Reality Bites

benditlikekorra:

korrawr:

skoochythevagabond:

I want to share something that’s kinda bothering me about Legend of Korra. 

It’s not a bad thing really, and it’s not an example of bad writing or bad storytelling (actually it’s an example of very good storytelling). It’s just something that’s been bothering me and I don’t think people have really looked at it enough.

When you really think about it, almost everyone in Legend of Korra is extremely alone. 

Let me compare this to The Last Airbender for an example. In the first series, when Aang appears, he is immediately greeted by Sokka and Katara. While Sokka is skeptical at first, it doesn’t take him very long to conclude, with Katara, that they need to pack their things and go with Aang. Aang himself is only alone for a very brief time before they come to save him. 

By the third episode, they are family, and they are there for him when he discovers the genocide of his race. 

Now back to Legend of Korra: Here, Korra starts off alone, and remains alone until partway through the second episode, when she horns her way into the Fire Ferret team. Mako and Bolin didn’t ask her too, and only Bolin showed any support of her doing so, but she did it anyway, just to have friends. 

By the third episode, we think that they’re growing into a family when Korra helps Mako save Bolin. But then in episode 4, Korra is, once again, very alone. 

Now, their friendship has developed somewhat since then, but even right now, at episode 7, I don’t see Korra being able to really trust either of the brothers, or be able to depend on them when she needs to. Mako because he’s consistently been a bit of an ass to her (I’m not bashing him, this is just how he’s been) and Bolin because I honestly don’t think he’s capable of understanding all that Korra is going through most of the time when it comes to her being the Avatar. Even still, I think Bolin, more than anyone, is capable of being there for Korra when she needs it, but his character has yet to be developed in that direction, and Korra has never asked or relied on him in anyway. 

It’s not just Korra though. Mako and Bolin have each other, but they don’t really have anyone else, and Mako’s relationship with Asami is still too young and too conflicted to really bear the weight of either of their pain. Bolin, without Mako, is completely alone, because Korra has already indirectly rejected him, and I don’t see him trying again to reach for that relationship, despite loving her as he does. 

Asami too, now that she’s denied her father, is also very much alone, again, just with Mako to rely on, and who knows how that will go, considering that Mako’s feelings are also conflicted? 

These four are our Krew, they’re our new Gaang. But, unlike with ATLA, they are not yet a family. Each of them, individually, is still very much alone, with only bare tendrils of relationships there to hold them up. 

Tenzin and Lin too, but especially Lin, both have their own loneliness. Tenzin has Pema and his family, but when it comes to his duty to the Council, his duty to the city, his duty to the Avatar, he has no one there to hold him up. He too must stand on his own. 

And Lin…poor Lin. She has no one. And yet she has the duty and the passion to protect the city, no matter if anyone is at her side or not. And when someone (Tenzin) is at her side, she can’t trust or rely on him either, because his first concern will always be with Pema and his own family. No matter his feelings for Lin, or hers for him, she will always come second to them, and she knows that.

And the airbender kids, do they have any friends? All we’ve seen them interact with is within their own family, and although we know there are air acolytes on the island, it is doubtful that there are any young enough to be their friends. So they are kind of alone too. 

Of course there’s Skoochy too, but no one canonically cares about Skoochy, so I won’t even bother. 

I just want them to all be a big happy family, and I want them to come together and support each other and be there for each other despite all the romance drama, and let their friendship come first before anything else. But everyone in this show is so stubborn and isolated and determined to deal with their own problems that I honestly don’t know if that will happen or not. 

And now I’m crying. Sorry guys, goodnight.