Tumblr crosspost (14 September 2020)
Feb. 28th, 2024 01:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
anghraineAn anon asked:
Do you think the fourth season of lok might have flowed better if kuvira were introduced way earlier, like in season 1 or 2?
I replied:
Yes. I mean, Nickelodeon’s shenanigans and the development of the arcs and such makes it pretty impossible for that to happen, but if it were possible, I think it would work better, because Kuvira serves two different functions that are fairly difficult to reconcile.
Her primary function is as a villainous version of Korra through whom Korra’s issues can be processed—hence Korra hallucinating Kuvira as herself, for instance. This IMO is the main reason why taking compassion on Kuvira is so important as the culmination of Korra’s character arc; Kuvira represents Korra at both her worst and her most vulnerable, so Korra taking compassion on her is intrinsically tied to taking compassion on herself. This is why Kuvira is Final Boss, much more than because of the threat that Kuvira poses.
At the same time … well, someone on FFA said Kuvira got beaten by the villain stick to make the story work, and I do kind of agree. Sometimes what we get in Kuvira is “how would a dark Korra become more extreme?” and sometimes it’s “how would a military dictator become more extreme?” So you get really weird things like the camps and the giant mecha laser thing that don’t fit with the dark!Korra theme, or seem to follow from the basic characterization, but rather from the function Kuvira is fulfilling as an ideological representative who goes Too Far.
Like—if you’re going to try and weld “dark Korra” and “military dictator” together, IMO it would help to build up to it! There’s a lot we just don’t know about Kuvira or only get the merest scraps of (contrast Amon, who gets a highlight reel of his entire childhood that explains a lot). If there was more time and space given to her descent into villainy that actually tied in her parallels with Korra, I think the different elements would feel less abrupt and disconnected.
Of course, it would require a lot more continuity between the seasons than really exists. But I do think it’s a good idea, yes.
Do you think the fourth season of lok might have flowed better if kuvira were introduced way earlier, like in season 1 or 2?
I replied:
Yes. I mean, Nickelodeon’s shenanigans and the development of the arcs and such makes it pretty impossible for that to happen, but if it were possible, I think it would work better, because Kuvira serves two different functions that are fairly difficult to reconcile.
Her primary function is as a villainous version of Korra through whom Korra’s issues can be processed—hence Korra hallucinating Kuvira as herself, for instance. This IMO is the main reason why taking compassion on Kuvira is so important as the culmination of Korra’s character arc; Kuvira represents Korra at both her worst and her most vulnerable, so Korra taking compassion on her is intrinsically tied to taking compassion on herself. This is why Kuvira is Final Boss, much more than because of the threat that Kuvira poses.
At the same time … well, someone on FFA said Kuvira got beaten by the villain stick to make the story work, and I do kind of agree. Sometimes what we get in Kuvira is “how would a dark Korra become more extreme?” and sometimes it’s “how would a military dictator become more extreme?” So you get really weird things like the camps and the giant mecha laser thing that don’t fit with the dark!Korra theme, or seem to follow from the basic characterization, but rather from the function Kuvira is fulfilling as an ideological representative who goes Too Far.
Like—if you’re going to try and weld “dark Korra” and “military dictator” together, IMO it would help to build up to it! There’s a lot we just don’t know about Kuvira or only get the merest scraps of (contrast Amon, who gets a highlight reel of his entire childhood that explains a lot). If there was more time and space given to her descent into villainy that actually tied in her parallels with Korra, I think the different elements would feel less abrupt and disconnected.
Of course, it would require a lot more continuity between the seasons than really exists. But I do think it’s a good idea, yes.