Avatar:TLA and LoK (WATCH OUT FOR SPOILERS)

[Linkachu]

I was also really annoyed because Korra and Bolin have an awesome, fun evening and I thought for a moment that it was leading up to showing a good example of what healthy dating looks like, but instead it was to emphasize that they're "just friends" and to play into the idea that "real" romance involves drama, confusion, backbiting, cheating, etc. and worst of all, making heartfelt FEELINGSDECLARATIONS to people who are already in relationships.

^This. All of it.

That said, I'm with Carmen that I rather liked the episode. It gave us the chance to see a side of the characters we hadn't yet seen, and it was only a matter of time until the Bolin-Mako-Korra love triangle 'sploded once Mako hooked up with that new girlie. It was fairly obvious that Korra's been crushing on Mako for awhile now, and I got the feeling from this recent episode that quite a bit of time has passed since they initially met.

I agree with Keleri, I want to know about that damned flashback!

While I can't wait to see more on that too, I'm personally in no rush for answers. I believe in these guys and their abilities to weave a story, and I have faith that everything will be tied up perfectly by the end (assuming the series doesn't get extended to multiple seasons). Until then, I'm just along for the ride~

Totally got that love triangle/square I didn't want. But unlike Keleri, I loved the episode and found myself loling from almost the start. Bolin is absolutely adorable and hilarious. After the last uber intense episodes, this was a nice break.

"I told you dating a teammate was a bad idea!"
"You're a bad ideaaaaaa!"

I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVED Bolin in this episode. Bolin and Pabu 4 lyfe. : D

Yeah, Pabu is adorable <3 And if the previews for the next episode are to be believed (and I'm sure they are), episode six will be extremely intense as well as Amon moves in on the Pro bending tournaments and be a general buzzkill. I'm hoping we get to see non-bending supporters of benders aside from (obviously) Asami and her father and Pema.

[Linkachu]

"No! Not my Cabbage Corp!"



The whole of Episode 7 was awesome, and I'm really enjoying the direction and pacing of Korra's plot, but that one quote won the episode. You know this in your heart to be true.

As soon as the mentioned the Cabbage Corp I thought of how excited everyone on Charms would be that they acknowledged the cabbage vendor.

It wasn't until this episode that I really realized how different this series is than TLA. LoK has a very different structure and story technique. TLA was all about the adventure and running away from the Fire Nation. This time, the adventures are staying home in Republic City and focusing rather largely on politics, thus far.

This episode could very well be a turning point for the series that establishes the status quo moving forward (seeing as they really haven't allowed for it to fully develop yet, but more on that in a minute). With Chief Bei Fong quitting and The Equalists threat growing things are starting to move towards a war, which I like. Also, Water dude is evil, still calling it. He's gonna seize power and either 1)try to crush Amon and fail, thus dooming the city; or 2) join Amon and reveal that they are connected with the flashback dude that Aang fights.

The status quo for the show has been weird thus far. It hasn't really gotten a proper chance to settle and establish itself, as things keep constantly changing. There really haven't been any "filler" episodes, where they simply focus on the characters and their relationships as they are and let them be. Nearly every episode introduces something new to shake things up and have the story progress. I'd like for them to firmly establish a status quo sooner, rather than later.

[Linkachu]

2) join Amon and reveal that they are connected with the flashback dude that Aang fights.

I've had a lingering suspicion that they may actually be the same person. I'm sure this prediction can easily be smashed, but have we seen Amon and the Water dude guy together in one place yet?

I'm not fully sure what your definition of status quo is in this context, but I figure that the next couple of episodes will establish such now that the Pro Bending plot has wrapped up and all the core characters will be living in the same place. Air Temple Island is sure to become the new base of operations. That being said, if this series is meant to be contained within a single season I could see things continuing to race forward with one plot twist after the next. Avatar: The Last Airbender had a lot more time to flesh stuff out, but Korra doesn't necessarily have that same freedom.

There really haven't been any "filler" episodes, where they simply focus on the characters and their relationships as they are and let them be. Nearly every episode introduces something new to shake things up and have the story progress. I'd like for them to firmly establish a status quo sooner, rather than later.

Actually, I found that the love triangle episode was very much a light-hearted character focused episode. It may have moved the plot along in the process but the focus was definitely the character interactions, conflicts, development, and Bolin silliness.

The episode that I felt was the most filler-esque was the one where the need to make money for the Championship Tournament. It started out very filler-like, with Mako and Bolin going off and doing jobs to raise money. And then Amon battle happened...

Personally I'm really hoping that Korra last beyond one season, as I'm really in love with the world that they've created. It's a combination of the Roaring 20's and classic Avatar world. It makes for a very cool, Steam Punk type atmosphere.

Yeah, I thought of the same thing about Amon and Water guy. He's obviously some form of an antagonist, it just remains to be seen in what capacity.

Also, I love seeing Chief Bei Fong and Tenzen fight. It's just really cool to see some hardcore bender by masters like that.

So next week is the season finale...

With fewer episodes to work with, they sure are putting us through the ringer. I mean wow. But that's not what I came here to talk about lol. I wanted to discuss Korra's role as the avatar and what Amon is doing. The Avatar is supposed to be restoring balance, but so far we haven't learned what Korra needs to do in order to make that happen. Shall we find hints of that next week?

Honestly right now it looks like Amon is doing more to bring justice

Spoiler: show

what with Zolt and now Tarrlok

than Korra has. Also am I the only one whose noticed that, aside from threatening Korra, Amon hasn't taken away a woman's bending yet?

*Whistles* I haven't been here in a while. I blame summer semester and Mickey D's eating my time. However, I have been watching the Legend of Korra and commenting on it greatly in my head. Recently, I got a fellow dojo-buddy into it. He saw the first two episodes and said it wasn't as good. Here, I copy and paste my response to his email. :P

(Begin)

I must say I wholeheartedly disagree. I will break down your important points.

"I still feel like it lacks the wit and humor of the Last Airbender"
As times change (as in the present and in the show's universe) what is considered funny also does. That is not refuting anything, just an observation on the perception of change and the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia. What is 'wit' and 'humor' is partially and issue similar to Congress's definition of pornography--"I know it when I see it."

"Bolin does not by any means live up to the hilarity of Sokka"
Bolin and Sokka are two separate characters with two different roles. In my opinion, their roles in the show (not counting in-universe) are foil (Korra's foil that is) to Mako's serious nature developed in adaptation to street life (versus Korra's rather sheltered life) and a mirror of Korra's fun-loving nature without the burden of being an Avatar, while Sokka is comic relief and a non-bender's perspective on the then-heavily bender-ruled world.

"I think the plot is kind of transparent"
Transparency does not always mean bad. From the viewer's standpoint, we are familiar enough with cliches to point them out, but the characters don't have that perspective of all of the presented plot. In addition, referencing my next point, hindsight is twenty-twenty, to use another cliche.

"The power-hungry councilman was a lying bad guy?"
Power and ambition does not necessarily mean evil (*coughcough*Slytherin*coughcough*). At first, Tarlokk struck me as an ambitious, though relatively normal power-seeker just looking to make his own living comfortable and to pursue his own goals. Only later in the show was his parentage and special skills revealed. In addition, his convincing nature and ability to round up all non-benders is a parallel of Nazi Germany (a cliche to us, but there is no Germany in the Avatar world) leads a frightening parallel to what happened in history. The show is aimed at children, who may not always pick this up, but their parents have a much greater chance of seeing this, adding a darker tone to the series.

"And the wealthy industrialist was too?!"
As stated before, power and ambition don't always lead to evil. Mr. Sato's offer was portrayed in a manner to not make it look like cover, but a generous investment benefiting both the Fire Ferrets and Future Industries. I have to agree, the firebender killing Ms. Sato was a bit cliche, but I hoped that Mr. Sato would have the sense to see that not all benders are evil, given time to recuperate of course. Going along with previous statements, evaluating past episodes with the perspective of recent ones can always twist our thinking into picking out little tidbits that may not mean much.

"the voice talent is lacking"
That is simple opinion. New does not always mean bad.

"the animation is more like your traditional run-of-the-mill anime"
From what I have read from critics, the art is said to be a stunning combination of Eastern and Western animation, paralleling the East and West combination of the two Avatar series. There are elements of both in Avatar, making it unique.

"I feel like the whole thing is just for the most part just kind of cliche"
As TV Tropes is famous for saying, tropes used responsibly can enhance a story.

Now on to my own points.

Amon
In my opinion, Amon is like a combination of Hitler and Big Brother. Amon is a great orator, raising a crowd to an uproar for a point that is actually valid, if not accomplished in the best ways. Yes, benders do have an advantage that non-benders can ever hope to achieve in any way. This philosophy of power and its use is a deep thought point for the show. Yes, benders have oppressed non-benders for years, causing nearly every war (the war between Oma and Shu's villages is one that was not--the lovers learned earthbending from the badger moles). Yes, they can use their abilities to harm others, but many use them to help. Even if they become irrelevant to society, they are like bows and arrows to today's guns--an important part of culture and useful for other things. For example, waterbending for healing, earthbending for fast, simple building construction, firebending's lightning generation for clean power, and airbending for its peaceful manner of disarming opponents, with or without wind. A parallel would be Germany's great history tarnished by the events of World War I, using the second World War to get revenge and feel better by using scapegoats, similar to Amon. Both Hitler and Amon have valid points, but oppressing another group of people, be it Jews or non-benders.

Now on to the Big Brother portion. As he has demonstrated time and time again in the series that he is a superb planner, evasive, and highly observant, both personally and with his spies around the city. He seems to be many steps ahead of the Krew and the city's official forces, as well as conspirators within the city such as Tarlokk. Again, he rallies the crowd to a cause which on the surface is amazing (i.e., socialism so everyone is equal, stripping away an innate part of oneself to make them equal, etc.), but with great flaws that can be overlooked by some people with differing outlooks.

Mako
If any character is a bit bland so far, it would be Mako. Why is Korra interested? Is it because he's a attractive and a good bender? His personality does not seem like much more than a nice guy who turned a bit cynical, a less extreme Zuko one may say. Mako's good points are a nice foil to his brother and Korra, with the addition of a sense of levelheadedness to the Krew. Mako's decent, but needs a bit more development which I think he will get in the last three episodes.

Bolin
Now this is a good character from the series. Similar to Korra, he keeps up a shield of bravado, but breaks down like a normal human under stress, like when he thought he was going to lose not only a part of himself, but his earthbending livelihood that kept him off the streets. He may be dramatic at points, but some people are like that. To some, it is endearing, while to others, irritating, just like in real life. He talks to Pabu in a manner suggesting that he wishes he was taken more seriously, but enjoys a touch of lightness to diffuse a difficult situation.

Asami
Asami's okay. Too many people in these two series have been killed by firebenders. Why can't a nonbender or some other bender be a murderer for a change? Yep, she has a nice strength to her (shown through her defeat of the Lieutenant and her rejection of her father) countered by a slight naievety from a privileged upbringing, but she hasn't had enough airtime to be much more than a love interest, though like Mako, she still has a chance.

Naga
Naga is one of my gripes. In the first serious, the dang spirit companion of the Avatar was a lot more important, not just a failed ride and a prank. The personality shown in the first episode had the nice cross between almost-human intelligence and animal instinct (like Appa), but she has not been shown much. Part of the issue is essentially a giant dog in the rather tiny streets of a young city, but she should have some personality bits here or there.

Future Aang, Toph, and Sokka
Thank goodness Toph kept a little bit of her humor. I understand a police force needs some decorum, but I enjoyed the mild jibes that occur between Aang and Toph. Aang lost a bit too much of his normal enthusiasm. This was probably not a normal scene for him, but I expected a little something out of the pre-arrest scene.

Sokka...is Sokka. Yes, he turned out a lot like his father, Hakoda. He can be serious, with a sense of humor and a magnetic speaking quality, such as with his explanation of atypical benders.

Yakone
Yakone is a 'must...know...more...' point for me. Bloodbending in the daylight nowhere near a full moon?! For all I know, he's a descendant of Hama, the original bloodbender.

Overall, I can see on a shallow level why you say it does not live up to Aang's journey, as there isn't as much exploration of the world, jokes, and a typical black-and-white plot that is loved by many. However, I believe that due to the multiple levels of plot and the food for thought arisen by Korra's legend (not to mention it breaking the 'adventure to learn' cliche in a nice manner), this darker tale with fascist and socialist references makes it superior as a standalone, but both are excellent cartoons together and apart.

(End)

On the side, Borra is adorable.

I've gotten a lot more excited about Korra again after my initial disappointment with the shipping episode. I'm enjoying the show but I really do feel like this series is weaker than the first.

The big factor is that all of the episodes have been written by Mike and Bryan--ONLY Mike and Bryan--and once someone pointed that out to me, everything became clear. A:TLA was also written by them, but was then put through the wringer by a team of other writers to ensure every character had a unique voice, that the jokes were snappy, that the dialogue sounded like something a real person would say.

The voice actors for Korra are fine, but the problem is that they just aren't given a polished script to work from. There isn't much that really jumps out at me as being OMG BAD but it's merely spare and serviceable. Most of the characters convey very little of their character through the interactions we've seen; when any character gets a chance to speak, it's almost only ever to convey information in a straightforward way. Bolin and Korra have gotten more of a chance to do this since Bolin gets a lot of comic relief moments and Korra is the main character, but Mako and Asami have paper-thin characterization. I feel like I know Tenzin, Lin Bei Fong and even Meelo better than I do Mako or Asami. I DEFINITELY don't feel like Korra's Krew has the strong relationships and cohesion of the Gaang. I *do* appreciate that things are still kind of coming together for Korra so I'm hopeful that the writing will improve in later episodes and we'll get more character moments.

The action has been very good but I miss the really good bender duels of A:TLA. I also feel like the individual plot threads, while exciting and interesting, are poorly shifted between. The way they were playing up probending and Korra shifting her bending techniques because of it, I thought it was going to last a lot longer and be a major part of the plot, but instead it was over within a few episodes and completely dropped. Tarrlok had an incredible unique bending ability but his threat disappeared inside of two episodes. I'm sort of left wondering what the second season is going to be about, it seems like we're heading for a final conflict with Amon already?

I've also heard complaints that they're "watering down" the special bending abilities by making lightning bending, metalbending, etc. more common, but I actually like that about the series--this dissemination of secret techniques to more people and sharing of information for the benefit of the city (lightning = electricity generation, metalbending police force).

I also do like Amon and I think he's a great villain-- we actually know very little about him and that's really keeping me interested. I thought we were getting something from Aang's memories but that was about Yakone. Amon is playing everybody and using benders' arrogance against them to turn non-benders to his cause. He feels like a credible threat and he seems to have multiple unique abilities-- I originally wondered if he was a sham, using intense chi-bending to make a person *think* they could no longer bend, but when he resisted Tarrlok's bloodbending it was a great OHHHH SHIIIIIIT moment.

Finally, the shipping. I hate it. I feel like this is a classic case of *trying* to give the fans what they want-- never do this. Never do this. It whips the intense weirdo shippers into an embarrassing frenzy and annoys everyone else. (I was also left cold by the "CabbageCorp" joke--it was set up so poorly, I felt like Bad Joke Eel was telling it.) Mike and Bryan saw the kerfuffle over the shipping in A:TLA and went YES WE SHOULD DO MORE OF THAT, DELIBERATELY AND HAMFISTEDLY and now it's just... ugh. I was squeeing over yesterday's episode but it was marred by the stupid "DOES MAKO REALLY LOVE ME" moment and THEN by Korra needing to have that "I've been saved!" moment with Mako at the very end. I feel really icky about it. She saved herself, dawg, with some amazing ingenuity and power-- and she gets home and it's like OHHH LET ME COLLAPSE INTO YOUR ARMS MY SWAIN. Bl-freakin-ech. I hate love triangles, I really do, and I hate SURPRISE SEXIST STATUS QUO BULLSHIT.

So yeah, there's my rant. Overall I like the series! I do! Korra is a badass, Lin is a badass-- ASAMI is the Republic City Transporter and I want to see more! But I feel like the less polished writing is really hurting it; the cool ideas and characters are there but they're not flowing well into one another and so we get these cool moments with disjointed dialogue and sudden transitions. And enough with the fkin shipping.

My two cents;

GENERAL IROH

Ahem, yeah. Once again, an emotional wringer (thanks Keleri for showing that was spelled with a w <<). I quite liked the episode but it was definitely real. The Equalists have now brought the threat to the entire city. I really wish we knew more about Amon. I mean, I know firebenders killed his family, but there has to be more. Or maybe he isn't and he really is having a more extreme reaction than Asami (and also Jet from TLA).

Aside from the episode, I didn't want to talk about something else

I was squeeing over yesterday's episode but it was marred by the stupid "DOES MAKO REALLY LOVE ME" moment and THEN by Korra needing to have that "I've been saved!" moment with Mako at the very end. I feel really icky about it. She saved herself, dawg, with some amazing ingenuity and power-- and she gets home and it's like OHHH LET ME COLLAPSE INTO YOUR ARMS MY SWAIN. Bl-freakin-ech. I hate love triangles, I really do, and I hate SURPRISE SEXIST STATUS QUO BULLSHIT.

I strongly disagree with this because it implies that a strong female character like Korra can't have her moments of...well whatever you call that. Having more romantic moments in no way takes away from her awesomeness and she still doesn't rely on a man to save her. Mako maybe pissing me off right now, but her ship with him isn't detrimental to her. That said...I still prefer her with Bolin.

Also, this episode made Asami my favorite character. Despite having two very good excuses for angst (Mako being stunningly tactless and her father, her only surviving parent, work for the Equalists), she was a major boss taking out all those Equalists and saving Tenzin. I'm just hoping she keeps fighting for Team Avatar and doesn't betray them because of Mako.

Also am I the only one whose noticed that, aside from threatening Korra, Amon hasn't taken away a woman's bending yet?

Well, there goes that.

Today's episode was REALLY good. I really dislike Mako as a character, though.

GENERAL IROH! AIRBENDER KIDS! MOTHAFUCKIN LIN BEI MOTHAFUCKIN FONG! ASAMI! NAGASLAP!

Beautiful.

ETA: One thing tumblr spurred me to think about: all the (defined) relationships between female characters in this show are antagonistic and it's all over men. Korra and Asami are fighting over Mako-- they're nominally friends but the antagonism is there. Lin and Pema are fighting over Tenzin-- still! Pema doesn't trust Tenzin to be alone with her, even briefly, even after 4 kids. Lin is antagonistic toward Korra because... ummm... reasons. Tenzin reasons. Which get better, but.

It fails the spirit of the Bechdel test, I think— it doesn’t allow women to be friends but instead defines all their interactions by how they’re concerned with/fighting over men. And this really sucks because this is how society divides and weakens women, by making them antagonistic and encouraging them to cut each other down. Women-women friendships are so important and provide essential support but they're constantly ignored in favor of heterosexual romantic drama and that's crap. My Little Pony is beating LoK by a MILE in this regard.

Squee! Iroh! I hope he's not a bender, just for the sake of good character balance.

You know, I have found a meme called Perfect Man Bolin, which is actually pretty accurate to the show.

I think I was much more surprised to hear Zuko's voice coming from General Iroh. Overall I like where this is headed though~

:/ So disappointed. So much telling instead of showing. Lame Mako/Korra with no connection between the characters. I felt more when Lieutenant guy was all betrayed by Amon. Korra gets everything handed to her. She airbends because of Mako, not because of, say, Tenzin and the kids. Korra ex machina. Korra learned nothing.

So disappointed.

I was a tad disappointed with the finale. It was beautifully presented deus ex machina, but still deus ex machina all the same. I didn't see the Amon being a waterbender thing, but I was expecting something cooler, like being the 'spiritual half' of Korra born when Aang died during the second season finale, but meh, waterbender and traitor to cause was cooler.

Now to the airbending--I'm surprised it didn't occur sooner, but I would have been happier if Korra stayed one through to the second season. It would make her interesting, especially as she trains using air for the first time, not just the forms.

Blargh! I wanted Borra! Makorra has little real chemistry, other than one of convienence and 'he's hot and a good bender!' What's Asami going to think, cutting her off like that?

Now to restoring people's bending: I think that it should not have occured this soon if at all. I'm sure Lin was a good fighter without her bending, and seeing her adapt would be interesting.

On Amon and Tarlokk: This was the ultimate bit of deus ex machina. Yakone is Tarlokk's father, and now he's Amon's too?! Woah! *sarcasm* I'm disappointed. At least the brothers had an interesting end, with the boat explosion.

On a more fangirly note: Need moar season two nao!

[StellarWind Elsydeon]

Frankly, the ending was a predictable mess, barring a few minor exceptions.

Like what Amon actually was, for example. I expected him to be a bender, but not what he specifically was. I also wasn't expecting the paint (I mean, it wouldn't be surprising if he DID get his face burned in a different way). It explained quite a bit, really, but still.

"Ex Machina" seems to be a recurring theme in this season and I don't mean the bloody machines everywhere. I don't know if it's due to the rushed nature of the series or the fact pretty much everyone was OP, but it was basically a battle of Hax VS. Hax, and every episode seemed to exist to build up the Hax value of these characters until the inevitable climax where Korra Picks an Epiphany. I personally expected her to glow it up once Amon had her caught up and Deus Ex it even MORE, and was pleasantly surprised when it didn't happen.

And of course the ending bit. Did you honestly expect her to not get her bending back? She's got a contract for a second damn season. And it was pretty obvious she'd be lightly poked by Avatars Past for that. Aang's comment about how being open to change when you're at your lowest point is rather true - and when you think about it, Korra was never at a true state of loss of options. She really only managed to figure out how to airbend (or move like an airbender) when things got dire and she absolutely had to operate outside the box. Which is also a deus ex machina, but where EVERYONE IN THE FUCKING SERIES does the Deus...

No one does.

(Fucking Syndrome)

As for the Korra/Mako thing... Yeah. It angers me. Normally I'm not one to argue with canon pairings (quite the opposite really, see also my general dismay towards Zutards) but I find absolutely nothing to defend about Korra/Mako. Partially because I've never seen something this forced since Tidus/Yuna, but mostly because I seriously dislike Mako. Anyone who can be dating a person and claiming they "truly care about them" while at the same time doing this sort of shit is not an honorable person and frankly, deserves to be punched in the fayus with a... 1920s Alternate Universe equivalent of a Buick, I suppose.

And poor Asami. What does she have left now, really? She lost her family (to firebenders and assholitude), she lost her boyfriend to the freaking Avatar... Totally unfair that someone THIS badass gets so thoroughly shafted by this series.

Ah well, she was too awesome for that complete jerkwad anyway. I just hope they don't pull a predictable Hell Hath No Fury and turn her into an antagonist later on. >>;

[Linkachu]

I can almost put up with the 'ex Machina' stuffs and actually quite loved the Avatar state bit near the end, but the rest of it... Feels like a bunch of damn cliches and poor writing.

Korra suddenly Airbends for no real explained reason, just because it's a fun contrived plot device. The least they could've done is had her meditate for two seconds on what Tenzin taught her ages ago. She was definitely not in a calm state at the time either, and isn't that kinda the point of airbending? But all things considered, the most-predictable-pairing-that-nobody-wanted being shoved in our faces was far more facepalm worthy.

As Stel put it, are we supposed to be happy that Mako has officially two-timed/been leading Asami on, or was their very brief conversation near the end of episode 11 meant to be the "breaking up" conversation? Because if they intended the latter, it sure as hell went over my head. Even ignoring Mako's side of the situation, Korra knew he and Asami were together (or would've at least still thought they were) yet happily went along with his advances. My respect for her met the floor in about a split second.

For a show that targets pre-teens and young teens as their core audience - a group that's just starting to learn about romantic relationships themselves - they made some pretty bad writing calls with this finale. I can only hope that season 2 can redeem it somehow. For now, I'll just continue facepalming.

P.S. - Is it just me or did Korra's abilities never reach the level of Aang's in any of the elements? Even though she was years older than him and had lots of time to practice Water/Fire/Earth bending, it was only in episode 11 that she truly displayed some kickass water bending. I guess you can blame it on her hotheaded/lazy nature and the fact the series was rushed to hell, but it still makes her seem much, much weaker overall (Avatar state not included).

PRISON BREAK!!

Anyway, more than anything the season finale made me ache for the fact that we didn't get a full season. You take all the events that happened during Book 1 and stretched them out over a twenty-four episode season and I truly think it would've been amazing. For example, having little foreshadowing bits that Amon was a waterbender scattered out over the season and actually developing the relationships in Team Avatar would've strengthened the series big time. That said, Asami and Korra are still awesome, Bolin is still hilarious, and I still want to punch Mako in the face.

This rushed season makes me realize how much I value those breather periods/episodes in a series. I cherished every random moment Book 1 had to offer because there so darn few of them (Pema stealing Tenzin from Lin is a good example). It also means that episode five (the shipping episode) is in my top three favorite episodes just because we actually got to see a different, more light-hearted side to everyone.

Before this turns into a tl;dr, I think I'll stop here. I could go on all day about the shipping xD