Transcript:The Spirit of Competition (commentary)

Michael Dante DiMartino	Hello, everybody! Welcome back to some commentary for Legend of Korra. I'm Mike DiMartino.
Bryan Konietzko	Uh, what do you do on the show, Mike?
Mike	Uh, I forget sometimes, [David and Bryan chuckle.] but, uh, I helped create it [David affirms.] with Bryan here, and, uh, executive producer.
Bryan	And a co-writer.
Mike	And...
Bryan	[In the background; refers to Bryan and Mike's credit in the series title card.] There's your name.
Mike	... and then we, yeah, there's us.
Bryan	Yeah, I'm Bryan Konietzko, the other co-creator and co-writer. To my left is...
Janet Varney	Uh, Janet Varney, I'm the wardrobe specialist. [Bryan and Mike chuckle.]
David Faustino	Come on.
Janet	[Interjects.] Um, I designed and sewed most of the cartoon clothes. [Bryan and David laugh.] Uh, but while I was doing that, they asked me to record some of Korra's voice, so I did that, too. [David chuckles.]
Bryan	All of, all of... [Mike chuckles.]
David	[Interjects.] All of...
Bryan	... Korra.
Janet	Alright, all of Korra's voice.
Bryan	And...
David	[Interjects.] She is the wonderful Korra.
Bryan	And to your left is...
David	I am David Faustino, and I play Mako.
Bryan	Nice. So, this episode was a-a personal favorite of Mike's and mine. Um, I think this, Korra compared to Avatar was much, like, tighter of a story. We didn't have as many episodes, couldn't stretch the arc out as long; so, was a lot less, like, filler. Um, and I don't know, I guess there's sort of a mixed, like, opinion about filler amongst the fans, like, filler episodes being ones that don't deal with, like, the main driving storyline. Um, for us, they actually would become, like, some of our favorite episodes on Avatar because it gave us a chance to, like, take the characters and explore them and put them in different situations that weren't just plot based, there were more, like, character based. And, um, [Mike gives an affirming murmur.] as much as we love telling a c-c-a continuous storyline with a big epic, you know, climax that we're trying to get to, like I-it's fun to do those, and, um, I think this was-this was our, like, closest thing to, like, a filler episode, this...
Mike	[Interjects.] And you can't have Avatar without some shipping, frankly.
Bryan	Shipping [Mike chuckles; Janet affirms.] being, you know, most people... the-the-the kids would know what that is, the...
Mike	We learn from the kids.
Bryan	We learn from... [Mike chuckles.]
David	I learned that too from this. [Mike laughs.]
Bryan	Relationshipping!
Mike	Yeah.
David	Yeah, it's crazy.
Mike	I-I think this is the episode where everyone started hating Mako, but I'm not sure. Is this the... [Janet and Mike laugh.]
Bryan	Uh...
David	Yeah.
Mike	Do you remember, David? [Bryan affirms.] I don't...
Janet	This is the one?
Bryan	Yeah, David, when did you start [Mike chuckles.] getting hate-filled... [Janet and Mike laugh.]
David	Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Bryan	... messages?
David	All along.
Bryan	[Laughs.] Oh, if...
David	Just lots of hate.
Bryan	Yeah. Uh...
David	[Interjects.] No, actually I get a lotta love from the fans, [Mike chuckles.] I think it's great.
Bryan	That's cool.
Mike	[Refers to Mako cooking some noodles on a hotplate stove.] S-uh, uh, Bryan, that's his little cooker, right there.
Bryan	Oh yeah. With this-see, a lot of, [Mike chuckles.] an insane amount of work goes into making these shows because it's not like we can just go, [Refers to Bolin washing Pabu in a tub.] "oh, like, let's just go to the prop storage room and grab a basin to wash Pabu in." Someone has to draw it, someone has to color it, someone has to put it in a, you know, draw it in all the layouts in all the scenes. And Mako, we... [Laughs.]
David	[Interjects; refers to Mako wearing a sleeveless shirt.] Sorry, I'm just looking at my muscles.
Bryan	Yes. [Janet laughs.]
Mike	Looking good, buddy. [David laughs.]
Bryan	Mako has this-this really fancy, uh, hotplate thing, and, uh, we just came over-across the design the other day, and I was like, "oh, we should've featured it more in the show! [Mike and Janet laugh.] It's, that's, like, the coolest [Mike affirms.] hotplate I've ever seen!" [David and Janet laugh.] I felt so bad that this prop designer's...
Mike	[Interjects.] And you barely see it, yeah.
Bryan	I know! His work is just, you know, we-we got-we need to write an episode [Mike chuckles.] around that hotplate, like an Iron Chef one.
Mike	I think a spinoff, [Janet affirms.] spinoff with Mako's scarf and his hotplate would be a... [Bryan affirms.]
David	[Interjects.] Yeah, that's good.
Janet	His sexy scarf and his sexy hots-listen, [Mike laughs intermittently.] a lady loves a guy who can accessorize, and she loves a man who can cook. [Mike and Bryan affirm.]
David	Really? [Mike and Bryan laugh.]
Janet	Oh yeah, big time.
David	I can't do either. [Mike and Janet laugh.]
Bryan	Take notes.
Janet	[Interjects.] Two strikes, two strikes. [David laughs.]
Bryan	Take notes, David.
Janet	[Refers to the closeup shot of a freshly bathed Pabu, his wet fur and ears drooping down as he tilts his head to the side.] Oh, Pabu.
Bryan	So, what did y-did you guys, uh, have you ever watched Korra? [Mike laughs.] You seen this?
Janet	You know I have. [Bryan and Mike chuckle.] I'm pleased to say I have. And that wa-one of the things I was going to say, uh, re the hotplate is I-I don't know what it says about me, but I get so excited whenever there's food in any episode. [Bryan and Mike laugh.] Like the episode of, uh, you know, with getting drunk on noodles and stuff [Mike affirms.] is, like, those moments...
Mike	[Interjects.] That's coming up.
Janet	... 'cause I really want to taste those noodles.
Mike	Get ready, 'cause that's coming later.
Janet	I know. I call this the noodle episode. [Mike laughs; Bryan affirms.]
David	[Laughs; refers to the snowflakes gently falling around Korra, Jinora, and Ikki.] It's snowing. Now, how much work is that?
Bryan	That...
Mike	[Interjects.] That's actually...
Bryan	... surprisingly, is easy. [Mike affirms.]
Janet	They have to draw each snowflake differently.
Bryan	They used to.
Janet	Every snowflake is different. [David chuckles.]
Mike	No, that's like a-either a CG or kinda After Effects element they can, uh, just kinda plug into the scene and [Bryan affirms.] makes it look all pretty.
Bryan	We can do that all day. [Mike affirms.]
David	Oh, okay.
Mike	But, characters moving around takes a lot more time. [Bryan affirms.]
David	Wow.
Janet	[Refers to Korra, Jinora, and Ikki's respective hairstyles.] Okay, for all the girls who are watching this, this is my first opportunity as myself to discuss how much I love all the hairstyles on the show.
Bryan	Oh! [Mike chuckles.]
Janet	So, let's acknowledge that right now as we look at the girls because...
Bryan	[In the background.] Thank you.
Janet	... every single one is a winner.
Bryan	I...
Mike	[Interjects; refers to the two buns Ikki wears over her hairbuns.] Do you know what those things are called on Ikki's head?
Bryan	I learned this.
David	Mickey Mouse ears? [Mike chuckles.]
Bryan	Snoods.
Mike	Snoods.
Janet	Oh! Like the-the-the-the little net that goes over...
Bryan	[Interjects.] The little covering. [Mike affirms.]
Janet	Yeah, snood! [Gives an affirming murmur.] I knew that. [Mike chuckles.]
Bryan	A-a bun-a bun covering.
Janet	I gotta be honest with you; "snood" was a New York Times crossword puzzle clue, like, answer...
Bryan	[In the background; in a mock disappointed tone.] Ah. [Mike laughs.]
Janet	... two-two weeks ago.
Bryan	[In a mock disappointed tone.] Ah.
Janet	I'm gonna excuse myself. [Mike gives an affirming murmur.] Nerd alert.
Mike	Wow.
Janet	[Laughs.] Major nerd alert.
Bryan	So...
David	[Interjects.] Janet-Janet rode her bike here by the way, everybody. [Mike chuckles.]
Janet	I did.
Bryan	[Refers to Pema giving Korra some romantic advice.] Uh, we should point out that Pema, um, Ikki and Jinora's mother, is voiced by our mutual friend, Maria Bamford, who's a brilliant, uh, stand-up comic and actress, and, uh...
Janet	[Interjects.] Could not love Maria more.
David	Yay Maria. [Applauds.]
Bryan	She's amazing. And we-Mike-Mike's friends with her, and, uh, we had a f-incredible opportunity; she wanted to try out some stand-up material with s-just this small group of people she knew. [Laughs.] And so, we just sat in Mike's living room, and Maria just stood [Mike laughs.] in the corner of the living room, holding a remote control like it...
Mike	[Interjects.] As if it was a microphone.
Bryan	... as if it were a microphone.
David	That's brave.
Janet	Oh.
Bryan	Just held a TV remote control, and did stand-up for, like, six of us, or something.
David	That's brave.
Bryan	Which, I mean, she's one-she's one of my...
Janet	[In the background.] That's so great. [Mike chuckles.]
Bryan	... favorite stand-up comedians. So, it was just awesome.
David	That's cool.
Bryan	And then during that incredible, private, you know, comedy session, I just thought, "hey!" We were trying to figure out who to-who to cast for Pema and what her personality would be, and, uh, ah-you know, after her session I went over to Mike, I was like, "we should totally make her Pema!"
David	Oh, that's cool. Uh...
Mike	[Interjects.] Yeah, 'cause we didn't want just, like, a generic mom-sounding person, you know, 'cause Pema doesn't have a ton to do, uh, usually, and not a ton of lines, but I wanted...
David	[Interjects.] So that's when you thought of her, that's cool.
Mike	... yeah, yeah.
Janet	Oh.
Mike	Want her to have some-something.
David	I need to start doing-I need to start doing stand-up comedy for more people, [Bryan and Mike laugh; Janet affirms.] private stand-up show.
Janet	You never know what it'll lead to. [David laughs; Bryan affirms.] Can I-can I plug my podcast for a second...
Bryan	[In the background.] Yeah! [Mike laughs.]
Janet	... and just say that Maria also did an episode on my podcast, which is called the JV Club. So, it's just the two of us talking, and then Grey DeLisle has also done an episode...
Mike	[Interjects.] Oh, cool.
Bryan	Oh, cool!
Janet	... on my podcast, too. So, uh, there are some fun Avatar connections. [Mike affirms.]
Bryan	[Gives an affirming murmur.] Awesome.
David	I'm a giant fan of Grey.
Bryan	[Simultaneously with Mike.] Grey...
Mike	[Simultaneously with Bryan.] Grey...
Janet	Yeah.
Mike	... the voice of Azula, for those of you who don't know. You probably know.
Bryan	Grey, the voice of seventy-six percent of voices... [David laughs.]
Janet	[Interjects.] Yeah, that's right. That's right.
Bryan	... ever recorded for animation. [David and Mike affirm.]
Janet	I am so lucky that she's [Laughs.] not Korra [Mike laughs.] is all I have to say. She's one of my best friends.
Bryan	She's amazing. Yeah, [David affirms.] and-and also a really good singer. [David affirms.] And, uh...
Janet	Oh, amazing.
David	And also hot. Sorry. [Bryan and Mike chuckle.]
Janet	Very.
Bryan	So, yeah. Grey, Grey keeps popping up in Korra. She's-she's done voices [David affirms.] here and there. So, she's amazing.
Mike	Yeah. So, probably one of the most, uh...
David	[Interjects; refers to the Korra and Bolin working together to knock the Red Sands Rabaroos to the back of the ring.] What's happening here? We're-we're kicking some butt.
Mike	You're kicking some butt. And this was probably the-the most difficult thing to pull off for Book One was this pro-bending stuff, [Laughs.] all-every-all the fight...
Bryan	[In the background.] Ugh.
Mike	... and battle scenes, and these...
David	[Interjects.] It looks amazing.
Janet	And this was some of the stuff...
David	[In the background; refers to the long shot of the pro-bending ring, and the surrounding water pit, referee stand, and bleachers.] Look at that.
Janet	... that you showed us before we had really seen anything else, you-you let us watch a little bit of, like, some various fight scenes. And we were just agape at how amazing it was.
Bryan	Well, and here's the thing, like, Mike and I are like, "oh, let's do a little, like, we'll take a little break from the main plotline and do a little, like, teen love triangle episode. And we'll have three huge fights in it."
Mike	Yeah. [Laughs.]
Bryan	You know, it's like, uh, that's the kind of Korra thing, it's, like, it's never easy. Like, our version of those things is just, like, [Laughs.] this episode has...
David	[Interjects.] Never!
Bryan	... this had more action in it than, like, [Mike affirms.] probably most of the other ones which were dealing with the revolution.
David	[Refers to Mako regretfully telling Korra he is not interested in her romantically.] This is my big scene. Quiet, guys. [Mike and David laugh.]
Bryan	So, this is a really subtle moment that I think was lost on a lot of people. [Refers to Mako grimacing as Korra dejectedly tells him to forget about her confession.] Right there! That expression, he's...
Janet	[Interjects.] What? I didn't see it. Rewind!
Bryan	... he... [Laughs.]
Mike	[Interjects.] It's so subtle!
Bryan	... he's like... he's trying, he actually does like her, and he...
David	[Interjects; gives an affirming murmur.] He's cutup.
Bryan	... but he's, like, saying what he thinks he should say because of-of the whole complication.
David	[Refers to Mako, while walking with Asami, glancing back at an off-screen Korra.] Oh yeah, see that little look there. [Mike affirms.]
Bryan	Yeah, he feels bad about it.
Janet	He's so moody. [Mike chuckles.]
David	He is moody.
Bryan	He's trying to lie, but for a good cause, you know? [Mike affirms; refers to Bolin's long-winded dinner date proposition to Korra.] So, this, we should point out, is pretty much verbatim, I'm not gonna say his name, [Mike chuckles.] but, uh...
Mike	[Interjects.] A friend of ours.
Bryan	... [Laughs.] a very good friend of ours. I witnessed him hitting on a girl in college, [Janet laughs intermittently.] and-and he was like, [In an enunciated, mock suave tone.] "hey. Uh, want to, want to get some coffee?"
David	Oh no. [Janet laughs.]
Bryan	And, uh, and she just goes, "I don't like coffee," [Mike chuckles.] and he's like, "ooh, [Janet laughs.] shoulda done my research!" [Mike and Bryan laugh.]
Janet	[Laughs.] I love this.
Bryan	She totally shot him down...
Janet	[In the background.] Oh no.
Bryan	... in front of, like, this whole group of people, [David laughs.] and it was horribly awkward and amazingly entertaining.
Janet	Oh.
Bryan	But that kind of stuff...
Janet	[Interjects.] Oh, that's gorgeous.
Bryan	... it just, you know, like...
Janet	[Interjects.] Does he know? I know you're not naming him, [Mike chuckles.] is he a...
Bryan	[Interjects.] Uh, you know, I meant to tell him, [Janet snorts.] um, but he's been busy. I don't know if he's seen all the episodes.
Janet	I can't think of a better place to do it than here, honestly.
David	[Refers to Korra and Bolin eating green seaweed noodles at a restaurant.] Here's your favorite-favorite scene.
Mike	Here's some noodles!
Bryan	Noodles!
Janet	[In an excited tone.] Oh-ho! [Mike and Bryan laugh; in an awestruck tone.] Oh. [Bryan laughs.]
Mike	[Refers to Korra and Tahno trading insults in the restaurant.] The idea for this scene...
Janet	[In the background; refers to the noodles.] You... you make it look so good.
Mike	... kind of was something we had, like, from the beginning.
Bryan	Oh yeah!
Mike	Like, a version of this scene where Korra, like, beats up a-a dude in a restaurant.
Bryan	Yeah, noo-yeah, yeah.
David	[Refers to Tahno's Wolfbat teammates and entourage, out of focus in the background behind Bolin, looking toward Bolin and Korra.] I love that background scene where everybody turns and looks there. [Bryan affirms.]
Mike	Tahno and them, yeah.
David	That's cool.
Bryan	[Refers to the gelled hair of Ming, the White Falls Wolfbat earthbender.] I love the George Michael guy on the right. He was always my favorite Wolfbat, [Mike affirms intermittently.] he's got the, like, giant Wham! hair going on. [David affirms; refers to the closeup profile shot of Korra as she juts her lip out and stares vexedly at Tahno, and the shot of Tahno as he gets out of his chair and dramatically signals his entourage to join him.] So, these drawings, amazing poses by Ryu Ki Hyun. [Mike affirms; refers to the posters of Tahno in his restaurant booth.] And then we should point out, uh...
David	[Interjects; laughs.] All these...
Bryan	... Tahno, he's got-look at his little booth, he has photos of himself 'cause he's, like, a regular there. [David and Mike laugh.]
Janet	That's classy.
Bryan	But, uh, Tahno's voiced by, uh, Rami Malek, right? It's him?
Mike	Yeah, yep.
Bryan	Awesome actor fr-that, uh, we-we first came across in HBO series, The Pacific, [David affirms.] which was absolutely incredible. [Refers to Tahno.] And um, yeah, I mentioned this before, but when I showed this episode to my wife, she was like, "oh, that guy really reminds me of you." [Mike chuckles.]
Janet	Oh!
Bryan	Eh.
David	Low blow.
Janet	He kind of looks like Rami, I thought, a little bit...
Bryan	[Interjects.] Yeah, well... [Mike laughs.]
Janet	... when we were recording.
Bryan	... I think we had designed him with...
Janet	[Interjects.] And The Artist Formerly Known as Prince now known as Prince.
Bryan	Yeah. [Mike and David chuckle.] Um, yeah, I don't know why she thinks that. [Mike chuckles.] Uh, she just, more like his attitude, and, uh, I guess his posture. [Janet gives an affirming murmur.]
Mike	But he was more-he was kind of inspired by those, like, Japanese fighters, right?
Bryan	Yeah, there's this guy, a-a K-1 kickboxing fighter, who, like, actu-speaking of Prince, remember, like, Morris Day and the Time?
David	Yeah.
Bryan	Like, he-he would have a guy with a mirror who would fix his hair during the performance.
David	Totally.
Bryan	This guy... between rounds has a guy with a mirror that fixes his hair [David and Bryan laugh.] during a kickboxing match.
Janet	Oh, wonderful.
David	That's genius.
Bryan	And he was such-just such a joke that, uh, yeah, that's true, that-that was...
David	[Interjects.] Good showmanship, though.
Bryan	... it was, eh, I guess so. [David, Mike, and Janet chuckle.] But, so that was the idea-that was the inspiration for-for Tahno. [Mike affirms.]
Janet	[Refers to Korra whistling Naga to burst out of the restaurant window and roar right in Tahno's face.] Sidenote, super-that wa-ah, we were-are in a conversation, but that moment when Naga...
David	[Interjects; refers to Korra and Bolin drinking cocktails, and one-upping each other with increasingly loud and sustained burps.] Nice, that's a good burp.
Janet	... busts through the window, and is, like, super fierce. That's pretty great. [Mike affirms.]
Bryan	Those bur...
Janet	[Interjects.] We don't see her do that as often.
Bryan	Those burps were actually, that was not Janet.
Janet	I know, guys. [Mike affirms.] Sorry.
Bryan	I was Janet's...
Mike	[Interjects.] Janet, we're calling you out.
Janet	I know.
David	Were you?
Bryan	I was Janet's stunt burper. [Mike laughs.]
David	No!
Bryan	Yeah. [Janet gives a mock dramatic sigh.] Me and-me and, uh, Justin Brinsfield, [Mike affirms.] uh, the recording engineer at Nick, um, we had to step up. So...
David	[Interjects.] Did you drink a ton of soda?
Bryan	Oh man. [Mike laughs.] He and I mixed every single kind...
Janet	[Interjects.] Were-you were there that day? [Mike chuckles.] I was definitely there, [David laughs.] I watched it.
Bryan	No, we mixed ev-we mixed every brand of soda from the-the fountain [Janet and Mike laugh.] out in the Nic-in the Nickelodeon kitchen. And...
David	[Interjects.] That's hilarious.
Bryan	... we almost made ourselves sick. [Janet laughs.] But we also almost made, I think you, sick.
Janet	It was a l-yeah.
Bryan	And Ro-and, uh, Andrea Romano, our voice director. She was not happy that day.
Mike	She-that was her least favorite thing to record all season. [Bryan, Mike, and Janet laugh.]
David	Anything for the final-for the final look. Gotta do it, anything for the art. [Mike affirms.]
Bryan	[Refers to Mako arguing with Korra over the latter's intentions with dating Bolin, with Korra smugly pointing out that Mako is just being jealous and Mako frustratedly reiterating he is in a relationship with Asami.] This is one of my favorite scenes, actually. I really like the animation, and... acting in this.
David	I li-I really like the voicing in this. [Mike affirms.]
Bryan	That, too. [Janet chuckles.]
David	I just thought. [Laughs.]
Mike	[Refers to Mako calling Korra crazy, and Korra calling Mako a liar.] You guys are good at fightin'. [Bryan and Mike laugh.]
David	I know. I wanna-I wanna fight some more with... [Janet laughs.]
Mike	[Refers to the passerby who tries to greet Mako as he storms off to the arena.] Oh, this guy's, this guy's our favorite, too, on the side who goes, "hey, Mako!" He's... voiced by Joaquim, our, uh, co-EP. And it was just a little gag he came up with-or there was this-someone had drawn him in the storyboard, just, like, waving to Mako as he, [Bryan affirms.] as he walked by and...
David	[Interjects; refers to Shiro Shinobi.] This guy?
Mike	No...
Janet	[In the background.] No, we all...
Mike	... there was-in that previous scene. [David gives an affirming murmur.]
Janet	... love our announcer. That's Jeff, right?
David	That's Jeff. [Janet affirms.]
Bryan	[Refers to the passerby.] They call him, the fans call him, uh, "MOF", I think, "Mako's Only Fan". [Mike, Janet, and David laugh.]
Janet	Oh, the little, the other guy?
Bryan	Yeah, the guy who's like...
Janet	[In the background.] Oh, that's ri-that's right.
Bryan	... he's like, [Elongates "Mako".] "hey, Mako." He's like the-the kinda guy...
David	[Interjects.] "MOF". [Janet gives an amused sigh.]
Bryan	... the type of groupie, and this does happen at like...
David	[In the background.] Mako's only fan. [Laughs.]
Bryan	... 'cause I've-I've traveled to fights with my friend who's a professional fighter, and, like, all the fighters stay in the same hotels, in the same one hotel in each town. And, like, they-the-the superfans, you know, they figure out what hotel it is, and li-you know, they hang out in the lobby, "oh, [David affirms intermittently.] there goes-there goes that fighter," and you know, so he's kind of that guy that's, like, as the dude's storming by, like, "hey!"
Daivd	"Hey, Mako!" I remember that now, actually. That's funny.
Bryan	So, uh, Joaquim, who did the-the voice of "MOF", [Mike chuckles.] uh, [Refers to the Fire Ferret's three successive pro-bending matches.] also did tons of the action storyboarding, uh, for all of these fights. He's... he's our, uh, co-exec producer, and just-just an incredible storyboard artist...
David	[In the background; refers to the montage of still shots of the Fire Ferrets getting hit by their opponent's bending, the camera panning around the characters to make the elements seem like they are moving.] I love this. I love this!
Janet	Oh.
Bryan	... especial-especially when it comes to, uh, action.
Janet	So good.
Bryan	[Refers to the pro-bending ring announcer.] And there's John Travolta. [Mike chuckles.]
Janet	That's right. [David gives an affirming murmur.]
Mike	Yeah, I think, was that a Ryu...
Bryan	[Interjects.] Ryu, yeah.
Mike	... design?
David	A what design?
Bryan	Uh...
Mike	[Interjects.] Our-our friend Ryu, who's-who's our...
David	[In the background.] Oh.
Mike	... supervising producer on the show. He-he-he often has some crazy, wacky... drawings and ideas that sometimes don't fit, but sometimes they do, and when they do, it's, uh, it's gold.
Bryan	Yeah, I mean, [Mike chuckles.] that-that guy didn't-doesn't totally fit in the kinda 1920s-era vibe of the show, but we were just like, ah, it's so awesome, we just gotta go with it.
David	[Refers to Bolin facing the Boar-q-pine earthbender, Chang, in a one-on-one tiebreaker on a small raised circular platform.] This is cool, man.
Bryan	So, yeah, Joaquim did this, uh...
David	[In the background.] Wow.
Bryan	... this little action scene. [Refers to Bolin grappling his opponent by the waist.] Bust in his little pro-wrestling, uh, tribute. [Mike affirms.]
	A brief pause in commentary as Shiro Shinobi gives a play-by-play of the action between Bolin and Chang.
David	Jeff-what's Jeff's last name?
Mike	Jeff Bennett.
David	Jeff Bennett is amazing and hilarious.
Mike	Played the-the radio broadcaster.
Janet	I know, I love the announcer.
Bryan	He has more dialogue, I think, than Korra...
Mike	[In the background.] Yeah. [Laughs.]
Bryan	... in this-in this particular s-Book of-of, uh, the series.
Mike	Yeah, 'cause we wrote a buncha lines for him, you know, when we wrote the script, but then, you know, after all the action got storyboarded and we see the animation, it's like, "oh, we gotta kinda explain more, like, what's going on like a real kind of commentary."
Bryan	And so, a lot of it we just wrote in the animatic, like, like, almost kind of play-by-play style, like, looking at the action, coming up with it. I-I actually auditioned for that role, remember?
Mike	You did. You didn't get it, though.
Bryan	I did not. [Mike laughs intermittently.] I didn't give myself the part. Uh...
Janet	[Interjects.] Wow.
David	Oh, that's...
Bryan	Jeff...
Janet	Uh, Jeff rocks it.
Mike	It's tough for the...
Bryan	[Interjects.] Clearly, [Mike affirms.] uh...
David	Jeff kills it.
Janet	We all-I just-I think...
David	[Refers to Korra and Mako kissing.] Whoa! Whoa! [Mike gives an affirming murmur.]
Janet	... if-if anybody could be...
David	[Interjects.] Kissing happening.
Janet	Oh-oh-oh!
Mike	[Refers to Korra suddenly kissing Mako as he talks about how he is confused about his feelings for Korra and Asami.] Just for the record here, eh, Korra does kiss Mako. [David affirms.] She makes the first move, [Janet affirms.] you know?
Bryan	[Refers to Mako kissing Korra back after his initial surprise.] He kisses-he kisses back a little bit. [Mike affirms.]
David	All I can think is that I need to get myself a red scarf. [Bryan laughs.]
Janet	I know! You do. [David laughs.]
Bryan	[Refers to Pabu on Bolin's shoulder, glancing at him as Bolin breaks down in tears over seeing Korra and Mako's kiss.] I like, [David laughs.] I love how Pab-I love how Pabu's like...
Janet	[In a sympathetic tone.] Oh.
David	[In a sympathetic tone.] Oh. [Refers to Bolin running away from his teammates, bawling; laughs.]
Bryan	... you know, Pabu's, like, he's very in tune with, you know, human emotions, and he's, like, he's noticing that Bolin...
Janet	[Interjects; refers to Pabu's blank expression as he looks at and away from Bolin.] He notices, but he still kind of unfazed. [Mike chuckles.]
Bryan	Maybe Bolin does this all the time.
David	[Refers to Korra and Mako blaming each other for the kiss.] We're fighting again. [Janet and Mike affirm.]
Bryan	Bolin runs out of noodles, he starts crying. You know.
Mike	Well, one thing I always wanted to do with Korra and Mako, and it k-it was kinda, like, in this episode and the the-and the third episode, was, like, kind of, like, harkening back to those, like, old, uh, those old timey black-and-white kinda like, uh...
Bryan	[Interjects.] The bick-the bickering. Like the-the fast banter...
Mike	[Interjects.] Yeah. What were those called? They were...
Janet	[Interjects.] Bog-Bogie and Bacall sort of like...
Mike	[Interjects.] Yeah, yeah, those kind of thing-yeah, the bickering couple.
Janet	[In a mock domineering tone.] "Now listen, you!" [Mike laughs.]
Bryan	Yeah, yeah. [Janet affirms; David laughs.] And it's-it-it was always, like, fun to write, but then the scripts would just get [Laughs.] really long. [Janet laughs.] But it's like, "no, no, this won't take that long, it's going to be real rap-rapid pace." Was-yeah.
Janet	Yeah, the clever back-and-forth, it's like, "five pages later." [David laughs; refers to Pabu lying back in a noodle bowl, his stomach bulging out.] Oh, Pabu.
Bryan	[Refers to Bolin's sickly, petulant speech patterns and appearance after heartbrokenly eating several bowls of noodles.] Uh, for the record, we did get a note from the network about Bolin's acting [Mike chuckles.] here, saying, "oh, well this is, uh, maybe not the most kid-friendly thing." And-to which we just, our reply was to forward them, uh, an episode of SpongeBob where SpongeBob does this-this...
Janet	[Interjects.] Ah!
Bryan	... in the-in here. [David and Mike affirm.] Any time, and it's not that often, we get some-some heat...
David	[Interjects.] Like, what's the problem?
Bryan	Oh, that he seemed in-inebriated. [Mike chuckles.]
David	Oh, I see.
Janet	So, basically...
Bryan	[In the background.] But...
Janet	... Nickelodeon is the Supreme Court, and you use past cases...
Bryan	[Interjects.] Yes! [Mike laughs.] They're our precedent! [Mike affirms.]
Janet	... [Laughs.] when something's wrong.
Bryan	And any time, this goes back to Avatar, when they would...
David	[In the background.] Whoa.
Bryan	... really come down on us, and sometimes we would, "okay", and we'd change it. And then I would walk down in the lobby and see an episode of SpongeBob where they were doing the exact thing, but maybe more violent, [David chuckles.] or, like,, more, you know, pushin' the envelope even more. Whenever we would point it out, they'd be like, "oh, it's totally different. It's different tone, you know?" And I'm like, "Look. In Avatar, if someone gets hit in the head with a hammer, there are consequences!" [Mike chuckles.]
Janet	There you go.
Bryan	We're showing the kids there are consequences to these things. But... you know, SpongeBob, he's our-he's our brother. He-he pays the bills. [Janet laughs.]
David	[Laughs.] He sure does.
Bryan	The, uh...
Janet	[Interjects.] And ulti-so, ultimately, uh, Bolin got to stay...
Bryan	[Interjects.] Yeah, that one worked. We-we got away with it. [Mike affirms.]
David	[Brief pause.] He was just drunk with pain. [Mike laughs.]
Bryan	Well... drunk with love.
	A brief pause in commentary as the scene cuts away from Bolin throwing up his dinner during pro-bending match between the Fire Ferrets and Buzzard Wasps to Shiro Shinobi, who gives an advertisement for Flamey-O Instant Noodles.
Mike	I remember, too, when we were, like, figuring out, like, how to balance the, like, sound; 'cause all the sound design that Ben Wynn did [Bryan affirms.] is-is amazing. [Refers to the sound effects of the pro-bending match, including the bending, the competitors' movements, and the arena bells being the only background noise for most of the scene.] And, uh, there's so much going on in these pro-bending scenes that we consciously decided, like, we won't have any music during the actual, like... fights in the ring, 'cause it was-it was just like too overwhelming. [Refers to the theme that plays as Korra lines up and knocks all of the Buzzard Wasps off the arena with her waterbending.] There's some at the end when it gets kinda dramatic, but, like, [David gives an affirming murmur.] I think it worked better, it's, like, feels like more like a... you know, like a NFL sport, or something like that. [David and Janet affirm.]
Bryan	Yeah, only when there's, like, the kinda, like, sports movie moment kicks in...
Mike	[In the background; laughs.] Yeah. [Janet affirms.]
Bryan	... do you have the kinda triumphant come-comeback music.
Janet	And sidenote, how much do we love the music? So good.
Bryan	Oh, Je-Jeremy, Jeremy Zuckerman. Incredible.
David	Jeremy! [Whistles.]
Bryan	Definitely. I mean, he was already great on Avatar, but, um, you know, I don't think you can do sixty-one episodes of, uh, Avatar and not get even better. [Mike affirms.] And he did. [Brief pause.] And yeah, it was cool, like, you know, the big challenge that we set out for him was to sort of incorporate the Jazz Age influences but mixed in with a [Janet gives n awed sigh.] kind of, uh, Chinese aesthetic, and...
Janet	[Interjects.] Yeah, it's so amazing.
Bryan	... he knows this incredible multi-instrumentalist, [Refers to Hong Wang.] Hong, I unfortunately don't know his last name. But who, uh...
David	[In the background.] Kong-Hong.
Bryan	... who was not only a m-mul-m-multi-instrumentalist with Chinese instruments but studied jazz. So, he was able to kind of infuse a lotta those things together, and-and totally got what Jeremy was going for in the score.
David	That's cool.
Bryan	It's cool.
David	[Brief pause; refers to Bolin and Mako ignoring Korra's pep talk, resigned that they do not deserve to win the match given how badly they lost the first two rounds.] Aw. Dejected. [Mike chuckles.]
Bryan	[Brief pause.] Sports movie, teen romance, [Janet laughs.] fiction fantasy. You know, it's not your typical balance, I guess. But...
David	With a spiritual-with the spiritual lesson. [Janet affirms.]
Bryan	[Laughs.] With the spiritual vibe, and...
David	I love the spiritual lessons behind it all. It's cool.
Janet	[Brief pause; refers to the low angle shots of the arena's glass-dome ceiling, with metal bars in ornate shapes decorating the glass.] Also, the, um, just the tournament center itself is gorgeous. Like, the-when you get the glimpses of the-the ceiling... above.
Bryan	Oh, [David affirms.] thank you. [Mike chuckles.] It's nice to hear 'cause it was a nightmare. [Mike and Bryan laugh; David affirms.]
Janet	[Interjects.] And so intricate.
Bryan	Yeah, it was...
Janet	[Interjects.] For only seeing it, like, quickly, fleetingly in the background, like blurry.
Bryan	Yeah, it was really influenced by, like, um, the cast iron architecture that you would see in France from, you know, like the-the early part of the ninet-you know, the twentieth century, and, uh, that stuff was really pretty and hard to draw. So, we had-we actually built this whole thing in-in-in the computer. Um, ugh, it was, we kinda bit off more than we could chew; I don't know. We ended up like... [David chuckles.] it kinda-using-mostly used the computer model to just help with the drawings and stuff. [Refers to the shot of the pro-bending arena, now rendered in 3D, that Korra and the Buzzard Wasps are still fighting on.] But, you know, occasionally, like that shot was in... used the computer. [Janet gives an affirming murmur; brief pause.] That...
Mike	[Interjects.] Yeah, a lot-the-we also incorporated a lot more After Effects stuff, uh, in this season with a great artist named Matt Gadbois. And, uh, uh, just like... it's kinda like, we call it, like, fake 3D, where it's like you can make the camera... you know, [Refers to the 3D pro-bending arena background, while the camera dollies and rotates around Korra in center frame.] this is-this is actually the CG model, I believe, is in the background, but, uh... [Bryan and Janet affirm.] but there's other shots where the-the camera move might be a little more subtle, but it gives a little more depth to the-to the shots.
Bryan	Just trying to get fancy. [Mike affirms.]
Janet	[Refers to the pro-bending headgear being worn by Mako.] I need a bike helmet like that; [Mike laughs; David affirms.] except for it doesn't cover the top of your head, [Bryan affirms; Mike laughs.] which is kind of the most important part where your brain is.
Bryan	You just need one like in the Flight of the Conchords where it's actually just your hair on the helmet, [Janet laughs.] you know? It's-it's a little...
David	[Interjects.] Need one that covers your chin, Janet.
Janet	I know.
Bryan	[Refers to Tahno coming into the Fire Ferrets' locker room and saying he smells the scent of losers.] So, I remember when Rami came in; like, he had this totally unique take on how to play Tahno. And, uh, I think, [Laughs.] I remember, I think it was you, a couple of the-the female actors were in the-the booth with him, [Laughs.] and I remember after the session, they just came out and they were like... like, "totally gave me the creeps." [Mike and Bryan laugh.]
Janet	I did! I was in there, and I was like, "he's so good, he's so sleazy, [Mike chuckles; Bryan affirms.] like, that was so sleazy."
Bryan	Nothing against him personally, [Mike laughs.] but his performance...
Janet	[Interjects.] No, he just-he-he was so sweet, he's so nice, but, yeah, great performer.
Bryan	He-I remember, he was like, he was as close to the "P" popper...
Janet	[In the background.] Oh! Oh, yeah.
Bryan	... to the-to the mic as possible, and he was just playing it... [David affirms; Mike chuckles.] really quiet.
Janet	And I had a perfect view of him, [Mike chuckles.] and I was just like, [In a perturbed tone.] "oh, guy."
Bryan	Yeah, and, like, the recording engineer had to-had to, like, turn up the mic up, you know, really hot. Just to-and he was [In a hushed, raspy tone.] just, like, [Mike gives a raspy sigh.] barely whisp-like, [Janet laughs.] whispering into it. And yeah, when you're recording in your-with other actors, like we are now, like, you have the headphones, so you're hearing them directly in your brain, [Janet and David affirm.] and he was freaking everybody out.
David	It-it worked perfect.
Bryan	Yeah. Janet always gets to be in this little booth by herself.
David	I know, for...
Janet	[Interjects; in a mock angry tone.] Oh, "I get to be." [Mike laughs.] Guys, it's a lonely life. [Mike laughs.]
Bryan	[Laughs.] She's-she's, I mean, she's recording with the other actors usually, but in a little s-iso-isolation booth.
David	Little separate booth...
Janet	[In the background.] Because...
David	... but we can see her through the glass, so she's part of the group.
Janet	And the reason is that I'm very noisy, and I [Mike chuckles.] crumple things a lot...
Bryan	[In the background.] You're very violent.
Janet	... and I can be kept away from everyone, yeah.
Bryan	She swings her arms around and, you know...
Janet	[Interjects.] So, this way I don't ruin other people's takes if I'm in the isolated booth.
Bryan	We have to... we have to protect the other actors.
David	I got to be in the iso booth a couple times. It's lonely in there.
Janet	I told you, it is! [Mike laughs.]
Bryan	There you go.
David	Yeah!
Janet	Oh.
Bryan	Episode 105.
Mike	Woo-hoo, woo-hoo!
Bryan	So, do we talk through the credits? [Laughs.]
Mike	I think we usually would, or I don't know.
Janet	[Imitating the dramatic, elevated inflection of an event announcer.] Let's read the credits like we're Jeff Bennett! [Mike and David laugh.] Supervising producer!
Bryan	You would have to be Jeff Bennett 'cause these go by pretty fast.
Mike	Yes. [Laughs.]
Janet	[In her announcer voice, while repeating the credits at a higher speed.] Additional voices by! Andrea Romano! [Bryan laughs.]
David	Can we talk about, uh...
Bryan	[In the background.] You can try.
David	... Andrea Romano for a minute?
Janet	Oh, she's the best.
Bryan	You don't have a minute, you've got about ten seconds.
David	Oh. She's amazing.
Mike	We can in the next episode.
Janet	Couldn't love her more.
David	Talk or-yeah, next episode. [Mike laughs.]
Bryan	Which'll be two episodes from now, I think. [Laughs.]
Mike	Join us next time.
Janet	[In her announcer voice.] Join us [David and Mike laugh.] next time for the next commentary!
	Commentary ends.

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Article · More transcripts
Episode transcript

• Michael Dante DiMartino
• David Faustino
• Bryan Konietzko
• Janet Varney

See also

• "The Spirit of Competition"