Legend of Korra: "When Extremes Meet"

[LadyTevar]

So... Team Avatar returns!! For a very short time as Tarrlok goes beyond his former power-hungry ways to reveal just how fucked up he really is.

My god, BloodBending without a full moon. And via the flashbacks, possibly during Daylight. And now he's going to make the Avatar vanish, all because she got in his way. The look in his eyes when she compared him to Amon was where he went over the edge.

This... this is where it left Kiddie-Ville in the dust.

[frigidmagi]

First off we really just need one Korra thread.

Second, holie Crap! Tarrlok, you fool! I really have to figure out what his end agenda really is, is he one of Amon's true believers willing to work undercover with the promise of reward (granted he'll be benderless)? Do Amon and him have something else working under the surface? All this Anti-Bender talk, is it a led in for something else maybe? Or are the both of them playing Stalin and Hitler, making under the table agreements before the final clash? Or is Tarrlok reallly just that stupid that he thinks he can play this game, clearly trying to drive non-benders into the Equalist camp for... What? Is his plan to fan this into a full out civil war with himself leading the grand army of bending that ends it and puts the non-benders in their place? Is he trying to draw Amon out so he can kill him?

Tarrlok is either the smartest stupid person I've met or the stupidest smart person I've met! It really grates on me. He's smart enough to learn blood bending and take it to new levels. He's smart enough to work himself onto the council and be at the head of an impressive network of clients. He's smart enough to get his guy made Chief of Police and to work Chief Lin like a violin.

He's stupid enough to try to piss on Tenzin in his own home. He's stupid enough to piss off every non-bender he humanly can and push them into the enemy camp (THIS SOOO BREAKS COIN! YOU ARE FUCKING FIRED MAN!). He's stupid enough to antagonize the Avatar pointlessly (seriously arresting her friends? If wasn't for Mako she would have murdered you in the street pal). He's stupid enough to pick fights with her that make her look good in front of the press and large crowds! You know what the rumor mill is saying right now? "That asshole Tarrlok arrested people for wanting their power back on at night, the Avatar was busting people loose and calling him an asshole!" "The Avatar stopped a mass prison break, only to have Tarrlok come up and piss in her cereal!" He's very much becoming someone that no one likes. If I was on the council (let's say I arrive after this bullshit) I would publicly crucify Tarrlok to get the mob on my side! Not to mention the Avatar and Tenzin! Finally to top it all off, you struck first at the fucking Avatar... AND MISSED! You're lucky you tried that on a sheltered 16 year old girl, even then she kicked your ass all over the place! You wanna pick a fight with the Avatar that's fine but you don't strike first unless it's an instant KO.

As it stands, he's has to disappear the Avatar. Killing her would be a solution, but that just means Tenzin will tear the place apart with his bare hands. By the time the new Avatar reaches 16, they might be calling it Republic fucking Crater! And the White Lotus isn't gonna sit on it's hands. They will hunt for her. Or her killer. At best you buy 16 years and with your luck the new Avatar is some sorta spiritual genius who got everything from Korra and is looking for you!

You can try to keep Korra alive but... You got to keep her isolated from Fire, Water and Earth. Keep her restrained and weak. For years. While Lin, Tenzin, the White Lotus, Team Avatar, and quite likely Zuko and Katara are looking for her and by extension you. Zuko or Lin would be the ones I'd be most scared of. Lin is batman, spiderman and fucking wolverine all rolled into one. Zuko is an old man that almost everyone on the planet has tried to kill off. Seriously is there any group or faction that hasn't tried to at least beat the fuck out of Zuko besides the White Lotus? But Zuko is still here, having outlived Toph, Sokka, and Aang. Someone like that... You respect. If they're looking for you, you get afraid.

Man, I really want to see Old Man Zuko. I want him resting by the side of the road, realize it's the Avatar being dragged away and jump in, beat the fuck out of everyone and with Tarrlok in the mud lean down and snarl in an old man voice...

"Get Off My Road."

It would be soooo awesome!

[Cynical Cat]

Zuko's a fantasy martial artist. Being an old man will just make him more bad ass, just like his uncle.

[LadyTevar]

I would not be surprised to see Zuko take after Uncle Irho. This would be a good time to introduce him too.

[Dark Silver]

Holy shit....Tarlok Blood Bends...when it's not a full moon.

I guess others besides Hama learned the technique, and learned how to take it even further.


Tarlok was showing off his agenda full swing in this episode. Now would be a very good time to see Zuhko mean a appearance though....and it would be a appropriately bad-assed appearance I would bet.

Bad-assed enough to make even Grimlock take note...

[Charon]

Wait, how do we know Zuko is still alive and has had everyone try to kill him? Did I miss something?

Also, I had assumed until this episode that Tarlok was indeed working with Amon, but after this episode, I don't think so. His reactions are too visceral to be the calculated actions of a deep cover spy. I mean, Tarlok flipped shit when Korra said he was just as bad as Amon. So I have no idea what Tarlok's intention is, but I do not think he's in league with Amon anymore. Which makes me wonder what base of power he has, if any.

[LadyTevar]

Something that bugs me: Tarrlok's extreme reaction to being compared to Amon.

Is it me, or was it as vicious a reaction as Azula being compared to Zuko? That instant hate-filled "I AM NOT MY BROTHER!!!" snap?

[Batman]

Possible. Or just a serious bender supremacists hearfelt disgust at being compared to a nonbender extremist. So far, I vote insufficient data.

[frigidmagi]

Wait, how do we know Zuko is still alive and has had everyone try to kill him? Did I miss something?

As has been said repeatedly, the official website of the show, quoting the creators. Zuko is alive. He ruled as firelord until a great old age, where he ceded the throne to his daughter so he could wonder the Earth seeking to bring peace, trust and justice to the various peoples of the world.

Incomplete List of people who have tried to kill him:

His Own Family
Fire Nation Armed Forces
Earth Kingdom Armed Forces
Water Tribe warriors
Katara
Sokka
Toph
Jet
Die Li Agents
Pirates
Sun Warriors
Fire Nation Colonists (In the comic book series post TV show)

Every nation and element is represented as are most major characters (I think everyone expect Aang and Iroh really). In short yes, Zuko has had pretty much everyone kill him and he still got to old age. I mean hell even Aang didn't have people coming from every side like Zuko did (I'm not trying to cheapen Aang's great accomplishments but credit where credit is due people).

[Cynical Cat]

Waterbending-fighting, healing, body jacking. Not at all hideously powerful.

I smell Reichstag ash in the air.

It didn't take long for things to go facist once the ball got rolling. Tarlock's got a fearful, complacent council, a police force that reports to him personally, the intimidation effect of openly flexing his muscle in the streets and disappearing people while making a mockery of the rule of law, and he got the Avatar to back down in public while imprisoning all of her friends. Who besides the Equalists are going to fight back and with his grip on power Tarlock is going to answer every Equalist or rebellious action the terror of a crackdown while seizing more authority and resources for himself. And the Avatar out the way at the end along with the reveal of the blood bending ace in the hole.

Tarlock had a very good episode.