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[Treacherous J Slither]

Also, how awesome is Zhu Li? Am I right?

Modifié par JSlither, 01 novembre 2014 - 02:39 .

[The King of Dust]

Zhu Li is totally going to bust Varrick out again. That was just their plan E.

[Treacherous J Slither]

Zhu Li is totally going to bust Varrick out again. That was just their plan E.

 

So her name is spelled Zhu Li? Thanks that looks much better than what I wrote. I'm so embarrassed and ashamed that i'm gonna go fix it lol.

[Dominus]

However I did not expect Jhu-li to turn heel on Varic, especially to steal his gimmick of "Do the thing." I'm still holding out that shes lying and is playing double agent.

It's possible. She provided a decent motive for it, but maybe she intended it to be obvious. It'd be seriously clever if they go that route.

BOW TO THE MIGHT OF THE EARTH MAGITEK EMPIRE!!!

Oh, You.

Spoiler

[Hellion Rex]

Zhu Li is totally going to bust Varrick out again. That was just their plan E.

I agree. But I don't think she was necessarily lying about how she felt to Kuvira. Varrick really does treat her poorly.

[animedreamer]

I agree. But I don't think she was necessarily lying about how she felt to Kuvira. Varrick really does treat her poorly.

Yet he saved her life, regardless of her reasoning for doing it.

[Hellion Rex]

Yet he saved her life, regardless of her reasoning for doing it.

That doesn't change how he has treated her and will probably continue to treat her.

[Dominus]

That doesn't change how he has treated her and will probably continue to treat her.

Maybe, maybe not. If he gains a brief bit of conscience over a technological moral quandary, there's a chance of gaining the same on a personal level. I'm not sure exactly what the writers have in mind, but I think there's a possibility.

[Zcorck]

Kuvira is a freakin' SITH LORD!

 

She Force choked Varrick out the back of the Freedom Train like a boss!

 

Darth Kuvira ******* ROOLS!!

 

BOW TO THE MIGHT OF THE EARTH MAGITEK EMPIRE!!!

She does kinda remind of Revan coming back from the Mandalorian wars.

[Dark Helmet]

I for one welcome our new Earth Emperor.

 

Of course I'm sure any attempted assassinations will go over well and not provide an excellent CB.

[animedreamer]

I for one welcome our new Earth Emperor.

 

Of course I'm sure any attempted assassinations will go over well and not provide an excellent CB.

Kuvira is still a woman, Earth Empress would be the correct title wouldn't it?

[Dark Helmet]

Kuvira is still a woman, Earth Empress would be the correct title wouldn't it?

 

She used Emperor.

 

"She is the King" and all that.

[Dark Helmet]

 But so far the writers have stressed that she could be reasoned with. We'll see where that goes.

 

Spoiler

Something tells me that an attempted assassination carried out under a banner of truce will not be very conductive to a peaceful solution.

 

[Greenface21]

But so far the writers have stressed that she could be reasoned with.

 

Actually its been the opposite. Kuvira has been pretty stubborn about getting everything done her way. 

 

I do hope the writers can do better in explaining why Kuvira keeps Bolin around, because the whole zaofu meeting was predictable.  I do enjoy the fact that Varric seems to be growing as a person. It's good to see side characters evolve. 

[Heimdall]

I'm not talking about Kuvira herself, but I'm going off of the comments from the rest of the supporting characters. At this point Bolin and Varrick thinks she's crazy while Zhu Li is (hopefully) playing a bait and switch. But Milo's comments about wanting to see a fight and a couple of people mentioning "I think she can be reasoned with", verbatim gives me hope. I can't remember who said it exactly, but I know it's been said at least twice.

The fact that Korra seems to be in the "reason with her" crowd gives me hope. Though she's not doing it that well...

[Inprea]

Can't stand Suyin's eldest son. He's eager to go to war with his family. Scum.

At this point it wouldn't surprise me if he's a cuckold too.

 

From the way he mentioned shadow he's acting like a jealous spoiled brat. However, he isn't just a child throwing a tantrum. Several of his attacks could have been fatal and he threatened someone's life. He's also supporting re-education camps which I don't recall ever being portray as a good thing. I'm going to be very disappointed if he at least doesn't end up a broken shell of a person with nothing but despair.

 

Which there is some hope for. Amon died in a fire though not as slowly as I'd liked, Unalaq was held helpless in his final moments and saw his end coming, not only did the members of the red lotus spend around a decade in prison but several of them new they were about to die. I'm sure the water bender was in horrific pain while be shocked and if that didn't kill her then her own companion did when he turned everything molten. The lava bender for his part was so scared to go back to prison he chose to die a fiery death.

 

Korra has done a pretty good job of killing her enemies off so far though most of it wasn't her directly. Plus if we consider the trend towards painful deaths I have some hope that Baatar will die screaming in despair and or agony. Both would be best.

[animedreamer]

To be fair Baatar did lose out on the opportunity to become a Prince and possibly future King of the Earth Kingdom when his mother turned down the bid to unite the Earth Kingdom, now he stands to become King or Emperor of the Earth Empire by marrying the Great Uniter, Heavenly Endowed, Most Beautiful Leader Kuvira. lol

[Inprea]

To be fair Baatar did lose out on the opportunity to become a Prince and possibly future King of the Earth Kingdom when his mother turned down the bid to unite the Earth Kingdom, now he stands to become King or Emperor of the Earth Empire by marrying the Great Uniter, Heavenly Endowed, Most Beautiful Leader Kuvira. lol

 

I do not believe ambition should exclude someone from punishment for their actions especially if they fail. Failure really should come with a price of its own even if his original intentions were good. If we're going the sith path here I'm pretty sure that death is the standard punishment for such things anyway.

[animedreamer]

I do not believe ambition should exclude someone from punishment for their actions especially if they fail. Failure really should come with a price of its own even if his original intentions were good. If we're going the sith path here I'm pretty sure that death is the standard punishment for such things anyway.

oh im not condoning what he did... i just wanted to point out that may have been one of the reasons why he turned and joined kuvira.

[OdanUrr]

So, about 'Enemy at the Gates'...

Spoiler

Ah, Kuvira. Kuvira, Kuvira, Kuvira. I had such high hopes for you. Oh, well, roll the title card.
 

This is the beginning of the Zaofu arc that was hinted at previously, when Kuvira kindly reminded Suyin of the fate that would await her fair city should she refuse to be a part of her glorious Empire Earth (this pun was meant to be included in the previous review!).

Kuvira is a wonderful contradiction of a person. As expected, she shows up on the outskirts of Zaofu with her entire mecha army (which, by the way, I am very keen on knowing where she got the money to produce) ready to take it by force. It is clear at least her fiancé seems to think so and is overly enthusiastic about the idea… until Kuvira cuts him short.

“The eyes of the world are on us now,” she says, “We must do this right.”
 

Where shall I begin?

First, the eyes of the world are not on her, certainly not in the way she seems to imply. The world of Korra may be quite technologically advanced but it has yet to reach the point where people in distant places can watch events in real time as they unfold. Bar this development, whatever transpires on Zaofu will be relayed to the United Republic of Nations (I am assuming that by “the world” she’s referring to the ‘world leaders’) by the people involved in these events. As a result, both sides can argue that the other’s version of events is tainted by their specific biases.

Second, Kuvira’s credibility with the world’s leaders is at an all-time low. Any show of force on her part, regardless of whether it was justified or not, will be considered by the United Republic of Nations as an act of aggression, possibly an act of war. Having said show of force take place on Zaofu, home to one of the world’s leaders, isn’t just a bad move on Kuvira’s part, it’s a moronic one that is goading the United Republic to respond in kind.
 

Long story short, at this specific moment in time, as Kuvira gathers her troops around Zaofu for the final push that will ‘unite’ the Empire, there is absolutely no scenario in which she can play her cards and come out unscathed. There is no doing “this right” simply because the right thing to do would be to forget about Zaofu (at least for a while) and focus on strengthening her empire by proving to the Republic that her system works, that people are safe, healthy, employed, and altogether happier under her rule than they were before. Of course, were she to do this, it would be most difficult to topple her regime in under eight episodes, wouldn’t it?

As I’ve mentioned before, however, our own history is filled with such gross errors in judgement. What if Napoleon hadn’t invaded Russia in 1812 for instance? How much more time would that have bought him? How long would his empire have lasted then? I’m sure it’s a question others have pondered but it is not my intention to do so here (I am nowhere near as well-versed on the subject of the Napoleonic Wars, certainly not as much as I would like) but to again illustrate the fact that it can happen.

The situation, of course, is still more similar to Germany in 1939. When the war started, Germany had a technological lead over the rest of Europe that accounted for a large part of its success. By the time the war had ended, Germany had developed rocket technology, jet propulsion, and had even done research on the creation of nuclear weapons. I think it’s fair to say Kuvira’s Earth Empire enjoys a similar technological lead over the rest of the nations of the Republic thanks to the (mad) genius of Varrick, who’s responsible for the creation of her mecha army. Furthermore, his research on the spirit vine he brought back from Republic City shows the potential to create an energy weapon of tremendous destructive power.
 

It is clear that Kuvira is preparing for war, no matter how hard she tries to pretend otherwise. Naturally, she meets with Su and her family to explain why there’s an entire army on Zaofu’s doorstep and dismisses it as a mere testimony to her (and Baatar Jr’s) achievements. Seriously? Who was that little performance for? Baatar Jr? He’s all for razing Zaofu to the ground. Suyin and her family? Please, they aren’t that dumb and it wasn’t that long ago that you told Su you were gunning for her. Bolin? Then perhaps it wasn’t such a good idea to threaten Suyin while he was in the room, was it? Bolin may be thick, but he isn’t that thick.

Let’s put Kuvira on hold for a moment. We have arrived at a crossroads for two characters: Varrick and Bolin. Varrick, when confronted with the magnitude and implications of his discovery decides to shut it down, curiously enough. As Zhu Li informs him, he has developed a ‘conscience,’ and is dead set against weaponizing this technology… at least until Kuvira metal-chokes his conscience out of him.
 

See? That’s what the pauldrons were for!

Bolin also faces an inquisition of his own and learns, as Baatar Jr puts it, some “hard truths” about the “other ways” Kuvira has used to persuade villages to join (something we already put together in the season premiere). Bolin uncomfortably asks Kuvira how many times they (good on him for assuming responsibility) have used these other ways but, as the Doctor would put it…
 

Yes, yes it ****ing does! Tell her you love her, you moron! Wha–

Ehem. As I was saying, it’s a little late for that and Kuvira seems to agree so she decides to pull the “your loyalty is wavering” card in a scene that was funnier than it was probably intended to be. I’m sorry, it’s just that I can’t take her character very seriously anymore and I admit it’s partly due to my own biases.

Throughout the series I have been looking forward to a villain in the vein of Grand Admiral Thrawn, someone we can empathize with, who’s smart and reasonable, and who will challenge not just Korra’s preconceptions but the viewer’s as well. In short, I have been looking for a villain that’ll make you think, “He actually has a point.” Amon was probably the closest to such a villain. His point that benders can sometimes wield their power irresponsibly is a good one that has been proven time and again throughout the series. Unfortunately, he lost the ‘reasonable’ aspect by forcibly taking away people’s bending and sparking a civil war.

Kuvira could also have been such a villain. ‘Enemy at the Gates’ showed us a flashback of how this situation began in the first place. Three years ago, both Tenzin and President Raiko tried to convince Suyin to undertake the daunting task of uniting the Earth Nation arguing she was trusted by the world’s leaders (meaning them) and she had credibility as a Beifong (Lin, anyone?). Even Kuvira chimed in but Suyin refused to impose her ideals on the entire Earth Nation and that was that. Her Guard Captain, however, had no such qualms. After all, wasn’t Zaofu the role model of a perfect society? What was wrong about replicating the same model on a larger scale?

That’s what I think was going through Kuvira’s mind at the time and, like I said before, I have to give her credit for stepping up to the plate when no-one else would. Unfortunately, somewhere down the line she decided to impose her will on others rather than give people a choice and so lost any credence of being a ‘reasonable’ villain. Her latest stunt only serves to reinforce this and give Varrick and Bolin the unique opportunity to realize that…
 

Took you long enough. This realization prompts them to desert Kuvira and her army but are soon discovered and pursued by Baatar Jr and a squad of mechas. The outcome of the fight is sadly predictable but it was refreshing to watch Zhu Li kick some butt. Varrick may have designed the mechas but Zhu Li knows how to use them to their full extent. Inaho would be proud (were he still alive to see it considering Slaine shot him!).

In regards to Zhu Li’s ‘betrayal’ of Varrick later on, as she swears allegiance to Kuvira, I’m firmly in the camp that it’s a ploy. Zhu Li is highly intelligent and knows Varrick better than he knows himself. If you need proof, you need only re-watch that scene when Varrick tries to pull her back on the train, has a hard time of it, and Zhu Li informs him matter-of-factly that he’s simply weak. And, yes, she seems to have a bit of a crush on him, even though he’s completely oblivious of the fact.

In other news, Korra decided to go to Zaofu instead of Republic City, as we knew she would. However, she’s not coming to Zaofu looking for a fight but instead wants to talk to Kuvira and see if she can persuade her to stand down. Meelo is extremely disappointed...
 

... and Suyin is none too thrilled Korra didn’t go along with her “Go into the Avatar State and demolish her army” idea. Su, this isn’t the videogame, TV Korra can’t do that… I think. Come to think of it, Aang did beat the crap out of that Fire Nation fleet in Book One when he entered the Avatar State.

Anyway, Korra goes to parlay with Kuvira and their conversation goes a bit like this…

Korra: “Withdraw.”

Kuvira: “No.”

Korra: “Okay.”

All right, all right, I may be exaggerating somewhat. Korra does ask Kuvira to leave but we all know at this point that Kuvira won’t do that so she decides to try for empathy instead mixed with a little guilt. After the Avatar disappeared, the world (well, the Earth Nation part of it anyway) descended into chaos and Kuvira had to make some tough choices to bring some measure of order. So, naturally, if she doesn’t take Zaofu, chaos will return.
 

Hey, she is crazy, Bolin and Varrick said so! Korra (seemingly) acquiesces and returns to Zaofu to find Suyin’s worried husband, who wastes no time in letting her know Su took their sons in order to assassinate Kuvira. Yes, I can see nothing going wrong with that plan. I mean, it’s not like she’s going to get captured or anything, right? After all, it’s not like Kuvira has contingencies in place in case someone tries to kill her.

Thus ends the first episode of the Zaofu arc. I am curious to see how they decide to apply the technology derived from the spirit vine (energy cannons and rifles?) and how Asami’s renewed relationship with her estranged father will come into play. Maybe President Raiko will order Asami and Hiroshi to develop their own Manhattan Project? Another thing that occurred to me as I wrote this review/commentary was that perhaps Varrick could use his movers’ technology to film Kuvira’s assault on Zaofu. I am a bit surprised it didn’t occur to Kuvira to use it for propaganda purposes (or did I miss it?), showing people with their Sato-mobiles, running water, and everything else Bolin was clearly so impressed with. We could be looking at the origin of war correspondents here.

Until next week’s Bhumi Kai!
 

PS: Was it just me or did Hiroshi look different (and I don’t just mean older) from his Book One counterpart?

[animedreamer]

hiroshi didnt seem as short and fat as he did in book one

[Dominus]

Second, Kuvira’s credibility with the world’s leaders is at an all-time low. Any show of force on her part, regardless of whether it was justified or not, will be considered by the United Republic of Nations as an act of aggression, possibly an act of war.

She has the element of surprise for now, but it won't last forever. I'm not sure to what extent Korra will have a role in the endgame, but I wouldn't be surprised to see major opposition against Kuvira's forces besides Korra & The Funky Bunch.

Korra: “Withdraw.”
Kuvira: “No.”
Korra: “Okay.”

hiroshi didnt seem as short and fat as he did in book one

Mmhm. Being locked up would wear anyone down, I'd suspect.

[OdanUrr]

Mmhm. Being locked up would wear anyone down, I'd suspect.

 

Would it make you taller as well?