| Note: From the beginning of the commentary to its first cut-to-black, the voices of the four doing the commentary are artificially altered. The voice of Benjamin Wynn is pitched down, producing a deep sound; the other three voices are pitched up. | |
| Michael Dante DiMartino | We're back, everybody! So, this is Mike DiMartino, uh, and I am the co-creator and executive producer of this program that you are watching. |
|---|---|
| Bryan Konietzko | [Even higher in pitch than Mike's, spoken slowly and rhythmically for comedic effect.] And I am Bryan Konietzko and I co-created this show with Mike. And I do other stuff, too. |
| Benjamin Wynn | [Very deep tone.] Uhhh... [Mike and Bryan chuckle intermittently.] uh, this is uh, mmm, this is Ben Wynn and, uh, um, yeah, I'm in the Track Team with-with Jeremy, who's about to tell you his name, and I do the sound design. |
| Jeremy Zuckerman | [Playing with the sound effect, sliding the tone of his voice upward, to chuckles from Mike and Bryan.] Whoooaaa! What's up? This is Jeremy Zuckerman and I make music for Korra. |
| Bryan | Yep. |
| Ben | I like how you say "Koooorra". |
| Jeremy | "Koooorra". |
| Bryan | And [Specifying the pronunciation of Jeremy's last name.] "Zook-er-man", not "Zuck-er-man". |
| Jeremy | "Zook" as in "book". Dot, dot, dot. |
| Bryan | Yeah. Uh... |
| Ben | [Interjects.] Oh, as-as in "Facebook"? |
| Bryan | Alright... Mike, what's goin' on in this episode? |
| Mike | [Laughs.] Uh, this is the-this is the, you know, the s-the second-to-last episode, so things are gettin' serious. [Refers to Team Avatar hiding out with Gommu and his community.] 'Cause kids are hidin' out... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Aw, yeah. |
| Mike | ... [Refers to the Equalists' mecha tanks and airships the space around City Hall and the Pro-bending Arena, as well as Aang's statue having Equalist banners hanging over the staff and a large replica of Amon's mask covering the face.] and, uh, the Equalists have taken over. It's, uh, it's a-it's-it's a sad day for our heroes, really. [Bryan affirms.] |
| Ben | Gettin' real. |
| Jeremy | It's a low point. |
| Mike | [Refers to Hiroshi Sato's rally supporting the Equalists' takeover of Republic City.] I wonder how many rallies and speeches and microphones we had in this first uh... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Yeah. Too many. |
| Mike | [Laughs.] I think so. |
| Bryan | That's how many. [Ben and Jeremy chuckle.] But yeah, I mean, Mike and I always knew there'd be a time, some-some point in the season where the Equalists had control. Which was fun. |
| Mike | [Refers to Korra and Mako spying on the rally while wearing Equalist uniforms.] And it's always fun to see our heroes in, you know, the bad guy outfits. |
| Bryan | Yeah. |
| Mike | Put 'em-put 'em in the chi-blocker costumes and... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] It's like uh, Luke Skywalker. |
| Jeremy | It suits them. |
| Ben | So... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] And Han Solo. |
| Ben | ... what do you guys think? [Refers to Mako talking Korra out of breaking up the rally.] I mean, I think they're a pretty attractive couple, but do you like 'em more... |
| Bryan | [In the background; laughs.] Alright... |
| Ben | ... with uh, Asami? Or, I mean, 'cause she's pretty [Mike laughs.] good-lookin' too. |
| Bryan | Okay, this is why-I'll tell you why Ben's bringing this up. |
| Jeremy | Oh, here we go. [Ben and Bryan laugh.] All right. |
| Bryan | So... |
| Jeremy | [Interjects.] Nice setup, Ben. [Ben and Mike laugh.] |
| Bryan | [Laughs.] Smooth... |
| Ben | [Interjects.] I mean, they're all such attractive people, you know? |
| Bryan | ... smooth move, Ben. [Jeremy and Ben laugh.] So, it wasn't, it definitely wasn't, like, the intention, but once, like, once we had animation back, we started noticing that Mako looks a bit like Ben. He's got the same kinda, like, poofy fauxhawk. [Jeremy and Ben laugh intermittently.] And uh, and then we realized that Asami looks like Ben's wife, Lara. And uh, so I-I took this one still of those two characters, and all I had to do was give Asami bangs, and uh... |
| Jeremy | [In the background.] Lara... |
| Bryan | ... I gave Mako some glasses and stubble... |
| Jeremy | [In the background.] It... |
| Bryan | ... and it was like, "oh, yeah, that's Ben and Lara." [Ben laughs.] |
| Jeremy | [Laughs.] That's Lara's Facebook uh, photo. [Bryan affirms.] |
| Ben | [Laughs.] Yeah. |
| Bryan | S-they, they're-they're both pretty proud of it. |
| Ben | [Laughs.] We are. |
| Bryan | I think they tell people that, like, we created the characters based on [Jeremy and Ben laugh.] them and stuff, but it's not true. |
| Ben | You know what's funny, though, is that I knew what was gonna happen with the series a little bit before she did, and I knew that it wasn't really gonna, you know, things were gettin' dicey with Asami, [Laughter from all, especially from Bryan.] and uh, I was like, "Bryan, what are you tryin' to do to me," you know? [Jeremy laughs.] |
| Bryan | [Laughs.] I'm tryin' to break up your marriage! |
| Ben | [Laughs.] My home life is [Jeremy laughs.] gonna be disrupted. |
| Bryan | Yeah. |
| Ben | But the crazy thing is, she-she kinda wants Korra to be with-with Ma-with... |
| An outburst of sarcastic sympathy from the others. | |
| Bryan | Aw, man, that says more about you guys. |
| Jeremy | Let's analyze that for a second. |
| Ben | What does that mean? What's goin' on? |
| Jeremy | What does that mean? |
| Bryan | That ain't, that ain't my doing, man. That's all you. [Jeremy laughs.] |
| Ben | Um... [Laughs.] |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] That's all you. [Brief pause.] Yeah, that's weird, I don't... |
| Jeremy | [Laughing.] Let's talk about something else! [Bryan affirms.] I'm uncomfortable. |
| Laughter from Ben and a parting cackle from Bryan. | |
| Ben | Do you guys, is it-is it gonna be okay? [Jeremy, Ben and Mike laugh.] |
| Bryan | Yeah, I don't know. We'll figure it out. |
| Jeremy | Probably not, Ben. |
| Ben | Can you draw something? I mean, make it-make it work out in the series. [Jeremy laughs.] |
| Bryan | [Laughing.] We'll see what we can do. |
| Ben | It's in your hands, guys. |
| Bryan | All right. We'll-we'll save your marriage. |
| Ben | Thanks. |
| Jeremy | [As the scene shows Amon and the metalbender whose bending he is about to remove.] So, my three-year-old daughter loves to take my bending away. [Bryan laughs.] |
| Mike | Oh, really? [Laughs.] |
| Jeremy | She loves it. But she, she-she... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] Does she watch this? |
| Jeremy | ... she probably, oh, she watched the whole uh, s-season. She probably shouldn't, though, 'cause she's... |
| Bryan | Does she come up behind you and, like, she's like... |
| Jeremy | [Interjects.] No, she puts her hand on my head, [Bryan affirms.] when she's wearing her um, her-her, like, bathrobe. [Mike and Bryan laugh.] It has a hood and everything. [Ben chuckles.] |
| Bryan | Is it scary at all? |
| Jeremy | It scares me a lot. [Ben and Mike laugh.] |
| Bryan | Yeah. |
| Mike | Is the show scary to her, though? |
| Jeremy | Um, [Mike laughs.] s-sort of. She-she has started closing her eyes [Mike affirms.] at certain spots, but she doesn't seem scared. It's weird. |
| Mike | But... but she identifies with Amon, apparently. |
| Jeremy | Uh-huh. [Mike laughs.] |
| Ben | So, what does she say when she takes your bending? |
| Jeremy | She says, "let me take your bending away, let me take your bending away!". [Mike and Bryan laugh.] But then she gives it back. |
| Bryan | Aw, that's nice. |
| Jeremy | I say, "give it back," and she says, "I'm Aang, I'm Aang." [Ben and Mike laugh.] |
| Bryan | Aw, man. That's awesome. |
| Jeremy | Yeah, it's cool. |
| Bryan | Has she seen the old series? |
| Jeremy | Uh, yeah, but not all of it. |
| Bryan | Yeah. Well, it-it's-it's pretty long. |
| Jeremy | No, but she's seen a lot of it. |
| Bryan | Wow. |
| Jeremy | Yeah. And she... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Does she un-does she understand that you did the music? |
| Jeremy | Um, I think so. [Mike chuckles.] I mean, we tell her that, and I say, "isn't this music awesome?" [Mike and Ben chuckle.] |
| Bryan | [Laughs.] It's like, "no, that's why I'm closing my eyes: [Jeremy laughs intermittently.] I'm-I'm waiting for it to end. I'm trying to pretend I'm somewhere else." |
| Ben | [As Mako appears on screen, lowering his spyglass to look back at Korra.] Do you tell her that I star in the show? [Laughs.] |
| Bryan | [Laughs.] She's like... |
| Jeremy | [Interjects.] She knows it. |
| Bryan | ... "Uncle Ben, Uncle Ben! [Jeremy and Ben chuckle.] Aunt Lara!" |
| Jeremy | She knows intuitively. [Ben chuckles.] |
| Bryan | [As the shot descends underwater, revealing mines below the surface.] Well, and then you-Ben got that f-got a fancy, uh, convertible sports car, [Ben grunts in approval.] which is a lot like Asami, too. So, we're like, "oh, there's Ben and Lara, [Ben and Jeremy laugh.] in their fancy convertible." |
| Jeremy | There they go. |
| Ben | I'm gonna try to get an airplane soon. [Jeremy laughs.] |
| Bryan | [Laughs.] Awesome. |
| A short pause as the scene plays out: Korra dives into the water, disappearing into the depths as she makes her way toward the ailing fleet of ships in the harbor. | |
| Ben | [Laughs.] Oh, it's about to go down. [Draws out the last word, making a low, rumbling sound.] |
| Jeremy | This is a cool scene. |
| Bryan | Oh, man, I forgot this was in this episode. [Ben laughs.] |
| Jeremy | Oh, the nice calm before the storm. |
| Mike | Yeah, it's the lead-up to the big battle. |
| Bryan | Yeah. |
| Jeremy | [Refers to when Korra emerges from the water near the battleships, taking a large breath in.] I love this breath. |
| Ben | [As Iroh walks out of the bridge, listening to the growing drone of engines in the distance.] Oh, I like the airplanes. |
| As Korra surfaces, they speak in hushed, ominous tones for a moment. | |
| Jeremy | Here are the airplanes. |
| Ben | They're coming. |
| Bryan | Here they come. [Begins to make a buzzing sound in imitation of the engines.] |
| Jeremy | [In reference to Mako's confused "What now?".] What? |
| Ben uses his low tone to create a low rumble as Mako searches for the aircraft with his spyglass; as Bryan begins to talk, Jeremy joins Ben, producing his own higher-pitched tone. | |
| Bryan | This is a great, this-this whole... |
| Bryan abandons the thought, adding his own very high tone to the cacophony of noise as Mike laughs. As the aircraft round a set of buildings and fly straight into the camera, the noise builds to a climax, Jeremy changing his voice to a sort of garbled yowl as Ben's low growl pitches briefly up and ends. Bryan laughs. | |
| Bryan | [Exuberantly.] Airplane! |
| A short pause. | |
| Mike | Yeah. |
| Bryan | I think... |
| Ben | [Interjects.] That's how we do it. [Laughs.] |
| Bryan | ... whenever-whenever, like... |
| Jeremy | [Interjects.] That's how it works. |
| Ben | Magic. |
| Bryan | ... Mike and I, Mike and I will, like, "oh, at a certain point, they're gonna have airplanes!". [Chuckles from Mike, Ben and Jeremy.] And, like, in the old series, it was like, "they're gonna have airships!". And, you know, it's a big deal within the world, and I think we, like, really freak out about protecting it so that no one knows, like, the fans don't find out ahead of time. [Jeremy affirms.] Like, "aw, man, they're gonna have mecha tanks! [Mike chuckles.] It's crazy!" |
| Jeremy | Well, the-the reveals are always awesome. |
| Bryan | But, I find... no one seems to care. [Jeremy laughs.] |
| Mike | [Laughs.] Yeah. It's like, "oh, yeah, there's airplanes, big-big whoop." |
| Bryan | [As the laughter continues.] Like, it's the, "yeah, whatever." They're like, "yeah, that's an airplane, I've seen one". [Ben, MIke and Jeremy chuckle.] Yeah, 'cause, I mean, airplanes've been around, you know? [Ben chuckles.] |
| At this point in the commentary, as Korra tumbles toward the screen underwater, the episode cuts to black. There is a pause and when the scene resumes, showing Korra swimming toward the surface as explosions rock the ships above her, the voices of the four men are normal and no longer artificially pitched. | |
| Mike | So, this was kind of our World War II, World War I-inspired, you know, battle scene, which was cool, but also uh, kinda crazy. As usual. |
| Bryan | [Refers to the "War" theme.] Yeah, and I remember we, [Clears throat.] Jeremy really wanted to kinda go against the-the grain and do some really mellow, somber [Mike affirms.] music. And uh, I mean, I love in, like, Ghost in the Shell, [Jeremy gives an affirming murmur.] you know, it just-just really kinda sparse ambient music and uh, a lot of the action scenes, it's not your typical, like, "DUN-dun-dun-DUN-dun-dun-DUN", you know? |
| Jeremy | Yeah. |
| Bryan | So, we've-we've done, I mean, we've done stuff like that from time to time, but this one was definitely uh, different. I remember we kinda had to fight for it a little bit. |
| Jeremy | Oh yeah? |
| Bryan | Um, yeah. |
| Jeremy | I didn't know that. [Bryan affirms.] |
| Ben | With who? |
| Bryan | The network, a bit. |
| Jeremy | Oh. |
| Bryan | And-and when-and... |
| Ben | [Interjects.] About the music? |
| Bryan | Yeah, just-just that it... |
| Jeremy | [Refers to Korra's leitmotif in the "War" theme as she rises up from the ocean on a water spout to try and stop the attacking airplanes.] And in this moment, it now, because of that, [Bryan affirms.] is like really stirring, you know? |
| Mike | Totally. |
| Bryan | I like it. I mean, it shows, it shows the different side of, you know, this is basically war, and it's like... |
| Ben | [Interjects; seeing the point, agreeing.] Mm-hmm. |
| Jeremy | Exactly. |
| Bryan | ... instead of, like, [Enthusiastically.] "yeah, war"... [Mike chuckles.] |
| Jeremy | [In the background; as the others chuckle.] Exactly. |
| Bryan | ... it was more like, "wow, this is all really sad." |
| Jeremy | It's-it's more the reality of it. [Ben affirmingly murmurs.] |
| Bryan | Yeah, so, no, it was-it was a bold choice. I mean, even I was, 'cause, you know, we-we always want things to be as exciting and engaging as possible, so, [Jeremy affirms.] usually the default, or how you have something in your head while you're working on it for months is, like, "oh, this is gonna be so energetic and crazy," but... [Ben gives an affirming murmur.] |
| Jeremy | [Interjects; affirmingly murmurs.] But what's cool is how this-this scene has somewhere to go because of that, you know? |
| Bryan | Yeah. |
| Jeremy | [Refers to the dramatically tense part of the "War" theme as Iroh firebends the approaching airplanes from the ship's lookout tower.] It's building, building, buil-building, it starts off really somber, and then, you know, it goes into Korra's heroic moment, and now it's, like, a more traditional sort of approach. |
| Bryan | Yep. |
| Jeremy | Or, you know. |
| Ben | [Refers to the fire blasts from the United Forces sailors and cannons, and the explosions from the Equalists' bombs and mines.] I remember one of the hard things sound-wise with the scene is differentiating all the different kinds of fire. [Laughs.] |
| Bryan | [Chuckling.] Yeah. |
| Jeremy | I know. |
| Ben | 'Cause there's explosions, there's those fire cannons, and then there's firebending. |
| As Iroh, incapacitated by the fighter planes, tumbles into the water and begins to sink on screen. | |
| Jeremy | Here we go, with the... |
| Ben | [Interjects.] And they all should sound different. |
| Bryan | [Refers to Iroh sinking underwater, the sounds of bubbles moving around his descending body and dulled explosions from above playing over the music.] I love all the underwater scenes for sound. It's always so cool. |
| Ben | [Gives an affirming murmur.] I do, too. |
| Bryan | It's fun to, like, yeah, those are cool places to dip the music down and just let the sound take it away. [Ben gives an affirming murmur.] Which is, you know, it's like, when you go underwater, everything gets so muffled and quiet, it sort of plays off that... experience. |
| As the shot cuts out, showing Korra and Iroh escaping the decimated fleet, and the scene transitions to the underground camp, a short instrumental trill plays. Jeremy's comment is in reference to the trill. | |
| Jeremy | Little... little dízi transition with Hong... Hong Wang [The musician.]. |
| As the sound of the dízi fades, Ben hums pleasantly and Jeremy sighs relaxedly. Ben chuckles in response. | |
| Jeremy | No music. |
| Short pause. | |
| Mike | Gonna take a little break. |
| Jeremy | Definitely. |
| Mike | Take a day. |
| Ben | [In reference to Korra healing Iroh's burns.] That's a good ol' water healing. |
| Jeremy | That's-is that the same? |
| Ben | [Interjects.] That's-that's the same, that's a similar sound from... |
| Jeremy | ... it's the same? |
| Bryan | Yeah. |
| Jeremy | From Avatar? |
| Ben | That's spectral shifting. [Whispering.] There you go. |
| Jeremy | For you nerds out there. [Ben chuckles.] Nerds. |
| Ben | [Changing his voice to sound like a stereotypical nerd.] "That's some FFT-based DOS spectral, uh..." [Bryan chuckles.] |
| Jeremy | [Interjects.] "Are you using IFFT, or ..." |
| Ben | [Chuckling.] "Using the reverse, uh..." |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] See, this is how they got the job. 'Cause, [Ben affirms.] you know... |
| Jeremy | [Adopting Ben's nerdy voice.] "We're technical." |
| Bryan | I knew... |
| Ben | [Interjects.] "How many bands? That was-that was about uh, 8,000 bands." |
| Jeremy | "80, uh, 8092?" |
| Ben | "Click those in, uh, yeah, 90, 92, 92 bands." |
| Bryan | Bah. We joke, but it is, it, I mean, the nice thing is that you guys really understand, like, I mean, you have sound processing at your disposal, and-and so if Mike and I say something really, like, vague, like, "make it more, you know, dream-like, squishy, nightmare, whatever," [Jeremy chuckles.] you know, it's like, "oh, oka-yeah, I could figure out a way to do it," 'cause you guys have, like, such a... |
| Ben | [Interjects.] Yeah, in all-in all seriousness, the education that I got, and I'm sure Jeremy would say the same, in sound synthesis and digital signal processing, and using computers to mess with sound really pays off. |
| Jeremy | Oh yeah. |
| Ben | Just-just in terms of knowing the theories behind all of it can really, really, really helps out. |
| Jeremy | In so many ways. Like, it gives you another... |
| Ben | [Interjects; speaking rapidly.] Go-go to school. |
| Jeremy | Yeah, it gives you just another uh, another tool, you know? |
| Bryan | And, probably, I-I would imagine, all of the, especially, like, the production work that you guys do might feed into your own personal music or other projects, too, just all the, like, chops that you get... |
| Jeremy | Oh, totally. |
| Ben | And vi-vice versa. I mean, interestingly, you know, when, [Chuckles.] We didn't know much about doing music for animation, or sound for animation, when we started Avatar and I think we have realized that in, you know, in some ways we were lucky, in terms-because it's so, animation is so hard. [Jeremy affirms.] And you really, it really does make you get good, because it's so, so involved. |
| Jeremy | So technically challenging. There's so much material. Um... |
| Ben | [Brief pause.] Like, we-we had the opportunity to do an indie film and we were just like, "wow." [Ben and Jeremy chuckle.] |
| Mike | You found it easier, or... |
| Jeremy | [In the background.] So-so much... |
| Ben | Yeah, easier. |
| Jeremy | Much easier. |
| Bryan | Yeah. Alright. |
| Mike | Yeah. Alright, I've... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Mike's-Mike's got something he wants to talk about. |
| Mike | I got a, [Laughs.] I've got a very serious issue I need to discuss here. |
| Ben playfully shushes the other commentators. | |
| Mike | So, you know, there was a lot o' controversy, uh, I think, or questions from the fans about Korra and Mako's relationship, and Mako and Asami's relationship, and Mako was a jerk for cheating on Asami with Korra, and all this stuff. [Refers to Mako, having elected to join Korra on her mission to take down Amon, apologizing to Asami for how messed up their relationship got and saying that he still cares about her.] So, now, this scene right here was meant to be kinda their breakup moment, so when he does end up with Korra in the last episode, it wasn't like, "oh, I just cheated on my girlfriend with Korra," it was like, they both... |
| Bryan | [Interjects; laughs.] Who is like in the other room. [Bryan and Jeremy laugh.] |
| Mike | Right. [Refers to Asami somberly telling Mako she cares about him too, lightly kissing him on the cheek before she leaves with Bolin and Iroh to destroy her father's airfield.] It's like, both, you know, we tried to play it more subtle where it's like both Mako and Asami kinda, you know, mutually realize, like, this is not really working out, and kinda say their goodbyes. But we didn't wanna do, you know, it's a, it's a moment where it's not appropriate to really have like a-a big breakup argument, or something. [Laughs.] You know? |
| Jeremy | Right. |
| Mike | Anyway, they both still care about each other. |
| Jeremy | That's what, I mean, it's very adult. [Mike affirms.] Yeah, I'm sure uh, many-most people t-unders-you know, took it that way. |
| Bryan | Ah, I don't think so. [Laughs.] |
| Jeremy | Really? |
| Mike | I don't know. |
| Bryan | Yeah, I don't know. At least the-the squeaky... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] There was some conf-it might have been a little too subtle. I don't know, but... |
| Bryan | ... the squeaky wheels, yeah. I mean, Mike and I f-we look at that and we go, "ah, alright, that's one we could George Lucas," you know? Like, [Mike laughs.] I feel like we could hit it a little bit more on the nose. Uh... |
| Jeremy | [Interjects; imitating Mako.] "I don't want to go out with you anymore, Asami." [Laughs.] |
| Bryan | Yeah, I m-not that obviously. [Jeremy chuckles.] Like, uh, so, I don't know. |
| Mike | But anyway... |
| Jeremy | [In the background.] My girlfriend... |
| Mike | ... for all of you who are still Mako... |
| Bryan | [Interjects; simultaneously with Mike.] Haters. |
| Mike | ... [Simultaneously with Bryan.] haters out-out there, you know... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Korra kissed him. |
| Mike | ... they-they both... |
| Jeremy | [Interjects.] Give the man a break. |
| Ben | Let-let a playa play. [Jeremy laughs.] |
| Mike | They had a clean-they had a breakup. |
| Ben | Let a player play. |
| Mike | So, there's-he was-he was-he was good to go. |
| Bryan | [Laughs.] "Let a player play". [Mike laughs.] Oh man. |
| Ben | He's got good options, that Mako. |
| Bryan | [Refers to the Lieutenant telling a disguised Korra and Mako that Amon wants extra security at the rally being held in the pro-bending arena.] By the way, uh, Lance Henriksen's uh, read right there where he goes, "the rally," [Laughs.] is my favorite... |
| Jeremy | [Interjects.] It's awesome. [Ben chuckles.] |
| Bryan | ... it's my favorite read in the entire series. [Imitating Mako's confusion.] He's like, "what are we talking about?" [Imitating the Lieutenant's deep, raspy voice.] "the rally." |
| Ben | We-we didn't even have a pitch shifter on his voice. |
| Bryan | Well, yeah. |
| Jeremy | [Refers to Korra and Mako finding Tarrlok imprisoned in the air temple's attic.] Stuff gets serious here. |
| Bryan | Famously, he doesn't need it. |
| Jeremy | Could you guys shut up for a second? I'm trying to watch this. [Bryan and Ben laugh.] |
| Mike | We had a lot o' old ideas where, like, Tarrlok-they were going to find Tarrlok in some-Yakone's old like hideout in the mountains, or something. |
| Bryan | Oh yeah. |
| Mike | We had all these crazy... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Which ended up being Korra up there. [Mike affirms.] But, you're right, I forgot about that. |
| Mike | And then we-then we're like, "we need him to be in the city". But, we'll discuss their backstory very soon. |
| Bryan | [Imitating and referring to Tarrlok revealing that Amon is his brother.] "I'm Ya..." oh, I almost said Yakone's brother. [Jeremy laughs.] |
| Mike | [Laughs.] Whoops. |
| Bryan | "I am my father's brother". [Ben and Jeremy laugh.] Just turns into Chinatown. |
| A brief pause in commentary until the scene fades back in from a black screen to an establishing shot of the air temple tower in the foreground, with the defaced Avatar Aang statue looking over a foggy Republic City in the background. | |
| Ben | Act three. |
| Mike | [Refers to the flashbacks of Tarrlok and Amon, previously known as Noatak, learning bloodbending from their father, Yakone.] Alright. Now we enter one of the saddest acts of [Laughs; Bryan affirms.] Legend of Korra. |
| Bryan | Mike and I get really excited about doing sad stuff. |
| Mike | [Laughs.] Yeah. |
| Jeremy | Me too. |
| Ben | Yeah. |
| Mike | Well, from the beginning, we knew we were going to have, you know, some sort of backstory that involved Aang, and was gonna be tied into Amon and this guy Tarrlok, somehow, and went through a bunch of different, you know, ideas before we kinda got to this, this story. But, you know, it was always gonna be kind of a serious uh, serious backstory. |
| Jeremy | [Refers to Yakone getting plastic surgery, assuming a new identity with a new face.] I mean, this is some serious material, right here. [Ben gives an affirming murmur.] |
| Mike | Yes, it is. That's what I love doing on the show, writing-wise, is like, I realize it's kind of our style is to do, uh, each season, we always seem to do a backstory [Ben gives an affirming murmur.] through it, you know? [Refers to Korra and Mako learning that Amon is a bloodbender.] Sometimes that directly reflects on the, [Jeremy affirms.] on the main story, as this did; um, sometimes you're just finding out more about the-the characters, or whatever. [Refers to Tarrlok narrating the flashbacks of his life with Yakone and Noatak.] But I like the "story within a story" format, [Jeremy gives an affirming murmur.] I guess. |
| Ben | There's so much depth. |
| Jeremy | Absolutely, yeah. |
| Ben | That's what-that's what's so great about the show. |
| Jeremy | [Refers to the "Before" theme that plays from after Tarrlok reveals that he and Amon are brothers, to just before the initial credit slide.] Bryan had a really cool idea with this one at spotting session; music-for the m-the idea was to make this whole act pretty much one musical piece, one cue. Usually in an act, there'll be like, you know, between seven and ten cues; and this was, what, the longest, this is by far the longest cue I-I've done so far on-that I've done for uh, Korra. I think it's seven minutes, or something, and it's-even for a movie, it's like-sort of-fair-fairly long cue. I mean, they're certainly longer ones for movies. But, um, but the cool-the idea was that um, it'd be a duet of some kind, um, and the erhu would represent um, uh, Tarrlok, and the cello would represent Noatak. So... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] See, I came a long way from not associating uh, [Mike chuckles.] you know... |
| Jeremy | [Interjects; laughs.] Yeah. |
| Bryan | ... cue-cues with characters to like... |
| Jeremy | [Interjects.] Good point. |
| Bryan | ... I was like, "hey, what if we did that?". Yeah, and, uh, well, the idea was the easy part, you had the hard part. [Laughs.] |
| Ben | Yeah. Came out [Enunciates every syllable.] beautiful. |
| Bryan | Yeah. [Refers to the part of the theme that plays when Yakone met Tarrlok and Noatak's mother in the Northern Water Tribe.] That little moment where he's, you know, where Yakone meets their mother, and you hear the-the cello kinda swell, man, that's one of my favorite parts, I love it. |
| Jeremy | Thanks, man. It was so much fun and so nerve wracking because... you know, it's easy to lose perspective when you're doing duet. Duet, actually, when you're writing for just a solo instrument or a couple instruments, it-it-in some ways, it's much harder than writing for a full orchestra... um, because, you know, every idea is fully exposed, and you don't have density, you don't have certain things like... density at your disposal. I mean, you have no density, but that's about it, not orche-you know, instrumental den-density. Um, and so, and also, you-you know, so, this was done as a mock-up 'cause they have to hear, they hear like a rough version of the music before it goes final at the mix, and so we don't record until after they hear the rough version. So, the c-the c-writing in the cello and the erhu, our mock-ups, and they sound absolutely terrible. [Ben chuckles.] |
| Bryan | But, we, I mean... |
| Jeremy | [Interjects.] You could tell, I guess, hopefully. |
| Bryan | ... we've done, by this point, we had done like seventy episodes together, [Laughs; Jeremy affirms intermittently.] with, you know, including Avatar. So, there's obviously a... fair amount of trust and, and-and, you know, we're-we're both musicians; I mean, Mike was a master uh, jazz band musician, [Mike scoffs.] right? [Bryan and Jeremy laugh.] |
| Mike | Hardly. |
| Bryan | Clarinet? |
| Mike | I played clarinet and saxophone in high school. |
| Jeremy | Nice. |
| Bryan | But, see, you-you're a musician, though. |
| Mike | I-I have musical inclinations, or something. |
| Bryan | Yes. So, it's-yeah, it's... [Mike chuckles.] |
| Jeremy | [Interjects.] Absolutely, and then you-you have your ginormous stuff... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] So, it's just like... |
| Jeremy | ... you know? So... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Yeah, just like knowing, sure, once this get-it's-it's like seeing early CG work where it's like wireframe or not rendered, it's like, oh, no, you get the idea, you know? |
| Jeremy | Right, right, right. |
| Ben | The... |
| Bryan | [Interjects; refers to Tarrlok and Noatak bloodbending a yak and a pack of wolves, the animals groaning and whimpering in pain as their bodies are manipulated.] This was-this was a tough thing for me, uh, especially um, I mean, everyone in this room is uh... n-n-none of us enjoy like hunting or [Laughs.] killing or hurting... |
| Ben | [In the background.] All of the-all his pets. |
| Bryan | ... hurting animals, or anything. And, um, so, yeah, I mean, this was something I wanted to be really careful about, um, [Refers to when Tarrlok pleaded with his brother to stop hurting the yak.] and it was really important to me that you saw, at least through Noatak's character, that he did not en-or, I'm sorry, through Tarrlok's character, he did not enjoy this. Uh, this was not something he, he didn't disregard the-the animal's discomfort, you know? [Jeremy gives an affirming murmur; refers to when Yakone orders Noatak and Tarrlok to bloodbend each other.] Um, and-and the only-the only other thing that kinda helped me like swallow this was that they end up doing it to each other. So, it's something, you-you know, they-they do to humans too, and uh, you know, it-it's an unplea-being bloodbent is an unpleasant experience, but you can walk away from it, you're okay, it's just a-an uncomfortable, [Jeremy affirms.] you know, situation. But, yeah, it was something that I was very sensitive about because I-I definitely, uh, you know, I didn't wanna kinda glorify or gloss over like some cruelty to animals. Uh... |
| Mike | [Interjects.] And... |
| Ben | [In the background.] It's a... |
| Mike | ... [Refers to the various noises made by the yaks and wolves.] Dee Bradley Baker did, you know, does all our animal voices, like did all those-the wolves and then the yaks from earlier. Like I remember when he did the ADR for this episode, it was like, it was, it was-it was tough too, [Bryan affirms.] to hear him like, it sounded like animals being... |
| Jeremy | [Interjects.] Wow. |
| Mike | ... injured. |
| Ben | [Refers to the fleshy squeezing and breaking sounds that play in the background during Tarrlok and Noatak's bloodbending training.] Those sounds too, the bloodbending sounds, it's also a fine line because you can make 'em really physical and violent, [Jeremy affirms.] and so, you kinda have to be careful to not make 'em too gory. |
| Bryan | Yeah, you want it to be squishy and uncomfortable, but, yeah, we had [Laughs.] a lot o' tal-there was a lot of like placing them in the mix so they weren't too kind of aggressive, and uh... |
| Ben | Yeah, 'cause it should sound like, you know, ligaments [Bryan affirms.] snapping, and... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] No, it shouldn't. [Laughs.] |
| Ben | [Refers to Noatak bloodbending Tarrlok, forcing him to kneel and arch back.] Well, but, I mean, that's what's happening now. |
| Bryan | Well, I mean, wit-the idea is that they're bending the blood, you know, or-or the-the liquid [Ben affirms.] in the tissue, so it kinda, it's like a squishing around, and... |
| Ben | [Interjects.] It's tricky though, 'cause, I mean, that, [Gives a pondering murmer.] liquid doesn't make as much sound as [Bryan affirms.] that other stuff. |
| Bryan | Anyways. [Ben chuckles.] Came out great. But uh, yeah, it's a weird... it's a weird thing. [Refers to Noatak using his bloodbending to contort a now gasping and struggling Yakone in order to protect Tarrlok from their father's discipline.] But, yeah, so, this is-it's definitely an intense scene here, this is uh... |
| Jeremy | [Brief pause; refers to Noatak mocking his father for his weakness after years of being abused by him.] Yeah, this is-this is some uh, some mature concepts. |
| Bryan | But again, I-I don't-Mike and I tend to do stuff, like with Ozai and uh, with like really horrible father figures, [Mike chuckles.] but our dads were awesome guys. [Laughs; Mike affirms.] They were really cool guys. Good dads. So uh, [Jeremy affirms.] you know, just little message to our families, it's nothing, [Jeremy laughs.] we're just writing. |
| Jeremy | Nothing personal. |
| Ben | They're-they're scared to say otherwise. |
| Bryan | T-telling stories. [Jeremy and Bryan laugh.] |
| Mike | [Refers to Noatak rejecting Yakone, and leaving Tarrlok behind as he leaves the Northern Water Tribe.] But I thi-yeah, this whole stuff like humanizes Amon. [Jeremy affirms.] Who, you know, this whole season, he tried to make himself almost this godlike figure with a mask, and have no humanity to him, almost. And-and now, you find out he's-he's a-he was just a kid. |
| Bryan | Yeah, I mean, that's a-a type of treatment that Mike and I favor with so-called bad guys, or, you know, antagonists, I guess, is a better word, um, because, much like real life, when you-there's someone who's working a-seeming to work against you, or has it out for you, or has a opposing view, uh, you know, so often if you just find out why they have that view, or how they ended up that way, or why they're so out of balance, um, you know, if you gain some empathy, it can help in conflict resolution. |
| Ben | Or you can just punch him. |
| Bryan | Yeah, or, [Ben chuckles.] that's Korra's idea. |
| Ben | Yeah, really. |
| Bryan | So, yeah, I mean, this was a-an interesting episode, structure-wise, because the action was really towards the front [Jeremy gives an affirming murmur.] of the episode, and then you have this long, slow, drawn-out flashback at the end. So, I mean, it sorta worked-it-this episode sort of works as the first half of the finale. So... |
| Jeremy | [Interjects.] That's another nice thing is that the-there's not like a real, um, predictable form for each episode. There's not a formula. |
| Mike | Yeah, we def-we-we mix it up. |
| Jeremy | Or-or if there is, it's not obvious. [Laughs.] |
| Mike | No, there's not really [Jeremy affirms intermittently.] a formula. I mean, it's like each episode still has to feel like a self-contained, you-you know, unit, sort of. But uh, we certainly mix it up with the stuff, and some episodes have more action than others, you know. But... yeah, we don't, it's not like, "act three always has to have a fight," or whatever, you know, we... |
| Ben | [Interjects.] This one is a little different too 'cause it was-was considered part one, right? |
| Bryan | Yeah. |
| Ben | Of a two-part, two-parter. [Brief pause.] And uh, the next one is just all-out craziness. |
| Bryan | Yeah, but I think find-like, learning, like Mike was saying about the kinda backstories weaving in, like learning that story before the climax [Ben and Jeremy affirm.] is-deepens it for me, instead of just like, the climax happens and then it's like, "oh, here's a te-you know, like... [Jeremy affirms.] |
| Mike | [Interjects.] By the way, is... [Laughs.] |
| Bryan | ... here's-here's what you didn't know," you know. Like, usually not as interesting. And... |
| Mike | [Interjects; refers to Korra's plan to expose Amon as a bender during his rally.] Well, and it's also like learning this story gives Korra the key to defeating Amon, so it has a, [Bryan affirms.] more a-a plot reason, as well as a... |
| Bryan | [Interjects.] Yeah, it's not just exposition [Mike affirms.] or something. |
| Jeremy | And you feel for everyone more, too. [Bryan affirms.] |
| Ben gives a playfully exhausted sigh. | |
| Mike | [In a mock anguished tone.] I'm gonna cry now. |
| Ben | I know. |
| Bryan gives off a mock anguished wail in the background. | |
| Ben | We should end on an up note. [Mike and Jeremy chuckle.] Thanks, everybody! |
| Mike | Thanks for uh, coming out, Ben and Jeremy, and thanks for all your... |
| Jeremy | [In the background.] Thanks for having us. |
| Mike | ... amazing work this uh... on Book One. |
| Jeremy | [In the background.] Thank you. Thank you. |
| Mike | And uh, look forward to Book Two. |
| Jeremy | Yeah, we do too. |
| Ben | Yep, more to come, thanks. |