I tried to find an Avatar forum and the biggest one I can find has "admin approval" that never approves. I've been waiting 2 months and nothing. So I gave up hope ever getting there and that led me here.
I've been dying to talk to someone about it, so even if I got in, since the admins are so dead, the rest of the forum is probably dead too.
Yeah, Korra is a mess. They only thought they were getting one season, so they had to wrap everything up hastily at the end and then start up 2 with no real continuity.
I agree the love triangle was the worst. Mako and Korra have literally no chemistry and there was really no good reason for them to shack up, even character wise of just they're sexually attracted, Korra just saw him as a hot mysterious guy (as many female fans actually did too); that at least I could get. But for Mako... what did he ever see in Korra? Nothing.
That's why they rightfully ended that trainwreck in 2.
1 and 2 combined are pretty messy. 1 from a character stance and 2 from a narrative stance. 2 is actually... really bad. I recently rewatched it and it was just as weak as I remembered.
Everyone I talked to said 3 and 4 redeem it and they were right. I think even the creators knew it themselves, as they tried really hard to retcon a lot of earlier parts. I mean, for the botched as all hell production schedule, Korra is far better than it ever should be.
But with 3 and 4, it finally feels like a new take on the old TLA series, which is what it always meant to, and finally the characters too get some development too.
And mid book 4 is probably the best Avatar stuff ever made. All that stuff with Verrick and Bolin is pure freaking gold. I'm halfway through 4 now for the first time, and like you, I marathoned a lot of episodes.
I watched 1 and 2 my first time and quit (not due to the show, but for personal reasons) and resumed to continue it to the end. I really loved Book 1 my first time, thought it was just okay this time and Book 2, as I said, was just as weak as I remembered it.
Do you like AMVs, by chance?
I've been watching this one a lot, made by a friend of mine. I think you'll enjoy it, and another one she made:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjsBO6eTpU0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvwdCQjawK8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PblsorYQEv8
(God I hate this song, but even she made it fantastic, haha)