I thought Part 2 put a solid finish on the various Civil Wars storylines. Korra learns just how deep Unalaq’s lies and manipulation go, and Tenzin bonds with Ikki, and in doing so has a moment with Kya and Bumi to boot. The Bolin/Eska situation is still less funny and more painful, but at least it generated some funny moments from Varrick. “No honey? We’re in a BEAR for crying out loud!”
One thing fans need to realize is the Avatar is NOT a pacifist. Aang was, but you’ll recall that other Avatars have killed (or allowed someone to die) if it meant balance would be restored. There’s more than one way to solve problems. We’re trying to compare Korra to Aang, and considering everything he accomplished by 13, it’s hard to come out better when you look at it like that. It’s the same thing in the Kya/Bumi/Tenzin storyline. They must feel like they are the only ones who see the warts on Aang, as a dad and not just as the Avatar.
The Ikki and Tenzin interaction was so cute, and I thought did a great job of giving some younger fans insight into the family conflicts that might otherwise go over their heads. And baby sky bison! With what amount to My Little Pony names! Glad Ikki got some spotlight time where she wasn’t just being a silly energetic kid.
There’s still something strange here. It’s almost like, having been told all this time that this season deals with spirits, we’ve barely seen them. I think now that we’ve got Unalaq exposed as the villain that he is, we may see more spirit action as he seems to think he can unlock the North Pole spirit portal himself now. There’s a lot of plot that hasn’t happened yet, which is strange considering how far into the season we are. I enjoyed this episode a lot though. Can’t wait for what’s next.
