So Let's Talk About Korra's Finale

This past Friday marked the end of a series loved by many, I'm of course talking about Avatar: The Legend of Korra. I know I haven't talked much about Avatar here but I have seen all the episodes and have loved this series since Aang and co took off to stop the Fire Nation and just really need to get a few things off my chest here so I'll slap a big ol SPOILER WARNING if you have not seen the last episode yet.

Team Korra vs Giant Mecha 

The final episode is actually a 2 parter that has Team Korra going up against Kuvira and her giant mecha as it lays waste to Republic City ( well actually the team is trapped under a rubble and Bolin has to bend them out but whatever) and it sets the stage for an epic battle...or so we think. Here's my first issue with the finale, it doesn't seem to want to deliver on the action this time around. There are many moments that could have been memorable in terms of fighting but just felt lackluster, I can't recall a single fight scene that stood out to
me, not like there were many to choose from to start with, and that really sucks considering how beautifully animated this series is and the fluidity it shows when there is fighting happening. The majority of the first part of the episode is spent trying to dismantle the behemoth mech and we get to see Meelo shine for a bit, which is always fun, but it's very lacking it the action department; however it makes up for that by delivering some much appreciated emotional moments for the characters. We see Su and Batar Jr reunite, granted it took Kuvira almost killing him, Varrick and Zhu Li finally admitting their feelings for each other, and a very touching scene between Asami and her father (oh yeah her dad is back).

Should have been more of this imho

The second part of the finale focuses on the dismantling of the mech and it's pretty much the standard divide and conquer tactic you've seen in pretty much anything ( if it aint broke...), but who cares about that because we finally get to see Kuvira and Korra slug it out for real this time right? Remember what I said about the first part seeming to not want to deliver on the goods? Well the 2nd part wants to continue that trend. The fight starts off pretty intense with the 2 battle while the mech is being destroyed, but once the mech falls so does the intensity of the action. Instead of getting the continuation of the battle we've wanted, or at least I've wanted, to see since their first spat we are treated to Kuvira running around in the Spirit Wilds, finding the conveniently placed spirit cannon, losing control of the cannon and having Korra create a shield to protect them both from the blast....which creates another spirit portal. Once again I find myself feeling cheated here, Korra tells Kuvira she understands her because they are similar and Kuvira sees Korras power and pretty much packs it in. I would have much rather preferred if Kuvira remained undaunted by Korras power and went hand to hand with her, she seems like the type who wouldn't admit defeat until she was soundly beaten and that would have a been a nice mirror of when her and Korra first fought. After the "battle" we are treated to the wedding of Zhu Li and Varrick, which is nice and all but let's get to the real reason why we are here shall we?

Hey your Tumblr OTP actually came true!

Korra and Asami (aka Korrasami) end up becoming a couple and I have no issue with the being together but I do have a gripe in that I didn't seen enough interaction between the two for this pairing to make sense to me. I know a lot of fans wanted this pairing from the jump and I am not saying it's a bad pairing, but there should have been more moments with just Korra and Asami, more adventures between them. The 3 year time jump alluded that Korra was keeping correspondence with Asami throughout her sabbatical but I would have liked to have just seen them hangout more. I'm fully aware that the creator's had to tone down any hints of romance but I still feel like it could have been done better. That all being said, I tip my hat to the creators for doing this, it's way past time to start having characters of different sexualities being shown in shows like these and I like the fact that Korra is bisexual because it fits the with her being the Avatar; she had to help usher in change for Republic City with the introduction of the spirits and now she's ushering in change to Nickelodeon (and hopefully other networks) by introducing the concept of acceptance and representation of all sexual orientations. 

Overall I think this was an ok series finale but with an incredibly ending that went beyond that of the show. I would have liked to have seen more from the spirits other than just leaving and would have also liked to have an the stakes upped a bit, but there's no denying the impact of the finale and to me, that outweighs my gripes. It was a fun, albeit, short ride this final season but I'm sure it's one that'll be talked about for months on end...Congratulations Team Korra.