What did I just watch? What the hell just happened?! Is this real life? I'm gonna be honest with you... I probably wouldn't have noticed if the whole episode sucked, simply because of that very last scene. But it didn't suck. It was excellent. Let's dive in.
Basically, this entire episode is about Kuvira's attack, and Team Avatar's fight against it. The Air Benders send paint bombs, which cover up the giant Meccha-Suit's windows, but this doesn't work for long. People try all sorts of fancy Bending, but also to no avail. Asami and Varrick, along with Hiroshi Soto's help, get some small Meccha-Suit prototypes working (Hiroshi was released form jail to help out). So, Varrick and Zhu Li take one Meccha-Suit, while Asami and Hiroshi take the other. The plan is to get inside the giant Meccha-Suit. The plan works - they succeed in drilling a hole through the material. However, Hiroshi dies in the effort.
Korra, Mako, Bolin, Lin, and Suyin all go inside the giant Meccha-Suit. The Beifong sisters go off to try and disable the weapon inside the arm, while Mako and Bolin go straight to the Spirit Vine that is powering the entire thing from inside. Korra goes for Kuvira, who is using Bending to manipulate the controls from inside the Meccha-Suit's head.
Suyin and Lin manage to succeed in disabling the weapon, so Kuvira rips off the giant gun and flings it away into the forest. Mako and Bolin try to disable the power source, but they can't do it using the controls, since Kuvira has rerouted the power somehow. Mako has the idea to Lightning Bend into the Spirit itself, which will cause it to lose stability and explode. Bolin is nervous about this, because it could mean Mako will die. However, he manages to survive, and Bolin drags him, badly injured, out of the ruined Meccha-Suit.
Kuvira and Korra are flung out of the Meccha-Suit and into the forest. The two of them have a final one-on-one confrontation. Kuvira finds the weapon that had been tossed away from the Meccha-Suit. She tries to fire on Korra, but as the weapon discharges a huge amount of power, Korra shields Kuvira from the blast. They enter the Spirit World, and when they depart, Kuvira concedes defeat and is taken away. A new Spirit Portal is now open.
Earlier, Varrick had proposed to Zhu Li, and she had accepted. After Varrick and Zhu Li get married, (they do the thing!) the guests all have a fun time at the reception. Prince Wu says he won't take power in the Earth Kingdom. Instead, he thinks the Earth Kingdom should have elected officials. Korra thanks Mako for all he did, and he tells her that he'll always follow her into battle.
Korra goes to sit by herself. She has a touching conversation with Tenzin, and then Asami comes over. They talk about Asami's father, and how at least she was able to forgive him before he died. Korra says that she and Asami should take a trip somewhere, and Asami says she's always wanted to see the Spirit World. The two hold hands and go off together into the Spirit World.
My only major complaints are in terms of the things we didn't get. In the ATLA finale, I felt like we really tied in all the different elements and got a really solid finale. Here, I felt that too. We definitely got to see our core cast of characters fighting evil and winning the day. But here are just a few of the things I missed seeing: General Iroh and his troops. Fire Lord Izumi. Zuko. Katara. Toph. Korra's parents. Desna and Eska. President Raiko playing a more vital role. And what about Jinora? Last season, she was such a stand-out character, but she didn't really get to do anything here. I just felt like there could have been a bit more cohesiveness to this very final episode. Mostly, though, I can't believe we didn't get Aang. I wanted to see him as Korra entered the Avatar State and opened a new Avatar Portal. That would have made everything great.
However, I shouldn't be talking about what wasn't there. I should be talking about what was there, because it was awesome.
The main thing to praise about this whole episode was the fact that it took a fairly simple premise -giant robot attacks city - and they did everything you can possibly do with it. The Air Benders, in particular Meelo, had a really innovative idea to blind the Meccha-Suit. Then, the Metal Benders used their skills to try to trip the giant contraption. This first plan didn't work, but it was so cool to see them all trying different things. Bolin did some Lava Bending (bad ass as always) in order to fry the feet of the Meccha-Suit, which was also cool. One of my favorite moments in the action sequence was Tenzin's life being saved by Meelo, while Ikki saved Jinora. That was a really nice way of reminding us how cool this family really is.
And speaking of that family, I neglected to mention that there's a subplot about Prince Wu and Pema trying to get all the citizens of Republic City out of danger. Prince Wu has the crowd follow some Badger Moles to get away. These scenes weren't quite the highlight for me, but they did provide some good comedic moments, and they continued to showcase the ways in which Wu is growing as a person. His character arc got the perfect culmination, as he decides not to be the leader of the Earth Kingdom (a job for which he is not suited) but instead wants to do something different and help the Earth Kingdom enter the next stage of its political being. I really enjoyed that. Also, Pema singing old Air Bending songs to the crowd was pretty funny.
Then there's Asami and Hiroshi. I was a little bit unsure about bringing Asami's father back for a redemption arc here, but it ended up working very nicely. They didn't turn it into a huge thing, but Asami got a chance to forgive her father, and he died heroically for the cause. There's this small part of me that wishes they would have had the nerve to kill off someone more important (Mako, perhaps?) but at the same time this was a nice way to get the tragic death we sort of expected, in a really unexpected way.
Mako and Bolin! Bad ass bros! Anybody who knows me knows I love a good bromance, and here we got a hug, and an "I love you," and Bolin respecting Mako's choice to sacrifice himself, and then helping him get out when the price was lower than expected. This moment was what I needed as a way to say goodbye to Mako. He needed one more moment of glory that was separate from his subplot with Prince Wu. He needed to shine on his own, and he did.
Also, the last conversation between Mako and Korra was just so perfect in every way. If you read Brian Konietzko's post on Korrasami, (I'll get there in a sec) you'll see the thought and care that went into Korra and Mako's relatioship. They had their romance, and they genuinely cared about each other, but in the end it was a platonic love and respect, not a romantic one. That's okay! That's great, and it should be celebrated. I loved the way it turned out.
Then there's Varrick and Zhu Li. Oh. My. God. Talk about taking a character like Zhu Li, who started off as just a punchline to a joke, and turning her in to such a nuanced and fun character. I loved this. They "did the thing!" Their wedding was perfect. Bolin officiating was fantastic, and the fact that Zhu Li dipped Varrick instead of the other way around was... well, perhaps it was a bit obvious, but it still worked really well. I loved it.
The Beifong family had some nice moments as well. Baatar Jr. reconciled with his mother, who says to her son that Kuvira is a "complicated person." I loved that moment, because it was quite the understatement! Lin and Suyin got to have their moment in the sun, as they disabled the weapon. Go Metal Benders! You rock!
The real star of this episode, though, was Korra - and that's just how it always should be. She comes up with plans and executes them with power and precision. She fights Kuvira, channels her Avatar power into a new Spirit Portal, saves Kuvira, saves the day... she was just so amazing. I love seeing her character development. The fight between Aang and Fire Lord Ozai is obviously epic, and I'm not even sure I would say what happens with Kuvira and Korra can match it. But, on a different level, this entire show is just more grown up than ATLA was, and it shows in this final fight. Korra has to find herself in Kuvira in order to defeat her, which means admitting there are parts of herself that are prone to the same sorts of behavior Kuvira has been participating in. And Kuvira admits that she went too far... her goals were still honorable, as is proven when Prince Wu decides to abolish the monarchy. But Kuvira didn't do the right thing, and in the end she'll have to pay for it. What a great way to go out.
As I'm sure you could have guessed, we're going to end with the ending. I loved the conversation with Tenzin and Korra (even if I still continue to wonder why Korra's parents haven't been around this whole season). This was a great moment between Korra and her father-figure, teacher, guide, friend. Very lovely. I'm glad they had a moment together at the end.
And then. And. Then. There's really nothing I can say about Korra and Asami that hasn't been said by other people, better than I ever could. First of all, read this:
http://bryankonietzko.tumblr.com/post/105916338157/korrasami-is-canon-you-can-celebrate-it-embrace
Okay? It's real. It's canon. It's as canon as they could make it. Korrasami. Oh my God. You have no idea what it means to me and to so many people to see these two women of color have this moment of romantic union. The thing that really seals the deal for me is that this is how the show ends. It's not a quick moment in the middle of the action. It's not a hand-holding that could be interpreted as platonic. If this was really just supposed to be a friendship thing, then the show could have ended with Korra, Asami, Mako and Bolin - a last shot of Team Avatar. But no. It's just Korra and Asami. It's just about them! And their romance! It was so beautiful. I cried real tears when I watched it, and I've been periodically tearing up over this ending every time I think about it. I can't get over it.
I'll just leave it off there, because I could talk about this forever. You have no idea how happy I am.
So, this is the end of another show. I'm really torn up about this, actually. I can't believe this is goodbye!
9/10
I must leave off with a review of the whole show. The thing is, I know that Season Two was really rough. I know that Season One had its pacing issues as well. But Seasons Three and Four have been so beautiful, and this finale was just so touching and amazing, that I think, on balance, this show is just as good as ATLA. And that's saying quite a lot. Overall, I'm going to give this show...
8/10
Mako and Bolin! Bad ass bros! Anybody who knows me knows I love a good bromance, and here we got a hug, and an "I love you," and Bolin respecting Mako's choice to sacrifice himself, and then helping him get out when the price was lower than expected. This moment was what I needed as a way to say goodbye to Mako. He needed one more moment of glory that was separate from his subplot with Prince Wu. He needed to shine on his own, and he did.
Also, the last conversation between Mako and Korra was just so perfect in every way. If you read Brian Konietzko's post on Korrasami, (I'll get there in a sec) you'll see the thought and care that went into Korra and Mako's relatioship. They had their romance, and they genuinely cared about each other, but in the end it was a platonic love and respect, not a romantic one. That's okay! That's great, and it should be celebrated. I loved the way it turned out.
Then there's Varrick and Zhu Li. Oh. My. God. Talk about taking a character like Zhu Li, who started off as just a punchline to a joke, and turning her in to such a nuanced and fun character. I loved this. They "did the thing!" Their wedding was perfect. Bolin officiating was fantastic, and the fact that Zhu Li dipped Varrick instead of the other way around was... well, perhaps it was a bit obvious, but it still worked really well. I loved it.
The Beifong family had some nice moments as well. Baatar Jr. reconciled with his mother, who says to her son that Kuvira is a "complicated person." I loved that moment, because it was quite the understatement! Lin and Suyin got to have their moment in the sun, as they disabled the weapon. Go Metal Benders! You rock!
The real star of this episode, though, was Korra - and that's just how it always should be. She comes up with plans and executes them with power and precision. She fights Kuvira, channels her Avatar power into a new Spirit Portal, saves Kuvira, saves the day... she was just so amazing. I love seeing her character development. The fight between Aang and Fire Lord Ozai is obviously epic, and I'm not even sure I would say what happens with Kuvira and Korra can match it. But, on a different level, this entire show is just more grown up than ATLA was, and it shows in this final fight. Korra has to find herself in Kuvira in order to defeat her, which means admitting there are parts of herself that are prone to the same sorts of behavior Kuvira has been participating in. And Kuvira admits that she went too far... her goals were still honorable, as is proven when Prince Wu decides to abolish the monarchy. But Kuvira didn't do the right thing, and in the end she'll have to pay for it. What a great way to go out.
As I'm sure you could have guessed, we're going to end with the ending. I loved the conversation with Tenzin and Korra (even if I still continue to wonder why Korra's parents haven't been around this whole season). This was a great moment between Korra and her father-figure, teacher, guide, friend. Very lovely. I'm glad they had a moment together at the end.
And then. And. Then. There's really nothing I can say about Korra and Asami that hasn't been said by other people, better than I ever could. First of all, read this:
http://bryankonietzko.tumblr.com/post/105916338157/korrasami-is-canon-you-can-celebrate-it-embrace
Okay? It's real. It's canon. It's as canon as they could make it. Korrasami. Oh my God. You have no idea what it means to me and to so many people to see these two women of color have this moment of romantic union. The thing that really seals the deal for me is that this is how the show ends. It's not a quick moment in the middle of the action. It's not a hand-holding that could be interpreted as platonic. If this was really just supposed to be a friendship thing, then the show could have ended with Korra, Asami, Mako and Bolin - a last shot of Team Avatar. But no. It's just Korra and Asami. It's just about them! And their romance! It was so beautiful. I cried real tears when I watched it, and I've been periodically tearing up over this ending every time I think about it. I can't get over it.
I'll just leave it off there, because I could talk about this forever. You have no idea how happy I am.
So, this is the end of another show. I'm really torn up about this, actually. I can't believe this is goodbye!
9/10
I must leave off with a review of the whole show. The thing is, I know that Season Two was really rough. I know that Season One had its pacing issues as well. But Seasons Three and Four have been so beautiful, and this finale was just so touching and amazing, that I think, on balance, this show is just as good as ATLA. And that's saying quite a lot. Overall, I'm going to give this show...
8/10
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