See You At The Next Harmonic Convergence! - Legend of Korra, Season 2

This season started slow, as new characters Bumi, Kya, Varick, Unalaq, Desna, Eska, Raava, Vaatu, Wan, and President Reiko were established.  Think about how quickly the show actually introduced so many characters and how quickly the show folded them into the action.  Extreme props to all the voice actors, but I'd like to call out JK Simmons as Tenzin and John Michael Higgins as Varick.  Yep, there is a reason we love Varick so much- he's voiced by an amazing character actor.   All of these characters played crucial parts in how Team Avatar could eventually come together and save the day.  Except Varick, who seemed to delight in throwing monkey wrenches everywhere.  But what awesome monkey wrenches that guy throws!

The middle went slowly too, as it was obvious that Unalaq had some plan he wasn't sharing with Korra.  Unalaq had Korra open the Southern Portal, but was a little cagey on why we would want the portal between spirit and human worlds opened.  Is being in balance with the spirits really the only reason?  Then, Unalaq drives a wedge between Korra and her parents and mentor, which she doesn't realize until they've been taken from her.  We were clueless about Unalaq's game until Episode 8, when Wan literally spelled it out for us.  Those four or five episodes, when Korra decides to stop Unalaq but has no idea why or how, were painful to watch.  She's literally flailing for a while.  But her introduction to Raava and new-found knowledge of what Unalaq wanted inspire her, and give her a strength and determination she didn't have in the season's first half.  When she reunites with Tenzin, and he wholeheartedly embraces her and helps her, we realize there's a reason he's her mentor.

Tenzin finally confronts his totally unrealistic desire to be a continuation of his father.  He spends most of the season falling short of what he thinks Aang would have wanted from him.  Tenzin's siblings enjoy laughing at his attempts to be his father.  In one episode, they fall into bickering over who was most screwed over by childhood and life.  Tenzin has to realize, he never really knew his siblings all that well, and they have to get to know each other all over again.  Only in the next-to-last episode does Tenzin realize that he must set his own goals for himself.  Tenzin learns to be the best of himself, not the man his father was.

Korra, and we, learn what it is that makes her the Avatar.  Or so we think.  In the last episode, we learn that it is Korra's own spirit that makes her the Avatar.  Her connection to past Avatars is broken, which is a disappointment. Back with Raava at the end, Korra will now forge a new line of Avatars.  Avatars who remember who Vaatu is, and await the next Harmonic Convergence, ready for the next fight between light and dark.  To another 10,000 years of light and peace!