The Legend of Korra/Awesome

Welcome to Republic City

• "I'M THE AVATAR! YOU GOTTA DEAL WITH IT!" the words might as well be directed at Nick; who were skeptical about a female lead in the show. The tiny Korra then proceeds to prove it beyond a shadow of doubt; by demonstrating that she has already gained control over three elements at the tender age of four - without ever having trained with a master.
• "Who do you think you are?" "Why don't you come and find out?" And then the resulting ass-kicking.
  • Korra bending three elements? That's to be expected. Korra throwing adult men across the street and through windows? That's a pleasant surprise.
• Korra's awesome chase scene through the city; a combination of the action, her agility and the pumping swing music made is just stunning.
  • The Metalbending police that are chasing her are completely unimpressed by the fact that she's the Avatar.
    • The very evolution of metalbending.
• A sort of Fridge Crowning Moment: Like Airbenders, Flying Bison have clearly not gone entirely extinct.

A Leaf in the Wind

• The Fire Ferrets' two come-from-behind wins, with Mako soloing the opposition for a knockout in the first, and Korra making her first breakthrough in airbending in the second for another knockout when they were two rounds behind.
• Korra swimming across to the arena from Air Temple Island is pretty impressive.

The Revelation

• As evil as he is, Amon's speech was superb. He has just the right charisma and logic to sway a whole crowd to adopt his own beliefs. This troper considers Amon's speech to be the best, and most chilling, moment in the whole series.
• Amon dodging fire blasts and lightning bolts before revealing that he can spirit-bend.
  • Keep an eye on Amon when takes hold of Lightning Bolt Zolt's arm (The arm actively shooting lightning) as he twists it and puts him in a hold. If he was even slightly off when he did that it could have easily been fatal for either him or Zolt, displaying a type of physical martial arts mastery and precision that has never been seen from any character from the avatar universe before.
• The Lieutenant's Establishing Character Moment, taking on both Mako and Bolin and kicking their asses. Followed by one for Korra, cutting off his "The Reason You Suck" Speech with a surprise earthbending attack.
  • Earlier, the duo of Faceless Goons taking on Mako and Korra and taking them down with chi-blocking techniques similar to Ty Lee's.
• After their bout with the chi-blockers, they decide to wait for the Anti-Bending protestor guy in the park, to try and get some info from him. He shows up the next morning for his usual rants, and both Korra and Mako go straight for what their after. When he refuses to talk to them, and starts to tear into Korra with his usual bigoted speech, she immediately lets him know she'll have none of it. By both telling him off and hoisting him over her head with one arm!
• Korra takes out a Giant Mook without making use of her bending. Okay, nothing special. What does she use as a weapon instead? Mako's scarf.
• Mako flinging that Equalist over his head and high into the air like a rag doll to get him off his little brother was quite impressive. He can give Korra a run for a Charles Atlas Superpower.

A Voice In The Night

• When Tarrlok mentions Aang in his speech, this exchange happens:

Tenzin: "How dare you compare yourself to Avatar Aang!"

• Korra immediately freezing the gas she fell for in the last episode.
  • The raid itself was pretty awesome as it was basically a SWAT raid -- but with waterbending!
• Amon's speech is this. He has Korra in his clutches, powerless, easily able to take her bending away... but he doesn't. He tells her, in no uncertain terms, that doing so now would only rally bending support; that their showdown WILL come later, and that when it does come, he will destroy her. A spectacular display of psychological warfare, Nightmare Fuel, and Badass Boast.
  • In a way, that scene is one for Korra as well: she openly challenges him to a one-on-one, despite being utterly terrified of him, and sticks to her challenge.

The Spirit of Competition

• Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Korra managing to take a leave of absence from Tarrlok's squad. Considering all the political and public pressure he pushed on her, that's impressive.
• Korra winning the Ferret's third match by subtly using air-style evasive dancing to trick her opponents into lining up in one line, then launching a waterbending strike that pushes them off the arena. Considering how much of a mess of things she made with the Love Triangle it was a good way to apologize to her teammates.
• Bolin taking charge in the second pro-bending match since Korra and Mako are too distracted to play properly, ending in a tie-breaker which he effortlessly wins.
• Tahno tries to get Korra to hit him, which would get the Fire Ferrets kicked out of the tournament. Instead, she whistles for Naga, who wipes the smirk off his face.
  • Just before, Bolin warns her "don't make eye-contact!" whereupon she very deliberately makes eye contact.
• What about the beginning of the episode when the Fire Ferrets curbstomp their competitors with utmost ease?
• The fact that the Wolfbats beat their opponents in a matter of minutes and proved why they've been the champions three years running. Better yet, one of their fallen opponents had a hole in his helmet.
  • Gone with the revelation of why his water attacks would have so much kick in them. It isn't awesome skills.

And The Winner Is

• Lin Beifong shows why she's the chief of the Metalbending Police: by kicking ass against the Equalist attack. Even when surprise-attacked, she shows how competent she is.
  • And before that, stopping the council from shutting down the match. Even if it didn't end well, her reasoning was sound, and seeing that metal cable come out of nowhere to break the gavel even as Tarrlok was banging it was just awesome.
• Korra saving her team from a round 1 loss by grabbing the edge of the ring, then beating Tahno in a tiebreaker in just a couple seconds.
  • Bonus points for having diverted his attention from her real attack, and then uppercutting him in the face with waterbending. She outsmarted Tahno instead of using brute force! Would Korra have done that in the beginning?
• She not only grabbed the edge of the ring but managed to hang onto it by her fingertips while holding Mako with one hand. And rather than save just herself, she decided to let Mako be the one to show up Tahno so she actually threw him back up and let herself fall.
• Korra and Lin Beifong don't see eye to eye, which made their team up against Amon and the Equalists all the more awesome. Even more awesome how they were almost in-tune and aiding each other.
  • Some percentage of that awesome is thanks to Tenzin, who spent the pro-bending match getting Lin to lighten up toward Korra.
• Pabu rescuing Korra, Mako, and Bolin when they're tied up during the Equalist raid on the Pro-Bending arena. Badass Adorable? I think so.
  • Hell, Bolin speaking ferret belongs here too.
• Korra's fearless attempt to give chase to Amon is made extremely awesome when you consider the utter terror she has for him and the near mental breakdown he caused her two episodes beforehand.
• Shiro Shinobi's refusal to stop reporting, which doubles as a Crowning Moment of Funny since he's wetting himself. Now that is being dedicated to your job.
  • Also keep in mind he was on live radio to the whole city. They likely heard him being attacked, after hearing his terror and him summing up the devastation. Since Shiro is a non-bender, then that could have been a calculated move, to show and warn the public that the Equalists are ruthless enough to attack non-benders.
    • In addition, he's reporting exactly what is going on in the exact same tone as when he covers a match. He's not dressing it up, he's not a bundle of nerves, he's not speaking gibberish. His Triple Triad reporter instincts take over despite how terrified he is. He's a reporter and he will report the news.
  • Before that, calling out the bribed referees and telling the whole city about the Wolfbat's cheating. This guy has never heard the expression "You can't handle the truth!"
  • His background (detailed in the Welcome to Republic City exploration game on nick.com) adds a lot as well. He used to report on triad crimes--you know, the same triads that regularly threaten non-benders for money. The guy's got guts.
    • This only gets better. Those triad crimes? Bending triads. Put this in perspective- he used to report on bending crimes, yet he was still willing to get electrocuted to make sure the people knew that the Equalists were ruthless enough to attack non-benders with bending friends. Watch it cross some civilians' minds in Fridge Brilliance type fashion in the future that this former reporter of bending crimes put himself at risk to be both whistleblower and example that the Equalists were bad news. This man probably just helped save the world and doesn't even know it yet.
• You have to give the Equalists their due here. Their plan was just spectacular. Lets run down the list:
  • They manage to smuggle in taser gloves and stealthily zap every metalbender cop (and Tenzin) in the room. Tenzin was the only one to get a shot off.
  • Amon delivering a "The Reason You Suck" Speech to the entire audience about applauding for cheaters before de-powering the Wolfbats in front of everyone.
  • Amon reacting as casually as if he were picking up the morning paper to fireballs flying all around him. Fireballs that knock the rest of his mooks completely off their feet.
  • Also, though his forces seem to have been pushed back, it was actually all part of his plan, and Korra and Lin realize that they fell for it since Amon was actively trying to goad a bender versus non-bender war. Either way, he wins.
  • He pulled off an epic Xanatos Gambit even before that--the moment he specified the championship as a target, he won. If the council didn't give in, as he himself anticipated, then his attack goes through and he makes a massive statement and kickstarts his war. If they actually had shut down the arena...then it shows that even the council is intimidated by Amon, and not willing to but heads with him. In the long scheme, there was almost no way for him to lose.
    • He also cements his rep as a Dangerously Genre Savvy Combat Pragmatist: The Metalbenders' armour is impervious to chi-blocking attacks; so what's his plan? Simple: electrocute their metal armour.
  • Lastly, in the long shot at the end we see several boats burning in the waters around the city, the same police boats which were shown patrolling the area earlier. So in the time it took for Amon's public show, his troops manage to take out the entire patrol fleet.
• Bolin manages to shoot a clay disk so precisely it bounces off the side rope and hits the rival. This guy's more talented than we thought.
• Retroactive one for Pema. Remember how she said in episode 5 that there was some other woman Tenzin was interested in before her heartfelt confession managed to finally get Tenzin's attention? Come episode 6, and we find out that Lin Beifong used to have a romantic relationship with Tenzin, and she was the other woman Pema was talking about. So non-bending Pema actually risked the ire of a jealous and very skilled bender who, according to Tenzin, tried to get her arrested.
• From a directorial standpoint, we have this shot. Picture it: a pro-bending champion is crowned. The crowd goes wild-- everyone is either standing and cheering or flailing and cursing the refs. And then the sound drops out, and everything slows down. The camera focuses on an audience member with a decidedly grim expression slowly pulling a mask over their nose and mouth. Then it goes across the arena, where another audience member does the same thing. It does this again. And again. And again. One of the masked men reaches into his popcorn and pulls out a weapon. The audience around them is completely oblivious. As are the heavily armed and armored police officers providing security. Everyone is oblivious until the Equalists begin using those weapons to neutralize the security detail and take out anyone who resists. That's right ladies and gentlemen; you've just witnessed the beginnings of a terrorist attack, on Nickelodeon. As a reviewer from The AV Club put it, "that scene was so nice, I watched it twice."
• A retroactive one for Amon. As he claimed in "The Revelation", a firebender took his family and face away from him. Then in this episode, he does an Unflinching Walk in the face of fireballs from Korra, which knocked away everyone else. Just think about what that says about his character, being able to look without flinching at flames inches from his face, considering his past.

The Aftermath

• Asami taking a stand for what's right, even though it means turning against her father and knocking him out with his own lightning glove.

Asami: I love you, Dad.

• • She also takes out the Lieutenant with her self-defense skills and his electrified kali sticks. Mind you, he defeated both Bolin and Mako by himself, and held his own against Korra (though she eventually beat him). He only stood up to Asami for a few seconds.
    • This has a lot to do with fighting styles, Bolin and Mako are long range fighters, while Asami is much better in close combat (this is also what gives the Chi-Blockers such an advantage over benders in the city).
• Mako and Bolin's perfectly timed double-teaming of one of Lin's men, to get down to the battle where the rest of the heroes would have been completely screwed without them.
• Lin Beifong using her mother Toph's technique of 'seeing' with her feet using earthbending to find the secret tunnel that leads up to the hidden Equalist factory under Hiroshi Sato's mansion.
  • Lin retracting the bottom of her boot to bare her foot may count as What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?.
  • Can we just say Lin Bei Fong, period? She crackles with awesome whenever she's on screen.
• Tenzin fighting for the first time in the series, and outlasting the metalbenders, Lin and Korra herself. He actually manages to severely rattle Sato's Mecha around with nothing more than air blasts.
  • Two Words: Air Cycle. Seriously, look at this badass airbending master right here!
    • Fridge Brilliance: Tenzin is too tall and large for the air scooter to be practical for him, so he had to make something new.
    • Further Fridge Brilliance: That is probably the technique he invented to get named a master Airbender in the first place, the same way Aang inventing the air scooter got him made a master Airbender. I guess it runs in the family.
• So we find out these new mechs are made of platinum, i.e. no earthly impurities to metalbend, so how does Beifong deal with it? The old-fashioned way: whipping out two massive arm blades, to hack and slash at the thing's faceplate, where the controller sits.
  • More notable for the fact she's the only one that succeeds in taking out one of the mecha.
• The cabbage merchant from the first series grew an absolutely huge corperation out of his single, fragile cart. Talk about shaking his Butt Monkey role. They even built a statue of him.
• The bad guys deserve a crowning moment in this one as well, given that their prototype mechs managed to take several police officers, 2 master benders, and the Avatar apart like cheap toys while sustaining only minimal losses.

When Extremes Meet

• The new Team Avatar is about to enter the city on patrol, but all four cannot fit on Naga, so what do they use as the solution? They get the Korramobile.
• Team Avatar's first patrol has them chasing a group of Equalists breaking out some convicted felons. They take them out and detain them before the police even arrive. Tarrlok is not pleased.
  • Mako gets one for using his lightning bending to great effect, taking down a motorcycle-riding chi-blocker without a sweat.
  • It wasn't a complete curbstomping, the equalists did manage to jump from their wrecking motorcycles and land on the hood of the car, and follow it up by putting Bolin out of commission. Of course, this just leads to Asami's CMOA when she very casually zaps them both unconscious.
• Tarrlok calls Korra a "half-baked Avatar in training" midway in the episode. When she confronts him later for arresting Bolin, Mako, and Asami, she refuses to play his political games. He attacks and she shows him exactly why she's the Avatar; complete with a show of Earthbending force. At least until we find out that he's a blood-bender.
  • Tarrlok deserves some credit: He gave Korra the fight of her life with his master waterbending, including using the waterfall in his office to hold up a persistent circular watershield around himself while simultaneously launchin a literal hail of sharp icicles, which besides being arguably the most awesome-looking move in the entire Avatar franshise, connected several times and drew blood. Oh, and he can also bloodbend without the full moon. The man showed his true colors in less than ten minutes, and basically brought himself up to Amon's level in villainy.
• Korra, after being captured by Tarrlok, was so mad she breathed fire.

Meta

• Getting Eva Marie Saint to play Katara. That's when you know the last series got them respect in Hollywood.
• Mike and Bryan actually taking the time to make a complete set of rules for pro-bending that make perfect sense. No Golden Snitches here!
• This bit from NPR.

"Some Nickelodeon executives were worried, says Konietzko, about backing an animated action show with a female lead character. Conventional TV wisdom has it that girls will watch shows about boys, but boys won't watch shows about girls.
During test screenings, though, boys said they didn't care that Korra was a girl. They just said she was awesome.

• • It's not the first time boys watched a show with a girl lead and liked it, either. Take That, Conventional TV wisdom!
• The television debut garnered a whopping 4.5 million viewers. That's the highest number of viewership for a Nickelodeon show in three years. Note that this was after releasing the first two episodes online, for free, several weeks prior.
  • And the numbers keep going strong with every debut. Episode four received a premature leak online, and fans still tuned in and gave the ratings a good 4 million viewers to count on its Saturday morning premiere.
• The animation alone is this! Look at the snow fall in "The Sprit of Competion" and tell me that the animation isn't among some of the most beautiful you've seen.
  • The scenes in the last third of "And The Winner Is..." when Lin and Korra take on the Equalists (partially in mid-air) are among the most amazing and smoothly animated fight-scenes seen in bothseries and possibly all of Western Animation.
  • Then comes Tarlocks awesome waterbending in "When Extremes Meet", it's like a seamless integration of a liquid deflector shield and a machine gun of ice.
• There's also the fact that Amon managed to achieve Magnificent Bastard status in record time...SIX EPISODES! Technically only three as he's only had major appearances in three. At this rate he just might steal Azula's status as the greatest Magnificent Bastard in Western Animation since you-know-who.
  • Come episode eight and it looks like he's going to spend the rest of the series competing fiercely with Tarrlok for that particular title. To elaborate, Tarrlok needed three episodes to establish himself as a Manipulative Bastard wielding Fantastic Racism, but it took just those last five minutes where he fought Korra to put him right up there with Amon.
• Congratulations should go out to the team behind the series for being so ballsy as to pitch such dark tones. Not only did we have scenes that reflected elements of public executions and rape, we also had an actual terrorist attack in episode 6. Somehow Nick let this slide and aired the episode nonetheless. The creators are really bold for giving us such a strong and dark series.
  • We can now throw in the numerous allusions to historic examples of oppression: the Red Scare with McCarthy-like tactics, the internment camps for Japanese during World War II, and Hitler's subjugation of the Jews.