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FIRST TIME WATCHING: LOK S1E12!! (Book 1 Finale)

Happy Monday Everyone!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I can't believe we're already wrapping up the first season! It truly flew by.

Thank you so much for your support here on Patreon. Until the next one, take care and stay golden.

LINK: https://youtu.be/tEXq54Qeyko 

Original Series: The Legend of Korra

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Comments

The biggest thing with LoK is that the show was initially only going to be a mini series with the single book. I do agree and think if they had the idea that they'd be going through 4 books from the start a few of the plot points would probably have been extended out. The ending also implies that Korra was considering suicide and jumping from the cliff to allow the next avatar to come about, Aang mentioning her lowest point and the tear drop falling makes it really poignant.

Korralin Skye

I had something very similar happen with falling off the show around season 2 but coming back to it later. Season 3 has some of the coolest bending moments, and season 4 is an emotional rollercoaster :)

Austin Hurth

I hope Natalie reads the comments haha.. everyone is on point. Season 2 is a little harder to get through in my opinion but the reward is Season 3! Also, as people have mentioned, you must watch episode 7 and 8 of Season 2 together!!!

VK

^ this

VK

Absolutely love the music in this episode. ATLA’s soundtrack is the GOAT, but the use of a live orchestra for Korra really adds something special. Hopefully with new avatar stuff on the way they’ll go back and release more of the soundtracks to ATLA and the other Korra seasons. I know they’re all on YouTube but it would be really cool to finally have official releases too

Stephan

Yes! I do hope Nat sees your comment

Megan Jayne

The fact that Natalie specificlly said she wantsto see Korras "dark night of the soul" makes me assume she will really like this series since thats basically Korra every season lol

John

@Nathan Elkins to be specific Korra getting her airbending at that specific moment was a deus ex machina. How Amon got exposed felt rushed, he falls in the water and does the most obvious water bending technique so that everyone could see him. Someone as calculating and composed as himself coming out of the water with a huge water vortex into the sky, it's bad writing to me. I am aware of the chaos with production, and they probably rushed the ending to be able to wrap up the show, but it still doesn't make for a satisfying conclusion.

Oulianor Timothee

I know about the production issues, I'm just pointing out the then poor way the story was wrapped up.

Oulianor Timothee

The main reason we didn't see her struggle take place over a longer period of time is because, originally, Legend of Korra was only going to be 1 season - just Air - because Nickelodeon thought it wouldn't be popular enough to become a full series like TLA was. Of course, they realized that yes, people absolutely want more content in this world, so they greenlit the rest of the seasons after production finished. That's why this book definitely feels a bit rushed in some aspects, and why we don't get to see interesting ideas - like Korra needing to re-connect with the other elements over a longer period of time - be explored further.

Noah McGuire

Well thats not the case with seasons 3 and 4. That type of inconsistency luckily stopped after season 2.

Lorenzo Baxter

I believe that Amon was able to "take" peoples bending because he was essentially using bloodbending to permanently block the chi points in peoples bodies, which I think is essentially what spiritbending is as well. Aang used spiritbending to block all the chi points in Ozai's body so he could no longer bend, Amon is doing it artificially using bloodbending. But since Korra's air bending chi's hadnt been unlocked yet because she had yet to airbend, he couldnt block them. This isnt confirmed information, but I believe its essentially what the intended explaination is.

Jeremiah Dolan

FINALE! If you are watching season 2 soon. please watch episodes 7+8 together. please please please! Its actually one of my favorite stories (: Regarding the blood bending, when I first watched this, I just thought that Amon created some kind of blood clot that prevents the flow of Chi that enables bending, like in ATLA when Aang was unlocking his chi to go into the Avatar state. Like I commented earlier, we did not know whether we are getting a second season after the first, so the writers had to wrap up their storyline. Don't worry, there are still plenty of struggles to have for Korra.

FatLittleButterfly

As I understand it, Legend of Korra was originally planned as a one-off miniseries so that probably explains the pacing and why it ends the way it does here. Afterwards, it was later determined to continue on as a series with multiple seasons. Season 2 starts off a bit rough in terms of character arc, but there's some good lore stuff and the rest continues to have fun, great characters, dynamics, interesting allegories and themes.

Dan

Personal opinion Season 1 is my favorite season, now that it’s over I can say that I just love Amon and the story around him. He and Tarlok just have such an epithetic backstory and their ultimate demise hits so hard. I do believe that Noatok knew that Tarlok was blowing up the boat because he can sense with his bloodbending. It’s never stated but Noatok uses bloodbending all the time to make enemies attacks miss him which is why he’s able to physically dodge and subvert so many attacks. I agree that Korra getting her bending back so easily kind of messes with some character development but I can forgive it as the writers thought they only had one season. I honestly wished that they were green lit for and changed the last episode. I was also hoping for a only Airbending season as well and seeing her character go through how she must deal with that change. Mostly I just love the writing of this season generally. I also think it gives you just enough of Aang and the rest of the gaang in this season to both want more but feel satisfied as her communication with Aang goes along with her character development and isn’t just thrown in their for the cameos. I’ll probably just state my opinions of each season after each finale.

Boxx Chan

I think pretty much most of the fandom agrees that the resolution to Korra's bending being stripped came too quickly. This was, of course, because the show was only intended to be one season, but I've always thought that Korra's bending should have been taken when she encountered Amon at the end of Episode 9. It would have been really easy to rewrite the last three episodes so that Korra is working without bending, so that she's forced to think like an airbender and unlock her airbending that way, rather than just have it be some cosmic consolation prize. Of course, if they'd known they were getting a Season 2, then spending that season reconnecting with the other elements would have been a great plot. And actually, considering the theme of Season 2... you know what? You'll see.

Michael Mammano-Cheydleur

Season 2 is the weakest of the four seasons, but that doesn't make it a bad season. It's just not as good as the other three. But there are some brilliant moments in Season 2. A TON of new characters get introduced and become series mainstays. Tenzen's backstory and family gets to shine a bit this season. The two biggest problems this season. One is kind of spoiler-ish, so I'll just say that certain sub-plots weren't handled very well. But the other is that there were two studios that handled the production and animation for season 2 (Studio Mir and Pierrot). Studio Mir handled the animation for the other seasons but as I understand it, SM decided to animate The Boondocks instead of Season 2, so Pierrot was brought in. However, roughly halfway through season 2, Studio Mir was called back. (Studio Mir also animated other shows like Dota: Dragon's Blood and Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts so they do pretty solid work with some awesome fight scenes as a calling card). The difference between the two studios becomes especially obvious once season 3 rolls around and the action sequences and fight scenes become even more dynamic under Mir.

Robert Bonfante

LOL

Joits

i wouldn't want to see Korra trying to learn bending the other elements because its kinda retreading the story from Avatar the Last Airbender. I like that they had Korra dealing with different issues.

Joits

The best seasons are yet to come. Maybe just change the channel if Korra is too much for you.

Robert Bonfante

There’s 3 more Seasons bruh lol cope harder

Jenny Tolls

lol you know there is more than one season right

Brian Flaherty

AT LAST NO MORE OF THIS SHOW!!!

Arry

I've heard conflicting things. Most often I've heard that the deal with the first season was that it was one and done, and that's why they paid everything off. It was intended to be a "limited series" which were all the rage at the time. But I've also heard that after season 1 they knew they would be able to do season 2 and Wikipedia says that they were working on certain aspects of season 4 during season 2.... Which doesn't dovetail with what some people have said, namely that they only knew after season 2 that they would be able to do 3 and 4. It's confusing. 😂

Caomhan84

When they wrote this season, they were told they would only be getting this one, so this is the wrap-up they felt the show needed if this would be it. Then Nickelodeon told them, "Hey, that season of Korra you made is really popular, do 3 more - Just do it!" As such the beginning of next season is messy, but once they get the baggage handled it get's really good again.

Kevin Bartelen

Nick only greenlit 1 season. They eventually gave the show a total 52 episodes & 4 seasons. Nickelodeon pulled the show off-air in the middle of Book 3, and aired the rest of it and Book 4 on their website because of what happened in those seasons.

Alvin Everett

Curious if anyone knows whether when they made the first season of LoK if they knew whether they were going to be able to make more seasons or not. Cause I always felt like this finale's last couple minutes were like total panic - we can't leave the story on this kind of a bummer cliff hanger if this seasons is a one off. It would certainly help me reconcile that poof Korra gets her all her power back plus the power to restore other people's bending and all conflict is resolved without any payoff. Cause otherwise I love this finale save the last couple minutes.

Emilie Mish

He's my favorite character too. :)

Caomhan84

So. to clear a few things up. I think you are totally right that it would have been a great emotional journey for her to have to work hard to get back what she lost. However. Nickelodeon put LoK on a 1 season-at-a-time-schedule. they didnt give the creators any guarentees on future seasons until very late into production, which resulted in them having to write a closed ending where the main character isnt a depressed ball of sadness at the end of it. since it couldve been a 12-episode miniseries. So thats how they ended up giving it back to her immediately. As for Asami, the talk in episode 11 between her and Mako is basically considered the official break up. it's not done very well, but it's meant for the viewer to understand both of them know it's over between them. brace yourself for some more cringe romance in season 2, before it gets good in season 3 and 4;) Amons bloodbending: As bending is achieved through opening your chakras, main theory out there is that Amon uses bloodbending to manually close other peoples chakras from the inside. Think of how Ty Lee was using pressure points to temporarily block chi within your body, stopping your bending, Amon has achieved the ability to permanently clog the chipaths by bending bodily fluids.

Mathies

I have rewatched this show an unhealthy number of times because I enjoy reactions to shit. Out of everyone I've witnessed, you feel like a perfect fit for this show. You really understand the purpose behind every character, which feels like it shouldn't be a huge ask, but so often other people who watch this show end up picking the characters they root for and the characters they think the show would be better off without. I enjoyed how you not only understood the themes and ideas being challenged, but also respected how each character is involved with it. Many people shit on Mako; you understand him. A lot of people wish Bolin wasn't sooo Bolin, but you accepted him. Many people faun over Asami... well ya, that one is fair. And Korra is never enough for both the people in the show and the audience, but you still can relate to her age and her plights even when you get annoyed with her. It's really refreshing because people come for the characters, comedy, animation, music, and world building, but you have so far surpassed everyone else as far as appreciating the new story being told. Obviously, there are things to nitpick like any story today, but you did me proud. My favorite character is introduced in the next season, and I can't wait to see if you love him or distrust him. Both are valid options.

Nathan Elkin

I like that I'm not the only one who listens to the soundtrack, War, Chi Blockers, and A Peaceful Place along with the ending theme are also some of my favorites from the soundtrack.

Oulianor Timothee

Korra was supposed to be only 1 book, which is why they were closing everything by the end of the season. Once renewed they kept going with 1 antagonist per season. Next seasons cover a lot more and you'll see how it goes on many things you waited here.

Guillermo Antonio Ricci Alvarez

I never thought about that, I just figured he felt at ease in the moment feeling like he could start over, and that he had his brother back. Since he could sense people I'd assume his guard was down. I feel like if he knew it would cheapen it a bit, he even said in that moment they could do anything, he was expecting to have a new life. I don't think he could have repented so quickly, he just escaped after taking the Avatar's bending and betraying his top guy. With how it ended I like it better with him not knowing, but going out looking onward in hope, though he did terrible things he suffered a lot and it was a way of keeping the cautionary tale but giving him an inkling of light and hope before he died.

Oulianor Timothee

This was my opinion the first time I watched it. And then I started thinking about why the shock of it negates the logic of it. It's different at times from what we had before, but there's only one moment in this show I have a problem with now, and it's definitely not this season.

Nathan Elkin

Korra isn’t like Avatar. In Korra there’s a different antagonist each season

John Piazza

I hate how the thumbnail on Netflix completely gives away the ending and I know Nat definitely saw that. I hate how shows will do that.

Jenny Tolls

A bunch of people already mentioned it, but the reason for the really rushed finale is that the showrunners were only given a single season to work with, and it wasn't renewed for a second until after the first had already finished. If they'd been given two to start with, then season 2 would probably have been about getting her bending back.

Henri

My favorite is Beifong's Sacrifice, incredibly epic and then painfully honest.

Nathan Elkin

Season 3 and 4 are great, but season 2 would have been better if they spent a season for Korra to get her bending back. As for how blood bending can take bending away, that's a little bit of head canon. Amon learned blood bending, not only to a degree that he doesn't need a full moon for it, he can do it with basically just his mind and head movements. This world is based on a foundation of philosophy and pseudoscience, and bending is a combination of physical, mental, and spiritual awareness. Bending types are inherited through the idea of nature, and one's own awareness is developed by nurture. Amon basically learned how to develop a sense for not just the physical flow of blood in a body, but also the spiritual flow of chi that bending derives from. Aang learned about the pools of chi, and Amon can more or less overwhelm the paths between said pools, making it impossible for the chi to flow properly. In the long term, victims of Amon would have probably had physical symptoms as well, like constant tension in their body, difficulty sleeping, more prone to sickness, just fucking up their vibe indefinitely. The Avatar is different, with four different bending types, they actually have an innate sense for interpreting their own flow of chi based on the bending type. I'm not saying the personality of an Avatar changes when they switch elements, but each element has its own type of mentality to it, which comes with both physical and spiritual counterparts as well. Amon took Korra's bending, but he could only sense the flow of chi that Korra was already aware of. It wasn't until Amon took all the noise from Korra that she could sense the dormant element, and with a little motivation, she gave in to that sensation, letting it flow out of her in the form of air bending. All Aang did was reconstruct the damage to the flow of chi, basically like a spiritual massage that helped Korra "remember" feeling whole again, in which her chi began to flow properly. Kind of like when you realize your back has been bunched up, and then you take that fat bong rip and everything just looses up. It would have been more satisfying to watch that happen over a season, especially with the kind of story they give Korra for season 3 and 4, but that's all, folks. Hope you enjoyed the TedTalk.

Nathan Elkin

Yea I figured he must have done something physically that seriously blocked their chi. I wonder how much different it is from the energy bending way of removing bending. I don't know anything about chi or pressure points to understand what he could have have done to do their bending, and it's more confounding since Katara couldn't even fix it, but I'm somewhat ok with it, it seems plausible enough with what we know to not completely throw off the magic system.

Oulianor Timothee

the show was just supposed to be one season that’s why they didn’t build for a second season with the finale and instead just gave her bending back but it was still a great season

Malak☆ملاك

Interesting how you get a different feel for the show depending on who you watch it with, you noticed a lot more of the interpersonal aspects of the characters and the plot devices then some other reactors. Idk if I've gotten soft in my old age (I'm only in my thirties😄), but I can't see people crying without getting a lil misty. That said what bothered me with how the show ended was how she unlocked her air bending and how Amon was revealed. It all felt cheap. I'm no writer so I didn't know how they could have fixed it, but others have come up with some brilliant alternatives that would have worked better. Some of the points you made would have been better plot points. I love the crispness of the animation, the bending animation is more stylized, the music is beautiful, I like the world building, and you still get that quality Avatar humor, esp Meelo that kid's hilarious. I still come back to this show here and there and I'll definitely watch a reaction video but they did drop the ball with some aspects of the show.

Oulianor Timothee

Yeah that music was so well done in that scene, especially the slow build up.

Frankie H

Also spiderverse next week?!

DarquanJr

Wow! Okay, that was a great end of the season! Good stuff for sure! :D I'm looking forward to more - whenever we happen to continue on. This is my first time through the series so I'm the dark like you are. :)

Logan Kerlee

I forgive the whole “getting her bending back” thing bc Noatok taking peoples bending imo is just a severe case of chi-blocking, where he literally blocks your chi pathways or something or other with bloodbending, which I think pales in comparison to the power of the Avatar State - I can shrug it off 😅 And it’s such a big moment you almost don’t realise that it’s the very FIRST time we’ve seen Korra in the avatar state! I think it definitely hits you a little later, especially since we got Aang in the avatar state right from the jump Tarrlok and Noatak’s insanely sad and dark ending just comes outta nowhere to really hit you 😭 but thematically, it works for these characters - just two incredibly damaged people repeating the cycle of abuse until one of puts a stop to it the only way he knows how… it 😮‍💨 And don’t worry, there’s plenty more suffering on the way for my girl Korra ✨💕🫡🙃

Daniel McGuinness

i too thought it would be longer for her recovery, but i enjoyed amon and tarloks sad story it’s very authentic

TokyoLopez

Nick really screwed the creators on Korra, and only renewed season 2 after they had almost finished season 1, and same for seasons 3 and 4 after season 2. So, season 2 starts out a bit rough as it tries to connect more seasons to what almost felt like a series finale. But, the struggle...without spoiling anything, just stay tuned.

Geoffrey of Monmouth

nat, you will get a season of korra just absolutely struggling, it’s coming don’t worry.

BassettHolland

For the flaws Legend of Korra might have, it shines so bright when it comes to the music. The piece 'Greatest Change' playing when Aang shows up is majestic as fuck!

Danishprince

Yeah Noatak 100% knew what Tarlok were about to do and accepted it :(

Danishprince

Season 2 definitely has some head-scratching moments but Season 3 and 4 take incredibly bold steps for the better in terms of storytelling, and the overall journey all of the characters go on is really fun to witness. If you start to fall out of love with Season 2 just power through. It’s worth it IMHO

Bobby Kraus

Yes, he knew his blood bending helps him sense people's movements, so he knew and accepted it.

Christopher Henderson

I always thought Amons power to remove bending is because he can blood bend mixed with his knowledge of chi blocking. Instead of hitting the muscles and joints, he hit from the root with blood.

Persnickity

Just a thought on polls: You could take a bunch of runners up from the past year's polls, put them all in 1 poll, give everyone 3-5 choices as to which ones they like, and pick top 4 for the month!

Mastervodo

season two will have highlights, but its a bit weaker. it picks up again the next seasons after that

Tijmen ter Beek

Without spoilers, you will absolutely get what you're wishing for. They go there. Season 2 has some interesting ideas and fun new characters, but the storytelling is a bit wild. I would say that I didn't initially like it but on subsequent viewings I have warmed to it. Seasons 3 and 4 are where the show really starts to take risks though. It rewards you for sticking around because things get insane.

Caomhan84

amon could probably take bending with bloodbending a bit like how chi blockers temporarily block bending, but from the inside.

Tijmen ter Beek

Korra was only supposed to be one season at first. then they got another season to wrap it up. then they got 2 more seasons. it ruined the first few seasons a bit. you can def tell that the last seasons are better structured because of it. See you next season

Tijmen ter Beek

Don't worry Nat, you'll get your wish. Without going into details, Korra will have a long storyline where she deals with a lot of trauma and grief in one of the later seasons.

LookingForOwls

It’s rough.

Dooly

I believe this season was only supposed to be a miniseries, but it was so well-received that Nick ordered another season. That's why the issue of her bending being taken away was wrapped up so immediately

Jacob

As others said, they only got to do one season at a time, being unsure if the show would even continue after each season. Hoping to see season 2 tomorrow! :D Season 2 is widely regarded as the weakest season, but in my opinion it has some of the most interesting improvements to the lore of the series. Personally it’s my favorite because I’m a nerd for that stuff

Lee Smith

Yeah it feels quick because the creators only thought they were getting one season for season 1 & 2, and then season 3, they new they were getting season 4, so the stories connect there. But season 1 and 2 and pretty stand alone... Also season 2, imo, is the slowest of them all. I remember watching on TV as they came out and season 2 is where I fell off and stopped watching altogether. However, I found my way back, and I'm glad I did because season 3 & 4 were insane

Bodhi

I would've liked a longer epilogue tbh. Felt very quick. This season is still pretty good and I'm looking forward to what challenges korra has to face

PrayTellCaesar

Nickelodean wouldn't commit to more than one season at a time so the creators did season 1 as standalone in case it was the only season. Each season is pretty standalone in the grand scheme of things.

Jerek

The creators thought that this would be a one season thing, so they needed to conclude things in the final few minutes. I'm sure if they knew they'd have three more seasons they'd do a storyline more like what you were suggesting, but they had to wrap it up on a happy note.

Ian

Although I wished she hadn't gotten her bending back and that season 2 could have focused on that aspect, the cliff scene is so powerful and beautiful!

Danishprince

Honestly, nothing in ATLA hit me nearly as hard as Korra walking to the edge of that cliff and looking down over it, after feeling like her identity had been taken from her.

Geoffrey of Monmouth

Hi Nat hope you Tyler and the doggos had a great weekend. Are going to move on to season 2 straight away?

Baggie Mark

Happy Monday nat hope your weekend was fantastic 🎉 being almost the entire season behind I can't watch this yet , I was in London all day Saturday until 4am watching iron maiden who were pretty epic ngl so didn't have time to catch up yet but I will eventually 👍 still got like four movies to catch up on too blimmie Charlie 😶 but anyways just popping on to which you well 👍

Ian

Happy Monday Nat. Hope you had an awesome weekend too. Looking forward to seeing how this season wraps up today 😊 Just an idea, but if you are ever struggling for movie choices, you can always look to your previous polls and grab the runners up 😊 Damn Nat, so many powerful moments covered in such a short space of time today. It really was a mini epic. Amazing action and emotional character scenes, and the music was just perfect. Korra saving Mako from Amon and then over-powering him was just an amazing moment. Like you, I'm wondering how the story is going to move forward in the next season, but I look forward to finding out. Thanks for a great reaction today Nat 💛

Darryl Low


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