Legend of Korra Book 4 finale review - Day of the Colossus/The Last Stand

And so it has finally come, tears will be shed, blood will be spilt, and a character will die, this the finale of the Legend of Korra

Chapter 12 – Day of the Colossus

Here’s a lesson that Transformers, Pacific Rim, Man of Steel and others could learn from Korra. When there’s a colossal threat to the city, EVACUATE!!! And use underground tunnels and badger moles and some bad singing if you have to.

So, in this episode Korra and the gang stand against Kuvira’s giant mecha-suit, and that’s about it. Yeah, this is an action episode start to finish, but it is littered with character and it’s amazingly enjoyable to watch.

Books 2 and 3 used this finale to make Korra suffer a defeat that she would come out stronger for, in Book 4 her defeat was still present from book 3, and she’d spent much of book 4 not fully recovered. But now she’s in control, and it’s a fight that holds no punches.

OK, the fact that only Baatar Jr was injured in last week’s cliffhanger was a bit contrived, but hey, I’ll forgive it, because the action was spectacular. Whilst not as epic in scale as the fight against Zaheer, this one felt a bit more personal, and more people got more time in the action.

There’s been one moment I felt hadn’t yet led up to anything, and that was Asami forgiving her father. I suspected it would come into play here, as he heads up the team of geniuses trying to find a way inside the mecha-suit.

It was unexpected, yet perfect that Hiroshi would end up sacrificing his life to put this to an end, fulfilling an element of redemption that this finale is particularly good for.

Then there’s Varrick. He’s had an interesting place this season, his redemption is also in play here, while he has less to answer for than some of the others, his redemption is well foreshadowed, and well earned, and his proposal to Zhu Li was a really sweet moment.

And we also Baatar Jr, who once awakened from his coma, begins to make peace with his family. It’s a nice moment for him, and for Su as well. It’s amazing really, after she wronged Lin and it took 30 years before they even spoke again, that Su would do something rather similar with Baatar Jr. (I like that she took only 3 years to forgive him, although for the others even Baatar Jr acknowledges may take longer)

Prince Wu begins the evacuation of Republic City with Chao and Yin (what were they even doing in Republic City, weren’t they living in a mansion outside the city?) anyway, the Prince uses his unique singing talents on a group of badger-moles. (Which reminds me, where is Naaga in this finale, TELL ME!) They dig a tunnel to help the evacuees when Kuvira cuts the train tracks, even taking out of few of Kuvira’s mecha-suits. Prince Wu has been growing into a better leader since his kidnapping, and frankly, I loved his arc. Sure he’s a goofy character, but goofy characters are an Avatar staple.

The battle takes its toll, the airbenders are out, Wing and Wei fall, Varrick and Zhu Li are done as well, so the final battle has but 5. Lin, Suyin, Korra, Mako and Bolin, and they’re in for the fight of their lives to put an end to this monstrosity.

Rating 9/10

Memorable Quotes

• "Badger moles, digging holes, under Republic City, gotta run away from Kuvira today, although I do still think she's pretty"
• "I'm just the conductor, no-one needs me on the bench"
• "I raised Meelo, I can handle anything"
• "Jhu Li Moon, will you do the thing for the rest of our lives"
• "Now let's go attach these barely functional rust buckets to a giant killer smashing machine" "It's exactly how I always pictured our engagements"

Chapter 13 – The Last Stand

 

I’m just gonna start with my initial problem (this isn’t particular to the episode, it’s been bugging me all season) the Red Lotus doesn’t reappear (aside Zaheer, but he’s locked up) Season 3 ended with the notion that there may be more Red Lotus members out there, but this has never been touched upon this season, and I figured with their stance against dictators like Kuvira, they’d have a role to play in the finale.

But no matter.  To the episode in hand, the 5 remaining benders split with Mako and Bolin going to shut down the suit, Su and Lin going to shut down the cannon, and Korra taking on Kuvira in a much more evenly matched fight (not using the avatar state during the entire fight I note)

Su and Lin succeed in their mission, disabling the spirit vine, but Kuvira, seeing it as no further use rips off the arm and tosses it aside (sort of like what she did with Baatar Jr) Lin manages to metalbend them to the arm so they wouldn’t be tossed about on impact.

Mako and Bolin (who seems to have mastered the lava-disk technique we saw when Ghazan escaped prison) don’t have so much luck. Whilst they do cut off the power, Kuvira overrides them, and Mako makes a choice, he uses his lightning bending (seriously, since book 1 he’s only even done this in finales) to overcharge the spirit vines, causing them to explode. Mako and Bolin share a touching moment, where Bolin begs his brother not to do this (well, maybe I’m exaggerating, but…) but Mako insists, with Bolin turning up to save his life, leaving him with a broken arm, but little more.

Korra’s stand is the most intriguing of the final battles, because it doesn’t end when the mecha falls, Kuvira retreats into the spirit wilds, and finds her cannon, charging on the spirit vines, she tries to fire it but the weapon becomes out of control. Korra manages to bend the spirit energy from the cannon to create a brand new spirit portal in Republic City.

Korra and Kuvira enter the spirit world, where (and I know this is a complaint a lot of people have about Kuvira) Kuvira’s motivation is explored, and the ties between Korra and Kuvira are made concrete. Kuvira accepts her wrongdoings and on leaving the spirit world is open to whatever punishment the world sees fit. Redemption is a big theme in the finale, and the fact Kuvira expresses her regret over the destruction and death that she has wrought gives hope for her redemption.

And with about 8 minutes left, it’s time for wrapping things up. Varrick and Zhu Li tie the knot (in a ceremony only Varrick could’ve come up with) and the party begins. Bolin dances with Opal, I think Jinora and Kai dance, amongst a few others. Wu states that he’s intending to create the United States of the Earth Kingdom, dispatching royalty altogether and letting states chose their own leaders. Democracy wins, ladies and gentlemen. Korra thanks Mako for his sacrifice.

Tenzin tells her she’s changed the world in a few short years more than some avatars ever have (take that, anyone who says Korra’s the worst avatar ever) Korra says she’s only just begun. And then comes the moment where a thousand fanfics are written. Korra and Asami go on holiday into the spirit world. Yeah, there’s been a lot of Korrasami shipping, particularly in the last two seasons. I think Mike and Bryan just went: What they hey, let’s do it with that last scene. It might be a controversial move, but controversy can help things sell.

My final Korra moment (aside the possible rage review of the game) will be on Friday, where I give my farewells to a series that I rank among the top animated shows I’ve ever seen.

Rating 9.3/10

Memorable Quotes

• "This is no time to prove how awesome you are, I already know how awesome you are, you're awesome"
• "Varrick has proven that even the longest of long shots can have a chance at happiness"

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Images used in this review are from The Legend of Korra and belong to their respective owners. All images in this review are subject to fair use.