My apologies for the lateness of this review/commentary. I really have no excuse beyond the fact that I was struggling with what to say about the episode. If you’ve been checking on my previous reviews, odds are the plot of last week’s episode didn’t come as a surprise to you. If you haven’t been checking on my previous reviews, then odds are you figured it out on your own anyway. Having said that, the more I thought about the episode the more I realized I do have a couple of things to say so… fire away.
‘The Battle of Zaofu’ can be divided in two halves, much like ‘The Calling.’ On the one hand we follow Varrick and Bolin as they work to develop Kuvira’s superweapon. On the other, we watch Korra dealing with the aftermath of Su’s failed assassination attempt. Let’s talk about the highlight first, shall we?
Stripped of his incredible assistant, Varrick finds himself on a train en route to a “re-education camp,” working with Bolin to create Kuvira’s superweapon, all under the strict supervision of fan-favourite (#sarcasm) character, Baatar Jr. It’s a welcome break from the perhaps gloomier side of this episode as Varrick explains to Bolin how it dawned on him to harness spirit energy after his escape (hint hint) at the end of Book Two. Of course, while Varrick was considering to use this energy as a near-infinite power supply, Kuvira and Baatar Jr. have other, more nefarious, plans. After all, nothing says “I’m evil” like building your own superweapon, in peace time, when there’s absolutely no need for one. Mind you, I’m curious to see how it all turns out because that energy has to come from somewhere, regardless of the form it ultimately takes.
Anyway, switching to Korra for a bit, I regret to inform you that Su’s plan to assassinate Kuvira failed. Oh, you knew that one already, did you? It’s not like it was a trap or anything, right? At least now we know the reason for her meeting with Su and the others in the previous episode was simply to push Su’s buttons, resulting in the chain of events that followed. Kuvira also makes the smart play here and wastes no time in letting Zaofu’s citizens know that she holds none of them responsible for their leader’s actions… provided they surrender, naturally.
Meanwhile, Varrick has finished the weapon but why does it tick so much Baatar Jr. asks? Why, because it’s a bomb! That’s what happens when you can’t follow what your mad/genius inventor is doing. Also, just in case you get any ideas about moving Varrick to another compartment there’s also the remote! Let’s give it up for Varrick, everyone! He may be mad but he doesn’t leave loose ends. Now all we need is for Bolin to do the thing…
There you have it, ladies and gentlemen, that’s how you
do the thing fake your death. This was truly Varrick’s moment to shine in Zhu Li’s absence and I look forward to more. It goes without saying I’m also looking forward to Varrick and Zhu Li's inevitable reunion.
Back on Zaofu Korra meets with Kuvira to negotiate her withdrawal and Su’s release, both of which everyone knows are never going to happen. That means it’s time for Bhumi Kai, with Kuvira and Korra going at it in the most egregious case of Avatar-ass-whooping this side of Book Four. It was painful to watch Korra’s slow and predictable moves versus Kuvira’s more fluid style, especially considering Korra was using all the elements and Kuvira was restricted to earth and metal bending. Eventually, Korra enters the Avatar State and the tables turn, so much so she’s about to give Kuvira a good dosage of earth bending when…
Oh. It's you again.
The rest, as they say, is history. Korra loses the duel and has to evac while under the cover of a windstorm cooked up by Jinora and Opal. Kuvira takes control of Zaofu and asks its inhabitants to kneel before
Zod her with the obvious refusal of Su’s husband and son, who are sent to a re-education camp. The episode ends with an ominous scene where Baatar Jr. assures Kuvira he can replicate Varrick’s work, something I seriously doubt (it's not as if we're building a LEGO!).
Let’s back up a bit and talk about the couple of things I mentioned earlier. I am in two minds about the episode. First, I dislike it for probably the same reason others did: Kuvira wins and Korra gets her ass whooped. In fact, I have more of a problem with the former than the latter because I think Kuvira’s a bit too full of herself and her victory over the Avatar will only serve to exacerbate this feeling (and in all likelihood embolden her to consider expanding her empire).
On the other hand, I like the episode for the same reason, well, more or less. The more critical part in me that focuses on story arcs and narrative applauds that the writers recognized that Korra’s recovery was far from over. Recall that the Avatar is the fusion of two entities: Korra, on the physical side; and Raava, on the spiritual side. While Korra’s body may have healed after she extracted the metal in her, her mind/spirit has not. I believe it’s high time Korra connected with her spiritual side, Raava, and figured a few things out.
On to my second point now, the Avatar State. See, of late, I’ve been wondering how exactly it works. When Korra enters the Avatar State all of her bending suddenly becomes way stronger, nearly overpowering. Initially, I thought this worked similar to the Sword of Truth.
I like the TV show. Deal with it.
In Terry Goodkind’s series of the same name, the Sword of Truth is a powerful, magical, item given to a person called the Seeker of Truth, a hero who only surfaces during times of great peril. Through the Sword of Truth, a Seeker can call upon the strength of all the Seekers who came before him/her turning him/her into a force to be reckoned with.
Alternatively, you can use it to show off.
The Avatar State is remarkably similar in that the Avatar can call upon the knowledge and strength of his/her previous incarnations to help him/her defeat evil. In Roku’s own words, "
The Avatar State is a defense mechanism, designed to empower you with the skills and knowledge of all the past Avatars. The glow is the combination of all your past lives, focusing their energy through your body."
As such, I figured this explained the gap between the Avatar’s supreme proficiency bending the elements while in the state as opposed to while being his/her normal self. Unfortunately, there were a few things that didn’t quite click.
First of all, when Wan entered the Avatar State he too experienced an ‘upgrade’ as opposed to his normal self and he had no previous lives to empower him. The same happened in Book Three when Korra battled Zaheer and now in ‘The Battle of Zaofu.’ In both cases Korra had already lost access to her previous reincarnations, as established at the end of Book Two. This begs the question, why is there such a gap between a non-AS Korra and an AS one? Especially now that her Sword of Truth is just an ordinary sword. Shouldn’t the Avatar State be less powerful now, if at all?
Hopefully, this week’s episode will answer this in between Korra’s reunion with
Asami Tenzin and company. See you then!
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I feel like I've been waiting so long for this.... wait....
