Talk:And the Winner Is.../@comment-166.147.115.48-20120520070551/@comment-108.3.236.197-20120520181300

Korra isnt very spiritual and as a result, she has limited (or no) access to the Avatar state, past Avatar's spirits, etc. These short flashbacks are the result of this little spirituality coming through.

In the same way Aang went into the Avatar state when in danger, Korra's "Avatar-ness" is kicking in, but only in the form of flashbacks of past Avatars.