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The Legend of Korra is back with the deeply plot-driven episode, “Enemy at the Gates.” Kuvira has arrived at Zaofu with her army and Korra is back in the picture as Suyin tries to decide how she’s going to deal with the incursion. Meanwhile, Bolin and Varrick discover Kuvira may skew more evil than they’d anticipated as Zhu Li finally takes a stand against her boss.

J and I have a lot to talk about this week. We begin with a conversation on gender in Korra, and I argue that this episode in particular puts a strong focus on female characters (Suyin, Korra, Kuvira, Zhu Li and Asami). We move from there to a discussion about Studio Mir’s breathtaking animation and cinematography and I make direct comparisons to Studio Ghibli’s work. Finally, we move into the obvious Star Wars parallels, J reads into the word “crazy” and we both get excited over Zhu Li’s big stand.

~ Søren

Note that this podcast contains spoilers up through “Enemy at the Gates.” As always, you can subscribe to Ember Island Airwaves using iTunes. Alternatively, you can check out the episode online or download it here. Happy listening!

How do you feel about gender representation throughout the Avatar franchise? Do you think Kuvira has become a more two-dimensional villain, or are her motivations still complex? Let us know in the comments section!

And remember to tune in as we discuss next week’s episode “The Battle of Zaofu.”

This podcast uses clips from the songs Nanyang Journey and Erhu by Ivan Chew / CC BY 3.0.