| Michael Dante DiMartino | Hello! Welcome to commentary number three, this is Mike DiMartino. |
|---|---|
| Bryan Konietzko | Bryan Konietzko. |
| Joaquim Dos Santos | Joaquim Dos Santos. |
| Mike | You all know us by now. So... uh, so, this uh, begins the two-parter "Civil Wars", uh, little storyline, and uh, I... |
| Bryan | [Interjects; refers to the two storylines focusing on the conflicts Korra and Tenzin have with their respective families.] Double en-double entendre with the name. |
| Mike | Well, yes, so witty. [Joaquim gives an amused murmur.] Uh, I really wanted to write these episodes 'cause I was excited about the, not just the Korra storyline, but all-but even-but more the uh, Tenzin family storyline, um, which apparently was controversial, but whatever. [Bryan laughs.] Uh... |
| Joaquim | [Interjects.] I think the controversy subsided, uh, once there was sort of a happy resolution, or... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] Yeah, it's always hard to know, it's hard to get a, you know, I try to not pay attention too much to the online chatter, uh, 'cause it's hard to really get a gauge of like how these went over with people, 'cause, honestly, most people who comment online, it's a very small percentage of people who actually watch the show; and of those, you know, some of 'em are negative, or whatever. And that's a very small percentage of the people who even comment. So, you know, whether they represent the vast majority of viewers, I-I'm guessing they don't, but... |
| Bryan | Hey, [Sighs.] it's just best not to think about it. [Laughs.] |
| Mike | [Laughs.] So... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Um, and it-the other thing is, when you really, you know, some people have very valid criticisms, and we go, "oh, yeah, that's a good point," and-or, "yeah, it could've been done that way". Um, and you are absolutely welcome to do things that way when you have your own show, um, but... I think, you know, for us, it's-it's always, we kinda shrug our shoulders, and we're-we're like... yeah, we-we got a lot of it in Book One, too, and-and there was her dynamic, you know? There's like, like tension within Team Avatar, and stuff like that, and it's like, I don't know, I'm not interested in watching a show where everybody gets along perfectly, it-it-not only is that dramatically flat, it just doesn't reflect life and uh... the way that we see it, at least. So, I-yeah, we-Mike and I often go, "wait, what is it that they want? They want everyone to just hang out and be friends, [Mike chuckles.] and nothing bad happens, and..." |
| Mike | [Interjects.] Well, it's also interesting, now, even compared to like the old series like... how-like, the minute, even dur-while the show is going on, people are tweeting and discussing it, and whatever like... |
| Joaquim | [Interjects.] See, it's a very different world. |
| Mike | ... it's like there's no time for like reflection, or like, "let's watch, see how this whole season plays out," and then kind of like, you know, look at it from that point of view, and, you know, 'cause when we write these things, we're thinking about the whole, uh, journey of the character and where they're going, and, and, you know, it's not so much just a like standalone, random, you know, like a, you know, sitcom show or something where everything kinda resets at the end. |
| Bryan | Yeah. Yeah, I mean, and... ultimately, um, we're not trying to make the most mainstream thing possible, you know? We're trying to tell... the types of stories that connect with us, and uh... |
| Joaquim | [Refers to Meelo questioning if Bumi has a baby inside his exposed gut; laughs.] I love that line. [Mike chuckles.] |
| Bryan | That was based on my nephew, I think; that was my nephew. |
| Mike | I remember, yeah. |
| Bryan | He-he walked in and saw my uh, dad [Mike chuckles.] in the bathroom, getting ready, and my dad was just in his skivvies; and uh, my nephew pointed at him and said, "grandpa, you got a big belly". [Mike and Joaquim chuckle; brief pause.] So, yeah, I mean, we, you know, it's that idea, I-I believe John Lennon might've had the first version of this quote; I think Bill Cosby had a good version of it, too. It's that, "if you try to please everybody, you'll please no one, and-and uh, the best thing you can do for the world, [Laughs.] and for your art, is to try to make it, uh, come from an honest place, and make sure that you believe in it, and it's what you want to do," and um, obviously, you-you try to... you know, you're-you're-you're making it for an audience, but uh, for Mike and I, that audience, first and foremost, is always us. And uh, yep, sometimes people are going to like it, sometimes they're not; and then when-when millions of people are watching it, like as is the case with this show, it's just statistically, a certain percentage is not gonna like it, a certain percentage is gonna like what you did before and not this, and a certain percentage is gonna li-is gonna connect with it, and get it. And um, that's-that's the way it goes. |
| Joaquim | [Refers to Varrick riling up the Southern chieftains, throwing numerous plates of kale cookies to accentuate his denunciations of Unalaq's occupation.] Is this-this a uh, Tim Hendrick uh, little-little-little insertion, here? 'Cause it sounds like his voice, or is this you channeling... |
| Mike | [In the background.] Well, no, this is me channeling Tim. |
| Joaquim | ... Tim? |
| Mike | Tim kind of established him in-in episode one, and then it was like, "alright, how can I write a wacky character, like this?" [Laughs.] |
| Joaquim | [Refers to when Varrick says the past few days have not just been shocking, but "nay, sickening".] You-you took it to the next level with the uh, "nay". |
| Mike | Uh, I think he probably-he mighta had some pitches in the-when we rewrote it, I'm sure. But uh... but it was fun, yeah; it was definitely fun to kinda write a character like that, that just says wacky stuff. |
| Bryan | [Refers to Varrick's trousers.] So, a lot o' times, Ryu will draw something that looks amazing when he draws it, but when we try to recreate it, it looks terrible; much like Varrick's like adult diaper pants. [Mike laughs.] Uh, there was something on the model sheet that Ryu drew that was just like folds that look kinda realistic, but when all the artists tried to recreate it, and especially the animators, it just looked like Varrick was wearing these weird parachute pants with a giant adult diaper underneath it, so we had to-we had to fix his [Laughs.] model later on. |
| Joaquim | [Brief pause.] On the West Coast, known as "the Murphy". |
| Bryan | Yeah, that-that's-that's-that was-that was like a real eye-opening, uh, experience for me, was the pre-internet days that we grew up in when I learned that people on the West Coast didn't say wedgie. [Joaquim chuckles.] It's like a different culture. |
| Mike | [Refers to evident contours of Varrick's pants.] Yeah, look at that right there, wow. |
| Bryan | Yeah, just, [Mike chuckles.] I mean, maybe that's one of his inventions? Like, [Mike affirms.] he's-he has-he runs all these businesses because he just never stops for bathroom breaks. |
| Mike | Yeah, yeah. [Joaquim affirms.] He has no time for that, man. |
| Bryan | [Refers to Desna's quick cackle and Eska's croaking guffaw when they laugh about their disdain for the Southern Water Tribe.] This is a fun uh, this little laugh joke. |
| Mike | Oh yeah. Yeah, in the script it was just like "weird, bizarre laughter" or something, and then they... |
| Joaquim laughs as Desna and Eska chortle, the twins' heads stiltedly bobbing up and down in unison. | |
| Mike | ... that's what they did. [Laughs.] That was bizarre. |
| Bryan | I like how jerky the animation is, too. [Mike affirms.] It's just two drawings. |
| Mike | [Refers to Desna, riding in a Bolin-drawn rickshaw with his sister, holding Pabu's arms up while the fire ferret sits in his lap.] And I love, I think Desna's holding Pabu like that was a storyboard little detail, yeah. |
| A brief pause in commentary until Bolin stops along the side of the road, and quickly runs over to earthbend some stairs next to the rickshaw, yelping in exertion. | |
| Mike | [Laughs.] There's some more... |
| Joaquim | [In the background; referring to and imitating Bolin's yelping.] "Yah!" |
| Mike | ... P. J. crazy, [Joaquim laughs.] ADR stuff. |
| Bryan | Yeah. [Brief pause; refers to Eska telling Bolin he will be coming with her once she goes home to the Northern Water Tribe.] This was one of those scenes that, you know, I was at color correction or something; took a picture... posted it on online. By the time I made it back after lunch, someone on-had animated it, [Laughs.] like... |
| Mike | [In the background.] Yeah, that was crazy. |
| Bryan | ... cut it up, animated this camera move. |
| Joaquim | Ah, that's right! |
| Bryan | Like, animated mouth movements, blinks, and, [Joaquim affirms.] I mean, [Mike affirms.] the times... |
| Mike | [In the background.] So, is the... |
| Bryan | ... they have a-changed. |
| Mike | That was some advanced fanart, right there. |
| Joaquim | They're working on the show, now. [Mike and Joaquim laugh.] |
| Bryan | It's like... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] We do joke, we're like, "oh, they should do our retakes for us." [Joaquim laughs.] |
| Bryan | I just don't understand how these people have the skills and the time, and the motivation. It's one thing to have time, but usually people with a lot o' time don't have a lot of motivation, but these people have it all. [Joaquim affirms.] They-they astound me. |
| Joaquim | [Brief pause; refers to Bolin saying "never mind" after trying to stammer his way out of implying to Mako that he'll break Korra's heart.] I love that line. |
| Bryan | So, much like, uh, Tim... is very much like the salty, old characters, and uh, he's also sort of a Varrick guy, I think Josh Hamilton, our writer, is-is very much a Bolin. [Joaquim gives an affirming murmur.] I told that to uh, his wife Angie, and uh, she-she-she also works on the show, and she was, she thought I hit the nail on the head. [Mike and Joaquim chuckle.] She-she agreed, she was laughing. |
| Mike | Yeah. He's got-he's got a good, innocent spirit about him. [Bryan affirms.] |
| Joaquim | Well, both-both physically and mentally. I mean, he... |
| Bryan | [In the background.] Yeah, he's... |
| Joaquim | ... he kinda has this, yeah, physical embodiment of Bolin. |
| Bryan | Stocky, shorter guy. |
| Joaquim | [Refers to the long shot of the Southern Water Tribe throne room, with Korra facing away from the light coming through the entrance, while Unalaq's face remains shadowed in darkness as he sits on the throne.] That's a beautiful shot. The light in that one uh... the mood. |
| Bryan | It, yeah, they-Fred did these uh, the keys for this location, and he's so good at painting different materials, [Refers to parts of the room's ice pillars turning warmer shades of blue from the light.] like this translucent... ice. [Brief pause; refers to the throne Unalaq rises from being distinct from the background.] It was a shame, he actually painted that throne, as well, [Joaquim gives an affirming murmur.] but for some reason, they drew it as a cel. |
| Joaquim | [Gives an affirming murmur.] I'd like to go on record right now, and apologize for uh, incorrectly pronouncing Tim Hedrick's last name; I said "Hendrick", and uh... I've... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] But I would-a-as-as a "Joaquim Dos Santos", and a-as I am a "Bryan Konietzko", [Mike chuckles.] I think we have some uh, some karma built up. |
| Joaquim | [Laughs.] Indeed. |
| Mike | Yeah, it happens. |
| Bryan | Where we get to mispronounce some other people's names. [Mike affirms.] |
| Joaquim | [Pronounces his name as "yo-comes".] It's for all the "Joaquims". |
| Bryan | [Laughs; pronounces it as "yo-come"; laughs.] "Joaquim". [Joaquim and Mike chuckles.] "Doh-san-tos". [Joaquim chuckles.] Isn't that how uh, Lesner always said it? |
| Joaquim | Yeah. |
| A brief pause in commentary until the scene cuts from some patrolling Northern soldiers to several angry looking Southern Water Tribe civilians, the one holding a broom having a pronounced scowl. | |
| Joaquim | That guy was angry. [Bryan laughs.] |
| Mike | [Refers to the three Southern Water Tribe children on the rooftop, giggling having just thrown some snowballs at the distracted soldiers.] Punks. |
| Bryan | [Refers to one of the Northern soldiers waterbending the snow the kids were standing on, sliding them off the roof edge and onto the ground below.] That's not safe, kids. [Joaquim affirms.] Don't-don't do that at-don't stand on a roof covered in snow in your Southern Water Tribe village. [Refers to Korra getting in between the small respective groups of Northern soldiers and aggravated Southern Water Tribe civilians, both sides brandishing whips of water.] Yeah, this is one of those things that if we could, we probably would've had like a whole mob going on, you know? [Joaquim gives an affirming murmur.] Like, something turning into a big riot with hundreds of people on either side. But, uh, you know, we have limitations. |
| Mike | Yeah. Sometimes, the limitations help, though, you know? |
| Bryan | It's true. |
| Mike | [Refers to when the Northern troops cleared the Southern civilians outside the Royal Palace.] I mean, this is representative of a bigger... |
| Bryan | [In the background.] There are... |
| Mike | ... thing that's going on in the city, you know? With these... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Many directors do much better work in live action when they have uh, do not have crazy budgets. |
| Joaquim | Resources, yeah. |
| Bryan | [Refers to when a little girl waterbent a snowball into her hand before throwing it at Korra.] I-I just-I love that uh, snowball-bending; I think that's a great use. I like seeing the non-martial uh, applications of bending, [Joaquim chuckles.] thought that was a good addition. [Refers to Tonraq talking to Korra before turning around and seeing that she's already riding away from the broken-up scene on Naga.] So, I like that scene because it makes me think that Tonraq's taken some like serious shots to his head or his ears, [Joaquim and Mike chuckle.] and he can't hear Naga walking away. |
| Joaquim | Walking away. [Bryan laughs.] |
| Mike | Maybe not. |
| Bryan | [Brief pause; refers to when the establishing shot pans along the Patola Mountain Range's steep peaks and maintained landscapes.] Uh, that-for-the first pan in this location was a cool painting that Fred had done as a concept painting, um, when we were first kicking off Book Two. |
| Joaquim | Was that one of the pieces that we showed at like Comic-Con? |
| Bryan | Yeah, [Joaquim affirms.] and-and uh, we-we needed an additional shot; I thought we needed to like draw out the sequence a little bit more, but we-all the animation was already done, so I just had Fred kinda tighten up the painting and split it up into some layers. Or-or maybe I gave it to Lauren, and she split it up, but uh... yeah, it came out cool. |
| Joaquim | [Refers to when Tenzin and Kya argue over how the former's supposed neglect of Ikki to focus on his duty to Republic City caused her to run away, with Bumi laughing at the word "duty".] I love the fact that these are like characters that are, you know, either in middle age, or just beyond middle age, and they're [Laughs.] making "duty" jokes, and acting like kids, [Bryan laughs.] it's incredible. |
| Mike | Yeah, that's what I always liked about them. [Refers to Kya negatively comparing Tenzin to Aang in how they never made time for their kids, with Bumi mentioning that their father always made time for his "precious little airbender".] They don't see each other that much, and, you know, so a lot of the old resentments and the way they acted as kids still kind of comes up, 'cause they haven't totally worked through all that stuff. |
| Bryan | Yeah, I guess if people who really found this upsetting, I'm guessing they-they just aren't at that stage, 'cause, again, I-I'm the youngest of five, and uh, this is definitely what [Laughs.] goes on, [Joaquim affirms.] you know, with my-love all my siblings, but... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] Yeah, and to be clear, like we never were trying to say like Aang was a horrible, terrible parent... it's more about how Kya and Bumi, like, interpreted, [Joaquim gives an affirming murmur.] you know, Aang's absence, um, 'cause he was busy, he's a busy guy. He was being the Avatar, [Refers to when Tenzin recounts his vacations with Aang that Kya and Bumi say they never went on.] and then it was just kind of this natural thing where he ended up taking Tenzin around the world 'cause he was the... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] He was the vessel for his legacy. |
| Mike | ... the-he was the-the, yeah. The last uh, he was the second-to-last airbender, I guess, at the time, [Bryan affirms.] and uh, wanted to make sure his culture and, you know, continued on. Um, so it came out of-of a place of like trying to keep his culture going, which was, you know, always something that was very important to him. Uh, you know, maybe he overlooked spending some quality time with the other kids at one time or another, but didn't mean he was like... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] A terr... |
| Mike | ... a deadbeat dad, or something. [Laughs.] |
| Bryan | Yeah, yeah, and I think that's a pretty exaggerated interpretation if people read it that way. I mean, I guess, again, it's just that they don't want the image of that character that, you know, that maybe they love like tainted in any way, [Mike gives an affirming murmur.] but when have you and I ever been interested in presenting any of our characters perfectly? You know, um, it was funny when a lot of the criticisms about... Korra's uh, you know, where her character goes in these first Book Two episodes, and, you know, "oh, she's just so unreasonable," I think back to the middle of Book Two of uh, Avatar, and Aang when he lost Appa, [Mike affirms intermittently.] he was unreasonable, and he was violent and irritable, [Joaquim gives an affirming murmur.] and-and like he was, yeah, I think maybe it just wasn't as many episodes, but um, he was pretty bent outta shape. And-and... you know, we-we like, it's that uh, it's that saying someone told us once, you know, "good characters making [Laughs.] bad decisions, and bad characters making good decisions," like that's-those are interesting dynamics, and it's just realistic, you know? And-and I think Mike and I are, you know, our lives are very consumed by our careers and the responsibilities that we have on our shoulders, and neither of us have children, and I think we're both pretty scared of it, [Mike and Joaquim chuckle.] and the-the idea that, "man, if I had these responsibilities, and the responsibility of raising kids and trying to be a good parent," it doesn't mean you're a bad person or you were out to neglect your children, it's just, that's just life, trying to-it's-it's what we're always trying to deal with in our shows, is balance. Trying to find balance, and-and um, you know, Aang just had a hard time dealing all-with all of his responsibilities; trying to be the Avatar and keep peace... |
| Joaquim | [Interjects.] There's only so many hours in the day, man. [Mike chuckles.] |
| Bryan | Yeah. Trying to be uh, a good parent, and then also trying to pass on the entirety of his culture to the one other airbender [Joaquim gives an affirming murmur.] in the world. |
| Mike | [Refers to Kya using her waterbending to slowly descend with the waterfall's flow, while Tenzin spins and wafts through the air as he jumps from ledge to ledge on the cliff.] This scene came out cool. This wa-this was one of those episodes where like... I-I te-I also find that I tend to write episodes where I don't care if there's [Laughs.] any bending in the episode; I'm like, "I just want to write [Joaquim chuckles.] some cool character drama," and then usually, there's a network... |
| Bryan | [In the background.] The network, [Laughs.] yeah. |
| Mike | ... note that's like, "uh, can we get some bending in the episode?". [Joaquim laughs.] So, uh, I think that's where that little beat came from, but I think it works with uh, what's going on here. |
| Bryan | But it-I, again, I mean, as I said with the s-the uh, snowball thing, [Mike affirms.] it's fun to me to f-to... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] Yeah, it isn't always... |
| Bryan | ... exhibit non-martial [Joaquim affirms.] forms of bending, you know? It's-it's not always about smashin' somebody, [Mike affirms.] or-or in Korra's case, kickin' a door down, or something. |
| Mike | Yeah, and to me, too, like these... again, 'cause we're pitching out these stories and coming up with them, uh, on a-on a bigger picture, we always know like, "well, in the next episode, there's gonna be like a big, crazy action sequence," so we like, you know, we kinda try to pace it out so it's not like, you know; and always toward the end of the season, it's crazier and crazier. [Joaquim affirms.] So, you know, there's always plenty of action per season, that's-that's for sure. |
| Bryan | Yeah, we try to pace it out, but we're pretty bad at it. [Mike and Joaquim chuckle.] Usually overwork all the [Mike affirms.] board artists and animators. |
| Joaquim | There is, I mean, there's a level of appreciation, though, just on a sort of physical level as an artist when you get, you know, some nice dialogue scenes, and you can really focus on the staging and the composition of-of those scenes, as opposed to just thinking like, "oh man, this-this whole scene's gonna be crazy," and, "punch, punch, punch, kick, kick, kick." |
| Bryan | Yeah, then you can focus much more on the mood and the psychology [Joaquim affirms.] and the emotions, and... |
| Joaquim | [Brief pause; refers to when Bumi regales his tale of how he rescued twelve men from a mountain being assailed by blizzards, sandstorms and three typhoons.] That previous scene that we just-that we just went by, with uh, Bumi sort of telling his tall tales, it-it sorta takes me back to-to this Thanksgiving. I've got a friend who's really similar, who, when we were hanging out regularly, those stories would make me crazy, but I hadn't seen him in a couple years, and we just hung out this past Thanksgiving. And when we hang out now, I kinda like getting him all riled up [Mike and Bryan laugh.] to tell those tall tales, so me and my friends can kinda look at each other and say like, [Laughs.] "look at him go." |
| Bryan | I think it's a little bit based on a f-a good friend of Mike's and mine, [Laughs.] as well, who uh, who likes to embellish a little bit. [Mike chuckles.] |
| Joaquim | Everybody's got one. |
| Bryan | Yeah, yeah. |
| Mike | [Refers to when Bumi tries to outdo his siblings by physically climbing down the rocks along the waterfall, only to fall into the pool below.] Yeah, and it also definitely came out of, you know, Bumi's character of like trying to always have to prove himself, and-and want-didn't want people to think like he wasn't as cool as his brother or his dad. |
| Bryan | Yeah, Bumi as the non-bender with these uh, superstar bending siblings, he's g-he's got a-felt like he had a lot to prove. [Brief pause.] You know, I mean, I would imagine being born to the most famous bending couple in the world, and not being a bender... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] You're gonna have some issues. [Laughs.] |
| Bryan | ... would-would, yeah, would-would definitely do something to his uh, confidence. |
| Mike | [Refers to Korra dodging and redirecting the Southern rebels' attacks using her airbending and hand-to-hand combat.] Uh, so this fight, I remember, was a little tricky, 'cause it was like, Korra had to be, you know, her cool action self, but the idea was that she wasn't trying to like, [Refers to Korra saying she doesn't want to hurt the rebels, trying to get them to stand down and release Unalaq.] as she says there, she's not trying to hurt these guys, 'cause they are her fellow tribesmen. |
| Joaquim | Right. [Refers to Korra grabbing a large tapestry from the wall and snaring two of the rebels in it, then using her airbending to roll them up in the fabric.] Yeah, so, I think you had written in that she-she wraps these guys up, as opposed to like, you know, doing anything that would actually injure them. |
| Mike | Yeah. |
| Joaquim | She made like a little-little handroll, right there. [Bryan laughs.] |
| Mike | I was thinking of like... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Does look tasty. |
| Mike | ... those Jackie Chan movies, where he'd like do funny stuff to like... |
| Bryan | [In the background.] Subdue... |
| Mike | ... wrap guys up. |
| Joaquim | That's right. |
| Bryan | It's more about subduing [Mike affirms.] people in a.... |
| Joaquim | [Refers to Korra pressing the sole of her foot against the chest of one of the rebels rushing her, then pushing and sending him back into the staircase railing.] So, in the-in the storyboard, I remember specifically, she kinda like... |
| Mike | [In the background; refers to Korra wrapping the last rebel in his own rope, before whipping him around in the air and slamming him against a pillar.] Although, that guy's back is broken. |
| Joaquim | ... kicks that dude in the gut, a little bit. [Mike laughs.] But we wrote specifically, like, "foot-push. [Mike and Bryan affirm.] This is not a kick, it's more of a foot-push." [Bryan affirms.] |
| Mike | [Refers to Korra waterbending a ramp of ice underneath the snowmobile driven by her "father" as he tries to flee with a captured Unalaq, shaping the ramp's path so that the snowmobile is forced to drive on a vertical surface, falling off the ramp after stalling for a moment.] Although, this, yeah, and then this would probably hurt some. |
| Joaquim | Eh. [Mike laughs; refers to Korra's "father" and Unalaq falling off the snowmobile to the snow below.] It's snow, they landed on snow. |
| Mike | Yeah. [Bryan gives a questioning murmur.] |
| Joaquim | Kind of, [Bryan laughs.] sorta. |
| Bryan | We do our best. |
| A brief pause in commentary until Korra pulls the mask off her "father", revealing the bearded stranger's face underneath. | |
| Joaquim | Beardo! |
| Mike | Hey, that's not her... |
| Bryan | [Interjects; imitating Korra.] "Dad, how did you grow a beard! [Mike and Joaquim chuckle.] I just saw you." |
| Another brief pause in commentary until Unalaq wakes up, dazed, still in his nightwear from when the rebels kidnapped him in his sleep. | |
| Bryan | I think we shoulda given Unalaq a-a fancier like... |
| Mike | [Interjects; laughs.] Bathrobe? |
| Bryan | ... bathrobe, you know? |
| Joaquim | Sequins? |
| Bryan | Yeah. [Joaquim chuckles.] Some Liberace number. Some uh, fluffy like bunny slippers. [Brief pause; refers to the cool, dark blue color palette for the Royal Palace's ice architecture and tapestries.] I really like these cool, blue tones, this nighttime like ice BGs. [Brief pause.] Yeah, Book Two ended up being the most colorful thing I've ever art directed, [Mike chuckles.] especially as we get into the Spirit World stuff [Joaquim gives an affirming murmur.] later in the season. |
| Joaquim | I'll say, though, even-even right off the bat, the uh, the-the celebration of the, you know, the sort of fair, carnival ground area; it's colorful. We were like, "whoa, there's..." |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Yeah, Emily Tetri, one of our BG painters, did some really cool concept paintings for that stuff, and uh, just tried to make it festive. And uh, Josh Middleton had worked with us for a little bit at the beginning of the season, and uh, [Laughs.] he told me, he's like, "the show's kinda brown. [Joaquim and Mike laugh.] Whole thing looks brown". So, uh, I was like, "well, I was going for a 1920s vibe," and, you know, I really like, I don't know, to me, it gave it a more of a vintage feel, and uh, he's like, "yeah, but it's brown," so, definitely, I-I took his uh, advice to heart, and I-I made an effort throughout the season to brighten things up a bit. And uh, man, by the end, it... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] Well, we were also in a different... totally different locations, and cities. |
| Bryan | Yeah! I mean, it was a metropolitan [Mike affirms.] area, and the Jazz Age, so... |
| A brief pause in commentary until Kya says the reason why she and Bumi resent Tenzin is that he acts like he's the only one who was supposed to carry on Aang's legacy. | |
| Bryan | Well, you know, maybe we should look at the criticism differently; maybe this generation, they all get along great. |
| Mike | I-I would hope so. |
| Bryan | And that's awesome. [Joaquim affirms.] Human uh, s-human [Mike chuckles.] relations are improving since our era. |
| Mike | That's true; there was some uh, research we heard about that was like, "nowadays, kids love their parents and school and homework," and all these things that you're like, "what, really?" |
| Joaquim | Yeah. |
| Bryan | That may mean they may just go, too... |
| Mike | [In the background; laughs.] "Is that true?" |
| Bryan | Yeah. They said they don't like, they don't want conflict, they want everything to be happy. [Mike affirms.] The world's... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] So, uh, yeah. Broken... |
| Bryan | ... the world's like bad enough as it is. It was more of like an escapism thing. So, [Mike affirms.] sorry, kids; we like uh, [Mike laughs.] tension, drama, and uh... |
| Mike | [Interjects; in a mock serious tone.] We grew up in the hard days [Joaquim affirms.] of the Eighties. [Everyone laughs.] They were crazy times, back then. [Bryan affirms.] |
| Joaquim | I mean, it's gonna sound silly, but I watched uh, 21 Jump Street, and when I was a kid, you did not double strap unless you were a bookworm. |
| Bryan | Now, that's a backpack that's... |
| Mike | [In the background.] "Double strap"? |
| Joaquim | That's a backpack. |
| Mike | Oh. |
| Bryan | That's about how you-how you carry your backpack. |
| Mike | Now I know. I never heard that term before. |
| Bryan | But, you know, the o-o-the other problem with that was uh, kids from our generation, because we refused to wear the backpack [Mike laughs.] on both shoulders, were getting back problems... |
| Joaquim | [Interjects.] Yeah. |
| Mike | [Laughs.] Right. |
| Bryan | ... and was putting their spines out of place. This generation is-is uh, "Alexander Technique Pilates-savvy" [Joaquim chuckles.] generation. |
| Mike | They're gonna be the most healthy generation in the world. Bravo, kids. |
| Bryan | Get along with your siblings and your parents. [Refers to Korra hugging her parents, saying that she still needs them.] See! Look, kids! |
| Joaquim | This is... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Families in the end! [Joaquim affirms; refers to Unalaq stepping into the entrance of Tonraq and Senna's home.] They all lo-except for that evil uncle. [Mike chuckles.] That's the one that would storm out at Thanksgiving. [Refers to Unalaq's men stepping out from behind him and into the room, assuming their stances as they fan out to either side of Unalaq, who states that Tonraq and Senna are under arrest for conspiring to assassinate him.] Those guys are so fancy, the way they come in. |
| Mike | [Gives an affirming murmur.] They're really... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] I mean, they practiced that for months. |
| Mike | They're ready to go, ready to throw down. |
| Joaquim | [Refers to the swelling percussion that plays as the scene transitions from Korra, Tonraq and Senna's shocked reactions to the initial credit slide.] Boom. [Brief pause; refers to the credits playing.] Well, we got the uh... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] Credits! |
| Joaquim | ... com-three more. |
| Mike | Hey, everybody. We're at the credits. [Refers to the credits for the starring and additional cast.] Look at all those actors, we have a lot of actors on this show. |
| Bryan | [Refers to the sepia tone for the Republic City background.] There's the brown, see? See how brown the show [Mike chuckles.] can be? |
| Joaquim | Yeah, [In a Southern accent.] that is the brownest show. [Mike chuckles.] |
| Bryan | [In a Southern accent.] It's all sepia. |
| Mike | [Brief pause.] Yeah, see here... |
| Joaquim | [Interjects; refers to the shot skimming over the water in the foreground.] Those're some credits, [Bryan laughs.] with some water going by, right there. [Mike chuckles.] That is some credits. |