| Michael Dante DiMartino | Hi, this is Mike DiMartino, co-creator and executive producer. |
|---|---|
| Bryan Konietzko | And this is Bryan Konietzko, the other co-creator and executive producer. |
| Ian Graham | And I am Ian Graham, and I am one of the directors on Legend of Korra. |
| Mike | Welcome back, Ian, [Ian laughs.] to the commentary world. |
| Bryan | So, we-I-we've probably talked about it in a previous commentary, but Ian and I have known each other a very long time, uh, have worked together, on-and-off, for many years, on uh, starting on Invader Zim, and then Avatar: The Last Airbender, with Mike as well, and then uh, and he came back for Korra. And you-you were on Book One, [Mike affirms.] on our very small team that we had in-house. |
| Ian | Yes, absolutely, it was uh... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Was uh, like storyboard, kinda supervisor, revisionist-type thing, right? [Ian gives an affirming murmur.] Can't remember what the title was, [Ian chuckles.] sorry. So, well, this is-I love this episode, this-this was a fun one. Did you have a-was this uh, how did this rank in the episodes you've directed for Korra? |
| Ian | Well, I mean, I-I-I love a lot of the episodes I got to work on. I-I-I feel that I got lucky a lotta times in terms of the placement; I know it was random, but I always felt kinda lucky when-the way it played out, but this one was a lotta fun. It was a chance to work with some different people, like uh, you know, we had to-we had some freelance on this one, at the time; I think Justin Ridge and-and a couple other people. So, but it was-it was a blast; I mean, I love this episode. |
| Bryan | [Refers to Team Avatar looking around a desert village's tavern for Aiwei.] Oh yeah, Justin did this section, right? |
| Mike | Yeah. |
| Ian | Yes, he did. [Bryan affirms.] As far as... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Justin, another um, Avatar alum; [Mike gives an affirming murmur.] he was uh, a board artist, back on the original series. |
| Mike | [Refers to when Korra and Zaheer converse in the Spirit World.] Yeah, and this is, I really wanted to write this episode 'cause it was the-the one where Zaheer and Korra would finally have their little uh, sh-sh-showdown in the Spirit World, so to speak, [Refers to when Zaheer reveals to Korra the existence of the Red Lotus, a splinter faction of the White Lotus that he and his comrades are aligned with.] and find out what their-who these bad guys were. |
| Bryan | I remember, um, Mike turned [Laughs.] in this, the draft for this, and I loved it. I thought this was one of my favorite episodes of a very strong season, and the network was like, [In a mock whiny tone.] "there's too much talking," [Mike affirms; Ian and Bryan chuckles.] and I was like, "it's-well, they're saying cool stuff!". Like, so what if they're talking? It's, you know, we're not just trying to make a show where people are smashing stuff for twenty-two minutes. |
| Mike | Yeah, and it was, I mean, when you watch it, I don't ever think like, "oh, there's nothing going on." |
| Bryan | It's tense. |
| Mike | The whole, yeah. [Bryan affirms.] Maybe we'll talk about it more when we get to the third act, but... |
| Ian | [Interjects.] Of the film. |
| Bryan | Uh, anyways, I liked it, Mike. |
| Mike | Thanks. |
| Bryan | Still... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] I like it, too. |
| Bryan | Yeah. [Ian laughs.] I like when char... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] I guess I'm biased, though. |
| Bryan | If people have bad dialogue, [Mike laughs.] then yeah, I don't want to hear them talk, [Ian laughs.] but if they have good dialogue, then... |
| Mike | [In the background.] Was that I... |
| Bryan | ... let 'em-let 'em talk? |
| Mike | [Refers to Naga using her head to nudge Korra in the back, her tongue lolling out as she sits expectantly for a treat.] I love all this cute Naga acting. [Bryan chuckles; Ian gives an affirming murmur.] I think, too... |
| Bryan makes a whip cracking noise, imitating the sound Naga's tail makes when it slaps Korra's face while the polar bear dog ambles away from her owner, eliciting a chuckle from Ian. | |
| Mike | ... I always try to give, in my scripts, I always try to give Naga a little extra love, [Bryan laughs.] or Pabu, a little extra animal [Bryan affirms intermittently.] stuff, 'cause sometimes, they just get forgot. If you don't put it in the script, they kinda disappear. |
| Bryan | [Refers to the Misty Palms Oasis coming into focus in the background.] So, here we are, returning to another uh, Avatar: The Last Airbender location, the Misty Palms Oasis, uh, which I think was from 210, right? "The Library"? So... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] Sounds familiar. |
| Bryan | Something like that. [Mike affirms; refers to the sign at the entrance to the Misty Palms Oasis having painted clouds on it.] Um, and uh, but we've-we've shown it's still seedy, still uh, it's-it's e-it's ev-it's, like, tacky, now; it's become sort of a... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] It's like a tourist... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Yeah, tourist trap. [Mike laughs.] And uh, I don't know if you've ever gone out to the desert areas in Calif-Southern California, there's-there's some, kinda like these old holdovers from the Fifties when everybody was buying cars, and going on, like, road trips, and staying at... |
| In the background, Ian chuckles as Mako interrupts his brother's monologue describing his undercover identity, walking off-screen as he leaves to start their search for Aiwei. | |
| Bryan | ... the motels, with the-the-the swimming poo-brightly colored swimming pools, and stuff. So, that was our vision for the-the updated Misty Palms Oasis. [Refers to the iceberg in the Misty Palms Oasis, the melting ice wafting about as mist along the ground.] And the attraction of this place has always been this weird uh, this, like, ice fountain-type thing that steams, makes this mist. So, there it is, and Mike and the writers, [Refers to several small spirits laying on and walking around the iceberg.] we-we-we talked about how this was uh, spirits would be into this place. [Laughs.] It's kinda like, even though it's seedy and cheesy, spirits are like, "no, this is a good little spiritual hub". So, they-they like hanging around, too. |
| Ian | [Refers to the grass and vegetation ending just before the Misty Palms Oasis, the open desert beyond it stretching into the horizon.] I-I really love that it felt like this last town on the edge of the desert; like, it's like this last stop before you get deep into... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Yeah, it's just a few feet... |
| Ian | ... the unknown. |
| Bryan | ... off the edge of the normal land into the desert. [Brief pause; refers to the irked tavern owner Bolin and Mako are questioning saying that Aiwei called him a liar for supposedly having the best drinks in the Earth Kingdom.] I love this guy's read, right here. |
| Mike | Yeah. The funny thing is, this-the actor, Maurice LaMarche, who played this guy also played Aiwei. |
| Bryan | Yeah. |
| Mike | Whoa. |
| Bryan | And he's talking... |
| Mike | [In the background.] Crazy. [Ian laughs.] |
| Bryan | ... about himself. [Mike affirms.] Maurice is a legendary voice actor. |
| Mike | Yeah. [Brief pause; refers to Korra and Asami searching through Aiwei's vehicle, currently parked on an outcrop interspersed with large rocks.] Um, so a lotta this, like, location was a little bit based on, like, Joshua Tree, right? |
| Bryan | Yeah. |
| Mike | Like, the rocks and stuff like that, yeah. [Bryan affirms.] It's cool. |
| Bryan | Yeah, the kinda um, orange-tinted rocks, and these boulders that, as I understand it, the-the-the geology, it's-they're, like, formed underground by, you know, magma, and then, these little magma pockets, and then um, the ground erodes, revealing them. So, just looks like a giant... |
| Ian | [In the background.] Huh. |
| Bryan | ... as my friend put it, a giant just set boulders down [Laughs.] in these little piles, [Mike affirms intermittently.] randomly. Uh, any geologists, uh, out there listening, [Mike and Ian laugh.] if I got that wrong, I'm sorry, that's what my friend told me. Um, but yeah, I mean, you know, Southern Calif-well, California has just such a diversity of landscapes; so, um, uh, there's-there's a lotta cool reference to pull from. [Refers to the market stalls built along the narrow streets of the oasis, with Mako and Bolin running through the crowd of market-goers to evade their pursuers.] Uh, really cool, uh, background designs in this-this, you know, kind of a Moroccan feeling, I guess. Um, Emily Tetri did some really cool paintings, and Fred Stewart, these locations. And Lauren Zurcher. |
| Ian | I love... |
| Bryan | [Interjects; refers to Bolin and Mako, disguised as Ting-Ting and a cop of unknown origin, respectively, wearing goggles and bright yellow raincoats during their search for Aiwei.] So, yeah, this was just-we're just-it was just fun to put them in these ridiculous [Ian chuckles.] costumes. Sorry, sorry, I cut off somebody. |
| Ian | No, no, I was just about to comment on those yellow hoodie [Mike affirms; Bryan laughs.] things that they brought, uh, the-they're awesome. |
| Bryan | [Refers to Bolin pulling out his raincoat from a bag stored in the group's vehicle.] It was the idea that, you know, they were in this, like, utility jeep, [Mike affirms.] and uh... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] Was like, what would they have in there that could actually use? |
| Bryan | Yeah. So, I have these little, like, when I go camping, or photography trips, I have these little packs with, like, emergency parkas in 'em, and stuff. |
| Ian | [Laughs.] It's just funny; it's, like, the most loud disguise you could possibly [Bryan affirms.] put on. [Laughs.] |
| Bryan | [Laughs.] That was the-the joke. |
| A pause in commentary until the shot fades in from a black screen, panning down to the Misty Palms Inn, Aiwei's current hideout. | |
| Mike | This is the Misty Palms Inn. |
| Bryan | There it is. [Refers to the lodging facilities having solid pink walls on their exteriors, and an outdoor swimming pool placed at the center of the inn, between the various structures.] So, you know, we wanted to have this kinda cheesy, faded, pink, stucco look, with the uh, bright turquoise pool, and uh, yeah, it's just s'posed to look like a holdover from a uh, tourism boom. |
| Mike | [Laughs; refers to the innkeeper refusing to give Team Avatar a room, saying the last teenagers she gave a room to wrecked it.] Oh, and this innkeeper, uh, uh, was played by Andrea Romano, our voice director. |
| Bryan | Oh! |
| Mike | Yeah, she was like, "I really wanna [Bryan chuckles.] do a voice, guys. Can I do this-this innkeeper?" |
| Bryan | I didn't-I di-I had no idea that was, like... |
| Mike | [In the background.] Oh. [Ian laughs.] |
| Bryan | ... but now that you say it... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] Sure. |
| Bryan | ... her voice was always so familiar to me. [Mike affirms.] So, uh, [Refers to Mako and Bolin's previous pursuers, Macao and Lily, asking Bolin to sign their Nuktuk poster, claiming they are his biggest fans.] I just want to be clear here, A) I didn't write this [Mike laughs.] part, but B) this-this ha-uh, the time we're recording this, this hasn't been released, um, and I am fearing a bit of a backlash that-that some fans are gonna take this as a negative portrayal of them, that-that we are... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] No, we love our fans. We think they're awesome. |
| Bryan | ... that we are caricaturing them, but actually, we hadn't even thought about that, so [Mike affirms intermittently.] it-it-it-A) it definitely [Mike chuckles.] was not intentional, B) um, we hadn't thought about it until um, a executive brought it up, like, "oh, are you-are you guys meaning this to be, like, really, like an-like you're commenting [Laughs.] on fans?". [Refers to Macao and Lily's bulky physiques, with Lily carrying their poster in a quiver.] We weren't, I think the idea was just that they-these were scary fans, like two scary peo-like, you thought they were bounty hunters, but they turned out to be fans, [Refers to Bolin's disquieted expression when Lily got closer to him while stroking her hair.] but they were still scary. So, it rea-really, please, we were really not trying to say anything. [Refers to when Lily brought out a small, stuffed Nuktuk doll she had made.] But the Bo-and making it worse was when they were like, and we were in the storyboard start-up meeting, was like, "what should this little Bolin doll look like?" and I was like, "well, I just saw a really cute one online that a fan had made," um, that I think they were-had at, like, Anime Expo, or something; I was like, "why don't we just have that?" and uh, as a-a fu-see, I thought I was doing a little tribute to the fans... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] I-we love-we love you guys. |
| Bryan | ... but... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] We love everybody. |
| Bryan | ... apparently, we might have uh, been insulting them. So, it's just a joke about scary people, [Mike and Ian laugh.] not about fans. They're just sca-it's more ju-they're like scary, like body builder, bounty hunter-looking [Mike affirms.] people who're scary. |
| A brief pause in commentary until Ian chuckles at the shot zooming in on Bolin's face, as he proclaims that it looks like he and Asami have themselves a "Pai Sho-down". | |
| Mike | So, Ian, did-were you mad that you had to do Pai Sho? [Laughs.] |
| Ian | [Laughs.] Well, I have to say, it was a little hard to figure out, and we did our homework on it to try to figure out how it works, and hopefully, we did okay. |
| Mike | Yeah, there's-there-around the time I was writing this, they were also developing, like, a online Pai Sho game, and so, they had some certain rules on their thing, and then there, you know, I know there's a-there's a ton of, like, fan versions of Pai Sho, and, like, amazing Pai Sho boards that people have made, and uh, [Refers to when Asami learns from the Pai Sho rulebook that there have been countless variations in how Pai Sho has been played across many different cultures over its more than ten thousand year history.] that's why we kinda threw in this-this thing in the rulebook about how there's-there's many different versions of [Ian laughs.] Pai-for-Sho through the ages, uh, and uh, you know, there's no-all the different cultures have their own versions, and stuff. So, um, you know, enjoy your Pai Sho variations, it's all good, as long as you're enjoying your game. [Refers to Asami beating Bolin at more than seventeen consecutive games of Pai Sho.] But I thought it would be fun to finally, uh, how-sh-show an actual full game of-of Pai Sho. |
| Bryan | [Refers to the book in the first bedside table drawer Bolin opens, titled How to Be a Righteous Man, with the cover being of a shirtless, muscular man with a bowl haircut and fists out.] So, the book that we briefly saw in the drawer, um, the yellow book with the Bruce Lee-looking [Ian laughs intermittently.] guy on the cover; so, it says, [Laughs.] How to Be the Man, and uh, we might have-I don't know if we've talked about it before, uh, in an earlier season, but it was something Ryu had drawn, and he wrote in English "how to be the man" in the storyboard, and we just thought it was hilarious, so we-we-we [Laughs.] based it on that. So, it keeps popping up; um, Opal is reading that book when we... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] Oh, is that what she's reading? |
| Bryan | ... whe-yeah. Opal, when we meet her in the garden... |
| Mike | [In the background.] That's funny. |
| Bryan | ... in Zaofu, she's reading, in the Beifong estate, she's reading How to Be the Man, [Ian laughs.] and uh, and there, it's in this little hotel. It's a standard. [Mike affirms; refers to the lively jazz music that plays during the montage sequence of Asami and Bolin playing Pai Sho.] So, I love this music that uh, Jeremy did, here. |
| Mike | [Gives an affirming murmur; refers to the sequence cutting between various angles of the small room the group is lodged in.] So, what was it like uh, trying to s-'cause we had a-a very significant part of the show in this tiny room, Ian, uh... |
| Ian | [Interjects.] Uh, it was a challenge, [Mike affirms intermittently.] for sure, [Mike chuckles.] and-and you know what? I-we worked-I worked really close with uh, Chris Palmer, and he boarded this, and he did a great job, I mean, he really did. And-and we worked together to try to work it out, and then went through Joaquim and everybody else, too. So, it was tricky, but it-it still felt tight, [Bryan affirms.] like a claustrophobic space, and we got-but we still were able to get our shots in there that looked fun and dynamic, especially for the game. |
| Bryan | [Refers to Naga sleeping on the room's sole bed, her pose switching between shots from laying on her back, her front, her side, covering her eyes with her paw, or having her head at the bed's foot.] I remember talking to you guys in the start-up meeting about giving-giving Naga a bunch of different, like, dog-like uh, [Mike affirms.] sleeping poses; [Ian laughs intermittently.] my dog gets into the most hilarious poses. [Refers to the severed head of the Nuktuk doll rolling into frame, Pabu having ripped it off.] See, adding insult to injury, it really seems like we're, you-now that we destroyed this fan's um, Bolin doll, man, blood on our hands. Um... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] It was Pabu's fault. |
| Bryan | To-to-yeah, I don't know. I guess uh, Mi-Mike wrote it, so uh, if you guys... [Ian laughs.] |
| Mike | [Interjects.] You can-you can uh... |
| Bryan | ... you guys wanna be mad... |
| Mike | ... you can send me uh... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] See, it's so ni... |
| Mike | ... hate mail. |
| Bryan | Mike is one of my best friends, but it's so nice to be able to blame him [Mike laughs intermittently.] for things. Say, "where's Zuko's mother?" "I don't know, ask Mike". I've been doing that one for years. Now the-the-the comic's out, but... |
| Mike | [Refers to Team Avatar barging into Aiwei's room, only to find him sitting on his bed, deep in meditation.] So, now this is the point where we learn that Aiwei has some special spiritual mojo, as well, and that uh, back in episode six, when Zaheer uh, Zaheer knew that Korra was in the Metal Clan, it was 'cause he was having secret meetings with Aiwei in the Spirit World. |
| Bryan | [Refers to Aiwei not wearing his usual ornamental metal plating.] So, you'll notice that Aiwei does not have his big, flashy jewelry on, anymore. Um, so, our idea was that he, um, had I thought of it, we would've completely changed his clothes, but it was already-they were already doing layout [Laughs.] by the time I thought, "wait, he's on the lam, [Mike affirms intermittently.] he probably wouldn't, you know, he'd probably go under dis-in disguise," but we thought, it-the-the animation studio, Studio Mir, was gracious enough to just erase the jewelry. Um, so, I figured, I-in my brain, I came up with this uh, story; I don't come up with stories in other people's brains, so I don't know [Ian laughs.] why I said that. But uh, came up with this idea that he sold that stuff, because he left in a hurry, and uh, that he might've pawned his jewelry to, you know, buy food and pay for the hotel, and stuff. |
| Mike | Sure. The... |
| Bryan | [Interjects; refers to Aiwei continuing to wear his gold nose and ear piercing.] But he kept-he the-the ear-to-nose jewelry. [Mike chuckles.] |
| Ian | [Refers to the trees in Xai Bau's Grove, Zaheer and Aiwei's meeting place in the Spirit World, the foliage of each tree bunching up at its apex, akin to the shape of an upturned umbrella.] The trees in the background, here, were absolutely amazing. You referenced that off something, right, Bryan? |
| Bryan | Yeah, these are real trees, uh, they're based on real trees. They're called, like, dra-I've heard 'em called dragon's blood trees, and other names. Um, if you just, you know, every once in a while, you see these things that go around the internet, like "25 Places You Won't Believe Exist" [Ian chuckles.] and uh, that was a type of tree we hadn't used yet, and I always loved doing cool, like, f-flora in the Spirit World, so this was a good-good one we hadn't used. |
| A brief pause in commentary until the scene fades in from a black screen, Korra and Zaheer standing underneath one of the trees of Xai Bau's Grove. | |
| Mike | Alright, so, now we have Korra meeting Zaheer, face-to-face. So, yeah, really... |
| Bryan | [Interjects; refers to Korra and Zaheer speaking in the Spirit World, while their bodies meditate in the physical world.] Spirit-to-spirit. |
| Mike | Spirit-to-spirit, I guess, yeah. [Bryan affirms intermittently.] Yeah, I really wanted this just to be, I think because there is talking and exposition stuff, which is interesting, but you still wanna have, I want it to be very tense the whole time, where you know, like, you know, [Refers to Zaheer answering Korra's questions up until he figures his comrades have captured her in the physical world.] the only reason Zaheer's really telling her all this stuff is to keep her, you know, keep her spirit there long enough so that her-his buddies can go find Korra and grab her. Um... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Plus, the other thing is, the end of this, g-g-going back to the network note, [Mike chuckles; refers to Mako and Bolin fighting Ming-Hua and Ghazan.] the end of this episode has [Laughs.] one of the coolest action scenes [Mike affirms intermittently.] I think we've ever done. So, I don't know, you know... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] Yeah. Sometimes, it's the thing; uh, sometimes on page, it seems, like, not that exciting, but, you know, we're always thinking ahead to the-the storyboard, and what, [Bryan affirms.] what the directors are gonna do, and, you know, what it's gonna look like in-in color, and everything. So... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Plus, you know, I mean, Ian, for you guys, you, uh, you know, it's definitely a challenge when you get a big chunk of dialogue like this, to make the shots interesting. But I like-I like getting into that kinda stuff. [Mike affirms.] |
| Ian | Oh yeah, no, this sequence was a lot of fun, and-and you do feel the tension of him working at trying to trick her to stay there, you know, [Refers to Zaheer, still sitting prone in the physical world with his eyes closed in meditation, telling his comrades where Korra's body is.] which is also sold by this very moment. |
| Bryan | Yeah, I love this creepy thing, where he's-he's on such a high level of meditation where he's-it's almost like lucid dreaming, [Mike affirms intermittently.] like he's able to kinda, like, send, you know, some-some, like, information to his brain, [Ian chuckles.] to a different-to a different part of his brain, and communicate to the physical world. I also think it's cool because the location's pretty cool looking, so, [Ian gives an affirming murmur.] it makes the shots sort of interesting. [Refers to brown-red color palette on Korra and Zaheer as they sit under the cast shadows of the grove.] And we did-we did something where we put a lot of uh, Sylvia and I, Sylvia Filcak-Blackwolf, put a lot of uh, red into the shadows of the characters, just to give it, again, to give it a kinda otherworldly feeling. |
| Mike | [Brief pause; refers to when Zaheer tells Korra how the Red Lotus ostensibly wanted to instruct her as a child in their ideology, and have her open the spirit portals, with his goal, and that of the Red Lotus, being to bring about balance, freedom, and natural order to the world by ridding it of all governments and politicians.] So, yeah. So, I think now we finally are learning a little more about Zaheer, and what he really wanted to do with-with the Avatar, and his philosophy, and stuff like that. So, these guys are kinda like a anarchist group; um, they're looking for a new world order, a new-new way to live without-without so many rules. |
| Bryan | You gotta get rid of the Avatar, the-the great balance keeper, and, in some ways, kinda keeps world order, and they don't want-they wanna tear down the paradigm. |
| Mike | Yeah, I think, like, if they had gotten her as a kid, like, they-they would have kinda brainwashed her in a way, [Bryan affirms.] and-and-and be using her for their own purposes, but since she's-she's too much of an independent person now, that they-they kinda just need her outta the way. So... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] And that's an old idea Mike and I had, [Mike affirms.] um, been kicking around. |
| Mike | Yeah, the-the idea of a... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Brain-yeah, like, kidnapping [Mike affirms.] the Avatar, and brainwashing him or her. |
| Mike | [Refers to Zaheer telling Korra that Unalaq was also a member of the Red Lotus, and the architect of their plan to kidnap her.] Um, and then we find out, a little bit, that-that Unalaq, her uncle, had a-had a little connection to the Red Lotus, back in the day. [Ian chuckles.] |
| Bryan | [Laughs.] More-more than a little. |
| Mike | Yeah, [Bryan laughs.] yeah. |
| Bryan | What a jerk. [Mike laughs.] |
| Ian | This... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Man, I have a lot of uncles, but luckily, they're all really cool; none of them are anarchists [Mike chuckles.] plock-plotting my kidnapping. |
| Ian | This is a fun episode, too, for me, because it's like, it really clears up a lotta backstory, and, like, you're like, "oh!" now you can put pieces together that you couldn't until this very episode, like, you know? |
| Bryan | Well, I've been [Laughs.] see-I've been seeing, like, re-reviews and fans that are like, like, they-and they-I think they are enjoying the season, but they're like, [In a mock judgmental tone.] "Red Lotus has no motivation," [Ian chuckles.] like, and-and I'm, to me, you know, obviously since I know it, uh, I-I gue-I guess I realize it was-we dragged it out pretty long before you find out what their motivation-but it never bothered me because I found them compelling [Mike affirms.] and uh, dynamic, so, didn't seem like a... didn't seem like a fault, it just seemed like a-the sh-you know, the shape of the-the season. |
| Mike | Yeah, and it-and it really... there wasn't an organic way that they would explain their motivations earlier than this. Like... |
| Bryan | [Interjects; laughs.] They're just sitting around, [Ian chuckles.] talking about it at a campfire. |
| Mike | Right, [Ian chuckles.] like, this is, you know, like I was saying before, like, this is Zaheer-the only reason Zaheer is telling her all this stuff is-is as a way to entrap her; and he kinda knows, like, I mean, he's so confident, that he's like, "well, I'm gonna tell you all this stuff, and then you're gonna-I'm gonna capture you anyway, [Laughs; Bryan affirms intermittently.] so it doesn't matter." |
| Ian | [Refers to Ming-Hua hanging above the ground as her elongated water arms support and propel her forward, streaming one out as a water claw, dissipating Mako's fire blast as he tries to evade her on the upper level of the inn's buildings.] Oh, I love this stuff. |
| Bryan | Man... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] Yeah, this is so good. |
| Bryan | The animation on this stuff. I mean, you-you guys just went to town with the storyboards. |
| Mike | I think this was, I mean, it was a mix of Yoon Young Ki, right? And... |
| Ian | [In the background.] It was... |
| Mike | ... some Joaquim stuff. |
| Bryan | Yeah, Joaquim. |
| Ian | Yeah, [Mike affirms.] and Ryu, even. [Mike affirms.] |
| Bryan | Yeah. Yeah, I remember Young Ki did that really great um, Bolin, like, kinda scrambling and shuffling [Mike affirms.] to dive into the pool, and-and then Studio Mir just animated it beautifully. [Refers to the detail on Mako and Ming-Hua's faces and bodies as the latter binds the former's hand in her frozen arm, with the waterbender whipping her water tentacle about and sending Mako into a door.] The character models are drawn really well, here, and what-what that means is um, yeah, you can have the best animation in the world but, uh, [Refers to Bolin running away from Ghazan's barrage of lava projectiles, tripping and falling onto the ground, his hands fumbling about as he quickly pushes himself up and into a nearby swimming pool.] this part, this is what I was talking... |
| Mike | [In the background.] Yeah, so good. |
| Bryan | ... that little, [Mike affirms.] that's such a Young Ki moment. Um, Young Ki was the animation director on the pilot of Avatar in 2003, uh, for the historians out there. [Ian chuckles.] He came-he lives in the States now, and did some uh, storyboards for us. Um, but yeah, you know, you can have the best animation in the world, but um, there's another stage, which is-and they have a-a-a position in the animation studio called "model checker", and it's-you go through, and you're trying to make sure the characters are drawn according to their model sheets. And um, it really can make a difference between an episode looking good or bad. |
| Mike | Yeah. [Refers to, after Ming-Hua told Ghazan to go capture the Avatar, the scene cutting to Asami holding onto a still meditating Korra as they ride away on Naga, with all three getting trapped within a pyramidal prison of earthbent rock.] So, this was always, in writing-wise and directorial-wise, tricky to pull off, 'cause you want to-to believe, like, that was Ghazan, right there, got-getting her. [Refers to when Asami tells Korra they were captured by the Earth Queen's forces.] But it's not. |
| Bryan | Yeah. [Mike laughs.] Korra thinks... |
| Mike | [In the background.] Hopefully... |
| Bryan | ... Korra thinks, yeah, when Korra wakes up... |
| Mike | ... that works when people see this. |
| Bryan | ... she-she-when Korra wakes up, she thinks it was. [Mike affirms; refers to the low angle profile shot of Zaheer, his lumpy, swollen right ear being on display.] So, again, nice shot of uh, Zaheer's cauliflower ears, there. [Ian laughs intermittently.] It's a-was an intentional uh, design choice to give him these sort of uh, mangled ears from his fighting career. No offe-I'm s-mangled is, you know, I'm just-it's just-just a word I chose to describe a, you know, wrestlers and fighters, jiu-jitsu people, their ears get smashed over and over, and they-they build up these deposits of something. Anyways, it's just a way to-for fighters, they kinda recognize each other, they look at each other's ears, and they know, "hey, okay, you've put in some time." |
| Mike | Yeah. [Refers to Korra waking up to find herself bound to a dolly by straps, in addition to being constrained by a straitjacket and muzzle.] And now we got creepy... [Bryan and Ian laugh.] creepiness. [Refers to Korra demanding Zaheer to let her go, thinking that the Red Lotus are the ones responsible for catching her.] Yeah, [Bryan affirms.] so, Korra thinks she's been caught by Zaheer. |
| Bryan | [Brief pause; refers to Korra asking Asami where the Red Lotus are.] So, we meant for the Red Lotus, uh, name to be secret until this episode, right? |
| Mike | Yeah. |
| Bryan | But, uh, [Mike chuckles.] yeah, it got leaked. |
| Mike | It got leaked, [Bryan gives an affirming murmur.] like everything else. |
| Bryan | Yeah. [Mike and Ian laugh.] Oh well. It wasn't... |
| Mike | [In the background.] I mean, it doesn't... |
| Bryan | ... it wasn't a huge spoiler. |
| Mike | Yeah, it's not a-just the idea that there was this kind of splinter group from the White Lotus, um, [Bryan affirms.] people, you know, the White Lotus was always meant to protect the Avatar, and the-the Red Lotus is... |
| Bryan | [Interjects; refers to the shot of Zaheer and P'Li, standing in front of the fire in their cave hideout, looking down at Mako and Bolin, the brothers having been captured by Ming-Hua and Ghazan.] I love that drawing... |
| Mike | ... clearly trying to do her harm. [Brief pause.] Sorry. [Ian chuckles.] |
| Bryan | No, I messed up. |