Re: Korra, I understand about "we're not sure if it's the season or series finale" stuff, but I really wish they'd had two versions of everything after Katara says she can't fix Korra (one for if there was a season 2 and one if not).

My Tivo didn't catch any of Korra after Korra starts to give Lin her bending back. Can anyone tell me what happened?

In any event, I had the sense of too many plot threads wrapped up a bit too quickly. I disliked that we didn't get an explanation of how Amon could take away anyone's bending, or how he & Tarrlock could bloodbend anytime. I thought the end of Tarrlock & Amon's story was too easy, if consistent with Tarrlock's character. And I really disliked the whole clinch thing with Mako, since I find Mako boring and strongly resist the way the show is pushing the "find the love of your life as a teenager" thing.

And Iroh seemed, from a character point of view, to be kind of wasted, although his abilities were useful.

I dunno. It seemed rushed and lacking in cool character bits. And how did Amon capture Tenzin & his family, anyway?

Lin got her bending back, and then Tenzin tells Korra how proud of her he is, so you didn't miss much.

how did Amon capture Tenzin & his family, anyway?

With an airplane, presumably.

It felt that there was a whole missing episode, where Amon captures Tenzin, and where Korra has to travel to the Spirit World to get her bending back.

It felt that there was a whole missing episode

Exactly.

In any event, I had the sense of too many plot threads wrapped up a bit too quickly. I disliked that we didn't get an explanation of how Amon could take away anyone's bending, or how he & Tarrlock could bloodbend anytime. I thought the end of Tarrlock & Amon's story was too easy, if consistent with Tarrlock's character. And I really disliked the whole clinch thing with Mako, since I find Mako boring and strongly resist the way the show is pushing the "find the love of your life as a teenager" thing.

Consuela is me. It was a great ride for the first 55 minutes, and then everything getting tied up in a neat little bow in the last 5 was kind of disappointing.

I was completely expecting season 2 to be about Korra figuring out how to connect with the Spirit World and eventually figuring out how to undo what Amon did.

And I feel really bad for poor Asami. (Who I agree is a complete badass.)

I did love the introduction of General Iroh from last week. I like that there was kind of a stack-on effect with him. First you see the golden eyes of the Fire Nation Royal family. (Holy shit, it's one of Zuko's family!) then he speaks (Holy shit, it's Zuko's voice actor!) and then he gets named (Damn right they named him Iroh!). I agree he didn't seem to contribute a whole lot, outside of his random bad-assery with the bi-planes.

Speaking of random cool fire-bending tricks: Korra and Mako using firebending to counter gravity as they ran across the wall in the arena.

ETA: I totally forgot the single most hilarious moment:

Bolin: "Mustache Guy!"

Naga: [whack!]

EATA: Which I now realize was in last week's episode, not this one. What I get for not watching them all until today.

The Onion AV Club has an interesting take on the "happy" ending.

But watching the end again, this way of reading the last five minutes popped into my head, and it makes more and more sense the more I think about it. Korra’s lack of identity and her block were actually the same thing, and they’re both resolved in a kind of great under-the-censor’s-radar way.

Korra’s just found out the best healer in the world can’t do anything for her. Her last hope to hang onto the identity she’s had since childhood is gone. Mako tells her he loves her; she tells him to go away, that she’s “not the Avatar anymore.” Her misery calls back to the dream she had in “The Voice In The Night,” where her own subconscious—dressed as scary Amon—tells her “Once I take your bending away, you will be nothing.” Korra goes out to a cliff, and walks up to the very, very edge—she’s close enough that from her looking-down POV we see a tear actually falling all the way down the side of the cliff, which means her head is leaning out over the drop.

I can’t think of a reason to use that specific shot unless it’s to imply that she went up there to throw herself off the cliff.

Supporting this theory: When she pulls back, sits down, decides to keep living as a person who isn’t inherently special, and starts thinking for real about what that means—that’s the instant Aang finally shows up to declare “You have finally connected with your spiritual self!” This all feels like fan-wanking, but the alternate explanation seems to be “He showed up then because she was… continuing to be sad? And that continuing sadness somehow resolved her spiritual block?” That’s unsatisfying, unearned, and also doesn’t really make a lot of sense. The more I think about the oddness of that POV shot, Aang’s timing, and, most importantly, how not okay Nickelodeon would be with showing a hero contemplating suicide, the more sense it makes to consider the final-final battle of the season as completely internal—and pretty damn dark.

[link]

YOU GUYS.

This weekend at the American Library Association, Dark Horse announced Yang and Gurihiru will return for a second "Avatar: The Last Airbender" graphic novel series called "The Search," which explores the biggest unsolved mystery in "Avatar" lore: what happened to Prince Zuko's mother?

FINALLY.

what happened to Prince Zuko's mother?

YAASSSSSSS!!!!!

Oh, and I loved the Korra finale. Avatar State!

Yay!

But now I might need to read The Promise, that sounds good.

Dang, there's a whole rabbit-hole of Avatar comics lurking, isn't there?