Subversive Queer Representation in ‘The Legend of Korra’
First off we will be discussing the final season of Legend of Korra, in particular the last ten minutes or so of the series. So obviously you should really watch Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Legend of Korra, and:
SPOILERS AHEAD
Avatar Korra wrestled with a lot over the past four seasons. Where avatar Ang came to terms with personal issues and strife as well as fighting a very clear-cut villain from the start of the series (Firebender Ozai), Korra dealt with more broad societal issues and the issues with most political ideologies such as Communism, Manifest Destiny, Anarchism, and having now taken down Kuvira, Totalitarianism. Of course neither avatar was exempt from dealing with political or personal turmoil which is very much emphasized within the last few moments of Legend of Korra.
There are probably entire theses that could be written about the subtlety and expressions of love within the Avatar universe but none was more welcome and shocking than Korra and Asami holding hands, looking into each others’ eyes, and travelling to the spirit world together. Some might say it shouldn’t be shocking to see a queer relationship in a “kids” show and others are probably arguing that it doesn’t prove anything; they could still just be good friends who went on a trip together. To the first point I have to completely agree, the more we see queer relationships as normal the more we’ll accept them as normal and since they are normal there shouldn’t be any shock, however since there isn’t much (if any) precedence of queer relationships existing within the Avatar universe it is incredibly significant. As Tenzin stated to Korra, she’s caused more change than most avatars see their whole lives.
To the second point either folks are in denial about the Korra/Asami pairing or they bring up the ever popular trope of Queer Baiting. Essentially queer baiting adds queer/homoerotic tension to a story without adding significant queer characters. Supernatural gets accused of this practice constantly as has AdventureTime who recently admitted that Marceline the Vampire Queen and Princess Bubblegum dated a while back, and while the writers craft their stories with this in mind they will never acknowledge it in any media associated with a “kid’s” show. While the ending didn’t explicitly say Korra and Asami are together there is enough subtext that says there’s no way they are not, however still giving Nickelodeon plausible deniability to homophobic parents who don’t want “political agendas,” pushed on their children (Ed. note: The creators of the Avatar universe have said in no uncertain terms that Asami and Korra are romantically involved by the end of the series). Even though Legend of Korra has been hardcore about the intersection of faith, individuality, and politics this season, and by limiting queer representation they somehow don’t see that they are pushing their own political agenda on other people’s kids.
Even though the relationship between Korra and Asami is never explicitly shown as romantic (no kissing, no “I love you,” etc) it’s very obvious. First off, while they never really had much time alone on screen for the first three seasons, Korra had been writing to Asami, and no one else, while she was dealing with her PTSD. She showed an amazing level of trust. The creators tried as often as they could to give Asami and Korra time together and to show their bond building. In the last minutes of the show Mako, who had been acting like a jerk throughout the series, takes a moment to say that he would follow Korra into battle any time she needed him.
That is the moment that traditionally would be where Mako, the odds on favorite to be Korra’s love interest, would get the girl. In an earlier episode they even devoted a third of an episode to flashback where he looked at his relationship with Korra and Asami and he realized he had been a jackass to both of them. Not only did Korra and Mako not get together but both of them acknowledged his feelings and they were both at peace with that. Emotions were had but they acknowledged in subtle ways that it was OK for Mako to love Korra but that didn’t mean Korra had to reciprocate those feelings; Korra’s feelings are her own and Mako respected that. Following this exchange Asami and Korra decided to go on vacation, alone, together, they held hands, stared into each other’s eyes, and went to the spirit world.
While Legend of Korra didn’t beat you over the head with the idea that Korra and Asami were exploring a queer relationship it was very present in subtext. That still might not be immediate queer representation and to an extent the queer baiting argument still holds a degree of weight but Legend of Korra took a big risk to make it clear whatever their future together, whatever the extent of their relationship it was more important to show the very healthy and very loving relationship between Korra and Asami. Nickelodeon did the thing. Nickelodeon did the thing right.
