4x12 Day of the Colossus

[8.8/10] When I think about why I watch Avatar-verse shows like AtLA and TLoK, it comes down to a few things in particular: compelling world-building, strong character stories, and mythos and humor to match the bigger arcs. But as much as I appreciate those elements of the show, it’s exciting every once in a while to have an episode that is basically one big third act action sequence.

The Legend of Korra does action well, and bringing in essentially the entire extended Team Avatar to fight this massive thing makes for thrilling set piece after thrilling set piece. What makes the episode work and not feel like an empty exercise in twenty-five story combat is the diversity of what we see.

There’s a progression in Team Avatar’s tactics. Meelo’s initial plan -- to effectively blind Kuvira in the Colossus using paint-filled water balloons and attempt to trip the mecha during her confusion -- is a good one. It creates neat images like the Colossus swatting at swarms of airbenders, and the tense, “so close” atmosphere when it stumbles but doesn’t fall.

Varrick’s follow-up plan, to knock the Colossus out using an EMP, is a solid one too, one that gives the show an excuse to devote a little more time to teasing the Varrick/Zhu Li pairing. Watching the regular-sized mechas falk like dominos is a cool image, and it gives our heroes a small victory to make the fight against Kuvira something more than just one defeat after another.

Even apart from the big plans, there’s loads of cool action beats, big and small, that give the battle character instead of being a spate of undifferentiated combat. Watching Bolin, Lin, and Suyin topple a building onto the Colossus feels so grand and impressive. Having Tenzin zoom in to same Jinora from a superweapon blast, only to have Ikki and Meelo save the two of them add a nice moment to clinch the family connection. And Korra summoning a torrent of water and freezing the Colossus in place grabs you as a show her might and power even against this seemingly impossible foe. “There’s just no way to beat this guy” is a cliché in superpowered show and films, but TLoK finds inventive ways to diversify the fight and keep in interesting and distinct from beginning to end.

Despite that onslaught of action, there’s lots of great character work going on in the episode too. The previously too annoying to live Wu gets a moment in the sun, using his dorky singing and the badger moles that he wanted at his coronation to create an escape route for the evacuees and take out some interfering Earth Empire soldiers. His arc has been one of the most pleasant surprises about this season, turning what seemed like a throwaway, weak comic relief character into one who grows but remains firmly himself.

We also see Varrick propose to Zhu Li. The subtext for all of this isn’t great, but as I’ve said before, I think of Varrick at TLoK’s answer to Tony Stark, which I suppose means eventually he has to make good with his version of Pepper Potts. It’s not the world’s most touching romance or anything (in truth I have a lot of problems with it) but Varrick’s proposal -- asking Zhu Li to “do the thing for the rest of our lives” still makes for a nice moment.
But that pales in comparison to the combination of character and action that comes from Hiroshi’s redemption story with Asami. His idea, to use the “hummingbird mechas” to cut a hole in the Colossus so that Team Avatar can get in and disable it from the inside, is a good one, and a nice evolution in strategy. It’s given added weight by making it part of Hiroshi trying to make good for his past transgressions. Sure, that too is a bit of a cliché, but him sticking it out in the hummingbird, ejecting his daughter and telling her he loves her before making the whole and (presumably) sacrificing himself in the effort is a strong moment that makes Asami’s chess game with her dad earlier in the season more than just a grace note to their story in Season 1.

That’s what’s always set the Avatar-verse shows apart. They are great on action, and episodes like “Day of the Colossus” do a stellar job of creating a compelling obstacle for our heroes to overcome. But these series not only find interesting ways to differentiate that action -- showing progressions and different types of sequences -- but ground it in character hopes and histories that give the skirmish stakes beyond the threat to the series. “Day of the Colossus” is a mighty fine prelude to the series finale, and an epic confrontation that finds meaningful things for almost everyone on the team (save Mako) to do.