I'm watching! But I've only watched the first 3 (next 3 sitting here waiting for me). Really liked what I've seen, still haven't quite engaged with the main characters, but I can be slow to do that with things, and I'm sure I'll grow into it. Exceeding my expectations that were based on early descriptions anyway. Disconcerting when people share voices with old characters, but that'll fade too.
― windborne grey frogs (dowd), Sunday, 13 May 2012 21:01 (1 year ago) Permalink
Okay, I don't want to spoil things, but episodes 4 - 6 will definitely add more shades to the main characters, so I don't think you'll be disappointed by them... Though I'll have to admit episode 6 made me more interested in Tenzin and Chief Beifong than in the main trio - but in the original series too my favourite character was probably Iroh. Let's hope they can manage to do similar balancing between the youngsters and the older folks as they did there, so far it's looking good.
― Tuomas, Sunday, 13 May 2012 21:19 (1 year ago) Permalink
Oh, Iroh was the best. Watched these now (I had already seen 4). Really good stuff in the last 2 eps. There does seem to be something kind of Randian about the way the equalist/bender conflict is framed - would kind of fit into the right-wing 'meritocracy' ideology that complains about the talented being pulled down by 'unrealistic' ideas about equality. Some great action stuff towards the end, though it's kind of hard to see how this series will move towards the epic battles of the first series (the siege of Ba Sing Se, for example, or the defence of the (southern?) water tribe).
― windborne grey frogs (dowd), Monday, 14 May 2012 00:50 (1 year ago) Permalink
There does seem to be something kind of Randian about the way the equalist/bender conflict is framed - would kind of fit into the right-wing 'meritocracy' ideology that complains about the talented being pulled down by 'unrealistic' ideas about equality.
Yeah, I've been noticing this too, and I do hope the show doesn't go too deep into it. So far they've manage to give the Equalists' claims at least some validity, and I do hope that by the end of the show their point of view is still acknowledged... Even if Amon will turn out to have some ulterior motives for running the movement (which seems likely), it looks like most of his followers have a genuine reason to distrust benders (for example, the City's ruling council seems to consist of only benders with non-benders having no representation there), and I think the writers are smart enough to include these shades of gray to the story, instead of just revealing all Equalists to be evil.
― Tuomas, Monday, 14 May 2012 08:15 (1 year ago) Permalink
And I do genuinely hope they're gonna not gonna reveal Amon to be some mastermind who's only using the Equalist movement for his evil purposes, I like the idea that he has some actual justification for his actions. I think of one of the biggest flaws in AtLA was that almost everyone was treated as a three-dimensional character, with their own understandable motivation for doing things, except for Zhao and Ozai who were just pure evil.
― Tuomas, Monday, 14 May 2012 08:23 (1 year ago) Permalink
Anyone still following this? Any thoughts on the revelations in episode 9?
Here's a funny fan comic I came across:
― Tuomas, Wednesday, 13 June 2012 12:51 (11 months ago) Permalink
I was just thinking of posting here, as I watched 9 this morning. Nice to see blood bending back, and some spirit world stuff. I'm still enjoying it anyway. Why did the end of my (torrented) ep have something about a 2 part season finale? Surely it hasn't been axed already?
― windborne grey frogs (dowd), Wednesday, 13 June 2012 13:19 (11 months ago) Permalink
Yeah, there's one regular episode next week, then a two-part season finale the week after that. From what I've gathered, when Nickelodeon commissioned the second season, the first one may have been so far in production that they couldn't really change the plot anymore. So it's possible the finale will actually end this story arc (as TLoK was originally supposed to be only a 12 episode miniseries), and the second season will have a completely new arc.
― Tuomas, Wednesday, 13 June 2012 15:54 (11 months ago) Permalink