The Legend of Korra: Civil Wars Part 2 Review

“The only way to deal with crazy women is to lie big and leave fast”. That was the quote that made me realize that not only is this a better, far more coherent episode than last week’s, but possibly the best episode of the season thus far. By the way, I didn't realize just how funny Varrick was going to be until this week, but man, I’m glad he’s in the show and along for the ride.

Just the kind of funny I was missing.

This episode moved everything forward. Jinora was found and made peace with her siblings. Tenzin made peace with his siblings and was able to see past the happy haze surrounding his father. Kya and Bumi realized that they can’t take out frustration over Aang on Tenzin. Finally, Aang’s descendants were able to find peace will all stories nicely wrapped up.

So onto the crux of the matter, the Civil War. You see, the South wants to live the way they’ve always practiced, while the North believes that their behavior is detrimental to society and needs to be reformed. Thus, Abraham Lincoln is moving to … sorry, wrong Civil War. This one is more in the line of Cain Vs. Able, or if you’d rather, Mufasa Vs. Scar.

What's up with brothers always fighting.

It basically boils down to Unalaq being jealous of his older, stronger, more handsome brother Tonraq. And like all jealous brothers who can’t move past their own insecurities, it seems Unalaq decided to dedicate his life to undermining any sense of peace and stability Tonraq could muster. His job was made easier by Tonraq’s unwillingness to discuss what happened with anyone (possibly he told his wife?) or dig deeper to find out the truth of his banishment. Thankfully for him, Korra suffers from a little case of the headstrongs and hot bloodedness that most teens seem to come down with. Good thing too.

Korra really felt like Robert De Niro in the Godfather Part II; bold, strong, and unafraid to get her hands dirty. It was great watching her interrogate the magistrate with Naga. It was genuinely fearful. I knew that she wouldn’t kill the man, but the line between good and bad could have easily been crossed. There is an episode of the Justice League cartoon when Superman kills President Lex Luthor after Luthor kills the Flash. Superman has been pushed to his brink, and he decides to fall on the darker side of temptation. The obvious difference is that Superman has had years of being the good guy and became jaded, but if Korra embraces the temptation of abusing power (something I’m sure at least one previous Avatar must have done), this seemingly badass act could be indicative of something darker. But I doubt that she will ever go down that path.

Moments before turning Lex into a pile of ash. And he's supposed to be the boy scout!

This was a very fun, and very good episode. It was, once again, animated beautifully. The sound was pitch perfect. The dialogue was natural, funny, and poignant. This was exactly the right kind of follow up that the first part needed. Where part 1 fell flat, part 2 really brought it home. A great episode, and it looks like we are heading back to Republic City. I can’t wait!