I'm pleased with this latest episode, which is why I'm going to spend the rest of this post complaining.
[spoiler]I was hoping Unalaq would turn out to have more nuanced motives, just for variety's sake, but now that it's clear he doesn't, I can accept that. He's not a well-intentioned opportunist, but a jerkbender who planned everything from the beginning. Given that, from now on we can read the story for what it is, rather than as something it clearly doesn't want to be.[/spoiler]
Continuing that line of thought, I think that while it's clear Korra's series isn't living up to the heights that Aang's reached, the question is: Why not? People like to throw the word "pacing" around, but I think that's an unsatisfactory explanation. To be sure, if the plot's moving this fast, it makes it harder to establish a really strong mood. On the other hand, the way it's structured means that just about the only way to put the brakes on it would be for Korra to be even slower on the uptake, and I don't think anybody wants that.
So, if it's the structure of the story itself that's at fault, what is that structure? Aang starred in an adventure series - there was a long overarching goal with stops along the way. But Korra's not in an adventure series. For one thing, it doesn't suit her character: she has the means to go anywhere and the temerity to do anything, so it's harder to sidetrack her. The kind of story she's in is more like a thriller or a mystery, and the only things that can moderate the pace of the plot are twists and revelations. This also makes it difficult for the protagonist to grow gradually.
So that's how this series differs from the previous one. I don't know if I just prefer adventures to thrillers, or the writers are more skilled at adventures, or if it's just a case of wrong expectations, but I feel like now that I know what kind of story I'm watching I'll be able to enjoy it more.
