Korra season 2 episode 8 reaction (extended)
Added 2020-09-17 05:35:59 +0000 UTCPHENOMENAL COSMIC POWERS!
Itty bitty living space.
Comments
I’m sure you know by now, but Wan’s story was originally supposed to be told in ATLA, sometime in season 2, but I guess they couldn’t fit it in. It would’ve made the lion turtle appearing for Aang at the end of the series feel a bit less random I think.
Danisha McNary
2020-09-18 15:27:06 +0000 UTCif no one has explained it yet, unalaq was able to enter the portals because Korra opened it earlier on this season. and the reason for him being there will be explained later :)
Brooke
2020-09-18 07:06:20 +0000 UTCExactly, the mere fact that its not quite an arrow yet in their design is another cool tiny detail that further explicates another aspect of change - how tradition gets muddled up across generations. Airbenders were presumably even more 'spiritually inclined' (than they already are in the time of Aang) in the days of Wan sisnce they could pretty much fly as well (on their mini nimbus clouds) but over the years, tradition has morphed and tethered them more to the world. Similar instances of morphed ideologies can be seen in our world as well, where several aspects of tradition and religion are like hollow shells of a misattributed routine rather than people attempting to understand the inspiration for their origin
Ayush Anand
2020-09-18 05:20:58 +0000 UTCYour reaction to these two episodes changed how I feel about them. Originally I loved a lot about them, but a couple things I was peeved with were mainly Raava and Vaatu being these “evil” and “good” figures, but your statement on order and chaos made me reevaluate it. It makes a lot more sense, and makes me appreciate what the writers were going for a whole lot more. Also, Raava and Vaatu always sounded similar to Avatar, and I think that was intentional, I like to think that’s where the origin of the name Avatar comes from in the lore. I always viewed Avatar as combining letters from both names, which is kind of representing that balance that the avatar is supposed to uphold.
Nick
2020-09-18 04:18:15 +0000 UTCI loved your feeling of validation over Wind Bending! One detail I really appreciated was the confining of Vaatu in the hollow of a dead tree trunk. It follows that standard trope you can find in different mythologies. And I really liked your explanation of the struggle between Wan and Vaatu. I hope I don’t trigger bad memories for anyone by saying that it reminded me of something from Game of Thrones. In Season 6, Beric Dondarrian tells Jon Snow that death is the enemy. That we have no hope of defeating it. But we have to continue to engage in the fight. I associated that with what you were saying about the impossible odds of facing a God, and keeping your ethics and values throughout that struggle. I think that represents the best of mankind. And of course this is what makes storytelling and mythology so valuable.
Blackeyedlily
2020-09-18 03:11:56 +0000 UTCI’m not sure if you noticed but I think that the order of how wan got the elements is same order of the avatar cycle.
Franchesca Giglio
2020-09-18 02:42:16 +0000 UTC"I'm a big FLCL fan and the creator of that..he didn't really want the series to make sense..he just wanted people to watch it like MTV..you should experience and feel it on an emotional, intuitive, and spiritual level and to me that's what this is..it's kind of symbolic.' - Bryan Konietzko during the DVD commentary of Book 2. I never said they didn't care about Korra, they just chose spectacle over plot/character development. Also, I believe they left in part because they didn't really have the control over the series as they believed as well as Netflix intending to age up some of the main cast for a 'darker and more mature' series. There's no doubt they care about ATLA - it was their baby, their creation.
Darby
2020-09-17 20:49:53 +0000 UTCWhat? In many interviews with writers and creators their investment and love the put into this series is self-evedent. What source do you have to back up these claims of not caring about korra? You realize the creators just left the netflix adaption precisely because netflix didnt want to allow their sincere vision and instead was taking creative control away. You can read the creators statements on it and hear them lament over how much they love these stories and want to do them right. You are certainly allowed not to like their vision but to deny that they had none besides MTV spectacle is outright ridiculous.
Nico Salerno
2020-09-17 20:10:46 +0000 UTCI never thought of the spirit portals as making it seem like the human and spirit worlds used to be separate. I always thought about it like this: The human and spirit world are two halves of one world, we see in ATLA even with the portals closed, humans can meditate into the spirit world and spirits have some sort of influence on the real world, or at least have influence in the part of nature they represent (Hei Bai the panda spirit having a physical form in his forest despite clearly being in the spirit world later in the season). However at some point, Vaatu, using his power presumably exclusive to the all powerful spirits of light and dark, broke through whatever separation and allowed humans and spirits unrestricted access to both worlds. And now through their bond with raava, the avatar can choose to open and close these portals at will.
DJ Cargill
2020-09-17 20:02:31 +0000 UTCI actually didn't notice that some had different markings, perks of being a half blind scrub. That just makes it even cooler, and now I'm even more curious. I almost wish they'd kept that idea instead of the arrows. Not that I don't love the Arrows cuz they are also cool, and iconic, but I think having potentially different designs was also cool. Maybe I'll have to take a look at the LoK artbook and see if Bryke mentions them at all for these episodes.
WolfWarrior623
2020-09-17 19:35:03 +0000 UTCJust remember that the writers didn't set out to make a story that made sense but rather something that was 'entertaining like MTV'. They didn't try and make a coherent plot but just wanted to wow their audience with spectacle. Also, they should really just have titled this book 'exposition' instead of 'spirits' because my lord, most of the season is just characters standing static in front of a pretty background telling us key info.
Darby
2020-09-17 18:17:47 +0000 UTCAgreed. I understand the initial infatuation with this episode because how piss poor the season has been up to this point but after consideration it was an unnecessary delve into the lore. The avatar being the collective lives of thousands of humans joining forces through the body of one being is much more interesting than just a human merged with God.
Darby
2020-09-17 18:10:07 +0000 UTCidk if anyone answered this already but in regard to your confusion, only the avatar can OPEN or CLOSE the portals, once its open anyone can enter or exit, and since harmonic convergence amplifies spirit energy, if the portals are open it would presumably give Vaatu enough power to escape his tree prison. As far as Raava and Wan becoming one, as soon as harmonic convergence happened the portals became one. When Wan touched the merged portal he absorbed an intense amount of spirt energy, since he was still merged with Raava it solidified their connection. Making it eternal.
bnmamz
2020-09-17 18:05:33 +0000 UTCTo be fair, that was the start of book 1 of ATLA so I don't think that they had any inclination of Wan at the time. They stated they were thinking of this origin story since book 2 of ATLA (not sure if I believe that, though).
Darby
2020-09-17 18:03:37 +0000 UTCI hate these episodes and the second half of this season so much. Can't wait for you to get onto Season 3 where you will be rewarded with 10/10 television, easily the best season in all of Korra.
benj
2020-09-17 15:55:35 +0000 UTCIt’s right after he chooses not to rob the pregnant woman and her husband
Official Jrem
2020-09-17 14:39:04 +0000 UTCThe battlefield that Wan dies in can be seen in ATLA during Zuko Alone. Zuko rides through its ruins near the beginning of that episode
Official Jrem
2020-09-17 14:36:39 +0000 UTCI like how it also explains the avatar cycle: it was the same order in which Wan received the elements.
Chris Parker
2020-09-17 13:49:35 +0000 UTCI think Harmonic Convergence gave Wan and Raava the chance to merge permanently together. I get chills when Raava says “We are bonded forever.”
Jackie
2020-09-17 13:43:18 +0000 UTCMan i get kind of worked up watching these episodes they are so powerful and the nostalgia hits and everything happening is so amazing and beautiful. It's a lot lol
Cody Taylor
2020-09-17 13:31:27 +0000 UTCStupid evil kite!
RC
2020-09-17 12:25:37 +0000 UTCI really like that in all of wans success. He died ultimately unable to stabilze and bring balance to mankind. And every generation of avatar since try as they might has had their own struggle to do so. You never can truly defeat Vaatu. it is in all of us and everything. But it is still always worth trying
Nico Salerno
2020-09-17 12:20:57 +0000 UTCYeah it's such a stark contrast with the other episodes, especially compared to the one or two episodes before. It's so unexpected but it works really well here.
Alex G
2020-09-17 09:54:22 +0000 UTCYeah that would have been nice. I'm sure they had something in mind because I noticed at least some of them have different markings. It's not quite an arrow yet.
Alex G
2020-09-17 09:52:51 +0000 UTCNice!
Alex G
2020-09-17 09:52:12 +0000 UTCTLOK was definitely in need of a higher supernatural element and I’m glad we see that in the form of Raava and Vaatu. So far all of Korras conflicts have been pretty grounded in human conflict and politics so it’s nice to see her take on the more spiritual part of her Avatar role.
JaJa Binx
2020-09-17 08:35:24 +0000 UTCAvatar Number Wan Vs. the Kite of Doom
JaJa Binx
2020-09-17 08:28:30 +0000 UTCThis is still one of my favorite LoK episodes and one of my favorite overall in the series between atla & LoK. It just adds so much cool stuff to the world, and the art style is amazing, and gives so many Ghibli vibes. I really like the design of what became the Airbenders. I think their design was cool. I wish we could have learned a little more about them, because I'm curious about what the purpose of their arrows were in a time before they all had Airbending.
WolfWarrior623
2020-09-17 08:26:36 +0000 UTCGot it :)
Alex G
2020-09-17 08:23:17 +0000 UTCThis is correct, he misunderstood when he said he thought they said only the Avatar could enter the spirit portal. They said only the avatar could open/close them but anyone can enter them, they've just been closed since Wan (until Unalaq got Korra to open one)
Neth110
2020-09-17 08:18:08 +0000 UTCIn aot when avatar Roku told Aang he must master the elements in less than a year, he reassured him by telling that he has done it before. Referring to avatar Wan
Israel
2020-09-17 07:46:50 +0000 UTCHaha I'm glad, and I agree, there's so much to think about. As I mentioned, the staring God in the face thing is something I love. It's both an openness to the forces of the world and a conviction to your principles. One related idea I see being used with this a lot is that the result is not victory necessarily but respect, or that you don't defeat the forces but instead they align with you.
Alex G
2020-09-17 07:33:33 +0000 UTCOne of the things that really hit me when you started talking about Wan was his ability to more or less stare God in the face and say "no". I of course noticed it before but didn't give it too much thought regarding what that really means. He is one of those people who seem to have unending courage born of sheer will. My favorite part is that this whole thing starts with Wan making mistakes. The Avatar cycle is brought about because a human messes things up and releases Chaos. Though one thing I'm thinking now is that as safe as 10,000 years of peace and order must have been, I think it also caused stagnation. The humans didn't change or progress, just hid on their turtles. When Wan separated the Great Spirits he brought much needed change into the world. Say what you will about the end result, but maybe Wan initially freeing Vaatu wasn't entirely as bad as the show painted it? I could go on for hours about this stuff. Thanks for the video, you make me think a lot.
Aidan Pullen
2020-09-17 07:10:31 +0000 UTCWow these are probably my favorite two episodes in korra. The "we are bonded forever." gives me chills every time and the baby crying just before korra wakes up to signify wan being reborn...ugh! Just to perfect!
Virginia Harp
2020-09-17 06:51:04 +0000 UTCThere’s something in this episode that comes back in later in the show and I really want to comment on it but I don’t know how so I’m leaving this comment here as a place holder that I can return to
DrowsyCody
2020-09-17 06:43:58 +0000 UTCIf I remember correctly essentially what it is is that only the avatar can open the spirit portals because they’re catalysts of heightened spiritual energy only the avatar has that other humans cant access presumably because the avatar IS part spirit. Unalaq essentially needs the portals open so he (and any other human really) can free move between the physical and spirit worlds
Andrew
2020-09-17 06:36:33 +0000 UTCit is sorta unclear but i think its a motif of 'coming together', the north and south pole portals join and so does wan and raava.
NitrousOxide19
2020-09-17 06:35:14 +0000 UTCDefinitely, the music makes all these great sequences even more impactful. I see, what about the portal caused that to happen? Is it that it's a powerful source of spiritual power? Since that's what he struggled with throughout the episode.
Alex G
2020-09-17 06:31:41 +0000 UTCone thing korra edges on ATLA is definitely the consistently amazing score and its placement. it certainly helps these episodes resonate so deeply. and also, when wan touched the portal in harmonic convergence, that's when him and raava joined permanently, so thats the start of the avatar cycle!
NitrousOxide19
2020-09-17 06:29:49 +0000 UTCI'm rewatching ATLA soon :)
Alex G
2020-09-17 06:23:43 +0000 UTCI see, that makes sense!
Alex G
2020-09-17 06:23:22 +0000 UTC😂 I wanted to believe
Alex G
2020-09-17 06:22:54 +0000 UTCSorry in ATLA not here in Korra D:
Brimmy
2020-09-17 06:22:41 +0000 UTCOh wow I'm gonna have to watch for that
Alex G
2020-09-17 06:21:32 +0000 UTCThe way the portals work is when thy are open anyone can go through them when they are closed no one can go through physically but people could meditate into the spirit world like aang would often do korra opened the south portal now anyone can walk through he wants korra to also open the northern one
Elijah baker
2020-09-17 06:13:29 +0000 UTCLove these two episodes. And yes, Unalaq was able to enter the southern portal because Korra opened it. It's why he needs her to open the north one as well. Also fun fact, that battlefield where Wan died is the same field Zuko walked through in Zuko Alone. Thirdly, Wan said wind because he didn't know any better. When he learned their proper name he corrected himself. You did know their proper name so no excuses! lol
Chess Red Eagle
2020-09-17 06:12:51 +0000 UTCAs pineapple grows, melon fades.
Jupiterninja
2020-09-17 06:11:21 +0000 UTCI guess that's something that you could potentially watch on the channel later on :3
Brimmy
2020-09-17 06:11:09 +0000 UTCYou told raava to take a seat lmao XD that was great XD by the way the place Wan died at can be seen in Zuko Alone since he passes through that field.
Brimmy
2020-09-17 06:10:09 +0000 UTCI've never watched Samurai Jack but I just looked him up and I can see the resemblance :)
Alex G
2020-09-17 06:02:38 +0000 UTC“Oh so they’re New Yorkers” 😂🤣😂
D DuB
2020-09-17 05:54:15 +0000 UTCI agree with what you said about Vatuu's design they look sick...could be a small shout out to Aku from samurai jack? I always thought they gave off the same design vibe especially since Mako voiced Aku too, could totally just be a coincidence but I feel like the creators don't do things without it meaning anything!
Tenzin Dikyikhangsar
2020-09-17 05:45:43 +0000 UTC
