Monsters of Television

“Why do you smell like a lady?“

These kinds of episodes irk me just a tad. This isn’t to say the episode is bad, just that it feels very much like a first-parter to me, and first-parters are always kind of lacking in the sense of feeling like both contained episodes and episodes that add to the overall serialized narrative. Yes, it ends on a cliffhanger AND a crazy flashback montage, but it feels incomplete as an episode.

But there is plenty to like in “The Voice in the Night,” including seeing how politics and the press are playing into the life of the Avatar now. We’ve gotten little tastes of this before in A:TLA, but that was mostly through Fire Nation propaganda and Aang’s concern for what is his role was in the world. Now Korra is not only having to deal with figuring out her role but also what role the world (or at least Republic City) expects of her.

Tarrlok is the type of character who immediately appeals to me. I like slimey, conniving, smooth-talking politician characters because they always provide so many avenues for antagonistic behaviors and strange bed-fellow alliances, and Tarrlok is firmly in that mold (Dee Bradley Baker’s voice work is also pitch perfect here). What I like more about Tarrlok than other characters in this vein is that he appears to be a highly competent waterbender (from the Northern Water Tribe no less). Often this type of character has others do the fighting for them (though Tarrlok is certainly do that as well by enlisting and manipulating Korra), but Tarrlok is able to hold his own in a raid on a chi-blocking training facility. In short: Tarrlok is not to be underestimated.

I like the return of the press (I love the sepia toned, dirty film reel with hokey announcer “Previously On” segments. So good) as well. Tarrlok uses their inherent desire to sell papers (or get listeners) and look like the watchdogs of the people to push Korra over the edge after his increasingly affluent gifts (they was some gift basket, and what does she need a car for?) failed to do the trick. It’s a deftly executed character moment from the show in displaying both Tarrlok’s skill and just how long Korra could keep her hot-headedness in check.

The presence of news media is something A:TLA lacked, and it adds a fascinating dimension to this world. Aang’s actions were primarily only judged by him and his comrades, with society only occasionally (and sometimes humorously) judging his presence. For Korra, the trouble is that people remember Aang and expect her to be him, and the press and politicians are eager to draw those connections. Aang didn’t have to deal with comparisons to Sozin, but Korra will have to break free of Aang’s shadow while still embracing her role as the Avatar. (Again, the cyclical nature of the Avatar means Korra’s actually trying to break free of her own shadow, and I just love that.)

The episode also introduces Asami Sato as a competitor for Mako’s affection (already with a nice love polygon going on here, show). Asami’s hitting of Mako with her scooter, while an adorable anecdote for their future children, does feel a touch contrived, but it does help solve the pro-bending problem, and probably because Daniel Dae Kim is voicing him, I think Hiroshi is on the up and up. Asami, on the other hand, is my first suspect in the mystery that is Amon’s identity (and no doubt she’s supposed to be).

So what about that flashback? It was pretty awesome seeing a middle-aged Sokka, Toph, and Aang (complete with chinstrap!), and I can only assume the vision was about how Aang dealt with the Yakone (going with the spelling provided by the Avatar Wiki) that Tarrlok mentioned. But what does it mean for Korra?

FINAL THOUGHTS

• While the show isn’t offering much in the way of bender-based oppression, having the ruling council of Republic City be comprised entirely of benders doesn’t seem to be a great idea (nor does a police force seemingly made up entirely of metalbenders).
• Tarrlok’s idea that Amon is going after every bender seems a little silly since, well, it would take a very long time for Amon to take away everyone’s bending. At the same time, it means that Amon is likely aiming for something else as well.
• While lots of folks are comparing Asami’s character design to Lust from the anime Full Metal Alchemist (minus the intense boobage), I also fee like there’s a a bit of June from A:TLA as well.
• Ikki and Meelo continue to provide an absurd amount of humor, between the former’s inquistive mocking of Tarrlok, the latter’s  use of objects that are not toilets as such, and their combined love of driving. (Pema’s face as Tarrlok sat down was likewise priceless.)
• A lingering question for me remains, and one I hope the show answers: I understand the desire to protect the Avatar from being killed or taken captive or frozen in another hunk of ice for centuries, but I must wonder about why the White Lotus kept Korra under wraps for so long, keeping her from the larger world. It doesn’t seem wise.