More Final Season Discussion – She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

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1. Tatiana Rauch says:

   May 18, 2020 at 8:03 pm

   I want to start off saying as a bisexual I really enjoy and love She-ra and the queer rep it has plus I’m very happy everything came together in this show my BF (who’s also bi) loves this show and we forever praise it and the good bringing queer rep in animation. That said I mention I have issues with not just this season but with the series in general and I bring them up not just as a bisexual but as a woman who was in a toxic relationship both friendship and romantic and also as a black woman (yes this is gonna be an essay).
   1st Catradora I said many times before that I didn’t want Catra and Adora to be together because I felt they we’re too toxic for each other. I mention in one of the podcast that both Catra and Adora were abused by Shadow Weaver in different ways. Catra’s abuse was direct and Adora’s was more indirect how it created a riff between them and how they really shouldn’t be together because all of Catra’s insecurities her doubts stems from Adora and there will always be a small part of her that will feel those insecurities. After season 5 I have soften on them being together and I feel Catra is trying to change and be better, but she is still FAR away from a healthy, complete person. Entering into a relationship at this time might not be a good idea. Especially one with a person she has such a long, complex history with. Personally I think after they saved the world Catra should have been on her own for awhile worked on herself then have the ending play out like Adora’s dream future and have the big Catradora I love you and kiss. At least to me I would feel so much better about them being together. My biggest fear was they would have these 2 people who have a toxic history and relationship be together especially if their the big queer relationship for the sake of gay rep cuz a toxic relationship is still a toxic relationship no matter what sexuality you are. However after the finale I’m happy that didn’t really happen but I still feel shaky on them.
   2nd The redemption arcs Catra’s redemption I think was kinda fast but I did enjoy it and it was handle well my issue is with mostly Adora, Glimmer and Scorpia accepting Catra as fast as they did. I understand Bow and Entrapta forgiving her so easily but honestly I feel Adora, Glimmer and Scorpia could have been a bit more hesitant on forgiving her. Yeah I get their all loving and forgiving but Catra has done a lot of bad things that really hurt people they are allowed to be weary of her especially Glimmer. Like when Glimmer hugged Catra in the back of my mind I’m thinking Glimmer honey Catra is the reason your mom is stuck in another dimension and you are queen now you are allowed to be kinda weary of her even if she saved you. But Scorpia hugging Catra really rubbed me the wrong way like to me it kinda invalidates Scorpia leaving Catra in season 4 like I love Scorpia she is the best and she deserves everything and I hope her and Perfuma live happily and I know it’s in her character to be loving and the best but like Scorpia Catra really hurt you emotionally and (physically I think if I’m wrong please let me know) like you don’t need to hug her. Look I love Catra she is one of my favorite characters in animation and I’m really happy she’s in a better place now but since the show did a great job showing abuse and her going to dark places I feel that this season is more of the start of Catra’s redemption and it should of ended with her officially being in the best friend squad. About everyone else Shadow weaver died as she lived a selfish, horrible, abuser though still a great villain. But Hordak’s redemption is the one I really have a problem with like I’m with Mermista is everyone really ok with this??? Like I love Entraptak as much as the next person but Holy Hordak Dude decimated towns and killed so many people but as long as he has agency and embraces his imperfections everything is fine? Like this was my issue with Steven Universe with the Diamonds like what. As a black person it really bothers me like we’re supposed to forgive or redeemed characters who have terrorize, colonize, and kill people. I get it Horde Prime is worse he’s brainwashing people, killing worlds, tossing Hordak away and stuff. But that doesn’t change what the original Hordak did which in some ways is way worst than Catra has done. At least Catra has nuance and shades of grey on her behavior Hordak doesn’t.
   My 3rd issue is a little harder to explain and it’s more of the critique of the show. I will forever praise this show for how diverse the characters are from sexuality, personalities, body types and race but I can’t help but to feel that the show runners may have unintentionally left some bad racial implications like someone in this podcast said the talk between Mara and Adora in the finale was allowed to want things and she didn’t want to die and sacrifice was really inspiring which it is in some cases but how I a black woman read that scene that this Woman of color sacrifice everything and was force to be a weapon died trying to save everyone only to have a white woman save everyone with no sense of sacrifice like this is really hard to explain through text. What it really boils down to is that Mara this woman of color sacrifice everything and failed to save everyone where Adora saved everything with no issue. I know it’s not really the case but some scenes and types of dialogue are different when your a person of color like Adora being really critical of Mara in the early seasons reads differently Mara a natural brown hair brown eyed woman transforming into She-ra a blonde blue eyed reads differently. Like She-ra and Steven Universe are great Queer shows but they are essentially white savoir stories and since they have racially diverse cast it still bother me that they still need the white lead to save everyone or have bad racial implications but we basically ignore it because queer rep! As a bisexual I am loving the queer rep we’re getting but as a black woman it does bothers me like there seems like to be some bad trade off like I’m only getting half rep like I love that Mermista is black and bi but she’s not the lead character. Thankfully that seems to be changing with more POC leads being queer in shows but since this show and Steven Universe are like the big mainstream queer shows I feel these issues need to be brought up since nobody seems to be talking about it.

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2. Tatiana Rauch says:

   May 18, 2020 at 8:38 pm

   So that I don’t seem like I hate this season with my essay here some ramblings about what I love about this season. Bow and Glimmer being together yeah it kinda came out of nowhere but I buy it because they have such a sweet and healthy bond plus I always headcannon Bow being bi mostly he seems to be really into Sea Hawk and Perfuma. Catra’s purring, Swift wind is a good horse I love him, Scorpia singing gives me chills, I want a spin-off with the star siblings their so badass, Scorpia and Perfuma I ship it, Frosta being savage punching Catra, Netossa knowing everyones weakness and spraying Catra with water plus her drawings, Netossa and Spinnerella in general, Bow’s dads joke, Catra’s cat!, Adora’s new transformation, Micah vs Glimmer, Scorpia is queen!!, The Entrapta’s scene with the other princesses, Wrong Hordak in general, Shadow Weaver’s death, animation flawless as always, Learning Mermista set a boat on fire, Sea Hawk’s ex’s, Double Trouble in general, Hordak Prime is a great villian and super creepy, Sea hawk and Mermista in general they remind me of my boyfriend and I their the ultimate Bicons

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