Following its predecessor, The Legend of Korra will arrive on Netflix tomorrow, and with it, a new audience will be exposed to the polarizing Avatar: The Last Airbender spinoff. I’m already dreading the hot takes.
Unlike Avatar, which had the benefit of being an original concept that was allowed to shock viewers and their expectations, people came into The Legend of Korra expecting something. I’ve already discussed my own mixed feelings on Korra (mostly the first two books of the series), and as I was reminded in a recent article on Vox, the audience for the show had really dropped off during “Book 2: Spirit”: “its season two premiere lost nearly half its viewers, and by the end of season two — generally considered the show’s roughest and rockiest — many more viewers had bailed.”
For those who were burned out after Book 2 (a feeling I totally understand), I think this would be a great chance to finally watch Books 3 and 4. For me, as someone who hated the previous two seasons, it really turned the story around because it became a more character-centric series that allowed Korra to evolve as a protagonist—also Korrasami.
For people going in for the first time, the first two seasons are polarizing for a reason. If you are a completist, just know it might be a little bit of a journey. However, if you just want the good bits, I’d say watch the first few episodes of Korra to get the lay of the land, “Book 2” episodes seven and eight, “Beginnings, Part 1 & 2,” and then the finale of that season. That pretty much gives you all the setup for the world. Book One is largely not a factor to anything because it had been meant to be a standalone, so you don’t lose anything by skipping pretty much the whole second half. For all its issues, “Book 2” does at least change the landscape of the series.
Legend of Korra is not a terrible show, but it did have issues mixed in with the things that made it important. We are fully capable of being able to see why it didn’t connect with people, especially some Asian critics, who felt the show pulled away from some of the more Eastern traditions it was based in. We can also address that people are not great towards female flawed leads while acknowledging that Korra was still underwritten in some parts of the series.
We can hold important shows to standards. For all the terrible takes I’ve seen about Avatar since it came out, at least there are enough people saying “enough” to make the waters a little bit less messy. I, for one, plan on watching the series finale over and over again because Korrasami forever in this house.
(via Vox, image: Nick)
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