Mako is eighteen. He is not a two year old with no impulse control or moral compass. He is eighteen.
But letâs say Mako wasnât 18. Letâs say he was 15.
If a 15 year old commits a crime, depending on how purposeful it seems, they can be tried as an adult and sent to jail. The laws in many countries recognize the ability of teenagers under 18 to, despite being âfickle and inconsistent", know that some things are just plain wrong.
Yes, and if you donât think thereâs enough proof for that?
Did Mako know he did something wrong and try to redirect when called on it?
The proof? He kissed Korra, didnât tell Asami, and then when Asami finally confronted him about it, he instantly blamed Bolin.
That is the definition of someone who knows he messed up.
He even says later, in his really terrible apology, that heâs âsorry things got messed up". Not that he messed up, because Makoâs ego doesnât allow him to admit that he did anything wrong to anyoneâs face, but that magically, through no fault of anyone âthings got messed up".
Bryke said that people who had problems with Makorra needed to âget to college and see what it was like to like two people at once".
Liking two people at once is not an excuse to hurt them with no remorse.
Liking two people at once is not an excuse to hurt them, period.
And you know what, Mako IS a teenager. Even if he made this mistake and didnât do anything like it again, it shouldnât be held against him for the rest of his life.
But it should absolutely be held against him while he is still clearly of the mind that his mess-up meant nothing. While he is still reaping the rewards of his mess-up with no punishment, therefore having seen no real or legitimate consequence for doing a bad thing.
In 3-4 years, he might look back and go âwow, I was a fucking jerk. I really need to apologize properly and never do that again". At that point in time, and that point in time only can we even begin to use the âhe was a teenager" excuse, because in addition to being a teenager at the time, he learned from his actions and stopped.
There are forty year old grown men who still do âteenager" things like this. Mako can have a break when he develops a personality that doesnât harm others, like his brother, his girlfriend, and his ex-girlfriend.
Yes, I will hold an ADULT accountable for his actions.
This was also posted as a response here.
