It's kind of hilarious that Nickelodeon took Legend of Korra off the air as soon as it started getting good.

Seriously. After the show trudged through two seasons of shit and a shaky start with its third, it was yanked off of television just as soon as the writers were getting a hold on their situation.

I mean, yeah, the season 3 ratings were pretty low thanks to the PTSD-inducing season 2 finale, so it's understandable why they'd pull the plug on television time slots. But it's still a shame. The second half of season 3 was just as good as ATLA, and the finale was on-par with the Beginnings two-parter (which I firmly believe to be the best episode of Avatar, ever, even if the rest of season 2 was shit).

But season 4... My goodness, season 4...

The two episodes thus far have been fantastic. LAST WEEK, (spoilers; you might want to watch the first episode there before reading onward if you haven't), we were formally introduced to Kuvira who is likely going to serve as the new villain for Korra's final season, and we were also given a good insight as to what's going on in the world; while the whole thing with the new Airbenders felt hugely contrived back at the start of season 3, their current role as bison-riding Jedi-like peacekeepers with awesomely designed flight uniforms to boot is just WAY TOO AWESOME for me to be mad. Kai and Opal have developed into strong benders in the three years since the Red Lotus' defeat, Bolin is working with Kuvira's force, Mako is being sent to Ba Sing Se to serve as a spoiled king's bodyguard (as he deserves), and Asami has become quite the established businesswoman.

BUT KUVIRA THOUGH.

This new character has so much turkey-damned potential. She's being portrayed by Zelda Williams, who in my honest opinion stole the first episode; she did a DAMNED good job, and I'm hoping she was able to keep it up throughout the whole season.

So what's going on with Kuvira? Is she simply working to help and restore the Earth Kingdom as she says? Could the governor just be paranoid? Thanks to Zelda's crystal-perfect portrayal and the snippets of dialogue we've gotten, we don't know. And that's GOOD. Kuvira was a part of Su Beifong's metalbending guard, and according to Su's daughter Opal, she betrayed them in some way. Despite this, Kuvira approached Opal and Bolin with compassion calling them her "favorite couple." This was a great contrast to when she took down a group of bandits and made them swear their allegiance to her just minutes before; it makes her feel human, and makes US wonder even more about what her game truly is.

This is good writing, folks. Kuvira's character is showing vibes of Azula's ferocity, but with a bit of compassion thrown in to balance it out. Hell, she's even giving me a few Heisenberg vibes thanks to that air of manipulation she carries.

Now with all that out of the way...Korra Alone.

Watch it here if you haven't.

Now I may be a bit biased thanks to its similar naming scheme and structure to my favorite episode of the original series (Zuko Alone), but...this episode was fantastic. It's succeeded in connecting me more with Korra than any other character in the Avatar franchise. She's going through some pretty heavy shit after the events of season 3; hallucinations, depression, injuries...she's not in a good state right now. Thanks to the heaviness of Korra Alone and the connection I now feel with the titular character, this episode just might be my favorite of the entire franchise. I want her to come out of this okay, and to prove to herself that she has what it takes to keep the world safe. Also, that frisson-inducing conclusion.

I'm REALLY hoping they can keep it up from here on out without dropping the ball.

Regarding Nick's ditching of the TV format: as depressing as it is, I don't think it's too much of a problem at this point. Going by the view counts for the season 4 trailer, I think word of mouth is doing a good enough job on its own of keeping the series alive.

I love this franchise so much...

Also, today's the fourth anniversary of Friendship is Magic's first episode. Happy birthday to the most unexpected bundle of awesome writing and great animation to ever exist in this world; season 4 was a masterpiece, and I have a feeling it'll only get better. Here's to four more. Have a picture of Derpy holding a flag.