I don't have many complaints about this one, so I'll keep it short.
I wasn't able to watch this episode until a while after it premiered, and thus I saw a lot of reactions before seeing the actual thing. Most of them were centered on how much of a crazy jerk Korra was. And yeah, she kind of was. But that's not a detriment to the episode. I always see people complaining about the yelling going on between the good guys this season, and I just think, "Isn't this how real life goes?"
Everybody has a different perspective on a war depending on where they're from, what they experienced, and what their job is. Korra has been the most negatively affected by the war, learning uncle cheated her father out of being chief and then wrongfully sent him to prison. Because of how Unalaq affected her personally, taking advantage of her and trying to tear apart her family, her one-sidedness is completely understandable. She knows Unalaq is a bastard with the power to do some serious damage to both worlds who needs to be taken down as soon as possible, but professionalism and the structure of the government interfere with her feelings. The conflict of this episode is clear: making sacrifices to do what's right vs. staying neutral to keep peace in one place. Both very different kinds of peacekeeping.
We went back to Republic City in this episode, and is it just me, or has it gotten a whole lot more colorful? It doesn't even look like the same place. I think part of it is that in book one, most of the action happened either at night or in closed-in places like in streets lined with buildings. Or in buildings. It was all still beautiful, just in a dark, noir-esque sort of way. On the other hand, full backgrounds seem to be Pierrot's number one priority. Republic City still has its own unique personality, it's just not exactly the same personality it had before.
On the topic of going back to Republic City: Quite possibly my biggest complaint about the finale of the first book was that it made it seem as if nothing Amon did mattered. All of his effects on the once-benders were undone with magic, and the non-benders weren't even acknowledged. Now, guess what? This book shows that the Equalist situation tore apart the council of the United Republic of Nations, and they were replaced with a president elected by the people to better represent them. That president is a non-bender. So Amon really did matter, and the writers are acknowledging his good points and using his legacy to effect the plot.
And it's not just Amon. What I like most about this episode is that it finally makes sure that everyone matters. In book one, Mako and Bolin sort of just followed Korra around without contributing to the story whatsoever or even having their own story. In this episode, a major focus is Mako being torn between the two sides of the minor conflict. He works for the law, but he's also the boyfriend of the girl who understands Unalaq's wickedness the most. Being unaffected by emotion, he simply goes for what's honest and just, despite this making him Korra's enemy. Since we see Mako's perspective well, we know that he's not a bad guy at all, so it all kind of goes to show that people who don't do what we want them to aren't always ignorant and are still trying to do what's right. So yes, Mako actually serves a point now. Character saved.
On Bolin's side, he's getting involved in the war in a weird kind of way that only he could: starring in softcore-pornish anti-Northern Water Tribe propaganda films directed by Varrick. This sidestory has barely started and it's already killing me. Avatar's writers are very good at showing the effect a war has on culture and the media, and vise versa. We aren't just seeing fighting, we're seeing the sidelines. But not just the people going "Oh man, war is so bad"; we're also seeing the people who want to embrace the horror of it to push their agenda or to get cash. Bolin's motivation is his lack of an identity. Thank you, writers, for being so self-conscious.
I watched book one for Amon, Tenzin, Asami and the animation. I'm watching book two for everyone. The writers have given us a ton to be interested in despite the seeming one-sidedness of the war. There's still time for that to be fixed too, but for now it looks like we're gearing up for some serious spirit action.
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