Why I didn't like the ending of Legend of Korra season 1

Reason 1: Makorra

It's just as bad as Zutara, but it's canon.

I hate it when the main character's happy ending comes at the expense of someone else's. It doesn't matter how much I love the hero, and want them to be happy, this completely ruins my happiness for them, and my experience of the movie or show in general. In the end, Korra gets Mako, but in turn Asami is left behind. I’m sorry, I just can’t be happy for Korra. Poor Asami.

I’m generally not happy with how the romance-parts of the show was handled at all. I feel like Korra ending up with Mako is what it would have been like if Katara ended up with Zuko in the first show. Incredibly awkward, unfitting, and someone really nice gets screwed over.

Reason 2: Way too simple solutions to problems

Amon is revealed to be a waterbender to his followers, simply because he’s stupid enough to bend water in front of them. This is "Voldemort in Deathly Hallows" levels of stupidity.

Also, Korra just suddenly learns to airbend out of the blue. How did losing her other three elements make her finally get in touch with her spiritual side? Maybe I’ll understand this one a bit better after a rewatch. Though, the end of ATLA actually had the same problem. How did getting smashed against a rock suddenly unlock his Avatar state?

A bit of a Deus ex Machina at the end, with Aang appearing to restore Korra’s bending. I can accept that, since she just learned how to airbend, but still.

Reason 3: No equality

The whole equality-theme was as good as butchered when the end of the season came. The story had a lot of potential to become a really great, multi-layered story. The bad guy really had a valid point. Everyone should be equal in that world! The benders shouldn’t have more power than the non-benders. But that was kind of ignored in the finale, and Amon turned into a standard bad guy. I didn’t like it at all.