The Legend of Korra 3×6; 3×7 Review: ‘Old Wounds’ and ‘Original Airbenders’

The Legend of Korra Book 3: Change aired two amazing episodes that focused on the supporting cast. We saw Su and Lin come to terms with each other, and how the new airbending recruits were coping with their new lifestyle.

Some spoilers for the episodes are present in the post. You have been warned!

It’s impressive that a 13-episode cartoon show can make the supporting characters grow in just half an hour, while one hour live action TV series can’t do it even with double the episodes. Seeing the focus shift away from the main story was a nice change. Fleshing out secondary characters just goes to show the skill of the writers working on this series.

Episode 6, “Old Wounds”, continued the story from the previous episode and focused on the tension between Su and Lin. I am a fan of Toph, a main character from The Last Airbender, and seeing how her daughters turned out kind of took me by surprise. It made sense that Toph would be the kind of mother to give complete freedom to her kids, but I guess that didn’t turn out too well for her. I’m not saying that Toph was a bad parent. I don’t know much about her parenting style to make such an assumption. I think the story tried to show that there’s no ‘perfect’ parenting style.

I liked how the feud between the sisters was told through Lin’s perspective. It was obvious that the two sisters were different from the start, with Sue being the ‘black sheep’. I’m glad that Sue changed her ways and made good with her mother. However, I think Lin still needs some time to accept that her sister has changed. The fight between the two sisters was a treat to watch. I bet Lin would’ve won if she wasn’t stressed out before the fight. I do hope Lin meets Toph and gets some closure.

Sidetracking from the main story allowed Korra to learn metal bending and being the first Avatar to know such a skill. Bolin also tried to metal bend and I think he will get the hang of it soon enough.

Episode 7 “Original Airbenders” was about Tenzin, his family, and the new airbenders. I have to admit that Tenzin’s teaching methods can get a bit boring after a while. I could relate to the new airbenders in the episode. It’s not easy to leave one’s family and previous lifestyle for a new one, a concern that Opal also showed. While “Old Wounds” was about the Beifong sisters, “Original Airbenders” was about the two brothers, Tenzin and Bumi, as well as the father-daughter relationship between Tenzin and Jinora.

I liked how Tenzin finally saw Bumi as the leader he was. Contrary to Tenzin’s belief I think Bumi turned out to be a natural leader because of his maternal uncle, Sokka. Accepting that Jinora is growing up was something that was touched back in Book 2. It’s not easy for parents to realize that their children are growing. After finally understanding his daughter’s wishes I hope Tenzin continues to treat Jinora like the young woman she has become.

Zaheer and his crew didn’t do much in the episodes. At first they wanted to assassinate the President but they decided to go after the Avatar instead. It’s still a mystery how Zaheer is able to airbend so well. Not only that, this week’s episodes also showed him knowing that Korra was in Zaofu. I really want an explanation about his powers, and how he knew where Korra was. Maybe he knows Astral Projection like Jinora? Even though Zaofu’s defenses look strong, I have a feeling they are going to backfire once Zaheer and his gang arrive.

Best Bending Award: Zaheer and his gang didn’t do much bending in the episodes. So, I will have to give the award to the Beifong sisters. They used both earth and metal bending skills for a duel that was amazing to watch.

Did you watch this week’s episodes of The Legend of Korra: Book 3? What did you think of it? Let us know in the comments!

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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