TV Reviews: Legend of Korra, Season 1

Being a massive fan of the original Avatar series I was very curious as to what the makers would do with this.   You might say Korra had a lot to live up to.   Well, it didn't disappoint.   It's set after Aang's death and Korra is the new avatar.   From the very first episode Korra establishes itself as its own show.   It's clearly still part of the Last Airbender world, but it's not just a continuation of a old story.   It's a very different show and Korra is a very different avatar to Aang.   While Aang is happy-go-lucky and gentle and deeply spiritual, Korra is hot-tempered, fiesty and prone to action.   While the majority of The Last Airbender was about Aang trying to master all four elements, and hiding the fact that he's the avatar, Legend of Korra opens with Korra having already mastered three as a child and telling everyone she's the avatar.   Korra's world is more modern than Aang's, with pro-bending being a thing and the industrial revolution being well established, and more political.   Elected officials matter more, and being the avatar seems to count for less.   Korra is manipulated and used.   The whole structure of the series is different too.   Instead of Korra being on a journey and meeting a host of quirky characters, almost the whole series is set in Republic City where Korra is staying.   There's also a tension between benders and ordinary people that just wasn't present in the last series.  

Having said that it's a very different show, there are plenty of nods to the Last Airbender, such as meeting the descendents of Aang, Katara and Toph, and flashbacks to Aang's youth.   And there are some elements that have stayed the same, such as the avatar having a helpful big furry friend.   In this case her name is Naga and she's a polar bear-dog.   I NEED a polar bear-dog!   Big and fierce like a polar bear, but loyal like a dog.   And rideable too!   A goofy male comic relief character also appears in the form of Bolin, a sweet, poverty-stricken pro bender who is infatuated with Korra.   Anyone who cares about the world will also be happy to see the air-benders are doing ok.   After being reduced to one (Aang) in the Last Airbender, they're now starting to recover.   Aang and Katara's son Tenzin has four children who are all air benders.   So although air benders are still very rare, they're not gone yet!  

As with the Last Airbender, it's the characters that make the show so appealing.   Korra's calm, dignified air bending teacher, Tenzin, his hilarious children, sweet, funny Bolin, awesome Naga and evil Amon are all unforgettable.   And as for this storyline, it's tense and full of intrigue and betrayal, with a healthy dose of teenage angst thrown in as well.   Benders are being captured by rebels and having their bending taken away.   In the end Korra herself has her bending taken.   For a few tense minutes you wonder if the series is going to go for a very bold decision.   Having an avatar who can't bend.   But she gets it back quickly.   Perhaps a little too quickly in fact.   It feels like a bit of a deus ex machina.   And the final episode where Amon is finally defeated is....emotional.   So emotional.   I won't ruin it for you.  Watch it!