>>105973612I liked season 2 a lot, even better than season 1, but I also honestly can't say I disagree with any of this. I'll have to watch the season again to shore up my opinions, but they definitely did make some odd choices that I'm only able to ignore because I loved a lot of other stuff the season did, and I still have some trust that the writers know what they're doing.
I liked Claudia's whole difficulty with both genuinely LIKING the princes, but also being really dedicated to fulfilling Viren's mission, and ultimately choosing her brother when it came down to it. I appreciated that the characters (primarily Callum and Rayla) communicated with and trusted each other instead of falling into cheap drama. That was downright refreshing.
The long tease with Viren and the mirror was really well done I thought, and they did a great job making Aaravos ridiculously cool and mysterious.
I thought the sea captain guy was hilarious, they used him effectively but he didn't overstay his welcome. Just the right balance there.
I definitely agree that the whole meeting of the pentarchy was poorly handled and largely a waste of time. It just felt like we could have learned so much more about the human kingdoms if they'd handled it better, but instead they just made all the rulers besides the kid really dumb. The flashback bit was okay, and I definitely think it wound up raising a lot of really interesting ethical questions-- as evidenced be the arguments about who was right, who deserved what, that have been going around.
Callum's primal magic hack and Soren's healed spine... those do feel a little too easy right now, but they happened late enough in the season that I'm willing to wait and see more before calling judgment.
Basically, I guess I agree the pacing and worldbuilding were a bit weak(again), but the show is so character-driven that, despite Rayla being a bit sidelined in the second half, I thought it still managed to do a lot well.
