For My Students
The blog for English scholars everywhere--but particularly the ones in my classroom!
Legend of Korra Wrap-up Ep 7
So, not really spoiling anything, but—Speed Racer, much? Really, Asami? Can I please get a stereotypical girl? It seems like all of the ladies of Korra rough up that gender role boundary (which is a wonderful step forward for all women characters, so yay) but in truth, not all women are rough and tumble like that. And having them all so self-sufficient really gives our male heroes nothing to do…Haha! I have a feeling we’ll see a “weak” lady soon enough.
Side note: Interesting gender studies paper topic: The role-reversal between Korra and Bolin (did you see Bolin’s reaction to Mako and Korra’s smooching??) and the message the writers are sending to our society by progressing their characters in this way. (Are the writers expressing their views on the stereotypical gender roles? Are they really innovating a “new, truer” aspect to gender? Or are they being proverbial “hipsters”?)
Other than that, I have no actual complaints about this episode. I’m liking the Chief Beifong characterization—and Korra the snitch is a more interesting dynamic than Korra the always-trying-to-please-Mako. In fact, this episode would have been made better by Korra being wrong. Korra should, rightfully, be pretty paranoid about Equalist corporations, since she just went through that horrific trauma at the stadium. She should be under enough stress that she subscribes to the McCarthyist view on people (Did you guys get to McCarthy and the Cold War yet??). Guilty until proven otherwise.
Overall, happy!
