According to Joanna Robinson for Vanity Fair, who described the series finale as "the most subversive television event of the year", it "changed the face of TV" by going further than any other work of children's television in depicting same-sex relationships – an assessment shared by reviewers for TV.com, The A.V. It was subject to discussion outside of entertainment media, notably after the series' creators confirmed that the scene was meant to signify Korra and Asami becoming a romantic couple. This scene recalls the earlier wedding scene between Zhu Li and Varrick, as well as the last shot of Avatar: The Last Airbender, in which Aang and Katara kiss. In the final scene of the season and the series, Korra and Asami face each other holding hands. "Korra Alone" was praised by critics as one of best episodes of the entire series, described by Nicholson as "masterful and heart-wrenching." "Day of the Colossus" received positive reviews for its action sequences, described by ScreenCrush's Matt Patches as "22-minutes of set-piece wizardry, featuring some of the most imaginative, heart-pounding action I've ever seen." In contrast, the clip show "Remembrances" was singled out as a weak point in the season. The series' final shot, intended to show Asami and Korra becoming a romantic couple, was seen as pushing the boundaries of LGBT representation in children's TV. Nicholson also praised the season for its handling of themes like war, dictatorship, weapons of mass destruction and posttraumatic stress disorder. IGN's Max Nicholson felt the overarching plot of Kuvira's military campaign was not as ambitious as previous seasons', though he still enjoyed it. Critics generally enjoyed the main villain Kuvira and thought she complemented Korra well. The season was generally well-received by critics. Aired as episode 8, "Remembrances", the clip show was also intended as "a lighthearted romp" similar to Avatar: The Last Airbender 's episode " The Ember Island Players" before the series enters its dénouement. Inspired by Samurai Champloo 's clip show episode "The Disorder Diaries", they chose to frame a series of edited clips from the previous seasons of The Legend of Korra with about five minutes of new animation. 1 Episode 39: "Venom of the Red Lotus" (9.After Nickelodeon cut the budget for season 4 by about the amount required for one episode, DiMartino and Konietzko decided to include a clip show episode, which reuses previously produced animation, instead of letting many of the creative staff go. Raava assures him that their connection will transcend the generations, however, and as the screen fades out, we hear a newborn baby's cry. Decades later, we see him dying on a battlefield, distraught that war has returned the world.
In a battle for the ages, Wan seals Vaatu in the Tree of Time and escorts all spirits back to their own realm, restoring world peace. Once Harmonic Convergence begins, the giant dark spirit Vaatu is ready to remake the world in his image, but Avatar Wan, wielding the four elements, fights back. To do this, this pioneer visits the other three lion turtles to learn the four elements, setting a precedent for the next one hundred centuries. Avatar Wan has made a grievous mistake in allowing Vaatu to escape the light spirit Raava, and he's determined to set things right, no matter what. On IMDb, fans of The Legend of Korra rated the second half of Wan's adventure as their second-favorite episode, and for good reason.