The Legend of Korra: Rebel Spirit Review

Korra’s finally back! After a quick recap, we get right into it. It’s been six months since Amon, and Korra’s still rebellious while Tenzin is struggling to keep up with the all-powerful teenager. Mako’s become a member of the law, while little bro Bolin has yet to make much progress in life. Finally Asami is working hard to undo the damage her father brought upon the family company and stay afloat. There has been a little splintering of team Avatar, and once again I can’t help but notice that Asami seems all alone.

Team Avatar, in all their season 1 glory.

However, after a quick relocation to the Southern Water Tribe, things swiftly change. ‘Dark’ Spirits attack without hesitation, and until Korra’s uncle’s (Unalaq) intervention, there isn't much anyone can do. Unalaq, the leader of the Northern Water Tribe, seems to be an incredibly powerful bender. With ease he calmed the angered spirit and seemed to draw out an inner peace from within and channel it into the spirit. His respect for the spiritual world is apparent, wanting even to impart his knowledge upon the young Avatar, however, I’m more concerned about his motives for the Southern Tribe as he seems hell-bent on reform (even with military force!).

A spirit overwhelming the Avatar.

With this show of power, Korra decides it’s time to part ways with Tenzin and train under Unalaq, so, bye bye Tenzin. I can understand Korra’s tension with continued training with Tenzin. She’s never exactly seen eye to eye with her air-bending master, questioning him almost every chance she’s gotten. Further, he would be a constant reminder of Republic City, a place where she was truly beaten and humiliated for the first time by Tarrlok and Amon. It’s very possible that all these factors were in play when she decided to part ways with Tenzin, but I might be reading too much into it.

Unalaq calming spirits.

So with her father against it, Unalaq takes her under his tutelage, and their journey beings to the South Pole to repair spiritual damage. Once again, I can’t help but feel that Unalaq truly believes in balance with the spirits, while Korra’s father is more than happy to leave them alone, but there is more to Unalaq than meets the eye. He’s clearly calculating (like Amon), and has ulterior motives that involve the Southern Water Tribe, Korra, and possibly the spiritual world.

Journey to Santa's back yard.

So as the first part of the premiere comes to a close, there’s a lot to digest. Why are the spirits suddenly attacking people and places? What is Korra’s and Unalaq’s role in repairing the damage, and just what is Unalaq up to? Later in the second part, even more questions arise, such as what’s up with the Northern invasion force, and is Jinora about to embark on a spiritual journey with the first Avatar, and if so, is this what old General Iroh went through in the original series? Time will tell, and I’ll write my review of part two of the premiere later tomorrow, but I’m very glad the show is back, and I can’t wait for more.

There's more to Jinora than just book smarts and powerful air-bending.