The Legend of Korra: Old Wounds
July 18, 2014 6:29 PM - Season 3, Episode 6 - Subscribe
The conflict between Lin Beifong and her sister, Suyin, comes to a head as we learn about the sisters' contentious past and at the same time, Korra has the opportunity to become the first Avatar ever to learn to metal bend. Bolin is called out as fake once again by Opal and Zaheer and Company make an explosive escape out of Republic City on their continuing search for the Avatar.
I watched this with my dad and he was just annoyed that they misrepresented acupuncture.
posted by Small Dollar at 12:12 PM on July 19, 2014
posted by Small Dollar at 12:12 PM on July 19, 2014
I definitely enjoyed the episode, though, I agree that the acupuncture aspect wasn't necessarily the finest hour of the half hour. I reckon the writers felt there was no other way to force Lin to confront those memories short of a medical emergency, but the flashbacks were worth it. It was an enlightening aspect of Toph's character, where she didn't hold Suyin to the crime she had committed. I had never guessed that Suyin would be the origin of the scars (interesting the development of the metal wire spool placement from the original location on the hip to the back), but it made for an incredible aspect for the scars for Lin. She literally had to see the ramifications of her sister's behavior every day of her life, whenever she saw her reflection. The wound never healed, it was ripped open on a daily basis. What's also interesting is that Suyin's free soul journeys appeared to have been kicked off by this event, versus just a natural evolution of her life. Since we learned Toph retired a year later, one has to wonder what she did with herself all those years since.
The fact that we had an episode that focused on the sisters alone (with minor metal bending tidbits for Bolin and Korra) was pretty awesome. I'm glad that the conflict between them was resolved, as hey, Avatar (the series et al) has always been a show about family, be it one's natural family or the family that develops among friends. The fact there's a rift in it is often held as a major, major crisis or sign of imbalance.
As an aside, I was taken back when Suyin told Avatar she was the first Avatar to metal bend. I would have assumed that Aang would have been taught by Toph, herself. It turns out that this was covered in the ATLA comics and Bolin wasn't just making up a number, it is a rare gift amongst Earth benders and apparently, Aang couldn't do it. ... which one would think would preclude his reincarnated soul from being able to do it, but well, there ya go.
We still haven't seen Korra sparring with someone in metal bending (We see metal cables wrap around her in the Book 3 trailer) so Team Avatar is obviously still hanging around after this episode - perhaps long enough to have a drag out fight against Zaheer and Company next Friday?
posted by Atreides at 2:59 PM on July 19, 2014 [3 favorites]
The fact that we had an episode that focused on the sisters alone (with minor metal bending tidbits for Bolin and Korra) was pretty awesome. I'm glad that the conflict between them was resolved, as hey, Avatar (the series et al) has always been a show about family, be it one's natural family or the family that develops among friends. The fact there's a rift in it is often held as a major, major crisis or sign of imbalance.
As an aside, I was taken back when Suyin told Avatar she was the first Avatar to metal bend. I would have assumed that Aang would have been taught by Toph, herself. It turns out that this was covered in the ATLA comics and Bolin wasn't just making up a number, it is a rare gift amongst Earth benders and apparently, Aang couldn't do it. ... which one would think would preclude his reincarnated soul from being able to do it, but well, there ya go.
We still haven't seen Korra sparring with someone in metal bending (We see metal cables wrap around her in the Book 3 trailer) so Team Avatar is obviously still hanging around after this episode - perhaps long enough to have a drag out fight against Zaheer and Company next Friday?
posted by Atreides at 2:59 PM on July 19, 2014 [3 favorites]
I did think Lin wearing the same clothes as Su and smiling was a little weird at the end. But maybe she didn't bring any civvies and had to borrow what was available.
No one has brought up Magnetic! Varrick, so let me speculate: his suit will end up being used against Team Avatar at some point. Though in a city made of metal, it seems like he'd just stick himself to the walls rather than do damage. Also Zhu Li seemed despondent for the first time at the end of his demonstration; I wonder if she'll turn on him?
posted by emjaybee at 3:34 PM on July 19, 2014
No one has brought up Magnetic! Varrick, so let me speculate: his suit will end up being used against Team Avatar at some point. Though in a city made of metal, it seems like he'd just stick himself to the walls rather than do damage. Also Zhu Li seemed despondent for the first time at the end of his demonstration; I wonder if she'll turn on him?
posted by emjaybee at 3:34 PM on July 19, 2014
A'ight, thank you to emjaybee for pointing out that about three of my last paragraphs in the other Korra thread belong in this one...so I'm droppin' some of 'em here!
No one has brought up Magnetic! Varrick, so let me speculate: his suit will end up being used against Team Avatar at some point. Though in a city made of metal, it seems like he'd just stick himself to the walls rather than do damage. Also Zhu Li seemed despondent for the first time at the end of his demonstration; I wonder if she'll turn on him?
I'm perplexed by Varrick and his amazing Magnetic Suit. Someone on Reddit did make the wonderful joke that he was making the metal suit for General Iroh, who would then become Iroh Man. . . . Sorry. It was Reddit, a'ight? I wonder if Varrick is being teased to us viewers as someone we absolutely believe is up to no good, but his up to no goodness will actually be used for a good purpose? Suyin's second chance is a right decision? I also noticed Zhu Li's head drop and had the same thought that the stage was being set for her to submit a letter of resignation, so to speak.
The escape from Republic City was kind of filler for this episode, but it was interesting that Zaheer and Company had considered assassinating the President of the Republic. I've seen referenced that they are anarchists, and wiping out the heads of states would be one way to go about it.
It seems like maybe his backstory is he got really into meditation and airbender mysticism, and trained himself in airbender martial arts, but without actually having the powers?
I've wondered if Zaheer is an ex-Air Acolyte, which would explain his intimate knowledge of the air bending/air nomad ways. I definitely think he's doing some kind of astral projection or something similar to what Jinora can do to find Korra.
I expect that the writers are following the same premise as they did in Book 1 and 2, regarding the explanation of the motivations and background of the villains around the start of the last third of the season. Theoretically, we'll learn something next Friday. Perhaps the episode titled, "The Terror Within," which is this Friday, might be that episode.
posted by Atreides at 5:29 PM on July 19, 2014
No one has brought up Magnetic! Varrick, so let me speculate: his suit will end up being used against Team Avatar at some point. Though in a city made of metal, it seems like he'd just stick himself to the walls rather than do damage. Also Zhu Li seemed despondent for the first time at the end of his demonstration; I wonder if she'll turn on him?
I'm perplexed by Varrick and his amazing Magnetic Suit. Someone on Reddit did make the wonderful joke that he was making the metal suit for General Iroh, who would then become Iroh Man. . . . Sorry. It was Reddit, a'ight? I wonder if Varrick is being teased to us viewers as someone we absolutely believe is up to no good, but his up to no goodness will actually be used for a good purpose? Suyin's second chance is a right decision? I also noticed Zhu Li's head drop and had the same thought that the stage was being set for her to submit a letter of resignation, so to speak.
The escape from Republic City was kind of filler for this episode, but it was interesting that Zaheer and Company had considered assassinating the President of the Republic. I've seen referenced that they are anarchists, and wiping out the heads of states would be one way to go about it.
It seems like maybe his backstory is he got really into meditation and airbender mysticism, and trained himself in airbender martial arts, but without actually having the powers?
I've wondered if Zaheer is an ex-Air Acolyte, which would explain his intimate knowledge of the air bending/air nomad ways. I definitely think he's doing some kind of astral projection or something similar to what Jinora can do to find Korra.
I expect that the writers are following the same premise as they did in Book 1 and 2, regarding the explanation of the motivations and background of the villains around the start of the last third of the season. Theoretically, we'll learn something next Friday. Perhaps the episode titled, "The Terror Within," which is this Friday, might be that episode.
posted by Atreides at 5:29 PM on July 19, 2014
A commenter at the AV Club articulates my problem with the Toph scene and the episode in general better than I can:
Case in point: why are Lin and Su fully grey-haired? If the flashback was thirty years ago they'd be in their early fifties at the oldest. Sure, there are outliers with fully gray hair at 52, but these two don't have the same father and we just saw their mom at the same age and she didn't have any gray hair at all. So why is their hair gray? Because to a little kid of course a fifty-year-old lady would have gray hair, geez.
posted by Ian A.T. at 7:14 PM on July 19, 2014 [3 favorites]
Toph herself deserves a lot of blame. She has one child who knee-deep in [criminal] behavior. Toph herself simply allows this to happen... At least until she decides to protect her daughter from the criminal justice system which she herself is in charge of running.Sorry for the excessive quote, but the Toph scene (and the whole simpleminded Lin / Su plotline) really irritated me. The more I think about it the more it feels like the sort of story about adults that a kid would make up.
Then there's her other child who admires and looks up to her. She decides to follow in her mother's footsteps to please her. Toph views this with... disappointment. When forced to take a side she sides with Su - thus making Lin an accomplice to the corruption - and scolds Lin for doing her job.
But hey, Toph and Su made up! Su became (presumably) one of the richest and most powerful women in the world! Everything turned out okay in the end for everyone! Well, except for Lin, who got briefly depowered by Amon, is in charge of a corrupt police organization, and was entirely useless last season... But you know...she shouldn't have yelled at Opal. That was kind of mean.
Case in point: why are Lin and Su fully grey-haired? If the flashback was thirty years ago they'd be in their early fifties at the oldest. Sure, there are outliers with fully gray hair at 52, but these two don't have the same father and we just saw their mom at the same age and she didn't have any gray hair at all. So why is their hair gray? Because to a little kid of course a fifty-year-old lady would have gray hair, geez.
posted by Ian A.T. at 7:14 PM on July 19, 2014 [3 favorites]
I kinda guessed Lin and Suyin's backstory, because it's kind of a cliché - the responsible older sister, the wild younger sister, lather rinse repeat.
But it was interesting to see that Toph's still has difficulty following rules, even when she's made those rules herself. She's obviously grown up enough to realise that breaking the rules can cause problems, but at the same time, it's family. She doesn't want to restrict her girls the way her parents did, but she's realising the repercussions of that, and when it comes down to the law or to her daughters, well, her children come first.
Like Lin said, it's no wonder she retired. It really must have torn her up to do that.
I like that Korra can metal bend - I really hope she can take that on and do a lot more with it. I hope Bolin could metal bend, just because he'd spend all day making ridiculous things, like sculptures of Pabu.
posted by Katemonkey at 1:21 AM on July 20, 2014 [2 favorites]
But it was interesting to see that Toph's still has difficulty following rules, even when she's made those rules herself. She's obviously grown up enough to realise that breaking the rules can cause problems, but at the same time, it's family. She doesn't want to restrict her girls the way her parents did, but she's realising the repercussions of that, and when it comes down to the law or to her daughters, well, her children come first.
Like Lin said, it's no wonder she retired. It really must have torn her up to do that.
I like that Korra can metal bend - I really hope she can take that on and do a lot more with it. I hope Bolin could metal bend, just because he'd spend all day making ridiculous things, like sculptures of Pabu.
posted by Katemonkey at 1:21 AM on July 20, 2014 [2 favorites]
Katemonkey, l had not considered the comedy potential of Bolin's metalbending before, now I hope you are right.
posted by emjaybee at 10:54 AM on July 20, 2014
posted by emjaybee at 10:54 AM on July 20, 2014
Thanks for the quote, I enjoyed it. It's really crazy how much characterization of Toph was injected into the episode based on about three or so minutes of footage and about another minute or two of dialogue.
Case in point: why are Lin and Su fully grey-haired? If the flashback was thirty years ago they'd be in their early fifties at the oldest. Sure, there are outliers with fully gray hair at 52, but these two don't have the same father and we just saw their mom at the same age and she didn't have any gray hair at all. So why is their hair gray? Because to a little kid of course a fifty-year-old lady would have gray hair, geez.
It might be partially to cede to them a characteristic representative of metal bending. Many of the characters have a physical trait, usually eye color, which reflects their bending ability. But yah, I can see Lin having greyed prematurely from the stresses of her job, but Suyin seems like she should have more original color. Likewise, tho', they probably greyed Suyin to make her appearance more similar to Lin's.
The sisters' storyline is definitely not an original one, but I still enjoyed it. Feuding siblings isn't an original story, but it's because it's not uncommon in real life, either.
I like that Korra can metal bend - I really hope she can take that on and do a lot more with it. I hope Bolin could metal bend, just because he'd spend all day making ridiculous things, like sculptures of Pabu.
Please make this happen.
posted by Atreides at 11:49 AM on July 20, 2014
Case in point: why are Lin and Su fully grey-haired? If the flashback was thirty years ago they'd be in their early fifties at the oldest. Sure, there are outliers with fully gray hair at 52, but these two don't have the same father and we just saw their mom at the same age and she didn't have any gray hair at all. So why is their hair gray? Because to a little kid of course a fifty-year-old lady would have gray hair, geez.
It might be partially to cede to them a characteristic representative of metal bending. Many of the characters have a physical trait, usually eye color, which reflects their bending ability. But yah, I can see Lin having greyed prematurely from the stresses of her job, but Suyin seems like she should have more original color. Likewise, tho', they probably greyed Suyin to make her appearance more similar to Lin's.
The sisters' storyline is definitely not an original one, but I still enjoyed it. Feuding siblings isn't an original story, but it's because it's not uncommon in real life, either.
I like that Korra can metal bend - I really hope she can take that on and do a lot more with it. I hope Bolin could metal bend, just because he'd spend all day making ridiculous things, like sculptures of Pabu.
Please make this happen.
posted by Atreides at 11:49 AM on July 20, 2014
Oh! Oh! I thought of something, and it's actually sad.
So Toph makes Suyin go to her parents' house, right?
That's heartbreaking. That's Toph having to admit that her parents could be right about something. That's Suyin being trapped in all the rules and protection of her grandparents. No wonder she ran off again - god, a teenage Suyin stuck with the Beifong family?
posted by Katemonkey at 2:17 PM on July 21, 2014 [3 favorites]
So Toph makes Suyin go to her parents' house, right?
That's heartbreaking. That's Toph having to admit that her parents could be right about something. That's Suyin being trapped in all the rules and protection of her grandparents. No wonder she ran off again - god, a teenage Suyin stuck with the Beifong family?
posted by Katemonkey at 2:17 PM on July 21, 2014 [3 favorites]
Since Suyin doesn't know her father's identity, yah, the default is the Beifong family. That is definitely a sad rendering of the situation. Likewise, perhaps since Toph has become a literal living legend, be it helping to stop the destruction of the world by Firelord Ozai, being best pals with the Avatar, and inventing a whole new field of earth bending, her parents decided to just be cool from that point on...and the Beifong family is just a bunch of loveable grandparents who always enjoy visits from their daughter and grandchildren...and....yah, I dunno, it's hard to stick to happy thoughts. There wasn't much (if any?) reconciliation in the ATLA show was there?
As you pointed out, it wasn't necessarily an environment that kept Suyin satisfied and restrained from fleeing.
It really seems that being Team Avatar in a Post-100 Years War world put a lot of burdens/responsibilities on them, which definitely hurt their ability to be the best parent possible for all their children.
Aang + Katara = Kids turned out all right, but two of them had certain resentments they carried into adult hood about how good a father Aang was. I suppose Katara was a rocking mother? Even with a Momo on her head, she was still kind of called the mother of the group.
Toph + ? + ? = Kids didn't look badly on mother, but Toph kind of failed to raise her children to love one another.
Zuku + ? = His daughter is a firelord now... and his grandson is a military prodigy, so successful?
Sokka + ? = No news at all about anyone being the child of Sokka, has there?
Another facet of Tenzin's poor teaching/father problems, is that perhaps to him, Aang being this great father was Aang lecturing and teaching him everything about the Air Nomads. Hence, he assumes this is the best way to teach/father?
Hrm.
posted by Atreides at 2:41 PM on July 21, 2014
As you pointed out, it wasn't necessarily an environment that kept Suyin satisfied and restrained from fleeing.
It really seems that being Team Avatar in a Post-100 Years War world put a lot of burdens/responsibilities on them, which definitely hurt their ability to be the best parent possible for all their children.
Aang + Katara = Kids turned out all right, but two of them had certain resentments they carried into adult hood about how good a father Aang was. I suppose Katara was a rocking mother? Even with a Momo on her head, she was still kind of called the mother of the group.
Toph + ? + ? = Kids didn't look badly on mother, but Toph kind of failed to raise her children to love one another.
Zuku + ? = His daughter is a firelord now... and his grandson is a military prodigy, so successful?
Sokka + ? = No news at all about anyone being the child of Sokka, has there?
Another facet of Tenzin's poor teaching/father problems, is that perhaps to him, Aang being this great father was Aang lecturing and teaching him everything about the Air Nomads. Hence, he assumes this is the best way to teach/father?
Hrm.
posted by Atreides at 2:41 PM on July 21, 2014
I was figuring that either Lin or Suyin's father would be Sokka
posted by Strass at 7:20 PM on July 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Strass at 7:20 PM on July 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
My assumption is that Suyin didn't even make it to her grandparents'; she just hit the road and kept going. That would be more her style. I wonder about Sokka being Su or Lin's dad, too, although we don't know if he broke up with Suki, married her, or what. Toph was certainly the type to have adventures, and meeting interesting men would have been part of that, so I can also see one-night-stands being a thing for her. But she did have a crush on Sokka.
Of course, then you have the weirdness of Tenzin possibly unknowingly dating his first cousin.
I have to think that unless it was a secret relationship/hookup, Sokka wasn't involved. That would have created way too much tension between the Gaang members. And Sokka was the type to blurt out secrets.
(this is some pretty dark/adult stuff for a kid's show; of course, season 1 ended in a murder-suicide, and there was a heck of a lot of death, by spirit and otherwise, in Avatar Wan's story, so why should this one be different?)
posted by emjaybee at 7:47 PM on July 21, 2014
Of course, then you have the weirdness of Tenzin possibly unknowingly dating his first cousin.
I have to think that unless it was a secret relationship/hookup, Sokka wasn't involved. That would have created way too much tension between the Gaang members. And Sokka was the type to blurt out secrets.
(this is some pretty dark/adult stuff for a kid's show; of course, season 1 ended in a murder-suicide, and there was a heck of a lot of death, by spirit and otherwise, in Avatar Wan's story, so why should this one be different?)
posted by emjaybee at 7:47 PM on July 21, 2014
That's a good assumption.
I think the obvious point is that Zuko is the father of Lin, after he and Toph went off on a life-changing adventure together, they engaged in a one night tryst (life changing!), and both swore to keep it secret to preserve Zuko's relationship with Mai intact.
Maybe not.
posted by Atreides at 8:00 AM on July 22, 2014
I think the obvious point is that Zuko is the father of Lin, after he and Toph went off on a life-changing adventure together, they engaged in a one night tryst (life changing!), and both swore to keep it secret to preserve Zuko's relationship with Mai intact.
Maybe not.
posted by Atreides at 8:00 AM on July 22, 2014
Oh man, I could just see it at the dinner table.
Kya and Bumi are arguing with each other and Kya keeps on flicking water at him.
Tenzin and Lin are both trying to prove that they're big enough for real cups rather than their sippy ones, and getting juice everywhere.
Aang is flipping through some new legislation, occasionally unconsciously airbending away the water Kya's throwing around.
Katara is waterbending away the spills and threatening to separate Bumi and Kya.
Toph and Sokka are at the other end of the table, whispering angrily at each other.
Then there's a sudden lull, nothing bigger than a split second, just enough for Sokka to say "And just when were you going to tell me about the baby?"
Everything stops.
Toph puts her face in her hands.
Sokka points at Toph. "She's having a baby."
"And it's his," Toph mutters.
posted by Katemonkey at 8:57 AM on July 22, 2014 [2 favorites]
Kya and Bumi are arguing with each other and Kya keeps on flicking water at him.
Tenzin and Lin are both trying to prove that they're big enough for real cups rather than their sippy ones, and getting juice everywhere.
Aang is flipping through some new legislation, occasionally unconsciously airbending away the water Kya's throwing around.
Katara is waterbending away the spills and threatening to separate Bumi and Kya.
Toph and Sokka are at the other end of the table, whispering angrily at each other.
Then there's a sudden lull, nothing bigger than a split second, just enough for Sokka to say "And just when were you going to tell me about the baby?"
Everything stops.
Toph puts her face in her hands.
Sokka points at Toph. "She's having a baby."
"And it's his," Toph mutters.
posted by Katemonkey at 8:57 AM on July 22, 2014 [2 favorites]
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posted by royalsong at 10:33 AM on July 19, 2014