{"id":4755,"date":"2015-06-18T08:00:17","date_gmt":"2015-06-18T15:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=4755"},"modified":"2015-06-22T00:13:39","modified_gmt":"2015-06-22T07:13:39","slug":"mark-watches-the-legend-of-korra-s03e09-the-stakeout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2015\/06\/mark-watches-the-legend-of-korra-s03e09-the-stakeout\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘The Legend of Korra’: S03E09 – The Stakeout"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the ninth episode of the third season of\u00c2\u00a0The Legend of Korra<\/i>, I WASN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T READY. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0The Legend of Korra<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d been worried this whole time that Zaheer was not the villain he was portrayed to be, and GUESS WHAT.\u00c2\u00a0That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the actual case here. I know it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s more complicated than that, but I spent the entire time during Zaheer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s big reveal running through the possibilities that now exist in this world. Zaheer is still an antagonist, make no mistake. His interests are still opposed to Korra\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s, and his plan for the world, as appealing as it might be, is not the best thing for the world of the Avatar. (That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an understatement, for sure.)<\/p>\n

But this twist works because it forces us to reconsider the governmental organization of this fictional universe. It makes so much sense to me that we spent time with the Earth Queen, with President Raiko, and in Zaofu. We\u00c2\u00a0needed<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0to see how these other nations operated in order to understand Zaheer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s rejection of them. This is clearly meant to leave us (like Korra) conflicted about certain developments.<\/p>\n

Prior to this, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Stakeout\u00e2\u20ac\u009d was largely a waiting game, one that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s both tense and fun. I went into this expecting some sort of answer about Aiwei\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s betrayal and Zaheer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s motivation, but I also appreciated that there\u00c2\u00a0was<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0time spent with a bit of character building. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m becoming increasingly entertained by Asami and Korra\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s growing friendship, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m pleased that we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re getting more and more scenes with just the two of them together. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re a good pairing, I think! The same goes for the scene where Asami and Bolin play pai sho with one another. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one of those moments where you realize you haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t seen two characters spend much time with each other, and NOW YOU WISH THEY SPENT A WHOLE LOT MORE IN THEIR PRESENCE. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re hilarious together!<\/p>\n

Honestly, there are a lot of neat moments prior to the sequence in the spirit world. From the Nuktuk fans to the sad barkeep, this little desert town in the Earth kingdom is really entertaining and new. But I want to spend a lot more time on what Zaheer tells us, namely because I feel like it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one of the better written aspects of this entire show. I kind of have a thing for continuity, which shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be a surprise to anyone who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s read my stuff over the years. Serialized narratives are just\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re my bread and butter! I love the emotions they invoke, and I love how the experience can be so rewarding for those who follow them. But they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re also terribly tricky to pull off because a creator always risks disappointment and disjointed tales. Can the pieces of the story hidden along the narrative come together in a way that makes sense?<\/p>\n

So I think\u00c2\u00a0The Legend of Korra<\/i>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s writing team took a huge risk in attempting to tie this season\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s arc in with elements that were part of\u00c2\u00a0Avatar: The Last Airbender<\/i>. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll say that, and then I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll state this: I think it works. I think this is one of the strongest plot twists in the entire series because it provides a chance for a complicated commentary on the way this world works. By introducing a splinter group that originated within the White Lotus order, we get an explanation for Aiwei\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s willingness to betray Suyin. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not entirely possible that he was\u00c2\u00a0always<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0in the Red Lotus, and that he was not approached recently for help with infiltration. This conspiracy also leaves a lot of doors open. How many people have we met are part of the Red Lotus? How many more people should I immediately distrust? I imagine that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be a constant thing for me this season because\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 shit, anyone can be Red Lotus, no?<\/p>\n

And it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not long after Zaheer explains the basic formation of the Order of the Red Lotus before he makes Korra\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s life infinitely more complicated: UNALAQ WAS PART OF RED LOTUS AND WAS THE ONE WHO SUGGESTED KIDNAPPING KORRA AS A CHILD. Oh my god, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not like I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t understand Unalaq\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s motivations prior to this, but now I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got a deeper comprehension of his life, you know? As if that isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t enough, Zaheer says that all of this was done out of a desire to\u00c2\u00a0make the world a better place<\/i>. Now, I sat there, wondering when he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d reveal his foolish, misguided interpretation of why the world would be better with the Red Lotus operating as they have, and then I kept feeling conflicted. I couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t argue with his assertion that Avatar Wan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s closure of the spirit world and portals was bad. Even Korra pauses when she realizes he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s right.<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s at that point that he invokes Raiko and Huo-Ting, and his ultimate goal is clear. AND NOT NECESSARILY THE WORST THING IMAGINABLE. Why is it that the world is separated into four nations, each with their own leader? (Well, aside from the Air Nation, of course.) Have these leaders made the world better, or have they consistently brought this place to the brink of war time and time again? Hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t every leader inevitably exploited their people? Aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t oppressive frameworks built into these systems by default? What Zaheer is decrying\u00c2\u00a0isn<\/i>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t false<\/i>. These governments are perpetually terrible, and the only way they ever seem to thrive is through oppression and exploitation.<\/p>\n

So he wants to do away with them.<\/p>\n

God, Korra\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s face during that bit of his exposition is so perfect because it reflects just how conflicted she is. She knows that Zaheer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s methods are not necessarily moral, but there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a piece of her that knows some aspect of his moral reasoning is sound. Zaheer is suddenly no longer an easily categorized villain; he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s something entirely new for Korra. (In a way, isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t he a lot better than the one-note nature of Amon?) Unfortunately, the whole point of Zaheer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s willingness to reveal most of his plans was to trap Korra, allowing time for Ghazan and Ming-Hua to track her body down and capture her. She doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have time to discuss Zaheer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s perspective. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even know if he\u00c2\u00a0wants<\/i>\u00c2\u00a0that conversation with Korra, given that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s holding on to one last secret. Just exactly does he have planned for Korra? How can she provide him with a means to throw the world into deliberate chaos, free from the control and repression of world governments? I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t understand! I imagine that if he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d successfully capture Korra as a child, she would have been raised to be Zaheer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s agent of change.<\/p>\n

But what\u00c2\u00a0now<\/i>? Matters are even worse than they were before because THE EARTH QUEEN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S SOLDIERS GOT ASAMI AND KORRA BEFORE GHAZAN COULD. Oh my god, THIS IS NOT GOOD. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got Team Avatar completely under the control of two parties, one of which is actively seeking to destroy the other. Team Zaheer will soon be within Ba Sing Se, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m pretty frightened of the results of that.<\/p>\n

THIS EPISODE WAS SO GOOD, Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ALL.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Stakeout\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded\u00c2\u00a0here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

– Please help book\/finalize the Mark Does Stuff European Tour!<\/a>
\n– I am now on Patreon<\/a><\/b>!!! MANY SURPRISES ARE IN STORE FOR YOU IF YOU SUPPORT ME<\/a>.
\n– The Mark Does Stuff Tour 2015 is now live and includes dates across the U.S., Canada, Europe, the U.K., and Ireland. Check the full list of events on my Tour Dates \/ Appearances page.<\/a>
\n– My Master Schedule<\/a> is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often.\u00c2\u00a0My next Double Features for Mark Watches will be the remainder of\u00c2\u00a0The Legend of Korra<\/i>, series 8 of\u00c2\u00a0Doctor Who<\/i>, and Kings<\/i>. On Mark Reads, Diane Duane’s Young Wizards<\/i> series will replace the Emelan books.
\n<\/b>-\u00c2\u00a0Mark Does Stuff is on Facebook!<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0I’ve got a community page up that I’m running. Guaranteed shenanigans!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"