The Legend of Korra, Book 2: Spirits had some big shoes to fill. The followup season of one of the most successful shows on Nickelodeon was also my personal favorite new show of 2012, live-action or cartoon. With
Book Three: Change debuting, I thought now might be a good time to look back on Korra’s sophomore outing, and re-evaluate a very polarizing season.
Yes, I had my fair share of problems, as did many fans. Perhaps even more. Some things went nowhere like Bolin running a pro-bending team, and Meelo training lemurs. The animation was subpar for many of the early episodes. I hated the idea that Aang was a crappy father. Unalaq turned out to be a somewhat dull villain. Chief Lin Beifong was a terrible cop, and Asami was underutilized yet again. I even had problems with Tenzin the super-grouch, and his annoying siblings Kya and especially Bumi. Adults (and old ones, at that) who act as bad as the children! But by far, the biggest issue of all was that Korra’s attitude simply stunk, and she was not likeable.
But I’m not here to harp on the negatives. Season 2 still had a lot to like, and I’d like to point out the season’s best highlights.
Ikki’s tea party
Tenzin’s children got a considerable amount of attention this year, and we really got to know the kids better. Middle child Ikki had a warm moment where after running away because her siblings teased her, she throws a private party with some baby sky bisons. Not only are their names adorable, but she and Tenzin learn a lesson about tolerance with your brother and sister. It’s a rare moment for the series, that otherwise moves full-steam ahead.
Bolin’s movie premiere
Bolin got a couple of great subplots this season. One of them was his casting as water-bending hero Nuctuk, and the development of motion pictures for the Avatar universe. These humorous films, called ‘movers,’ culminate to a premiere at the Pro-Bending Arena. The significance of this scene is lifted because Bolin had actually been mostly a jerk as fame and fortune got to his head. But it is here Bolin stages his finest fight, defending the President against assassination.
Jinora, spirit guide
One of the best developments of Book Two was that it was Tenzin’s daughter Jinora, that had the power to be a spirit guide. This not only helped to mature her, and give her more importance to the proceedings, but when she becomes trapped, the rescue helps bring Tenzin closer with his siblings Kya and Bumi. Additionally, in the finale, she ends up helping save the day, reviving the light spirit Raava after it seemed dark spirit Vaatu had consumed her.
“Zhu Li, Do the thing!”
There are a few options on who the best new character of Season 2 was, but for me, it was the eccentric entrepreneur Varrick. He was zany he was shady, but he was always pretty funny, and more often than not, he would help team Avatar when they were in a bind. Not one to be short on ideas, he brought a decent subplot to the city-at-war aspect of the series. Sure, he had his ulterior motives, but with his faithful assistant at his side (often to humorous extremes), there was little he couldn’t accomplish.
Unalaq vs. Tonroq
Korra’s father and uncle had been at each other’s throats all season. There was a lot of spirit action, and a lot of battles involving vehicles and mechs, but one on one bending fights were somewhat rare in Book Two. Thankfully, these two accomplished water-benders gave us a pretty magnificent showdown that eclipses my favorite fight from Book One (Korra vs Tarlock in his office), and rivals the Agni Kai between Zuko and Azula in the original series. Visually, this face off should go down as one of the best fights in Avatar history.
The Break-Up
And from the show’s biggest moment, to a much smaller one, I don’t know what it is, but the last scene of Civil Wars pt 1 will be one of the most memorable things from Season 2. Korra’s twin cousins Desna and Eska were a welcome addition, and I think to everyone’s amusement, Bolin found himself trapped in a scary relationship with the deadpan Eska. But after finally getting the courage to break up with her, in a somewhat horrifying reveal, a raging Eska is blasting her way across the sea, hot on their trail. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!
Kaiju Korra
The Legend of Korra went big. Book Two’s climax basically saw an epic battle of a light avatar against dark avatar. Thanks to the Tree of Time, Korra tapped into her full spiritual potential and grew to a gargantuan size- a moment that reminded me of Aang’s giant avatar state at the end of Book One: Water. The fight was Godzilla-esque, but the overall stakes, including severing the past avatar lives, and with the fate of the world on the line, it almost seems this would be hard to top.
“Beginnings”
Confession time. Spirit episodes weren't my favorites from The Last Air Bender. So hearing an entire season would focus on this kind of left me nervous. I much prefer the threat of man-versus-man to our heroes just fighting monsters all year, and it took over half the season for it to be presented more creatively than what we'd seen. But it isn’t until the two-parter “Beginnings” that Spirits really took shape. This is one of those episodes no one will forget. The mythology is
Avatar's greatest strength, so it was imperative that all of this worked.
There’s a lot to live up to and a lot of risk in introducing
the very first Avatar. Thankfully, Wan made for a pretty great character, and did not disappoint. For as long ago as Aang's time was, this felt appropriately older, and the animation stands up with the best of Anime. The spirits had a particularly cool, abstract design. The original Avatar universe had a strong connection with some Eastern religious ideas, but never has an episode felt so...almost biblical. I personally got a Moses vibe from Wan's epic tale, but I'm sure many viewers will have their own personal takeaways. It was a pretty excellent, self-contained saga.