In the eleventh episode of the second season of The Legend of Korra, Bolin realizes his role in the fight against the Northern Water Tribe. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch The Legend of Korra.
This was… okay. I’ve liked most of this season, but at times, “Night of a Thousand Stars” felt a little stale. I know it’s a vital episode for Bolin and the entire Varrick storyline, so it’s one that had to happen. But did it seem a little weird that Bolin was so quick not to believe his own brother? I suppose I understand what the writers were trying to get across. Bolin, over the course of this arc, has been so thrilled by the attention he’s gotten that he never asked where he was getting it from. I get that! Bolin, who normally isn’t the center of attention, is suddenly thrust into the spotlight. How does he react to that?
Poorly. He misinterprets the clear signals that the women around him send. He ignores his friends and family. He gets caught up in the hype machine surrounding Nuktuk. It’s understandable, but I don’t know that I’d go as far to say that he would throw his brother under the bus, believing the official story over the one that Mako told him. I think that there could have been depth to this story, but it’s not given to us. Was Bolin desperate to believe Varrick because of what Varrick had given him? That makes sense as a storyline, but Bolin comes across as bizarrely apathetic.
That is, until he suddenly becomes lonely. Even that I understand in a very general sense; it’s not easy to find success and have no one to share it with. I could even believe that Bolin was having a crisis of conscience, but I don’t think it’s meant to be portrayed that way, either. I don’t know, y’all, I’ve been wanting a Bolin-centric episode all season and most of this just doesn’t cut it for me. It feels bland when it should be thrilling and exciting. And can we just not have that entire plot involving Korra’s amnesia? Holy shit, not only is it unnecessary, but it’s just so pointlessly awkward. Why? Why introduce a story that aims to make Asami feel the worst out of everyone? Why let Mako keep up the illusion that they’re still in the relationship? WHAT IS THIS SHOW DOING???
That’s not to say it’s all boring, because there are brief moments of shock and terror within this episode. The deliberate parallels between what was happening during Hero of the South and the fight against Varrick’s men was easily the most entertaining aspect of Bolin’s story. It solidified the idea that Bolin didn’t need cameras (or terrible special effects) to achieve greatness, and I think that’s a vital aspect of his character growth. It’s something I want to see more of, though preferably without the reward of a woman. (See: Ginger’s entire purpose here.) Bolin deserves to play a larger part in conflicts rather than just be comic relief.
On top of that, this episode is bookended by two emotionally charged scenes that were, admittedly, way more exciting than most of what happened between them. It’s just so heartbreaking to see Tenzin’s family react to Jinora’s fate, first of all. NOPE. Pema in particular… that’s not okay at all. You know what’s even worse? The vicious fight between Tonraq and Unalaq. WHAT THE HELL, EVERYONE? Like… Tonraq isn’t dead, right??? I refuse to accept that it just happened, y’all, and I’m just going to believe he’s temporarily injured. That doesn’t mean I get to ignore how exceedingly violent the fight was. It was clear that it was an act of desperation on Tonraq’s part, and you could tell that Tonraq knew he needed to defeat Unalaq or matters would just get worse. But Unalaq has a calmness to him that frightens me, and I think that his confidence in his success is primarily responsible for that. He honestly doesn’t think he’s going to lose, does he?
So: Tonraq is out. Jinora is out. That’s going to take a toll on these characters, is it not? I’M SCARED.
The video for “Night of a Thousand Stars” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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