Republic City Dispatch

NOOOOOO, STAR WARS PREQUELS!

Ok, I’m going to try to not think about how much the Anakin/Padme relationship was botched in execution and just address what you’re talking about:

Yes. 

Actually the similarity goes deeper as Padme primarily wants to protect her people and her myopic view allows Palpatine to take over the Senate (SPOILER, but I also spared you having to look up “vote of no confidence”), while Anakin works for what is essentially a police force (until the Clones…uh…attack?) that shouldn’t be controlled by Palpatine but is.

In this example, Palpatine is Varrick, not Unalaq. Unalaq is, like, Count Dooku.

If we’re going to talk emotions, it’s hard because the Star Wars Prequel doesn’t really have any (BUUUUUUUURN!), but what they were trying to set up was something like what we saw on Korra and what you identify: serving politics over your relationship will end your relationship.

The main difference between the two, though, is that I don’t see Mako going dark, I see him coming around once he realizes the police are less about honor and more like those two practical-joke officers in The Peacekeepers.

-Da7e-

Isn’t that in the pit? The pit with the old Fire Nation Lady at the top of it? Ok, so maybe Korra isn’t in the pit, but someone is in the pit and being ask if she knows who she is.

I think Korra’s going to be doing a lot of stuff in the Spirit World. Not only is there the Wan episodes, but there’s that shot of her riding the Phoenix Dragon and that shot where she has the three – uh – spirit dogs? – behind her. All this plus the stuff where she sees Roku and meditates with both Tenzin and Jinora.

Anyway, once she gets all spiritual, I’m hoping she also gets a little more Avatar-y and calm and doesn’t run around making rash decisions.

-Da7e-

Korra is winning Friday’s cable ratings, first broadcast, written. Or “non-reality.” It’s the WWE that’s beating Korra.

Nick wise, Spongebob frequently beats Korra (though not by much). Last July, Nick basically won kid’s programming and kept showing growth:

NEW YORK–July 30, 2013–Nickelodeon’s July performance marked the net’s sixth straight month of gains for 2013, with the channel posting double-digit, year-over-year (+19%) growth with K2-11 (3.0/982,000).  Nick’s gains were fueled by solid performances from SpongeBob SquarePants, which ranks as the top animated series for the month with K2-11 (4.8/1.6M) and its hit preschool lineup, which netted Nickelodeon the top spot with preschoolers for July (3.2/428K; +42%).  Bubble Guppies ranks as Nick’s top preschool series for the month, averaging a 5.0/673K with K2-5.  In addition to its monthly gains, Nickelodeon’s preschool block is posting double-digit year to date increases, up +12% with K2-5.

All this means we shouldn’t be worried about Nick. And if Nick has already paid for two additional seasons of Korra, we will get those two seasons somehow.

Moving Korra off Saturday Mornings seems like a weird idea, but someone suggested to me that this might be so Korra can make a run at the prime time Emmys…? Seems off-base to me.

-Da7e-

See, this is why I wanted Patches to stop saying “Obama.” : ).

Yes, you are correct. Although I think the metaphor we were reaching for was not that Korra was Obama, but that Raiko was Obama, in the sense that there was a Civil War between the Water Tribe. The United Republic of Nations is actually a fifth tribe, not a governing body for all the rest, and that’s where the Obama analogy starts to fall apart.

BUT – that’s not to say that Raiko isn’t echoing the archetype of democratically elected leaders who observe a civil war from a distance and don’t want to get involved. So the archetype is there, even if the direct comparison doesn’t work as well.

Not to mention that all of this was written well before the US decided to do anything in Syria (not that we did anything in Syria), so we’re certainly seeing the Korra Team pulling from long-existing political archetypes, not real-life examples.

I haven’t gotten a chance to sit down with anyone responsible for writing Korra, but I’ve always wondered how it feels to write something like this President Raiko scene, record all the dialogue, then when it’s out being animated something like Syria happens.

Or last season when they started seeing Dark Knight Rises ads as Amon rose. : )

-Da7e-

Thanks!

I was listening to an old RC Dispatch on “The Aftermath” and was really excited about what I was talking about but really mad at my own pronunciations. So, I get it.

But for those of you sticking with us, a-thank you. And thank you for contributing your thoughts and leaving reviews and tuning in, we’re super happy to be doing it. 

And just think how great it will feel after we’ve completed four books together. It’s like we’re group-raising children.

Now if only our Avatar would listen to any of our advice. Teenagers, amirite?

-Da7e-

Watercolor by mynotsosmalladdiction

There are a lot of similarities between Aang and how we’ve seen Korra portrayed. But while Aang was occasionally too childish in Book One: Water of ATLA, Korra’s writing seems to be swinging too angsty. 

It’s hard for me to speak to the teenage girl experience as I was a teenage boy trying my hardest to understand teenage girls and why they didn’t want to date me. But if they’re anything like teenage boys they are impulsive and quick to anger and painfully – PAINFULLY – selfish to mask their insecurity.

I’m hoping that all the negatives we’re seeing in Korra’s character is just because we’re in a transitionary period, but the more I think back to Book One: Air, the more I think – maybe this is just Korra. Last season we didn’t see so much violence or so many mood-swings, but she was a rube in a city she didn’t understand. That covered up a lot of edges.

But knowing what I know now about Lin Beifong and Tenzin and the greater layout of Republic City, running around and joinging task-forces before understanding what the conflict was sounds a lot like Korra starting out on Unalaq’s side before finally standing with her family. 

However, I can admit that maybe Korra isn’t having what I referred to on the last podcast as the “Harry Potter book 5 problem.” In Order of the Phoenix, I just wanted Harry to share some information with the responsible adults in his life. Korra might not have the same quality of information as Harry did, so I might walk back that opinion. Korra only knows what Unalaq or his cronies tell her, and that’s not trustworthy information.

I dunno. I guess my personal jury is still out on Korra, which is surprising. But not a bad surprise as I still love watching the show and not being dedicated to one side is beneficial to my viewing experience…

… except no one hurts Pabu. Hurt Pabu and die.

-Da7e-

Distrusting the ultra-rich in Korra-world seems like a safe bet. We haven’t seen a true philanthropist with money in this universe. Yet.

But – I’m with you, there’s something shady about Varrick and I hope we don’t get into war profiteering (because, you know, a Nickelodeon show), but if we do – beware the V.

-Da7e-

Tenzin is 51 and judging from the family photo we got last episode, I think it’s safe to say that both Bumi and Kya are also in their 50s, Bumi probably towards the later 50s. 

But as for exact age, until we know a bit more about what happened between The Search and Aang’s death in 153 ASC.

Unless I’m wrong, in which case – someone will correct me.

-Da7e-

I like this. I’m not going to discuss much (because you lay out some good points here), but everyone else should. I just want his “Movers” to have been important in the future. Maybe his undoing? 

-Da7e-

Here’s a blurry copy of my Book 2: Chapters 1&2 notes:

It’s all chicken scratch and involves things that ended up not being important. 

As the person who does the re-cap at the beginning of each episode, the absolute minimum notes I take on an episode is a scene-by-scene description of what’s happening. This is something that I’ve picked up from Screenwriting school – reverse engineering a structure. 

Something like the Air Ball race in the Book Two premiere would be something like:

“Air Temple Island – Korra abuses Avatar power w/AirKids (immaturity) Tenzin announces trip to air temples (immaturity react)”

There you have the main setting, the main characters and a loose idea of what the purpose of the scene was (Korra has the Avatar state but not maturity and Tenzin knows, is still trying to train her). 

Granted, it’s hard to do that AND focus on all the little things, so occasionally I forgo the motivation stuff until I can do a speedy re-watch right before we podcast.

For that, Nick.com and iTunes have been great so far. 

HOWEVER – when reviewing a film or play or anything where I have to watch in the dark, I don’t take notes. I know Patches does, but I do not. For that, I take it more like I used to take lectures at school: if the idea stimulates me enough to remember it, it must have been important. : )

-Da7e-

I’ve been sitting on this very valid question for a few days, because I see what you’re saying, Lokathor, I just disagree with it. But before I came out in disagreement, I wanted to organize my thoughts a bit better. 

To be clear: I’m not disagreeing that what we’re seeing is an unhealthy relationship. What I take exception to in your comment is “highly abusive relationships shouldn’t be used for comedy.”

The easy argument for me is to say I’m going to send you “Straight to the moon,” “one of these days, Alice” and hope that you know I’m referencing the Honeymooners, which got ripped off for The Flintstones, which kickstarted prime time television animation. 

The more difficult argument is the one that ties into why I don’t jump into the Shipping fan community as much as I’m exposed to its inner workings: that stuff isn’t in the show, it’s being brought to the show. When talking about Breaking Bad on this week’s Operation Kino with Patches, I kept saying that the finale is the cap to the final season – it closes off all speculation by providing answers to certain questions. Like, when we thought that Amon could be Bumi early on in Book One – that theory is valid until the show reveals that it Amon isn’t Bumi.

In this particular case, we’re referring to the Bolin/Eska scenes as comedy because that’s how they are being written and acted and put into the show. We’re referring to it as comedy because that’s what the show is presenting it as (even as a terrifying Eska zooms towards Varrick’s boat, the last line is a joke).

Without getting into issues of sexism and how relationships are portrayed in American Cartoons (hint: not well, historically), the reason I’m personally still treating Eska/Bolin as a comedy is the show is treating it that way. We have world-wide, life-or-death problems, Bolin’s inability to assert his feelings is a side issue, much like if Mako kissing Korra while dating Asami was a side issue. We’re welcome to speculate on these side issues, but applying the real world’s rules to a story world is DIFFERENT – but still VALID – critical ground than where we usually are. 

In short, I don’t want to disabuse you from thinking about portrayals of emotionally abusive relationships in media. There’s stuff worth poking around in there. However, if the show is treating Bolin/Eska as a comedy element with the tone it adapts during those scenes, our initial critical reaction is going to be acknowledging the show wants us to laugh at Eska making Bolin bow to her. I’m not going to feel bad for that, I’m not the Nickelodeon tone police. 

Now, if you disagree that this is funny and think that gender-swapping doesn’t work to make something so obviously abusive funny, I can understand and sympathize with that. I also think it’s completely valid and as much of a problem as Asami’s inaction in her own romance last Book. And much like I couldn’t get on Asami’s side in Book One, there’s nothing in my mind that makes me think Team Avatar lets Bolin enter an unhealthy and forced marriage.

Thank you SO MUCH for making me take three days thinking about this. I am not being sarcastic. It was great.

-Da7e-

Updated!

Everyone else, you can see more Korra (SFW) sketches here: http://kathuon.tumblr.com/tagged/lok

And thanks, whomever cropped it took out the signature. It was driving me crazy. I just wanted to have an image of Korra and had to scroll through tons of porn. Ugh, Korra Porn, you’re the worst surprise of every day.

-Da7e-

Korra and Naga by me-illuminated

musicnsneakers:

– The Water tribes coming to reunite the tribes and fight the dark spirits = the British coming to fight the French and make sure that the colonies are paying their fair share of taxes

– The Southern water tribe’s resentment over losing their independence = American colonists’ resentment

– Northern water tribe belief that they need to re-establish order and balance in the South = British belief that they need to re-establish order in America

– the Southern water tribe’s harbor getting shut down = Boston getting shut down post-tea dump

– rebellion of Southern tribe = Sons of Liberty attacking tax officials and British ships 

– taking ‘rebels’ to court = British controlled at least part of each colony and thus had control of the courts in some way (though the lawyers were American)

KORRA GETS DEEP