What in blue blazes…
He’s saying that Korra didn’t exist because it wasn’t a good enough series.
(Heh at Raz0r’s insult going over people’s heads.)
Ugh. Stupid project is never going to be done. Will get around to big-ass post on Sunday, not that anyone cares.
Oh. A wiki(a). Not sure why I’m surprised.
Hmmmm…oh, so it was revealed in the game. No wonder. I seriously don’t remember her living to be that old–Bare Minerals indeed–ever coming up in the show.
Oh, no doubt. I’d normally agree with your skepticism since, yeah, that tends to be the way things happen, sometimes even if deaths happen on-screen (see: too many American comics). I’m just disagreeing here a) the Avatar guys have been pretty good at confirming and keeping people dead so far, b) your hyperbolic demand that people be disintegrated atomically on-screen to confirm death, even jocularly, was absurd and, most importantly, c) Amon/Noatak serves no purpose any longer.
Seriously, Amon had a good run. Super Bloodbending Bros.'s deaths were seriously the best part of the finale.
The show doesn’t really lend me to believe it’s beyond cliches considering its less than stellar finale. We’ll see in season 2, although I’m not in any rush.
Biggest problems? Not enough time. Avatar needs filler episodes in order to establish the surrounding world for perspective.
Cliches aren’t necessarily a bad thing.
Get what you’re saying, but when cliches are rushed they feel empty and make you care less about what will occur next.
I agree, I would’ve like a few episodes dedicated to introducing us to Republic City’s gang problem. Part of what made TLA so enjoyable for me was that the slow pace made the series feel like an actual adventure with the Gaang. Were there pointless filler episodes? Of course, but they were enjoyable nonetheless.
Of course I’m not saying that I didn’t enjoy LoK’s fast pace since every episode was of high quality, but I think it should be said the different pacing of both series had their pros and cons.
It would be interesting to see them go in depth with the spirit word.Its relatively Un explored in the series.It has to be in turmoil with the mass industrialization and ignorance going on in the human world
Yeah but this series definitely gains more quality when allowed to explore the world surrounding the characters and to deliver helpful exposition. It would’ve been nice to see how the other nations are faring this far into the future for one. Maybe give some other characters true highlight episodes (Sokka REALLY benefited from this in TLA), for example Mako could’ve really used some more development, which really hurts when you know that the person named for Iroh’s late VA is probably the least liked character in the entirety of TLOK right now.
The characters never really got time to breathe with the shortened format, other than through the Pro Bending tournament, and even then it was one episode which put shipping at the forefront, something else that would’ve been better with some filler. TLA didn’t have to bash you over the head with who should be with who, thanks to more episodes allowing gradual development. It also helps that there wasn’t any intrusive jealousy angle hanging its head over everything (other than Katara at times and…well, she’s about as liked as Mako). Then again, a bit of Fridge Brilliance could go to TLOK when you realize…they’re all teenagers and thus the developments and how things went down actually fit their ages, not that it’s a compliment on teenagers.
But yeah, if we couldn’t leave Republic City for the season (which would make sense due to the Amon conflict, Korra needing Airbending training…and Naga can’t fly), some more insight on the gangs and inner city life would’ve been nice. More backstory on Bolin and Mako with some nice character pieces. Hell, have episodes with a pair that wouldn’t normally work together, like with Bolin hanging with either Asami (though that might inspire more shipping annoyance by mistake) or hell with Lin possibly teaching about the refinement of the Metalbending technique. Have Mako do something with Tenzin or watch over the kids to give him some development. Just pairing characters with others they wouldn’t normally can also open up a whole new level of development, like the Boiling Rock two parter in TLA (though that wasn’t filler in the least).
It just needed a few more episodes establishing the world and the inner workings of characters not named Korra that would’ve really helped the season along.
(Let’s see if I make a post without bold when arguing something nowadays.)
We didn’t get “filler” episodes that world-built and only world-built because a) Legend of Korra was planned to be a fifth of the original series length and b) a lot of people supposedly bitched about the world-building episodes from the original series whether they were actually “bad” or lesser or not. I seriously think the only world-building episodes that didn’t get bitched at were The Beach and The Ember Island Players, probably because they were also the most comical ones; arguably the most plot-relevant ones too.
Uh, I said nothing about them being beyond cliches, especially when I was one of the people who agreed that the finale–on Korra and Mako’s end–was rushed even with the fact that it originally was supposed to be a series finale.
I just said that they are (or least seem to be) beyond that particular cliche since they’ve gone out of the way to make sure people stay dead (who are confirmed dead or at least are very likely to have died), which is rather telling in a show where reincarnation is one of the central themes.
I’m aware of WHY we didn’t get filler. I’m just saying that it could’ve used it.
And people bitch to bitch, it’s the way of life. Now some of it was definitely deserved (The Great Divide, an episode so disliked even the CREATORS said fuck it, it’s trash, and poke fun at it in the Ember Island Players), but honestly a decent amount of it was needed. Every season had about 4-5 episodes of filler (Season 3 debatably has 7-8, though it was also the longest season) and a decent amount was needed, though some (Season 1 especially) could’ve been better. I’ll run down each one.
Long List of Filler Synopsis, you were warned
[details=Spoiler]
Imprisoned: Pretty much the show’s first actual attempt at showing the Fire Nation’s occupation of the Earth Kingdom and its effects on the people. It was mainly to show how far reaching their influence was, and to show Katara’s penchant for preachiness (didn’t help her gain any fans).
The Great Divide: Yeah, this one was bad…as it was said by actress Aang…let’s skip it.
*The Storm: *Useful for showing how events went down which set the season into motion, and to why Aang was extremely hesitant of telling anyone he was the Avatar at first. Also showed Zuko’s backstory, why Ozai was a dick, his relationship with the crew, and we got our first cameo of Azula which is actually a Character Defining Moment in hindsight when you consider she was smiling sadistically while Zuko got half his face burned off.
The Fortuneteller: Meh, this one we could’ve gone without as well. Pretty much just an episode for Aang/Katara shipping with enough vagueness for Zuko/Katara ones to find fuel to be more annoying.
The Deserter and The Northern Air Temple could debatably be filler as well but both offered plot points that become crucial in later seasons (Katara’s healing powers, The Mechanist’s War Balloon).
The Cave of Two Lovers: More Aang/Katara pairing but this I would consider less obtrusive than earlier, plus it was the first sign of Katara actually returning feelings other than of being motherly to Aang. The Nomads were fun, and we learned of the Badger Moles being the first Earthbenders which becomes a deal with Toph later. Nomads were fun, and we see Omashu and the conflict to come.
The Swamp: Hit or miss, but it does lead to some decent things. We learn of the Swampbenders and essentially learn of more society that lives outside the organized 3 nations, how Waterbending can be used to bend plants which opens the imagination for viewers as we wonder how far can Waterbending go (we obviously find out later). Also got the first glimpse of Toph.
Avatar Day: Honestly, pretty much the Great Divide of Season 2, but not as bad due to getting some backstory of Kiyoshi and Kiyoshi being generally awesome and unhelpful…like usual.
*Tales of Ba Sing Se: *Just some fun backstory for most dealing with how Ba Sing Se life goes when not at conflict all day with the Dai Li. Most important though goes to Iroh story, to where we see his late son for the first time in a portrait knowing he died at that very city, and makes you realize how much sorrow Iroh must be carrying within his soul. Also a touching dedication to Mako.
Appa’s Lost Days could also debatably be filler, but without it, things like how the hell Long Feng gets a hold of Appa, Suki ending up in prison, and the Guru would seem completely out of nowhere otherwise.
The Headband: The first of several episodes dedicated to showing the life and people of the Fire Nation to make them seem much more sympathetic and to hammer home the fact that it’s Ozai and his regime and not the nation itself that are the true enemies. I thought seeing how life within Fire Nation schools was nice, along with the fact that Aang really never got to have a normal childhood due to being told he was the Avatar early from the war (then of course the fallout). To see how he interacted and influenced everyone was nice. Most important though? The introduction of Wang Fire, the manliest of all Fire Nation men!
The Painted Lady: The next of said episodes, and a decent one showing the after-effects of the hyperindustrialization from the Fire Nation. It also shows how Katara is pretty adept at adapting her Waterbending style to play the Painted Lady role. It was also nice to see her making a stupid mistake (trashing the factory) which caused unforeseen backlash, though she made up for it in the end. Actually seeing the real Painted Lady spirit in the end was a nice twist though…not that it’s gone anywhere, nor that it needs to.
Sokka’s Master: Next in line to show that not everyone in the Fire Nation particularly agrees with the regime (though Piendao being part of the Order likely had a lot to do with it). Sokka finally takes a well deserved level in badass, and while he still doesn’t do anything particularly magnificent on the fighting end for the rest of the series, he does gain enough skills to never look completely outmatched in battle anymore as well. Also shows how much Team Avatar really relies on Sokka, something they never noticed themselves.
The Beach: Awesome fanservicey attire aside, good episode to show Zuko’s continuing inner turmoil over his decision to betray Iroh and return to the Fire Nation, also shows Ty Lee and Mai for having Freudian Excuses for their attitudes and outlooks on life. The biggest thing was obviously the first true crack we see in Azula. Throughout the entire series we see her as a cold, merciless battler and manipulator, never once showing any genuine emotion other than anger and sadistic delight. We then see what being under Ozai’s parentage for so long while not getting along with her mother has done to her. She’s absolutely worthless in any social interactivity that doesn’t involve war, and she’s traumatized by the fact that her own mother thought of her as a monster (she did a half decent job at shaking it off, but it screwed her later). She also seemed to show actual, if only slight, care at her brother’s turmoil. For the first time everyone could see that under the supreme alpha bitch, was a fragile, broken human being.
*The Avatar and the Firelord: * The backtstory of the origins of the war, Roku and Sozin. It was very nice to see how a normal Avatar’s life usually goes, having to discard all material items as he had no need for them anymore (something that it seems the Order has done away with now), and having to globetrot in order to learn all the elements at a reasonable time frame (also something the Order has done away with, instead bringing the teachers to Korra). We see that Sozin, unlike his descendants, actually had somewhat of a Well-Intentioned Extremist side to him at least at first when considering his plan. The second he and Roku came to blows though, it was done and we see where the family gets it from. To come help Roku only to let him die while begging for Sozin’s help was extremely cold. Then the stinger of finding out that Zuko’s the Great Grandson of both Roku and Sozin (which makes you wonder if that’s why Ozai and Ursa’s marriage was arranged for each other).
The Runaway: Katara/Toph episode which showed how much they still grated on each other. However Toph’s talk with Sokka was especially enlightening when he says that when he thinks of his mother, Katara is the one he sees was extremely potent. Also when they were captured, we saw a bit more of how far Katara could adapt and extend her Waterbending.
*Nightmares and Daydreams: *Pretty much just a light episode, but one that’s needed if only to serve as a breather, because having The Puppetmaster back to back with the Day of Black Sun two parter would’ve been too much downer at once. But it does have the whole War Meeting subplot which does become the spark that starts Zuko’s permanent Face Turn.
*The Ember Island Players: *Again, a breather episode because going from Katara’s Revenge Arc and essential the Zuko World Tour straight into the Finale would’ve been too much too fast, and besides, we needed a fun episode with Zuko in Team Avatar. I guess the best way to see it is to think of it as how the Fire Nation had seen Team Avatar’s exploits and essentially treated it as a joke that didn’t matter until Ozai and Azula took them down. Ouch. Then again, these guys ARE notorious for bad plays so…[/details]
Anyway, i’d say a good majority of the filler, especially in Season 3 served a good purpose. Having that extra development really helps bring characters along and endears them to you, rather than just have the breakout stars completely overtake everything.
It was amazing …
It totally wasn’t an insult I thought there was another Avatar in between the two haha. Tenzin is so old I figured there had to be at least one.
Except if that were the case, Korra would be from the Earth Kingdom.
Nope. The cycle is Earth > Fire > Air > Water > Earth…
Also, an interesting theory I was thinking of in response to seeing a seemingly young spirit in Kiyoshi and Kuruk, yet seeing Roku at his oldest right before his death.
Maybe the spirits of the Avatar take on the age they have at the moment of their last relevant…battle or somewhat.
Kiyoshi didn’t seem to do much after killing Chin the Conqueror and creating Kiyoshi Island, hell she probably didn’t want to do much.
Roku’s last relevant clash or memory was right before his death when Sozin betrayed him.
And then Aang’s last struggle was probably with Yakone.
It just makes me wonder is all.
“Filler” is the wrong word.
The Painted Lady was filler.
Tales of Ba Sing Se was not.
Big difference.
Secret Tunnel! Secret Tunnel!
I think like all my favorite episodes were “filler” episodes.
Beach House lolz was a fantastic episode. I loved like all of the season 3 “filler” episodes. Footloose episode, the lolz play, flameo hotman, etc etc etc.