Since these are still the early episodes, the Legend of Korra is still focused mainly on introducing us to its world. While in the original series, the Walking the Earth plot lent itself doubly to expansion and development, here our focus is on just one city, and so we get to explore different aspects of a comparatively small area. So, in the case of this episode, we will abandon the jazz and the technology and turn instead to what looks to be a significant aspect of the series... pro-bending.
Chapter 2: A Leaf in the Wind
We open on Air Temple Island, as established by flying sky bison and fancy scenery. Korra's reading from a newspaper - yes, in this modernized Avatar world, we have newspapers - and talking about pro-bending. Since it's Tenzin's job to play the foil to Korra in addition to the mentor, he objects to her fascination with the sport, calling it "a mockery of the noble profession of bending."
You know, I bet Aang would have loved it.
Anyway, Tenzin's interest in keeping her cloistered is primarily so she'll focus on Airbending; we learn from a subsequent scene that it's the one style of bending she's never been able to do.
Wait. Hold on.
So they're just arbitrarily deciding that although Korra is a Waterbender, her opposing element is Airbending. I understand why they did it - it makes for better action scenes and a more accomplished Avatar that can start doing cool fight scenes sooner, but I always thought it was the next-to-last element in the cycle that was the most difficult, owing to the natural personality traits that came with being born to a certain type of Bending.
From what little I've read about this series, I do note that they're moving away from both hereditary and personality-based bending - we'll see a great example of this later in this episode - and a decent case can be made for Korra's struggles with spirituality manifesting in her inability to grasp Airbending, but it is still a flagrant contradiction of what we've observed so far. Roku had trouble with Waterbending. Aang had trouble with Earthbending.
This is an unapologetic pattern break, done for the sake of a better story; because this way, there's a single, defined obstacle between Korra and being a full Avatar, and much more focus on Airbending, which didn't get much of a chance to shine in the original series. It may also have been done in response to the undeniably rushed fashion in which Aang picked up the three elements during his own series. This way, they can ensure that an entire bending discipline gets the attention it deserves.
Anyway, moving on.
Korra's brought to a strange and ancient Airbending contraption, which will apparently be her first lesson in Airbending; it's a series of panels, which, when wind is blown through them, spin. The idea is to make it through without getting hit. Tenzin's kids are good at it... Korra, not so much.
Later, we see her trying to Airbend. It's not working so well. She confides to her polar bear dog that she thinks that maybe she isn't cut out for it. As she's heading back inside, she hears some of the White Lotus guardsmen - who I am pretty sure serve to guard both her and Tenzin, owing to the endangered state of Airbending - listening to the radio. It's a pro-bending match. Naturally, she eavesdrops. One of the teams involved is named the 'Fire Ferrets', which in addition to being silly is also going to end up being important.
Tenzin interrupts them, and since he has his Airbender spider senses he knows that Korra's sitting on the roof listening in. He orders her down and to bed, much to her chagrin, and I am led to wonder how Toph and Aang, two of the craziest, fun-loving, most impulsive characters from the original series, managed to raise two utter sourpusses (Tenzin and Lin) of this magnitude.
The next morning, Tenzin, his children, and Korra are all meditating; where is Tenzin's wife? I don't think she shows up at all in this episode. We see that Korra is about as good at meditation as she is at not causing unnecessary collateral damage. In other words: She sucks at it.
An argument begins after Tenzin explains that air is the 'element of freedom', and Korra points out that he's tight-fisted, doesn't let her listen to the radio, and forbids her from leaving the island. Tenzin tries to cite the productive aspects of meditation, and promises her that Airbending will 'click' for her soon. Korra responds that it's not, and heads off to get some lychee juice.
Later that night, Korra sneaks out. How convenient is it that the probending ring is a short swim away from Air Temple Island? She gets in via an open window and finds a gym, where she is immediately accosted by an angry-looking old man who demands to know what she's doing there. She says she got lost, but he isn't buying it. He's tired of kids sneaking in, and he's about to order her out, when we meet one of the series' new main characters.
Bolin. He bails Korra out, trying to imply in the process that she's his girlfriend. While she quickly sets him straight, the lame excuse is sufficient to get the old guy to drop it.
Bolin's Crowning Moment Of Funny: Assigned to his Establishing Character Moment.
Anyway, Bolin leads her out onto one of the balconies overlooking the main ring. I don't really feel like describing the ring, but suffice it to say that Bolin and his brother Mako are two of the three members of the Fire Ferret pro-bending team. To briefly recap here, a pro-bending team consists of three members, one capable of bending each non-endangered element. The goal in a match is to push your opponents off the far end of the ring and into the water below.
Mako's introduction is very brusque and brief, and now that we've met him and have a slight idea of what he's like, let me return to the point I made above...
...Moving away from personality-based bending. Mako, despite being a Firebender, is calm, cool, and collected; we don't see much emotion from him in this episode, and even his (very clear) irritation is very understated and matter-of-fact. This is the sort of personality you might reasonably expect of anyone besides a Firebender. In fact, if you switched him and Korra around, you'd have a textbook case of Personality Powers.
We see our first pro-bending match. Their Waterbender isn't very good, but Mako is, singlehandedly saving the Fire Ferrets from what looks to be certain doom. They win, Korra is very impressed, and she asks Bolin to show her some moves. A funny bit ensues where she avoids directly saying who she is, but Mako figures it out: "You're the Avatar, and I'm an idiot." "Both are true." Hee!
Unsurprisingly, it turns out pro-bending involves a whole different style of bending, which Bolin is glad to demonstrate to Korra. Her aptitude for it actually manages to get a positive comment out of the otherwise recalcitrant Mako, who I am beginning to quite enjoy as a character. Mako and Bolin live in the gym's attic, by the way. This will probably end up being important. As Korra tries the new Earthbending style one last time, we smash cut straight to...
...Korra failing, yet again, at the Airbending obstacle course. This time, she gets so pissed off she incinerates the entire thing with Firebending. Tenzin gets angry; that thing was, after all, a historical treasure. They argue again, and it ends with Korra calling him a terrible teacher and storming off. His son agrees, but his daughters, adorably, hug him instead.
Next scene. I was wrong! We get to see Pema for this one scene. The family is sitting down for dinner, and when she innocently asks after Korra, Tenzin replies that he's fed up with trying to get Airbending through her thick skull. Pema suggests giving her space; and then, alarmed, Tenzin looks up and says to his children: "You must promise me that your teenage years won't be like this." Jinora, looking up from her book, deadpans: "I will make no such promises."
Do I even need to say it?
Jinora's Crowning Moment Of Funny: Assigned.
We cut back to the gym. Mako and Bolin are down one incompetent Waterbender, so Korra ends up filling in against Mako's protests. As the newest inaugurated Fire Ferret, she steps out onto the ring with them. To make a long story short: the Ferrets fail at first, an inadvertent bit of Earthbending outs Korra as the Avatar, and Tenzin hears about it on the radio. Just as Korra is knocked out and the opposing team takes round two...
...Though the basis for 'rounds' is a bit unclear, since there seem to be four rounds and the winner of the last round wins any potential ties that might ensue?
...Tenzin shows up, angry and at his wits' end, and demands that she return to Air Temple Island with him. She refuses, and throws more invective at him about his incompetent teachings, before going back to finish the match. It's going no better than before, and she's pushed up against the edge, but then, right at the moment of truth... she starts using Airbending style to dodge the other team.
While this is a nice touch and it looks very cool, I would like to point out that the Korra we saw in episode one had no issue dodging projectiles, bending-related or otherwise. Why does she suddenly need Airbending to dodge what looks to be comparatively low-key bending? Furthermore, why is she struggling? We saw her effortlessly dealing with a large team of Firebenders (about five or six) as part of her Establishing Character Moment, so even if she's limited to Waterbending, why is fighting just three opponents proving so difficult?
I know they try to talk about the different styles inherent in pro-bending, but it doesn't look that different; the same principles apply, and Korra isn't trained as a lethal fighter. I'm having a hard time buying that she's losing like a chump when we saw her manage to outrun elite Metalbending police in episode one.
Anyway, the Airbending style (note that she is not actually Airbending) makes all the difference, and the other team is suddenly, abruptly, and dare I say, clumsily, worn out. This is completely out of left field. There was nothing to suggest that they were fatigued before Korra pulled out her new trick, and now it's like their switch has been flipped from winning to losing. The Fire Ferrets make short work of them, and win. During all this, Tenzin gets caught up in the match and has a rather funny Not So Stoic moment; it's made doubly hilarious by his quick check to see if anyone noticed him acting undignified.
Afterward, Mako actually compliments Korra on her performance. High-fives all around.
Next scene. Korra's back on Air Temple Island, and she and Tenzin make apologies to one another; she for being a teenager, he for losing his patience. Of course it can't be all sunshine and smiles, because Korra tells him that she's joined the Fire Ferrets and pro-bending on a long-term basis.
Last scene. Episode ends with Korra and Mako both silently staring out over the ocean.
Final thoughts
Inconsistencies and nitpicks aside, I quite liked this episode. We're still in the setup phase of this show, so the 'final thoughts' section will probably get longer as I have more to talk about.
EDIT: Actually, in retrospect, I do have something to point out: Pro-bending, by far the most popular sport in Republic City, has one major prerequisite. Can you guess what it is?
That's right.
Bending.
No wonder the anti-bending faction is so annoyed. A city's predominant culture and entertainment centers around an ability that very few people possess, and that some even go so far as to abuse. You can't work for this ability; no matter how hard you try, you have to be born into it or you'll never, ever have it. Even with no appearance or mention of the anti-bending faction, this episode does still describe the society they're immersed in. If I were a Muggle living under this system, I might be a bit irate as well. I mean, where's the basketball and soccer coverage in this city?
Oh, right! The Earthbenders took them over and turned them into Earthbender-only games twenty-three years ago!
Damn benders.
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