#korra 4x10

[lisaminnci]

THE LEGEND OF KORRA 4x10 ➢ Operation Beifong

[lokgifsandmusings]

Definitive Ranking of Book 4 Episodes, #3/13

3. 4x10 Operation Beifong

Toph’s mothering skills wow everyone. Zhu Li is the world’s worst saboteur. All the tropes get busted. The spirits give no shits about anything.

Okay. If you’ve been following these definitive rankings, you know that I have one main issue with Book 4: while Kuvira worked very well as a foil for Korra, and a way to externalize Korra’s *internal* struggle, Kuvira in her own right is a little less successful, since everything is framed as being about the Beifongs for her, and that thread gets effectively drop-kicked.

For that reason, I objectively know that “Operation Beifong” is an issue with the whole of Book 4 considered. It’s essentially the culmination of the Kuvira/Suyin tension (which I’d argue is far more important and central than her relationship to Baatar), and the rationale for why she didn’t get her ass kicked by Toph at the end of the episode was more or less, “the script said not to.” I mean “leave it to the kids.” 

See, it had to be reserved in its climax because Kuvira’s downfall had to be saved for Korra. Which is fine; protagonists should be considered first and foremost when writing antagonists. But it also meant that the high-high-high emotional and personal stakes of this episode for the characters were always set to fizzle. In fact, the only tension that paid-off here was Lin working through her fractured relationship with her mother, and even that just ended on the note of Toph saying “maybe if you don’t hate me it’s fine.” Sadly for our unsung hero, that’s the happiest resolution she’s ever going to get.

Oh wait, Bopal forgave each other too. And you can make the argument that this was the climax of Bolin’s maturation arc: we saw him rise to the occasion in 4x07 and take charge in a way he hadn’t before, but his decision to save Zhu Li at great self-risk fully demonstrated his moral fiber. I personally think that he already exhibited these traits, he’s just a bit easily led (giving people apples = helping them...just don’t look to the right or left or ask the deeper questions), but fine.

I guess my real frustration is for Suyin and Kuvira’s characters here, who you could easily view as the primary “actors” of this episode’s A-plot, especially given the number of scenes throughout the season we were given to set up this tension. Suyin gets practically no resolution of any sort from this episode, or frankly this season. She escapes imprisonment, sure, but what it boils down to is that she fights Kuvira and quasi-loses, then flees, only for her moments in the finale to be focused on forgiving Baatar and destroying the spirit gun. Sure, she played her part in taking down Mega Maid and was the one who led Kuvira off with that super-memorable-and-not-at-all-just-a-never-replaced-placeholder line, but I fundamentally don’t understand why so much emphasis was placed on her and her point-of-view in this conflict. And it’s one thing if it’s Suyin telling Korra a backstory to set-up the final conversation, sure. It’s just....consider how many scenes we have to explain away that have *nothing* to do with Korra’s arc, including the entirety of this episode.

I guess it kind of reminds me of the Winterhell plotline in GoT Season 5, where it’s an uphill battle to argue that Sansa was the protagonist because Ramsay had 5 or 6 scenes dedicated to his fraught relationship to his dad. In this case, it’s not that Korra ever stopped feeling like the protagonist. It’s just that if we’re going to have so many non-Korra (and frankly non-Krew) characters cannibalizing our screen-time, can we at least give them a complete story?

I know I’ve talked about how it’s a problem before given Kuvira’s arc, but yeah, it’s a problem for Suyin too. It’s honestly a problem for the entire Beifong clan, since other than Suyin and Baatar’s weird “we’ll get through it” scene, the strife that had consumed their family wasn’t really given any kind of space tp land. They’ll get through it. Nifty.

In my brain, I know that this is a shortcoming of Book 4. It’s one of the primary reasons I feel this season needed a draft #2 (I suspect Bryke would have preferred a longer time-line and a heads up about resources as well). And yet... I love this episode. I LOVE this episode.

No you don’t understand: every minute, every aspect of this episode, I love.

Well, I feel rather tepid about the B-plot actually, so let’s knock that off first. It’s just the planning for an inevitable Kuvira invasion in Republic City. Varrick introduces Asami’s hummingbird suit and I have to assume does all the talking because of the voice actors involved (you *use* John Michael Higgins when you have him, and I’m wondering if Gabriel was limited to a set number of episodes). I liked the instantly photoshoppable blueprints that were held up, but remember thinking how ridiculous this biomimicry was given how completely energy inefficient hummingbirds are. I try to at least make sense of it as a suitable countermeasure to Kuvira’s spirit cannon in my newest fic, though.

(x)

Wu suggests evacuating the entire city in case Kuvira attacks. I guess in fairness they didn’t know the two-week timeline of the planned invasion, so it’d seem feasible to be able to craft that strategy, but you’d think fortifying the borders (with the help of Izumi’s troops, like she promised) would have taken priority. Personally I’d be doing everything I could to keep the fight out of my country’s population center. But it was a simplistic idea to show that Wu was actually concerning himself with the safety of others, and that Mako is an easy-to-impress boyfriend.

Finally, Korra decides she’s going to enlist the help of the spirits to defend the city, and they tell her to fuck right off because even though Kuvira is using vines to her own ends, helping the other side would be just as bad, or something. In other words, the spirits continue to be butts, and the entire thing went a little like this:

At the time this aired, I actually thought this was going to set-up a moment like the trees arriving at Helm’s Deep, but no. The spirits really didn’t want to be involved. Sucks to be human.

Like, all of this was fine. I can nitpick military decisions and engineering details, but it was fine.

It just was heavily overshadowed by the most wonderful, complicated familial dynamics.

The shining star was Lin and Toph, as it should have been. For Lin to be in a place where she’s risking her job (again) to save Suyin and is going to these extreme lengths given where they had started a few years before is nothing but touching, especially given how Suyin is more or less living the idyllic life (her rich-ass mom bought her a city to run, she’s got a loving husband and a bunch of kids, etc.) and Lin is still, ya know...

But her relationship with Toph...just murder me.

Every dang conversation they have with each other is more painful than the last. It’s made so clear how much Lin truly loves and respects Toph, and is just desperate for her approval in some ways, but there’s been so much hurt in how Toph brushed off her feelings over the years and is unwilling to actually state her own (you know you’re an INTP when...), that Lin can’t help but be closed off and sardonic. Then you’ve got Bolin picking at the baby daddy wound, Toph just randomly volunteering the information, and...

Toph: Lin, I can feel your enraged breathing from here. Just say what you have to say and let's get it over with.

Lin: Just get it over with? Yeah, let's not linger on the fact that I grew up without a dad. No need to get all touchy-feely about it. Just one of those things, right?

I have to imagine this was Toph’s general approach to parenting, and gods, Mindy Sterling SELLS the hell out of how deeply Lin feels things but how unable she truly is to express herself. As a brief side-note, I do have to imagine that Lin the detective *did* figure out who her dad was, since she doesn’t react to that information itself, but more to why the fuck Toph is willing to talk to Bolin of all people when it was kept from her previously.

Toph: Hey, I forgave you for all your garbage a long time ago and Su and I worked things out. You're the only one who wants to hold on to this family drama nonsense for the rest of your life.

Lin: Forgave me for what?! And not knowing my dad is nonsense to you? It was pretty important to me. And until now, you would never even discuss it.

Seriously, forgive her for what? Toph, again, just wants to avoid and evade the whole “feelings” piece of this. But keeping in mind that it’s been like TWO DECADES since they’ve talked, for Lin to be able to spit this all out and call her mom out on her dismissiveness is huge. HUGE.

Lin: You know, after Su and I patched things up, I thought, "maybe I should try to reach out to mom." But now that we're together again, I remember why we stopped talking. You make me furious and you don't even know why. And when I tell you, you don't care. Once we save Su, you and I are finished.

Toph: If that's your decision and it makes you happy, then fine.

Treat yourself and listen to the voice acting, because the way Philece Sampler does this little inhale and the break in her voice when she says Toph’s line is tragic, simply tragic.

Toph. Just tell your daughter you fucking love her and you care. You obviously care; you’ve been creeping on her in the swamp for years. And Lin just putting it all these raw emotions out there.

I know I’m gushing, but this is so fractured and so beautiful and if they could just flippin’ COMMUNICATE we can *see* how they care about each other underneath. It’s not a witchy-Repunzelesque mother situation or anything about escaping toxicity, but more a mother and daughter with a Shakespearean flaw that prevents them from having a happy relationship, at great personal cost.

And yeah, somehow Lin finds it in herself to apologize for snapping, and Toph just ends on the whole “if you don’t fully hate me, I’ll take it” note. In one episode we watched 20 years of hurt acted out, and it never felt forced or even a little dumbed down for the Y7 audience as like, Asami saying that she “should” try to forgive the dude that wanted to murder her sort of did (frankly that Hiroshi dialogue was all a little wonky if I really want to nitpick).

The second most important relationship in this episode was, of course, Suyin vs. Kuvira. What’s interesting is that the decision to engage with Kuvira instead of sneak away wasn’t made until after Bolin and Opal decided to go after Zhu Li, so it was a little passive on Suyin’s part, but once that fight started, nothing else mattered. Not a single word was uttered and yet you could *feel* how charged and fraught it was. Which yeah, maybe it’s reading a little too much into subtext, but there is something THERE, damnit.

However, the way Suyin’s entire family operated was just delightful. I love that Huan and Baatar Sr. were never expected to fight, and never shamed for it, and Suyin’s shrug to Lin when Baatar Sr. clung to the side of their cage in terror was just perfect. Yeah, they don’t conform to traditional gender roles, and it goes with no more comment than that shrug. Then Wing's “We can’t let Opal be the coolest!” was hilarious, and just felt...real. The Beifongs feel real, and I think that’s one of the things I appreciate the most about them. Dysfunctional, led by a hypocrite, fractured at the moment, but real. Though full disclosure: I’ve been known to call them “aspirational” in the past, if that’s any indication on why such dynamics appeal to me.

It’s worth noting that Baatar Jr. cleared the lowest possible bar possible in not wanting to murder his sister with his cannon. But fuck Zhu Li; she doesn’t even get a re-education camp. I don’t get Baatar Jr. apology (and I *especially* don’t get Kuvira apology), though given where he ends up (regretting his actions) we could have stood to see just a bit more of his reaction to the ensuing fight between his ENTIRE FAMILY INCLUDING HIS GRANDMA and his fiancé.

I should say the Zhu Li saboteur thread didn’t work super well, mostly because you’d think such a cold, heartless war machine could have thought up a better way to actually make the thing malfunction. Or just not have kept the missing pin on her body. Maybe she want to the Galen Erso School of Engineering Sabotage. But the reveal that she was purposely messing things up (and Bolin’s happy face) was lovely. Her devotion to Varrick is certainly not free of problems, but knowing she wasn’t on-board with fascism and actually jumped at the opportunity to undermine the campaign in a big way? I’ll take it, happily.

I’ll also ignore the possible implication that she only did it to save Varrick from more of Kuvira’s wrath, knowing how he’d operate on his own. Anti-fascist Zhu Li is the only Zhu Li. That’s the 2017 hero we need.

That finally leaves us with the Bopal plotline. I cannot believe the amount of hate that Opal got as this season was airing, but I have to think that on rewatches, especially in this cultural context, her point-of-view seemed a lot more reasonable, as well as her frustrations with Bolin. Yeah, her anger towards Kuvira at the very, very start of the season could be framed as a bit OTT and likely the result of loyalty to her mother (who wasn’t exactly the model of reason then), but after that... like, no! We *know* she’s seen prison camps, we *know* she’s learned about dissenters being dragged off, and when her entire family was captured (and to her own admission quite possibly being tortured or already having been murdered), her boyfriend came back and said he was responsible for it (oh Bolin and your logorrhea), but just wanted to pick up exactly where they were right away. And this was after he outright ignored her in Zaofu when she clearly lay out what was happening. Who the hell wouldn’t be pissed?

Frankly, Bolin should have been suggesting how they could save her family, so when she suggested that he should come with her to fix things, it’s...reasonable, even if high-risk. It would demonstrate that at the end of the day, he does have her back. I really have a hard time finding a fault in that.

I do think her line “he’s been in the polar bear doghouse long enough” was overly reductive. We can tell that the moment he was willing to get himself killed to save Zhu Li is the moment that Opal forgave him. Because it showed that his heart is always in the right place. He just sometimes needs a little coaching, and doesn’t do nuance well. If the people *he’s* seeing are happy, it’s difficult for him to think the campaign is doing something bad.

So really, I have zero problems with it. They were two young adults growing apart in a long-distance relationship, and the fact that this mission placed them decidedly on the same side and Bolin took initiative with it...yeah, it works. Their long-term is uh, well, let’s just hope they don’t find themselves in morally ambiguous situations too much.

Also I don’t want to sound like Opal is the font of wisdom and truth either. She can be bad-tempered, impatient, she can let her emotions guide her (though it never pushes into the hysterical woman trope), she can be biting and bitter and cutting when she wants; she’s a fully realized and fully fallible character. I just don’t happen to think she mistreated Bolin in any way during Book 4’s run.

The Bopal take-away, too, is important: women can assert their frustrations and that doesn’t mean their relationships will blow up. Too often we see narratives where women must stuff it, where their emotional needs are always always on a back-burner to the men that they’re with. It’s frustrating and I’ve had enough of it (I’m in a mood thanks to Supergirl lately), so this is dang refreshing. Bust ALL the tropes, Opal.

Frankly, bust ALL the tropes, Beifongs. That’s truly what makes this episode amazing. The central fight is between two women, one of whom is middle-aged and has children, while her husband and elder son (that isn’t Baatar Jr.) are guarded by her mother. There is a mother/daughter “reconciliation” that still ends with them both shoving their feelings down as far as they can go, though they at least achieved a less hostile relationship. There was the Bopal resolution, there was Zhu Li, not Varrick, taking on the role of the saboteur, and there wasn’t instantly a neat redemption for Jr. because he had one moment of human decency.

Yes, this episode was a little contrived in its existence, and it gave us a bit of a false resolution. But it was packed, exciting, and utterly transgressive, while also delivering a wallop of feels.

#13: 4x08 “Remembrances”

#12: 4x11 “Kuvira’s Gambit”

#11: 4x09 “Beyond the Wilds”

#10: 4x07 “Reunion”

#9: 4x06 The “Battle of Zaofu”

#8. 4x12 “Day of Colossus”

#7 4x01 “After All These Years”

#6 4x03 “The Coronation”

#5 4x04 “The Calling”

#4 4x05 “Enemy at the Gates”

Book 2 ranking/essays found here

[buckybarnesss]

title from: what your favorite avatar ship says about you

What’s up Wuko Nation? Here’s a rec list of my favorite Wuko fics and Wuko related things. 

Complete Works:

for the restless by gofloatyourself

as in a mirror, dimly by leoperidot

healing by soulstoned

this is my uniform by madam_muffins

complicated by ginervaknifehands,��spudbud

shield my heart by burntpixles 

closest kept by jaguarsp0tted  

history & smoothies by poetoe 

on a cold winter night by adastrad

take my hand by lesmiserablol

younger brother figure by wastetimedandtype

now i’ve grown into a tall child by nixawesomeasleep

i’m feeling good (like i never should) by zerohournineam

yours, wu by ginervaknifehands, spudbud

it’s love, it’s love, it’s not my imagination by plutosdeath

till the morning breaks by wearealltalesintheend

in for a penny by oh_la_fraise

respite by oh_la_fraise

hey, i have something to tell you by atlasaffogato

boy problems by ginervaknifehands, spudbud

negative space by aebleskiver

baby talk and a birthday party by mininight

mako, down by emeraldwater

stay with me by julia_skyskong

WIP:

and they were roommates by themanofmanyhats

mako and the terrible, awful, no-good, very bad road trip by deerstalkerdeathfrisbee

Meta:

gascon-en-exit’s amazing wuko breakdown

presenting wu’s sexuality part 1, presenting wu’s sexuality part 2

wuko subtext and the deconstructive themes of the legend of korra: introduction

wuko subtext and the deconstructive themes of the legend of korra: mako before season 4

wuko subtext and the deconstructive themes of the legend of korra: building wu

wuko subtext and the deconstruction themes of the legend of korra: 4x01 - “after all these years”

wuko subtext and the deconstruction of themes of the legend of korra: 4x03 - “the coronation part” 1

wuko subtext and the deconstructive themes of the legend of korra: 4x03 - “the coronation” part 2

wuko subtext and the deconstructive themes of the legend of korra: 4x07 - “reunion”

wuko subtext and the deconstruction of themes of the legend of korra: 4x08 - “remembrances”

wuko subtext and the deconstructive themes of the legend of korra: 4x09, 4x10 and 4x11

wuko subtext and the deconstructive themes of the legend of korra: 4x12 - “day of the colossus”

wuko subtext and the deconstructive themes of the legend of korra: 4x13 - “the last stand”

unpacking wuko

[petesmediadiary]

October 19th 2020

Podcasts: Comedy Bang Bang -- 678 The Heimlich Remix How Did This Get Played -- 70 Carrion LA Podcast -- 144 Pelosing My Religion My Brother, My Brother, and Me -- 513 Mother Cruncher The Gino Lombardo Show -- 2x02 Floppy Disk TV: The Legend of Korra -- 3x10, 3x11 Last Week Tonight -- 7x26 The Vow -- 1x09 Schitt’s Creek -- 4x09, 4x10 Music: Ty Segall -- Don’t Lie (The Mantles cover) The National -- My Backwards Walk (Live) (Frightened Rabbit cover) Mac Demarco -- Photograph (Nickelback cover)

[just-another-korra-fit-gal]

Day #3

Today was absolutely amazing- I managed to have time this morning for both a good workout and a somewhat healthy breakfast! Early morning once again tried to defeat me, but I think I’ll get the hang of them eventually, once I learn how to go to bed at a decent hour. I think in about another week I’ll have mastered the art of working out before classes. All about that balance, right?

On a different note, muscle soreness has finally hit, and by god, it hit Hard. Walking down the stairs? Hello, strange jelly legs. Lifting things? Not gonna happen today, pal. I’ve decided to take it as a good thing though. I figure if Korra had to go through 3 years of being out of it but came back stronger, then this just puts me a little closer to being like her. 

As of the workout for today, I did:

- 5 min yoga warm up 

- 2 1min planks

- 2x30 spider-man push ups

- 5x10 full squats (while holding 20lb weight)

- 4x10 incline rows

- 4x15 lunges

- 4x4 chair dips

- 4x25 bike crunches 

- 10 min walk with Butter 

Music: Panic! at the Disco.

This is pretty fun to do inside (air conditioning is quite nice!), but I can’t wait to get back out and work more with free weights and such. Gotta get those avatar arms!! And it might be nice to get through a set without Butter sitting on the edge of my mat, judging me when he’s not trying to get belly rubs. 

Finally, I’d like to thank everyone in the Korra Fit Fam that’s been giving me advice/encouragement- y’all are so kind!!

Can’t wait to see what gifts tomorrow will bring!!

[otakuladylove]

Korra Fitness Day 14: I had a lite morning as I was still extremely exhausted from my workout last night. I did 40 mins of weight training today. I had to stop because I was feeling dizzy. I going to train Thursday and Friday and then rest on Saturday. I think I’ll do better Thursday though. Exercise: Lat pull down 2x10’s 20 on easy and 20 on hard. 50 odd Shoulder oresss 2x10. 50 pds Hip abduction 1x10 50pds Hip abduction inner 4x10 50 pd Leg press 2 x 10 120 pds Abdominal crunch 2x10 80pds Abdominal press 2x10 60 pds Row delt 2x10 37.5 pds Leg extensions 1x10 50pds Leg curl 2x5 50 pds Ps. I can totally tell I lost weight!!! 🔥🔥💪���😍🌈

[mklopez]

I'm watching #TheLegendofKorra 4x10 "Operation Beifong"

[andrewvanderbye]

I just watched The Legend of Korra 4x10 "Operation: Beifong"

[juliusspeyton]

The Legend of Korra 4x10 "Operation: Beifong"

★★★★★★★★★★

You give metalbenders a bad name!

Discuss on Trakt.tv

[petesmediadiary]

October 26th 2020

Podcasts: Comedy Bang Bang -- 679 Popcorn World How Did This Get Played -- 71 Among Us LA Podcast -- 145 From Husk Till Dawn My Brother, My Brother, and Me -- 515 Viscous Bod Blank Check with Griffin and David -- Aloha Let’s Make a Music -- Archive -39: Dog Trash TV: The Legend of Korra -- 4x09, 4x10 Last Week Tonight -- 7x27 Taskmaster -- 9x06

[petesmediadiary]

October 8th 2020

Podcasts: Doughboys -- 272 Rockaroundtheclockdoughberfest: AmPm The Flagrant Ones -- 106 Coach Carousel Predictions Wonderful! -- 153 Oops! Ope! Whoopsie! Dissect -- 7x06 Sweatpants by Childish Gambino My Brother, My Brother, and Me -- 509 The Grind Butler (Or: Grutler) TV: The Legend of Korra -- 2x09, 2x10 Shipping Wars -- 4x10 Schitt’s Creek -- 3x06, 3x07 Taskmaster: Champion of Champions -- 1x01

[lokgifsandmusings]

The Definitive Ranking of LoK Book 4 Episodes

So a goddamn year ago (why does anyone still follow me), I began writing shockingly lengthy metas on an episode-by-episode basis for the final season, starting with the ones I found least successful, to the most meaningful/impactful.

And now, as I did with Book 2, I get to present THE LIST in its full glory. I’m not sure I have a favorite essay this time around, mostly because I barely remember writing half of these at this point, but my gif game for 4x12 was definitely on-point.

#13. 4x08 “Remembrances”

Highlight: Arrested Avatar fodder

Lowlight: the completely straight-shot Korra recap portion

#12. 4x11 “Kuvira’s Gambit”

Highlight: Korra’s effective threatening of Baatar Jr.

Lowlight: Mega Maid Mustache Twirling Land War of Doom

#11. 4x09 “Beyond the Wilds”

Highlight: Korra confronting herself Zaheer and the guided mindful meditation/exposure therapy for her PTSD being presented in a ridiculously realistic yet somehow age-appropriate fashion.

Lowlight: “Kuvira hasn’t done anything aggressive yet.”

#10. 4x07 “Reunion”

Highlight: ~~~snazzy~~~

Lowlight: Tenzin’s “meh we’ll worry about Zaofu later go get sushi” attitude. It was a good episode, but a little light tonally at a strange time.

#9. 4x06 The “Battle of Zaofu”

Highlight: Varrick’s escape from the train with Bolin. “Okay I have a remote and a detonator!”

Lowlight: Kuvira politics. What’s...happening...

#8. 4x12 “Day of Colossus”

Highlight: Absolutely stunning fight sequences against Mega Maid

Lowlight: Hiroshi’s very very very contrived entrance to the scene. It plays out fine, but it pulls me out of the moment every time.

#7. 4x01 “After All These Years”

Highlight: The pacing & ground it covered, while hitting the building sense of doom with a missing Korra tone perfectly.

Lowlight: Kuvira was a bit too mustache-twirly for me out of the gate.

#6. 4x03 “The Coronation”

Highlight: Probably the scene in the hotel where they just went for high-comedy. Kuvira looked directly into the camera, and Suyin got off on being withholding. 

Lowlight: Where in the script is Asami Sato?

#5. 4x04 “The Calling”

Highlight: Ikki

Lowlight: Meelo’s red flags being played for comedy wears a little thin.

#4. 4x05 “Enemy at the Gates”

Highlight: The sheer amount of ground covered. It’s kind of crazy.

Lowlight: The mecha suit escape sequence went on a click too long.

#3. 4x10 “Operation Beifong”

Highlight: Beifong. Family. Drama. But mostly Lin dealing with her relationship to Toph.

Lowlight: I guess Korra’s b-plot, though it was more of a wash than a negative.

#2. 4x13 “The Last Stand”

Highlight: The tone when Korra talks to Kuvira in the spirit world

Lowlight: Wonky conversations thanks to time constraints. It’s not even bad, just...wonky.

#1. 4x02 “Korra Alone”

Highlight: I think the way it was put together, non-sequentially and with this sort of ungrounded tone. It was really perfect.

Lowlight: I’m honestly having trouble thinking of one. 

Up next, Book 1!

[juliusspeyton]

The Legend of Korra 4x10 "Operation: Beifong"

★★★★★★★★★★

[andrewvanderbye]

I just watched The Legend of Korra 4x10 "Operation: Beifong"

[lokgifsandmusings]

LoK 4x10 Photo Recap: Operation Beifong

[lokgifsandmusings]

Guess he was really thankful?