How do you solve a problem like Mako?

[somnus_angel]

If Mako is clearly gearing up to be Korra's main love interest, why is it so hard to root for them to get together? And what can be done to make cheering him on easier?

Comments

[dj_rocca]

This post totally made me realize that I wanted to love Mako (I adored Iroh and Real!Mako) but this character doesn't do it for me, at all.

It's to the point I brush off Mako/Makkorra (to the point I'd rather see Tenzin with Korra, gross I know but whatever) and my focus as completely drifted to Bolin and Asami (and cheering for them to hook up) and to finally learn who Amon is (Sokka's spawn is my vote!). I really don't care what Mako does.

[juel1979]

The fact that a character that started out with so much promise, named after someone awesome, turned into a wishy-washy douchey mess is a serious bummer, imo.

[hinodeh]

Remember the days when he used to make fandom swoon? Remember when his thread on the Avatar Spirit Forums was filled with fangirls rather than people criticizing how he is being written and just generally hating on him? Those were the days. So much potential gone down the drain.

[kaelstra]

Yeah this. Mako was great in early episodes, but right now, I am not feeling the Mako love. I don't honestly get what Korra sees in him, I'd be all over adorable Bolin by this point.

[sandstorm]

[silly_izzy_me]

I know, it was a really douche move. Like, you have a fucking girlfriend; your little brother likes this other girl but no, you're still ~weighing your options~ and want every possible option available to you at any time, so you're going to tell him not to go for it because it would be weird to have jack-off fantasies to the girl that your little brother is hooking up with. smdh.

[kaelstra]

Yeah, it's reminding me of a guy I liked in high school. He'd string me along and intentionally keep my hopes up, and whenever I got fed up and said "the hell with this" he'd really pull out the stops to convince me to stay involved to some degree. (But not dating! Oh heavens no!) I always felt like his backup plan, in case he couldn't get anything better.

I wised up to it eventually, but yeah. It sucks. He wouldn't commit to me on ANY level, but expected me to keep my life on hold for him while he looked around for better options.

[angerfish]

ngl I was kind of going "ewwww" in 1x02 when the show hit me over the head that Makorra was going to be a thing. (I dunno I like to see relationships build over time, and maybe even be surprised

[breakattiffanys]

IA. I actually liked Mako at the beginning when he was defined mostly as a responsible big brother but once the show started focusing more and more on his love life, he just became annoying and barely tolerable. Now, I feel like he barely does anything outside of this shitty love triangle. He has no purpose on this show except to be Korra's love interest. Whether or not you liked the ships in a;tla, there's no way you could deny that everyone was their own character and not solely defined by a romance.

[teacup_werewolf]

Right, in ATLA the relationships were paced and timed. We had a few shippy episodes in season 1 but it wasn't anvil-licious. Aang was a boy becoming a man or demigod Katara was the warrior woman arc and Zuko was about redemption. They had defined character arcs and motives. Shipping wasn't a big deal until...season 2. Once the characters were established

[fyearya]

"but once the show started focusing more and more on his love life, he just became annoying and barely tolerable." EXACTLY. I mean I still have a lot of affection for Mako but I'm usually side-eyeing the shit out of him in the most recent eps. I'm trying to reserve my judgements on the love triangle until the end of the season (bc I'm really starting to get annoyed with wank based on predictions). But YES the shift to the focus on his love life has been largely unbearable and has hindered his development.

[sittingsage]

http://the-next-storybender.tumblr.com/post/25001563005/makos-white-knight-syndrome I found this to be an interesting look into Mako's actions thusfar.

I know that they are trying to do the "hot-shot"/"Tsundere" trope with his character and that they only planned on one season but his character just hasnt shown a lot of growth yet. I guess we'll see on Saturday if he handles things maturely or not. I'm trusting Bryke.

I just want my bb Korra to be happy and not at Asami's expense

[silly_izzy_me]

when you reject someone, you can’t keep acting interested [...] This trips the douchebag alarm because guys who do this generally just want you to like them because it makes them feel good about themselves to be liked.my ex totally did this before we started dating. I liked him and he said he didn't feel the same, but flirted with me c o n s t a n t l y and would then act like an asshole when I'd flirt back