The Legend of Korra (TV Series) The Southern Lights (2013) User Reviews

Pretty Good Episode

[Artemis_Crock · 8/10 · 18 September 2013]

OK, Just b/c I agree that Korra's uncle is only doing what needs to be done. Doesn't mean I don't think he's a huge jerk! He doen'st want his brother to come, AKA Korra's dad, but he's OK with bringing her b/f, his brother, & his own two children? None of THEM had any business being on that trip. At least her dad knows about the Spirits, & is related to the two most important people going. Her uncle then did an even dick-Ier move by forcing his brother to talk about his hidden shame, and tell his own daughter!!! (+ her friends) That was a jerk move! Now Korra's mad that her dad isn't this hero/awesome guy she grew up thinking he always was. What was going on in the Statue Romm @ the Air Temple? Is Tenzins daughter going to encounter a spirit? Aang's Spirit?????

Why didn't Aang fix the Spirit World after the 100 year war? Guys, this should have already been taken care of! Like 50 years ago…W/E THEN Korra kicks her dad out of their lil group?!!? There R 4 other people that R much more useless than him still on that expedition!

But blah, blah. She fixed stuff, now the Southern Lights are back!! But it looks like her dad was right about his warnings. B/C now the Water Tribe will bring peace to Korras Tribe. With Force

B-team animation

[lovelessmelody · 6/10 · 30 May 2023]

Idk what happened in season 2 but most this season have terrible animation compare to all other seasons. Not sure if it was a rush job or it was made on the cheap. Season two has very little dynamic camera angel or tight movements, which are so important for the fighting scenes. Anyway, the story is fine, I just REALLY wished the animation was done better. I got through it because the season's story is important to the next season, but god it was kind of tough getting through it all. All in all this episode and many of the others in season two are kind of weak in terms of animation, kind of a shame since season one had a such strong start. Just get through and you will be rewarded again in season three.

A bit dissapointing

[arkticpanda · 3/10 · 27 December 2017]

So the main topic of this episode is how the Southern Water tribe are no longer connected with the spirits. The spirits, upset for being disrespected, begin smashing and destroying things.

The premise of this episode has a lot of parallels with "Winter Solstice, Part 1: The Spirit World" from the Last Airbender where Aang first encountered spirits. Throughout that episode we saw Aang trying to calm the spirit Hei Bai in any way that he could think of, but he could only succeed when he found out why the spirit was angry.

The Southern Lights begins out well, with historic conflict between Korra's father and uncle being introduced. Her uncle showing how to calm the spirits in a way that is distinctly non-forceful. My issue with this episode though is in the ending. Korra after siding with her uncle, after seeing that the only way to calm the spirits is peacefully and the audience watching everyone who tries to beat them up fail throughout the episode. 'defeats' the spirits by punching/kicking/bending her way past several of them until she essentially pushes a button and makes them happy.

Its really dissappointing to see korra built up to have some sort of character development, actually building some respect for the spirits of this world and then succeed without changing anything about herself. She doesn't seem to grow at all in this episode, despite it being the perfect opportunity given how much her poor connection with the spirit world has been built up, up until this point.

I would have liked to see her constant attacking of everything that gets in her way fail for once, so that she can understand that there are different ways of solving problems to make her a nuenced character.

Bad writing

[darkdementress · 4/10 · 27 May 2020]

She literally didn't do anything. She stumbled around, got attacked and as a self defense last resort went into avatar state and bam the portal opens and everything is fixed.. wtf?! This was such a big lead up to nothing happening. Bad writing.. disappointed.. Filler episode

Underwhelming

[lalaafridi-28980 · 5/10 · 22 July 2019]

They were building up the episode with all the backstory but then it all went downhill and of the stupidest thing in this episode was that Korras father just left because it was dangerous. Anyways the ending was stupid that Korra only had to fight the spirits and open the portal without interacting with the spirits in any other way

Dumb

[rafaellara-94872 · 3/10 · 13 December 2021]

So you are telling me that Korra's father had a previous quite alarming encounter with the spirits and he still acts wrongly with them? He didn't learn anything from his banishment?

Just bad writting all around, from the set up, to the new characters and their 1D conflicts, and finally the empty and anticlimactic resolution.

Wow so bad!

[sja-awesome · 1/10 · 27 May 2020]

I fail to see how stumbling around in the dark,getting attacked and glowing equals powerful spiritual journey? Really bad writing on this episode. Feels rushed and empty.