Some reasons why Legend of Korra is a bad show

upsettingshorts:

  1. The central conflict creates a situation where the heroes are actually on the side of oppression, counter-revolution, and perpetuating inequality.  At no point is the ideological justification for opposing Amon revealed by any character, it is simply taken for granted that the status quo ought to be maintained. 
  2. Instead of taking advantage of the inherent dramatic potential of the protagonists being on the wrong side - starting by acknowleding, even for a second, that the above just might be true - Amon and the Equalists are just lazily drowned-out by ominous music.  That the show is lacking in any sort of self-awareness on this front is pretty much unforgivable.
  3. It portrays events that escalate the central conflict in wildly inappropriate ways.  Until the latest episode, the Equalists exclusively target Benders who abuse their power and this is seen as extreme.  The Benders/police conduct searches and seizures without evidence, launch paramilitary raids on people just learning how to defend themselves and this is seen as business as usual.
  4. The show draws arbitrary standards as to what constitutes abuse of authority with Tarrlok seemingly going too far, despite his actions being much closer to things Korra, Tenzin, and Lin had already been doing than the characters in the show, and soundtrack, would lead you to believe.  
  5. Arbitrary justifications, ad-hoc powers of authority, vague standards of evidence… and we’re not supposed to buy it when Amon says the Benders are oppressive?  Seriously, bring on the damn revolution.  Where can I sign up to help throw these clowns out of power?
  6. It’s too late to fix any of the above.
  7. Tonally, LoK tries to do too much and it is a mess.  For example the kids’ show antics of Meelo are very unsettling - in the sense that they kill the mood and destroy tension - when they are interrupting scenes that are, in context, incredibly dark.  If this problem sounds familiar, that’s because it’s something George Lucas had issues with in the Star Wars prequels.  You know, that other follow-up to a beloved IP that was a disaster of trying to appeal to too many people at once.
  8. Legend of Korra has the dubious “honor” of being one of the few examples in media where the protagonist is a female action hero yet is full of episodes that routinely fail the Bechdel test.
  9. Speaking of Korra, her character is all over the place. Very driven and badass when she needs to be, totally incompetent and out of her depth when the plot demands it, with motivations for doing things that can only be described as “that’s what was next in the script.”  
  10. On a related note, want to get frustrated? Go watch an early episode and play the “I wonder what happened to that subplot/characterization” game.
  11. Pema’s relationship advice.
  12. It feels like a stretch placing Mako in the section of this post that seems to be talking about characters, since he is - as a friend aptly described - more like “a scarf with a haircut” than a believable person.  But damn is this guy a waste of screentime in every way imaginable.  If he in fact does exist simply to frustrate the audience and reduce everyone’s sympathy for himself and Korra, then mission accomplished.
  13. Seriously, what are they doing with Mako?  He is a scene-killer that torpedoes characterization among his comrades and for what?  Because he can’t figure out who he wants to stick his dick in and keeps choosing “all of the above?”  Not to mention this love-triangle has the drama and sophistication of a Saturday morning cartoon to begin with.  Oh, right.
  14. This excellent post on the love-triangle and how it’s ruining things.

Some reasons why Legend of Korra is a good show:

  1. The animation and art style is really fantastic.
  2. Avatar: The Last Airbender was great.
  3. The animals in the Avatar universe continue to be cute.
  4. Some characters make the most of their criminally-limited screentime (e.g. Bolin).
  5. ???

Edit:  This post seems to be very popular on Google, so I felt like I should add a note that the bulk of this post was written sometime before the end of the first season.  The last episode, by itself, deserves an entirely new rant…

And I thought about updating this after the finale with things like the incredibly awful reset button ending, and Tarrlok’s 11th hour Exposition Bending, and the complete erasure of the Equalists’ ideology…

…but you know what? It’s not worth the effort.  Enough bad writing is enough.

ley de gravitación universal: Some reasons why Legend of Korra is a bad show

thighhighdalish:

Reading all of this, one thing keeps popping into mind: When in the show have the “Bending Elite” been actually shown in the course of the episodes?

If you’re asking this question, I don’t think you really get what I mean by the term.  I will elaborate:

The Council?  Entirely Benders.

The police?  Entirely Benders.

The traditional hero-by-default?  Bender.  There’s also a huge statue of the last one in the harbor.

The military, as seen in the latest episode?  There’s almost no chance they aren’t entirely Benders, too.

Every scene of people in a room making decisions has been populated exclusively by Benders.  The one exception, when Sato is on the phone with his co-conspirators in the revolution, has the ubiquitous ominous music.  Oh no, they‘re getting organized!

Benders have abilities normal people do not, and they use those abilities all the time, and while those examples above ostensibly use them for good, plenty use them for outright evil.  Amon makes examples of them first.  Over the course of the season, even the “good Benders” are completely oblivious to the implications of their own activities.

That there are “normal” Benders too doesn’t change this.  That Benders exist at all and are exclusively represented in any organization that has political authority makes them a power elite.  They are effectively the noble and warrior class, and there’s no social mobility into this class.

When chi-blocking is portrayed in a wholly negative light, presumably for what it represents to Benders, that’s revealing.  Every time a Bender beats the crap out of a non-Bender, despite tools such as chi-blocking or mechanized warfare, Amon’s argument is proven correct.

So to answer your question:  Every time you’ve seen any Bender doing anything at all, they’ve been representatives of the privileged class.  Every time.

wadebramwilson:

But there is always stepping back and realising that it is a children’s show, trying to deal with some very adult issues. I don’t blame them for simplifying everything. Actually, I commend them for trying it to begin with. 

Would you give them credit for doing a season that focused on say… racial issues, or gender politics, and simplifying it for the kids, to the extent it’s very likely said kids would learn the very wrong lessons?  That’s what Legend of Korra is doing.  I’ve been hesitant to break out any argument that could be interpreted as “think of the children” but there you go.

There are some themes you really, really shouldn’t touch if you can’t do them justice.  This is one of them.  Maybe I’d buy this argument if the principle characters among the good guys ever really thought about anything, but they don’t.  They’re just a bunch of reactionaries fighting against a populist challenge to their authority whose ideology they don’t even entertain as being legitimate for a single moment.

Source: upsettingshorts

Some reasons why Legend of Korra is a bad show

khatman:

Tbh, it’s all of the “bad” traits that makes me want to watch it. It’s a great storyline that focuses on revolutions, a change of governance, things that we all have witnessed going on around the world for the past few years.

What’s wrong with seeing that metaphor being put into a show? There are some points I greatly disagree with but in general all of the “bad show” points makes it stellar to me. But to each his own.

Are you sure you read my post?

To carry over the “this is what’s going on around the world for the past few years” argument of yours: I’m saying that Legend of Korra is painting the established regimes that faced rebellions (Gaddafi in Libya, Assad in Syria, Mubarak in Egypt) as being the sympathetic “good guys.”  The comparison fails when enough specifics are brought up, but it’s your comparison.

In Korra, Tenzin and his fellow Benders on the Republic City council represent what amounts to an oligarchy (that becomes a one-man government-in-exile in the latest episode.)  The revolutionary underclass is made up exclusively of non-Benders who are never shown in a position of political authority.  The show portrays the former as being the good guys with no justification whatsoever other than the soundtrack and Amon’s menacing voice.  That’s the problem.

The idea of using the themes and metaphors of revolution in a show is fine.  In fact, early on I was excited to see what developed.  That Legend of Korra completely dropped the ball (see points 1-5) is what motivated this post.  At no point do I argue otherwise.  

So, why does establishing a potentially compelling premise and then doing everything possible to ruin it make the show stellar?  Are we giving participation medals for their having tried to do a plotline they’ve demonstrated they’re unable to handle?

Source: upsettingshorts

Leave censorship out of ██████.: Some reasons why Legend of Korra is a bad show

prehistoricdanc:

upsettingshorts:

  1. The central conflict creates a situation where the heroes are actually on the side of oppression, counter-revolution, and perpetuating inequality.  At no point is the ideological justification for opposing Amon revealed by any character, it is simply taken for granted that the status quo ought to be maintained. 
  2. Instead of taking advantage of the inherent dramatic potential of the protagonists being on the wrong side - starting by acknowleding, even for a second, that the above just might be true - Amon and the Equalists are just lazily drowned-out by ominous music.  That the show is lacking in any sort of self-awareness on this front is pretty much unforgivable.
  3. It portrays events that escalate the central conflict in wildly inappropriate ways.  Until the latest episode, the Equalists exclusively target Benders who abuse their power and this is seen as extreme.  The Benders/police conduct searches and seizures without evidence, launch paramilitary raids on people just learning how to defend themselves and this is seen as business as usual.
  4. The show draws arbitrary standards as to what constitutes abuse of authority with Tarrlok seemingly going too far, despite his actions being much closer to things Korra, Tenzin, and Lin had already been doing than the characters in the show, and soundtrack, would lead you to believe.  
  5. Arbitrary justifications, ad-hoc powers of authority, vague standards of evidence… and we’re not supposed to buy it when Amon says the Benders are oppressive?  Seriously, bring on the damn revolution.  Where can I sign up to help throw these clowns out of power?
  6. It’s too late to fix any of the above.
  7. Tonally, LoK tries to do too much and it is a mess.  For example the kids’ show antics of Meelo are very unsettling - in the sense that they kill the mood and destroy tension - when they are interrupting scenes that are, in context, incredibly dark.  If this problem sounds familiar, that’s because it’s something George Lucas had issues with in the Star Wars prequels.  You know, that other follow-up to a beloved IP that was a disaster of trying to appeal to too many people at once.
  8. Legend of Korra has the dubious “honor” of being one of the few examples in media where the protagonist is a female action hero yet is full of episodes that routinely fail the Bechdel test.
  9. Speaking of Korra, her character is all over the place. Very driven and badass when she needs to be, totally incompetent and out of her depth when the plot demands it, with motivations for doing things that can only be described as “that’s what was next in the script.”  
  10. On a related note, want to get frustrated? Go watch an early episode and play the “I wonder what happened to that subplot/characterization” game.
  11. Pema’s relationship advice.
  12. It feels like a stretch placing Mako in the section of this post that seems to be talking about characters, since he is - as a friend aptly described - more like “a scarf with a haircut” than a believable person.  But damn is this guy a waste of screentime in every way imaginable.  If he in fact does exist simply to frustrate the audience and reduce everyone’s sympathy for himself and Korra, then mission accomplished.
  13. Seriously, what are they doing with Mako?  He is a scene-killer that torpedoes characterization among his comrades and for what?  Because he can’t figure out who he wants to stick his dick in and keeps choosing “all of the above?”  Not to mention this love-triangle has the drama and sophistication of a Saturday morning cartoon to begin with.  Oh, right.
  14. This excellent post on the love-triangle and how it’s ruining things.

Some reasons why Legend of Korra is a good show:

  1. The animation and art style is really fantastic.
  2. Avatar: The Last Airbender was great.
  3. The animals in the Avatar universe continue to be cute.
  4. Some characters make the most of their criminally-limited screentime (e.g. Bolin).
  5. ???

I’m reblogging this just to say that you spent way to much digging into a cartoon. lol.

Some of the negative responses boil down to this.  Normally, I’d agree:  The notion of spending any kind of serious thought analyzing and being critical of a Saturday morning cartoon is typically a silly one.

However - and this is critically important for the first few - the creators opted to cover what are often described as “mature themes.”  They made a choice to go political, and they got it about as wrong as anyone can.  

Portrayals of uprisings, rebellions, and challenges of political authority in media are important.  This is especially true when they come down so casually and unapologetically in favor of the state/established elite.  Therefore, it doesn’t matter that it’s a cartoon.  

That I’m bored by Mako, find the love triangle tiresome, or Meelo’s antics a pretty solid example of how not to release narrative tension, are more matters of personal taste.  They also contribute to, you know, the show being bad.

(via damianrules)

Source: upsettingshorts

Some reasons why Legend of Korra is a bad show

  1. The central conflict creates a situation where the heroes are actually on the side of oppression, counter-revolution, and perpetuating inequality.  At no point is the ideological justification for opposing Amon revealed by any character, it is simply taken for granted that the status quo ought to be maintained. 
  2. Instead of taking advantage of the inherent dramatic potential of the protagonists being on the wrong side - starting by acknowledging, even for a second, that the above just might be true - Amon and the Equalists are just lazily drowned-out by ominous music.  That the show is lacking in any sort of self-awareness on this front is pretty much unforgivable.
  3. It portrays events that escalate the central conflict in wildly inappropriate ways.  Until the latest episode, the Equalists exclusively target Benders who abuse their power and this is seen as extreme.  The Benders/police conduct searches and seizures without evidence, launch paramilitary raids on people just learning how to defend themselves and this is seen as business as usual.
  4. The show draws arbitrary standards as to what constitutes abuse of authority with Tarrlok seemingly going too far, despite his actions being much closer to things Korra, Tenzin, and Lin had already been doing than the characters in the show, and soundtrack, would lead you to believe.  
  5. Arbitrary justifications, ad-hoc powers of authority, vague standards of evidence… and we’re not supposed to buy it when Amon says the Benders are oppressive?  Seriously, bring on the damn revolution.  Where can I sign up to help throw these clowns out of power?
  6. It’s too late to fix any of the above.
  7. Tonally, LoK tries to do too much and it is a mess.  For example the kids’ show antics of Meelo are very unsettling - in the sense that they kill the mood and destroy tension - when they are interrupting scenes that are, in context, incredibly dark.  If this problem sounds familiar, that’s because it’s something George Lucas had issues with in the Star Wars prequels.  You know, that other follow-up to a beloved IP that was a disaster of trying to appeal to too many people at once.
  8. Legend of Korra has the dubious “honor” of being one of the few examples in media where the protagonist is a female action hero yet is full of episodes that routinely fail the Bechdel test.
  9. Speaking of Korra, her character is all over the place. Very driven and badass when she needs to be, totally incompetent and out of her depth when the plot demands it, with motivations for doing things that can only be described as “that’s what was next in the script.”  
  10. On a related note, want to get frustrated? Go watch an early episode and play the “I wonder what happened to that subplot/characterization” game.
  11. Pema’s relationship advice.
  12. It feels like a stretch placing Mako in the section of this post that seems to be talking about characters, since he is - as a friend aptly described - more like “a scarf with a haircut” than a believable person.  But damn is this guy a waste of screentime in every way imaginable.  If he in fact does exist simply to frustrate the audience and reduce everyone’s sympathy for himself and Korra, then mission accomplished.
  13. Seriously, what are they doing with Mako?  He is a scene-killer that torpedoes characterization among his comrades and for what?  Because he can’t figure out who he wants to stick his dick in and keeps choosing “all of the above?”  Not to mention this love-triangle has the drama and sophistication of a Saturday morning cartoon to begin with.  Oh, right.
  14. This excellent post on the love-triangle and how it’s ruining things.

Some reasons why Legend of Korra is a good show:

  1. The animation and art style is really fantastic.
  2. Avatar: The Last Airbender was great.
  3. The animals in the Avatar universe continue to be cute.
  4. Some characters make the most of their criminally-limited screentime (e.g. Bolin).
  5. ???

Edit:  This post seems to be very popular on Google, so I felt like I should add a note that the bulk of this post was written sometime before the end of the first season.  The last episode, by itself, deserves an entirely new rant…

And I thought about updating this after the finale with things like the incredibly awful reset button ending, and Tarrlok’s 11th hour Exposition Bending, and the complete erasure of the Equalists’ ideology…

…but you know what? It’s not worth the effort.  Enough bad writing is enough.

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