The Legend of Korra: Season 2 Review
This season of the Legend of Korra has had its greatest moments, its worst moments, and its mediocre moments. This article will review the season and talk about some of its most memorable points.
First of all, I would like to tell anybody who may not know that the final 2 episodes of the season have been released early on the Nick website. You can find them here.
I have to admit, this season started out slow and a bit boring. The Republic City scene was getting old, so I was happy to see the show move down South. In the Southern Water Tribe, Korra learns about the Spirit Portal and a significant amount of history about her father and his banishment from the Northern Water Tribe.
Korra decides that Unalaq has proven himself capable of being a better spiritual teacher than Tenzin, so she relives Tenzin of duty and takes on Unalaq has her spiritual guide. I don’t know if the rest of you noticed this early on, but her Uncle had a very funky smell to his plans. His quick vow to teach Korra everything she needs to know about the spirits, the Spirit Portal, and the Spirit World is all too suspicious. It became clear that Unalaq had something up his sleeve — an agenda of his own.
Very quickly after Korra opens the Southern portal, it is reviled that Unalaq is moving his Northern army South. It is very obvious at this point that Unalaq is grasping for power. Civil War breaks loose and Korra is torn.
Eventually, Korra learns the truth about Unalaq and her father’s past. (With some help form her trusty polar bear dog.) In the process of trying to free her dad, she is told that Unalaq does not need her to open the Northern Spirit Portal. (Which is a lie.) Korra is now out for revenge.
On her way to request aid from the Fire Nation to help in the Civil War in the South, Korra becomes engaged in a fight with a Dark Spirit. Unfortunately, our Avatar friend does not win and gets knocked out. It is reviled that her memory is lost, and she has to regain it. This leads us to one of the best episodes of the whole season, Beginnings.
Beginnings (There was two parts to Beginnings, but I will treat them both as a whole episode.) is the savior of this season. The story had started out slow, but this episode was a reimbursement of the slow paced story-line of this chapter.. Korra learns about the first Avatar, Avatar Wan, and the spirit of light and peace, Rava. We also learn about the Dark Spirit, Vatu. The struggle of light and darkness has been ongoing since the beginning of time, and Avatar Wan showed Korra that he forever changed how the spirits of peace and evil would battle. The imagery in this episode is simply amazing.
Unalaq and Vatu are shown to be in cahoots. Many parts of the plot are starting to come together at this point. After Harmonic Convergence and the Northern Spirit portal is opened, Vatu plans to escape and fuse himself with Unalaq; creating a dark Avatar that will cancel out Korra and Rava.
The last 4 episodes of the Season are amazing. We finally see everything happen. We see the Spirit World getting explored, we see Jinora, we see Avatar Aang and Admiral Zaho. When Harmonic Convergence finally arrives, we see the whole world shake, the planet starts to glow, and Vatu breaks out of his prison in the Tree of Time. Unalaq and the evil Vatu eventually defeat Korra…Rava is drawn out of Korra and slowly destroyed by Vatu/Unalaq. This scene was very hard for me to watch — seeing the only force of goodness in the world being destroyed. The battle scenes in these final episodes are absolutely wonderful. The finale and the two part episode Beginnings make up for any blunders made this season.
Of course, the ending comes and with it comes a solution to the problem. The name of the final episode, “Light in the Darkness,” is a fitting name. A new line of Avatars is created and Korra is the first of the new line. How do you guys feel about the Spirit Portals being left open?
Overall, I have to give this season a score of 9.5/10. The only reason I took out .5 of a point is because of the slow and dragging story-line in the beginning of the season. By the time the middle and end come, action is everywhere — precisely what an audience likes.
A final note: Is anybody else upset that they didn’t get to see the Fire Nation? I wanted to see Zuko! (He is confirmed to still be alive)
