The Legend of Korra "Old Wounds/Original Airbenders" Talkback [7/18/14]

[Neo Yi]

Premieres: Friday, July 18, 2014 from 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM EST on Nick
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Old Wounds

"Beifong is forced to face her past".

Original Airbenders

"Tenzin tries to train the new members of the Air Nation while dealing with Bumi's bad attitude."

Previous Talkbacks:
A Breath of Fresh Air
Rebirth
The Earth Queen
In Harm's Way
The Metal Clan

You can also discuss general Legend of Korra news in the Korra News and Discussion Thread.

Discuss

 

[trance2009]

Lmao at that dude being named Otaku.

 

[Rhaynebow]

Wow, might as well have called these episodes 'Sibling Hour'. Not that I'm complaining. As the youngest of 6, I know that feeling of...FEELING that you have to live up to your parents' expectations and sibling rivalry. These episodes just differed in how siblings deal with such troubles; the Bei Fong sisters physically and the...what...Aang brothers verbally. My favorite had to be Lin's though. I wish her sister got a little bit more of a beat down though. After what the two's past revealed, I feel that Lin got the short end of the stick so some retribution for her would've been nice.

Bolin was surprisingly not as annoying this episode. And his little moment with Opal was really cute. We found out a little more about his character.

I'm NOT as interested in the air-bending training as I should be. I feel bad saying that, but I'm more intrigued by the four fugitives.

This is out of curiosity, but I'm interested in Tenzin's childhood. They've gone over how Bumi felt bad for not being an airbender in Book 2. I wonder how Tenzin's life was. I think they said that Tenzin was Aang's favorite for obvious reasons, but do you think Tenzin is so uptight because AANG was so uptight with him being just the second Airbender? The guy probably never had time to play as a kid...

 

[zoombie]

"Old Wounds"

I thought it was a fine episode. The flashback was awesome. Great to have Jessie Flower back, puberty has effective her voice for sure. Seeing her and Grey DeLisle that is just aweome. Now when I see Toph and Azula on screen together I will think of that.

Lin thinking Korra was you Su for a moment, I wonder if there is meaning to something, perhaps the reason Lin had her problems with Korra in Book 1 was because Korra reminded her of Suyin. Or course that is a retcon but why not.

It was great to see Toph, giving that see sent Su to her grandparents, I guess Toph and parents made up some what.
Korra and Bolin learned from Su, I wonder if that training will continue?

The Bai Fong sisters fight was awesome and loved Bolin's line about siblings, it is so true only children and children with siblings are on other wave lengh. Than again sometimes it goes to far no mater, see Zuko and Azula, I am sure even Bolin agrees that went a little too far.

Glad Lin appologied to Opal, she didn't deserve to be yelled at just because she was Su's daughter. I think Opal asking her parents if she could go train with Tenzin, is suppose to mirror with Toph asked her parents to go train Aang, and obvious different reactions. We have heard of learning from your parents mistakes, but Su learned from grand parents, and besides had things not gone the way the did back than, Lin and Su wouldn't have had such messed up childhood, so this might end the cycle.

Meanwhile the Red Lotus contiunes to be awesome, so they were going to assinate the UR president, can't say I blame them, Raiku has been a jerk this whole series. But that is on hold, time to get Korra. Though if they plan to assinate the Earth Queen, I am totally on their side. They know where Korra is, I am sure if they wanted to, they could find a way into the metal city.

"Original Airbenders"

An excellent episode, we didn't get much plot, but the original series had lots of episodes like these. Korra got minimal screen time, no Red Lotus but like I said in the original series we didn't have Fire Nation characters in every episode.

I disliked Kai at first driving a wedge between Tenzin and Jinorra. But he redemmed himself at the end, and I love his reaction when Jinorra told Tenzin where she got the idea for the tatoo, I think he realised what a mistake he made.

Bumi was great in this episode, though it is kind of overkill, right after two episode of Lin and Su and their feud, we get another episodes with middle age siblings fighting. Though it is different, Lin and Su was a 30 year estrangement, this is less serious just bickering. Tenzin and Bumi for all their problems was not at that level.
I
laughed out loud when Tenzin said shaving your head is optional, but in the end, it proved to be useful. And this guy is mister popular.

Those pouchers, I guess they didn't work directly for the Earth Queen as I thought, but they were guns for hire. Is the leader related to someone we know, it seems his big reveal suppose to mean something, maybe Xin Fu, he was a mercenary type he was willing to sell Aang out to Fire Lord Ozai. But does that mean Xin Fu escaped the metal prison, I thought he would be there for ever.
And the Earth Queen, somehow that doesn't surprise me. I hope the Earth Queen gets her. I am not one for killing people, but maybe, nah death is to good for her.

So perhaps now Tenzin and Jinorra will partners in training the air benders. That would be an aweome idea.

 

[Neo Ultra Mike]

Though I'm sure some people are going to say that it makes more sense to have episodes 5 and 6 together instead of 6 and 7, I think it kind of works like this. Because the cliffhanger makes you all the more curious on how it will turn out. Though I guess to be fair that's for last week as how this week ended wasn't really that but I think it was a different kind of mix. Rather focusing on the children of the old cast and how they relate with their siblings and ultimatlely learning to get along with them in I'm guessing some of the least plot relevent episodes of the season honestly. So like before let's go at them one at a time and discuss what works and what doesn't about them.


"Old Wounds" - This is honestly the stronger episode as not only did it feel like it did have more to do with the overall storyline, but was finishing a character conflict rather then introducing or reintroducing one. In this case Lin and Sue's relationship. Which didn't delve as much into their past as I thought it would and like other people hinted at we still have no idea who either of their fathers are (though hey that leaves it open for the comics to cover right) but I guess that wasn't the important part. Rather it was learning more the rift between them and the whole Lin feeling angry at Sue for being banished from the city instead of going to prision. And the scar that caused her (yeah didn't think we'd see that story actually. Not nearly as impactful as Zuko's but surprising and still interesting since instead of embracing or trying to move past the failure Lin is far more focused on burying it at any cost) and you know years upon years of resentment. Which in a way I can understand. Actually I can totally relate to the whole "one sibling stays more in their city and follows the family but is also far more secluded from people and less willing to open up, while the other leaves and follows their own path getting in more trouble and generally causing more problems but is also more open and surrounded by people and in a way tries connecting a bit to the family now more" issue. And I am glad that they actually had Lin develop subtely and not just rush the whole thing. I was worried we were going to get a rushed conclusion when Lin came out of her room being far more calm and collected but she's still the same more grouchy hard nose grump, just grown some. And I like the lesson about her telling Opal to follow what she wants and not just to follow what her parents want. Actually that's something both these episodes try teaching in a way but I think this works better as though we haven't really seen Sue before, actually seeing a backstory on her actually in a way gives us more of an insight on the relationship. And now Sue and Lin are only able to now get along better after fighting and getting it all out. Though a comedic line Bolin's right about siblings squabbling and that just being a part of the process plus yeah pretty good fight back and forth between the two.

And hey there were some other interesting parts of the episode. I do think the Escape of the four was just to give a couple more action scenes and explain more their next plan of attack as they know where Korra is and are closing in now but we still don't really learn anything about them. I guess that Ming Hua is a good driver and... you know I am kind of getting a weird Zukoesque vibe from them at least in the "spend time with them and wanting them to further their quest". Again not like we get much development from them but the desperation to escape and the focus on the plan and for once just being a small little group instead of part of some larger army or cause or anything so it is at least a different vibe. Plus nice to see them finally address the whole "korra learning metal bending" (along with Bolin) as yeah they explained why they haven't learned it before but good to see that moving forward. And as per usual a lot of good jokes with this one: Verrick's magnet invention and instructing Jul Le to clean up, Bolin trying to say Pabu has a disease when getting out of having to admit wanting to learn metal bending, Lin trying to sound tough about being stuck with needles, Bolin admitting he and Opal help each other out (and honestly these are decent couplely moments with them actually talking to one another and not hiding or keeping really secrets and airing them out), the guy getting his art broke but saying it looks better like that, Bolin and Korra arguing who should knock at Lin's door and Mako doing it (probably the best joke of the episode honestly and good use of Mako who... otherwise did nothing this time around), and the "I don't know where I'd be if I wasn't kicked out of the city" "you'd be in prision" exchange. There did seem to be a couple of too fillery bits, likeI know Lin's stubborn but did we need her leaving the acupuncture just to come back the next scene? Oh well I at least buy the whole "emotional stress physically hurting you" as they do tie it to her leaving halfway through her sessions more then what happened with Zuko in "The Earth King". Not to mention some of the prisioners escape did seem a bit much even if I like them but really minor complaints on this one. Honestly the whole family connection and how I can relate it really do work for me and are a good strength towards this episode especially with you feel this is only the start of it being resolved but it did feel like a good start. The next episode on the other hand....


"Original Airbenders" - Yeah so far this is the weakest of the season for me. And I don't think it's terrible or anything as it's nowhere near "The Sting" quality or anything but the whole thing sort of feels like filler. And I get why it's there: to show Tenzin dealing with his students and trying to rebuild air nation philosphy and not getting through with them but I don't know... kind of feels like we've gotten this lesson before. Back in the first season where we first were introduced to Mako and Bolin, we saw Korra and Tenzin come to blows about his teaching and both having to learn from each other. As well as "The Guide" where Tenzin for once was feeling overly pressured because his ways of getting into the spirit world weren't working and he had to learn to loosen up and allow others to carry on some of the burden for him. Heck wasn't there a minor point in "Peacekeepers" about him learning that harshness for leadership can work but it's a lonely difficult path that pushes others away from you? Really kind of feels like we're getting another burst of that here, especially since there was this whole big point Tenzin made in the 4th episode of this season about this being there choice and him giving them the freedom to follow their own path, and now he's being a super harsh taskmaster on them. And I get it: Tenzin is a difficult and serious guy and that does contradict the flowing and calming ways of Air Nomad and it's not like he's been in this position before of actually building up his culture before but again, it does feel so been there done that. I mean we've even got sibling tension again. The reason why it worked so much last epsiode is because we were not only feeling out that relationship but we understood more why they came to blows. However Tenzin and Bumi have been down this "you don't listen or respect me"/"you aren't following our legacy" back and forth before. Dressing Bumi up as an airbender doesn't really change that. Also kind of hurts that the conclusions and conversations they have resolving the issues don't feel as natural. I know they're saying they're sorry and they can see the other side but it feels like at any moment these issues could pop up again and there wasn't as much finality with it as the last episode. Plus there's the whole... filler feel this episode has. And fine not every episode has to deal with Zaheer's group and that yes, reintroducing air benders is an important part of this book cycle but it just felt like this was a diversion from the main plot line. Like someone saw those subplots from the first few episodes of the second season and was like "man we oughta make an entire episode out of that" and this is what we got. Plus the villians of this one are poachers which... yeah are pretty weak honestly. They join The Wolf bats from the first season and those triad criminals from season two as "pointless forgettable threats". Honestly when Jinora was being kidnapped in the cages being driven by poachers I wasn't getting an Avatar feeling, I was getting a Ferngully 2 feeling. And that's not something this show should really do.


I will give the show credit for the stuff with Kai and Jinora. First off they do show that despite her crushing on Kai she still isn't always going to listen to him and actually it seems like they are now building up their relationship some with how dedicated they are to helping one another. And though some of the drama felt sort of recycled I do like this one addressing how Tenzin won't let Jinora be seen as a master even though she's now near his level. I mean she's probably older then Aang now who was a master so obviously it's the whole "daddy can't let the kids grow up" which is a much more interesting problem to address with Tenzin then just teaching troubles. And though the action in this one wasn't that great there were some more great jokes: The Otaku student, Bolin on the phone gushing about Opal, Korra suggesting that Tenzin get Bumi's advice by tricking him, Bumi explaining "coolness" isn't hereditary, the balancing exercise, "shaving your hair off is a choice. You don't have to do it". "Wait, WHAT?" the obstacle course knocking everyone around, Meelo as teacher (see Meelo's a lot funnier when he's being goofy and is actually being treated sort of serious instead of just full on goof/fartbending around everywhere), the rather dark mention that the earth queen ate her father's bear (I guess this also shows the earth queen's still a threat which we already knew about but still disturbing to think about if that's true), the one bald guy being proud his now bald head let him sense being taken down and Kai going overly harsh on that one guy. Still not that great an episode. The parts that weren't rehash were good as thinking about it I also liked the talk Pema and Tenzin had showing more of their relationship but again this still did feel like a weaker, fluffier rehash of an effort. Not bad or let's face it, season 2 quality or anything but a step down from the other episodes.


So yeah "Old Wounds" was pretty great and "Original Airbenders" was sort of meh. Also you'd think the later with it's title and mention would be more about the air bision or the history of the air nomads instead of what it was actually about. Oh well hope the next couple of epsiodes are more plot heavy or at least focus on more interesting scenarios we haven't seen before.

 

[Lerkero]

Really, that's all that kept Lin from speaking to her sister for 30 years? She was a spoiled child who made mistakes? I am very disappointed that there was not more to the plotline than that. The next morning Lin gets over 30 years of angst because of acupuncture? Lin didn't even win the fight. I am starting to get the feeling that the writers don't like Lin. Nothing about her is redeemable or sympathetic.

On the plus side, Varrick is one step closer to being Iron Man/Tony Stark and that's awesome.

 

[cwjakesteel]

Really, that's all that kept Lin from speaking to her sister for 30 years? She was a spoiled child who made mistakes? I am very disappointed that there was not more to the plotline than that. The next morning Lin gets over 30 years of angst because of acupuncture? Lin didn't even win the fight. I am starting to get the feeling that the writers don't like Lin. Nothing about her is redeemable or sympathetic.

On the plus side, Varrick is one step closer to being Iron Man/Tony Stark and that's awesome.

Lin and Suyin were also seperated physically, remember? Lin was in the City while Su was who knows where. They didn't really see each other so there wasn't any opportunity for them to become reconciled, and there was also the issue of what Lin thought her mother wanted for her and her sister, and also because Lin thinks Su was one of the reasons why Toph resigned.

Also, until this episode I never even noticed the scar on Lin's face. All scars just ​have​ to have some backstory... Also, I consider Episode 7 to be filler.

 

[Dudley]

We finally got a new unleaked episode!
And it was filler. Boo.

Also, it was fun seeing Lin open up. I wonder, with so many people metalbending and lightningbending, when will see people bend plants like the people in the Swamp Water Tribe?
Also, Zaheer managed to know where Korra was. Can he in tune with the spirits as well?

And why is this thread so empty?

 

[cwjakesteel]

We finally got a new unleaked episode!
And it was filler. Boo.

Also, it was fun seeing Lin open up. I wonder, with so many people metalbending and lightningbending, when will see people bend plants like the people in the Swamp Water Tribe?
Also, Zaheer managed to know where Korra was. Can he in tune with the spirits as well?

And why is this thread so empty?

I have to wait for a moderator to approve my posts

Also, I wouldn't be surprized if wood bending is introduced, considering the 5 Chinese elements are Earth, Metal, Water, Wood and Fire.

Earth benders can bend metal because it's just refined earth, but wood is really just air and water (literally, 98% of a plant's mass comes from the air).

 

[Peter Paltridge]

To be honest, the filler feels....refreshing. The past two seasons have provided no room to breathe at all -- it was just story story story as fast as possible. A:TLA had filler episodes, and when Korra started is when I realized how much they need them, to tell stories about the characters that don't relate to saving the world.

 

[Rhaynebow]

And why is this thread so empty?

Might be cause of what you said. It's an unleaked episode. The people who post here are probably older than the target demographic and quite possibly have jobs, no DVR etc, and Nick has been anti-rerun with Korra for awhile. With no place to watch these episodes ANYWHERE except live tv, until someone posts the episodes online which maybe a few days, this thread's gonna be pretty barren.

And I'm not big on filler either. I know it's basically a tv show requirement to have some lighter stuff in between the story, but to me it's like getting hook lined in front of an amusement park to pick lint out of a carpet.

To be fair though, these episodes weren't exactly filler...some big character-stuff happened. The story may not have progressed ACTION wise, but....stuff DID happen...

 

[PapaGreg]

To be honest, the filler feels....refreshing. The past two seasons have provided no room to breathe at all -- it was just story story story as fast as possible. A:TLA had filler episodes, and when Korra started is when I realized how much they need them, to tell stories about the characters that don't relate to saving the world.

This, the main problem with Korra was that there was no time to breath or getting know the characters there is a thing as good filler and if it builds the character or explores the relationships then filler is needed

 

[Srebak]

Well, once again, i've been left in between a rock and a hard place with the way this show is going.


In "Old Wounds", the plot should have been interesting, but my mind was practically blocking it out with "Anti-Mako" thoughts based on what i saw in the last Book.


In "Original Airbenders", my mind was especially working against me. As usual, it feels like i see all points of view but can't accept/understand any of them.


On one hand, i can see why Tenzin's initial training methods would considered boring, but considering that said methods are how the original Air Nation trained its airbenders, it's safe to say that they are effective. Aang, Gyatso and Tenzin are all proof of that (they may have been pacifist by nature, but they were all very powerful benders).


On one hand, i can understand why some people would have a negative feelings towards Kai, but to be honest, i'm not really seeing a reason not to like him. The only thing i'm bothered with is the Kai/Jinora thing, as a part of me knew that it would lead to some tension between her and Tenzin (as proven by this episode).


On one hand, i can see how Tenzin's new methods could cause some problems, but it does beg the question: how did Aang train Tenzin? Personally, i would have expected him to follow Gyatso's training methods, since Gyatso was a kind, understanding and effective airbending teacher.


On one hand, i do agree, Jinora is not without her skills and probably does deserve her arrows. But on the other hand, I think Tenzin might have a point too. Wasn't it mentioned somewhere that Air Nomad Tattoos are received at a much older age, with Aang being an exception, due to his invention of the Air Scooter? Maybe there is still something she needs before she can be a master, just a thought. Though, it could just be because the whole "I'm growing up, Mom/Dad, learn to let go" plot just never felt right to me, regardless of how much i can understand it from a logical POV.


On one hand, i understand and agree with Pema's words from a logical point of view. But for some reason, my mind won't let it sink in.


I have to ask, if Bumi got Aang's spirituality and leadership skills, what did Tenzin get (please don't just say Airbending, dig a little deeper than the obvious)?


What's ironic is, this actually what i asked for: you see, a while back, i once posted my feelings about how that the Air Nomad culture wasn't getting as much attention as the other four (five) nations in the world. Now, LOK seems to be trying to do just that and i can't even enjoy it.


I know that i'm not gonna like the answers, but, is there something wrong with me? Because, the fact of the matter is, i just don't think i like it when Tenzin has to learn a lesson. He is the established mentor after all. This often causes me to almost ignore the points made by those around him, even though i can see the logic them.

 

[Wan]

I enjoyed both episodes. This might be my favorite season of Korra.

 

[honorableninja]

if it true about bosco then it offical the earth queen is the most vile monster in avatar history and needs to be brought down in the most painful way possible!

 

[I.R Joey]

To be fair though, these episodes weren't exactly filler...some big character-stuff happened. The story may not have progressed ACTION wise, but....stuff DID happen...

That's how I felt too. I think there was some major character stuff that happened in these episodes that made them work pretty well.

P.S Let's all have a moment of silence for Bosco the bear. Didn't think it would end like that.

 

[Light Lucario]

I thought that these episodes were pretty good. I was glad to learn more about Lin's side of the story. I always wondered how she got that scar, but I thought it was the result of a much tougher fight. Given that and the fact that Toph retired apparently due to the guilt she felt for letting Suyin go, I could see why Lin would harbor such strong negative feelings towards her. Plus, Suyin was a pretty stupid and rebellious teenager with acting like driving thieves away wasn't a big deal. At least she was able to patch things up with Toph relatively well from the sound of it and seeing Toph again through a flashback was neat. The fight was pretty good and I did get a bit of a laugh with Korra asking if she should stop them.

It did kind of feel like they resolved the tension a bit too neatly. Granted, I figured that the tension would be resolved, but I was expecting a bit more than just a couple of episodes for them to get on fairly better terms with each other. I thought that it would be more of a progress throughout the whole season instead or at least another couple of episodes. This was the same episode where we got all of the details for their backstory, so doing that and resolving it enough to where they're on fairly decent terms with each other seemed a bit much. At least they seemed to be taking it slow for now. I liked how Suyin actually did genuinely change as a result of leaving Republic City, recognized that she did make mistakes when she was younger and agreed with Lin that she probably would have been arrested if she did stay in the city. That kind of makes her more friendly demeanor here more meaningful in that she had to grow and mature a lot to reach that point.

Korra learning metalbending and Bolin trying to ask to learn about it wasn't nearly as interesting. I'm also not sure where Bolin seeing Toph as his greatest heroes came from since I'm pretty sure that hasn't been brought up before. I forget if he has tried to metal bend before, but at least being so hesitant to ask Suyin for help kind of fits with his character. Ophal also seemed to not be so much of afraid about leaving to train with the other airbenders as much as it just didn't come up again after Korra initially brought it up. I see where they were going with it to tie into how Suyin doesn't give her children enough freedom and to give something to connect her with Bolin, but I never really got the impression that she was afraid to tell her mother about it.

I also guess that Zaheer can communicate with spirits or spirit project himself to find out where Korra is. I imagine that the city won't be safe for too much longer. I'm really curious about the backstory for these villains, so I hope that we get that soon.

The airbender episode was pretty good too. It was a bit more of a breather episode, which is something this series has needed for a long time. The last two seasons have been heavy on the plot with little to no time for the audience to relax. The original series was able to do that, but they also had more episodes for its seasons. Still, I thought that it was pretty interesting to have another episode with very little Korra in it and focusing back on Tenzin was really nice. He was being too focused on the details and then far too strict with his teachings, but I could still understand why he was doing that. He was too focused on just rebuilding the entire culture to see them more as individuals and was too eager to see them becoming better at a faster rate to try anything else.

He became a bit too on edge after Bumi quit and Jinora going through growing pains didn't help matters either. I still don't quite like the relationship between Jinora and Kai, but part of it is my general distaste for any romance in this series. I'm still not a fan of Bolin and Opal partly due to that as well, although feeling kind of forced doesn't help matters either. Still, beating up on that bison smuggler was kind of cool. Speaking of which, the Earth Queen is a lot more cruel and heartless than I thought if she supposedly ate her father's pet bear. Dang, that was just dark. I'm still not sure how I feel about Bumi becoming an Airbender. I still think having him as a non bender was kind of important, especially as Aang and Katara's first child, but he was apparently able to understand the spirits tell him that Jinora was in trouble and his moment with Tenzin was nice. Tenzin also agreeing to think about giving Jinora her tattoos was kind of nice and tying it with the baby bison starting to fly was cute. The baby Sky Bison looked far too adorable.

Overall, these were some pretty good episodes. This season so far has been relatively good. It hasn't done as much to annoy me like a good chuck of season two or was disappointing like parts of season one, so that's nice. This season desperately needs more Varrick though. His one scene at the beginning of the first episode was hilarious and he needs more screentime.

 

[SaneMan]

That bear must have been very old.
The meat couldn't have been even good to begin with.

 

[Alonso Torrejon]

Any idea what happened at the end of Original Airbenders 'cause I totally missed out on that.

 

[Rhaynebow]

I think one of the reasons why I can't get so invested in the airbending training in because it's so sudden. We went from the LAST Airbender who was a master, to more than a dozen rookies. I don't remember the first show having complete episodes dedicated to Aang training. It was just a few minutes then the indication that a lot of time has gone by, so he knows how to do it.

Another reason is because I think airbending is just...kind of boring. If you train hard enough, firebenders and earthbenders can learn lightning and metal bending respectively. And bloodbending finally gave waterbenders a needed edge. I was praising the heavens when Amon turned out to be a waterbender; it proved that bad guys in this series aren't JUST firebenders and earthbenders. What dangers do airbenders have? Surely that Red Lotus Airbender isn't the FIRST airbender to be using his powers for harm. The series has built them up as Demi-gods for being peaceful, but compared to the other elements, they don't have an upper hand on...anything, really, nor an extra ability pushing them to train more.

Unless they can bend the breath of people and basically rip the air out of their lungs, but that'd be a little dark...all I'm saying is that if I got airbending abilities, I wouldn't be packing my bags for the air temples just yet. Give me a reason beyond just the title of master, which wouldn't matter if I had no one to train.