Korra Ep. 5 Review

As always SPOILERS!

PREVIOUS EPISODE REVIEWS:
Ep. 1+2: "Welcome to Republic City" and "Leaf in The Wind"
Ep. 3: "The Revelation"
Ep. 4: "The Voice In The Night"


LEGEND OF KORRA, EPISODE 5: "THE SPIRIT OF COMPETITION"




Avatar isn't good with romance.


I'm sorry, but I don't think they're very efficient at it. Sokka's time with both Yue and Suki notwithstanding (both are excellent), the two major pairing - Aang/Katara and Zuko/Mai - are iffy and doesn't have the organic growth the first couple did. In Aang/Katara's case, the first two season built upon a mostly one-sided crush on Aang's half. There's about two episodes where Katara expressed potential interest, but they're far and few in-between and practically gets lost amongst the important plots and character arcs. When she gave off her first jealous look in Season 3's "The Headband", all I did was blink and gave off a confused "Whaaaa-?" It's not that it came out of nowhere; it was just poorly developed. She's spent much of her relationship with Aang as both a friend and motherly figure that the sudden increase in romance felt lopsided and unbalanced.

Zuko and Mai was even more subtle - so much that I did a double flip when I saw the two hook up. You need the second Avatar Nickelodeon Magazine special to get the full scoop on how they romantically got together, but it was even less emphasized than Aang/Katara. I rooted for them after repeated viewing of "The Boiling Rock" because of the unmitigated awesome and love Mai has for Zuko (she stood up to fucking Azula), but it was also a "What th-" moment.

In either case, both of their romance didn't develop as naturally as I wanted it. Needless to say, Legend of Korra's "The Spirit of Competition" doesn't do a bang up job either. In this regard, there actually is a suitable amount of build up. We know Bolin liked Korra from the start and Mako and Korra's "denial" is about as subtle as a flying mallet. Asami enters one episode prior and voila, you get the episode that brings all the tension to the table.

Now just a note before I review; I am going to try and do my damnest to judge this episode purely on its own merits and not discuss the events of Episode Six. *Ahem*...

According to this interview, Season One was designed with the mindset that all twelve episodes would encompass one standalone story. Korra was originally meant to be 12 episodes before Nickelodeon gave them 14 more, so there's a lot of stuff they have to squeeze in just that span. Actually, I don't think "squeeze" is really the proper term; there's not a huge load of story that overlaps the series. The first four episodes ran at a gradual pace, filling little subplots or incidental character moments while keeping a firm focus on the major picture: Korra vs. The Equalists. Episode Five is truly the first (and so far only) to diverse from that path to focus on the romantic subplot.

One of the things I actually like about the romance is that everyone pretty much confesses on the spot. This saves the love plot from adding in any bottled feelings and superficial tension that may otherwise be solved through a confession. Granted, none of these are necessarily bad; it's just a breath of fresh air (though if the next episode is any indication; the UST may not be completely gone). Each of the main characters handled the romance their own ways and well, things really get paint-by-numbers. Bolin and Asami are the least problematic: the former likes Korra and only Korra, the latter is dating Mako. It's really Korra and Mako that gets into any complication and we all know it's because they like each other but end up getting into pissing matches because whatever bullshit keeps them apart and drags it on for more UST and blah blah blaaaaah. It honestly could not be more predictable that the two will be together by end. It's not that I have anything against the pairing, but I have a problem with them currently.



In Korra's case, she's the lesser of the two evils; she knows Bolin likes her and ends up using his affection to get back at Mako and drive him to jealously. It works, but at the expense of Bolin's heart. What Korra pulled is petty and dickish. For the past three episodes, the show emphasized just how much Korra impresses the hell out of him. It may have been a simple, shallow crush at first (if Mako's "fangirl" comments is anything to go by), but there's indication that time passed which is more than enough for him to get to know her better and see if he feels something more. He does. When the two date, it only further pushes that desire (Bolin makes a face at the tail end of the dating montage that really drives it home). Yeah, this episode converted me into a Bolin/Korra shipper, but at the same time, they're not in any current position to get together - especially when he catches her kissing his brother. Thankfully, "The Spirit of Competition" is fair enough to note that what Korra did is NOT okay and her actions are reprehensible. Her team suffers and the brothers are currently strained. Korra becomes the bigger girl and not only brings the team back into the game, but asks Mako if they still be friends. That's what matters the most right right now and above all: friendship. She later apologizes to Bolin for her behavior and compliments/thanks Asami for all the support she's given, hinting a possible friendship later down the line. Unfortunately this is slightly reverted in the next episode, but I will explain the Ugly Head in that particular review.

By contrast, I think less of Mako (strictly for this episode because Korra will continue to get petty). He's currently dating Asami, yet retains feelings for Korra. I admire that he decides to be loyal to the former, but he's juggling two women and that is absolutely not fair to Asami. Oh, but that's not all! After Bolin catches Mako and Korra kissing, he ends up eating and sobbing in a restaurant. First off, I dislike that Bolin's sobfest is played for comedy because it sends the idea that lol silly Bolin we should laugh at his heartbreak because he's the comic relief. It borders on Sokka levels of butt monkey. Bolin doesn't deserve this nonsense. Come on, writers, if you're going to take this goddamn romance plot seriously, then stick with an appropriate mood. Mako calmly informs his brother to basically stop making a scene and tells him it was a bad idea to date a teammate. TavalyaRa's theorizes that he's acting this way because he may not have the capability to provide the sort of comfort Bolin needs as part of his stoic behavior. I like that; it's a nice flaw. Right now, he's being an authoritative older sibling who is trying to fix this boo-boo. However, that doesn't make his actions any less hypocritical. He's condescending here. He's not owning up to his actions and doesn't even apologize. The closest is when Mako asks Bolin if they're cool. It's such a small, unsatisfying scene; forcing us to accept that everything is kosher. In fact, everyone pretty much makes their peace with one another and it's solved so clean and neatly.

The thing about "The Spirit of Competition" is that I can somewhat justify it in the sense that they're teenagers; they react immaturely and pull irresponsible judgement. Love, especially, is an incredible force and they're just as confused on how to deal with the situation that ultimately forces bad decisions out of them. But it still doesn't mean their actions were right and/or any less facepalming. However, I am totally under the assumption that eventually all of this will be fully addressed. I have faith the show is capable of doing that.

But it's not really the characters' poor judgement that irks me as much as...well, why is it the major focus? At first, I figured maybe they just wanted to get the main love triangle out of the way so they can spend the rest of the season focusing on Amon with only a casual development of it, but rewatching "The Spirit of Competition" forced me to think otherwise. True, they seem to have ended a love triangle (Mako/Bolin/Korra), but only so they can set up a new one (Mako/Korra/Asami). I'll actually talk a bit more on the latter in my Episode Six review, so let's move on. So far, this is the episode that honestly feels condensed compared to the rest (and that includes Episode Six). It's like they're trying to squeeze every major love plot in half-and-hour's time that I felt overloaded. This needed to be settled organically and piece by piece throughout the season. It didn't need to be a major focus. There's nothing wrong with a subplot taking center stage, but I think this time around, it would have flown better if it had been more spread out. Also, the episode has that feeling of shifting mood swings. "The Voice of the Night" was poignant and dark; Korra cried her eyes out because Amon broke her spirit and yet she's all fine and dandy without any inkling that she's still scared out of her wits.

Ed Liu's recap of the episode also points out something I didn't notice, but am incline to agree: What is the point of Pro-Bending? Wait, let me rephrase that. Pro-Bending had its merits when it debuted back in Episode 2. It was an outlet for Korra and a contrast to Tenzin's teachings. It was a symbolic look between Bending of the New vs. Bending of the Old. And ultimately, Korra used both the new and old when she managed to win the game through Tenzin's techniques. But I raised an eyebrow when Korra decided to permanently join the team. We've seen her practice a couple of times, but never with the impression that it'd lead to anything important. If the Fire Ferrets lose the tournament, would that significantly change anything? (Well, yeah, Episode Six, but remember, I am judging this episode on its own merits). Pro-Bending this time around centers on the current emotions of the main characters and it's about as relevant as pudding pops. Also, I tried, but I honestly don't give a shit about the sport. I'm thinking this has to do with my general "Sports are boring" mindset.  



The only scene I like 100% is Korra's encounter with Tahno. The latter insults her team and basically treats them like crap. Despite Bolin's protest, Korra faces up to him and we're given the impression that she'll pull a stupid and beat the shit out of him and thus get terminated from the championship. Instead she scares him away using Naga. I like that a lot. Prior, she's always been very hands-on approach as she relied on her muscles to solve any problems. She doesn't lift a finger except to whistle. No violence, she uses indirect force to handle her issues. It's a nice and subtle growth from the previous episode.

Otherwise, it's...well, it's not a bad episode; just an exhausting one. "And the Winner Is..." totally makes up for it, but that's for next time...
OUT OF FIVE


BONUS OBSERVATION

POLAR BEAR CLUB: Why is everyone wearing winter clothes except Mako and Bolin? Did they waste all their animation budget animating all those clothes from last episode?

TARGET: I just noticed Korra's button on her jacket looks like a blue Target logo.

BEST LINE: "You're a bad idea!" Bolin, I adore the shit out of you. XD

WORST LINE: None.

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