wolves are science nerds(obsessed with research and they have rap battles about science), Frogs wear nice 3 piece suits and resemble mobsters(They offically "Mod Frogs" but it's extremely easy to hear "Mob Frogs"), The cats are lumberjacks, the snakes are rocker girls who love heavy metal, the rats run an amusement park(which doubles as an all species safe zone), etc.

Kipo is a human from a burrow who accidentally ends up outside and slowly assembles a small group of colorful characters around her to help her find her way home initially, but the show eventually expands out to her trying to find a way to bring peace to the surface world, to the point humans and mutants are living in peace with each other. Intially the main threat is an intelligent Mandrill named Scarlimange who has united the simians and has found a way to brainwash humans to serve him, so he's looking for more humans to serve as an army to conquer and unite the wasteland. They also dress like 18th century European Aristocrats(powdered wigs and all). Eventually a new faction is introduced to the mix who ends up taking the villian mantle.

This works because of the fact the show takes itself kinda but not that seriously and runs off the dynamic of Kipo being such an optimist that she eventually finds a way to befriend those she meets, much to everyone's shock. Hey, it's a kids show, it plays heavily off the "hope" and "coexistance" themes, not unlike the new She-Ra but with more of a post-apocalyptic vibe.

The show also has some good music throughout, and while a lot of it is rap/hip-hoped centered, it branches out into other genres as well, including a fun folk ballad sung by the timbercats as one of my personal faves.

The show has a few unresolved issues(the cause of the mass mutation is never revealed) but over 3 10 episode seasons(30 eps total) it manages to nicely tell it's story, maintain a pretty decent cast of colorful characters and has a lot of fun doing it, while still retaining some element of tension and some decent plot twists along the way.

So yeah, something to check out if you have small kids(and they need something new to watch) or just want to check out a show that's lighthearted with enough dark overtones to give it some bite.

 

[Ezekiel]

Three episodes into season 9 and ready for the X-Files to be over, but I'm still curious about the "event" series included with this boxset. I'm dying to know what lame/funny excuse they came up with to resurrect both

Spoiler

the smoking man and the Lone Gunmen.

Overall, I find it way easier to watch movies. TV shows usually just keep going and going and going. If Chris Carter had been told his show would have to end at season 6 or 7 or 8 three years in advance, it would probably have a good ending.

 

[Ezekiel]

Also, the show lost a lot of its atmosphere by moving from British Columbia to California in the sixth season. Definitely preferred the wet, green Canadian look. Someone told me it was because Duchovny got tired of the weather up there. Then he quit...

 

[Baffle]

Star Trek Discovery. Whoever wrote the Netflix subtitles wasn't really listening to the same show I was. Lots of dropped words, some that changed the sense too much.

 

[Baffle]

Someone told me it was because Duchovny got tired of the weather up there. Then he quit...

I mean, if someone said you could slump around in a long coat being paranoid or you could be in Californication, which would it be?

 

[Ezekiel]

I mean, if someone said you could slump around in a long coat being paranoid or you could be in Californication, which would it be?

What? Californication started five years after The X-Files ended and seven years after he quit the show and eight or nine years after he made them leave Canada.

I watched the episode 4-D yesterday, which reminded me why I still watch later seasons of The X-Files. About Doggett and Reyes being killed and shot by a serial killer who can travel between dimensions.

 

[Baffle]

What? Californication started five years after The X-Files ended and seven years after he quit the show and eight or nine years after he made them leave Canada.

Yeah, I wasn't being serious. Californication is legit better than X-files though (serious this time).

 

[Ezekiel]

Yeah, I wasn't being serious. Californication is legit better than X-files though (serious this time).

Haven't watched it. I rarely stream and hate how badly compressed most pirated stuff is. iTunes apparently looks good, but I have issues even getting it to work. Nope, not buying anything digitally yet. I wonder if those European Blu-rays of it are good.

 

[Hawki]

Andromeda: Season 5 (2/5)

So after all these years, I finally got round to season 5 of Andromeda. Widely regarded as the worst season in the bunch and a dud, you might be asking, is that assertion correct? To that, I say, "kind of."

To elaborate, season 3 actually irritates me more, but if I'm being as objective as possible, season 5 is worse. Season 3 irritated me because, among other things, it more or less abandoned the plot threads of the first two seasons for what's effectively a season of filler. However, that's not to say you couldn't enjoy individual episodes. On the other hand, while season 5 probably has the strongest episode-to-episode continuity, that doesn't help it if the episodes are bleh. More than anything before it, season 5 leans into mystical mumbo jumbo that gives the illusion of something meaningful going on, but really, it's just window dressing. This shows early on, with an embarassing attempt at Shakesperean dialogue, and beyond that, mysticism, space magic, and more space magic. Now, Andromeda's always had fantastical elements (the Abyss was introduced in the first season after all), but 5 really, REALLY leans into that. And I wouldn't mind that so much if the dialogue or context was up to snuff, but nope.

So stuff happens. Every so often something occurs that I genuinely enjoy, such as the storm episode (where the directing makes it look like a stage play; in a good way that is), or a concept like an artificial sun, but it's not enough to elevate the season. What's more, it carries on the paradine nonsense that season 4 introduced. You know, it's so weird - one of the earliest episodes from season 1 was Dylan convincing people that he wasn't the messiah, and by the end of it, he's the saviour of the entire universe (or at least three galaxies). He's so gosh darn special that the avatar of a bloody sun is simply there to protect him, and the avatar of a black hole wants to bone him, and gah! I'm not inherently opposed to chosen one narratives, but Andromeda really doesn't make it work.

So, we chug through. We go on. Part of the season's issues are a lack of budget that stemmed from production issues, but honestly, that's beside the point, when it's the writing that's the primary issue. By the end of it, the Abyss is destroyed (we never learn exactly what it is, or what it wanted - not unless you read Coda at least), Earth is destroyed (an event that's quickly forgotten about in the context of its own episode, and all's right in the universe...maybe...I dunno, the show can't even do its last battle properly. I assume Tarazed survives the Nietzschean assault, but taking the episode entirely at face value, the ships that come to the Seefra system seem like refugees.

So that's Andromeda season 5. What I've said above is probably not stuff that many people would disagree with. However, I'm going to go a step further and say something that's possibly a bit more unique - there should have been a season 5. Or, at least, season 5 shouldn't have introduced plot points and not deal with them. Chief among them is that Bekka is the Nietzschean alpha matron due to time travel shennanigans, but this never really gets resolved. It's stated that Bekka is the one person who could unite the Nietzschean race, but this never really comes to pass in the show itself. She tries it once and fails (which makes sense, because who's going to beleive her at face value?), then tries again at the end and it sort of works...maybe...possibly...? Honestly, the episode never makes it clear. If it does work, then it makes no sense, because all she has is her word at this point. If it doesn't work, then Andromeda's got a dangling plot thread. And bearing in mind that Tamerlane is still out and about, as the actual reincarnation of Drago Museveni. Added to which is the knowledge that there'll be an android uprising in the future (that Dylan knows about due to pre-destination paradox), and, yeah. It would be weird, since you'd be coming off the defeat of the big bad, but there'd still be potential.

So, Andromeda. One of the worst cases of squandered potential I've ever seen, at least in sci-fi TV. I admit, in spite of all this, I've still got affection for the IP, but it's more affection in seeing what it could have been, rather than what it became. Part of me wants to go back to season 1 and do a marathon of all five seasons. Another part wants me to swear off watching it ever again. In practice, the latter option is more likely, but then, that's true of most things, in that I try to sample as much media as possible. So, fare thee well Andromeda - like a disabled puppy, you're a gross disappointment, but I can't hate you.

 

[Hawki]

Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures: Season 1 (4/5)

...holy shit.

How in the name of the galaxy is a Lego Star Wars cartoon the best Star Wars cartoon I've seen? I mean, okay, Clone Wars is probably better overall, FMA is still enjoyable. I mean, god damn it, why is this Lego? Why isn't this canon? Why is this as good as it is, and NOT a giant toy commerical? Fuck, why isn't this more popular?

Okay, let's get down to business. This cartoon is hilarious. Like, laugh out loud hilarious, which I did at least once per episode. It's not quite a parody, in that it's actually fairly congruent with Star Wars canon (just way over the top), but as a parody, it's the best kind of parody - one where the creators know and love the source material, and therefore know exactly how to make fun of it. What they also know how to do is leverage the Lego aesthetic and setting to its advantage, both visually and narratively/thematically. For instance, one of the main protagonists, Rowan Freemaker, is Force-sensitive, and his best skill is his ability to build (through Lego) using the Force. In contrast, his mentor (later revealed to be an Empire inquisitor/Sith/Dark Jedi/whatever) is able to destroy. Like, the idea of Lego itself (the joy of building, and the horror of seeing your creations smashed) is actually woven into the themes of the plot itself. The Light Side is used to create (build), and the Dark Side is used to destroy (smash). In of itself, this isn't a deep theme. But the fact that they're able to actually use Lego in any kind of thematic sense and make it feel natural to the story and characters is damn impressive. Also helps that the characters are hilarious in general. I don't have time to go through them all, but top billing goes to the battle droid RO-GR (called Roger) and Palpatine. The former's the galaxy's misfortune magnet, the latter steals the (applause of the) galaxy in every scene he's in.

So, yeah. I really reccomend this, and as it's free on YouTube, it's easy to watch. If you're a Star Wars diehard, you might be put off by it poking fun of the IP as much as it does, but honestly, this was a blast. Way, WAY better than I was expecting it to be.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Argh. So, thought Season 2 of this youtube show from someone associated with "Deadpool" was to drop on Amazon Prime today. Gosh Darn Brother Punchin Sand humping lady grabbing rust licking ice forking son of a hamster.... It's just Season 1 and there may never be a Season 2. So unfortunate. This show is spectacular.

I started watching Wayne because of your recommendation. I'm really enjoying it.

 

[happyninja42]

Because of my Sucessful introduction with Team4Star with the HellSing Ultimate Abridged, I bit the bullet and did their FF7Machiabridged. 4+ hours later, I've caught up. I honestly really enjoyed it, especially considering I haven't played FF7 in 20 years, so I kinda forgot certain parts(like the whole mass shooting at the Golden Saucer) were even in the game.

And despite how flanderized certain characters are(and Tifa takes a major level in Jerkass for the first 3rd of the series) they still had a fun dynamic going on. I did appreciate the whole awkwardness when Cloud started telling his (flawed) memories of what happened in Nibelheim and Tifa(who was there) just kinda awkwardly lets the unreliable narrator slide on several occasions. I don't remember how it was dealt with in the original game, but now I'm curious.

Just to note I haven't actually played any of the FF7 "expanded universe" games and I've only seen Advent Children which seems semi-canonical at best(Rufus didn't die when the tower he was in exploded, why would you think that?) so I'm not factoring any of that stuff into my enjoyment of the abridged version.

I loved FF7 Abridged though I haven't picked it up after...I guess season 2? I think it was right around the Golden Saucer bit that I lost track of it. But yeah, they are really good with that content.

 

[Hawki]

World of Warcraft: Afterlives (3/5)

I mentioned when I reviewed Shadows Rising that Warcraft has effectively moved on without me. That not playing WoW, it's harder and harder to keep up with the lore that was first introduced to me in WC3. It's no exagerration when I say that every plot point introduced in the RTS games has been, as far as I can tell, addressed fully. So that now the story relies purely on WoW in of itself. This isn't a bad thing by any means, but it does mean that it's harder to connect to the setting.

I mention this because I had the same experience with Afterlives. Again, there's nothing really wrong with it, but in a lot of places, I found myself completely lost. It's no coincidence that the short I connect with most is Uther's, because it connected directly to WC3 (when Arthas kills him) and Arthas's death in Wrath. The others aren't necessarily of lower, or even higher quality, but, again, pretty much lost. The Shadowlands, as a concept, are something completely new to me.

I get that this isn't really a review, but more an acknowledgement that WoW's really outstripped my ability to keep up with it.

 

[Hawki]

Avatar: The Legend of Korra - Book 3: Change (3/5)

Anyone who knows me on this forum knows that I really, REALLY love The Last Airbender, and I...don't, the Legend of Korra. Didn't like season 1 much, liked season 2 much, MUCH less, and gave up with season 3. It's only now, years later, that I've decided to give the last two seasons a try. Having finished season 3, I can say that on one hand, season 3 is a significant improvement over its predecessors. But that on the other, it isn't outright "good." Just average.

If season 3 has a single flaw, it's that it's trying to do too much over too few episodes, and as such, a lot of plot points feel underdeveloped and/or rushed. To illustrate this, I'm actually going to give a brief rundown of the season.

 

[Hawki]

So. Portals have been opened from season 2 - a plot point in of itself that never becomes relevant (similar to how season 2 left the Equalist plot thread from season 1 only vaguely resolved). Harmonic Convergence means that airbenders have returned because...reasons. Yeah, it's never really explained why only airbenders pop up as opposed to the other elements. I can infer that this is part of 'balancing' the world, that the Air Nation has to return because of said balance, so I can overlook this. What's harder to overlook is Zaheer. On one hand, he's a fairly solid villain. On the other, he's kind of a Gary Stu. He gains airbending, and in a manner of weeks, can pretty much out-airbend anyone. I don't know if the antagonist can be said to be a Gary Stu, but if he was the protagonist, Zaheer definitely would be. I'm also left to ask how, if he couldn't bend before, he was even a member of the Red Lotus, given that they're 'uber benders.' Oh, and as characters, plenty intimidating, but lacking in characterization.

So Team Avatar seeks to recruit airbenders for this new Air Nation. They meet Kai, and he and Jinora immediately find 'true wuv' (luckilly this isn't harped on). On, and later on, Bolin finds 'true wuv' with Opal, though again, not harped on. I don't know why everyone falls in lvoe in this series so easily, but whatever, they do it. What's handled MUCH better though is the family dynamic between Lin and Su, and Tenzin's own family dynamic, (and in training the new airbenders) so let it not be said I can't give praise to this seasonwhen it deserves it. Oh, and the Earth Kingdom is industrializing (which has resulted in slums), and the Earth Queen wants to abduct the new airbenders to form a special army. Neither of those plot points are fully explored, though the Earth Queen arc does kind of lead into season 4. Which, unlike the season 1-2 jump, I'm assuming was planned ahead here, since Kuvira is name-dropped at the season's end.

So Zaheer assassinates the Earth Queen, leading the Earth Kingdom to spiral into chaos, and imprisons the airbenders to get Korra to submit to him. I'm going to give Zaheer credit as a villain here, because on one hand, while his 'power level' is kind of rediculous (like, he can do things that no other airbender, even Aang, can), I do like the concept. Not only do we get an airbender antagonist (something that we've never had in the series up to this point), but you can understand his philosophy of anarchism and freedom. I've read that season 4 effectively recontextualizes the entire series, that each villain (Amon, Unalaq, Zaheer, Kuvira), represents the extremes of an ideal (equality, spirituality, freedom, order), but I can't comment on that here. But point is, Zaheer does work as an antagonist, in as much that you understand his motivations, even if he takes them to the extreme. I certainly like him more as a villain than Amon or Unalaq.

What I also like is the final showdown between him and Korra, because something interesting is going on with the animation here (on the note of animation, it's worth noting that this entire season looks great, especially its use of backgrounds). It's a visual callback to when Aang faced Ozai, down to the environment, to the style of combat, only visually, Korra is harkening to Ozai, and Zaheer to Aang, yet the protagonist/antagonist relationship is flipped. And I may as well comment that Korra is much more likable as a character this season. I get that her abrasiveness in seasons 1-2 form an arc, and that in retrospect, I was probably too critical of her character then, but I like her as a character far more here regardless. What I don't like as much is that she's able to master metalbending almost instantly, carrying on from season 1 (mastering airbending exactly when the plot demands it).

So, season 3 ends with Zaheer defeated, Korra crippled, and the Air Nation reborn, Tenzin declaring that this new Air Nation won't isolate itself from the world like its predecessor did. And Jinora becomes "the youngest airbending master ever," because Aang...I dunno, is she younger?

So. Season 3. Has its highs and lows. Watching this, as I said, it feels like it's trying to do too much at once, and it's here that I think the structural problems of LoK come into play when compared with TLA. Last Airbender was three seasons of around 20 episodes each, telling a single story. LoK, up to this point, is three seasons of around 13 episodes each, each telling a separate story that's vaguely connected to its predecessor. Now, that isn't a bad choice in of itself, but in comparison to TLA, it lacks an overarching narrative, and has far less time to explore its world and characters. Though speaking of world, we spend a lot of time outside Republic City, so tehre's that I guess.

So, on one hand, season 3 is a season I enjoyed, and elevated LoK in my eyes. On the other hand, it's still no TLA, and remains a flawed show. That said, I've started watching season 4, so we'll see how things go there.

 

[happyninja42]

So. Portals have been opened from season 2 - a plot point in of itself that never becomes relevant (similar to how season 2 left the Equalist plot thread from season 1 only vaguely resolved). Harmonic Convergence means that airbenders have returned because...reasons. Yeah, it's never really explained why only airbenders pop up as opposed to the other elements. I can infer that this is part of 'balancing' the world, that the Air Nation has to return because of said balance, so I can overlook this. What's harder to overlook is Zaheer. On one hand, he's a fairly solid villain. On the other, he's kind of a Gary Stu. He gains airbending, and in a manner of weeks, can pretty much out-airbend anyone. I don't know if the antagonist can be said to be a Gary Stu, but if he was the protagonist, Zaheer definitely would be. I'm also left to ask how, if he couldn't bend before, he was even a member of the Red Lotus, given that they're 'uber benders.' Oh, and as characters, plenty intimidating, but lacking in characterization.

The impression I got, for why Zaheer was OP out of the gate, aside from "we don't have time to show him learning and need him to be a threat right now" was that his mentality of anarchy and no attachments, made him ideally suited to just "Get" airbending. A natural savant you might say. Like Mozart playing a piano at 5 without any training or whatever. It's flimsy but...*shrugs* it's hardly the biggest issue I had with that show.

So Team Avatar seeks to recruit airbenders for this new Air Nation. They meet Kai, and he and Jinora immediately find 'true wuv' (luckilly this isn't harped on). On, and later on, Bolin finds 'true wuv' with Opal, though again, not harped on. I don't know why everyone falls in lvoe in this series so easily, but whatever, they do it.

Yeah that show was really terrible with relationships. It felt like they felt obligated to have them in there, because kid/teen show, so you have to have awkward romance drama, but they just didn't execute any of it well. It felt a lot like they wanted to go somewhere with some of the relationships, but then...I dunno, ran out of time? Felt they needed to devote more time to the actual plot so the stuff got sidelined? *shrugs* Given how badly they did most of them, I don't really mind they went nowhere, as they had little to no impact on anything, and were promptly forgotten once they were done for the most part.

So Zaheer assassinates the Earth Queen, leading the Earth Kingdom to spiral into chaos, and imprisons the airbenders to get Korra to submit to him. I'm going to give Zaheer credit as a villain here, because on one hand, while his 'power level' is kind of rediculous (like, he can do things that no other airbender, even Aang, can), I do like the concept. Not only do we get an airbender antagonist (something that we've never had in the series up to this point), but you can understand his philosophy of anarchism and freedom. I've read that season 4 effectively recontextualizes the entire series, that each villain (Amon, Unalaq, Zaheer, Kuvira), represents the extremes of an ideal (equality, spirituality, freedom, order), but I can't comment on that here. But point is, Zaheer does work as an antagonist, in as much that you understand his motivations, even if he takes them to the extreme. I certainly like him more as a villain than Amon or Unalaq.

Yeah they did state that, about them being examples of all the 4 elements taken to their dangerous extremes. I just think they did it poorly with Zaheer. His idea of anarchy is about as rudimentary and basic as...well any example of anarchy in popular media, so it falls flat really quickly as a "better model" for a society, since it's just "fuck all the rules". I found it interesting because they'd already done that with the original series very well. You had the tyrannical, authoritarian nature of earthbending gone bad, firebending is an obvious one of ambition and intolerance. Waterbending had the blood bending, robbing you of your free will angle. Airbending was really the only one that didn't already have an example, for obvious reasons. And, while I get the concept of it, the execution I felt was very lacking with Zaheer.

What I also like is the final showdown between him and Korra, because something interesting is going on with the animation here (on the note of animation, it's worth noting that this entire season looks great, especially its use of backgrounds). It's a visual callback to when Aang faced Ozai, down to the environment, to the style of combat, only visually, Korra is harkening to Ozai, and Zaheer to Aang, yet the protagonist/antagonist relationship is flipped. And I may as well comment that Korra is much more likable as a character this season. I get that her abrasiveness in seasons 1-2 form an arc, and that in retrospect, I was probably too critical of her character then, but I like her as a character far more here regardless. What I don't like as much is that she's able to master metalbending almost instantly, carrying on from season 1 (mastering airbending exactly when the plot demands it).

My issue with that final fight with Zaheer, was the in the end, the final villain that needed defeating was Korra. And it was Jinorra and the other airbenders that ultimately saved the day by defeating her.

As to Korra's personality, I feel she never really got rid of her anger, even when the show tried to tell us she had, she didn't seem to demonstrate it very well. She was still stubborn, belligerent, overbearing. Maybe it was toned down a bit, but it was still the core part of her personality.

For me, the show had a lot of little bits peppered through each season that I really enjoyed, but they were all tainted by the overwhelming bits I didn't like at all. I really wanted to enjoy Korra, because they set up so many interesting plots, like the bending conflict in season 1, that was apparently instantly forgotten once the main bad guy was revealed, despite there being legit concerns in the city. Wish it had been better.

 

[BrawlMan]

So. Portals have been opened from season 2 - a plot point in of itself that never becomes relevant (similar to how season 2 left the Equalist plot thread from season 1 only vaguely resolved). Harmonic Convergence means that airbenders have returned because...reasons. Yeah, it's never really explained why only airbenders pop up as opposed to the other elements. I can infer that this is part of 'balancing' the world, that the Air Nation has to return because of said balance, so I can overlook this. What's harder to overlook is Zaheer. On one hand, he's a fairly solid villain. On the other, he's kind of a Gary Stu. He gains airbending, and in a manner of weeks, can pretty much out-airbend anyone. I don't know if the antagonist can be said to be a Gary Stu, but if he was the protagonist, Zaheer definitely would be. I'm also left to ask how, if he couldn't bend before, he was even a member of the Red Lotus, given that they're 'uber benders.' Oh, and as characters, plenty intimidating, but lacking in characterization.

So Team Avatar seeks to recruit airbenders for this new Air Nation. They meet Kai, and he and Jinora immediately find 'true wuv' (luckilly this isn't harped on). On, and later on, Bolin finds 'true wuv' with Opal, though again, not harped on. I don't know why everyone falls in lvoe in this series so easily, but whatever, they do it. What's handled MUCH better though is the family dynamic between Lin and Su, and Tenzin's own family dynamic, (and in training the new airbenders) so let it not be said I can't give praise to this seasonwhen it deserves it. Oh, and the Earth Kingdom is industrializing (which has resulted in slums), and the Earth Queen wants to abduct the new airbenders to form a special army. Neither of those plot points are fully explored, though the Earth Queen arc does kind of lead into season 4. Which, unlike the season 1-2 jump, I'm assuming was planned ahead here, since Kuvira is name-dropped at the season's end.

So Zaheer assassinates the Earth Queen, leading the Earth Kingdom to spiral into chaos, and imprisons the airbenders to get Korra to submit to him. I'm going to give Zaheer credit as a villain here, because on one hand, while his 'power level' is kind of rediculous (like, he can do things that no other airbender, even Aang, can), I do like the concept. Not only do we get an airbender antagonist (something that we've never had in the series up to this point), but you can understand his philosophy of anarchism and freedom. I've read that season 4 effectively recontextualizes the entire series, that each villain (Amon, Unalaq, Zaheer, Kuvira), represents the extremes of an ideal (equality, spirituality, freedom, order), but I can't comment on that here. But point is, Zaheer does work as an antagonist, in as much that you understand his motivations, even if he takes them to the extreme. I certainly like him more as a villain than Amon or Unalaq.

What I also like is the final showdown between him and Korra, because something interesting is going on with the animation here (on the note of animation, it's worth noting that this entire season looks great, especially its use of backgrounds). It's a visual callback to when Aang faced Ozai, down to the environment, to the style of combat, only visually, Korra is harkening to Ozai, and Zaheer to Aang, yet the protagonist/antagonist relationship is flipped. And I may as well comment that Korra is much more likable as a character this season. I get that her abrasiveness in seasons 1-2 form an arc, and that in retrospect, I was probably too critical of her character then, but I like her as a character far more here regardless. What I don't like as much is that she's able to master metalbending almost instantly, carrying on from season 1 (mastering airbending exactly when the plot demands it).

So, season 3 ends with Zaheer defeated, Korra crippled, and the Air Nation reborn, Tenzin declaring that this new Air Nation won't isolate itself from the world like its predecessor did. And Jinora becomes "the youngest airbending master ever," because Aang...I dunno, is she younger?

So. Season 3. Has its highs and lows. Watching this, as I said, it feels like it's trying to do too much at once, and it's here that I think the structural problems of LoK come into play when compared with TLA. Last Airbender was three seasons of around 20 episodes each, telling a single story. LoK, up to this point, is three seasons of around 13 episodes each, each telling a separate story that's vaguely connected to its predecessor. Now, that isn't a bad choice in of itself, but in comparison to TLA, it lacks an overarching narrative, and has far less time to explore its world and characters. Though speaking of world, we spend a lot of time outside Republic City, so tehre's that I guess.

So, on one hand, season 3 is a season I enjoyed, and elevated LoK in my eyes. On the other hand, it's still no TLA, and remains a flawed show. That said, I've started watching season 4, so we'll see how things go there.

The impression I got, for why Zaheer was OP out of the gate, aside from "we don't have time to show him learning and need him to be a threat right now" was that his mentality of anarchy and no attachments, made him ideally suited to just "Get" airbending. A natural savant you might say. Like Mozart playing a piano at 5 without any training or whatever. It's flimsy but...*shrugs* it's hardly the biggest issue I had with that show.


Yeah that show was really terrible with relationships. It felt like they felt obligated to have them in there, because kid/teen show, so you have to have awkward romance drama, but they just didn't execute any of it well. It felt a lot like they wanted to go somewhere with some of the relationships, but then...I dunno, ran out of time? Felt they needed to devote more time to the actual plot so the stuff got sidelined? *shrugs* Given how badly they did most of them, I don't really mind they went nowhere, as they had little to no impact on anything, and were promptly forgotten once they were done for the most part.


Yeah they did state that, about them being examples of all the 4 elements taken to their dangerous extremes. I just think they did it poorly with Zaheer. His idea of anarchy is about as rudimentary and basic as...well any example of anarchy in popular media, so it falls flat really quickly as a "better model" for a society, since it's just "fuck all the rules". I found it interesting because they'd already done that with the original series very well. You had the tyrannical, authoritarian nature of earthbending gone bad, firebending is an obvious one of ambition and intolerance. Waterbending had the blood bending, robbing you of your free will angle. Airbending was really the only one that didn't already have an example, for obvious reasons. And, while I get the concept of it, the execution I felt was very lacking with Zaheer.



My issue with that final fight with Zaheer, was the in the end, the final villain that needed defeating was Korra. And it was Jinorra and the other airbenders that ultimately saved the day by defeating her.

As to Korra's personality, I feel she never really got rid of her anger, even when the show tried to tell us she had, she didn't seem to demonstrate it very well. She was still stubborn, belligerent, overbearing. Maybe it was toned down a bit, but it was still the core part of her personality.

For me, the show had a lot of little bits peppered through each season that I really enjoyed, but they were all tainted by the overwhelming bits I didn't like at all. I really wanted to enjoy Korra, because they set up so many interesting plots, like the bending conflict in season 1, that was apparently instantly forgotten once the main bad guy was revealed, despite there being legit concerns in the city. Wish it had been better.

If you both want to see better versions of legend of korra season 1 and season 2, just read the comics: ATLA North and South, & Imbalance. Imbalance (final story chronologically in the timeline before
Korra) is a better version of LoK S1, and N&S is a better version of LoK S2 (it was originally going to be the final story in the comics, before they decided to make Imbalance). Though I highly recommend you read the Rift first before you get to those two.

 

[happyninja42]

If you both want to see better versions of legend of korra season 1 in season 2, just read the comics: ATLA North and South, & Imbalance. Imbalance (final story chronologically in the timeline before
Korra) is a better version of LoK S1 , and N&S (it was originally going to be the final story in the comics, before they decided to make Imbalance). Though I highly recommend you read the Rift first before you get to those two.

I might check those out, I've got 2 of the audiobooks about some of the previous Avatar's, I think one is Kyoshi(?) in my wishlist with audible. Have you read those? If so, were they good?

 

[BrawlMan]

I might check those out, I've got 2 of the audiobooks about some of the previous Avatar's, I think one is Kyoshi(?) in my wishlist with audible. Have you read those? If so, were they good?

I have not read the Kyoshi books yet, but I heard nothing but good things about them. They might be my Christmas gift this year.

 

[BrawlMan]

@happyninja42, @Hawki, and anyone else interested these are the story orders of the comic books:

• The Promise - Meh.
• Rebound - Crap.
• The Search - Fucking crap! A big fuck you!
• The Rift - Start Here! It's legit good.
• Smoke and Shadow - Fuck you even harder!
• North and South - Great
• Imbalance - The best of all of the comics series so far!

I strongly don't recommend Rebound, Search, and S&S. Pretend they don't exist. They come off like bad fan fics, and really shows the start of the problems Mike and Bryan were doing with the writing. Same problems or worse problems that would show up in Legend of Korra. Mai for example, I was okay with at the time (but didn't care much for her being shipped with Zuko), completely derail her character and turn her in to a designated hero. The Search really fucked up by shitting on Zuko's mom, Ursa, with a dumb as hell plot twist. The Promise is just okay, but it's got problems. You will know it when or if you decide to read it.

There are supposed to be two more comics coming out later in the ATLA timeline.

• Avatar: The Last Airbender – Katara and the Pirate's Silver (2020)
• Avatar: The Last Airbender – Toph Beifong's Metalbending Academy (2021)