>>115747
Yeah, but at least Probending stopped once the real storyline kicked into gear. Past episode (5 or 6, I forget) it simply wasn't a thing anymore because it didnt need to be.

However what we have here is a completely impotent and incosequential B plot still running alongside the A plot. The only one with any agency to stop the overall threat of Unalaq and Vatuu is Korra and just Korra. If Korra loses, the world ends. If Korra wins the wars over and Varrick's whole war profiteering scheme is over with anyway and whether or not he gets caught is somewhat unimportant when compared to the possible END OF THE FUCKING WORLD! The A plot has rendered the B plot completely inconsequential and unimportant.

Sadly, the only reason for this B plot seems to be nothing more than an excuse to get Mako and Asami back together.

>>115748

Well, if Republic City goes to war then it will probably only strengthen the Dark Spirits and make things worse for the world. I think what's missing is more exploration of what it could potentially happen that will make Korra's job harder if Mako or Asami fails. That and maybe a good monologue from Varrick that ties everything together thematically. We'll just have to wait and see.

So Tenzin is now Korra and Korra now relaxed?

>>115748

I actually like the B-plot a whole lot more than the A-plot, but I agree with your overall point.

TLoK has a problem this season in that a fair chunk of its cast, that is to say all of Korra's teenage friends, are useless when it comes to solving the real problem facing her -- not the invasion of the South, but the impending end of the world and navigating the Spirit World.

Season 1 didn't have this problem because, even if Amon was supposedly (somehow) a potential world threat, he was based in Republic City, and everything he did some affected the lives of our heroes. The Krew were a cast that made sense for the story the show was telling. Here, they don't. Varrick and Republic City's B-Plot is well and truly forked off from the A-Plot at this point, and it's going to take some decent storytelling to merge them back together in a dramatically satisfying fashion. (That, or it sets up Season 3's plot somehow, perhaps with regards to President Raiko.)

>>115750
Tenzin's attitude in this episode had less to do with him magically being impatient for no reason for the sake of Korra looking good and more to do with how we've had hints since book 1 that he's just as desperate as Korra is to be considered worthy of carrying on Aang's legacy and his frustrations are finally coming to the surface.

[Ode To Joy Intensifies]

Still wondering what Vaatu told Unalaq about the balance. Or if it was even the first time someone had attempted something with him. Whole lot of dark spirits sealed in that old circle. Maybe some Pre avatar manuscript that talked about the lion turtles and the spirit balance.

Link please?

>>115755

http://www.4shared.com/video/oUtbF2vR/TheLegendOfKorraS02E09TheGuide.html

>>115745
While I don't think Lin is incompetent, I do think the fandom overestimates her skills, probably because she's Toph's kid. People kind of forget, we found out in the first episode of LOK that RC hasn't been doing too well since Aang died and I'm willing to say Toph dying had an impact on that as well. Lin's *good*, but she's arguably one potential prodigy in charge of an entire city's safety and she's bound by laws on how she goes about doing it. She's amazing, but not so amazing that she's infallible.

And, you know, from Lin's perspective the whole thing at least warranted bringing in Mako for questioning. People took that whole bit about her going 'outside the law' to protect RC as to being a newly adopted characteristic, when it really isn't. She only did that because she felt she had let the city down as an officer but she still wanted to do what she could to protect it.

>>115757
She's nowhere close to being amazing...

>>115757

>And, you know, from Lin's perspective the whole thing at least warranted bringing in Mako for questioning

Take a look at the scenes pictured in >>115751's image. What are the constants? If Lin allows the two mustached assholes anywhere near her and Mako during questioning then it's time to get mad

>>115759
She did take down an Equalist airship singlehandedly. Fine, not amazing, better than your average bender because Toph trained her.

>>115760
What's more of a problem is that Mako apparently didn't go BACK to her at a more appropriate time, but this is also a huge cop movie cliche. Or it's totally possible Lin believes Mako is innocent, but she just can't let him off the hook right then and there because it would look bad for her image. She would basically be playing favorites to those other two cops.

>>115762

I doubt Lin seriously believes Mako is a bad kid, but she has to follow the rules as Chief. There's no way she can't take Mako in. She arrested the Cabbage Corp CEO cause she got a tip and found evidence in his warehouses against him, even though she wasn't sure if he was really financing the Equalists. But she had to do what she had to do.

>>115731

Maybe it's not a house, it's a spirit that looks like one as camoflage so it can eat burglars, squatters and pizza delivery boys?

In regards to what Vaatu told Korra's uncle, I think that somehow he's convinced him that there being one spiritually empowered-human and not two creates an imbalance, so he wants to have his soul bound to Vaatu in order to "balance out" the existance of the Avatar.

If that's the case that might be pretty interesting, though it's probably more likely to be Vaatu lied to Korra's uncle about who it was and is just using him as a means to escape.

>>115764

Or maybe the world has actually been out of balance since Wan separated Vatu and Rava and Unalaq thinks by releasing Vatu, balance will be restored.

Remember how Unalaq said "there are no evil spirits. There is light and dark." He understands full well who Vatu is. He just doesn't see Vatu as being a force of evil. Calling him evil, from Unalaq's perspective, is probably like saying hurricanes and tsunamis are evil.

>>115739
Then they should have shown Tenzin giving Jinora and Korra advice about the spirit world, rather than doing nothing useful. So far the story is saying that all of Tenzin's knowledge is completely useless if you have natural talent.

>>115749
How will Varrick make the Dark Spirits plan any worse? Attacking the South will make it harder for Unalaq to help the Dark Spirit. Seriously Varrick should be creating a conflict where Korra has to chose between stopping Unalaq but ruining her friend's lives or helping her friends but having a harder time stopping Unalaq. That would make the B plot actually relevant to the A plot.

>>115752
But if Tenzin hasn't taught Korra airbending and can't help her with anything spiritual then why should Korra care about anything he says or does. Tenzin needs to be able to help Korra in some way or he won't have a role in the story.

>>115757
As Lin's chief of police then you'd expect her to be reasonably competent, yet she keeps ignoring all the evidence Mako gives her for no real reason. Without an episode showing why she's acting this way she just comes off as completely inept.

>>115766
He was the one who knew the garden was the best place for it and knew it had to be cleansed. He also, you know, taught Jinora and Korra all they knew about meditation.

Does anyone remember that spinning wheel macro wit character's faces on it like the one there was for FiM that said "Which character does /co/ (or the fandom) hate this week?"

I think something similar could be applied here.

I hate to keep being so negative, but there's just so much in this episode that sums up what's wrong with Korra in general.

There's so many characters here that have no reason for being part of the story. Why are Kya and Bumi there? Other than just to add an extra layer of unnecessary drama? Worse is what's happening with Asami/Mako/Bolin. It really feels like this whole B plot was cooked up because they needed to give them something to do. If you have to give a character something to do because they otherwise don't fit into the story... That's a bad sign.

Even as much as I like Verrick as a character, you could cut out absolutely everything having to do with him and it would have no effect on the story whatsoever. Then we could be left with devoting more time to develping the characters and story that actually does matter. Let's get to know Unalaq a little better, let's develop the twins a bit beyond "they're weird". Holy shit, let's get to know Pema a bit can we!? She's married to one of the main characters (who's entire role has now been completely undermined by his ten year old daughter), and she's still a fucking cardboard cut out. Pema has gotten less development than some of the single episode side characters from the original series. Hit that Wan story a little sooner. The real plot and conflict, the thing that's going to pull me in and actually get me invested in the season shouldn't happen halfway through it!

Gah!

I want to like this show, I really do. But it's kind of like hearing your favorite song being played by an only somewhat talented musician. You can tell what they're trying to do, but they're just not hitting those notes right and it makes it impossible to just sit back and enjoy it.

>>115770
Concerning Pema, there are just going to be recurring characters who aren't going to get a lot of development and insight. I'm sure we might learn more about her at some point but I doubt she's ever going to really have the spotlight all to herself.

>>115770

I think you need to rewatch some episodes.

>>115770
Here’s a quick recap for you:

>Why are Kya and Bumi there?
Kya lives with her mother and Bumi isn’t fighting any wars, so they have nothing else to do but annoy their younger brother.

> Worse is what's happening with Asami/Mako/Bolin.
Asami is being exploited by Varrick, Mako thinks he’s Serpico, and Bolin can’t find a good bending team so he became a bad actor.

> Even as much as I like Verrick as a character, you could cut out absolutely everything having to do with him and it would have no effect on the story whatsoever.
Well, without Varrick we would have no anti-North propaganda, Asami would still own her father’s business, and Bolin would be jobless.

> Let's get to know Unalaq a little better, let's develop the twins a bit beyond "they're weird".
Desna and Eska are powerful waterbenders. They used to be devoted to helping Unalaq but changed their minds after Unalaq prioritized opening up the spirit portal over his childrens’ well-being.

> Holy shit, let's get to know Pema a bit can we!?
Tenzin broke up with Lin when they were in their early forties and Pema, aged 25 at the time, snatched up Tenzin. Lin didn’t take it very well.

> She's married to one of the main characters (who's entire role has now been completely undermined by his ten year old daughter), and she's still a fucking cardboard cut out. Pema has gotten less development than some of the single episode side characters from the original series.
She isn’t an airbender, but she does have the power to give bad advice to young women.

To be quite fair, we never learned much about Hakoda either, despite finding him being Sokka and Katara's secondary questline.

But I get your point, the mother characters in ATLA, Ursa and Kya, didn't get much screentime but in that short time we were shown what they were like through their actions. It didn't matter who they were or where they came from. (I'm disregarding the comics).

Pema's a sweet woman and seems to be a great mom, but all we've been told about her is that she picked up Tenzin on the rebound and the only major thing she's done is give Korra bad advice on relationships. (And it WAS bad, otherwise we wouldn't have been shown her cringing when Mako and Asami were fighting). Oh, and she had a baby I guess. Aside from that she's just there, essentially a background prop.

Hell, I'm sure I'm probably wrong, and please correct me if I am, but have she and Tenzin even have had one conversation in the whole series? Have they kissed? Have they TOUCHED?

>>115773
>Well, without Varrick we would have no anti-North propaganda, Asami would still own her father’s business, and Bolin would be jobless.

Which is sort of his point: Varrick exists solely to give Korra's teen friends something useful to do, since they can't pitch in on this cosmic Spirit World story that's now dominating the A-Plot. Everything happening back in Republic City is to fuel the civil war plot... that Korra has set aside because she has bigger fish to fry, and that Unalaq is entirely uninterested in fighting because he also has bigger fish to fry, and that Tonraq isn't fighting because presumably he's waiting for reinforcements.

You could cut out the civil war plot entirely -- the invasion of the South, the Unalaq/Tonraq struggle, Bolin's movie career, Asami's business woes, Mako's cop story -- and not affect the Harmonic Convergence plot one whit.

Despite driving half the season, the civil war ultimately hasn't proven to be important at all. It exists simply to give Korra's teen friends something useful to do, because Season 1 burdened her with a supporting cast that's bound to the Republic City setting. Season 2 wants to tell this grand cosmic story that stretches across ten thousand years... and the concerns of Mako, Bolin, and Asami don't amount to a hill of beans next to it. Thus, the civil war and Varrick are unleashed on them to give them something to do while the Spirit World stuff plays out.

>>115775
its common thing with bigger cast arrangements giving them a more mundane things to mess about and pad their development with the main is off to render the heavens. I can agree that part can be annoying as I've read numerous series that devote an entire book to just a B plot and that can be frustrating.

>>115775
its common thing with bigger cast arrangements giving them a more mundane things to mess about and pad their development with the main is off to render the heavens. I can agree that part can be annoying as I've read numerous series that devote an entire book to just a B plot and that can be frustrating.

>>115774
>have she and Tenzin even have had one conversation in the whole series?

Season 1, episode 1:
>"Pema, let me help you."
>"Stop doting on me! I'm not helpless, I'm just pregnant."

And in episode 2, when Tenzin is venting his frustrations about Korra at dinner, and Pema tells him he just needs to give her space.

There might be more.

Why the sudden fascination with Pema?

>>115780
Why not? She's the best character on this show.

>>115768
Actually Tenzin didn't know that the garden existed and even said that the energies were strongest nearest the temple. Though he did recognise that it needed to be cleansed.

Teaching a character a skill only makes Tenzin seem useful when he teaches them onscreen, preferably in the same story arc. If the character learned a skill in season 1 then this only makes Tenzin useful in season 1. Tenzin wasn't even shown teaching Korra or Jinora what you need to do to enter the spirit world.

>>115773
>Asami is being exploited by Varrick, Mako thinks he’s Serpico, and Bolin can’t find a good bending team so he became a bad actor.
>Well, without Varrick we would have no anti-North propaganda, Asami would still own her father’s business, and Bolin would be jobless.

What relevance does any of this have to the main plot? What's happening with Varrick, Asami, Bolin, and Mako would work better as a comic explaining what's happening to everyone else in Republic City, rather than being given equal time to a story about an evil spirit that is about to destroy the world.

Seriously what is the point of the Republic City plot? Once Harmonic Convergence ends Unalaq won't have any reason to remain in the Southern Water Tribe so the Civil War will be effectively over (not that the Civil War has done anything as neither side wants to fight the other). So unless Varrick can quickly get Republic City's army to go to the South Pole they'll be no reason to have a war.

>>115780
Someone noticed that she's in most episodes yet we don't know anything about her.

>>115782
There might not be anything extraordinary about Pema. If the show ever gets to the point that Rohan will be old enough to possibly begin bending, we might get more insight on her but for all we know she's just an air acolyte who had an average life and had the hots for Tenzin.

>>115782
Keeping Mako and Bolin in the series and the fangirls watching.

>>115773
>Kya lives with her mother and Bumi isn’t fighting any wars, so they have nothing else to do but annoy their younger brother.
I think the question was less "Why did Kya and Bumi come along on this vacation?" and more "Why were Kya and Bumi written into this season at all?" Thus far, their contribution as characters has been minimal. Other than providing some additional context and conflict revolving around Tenzin's family, they haven't done anything at all.

Honestly, they're probably there because Bryke WANT them to be there. Sure, they haven't made any overwhelming contributions to the storyline outside of Tenzin's (since now we know he's actually getting an arc this season, the fight they had earlier is no longer pointless) but I don't think they're really all that detrimental.

>>115786
They would be detrimental if there were some other story they could be telling that Kaya and Bumi were gaining time preference over; but since that isn't the case I guess you're right.

After rewatching, I wonder if Korra saw more of Wan's life than the 40 minutes the show presented. I don't think such a small amount could change her personality the way we saw.

>>115787
You mean like possibly spending a bit more time with Jinora so we could have gotten an actual progression of her spiritual growth leading up to unprecedented ability to teleport others along side her into the spirit?

Nah. Screw that. Way more interesting to watch grown adults bitch about thier daddy issues like angsty teenagers.

And no. Hearing a wooshing sound by granddads statue then later seeing Wans statue glowing is hardly enough foreshadowing or development for her to suddenly be this ultimate spirit guru with little floaty spirit friends. All of which was revealed in the same episode for which that exact skill set became relevent.

Geez, I'm getting pretty bitchy aren't I? I swear my next post will have something positive in. I might have to wait for the next episode, but I'll think of something.

>>115790
I think calling Jinora a sudden spirit Guru is kind of reaching, she's not really volunteering because she's just so talented, it's because she's the only one who can do it and the fate of the world is at state. She's going into this about as blind as Korra is.

>>115790
You're not goin' Firelo are you?

>>115790

Jesus christ man, take a chill pill.

>>115799

Dickelodeon pls go

>>115800

wonder if this was the same fella that tweeted this. Knew he was being sacked so he just went all out.

>>115801
Almost got me, 7/10

>>115802
yea, still as awkward as the original post though

Smithers, I'm beginning to think that Homer Simpson was not the brilliant tactician I thought he was.

I'd say the major problems with the current storyline is that the end of the world plot completely overshadows the Civil War and Republic City subplot, and there's too many character who don't add anything to the plot. As a result these subplots and extra characters come off as a waste of time because they have no bearing on the main plot.

This series could be fixed by:

1) Remove the Dark Spirit and have the main plot be Unalaq trying to maintain total control over the North and South Water tribes. This makes the Civil War the main plot and makes any subplots related to relevant to the overall story.

If there has to be a Dark Spirit then deal with it after the Civil War, not before it. In order to maintain the tension in a story the most powerful enemy should dealt with last because once they've been defeated everything else seems less important by comparison.

2) Have Asami agree to sell weapons to the Souther Water Tribe while Korra goes to gather allies. This attaches Asami to the main plot.

3) Have Varrick manipulate Bolin, try to gain control of Asami's company, and frame Mako. As Varrick will be hindering the supply of weapons to the Southern Water Tribe this makes him and everything he does relevant to the main plot.

4) Have Korra go the various nations looking for allies. It would be best if Tenzin accompanies her and uses his diplomatic skills to try and convince the various rulers. This makes Tenzin relevant to the plot.

5) Tenzin's family should come alone with Tenzin and Korra. While the children explore (revealing how the 4 nations have changed) Bumi and Kya can assist in various ways by using the contacts they make throughout their lives. This would make Bumi and Kya relevant to the plot, unlike in the current story where they're just there.

>>115791
You'd have thought that Jinora would have asked Tenzin for advice about the spirit world, so that Tenzin and his knowledge about the spirit world would be relevant to the plot.