LET'S SEE HOW I DID, SHALL WE?

     Not too long ago, I made some rather bold predictions about the direction the new Avatar: The Legend of Korra show would go. Right off the bat, I had some wrongness because I was under the impression that this show would be like the previous one, three seasons long and with an overarching storyline. The show was actually just supposed to be a miniseries of 12 episodes. It's been renewed for a second season of 14 episodes, but I am guessing they will only be marginally connected story-wise (but not character-wise) to the season just ended.
     But anyways, let's see how well I did...

1. There is a fifth element in addition to the traditional four of Air, Water, Earth, and Fire and this element is, for the lack of an appropriate term, Qi [Chi]. This possibility came to light in the original series's finale when Aang removes the Fire Lord's ability to bend.

----- Wrong. Amon's removing of another bender's bending power was a specialized form of waterbending but how this was done was not explained. The traditional four elements remain thus.

2. Amon, the leader of the Equalists is a Qi Bender and knows this, but is content to manipulate everyone opposed to Benders in an effort to secure his position of power.
----- Wrongish. Though Amon was a bender...specifically a waterbender introduced in the penultimate episode which kinda bugged me as it felt like an Asspull rather than a constructed mystery with clues for us viewers to follow. However, I should get partial credit because Amon was content to have everyone believe he was a normal who had figured out how to "equalize" society. He lost his grip on his followers when his waterbending was revealed.



3. Qi Bending affects the other four Elements, but not the Qi Element.
----- Wrong, though partly correct if only sort of. Amon did take Korra's bending away, but only the elements she had been expressing. Once she lost her water, earth, and firebending abilities, she could suddenly airbend which enabled her to defeat Amon. This however, may be related to bloodbending - a highly specialized form of waterbending - which allows one to control another living being like a puppet. Perhaps bloodbending a person into forgetting how to bend their respective element is what Amon was actually doing and since Korra had never learned how to airbend before, that ability could not be taken away though if Amon were to touch her again, I'm guessing he would have totally removed her bending.

4. Korra will battle Amon, possibly in the first season finale, and lose her ability to bend for most of, or the entire second season. This will give her an invaluable opportunity to see life from the other side. The Equalists accuse the Benders of oppression of non-Benders. She will now be in a perfect spot to find out if this is true or not. I think she will find extensive evidence of Bender oppression that she will dedicate her life to correcting.
----- Mostly wrong. Korra did fight Amon in the season finale, but only lost part of her bending and since I was wrong about this being a multiple season story, none of what I said afterward actually matters. However, if the show were being exceptionally clever, they could still do this. See my next "prediction" for more.

5. Korra will regain her ability to bend the traditional Four Elements by either learning how to Qi Bend on her own (paralleling her current difficulties in mastering Air Bending), learning how to do it from Aang (somehow), or through an encounter with a reclusive lion-turtle.
----- Wrong...and right. She did regain her abilities from Aang (and all the previous avatars I presume) when she finally made a spiritual connection to them in her lowest moment. She used this knowledge ex machina to restore the bending of all those who had lost it to Amon. Now if the show takes an interesting twist next season, what we saw as viewers could actually be the second season finale and instead of Korra going mere moments from her darkest hour and needing to be alone to suddenly regaining her confidence, being regarded as a true Avatar, and wishing to give Mako another chance. Korra says, "Not now Tenzin (rest of lines)..." to a figure whose head is offscreen. He's dressed like Tenzin, her airbending instructor, but was actually Aang spiritually connecting with her and showing her how to restore her own bending and everyone else's by extension through, uh...magic, let's say. And off Korra goes to fix everything. But what if it really was Tenzin the first time, and Korra goes off only as an airbender on a quest to find her spirituality and/or undo Amon's blocks on her bending abilities? That could be interesting. And then, when she ostensibly fails, she goes back to that very place in defeat only to finally make the connection that we've already seen.

6. Korra, upon mastering Qi Bending, will thus become the world's first true Avatar as no Avatar previously, has ever shown true mastery of all Five Elements (except for perhaps Aang) most likely due to the reclusivity of lion-turtles.

----- Wrong. Though Korra is regarded as a fully-realized Avatar in the finale.

7. Korra will get around this detail by figuring out not only how to soulbend to take away one's bending ability, but also its opposite and learn how to restore bending in people or even give bending to nonbenders. Korra will repopulate the world of Air Nomads through soulbending.

----- Sort of. She did get to figure out how to restore the bending to those who had it taken from them but Korra is not shown turning, let's say, the Air Acolytes into actual airbenders nor do we know if such a thing might be possible in the first place. In this show, there are only four known airbenders plus the Avatar.

     The lesson here folks? Don't make predictions. Amirite?