Should you watch this, Wiki this, or wait for the recap? Watch this if you have time.
Mako tells Prince Wu of his background and history during a sparring session, revealing the complicated love triangle between himself, Asami, and Korra. Meanwhile, Korra has her doubts about her place as the Avatar, but Asami and Tenzin reassure her. Varrick tells the tale of Bolin during their long boat ride, spinning everything that has happened into one big mash-up.
“Reunion” is the eighth Chapter (episode) of Book Four: Balance (Season Four) of The Legend of Korra. It’s a clip show, something that we rarely see in the age of new content and torrential rains. In fact, I think it’s the only clip show in both series. The only thing that came close to this was in Legend of Aang, Book 3 Chapter 17, “The Ember Island Players.” But even then, that was brand new animation and content, while this is really just made from clip shows.
In any case, it is an interesting break, thanks to the added narration and framing device. There is some new animation, but not much in the way of Bending.
Highlights
Chibi versions of the characters
Super deformed versions of the characters appear at various times during the clip shows to give their commentary or even, in some cases, to high five each other. It’s really cute! You only get to see headshots though, and I’m hoping we get to see the entire character done up Chibi style later on. Maybe the whole cast! Maybe for the final episode. Nah, the final episode has another surprise in store.
Varrick’s embellishing
Varrick’s rubbish goes into overdrive here as he pulls together the past episodes into a wacky story which has all the previous villains teaming up to defeat Bolin. I appreciated that quirky and humourous take on the villains – everyone’s always so serious when it comes to the bad guys, so this slight change of direction is good.
A slight break from the previous few intense episodes
It is a break, although it’s not necessary, and it also means the remaining five episodes are going to be intense. It’s got my expectations rising, so let’s hope that the inevitable Korra-Kuvira rematch will be awesome
A good summary of past events
It sets the stage for whatever is going to come in the next few episodes. The recurring theme for this season is that Korra must let go of her preconceived notions and her past villains and/or defeats in order to defeat Kuvira. In other words, Korra must bring balance to all of her sides – the theme of this season. So in a way, it helps remind us of the theme, which might be forgotten amidst all the high stakes conflicts and blasts.
Letdowns
Why do we need a clip show episode?
I don’t quite understand the need for clip shows in the Age of the Internet. It’s not like true fans aren’t going to Wiki all these points anyway, and new viewers might be confused at this onslaught of information. It’s still a good try though, but ultimately something that isn’t necessary.
“Remembrance” is great as far as clip shows go, but it isn’t a must watch. If you have a choice between a lousy new episode and this, go for the new episode. But if you’ve watched everything else, this isn’t a waste of your time either.
Leave a Reply