Movies - TV
How Anne Heche's Role In The Legend Of Korra Made The Show Even Better
By DEVIN MEENAN
"The Legend of Korra," the sequel series to the beloved show “Avatar: The Last Airbender," had a rocky start before finding itself and delivering a great final two seasons. One thing the show always had going for it was its phenomenal cast of voice actors, including the late Anne Heche as Suyin Beifong, the metalbending daughter of Toph Beifong.
Korra and her friends first meet Suyin in Season 3, Episode 5, "The Metal Clan." Suyin is the leader of the technologically advanced city Zafou in the Earth Kingdom, and the metalbender is hospitable, but authoritative; Heche's acting does a marvelous job walking the line between confidence and arrogance.
Part of the appeal of "Korra" is seeing how "TLA's" characters have built their families, and audiences get to see Suyin butt heads with her older sister, Lin (Mindy Sterling). The sisters eventually patch things up and fight alongside each other in the season’s climax, before confronting the source of their rivalry: their mother, Toph, who is a bit of a hands-off parent.
Another important relationship is between Suyin and her protege, Kuvira, who becomes the series’ final antagonist, born out of her resentment towards Suyin for not using Zafou’s technology to help the world. Movie stars don’t always give the best voice acting performances, but Anne Heche elevated a compelling character into a series highlight.