Republic City Dispatch

Ah, Welcome To Republic City game on Nick.com is there no waters you can’t muddy with your vague facts? : )

Lots of people have got back to me on this. Apparently Mako is a Lightning Generator (and it totally makes sense with his orphaned past that Lightning Bolt Zolt would have taught him).

Good to know, folks, good to know.

-Da7e-

You know what? We haven’t thought about it.

Should we come out really Pro-Equalist now?

-Da7e-

by landturtles

(Above from the very graphically pleasing tlokconfessions)

What’s up, people? How many episodes do you think we’re going to devote to the intricacies of the Sato family and their mixed motivations?

You know how Tahno looked like an evil anime villain? That was so we could all use some cultural shorthand and feel okay about him being supposedly evil.

Asami’s design is the same way. It’s not laziness, it’s the way they can tell the story to you without having to take a lot of time to explain the intricacies of it. 

I think that if we were going to promote Asami to a character with a real emotional history, she would have had her own point of view scenes in “The Spirit of Competition.” She was, after all, one of the key players in that episode’s relationship dynamics, but wasn’t used outside of a placeholder for “not-Korra.”

If we were going to get really deep into Asami’s character, to the degree where she could be a double agent, I think we would have started that process already. I think she exists to double cross Mako and provide that “I should have trusted Korra and Bolin” push towards the end of the season when the going gets tough. 

Like Asami all you want, all I’m willing to predict at this point is that there will be a chase scene where Korra riding Naga chases after Asami either on her moped or in a Sato-mobile. The Asami character descriptions keep mentioning what a good driver she is, so I’m thinking chase scene. 

As for the last part of your question, Anonymous, are you suggesting that a sudden shock could cause Tenzin to lose his bending? I hope that’s not possible, or the Equalists are really going about it in the wrong way. They could just be jumping out from behind corners going “BOO!.” : ) You’re likely saying that the distraction of Pema going into labor would cause Tenzin to slip up against Amon and lose his bending. I think that’s unlikely, but-

I don’t think including the baby is too dark. Let’s just say I’m wary of any show where reincarnation exists and there’s a pregnant person hanging around. The audience might let you kill Korra if she’s reincarnated within a few minutes of on-screen time.

But that’s just a craaaaaaaazy theory. : )

-Da7e-

I like how you’ve found a way to make Hiroshi and Asami villains against their will in your theory. But, who’s to say they don’t sympathize with Amon? They’re not Benders themselves.

The more immediate threats to the city after last weeks episode looks to be both Tarrlock and Hiroshi from where I’m sitting. While Future Industries turns out Taser Gloves, Tarrlock softens the council. 

But, I can’t disprove you’re theory, I just think Asami is more Azula and less Suki, to make A: TLA comparisons. : )

-Da7e-

Yes, a little bit, but I think this is more a character trait. Like, water is her native element, so she’s comfortable there and Earth is about being centered and unmmovable, which Korra doesn’t always have the confidence to execute. 

We’ve been assuming she’s been having trouble with Air because she doesn’t have the spiritual connection required to master it, so with something like Fire that comes from a super-aggressive and angry place, it somehow makes perfect sense that a confused/angry/almost-Avatar is over-reliant on Fire in combat. 

It’s also a great dig to the M. Night “they need a source of fire” damage he did to A:TLA. : ) But I doubt that’s intentional.

-Da7e-

Image source.

An anonymous Tumblr user also just sent this, which also makes sense:

“I think the reason she uses Fire more so than the others is because when she fights someone there are no Water or Earth sources near by. Even if this is an Earth source, it is quicker to use Fire.”

The Fire Ferrets only made it into the tournament because of Future Industries money, someone paid off the refs for the finals, we see a shot o the Saito family before the match but they disappear before Amon shows up with new ground-breaking technology?

I say: The Fire Ferrets could have never won the pro-bending championships.

I’m pretty sure everything we saw this episode went EXACTLY according to Amon’s plan, from dissent in the Council to Tahno’s defeat to the battle between the Lieutenant and Korra/Bi Fong. I said it on the podcast last week: You can’t leave Amon to his own devices for a week while you ship your heart out and not expect severe consequences. 

Well, this is a fan-made fake and it’s looking like there’s another “Amon unmasked” image floating around the fandom (AVOID THE “AMON” TAG, TUMBLRERS!), but it just seems unlikely at this point.

First, it would require that everything we know about Amon up to now be a very complex lie. From his backstory to his apparent age to his voice (because Tenzin is both the youngest member of the family and would likely recognize his brother’s voice).

Mostly, I don’t want it to be Bumi because I don’t think this series is nearly as interested in connecting itself to A:TLA as we, the fandom, want it to be. 

I’m not sure we know who would knock-up Toph or if we’ll ever learn if Ty Lee had anything to do with Chi-Blockers. I’m starting to think that the world-building on Korra is – more often than not – actually just world-building for this one series. 

My favorite “Who Is Amon" theories currently running are "Bolin and Mako’s lost brother”  and “YaKone’s Son.”

-Da7e-

Actually, “Lightning Generation” is a subset of Firebending. Re-directing lightning is the method Iroh developed by studying Waterbenders.

Right now, the Avatar Wika lists Mako as one of the five known lightning generators. I don’t believe that’s accurate, since we’ve only seen Mako re-direct lightning.

Point being, until Mako says something about generation vs. redirection, we haven’t seen enough of Lightning Bending in the new series to distinguish if re-direction has been popularized alone because it involves inter-disiplinary training (which would make sense in a city where firebenders and waterbenders live together) or if general wide knowledge of bending has allowed more people to learn special subsets.

Kick it by ~Shtut

This is puzzling to me too. Basically, I’m down to looking up the Comcast and Time Warner listings for the upcoming episode, and those aren’t super accurate.

All the “this season on” promo material was from the first six episodes and when Matt and I talked to the Track Team, they were sound designing a lot of pro bending. Since the stadium is no more, I’m guessing they were up to about where we are now, and this was earlier this year.

I think we’re in that production/marketing hole where they’re going to let a few episodes promo the week of (no one freak out if we don’t get clips or details until Wednesday or Thursday – did you see how much info we got dumped last week on those days on Korra Nation?). I think this will pay off with a BIG marketing campaign for the final trilogy of episodes.

BUT – I’m mostly guessing on what next week holds.

UNLESS SOMEONE CAN PROVE ME WRONG, I’m assuming next week’s episode is “The Aftermath” (not Skeletons In The Closet).

Although I’d love for it to be “Skeletons In The Closet” because that is the episode where we see Zuko (or someone related to Zuko, but Dante Basco is doing a voice for that episode, so I think it’s old scar-face himself).

Cartoon by fafahkatsu

This issue should be resolved, silly podcast XML files! -Devindra

I blame myself. -Da7e

I’ve seen this theory around the interwebs. As far as I can tell, it stems from a fake plot description that gets brought up every once in awhile. Three weeks ago, I was a fake episode description for Chapter 5 I saw floating around the internet with a fake title card in the correct font and everything.

This, actually, was one of our first questions ever, where I dug up the “killing younglings” Star Wars clip.

I maintain that this is too dark for what we’re seeing from the show.

BUT – be aware, there are multiple people out there pimping a “attack on Tenzen’s Family” plot description, but we have no idea if that episode really exists. I’m guessing it doesn’t.

-Da7e-

The Avatar Wika page on Professor Zei claims that he is still alive, trapped in the Library (Spirit World) for all eternity. That could be from his departing line, or it could be (as cited) from the Book 2 “Extras” where they would re-air the episode with Pop-Up-Video like facts.

On “City of Walls And Secrets” the 41st and 42nd pop ups are:

• Professor Zei was last seen in the episode “The Library”.
• And Professor Zei is most likely still in the library.

So there you go!

-Da7e-

EDIT: I assume you all know what Pop Up Video is, because if you don’t I am old and I’m trying to avoid that feeling.

In their universe, it makes your burps taste like pickles. In real life, it makes your burps taste like a monkey attacking a hotdog stand.

-Da7e-

Drunk Bolin by ~DullMarionette

Bolin had to apologize for not listening to his brother, maybe?

Mako told him dating a teammate was a bad idea and that he’d get hurt and he did. I don’t want to take a ‘shipping side, but let’s assume Mako wasn’t lying and actually didn’t want Bolin to get hurt.

I’m guessing he just apologized for being rude and drunk on noodles. You say a lot of things you don’t mean after too many noodles. : )

-Da7e-

Something happened between these two, but I’m not sure if it’s lovey. Remember those kids whose parents were friends with your parents? Not always the best company. Also – they are both old enough to have been alive during whatever happened with Avatar Aang 40-some years ago. 

It would be a pretty big change in Lin’s character to suggest that she used to be a romantic person and has been turned hard by being slighted. I like to think that she’s just blunt, abrupt and won’t take no sh*t, like her mother.

You can always Ask Lin too. : )

Joining Anonymous here is  totorotori  :

Do you think that library is ever going to come back? Also what if Amon somehow found that library and the Owl and that is how he learned about energy building and maybe found other important Avatar secrets?

In the most recent episode of the podcast, I say how I think Amon’s plan is to take Korra’s bending while she’s full Avatar state thereby ending the line of Avatars. Patches says: “How does Amon know that?” and I believe I say something like: “How does Amon know ANYTHING?”

Potentially, he could know if he got into The Library.

That being said, The Library has been buried since Appa’s kidnapping, and we don’t know how many sandbenders it would take to get access to it again. Not to mention that the Owl probably isn’t pysched about visitors regardless of if they are horribly scarred in the face area.

I will say this though: Professor Zei didn’t die. 

I don’t know if that has ANY connection to The Legend of Korra whatsoever.

-Da7e-

We are not an official or the official Legend of Korra podcast. Not that we wouldn’t love to be.

There aren’t a lot of shows on TV these days that are even worth talking about from a critical perspective, and Devindra, Matt and I really, really like how The Legend of Korra is unfolding thus far (you all were a big surprise, while I’m mentioning things, since we didn’t know if we’d find any sort of audience when we started).

We’re going to pick up an Audible sponsorship soon and this week we’ll have the first guest podcaster as I head to Boulder, Colorado for a family member’s graduation, so the show is growing and we’re attempting to grow the content along with it.

We’re been in contact with Nick and the Korra Nation folks, but we’re not sponsored by or in any way representing Nickelodeon or The Legend of Korra. They did not know we were starting a podcast, but once we did, we made sure to touch base.

Full disclosure, in case we’re playing by real journalism rules – I actually work for Viacom, the company that owns Nickelodeon. I’m the Animations Producer on MTV’s 16 & Pregnant and Teen Mom, but that in no way affects my opinions or the information we have access too. 

-Da7e-

Legend of Korra by ~2ngaw

Thank you – first of all for contributing, and secondly for following up. Good on ya!

-Da7e-

You, borlob, are not the only person asking about Koh.

As a matter of fact, as soon as Amon was all like: “Oh em gee, they took my face!” and mentioned the Spirits, everyone got on the Koh train.

I did a post about Koh HERE.

I’m hesitant to go revisit the Koh theory since we haven’t had anything said on on the actual show that gives more info one way or another.

Is Koh is this shows future?

Maybe.

-Da7e-