Just to answer the first questions: the Portal is both Catra and Adora's manifestation: Stevenson: "It’s not an accident that the first false reality that they get thrown back into sort of centers around them [Catra and Adora]. For Adora, she’s looking for some kind of solution, like, at what point could I have fixed things in the past? Because that’s how she sees things. For Catra, it’s hiding. It’s sort of an escape to the last time things made sense to her, the last time things were simple and the last time she was happy. She’s sort of hiding from what she did. I don’t think she’s ready to face that yet. She hasn’t come to terms with it yet. She’s dug her hole and she has keeps taking it deeper."
Question: "Let’s dig a bit into that altered reality that the characters find themselves in during this season. What is it supposed to represent - not just for Catra and Adora, but for the rest of the cast?" Stevenson: "Catra and Adora being the closest to the portal when it went off is not an accident. They’ve reached this point in their relationship where it’s just like, how did it get this bad? What happened to make it get this bad and go this far? By throwing them back and realizing how much they’ve changed since the beginning of the show and how far they’ve come, both in good and bad ways, we realized that there’s no hiding from this. There’s no returning to a simpler time. This won’t be an easy problem to fix. We see all the characters deal with this where it’s like this is their perfect version of the world. Right? But it’s not real. They can’t escape from their problems this way. They have to stand up and fight it. I think we all feel this way sometimes - like everything is just totally screwed up. If you look back and you just want to return to a time when it’s like, maybe I could have made a different choice and maybe things would have gone differently. It’s just always sort of this just losing game because there is no going back. All you can do is deal with what’s happened and move forward from there. All the characters are finding ways to deal with that."
I always found it fascinating that Catra wasn’t force captain in this universe. I understand that this portal world isn’t ONLY taking in her mindset, but it’s interesting to me that she just wanted Adora back and to have a world where SW was kind to her. Obviously it wasn’t a good reality, but it makes her sympathetic to me.
@nite_is_a_wire Yeah and I assume the flashes of memories Catra herself gets which she keeps pushing down *side eyeing, self hugging* are all for show 🗿
One really interesting theory I've heard is that "Remember" is based off a world where everyone has their greatest desire, as long as it doesn't conflict with anyone else's. Catra has Adora, Angella and Glimmer have Mica, and Bow is the kid his dads always wanted. The only two who don't have this are Adora and Scorpia because they're greatest desires conflict with Catra's.
adoras greatest desire was to have all her friends , and to live a safe life with them, far away from shadow weaver. scorpia's greatest desire is a world where she and catra stayed in the crimson waste, most likely where entrapta came with. i think living alone isolated besides robots isn't entirely entraptas greatest desire. she wants to be with all her friends, but in that perfect world? catra is running from her guilt of what she did to entrapta. so entrapta isn't there. instead, the world gave their next best thing: entrapta having friends who will never leave. never get bored of her, never find her annoying, and if they break she can get new ones! no yelling at her for mess ups, no anger. this is why it's easy to snap her out of it. bow wants to please his dads so badly, but his greatest desire is to be able to have that AND be with his friends and work for the rebellion. which is why it's relatively easy to snap him out of it. tldr, I love this episode an unreasonable amount.
Seriously, the work the people behind She-Ra put into the writing of the show is just incredible, and your analysis just point out how much brilliant the show was and we many barely realize how many deeper meanings many episodes have, again another fantastic analysis.....I think will be nice a take on this videos for Glimmer and Bow, those are another characters that developed amazingly and there are not many essays on them....also Entrapta, Shadow Weaver, Angelica and Horde Prime will be excellent subjects for explorations to see in analysis like these. BTW please tell me there will be an Arcane video, if you haven't seen that show defined need to do it now.
I look at this kind of like the end of season 2 for Zuko. It would have been amazing if Catra had joined Adora here and helped fix the world and leave the Horde, but as painful as S4 of the show is, it really makes Catra's decision in S5 so much more powerful. Catra gets everything she wants, the Horde is winning, just like Zuko gets to go home and gets his father's respect, but it doesn't feel the way they thought it would.
bingo. im of the mind that, had he joined them in s2, he wouldve regressed. he needed to SEE his father, his home, and realize how far it was from what he truly needed.
@nite_is_a_wire I'd argue that Catra DIDN'T want a position of power. She wanted Adora. She's gone through horrible trauma, and through the series her main goal has been safety. That isn't what Catra wants. Catra thinks she wants power, because that's what other people want her to want. Zuko wanted to be loved by his father, it just wasn't what he thought it was. Catra never wanted power, she just thought it was the safest thing to do. Catra's arc isn't changing what she wants, Catra's arc is learning to let other people in her life and accept what SHE wants, not what other people want her to want.
@@TempestFNG being safe is kinda the main reason for anyone's search for power, if we're being honest. But that doesn't justify what she does. She ends up realizing that horde prime really couldn't be targeted and she sees the fact that she's messed up. She rebelled against horde prime because she couldn't stand being the feeling of being in-control and not being able to do anything about it
@nite_is_a_wire there is a lot to unpack when it comes to Catra. You raise some valid points, I recommend that you watch the video "why Catra matters" (by the the same author as this video).
It will never NOT astound me just HOW WELL-WRITTEN this show is. "Remember" being the thematic halfway point between "Promise" and Corridors, two immensely important episodes for Adora and Catra's individual and mutual development? I . . . I can't even begin to describe how well that works. Bravo, Noelle Stevenson! 👏👏👏 And bravo to you, Five for Five Takes, for another KILLER analysis. Keep em comin!
I know, right?! It's just astonishing how this little show for kids about space wizards assembled such god-tier writing and artistic craftsmanship. If only Team She-Ra could have been put in charge of Disney's Star Wars sequels!
not just thematic but almost a literal halfway point! there are 13 episodes between "Promise" and "Remember" and 16 episodes between "Remember" and "Corridors"!
3:50 SO glad to hear Catra’s empathetic abilities recognised & how that lead to her finding her own magical connection, which in turn lead to the BEST magic creature bond in the series❣️✨
12:03 Lol I’d say this was a MASSIVE piece. Stevenson said in an interview that 1 of the key reasons Adora leaving affected Catra the way it did was bcuz she realised that her & Adora’s number 1 priorities were different. Now from start to finish, we all know Catra’s one true priority was always Adora. But the thing is, from Day 1 Adora had been told what to prioritise by all her superiors, so she never really thought to herself what HER actual priority was & we know her Duty mentality was the reason she was able to leave without Catra in the 1st place. When Adora promises not to leave Catra again, it isn’t just so she can get her to go with her but the alternate portal reality made her realised just much she missed being with Catra. It was the 1st time she was confronted with what she really wanted. And when Catra puts herself on the line for Adora in ‘Corridors’ she’s once again left to contemplate what she wants to prioritise for herself rather than what’s deemed best for everyone else. Catra was always the one who pushed Adora to face what she wanted, not what she was told to want. And ‘Save the Cat’ was PROOF that both their true priorities were always one & the same 💞
@@haydenberends3905 th-cam.com/video/IVU4CAXU3YY/w-d-xo.html It's a blind viewing that also summarizes the plot of every season with brief comments but really nails how much the show earnestly built on itself with its characters and thematic thrusts as it went on.
I find Catra a very therapeutic character because I heavily relate to her, but I think this video finally makes me understand why Catra didn’t just leave with Adora. Leaving means changing how the relationship is. It means they can never go back, and to Catra that’s terrifying because it means that their relationship could fall apart either way.
As well delivered & insightful as always. I hadn't even realized that "Promise", "Remember" & "Corridors" make up a trilogy. Perhaps a video detailing that?
they each are a lynchpin. promise begins the spiral, remember cements it, corridors undoes it. and each framed by looking at memory with a specific perspecitve
@@5x5Takes Well said. Also I'd watch the hell out of a video about Glimmer & Bow in the portal or otherwise. If I may be so bold, one thing I would like is you branching out to cover other characters & their relationships.
I love the idea that Catra has a connection to empathetic magic. She has always been very driven by her emotions and tends to feel things on a deeper level than most characters, to the point where her emotion consumes her. It makes sense that Melog would trust her and bond with her because of this. Melog understands her, and she understands him. The crimson waste and the portal incident are perfect examples of this. Like she said in the video, Catras thoughts/emotions are so strong and loud that she doesn’t even hear scorpia speak to her. She’s completely overwhelmed and in a highly emotional state. This only increases when she gets back to the horde and has her run in with shadow weaver and her hurting Entrapta. Catra is practically screaming for help, for something to change, to fix all this pain. And the sword gave her what she wanted through the portal.
What a lot of “what if” situations get wrong is the idea of its either “lets just do a fun wacky situations” or “this is what would have happened and why this would be bad for the main protagonists” This deals with why it would be bad, for both sides of the same coin. In essence it says “you cannot see what could have been, only what is, and so that’s what you have got to work with” and its frankly beautiful. The story telling in She-Ra deserves so much credit for its maturity in understanding relationships, and being able to represent realistic relationships of all types.
I just wanted to point out two things in case ppl don't know: 1. Stevenson said the Portal reality is a manifestation of Catra and Adora's wishes, they were the ones staying closest to it before it was set off, on purpose 2. Stevenson can't rewatch the episode happily because he was depressed during that time and couldn't do the concept "justice". It makes me wish he'd share what he'd change about it!
One of the thing i love most about she-ra isn't just catradora. It's the fact that catradora is *the* most important relationship in the show and it's Catradora which *saves the world*
Goddamn, this analysis whips. Picking apart the parallels between the episodes really exemplifies how much attention to detail the writers had and just drives home how much this series is about Catra's personal growth
At the end I was thinking of a quote bow said "...I get it's hard to be friends sometimes, you got to work for it..." Idk why but I felt that it was a good way to describe what catra and adora where going through at that time
another great she-ra analysis video!!! i never realized how many scenes from the sword were directly paralleled in remember. it just really makes me appreciate this episode more from a writing standpoint to have such clear subtle rewrites of those opening scenes to show what each of them thought should have happened so they would stay together. this episode just made it clear that even in a universe where everything went as planned, it couldn't exist because both of them have had this rift of miscommunication and different points of view that has been brewing for years. what i like about this episode is also the fact that even though the universe was not real, it had consequences for the characters and also furthered understanding of their dynamic for the audience. for shows with an overarching plot, i really hate to see what-if episodes not further the characters POV or the audience's POV because its such a great excuse to really look into character motivations and relationships.
I'm always at awe at the many things you are able to bring and connect together it makes these scenes and the characters arcs so much more significant and understandable seriously amazing.
The more I sit with this show, and the more I see people complain about it being toxic, the more I think: Yes. This show is ABOUT people dealing with toxicity. It's the whole point. Catra's toxic behavior is the most obvious, because she puts herself ahead of everyone else. But Adora's behavior, putting herself last, is just as toxic. It's just that it's a socially acceptable form of toxic behavior. Catra only takes, Adora only gives. And the show's about them both unlearning that. If Adora had stayed, their relationship would've been textbook codependency. They had to take the long road to become people who could have an actual healthy relationship.
Hey so this is a tad bit off topic but bear with me please. I wanted to take a minute and say thank you to you guys. Remember the video about Adora being a great protagonist you made a while back? Thing is, I have a friend who's really dear to my heart and she struggles a lot with always wanting to fix things and taking responsibility for everything and anything. I watched your Adora vid back then just cause I like listening to people's fan theories and left there having learned some good advice on how I could try helping my friend. Well. Fast forward like half a year and she's getting there. 🙂She's finally learning to ease off a bit, relax now and then and take time to take care of herself, too. It's baby steps and she still got a good chunk of path to walk ahead of her, but I don't think she'd have made even those first steps by now if your video hadn't helped me find the words to give her the push she needed. So yeah. Thank you again for helping me help my friend. I know this likely wasn't your intention, but it's how it turned out anyway so I thought you deserved a word of gratitude. Stay safe and have a great weekend! 😊
"You can't have peace without doing the work to get there" just, CHILLS. Especially laid across "Promise" as a score and those fantastic flashbacks the show does. Bravo, just bravo.
I've always seen this and Moment of Truth as the crown jewels of pre-season-4 She-ra. Nowhere else have I seen such a tonal shift that overthrows any preconceived notions about a show's message or plot. Promise was an amazing prelude to this, but the story really takes full form here and it's a wonder to see unfold. Also terrifying. When I did my tier list this episode was a clear shot to the highest tier. I'd love to hear your opinions on Destiny, Fractures, or late season 4 in general since I think that's really the strongest point in She-Ra.
Aaaaaaand now I’m going on another She-Ra rewatch 😂🤣😂😭 Amazing video! I found your analysis fascinating, as always. Remember is one of my favorite (and one of the most heartbreaking) episodes in She-Ra’s run! Catra and Adora’s struggle is one of the, if not the most integral emotional centers of the She-Ra show. I’m glad there are people like you to break it down and to dive deeper into the dynamic! Well done! Now, I’m off to rewatch the first season and bawl my eyes out at Promise again.
This is such a good video. I always imagined that the au was everyone's perception of what a perfect day would look like and for Adora and Catra that ment being together knowing that the only place this could happen was in the fright zone. Maybe Adora could see the world falling apart cus being in the fright zone was not part of her perception of perfect, just being with Catra
This is exactly why your channel is my favorite. Making the connection between Promise, Remember, and Corridors makes SO much sense, but I had never thought of it that way before. Your analysis is inspired.
The writing at the core of your videos and your delivery combine to make some of the most satisfying media analysis I've consumed. Great job all the way around.
Not to sound weird but you have a very soothing voice also I love your She-ra analysis videos they are so good. Thank you for the content. Tbh this show is just so amazing and your videos really highlight that.😁
Another BRILLIANT analysis from a beautiful series. You pointed out some things I didn't realize were significant, like Adora driving the skiff and being in control in the Remember episode. Also, the fact that Catra's way of 'fixing' things is reading Adora's emotions and trying to self correct to 'fit in' so Adora would see things as 'perfect.'
As always, this is excellent analysis. I absolutely love every video you make about Shera, you put things into words that I somewhat noticed or couldn't properly articulate. Your work is incredible, keep it up ❤️
it is interesting that you consider the chapters "promise", "remember" and "corridors" as a trilogy taking into account that the same soundtrack sounds in the most important scenes of the chapters (also adding the confession of catra to adora, finally giving an end to this trilogy that you have talked about in your video)
Well done as usual, your analysis gave me a perspective I hadn't thought of before. She Ra is such a deep show, that endless videos can be made to examine it.
1:03 I’m not sure Catra & Adora’s relationship imploding would’ve been the case with every possible situation of the events that could’ve happened in the Premiere ep but I think it could possibly be a way of reflecting that, no matter how much you may wish to rewrite how you handled the situation that 1st time, the fact is that’s what you did & what ended up happening & you need to deal with it. And this applies to both Catra & Adora in how neither of them handled their fatal exchange in Thaymor that day in the best way - far from it 💔 The point is, neither could take back the actions they took or what they said & could only hope to learn from what they did.
Every one of these videos gives such new insight into the show it makes me want to watch the whole thing again to thread it all together, this is incredible.
Didn't Stevenson say on that one scene on remember where catra was talking and hanging out with a bunch of cadets (that in reality were not friends w catra as seen in s1) that some way some how catra only wanted to belong and be accepted, so really most of the fake universe was really formulated by catra. I love what you said about things cannot be fixed with rewriting, like some sort of shortcuts but things need to happen, and happen gradually they should, made up of choices and decisions. Damn. On the last part I got flashbacks on Adler, a personality theorist, that believes the interpretation of past events is what makes up the person you are today And also, I wonder what shadow weaver's morning was like in that universe
11:52 i just notised that catra being very invested in things happening on her terms, which is shown both in the way Five mentions in the vid and in how she displays physical affection, happly jumping on adora and nussleing into her embrace while also being extremely adverse to touch from others when it wasent on her terms (scorpia in general and bow & glimmer both on the ship and on crytis) is another aspect of catra's cat-like qualities being woven into the very core of her roll in the show. as one of the personality traits cats are known for is always wanting things on their terms, i would have been so easy for them to just have catra's cat-girls status just be purely visual and not work to tie it into her personality, but it adds a really nice sense of authenticity to her.
I've watched the show twice, and while I noticed they go back to memories a lot, I hadn't noticed that the trio of memory episodes all go back to rehash the same event. I... just finished my second watch today, so I probably shouldn't rewatch it immediately, but there's the lead for doing it a third time: there's more patterns to notice, more to unpack, and plenty more laughter and tears of course.
Just finished the series and I wanted to congratulate you on this video. It was very well written, paced, and helped highlight narrative parallels between some of the most important episodes in the show. The breakdown of the character’s psychology really helps to understand their actions and internal conflicts. It really helped highlight details that I may not have picked up on in my watch through. All in all, this was an excellent video, great work!
Why are you so good at these videos!!! Your amazing and I love listening to and watching your analysis videos! Can you do one on the likeness off catra and glimmer though out the series and how it turned them into friends? And maybe a scorpion one, just a general character analysis. But I would really love to see the catra and glimmer one. 😄
I second this. The parallels between Catra and Glimmer are many. Their relationships to Adora. Both lose their mother figures in season 2/3. Bow and Scorpia are similarly supportive characters whose friendships are pushed to their limits in season 4. This isn't even comparing Catra and Glimmer's character traits and their rise to power. So, so, so much to go on and Five by Five takes would do an amazing analysis on this.
I honestly thought this was going to be about the ultimate turning point what-if. the first time Adora actually reached her hand out to Catra to stay with her, the section at 4:50. Not as a character study but a, what-if, Catra actually followed Adora rather than running away. somewhat in a sense that i havnt quite seen anyone really nail down the reason for other than that Catra was beyond confused of the situation. If Catra followed Adora into the rebellion. Then, how much would that have actually effected the story? From simply matching up each of the major occurances: we wouldnt have had the princess alliance form, Entrapta wouldnt have been... Entrapted. im not sure if Adora would have stopped training with LightHope to activate the super weapon. and Prime wouldnt have been a thing as the portal wouldnt have been made without Catra. But, as we have seen Catra's mental state of other people around Adora. even their own in the Hord. Im not sure how Catra would get along with others at this early stage. The mental psycological abuse is there. Catra isnt a 'Yes Man' kind of person, so indipendent thought could lead her to alot more of 'doing things on her own' jealousy and even the similar figure of high power is shown via Angela to Shadow Weaver, could stain the relationship. We might ultimatly see Adora and Catra's relation get closer but stretching thinner and fraile. To maybe turn into the classic assumption, run away, jelous, cleche. Due to power, possition, or simply the 'best friend squad'. As much as i hate to watch the downward spiral of Catra. it seems to be the better path in the end for everyone. And if she went with Adora, we might be seeing the more long-winded displaced relationship feeling, that might not end well. The Rebellion most likely would have won against the hord, yes. But we most likely wouldnt have had the ending that was fit for everyone. It could have even turned more violant due to a cornered Shadow Weaver and Hordak. Or... even an end-all if Adora continued down with LightHope. Constructing situations like thing is something that is a specialty of mine. my brother thinks im crazy when i do this with WW2, and what ifs in other real life scenarios. But, in the end, like as he says; we will never actually know that other path, how it will play out, or how it would actually conclude.
GOD THIS SHOW IS PERFECT. THIS VIDEO IS PERFECT. THIS SPECIFIC EPISODES IS WRITING AT ITS PEAK I LITERALLY CANNOT RECOVER FROM THIS EPISODE IT HAS PERMANENTLY CHANGED ME AS A PERSON. THANK YOU FOR THIS WONDERFUL ANALYSIS
yeeeesss. i always see people asking why catra didn't go with adora cause they'd still be together, but catra going with adora and adora staying with catra aren't the same. and i love how you explained that.
As always, I love your She-Ra analyses. I love how you laid out and unpacked the narrative parallels between the intro episodes' scenes, the S3 finale's, and Corridors', showing each as a turning point of the broader arc. You brilliantly described how our interpretation of memories can shape our current feelings/behaviors. But I am not totally convinced of your argument that the sword mostly manifested Catra's desires. Since I love critiquing things and quibbling about fictional metaphysics, I want to offer a critique. IIRC, we have never seen the sword react to anyone's innermost feelings _except_ She-Ra's. So, without knowing whose feelings the sword manifested in _Remember,_ it seems most reasonable to infer that the feelings were Adora's. Yes, Catra was closest to the sword and pulled the lever of the machine the sword was hooked up to, but none of this appeared to connect Catra's mind to the sword. Any example of the sword reacting to someone else's emotions would undermine my objection here, but I do think the sword only connected to She-Ra's mind. Glimmer wanted to use the sword in S1, but only Adora could use it because the sword connected to her. We already know that the sword was connected to Adora's mind, and that it was capable of manifesting Adora's desires, but not that it was capable of manifesting Catra's. Melog's empathetic connection to Catra struck me more as Melog's powers, not Catra's. Melog showed off his powerful magic in his introductory episode, after all. Melog reacted to Catra's emotions just like the sword reacted to Adora's, and the sword communicates with Adora alone (through visions) like how Melog communicates with Catra alone (through cat-language). So, I suspect that Melog connects to Catra's mind and the sword connects to Adora's, but not vice versa. Although I criticized your argument that Catra's mind shaped the fantasy-world more than Adora's, I do think both of their desires contributed to it. I have interpreted the fantasy-world as equally shaped by every main character's desires -- that is why Glimmer's family is reunited, for example. (Although, then again, it's interesting that Bow is a librarian like his dads wanted instead of an archer. I do not know how to fit that into my interpretation.) And then again, maybe my interpretation is incoherent because the sword would presumably have to connect to everyone's mind in order to shape the fantasy-world according to their desires? I dunno lol
sure! but melog is a very emotional being, and connects and bonds with catra. there's certainly cat-camaraderie involved, but with a fluid, soft magic system like she ra's, i like to think we can connect it to the characters as well. all fun interpretations. magic tied to emotion --> big magic channel hooked up to big machine, new world happens--> new world now made of innermost feelings im not combatively attached to this interpretation or another. we're not given a strict in-universe explanation, so it's fun to speculate, that's what's great about fiction.
I'm happy beyond words that you've made another video. Your analysis of Catra and Adora are so deeply personal, and well researched,. And the editing? Hits you right in the chest- where the feelings are stored. You help my partner and I find words to describe the thoughts and opinions on these characters and their incredibly well written relationship. That, in turn, is putting pins in important points we had laid out previously but had no idea what to do with. Thank you so very much for sharing this!!
to me - or atleast since I watched She-ra when it came out, it’s probably unanswered. I feel like whenever the alliance comes to the horde, cat-ra and adora stay together without saying any words. (just a prediction)
I'm not going to lie, this season finale (both this episode and the next) really messed with my head. Without going into too much detail, I was in a position where someone kept telling me everything was fine when everything else was proof to the contrary. I felt very much like Adora for a second, knowing that something was wrong but not being able to figure out exactly what it was until literally the world starts falling apart around her. I was originally planning on dropping the show, but decided that because season 2-3 were two halves of a season, I would at least see if it could keep my interest. Anyway as I said, the episode hit way too close to home and I'm somewhat happy about that as the next two season were very enjoyable.
Thank you thank you THANK YOU for continuing your video essays on She-Ra. These are always such a treat. And offer way more insight into the show than I ever gleamed.
I was absolutely ecstatic to check in on your page and see that this video had been posted. I love She-Ra and your analyses give me the opportunity to relive what I love about this show while walking away with additional things to consider in the shows’ character building and themes. THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO MAKE THESE VIDEOS.
You have no idea how happy I was to see another one of your She-Ra videos on my recommend I have missed these. I really hope you do more they’re some of my favourite videos on TH-cam
This is a FANTASTIC breakdown and comparison. Your videos have always given me something I didn't know I was looking for. Thank you and I hope you keep this up.
I love She-Ra so much. This show is amazingly well crafted and might just be my favorite show ever. The character developments and how their arcs are symbolized in the narrative is perfect. “Everything is perfect.” These “what if” scenarios are always fun to look at, and I really love what She-Ra did with its “what if” story. There’s always been another what if idea that I’ve wondered about. What if Adora had let Catra go with her when she went to look for the Sword in episode one? How would that have turned out? Would Bow and Glimmer have even been able to capture Adora if Catra had been with her? Would Adora still have turned to the rebellion and would Catra have gone with her? Granted, the answer to some of these questions is probably “no” since a lot of what happened had to happen for just Adora in order for the events to happen they way that they were supposed to, but I still can’t help but wonder just what would have happened if Catra had gone with Adora to find the Sword. But, when all is said and done, you can’t beat the original. The best shall always be She-Ra And The Princesses of Power.
Kinda depends on if Adora tried to convince Catra to come with her because Adora wanted her to or if she went for the whole 'but we have to' approach. If - and it's a big if - Adora took option one the Horde last about ten seconds max. After all that'd mean Bow and Glimmer don't get captured, Entrapta doesn't 'die' in the rescue attempt and the Horde never gets a tech upgrade, portal power or defective clone exoskeletons. Plus if Catra at *that* point in her life switched sides I'm pretty sure Adora wakes up to find the war's over thanks to Catra just wandering over to the Fright Zone and shredding everything in a really violent but very cheap alternative to therapy....
@Five by Five Takes Thank you for this video. What you said about perceptions of events vs reality of them really stuck with me. It helped me realize things about my own life and my mistakes and choices. Thank you. Also great analysis. When I rewatch the show again I'm going to pay attention to those three episodes you've mentioned
First of all thanks subtitles. I know very little English and subtitles save me. Secondly, it's just brilliant. Such a seemingly small detail is of great importance in the whole show. Thank you for continuing to make videos. It's very interesting and great to listen to.
@Five by Five Takes Please continue to make character analysis videos from Shera. I really enjoy your in depth videos. I would love to see Shadow Weaver covered in the future.
Thank you again! It's hard to imagine a year of my future life in which I won't rewatch SPOP to concentrate on some aspect that Five by Five Takes has highlighted 🥰
I loved this analysis! Every time I watch one of these videos I realize just even more just how well-written She-Ra is. I’d love to see you guys do analysis videos on the shows Amphibia and the Owl House! Both of those shows are so amazing and I don’t see a lot of analysis videos made on them. I think you guys would really like them.
awesome analysis! to some people, it just semantics but you're absolutely correct. every bit of this show has been masterfully done that those semantics are actually vital and profound. love this show so much...thanks for making more content about it.
Just to answer the first questions: the Portal is both Catra and Adora's manifestation:
Stevenson: "It’s not an accident that the first false reality that they get thrown back into sort of centers around them [Catra and Adora]. For Adora, she’s looking for some kind of solution, like, at what point could I have fixed things in the past? Because that’s how she sees things. For Catra, it’s hiding. It’s sort of an escape to the last time things made sense to her, the last time things were simple and the last time she was happy. She’s sort of hiding from what she did. I don’t think she’s ready to face that yet. She hasn’t come to terms with it yet. She’s dug her hole and she has keeps taking it deeper."
Question: "Let’s dig a bit into that altered reality that the characters find themselves in during this season. What is it supposed to represent - not just for Catra and Adora, but for the rest of the cast?"
Stevenson: "Catra and Adora being the closest to the portal when it went off is not an accident. They’ve reached this point in their relationship where it’s just like, how did it get this bad? What happened to make it get this bad and go this far? By throwing them back and realizing how much they’ve changed since the beginning of the show and how far they’ve come, both in good and bad ways, we realized that there’s no hiding from this. There’s no returning to a simpler time. This won’t be an easy problem to fix. We see all the characters deal with this where it’s like this is their perfect version of the world. Right?
But it’s not real. They can’t escape from their problems this way. They have to stand up and fight it. I think we all feel this way sometimes - like everything is just totally screwed up. If you look back and you just want to return to a time when it’s like, maybe I could have made a different choice and maybe things would have gone differently. It’s just always sort of this just losing game because there is no going back. All you can do is deal with what’s happened and move forward from there. All the characters are finding ways to deal with that."
Me: there must be some form of physics phenomenon that could explain this.
@@nenakarra2579 Thank you for the transcription.
It would be interesting to see what the other characters perfect world would be
I always found it fascinating that Catra wasn’t force captain in this universe. I understand that this portal world isn’t ONLY taking in her mindset, but it’s interesting to me that she just wanted Adora back and to have a world where SW was kind to her. Obviously it wasn’t a good reality, but it makes her sympathetic to me.
thats a great point!
I think Catra hates her inferiority complex to Adora. She hate that she is jealous and wishes she could just be by her side. It's like Loki and thor.
@nite_is_a_wire Yeah and I assume the flashes of memories Catra herself gets which she keeps pushing down *side eyeing, self hugging* are all for show 🗿
All she wants is her friend. :(
It’s because, more then anything, Catra wanted Adora to STAY. and she believed Adora wouldn’t want to stay if she wasn’t force captain
One really interesting theory I've heard is that "Remember" is based off a world where everyone has their greatest desire, as long as it doesn't conflict with anyone else's. Catra has Adora, Angella and Glimmer have Mica, and Bow is the kid his dads always wanted. The only two who don't have this are Adora and Scorpia because they're greatest desires conflict with Catra's.
Oooooh!
So that's why it was so easy for them to remember!
adoras greatest desire was to have all her friends , and to live a safe life with them, far away from shadow weaver. scorpia's greatest desire is a world where she and catra stayed in the crimson waste, most likely where entrapta came with.
i think living alone isolated besides robots isn't entirely entraptas greatest desire. she wants to be with all her friends, but in that perfect world? catra is running from her guilt of what she did to entrapta. so entrapta isn't there.
instead, the world gave their next best thing: entrapta having friends who will never leave. never get bored of her, never find her annoying, and if they break she can get new ones! no yelling at her for mess ups, no anger. this is why it's easy to snap her out of it.
bow wants to please his dads so badly, but his greatest desire is to be able to have that AND be with his friends and work for the rebellion. which is why it's relatively easy to snap him out of it.
tldr, I love this episode an unreasonable amount.
Seriously, the work the people behind She-Ra put into the writing of the show is just incredible, and your analysis just point out how much brilliant the show was and we many barely realize how many deeper meanings many episodes have, again another fantastic analysis.....I think will be nice a take on this videos for Glimmer and Bow, those are another characters that developed amazingly and there are not many essays on them....also Entrapta, Shadow Weaver, Angelica and Horde Prime will be excellent subjects for explorations to see in analysis like these. BTW please tell me there will be an Arcane video, if you haven't seen that show defined need to do it now.
Agreed. Shadow Weaver, Hordak, and Glimmer are some of my favorite characters, and I'd love to see individual analyses for all of them
glimmer is next, then probably bow. id love to chat shadow weaver as well, perhaps in contrast w angella
@@5x5Takes Looking forward to it 🙌
Seconding the idea of Arcane videos, there is so much to unpack between those characters and their relationships.
@@tyran6444 yessss
I look at this kind of like the end of season 2 for Zuko. It would have been amazing if Catra had joined Adora here and helped fix the world and leave the Horde, but as painful as S4 of the show is, it really makes Catra's decision in S5 so much more powerful. Catra gets everything she wants, the Horde is winning, just like Zuko gets to go home and gets his father's respect, but it doesn't feel the way they thought it would.
bingo. im of the mind that, had he joined them in s2, he wouldve regressed. he needed to SEE his father, his home, and realize how far it was from what he truly needed.
Agreed!
@nite_is_a_wire I'd argue that Catra DIDN'T want a position of power. She wanted Adora. She's gone through horrible trauma, and through the series her main goal has been safety. That isn't what Catra wants. Catra thinks she wants power, because that's what other people want her to want. Zuko wanted to be loved by his father, it just wasn't what he thought it was. Catra never wanted power, she just thought it was the safest thing to do. Catra's arc isn't changing what she wants, Catra's arc is learning to let other people in her life and accept what SHE wants, not what other people want her to want.
@@TempestFNG being safe is kinda the main reason for anyone's search for power, if we're being honest. But that doesn't justify what she does. She ends up realizing that horde prime really couldn't be targeted and she sees the fact that she's messed up. She rebelled against horde prime because she couldn't stand being the feeling of being in-control and not being able to do anything about it
@nite_is_a_wire there is a lot to unpack when it comes to Catra. You raise some valid points, I recommend that you watch the video "why Catra matters" (by the the same author as this video).
It will never NOT astound me just HOW WELL-WRITTEN this show is.
"Remember" being the thematic halfway point between "Promise" and Corridors, two immensely important episodes for Adora and Catra's individual and mutual development?
I . . . I can't even begin to describe how well that works. Bravo, Noelle Stevenson! 👏👏👏
And bravo to you, Five for Five Takes, for another KILLER analysis. Keep em comin!
I know, right?! It's just astonishing how this little show for kids about space wizards assembled such god-tier writing and artistic craftsmanship. If only Team She-Ra could have been put in charge of Disney's Star Wars sequels!
@@kevincrady2831 You said it. As a Star Wars fanboy, I was IMMENSELY let down by the sequels. "Disappointed" doesn't really cover it.
not just thematic but almost a literal halfway point! there are 13 episodes between "Promise" and "Remember" and 16 episodes between "Remember" and "Corridors"!
13:04
"If they're going to be brought back together, it has to be through choices in this universe, not rewriting another one."
This hit me so hard
This episode always gets me because even in this world, this "perfect reality", Catra doesn't want to be on top, she just wants to be with Adora
It's hard to resist the obvious joke reading this message post S5
@@falconeshield Hah
3:50 SO glad to hear Catra’s empathetic abilities recognised & how that lead to her finding her own magical connection, which in turn lead to the BEST magic creature bond in the series❣️✨
12:03 Lol I’d say this was a MASSIVE piece.
Stevenson said in an interview that 1 of the key reasons Adora leaving affected Catra the way it did was bcuz she realised that her & Adora’s number 1 priorities were different.
Now from start to finish, we all know Catra’s one true priority was always Adora.
But the thing is, from Day 1 Adora had been told what to prioritise by all her superiors, so she never really thought to herself what HER actual priority was & we know her Duty mentality was the reason she was able to leave without Catra in the 1st place.
When Adora promises not to leave Catra again, it isn’t just so she can get her to go with her but the alternate portal reality made her realised just much she missed being with Catra. It was the 1st time she was confronted with what she really wanted. And when Catra puts herself on the line for Adora in ‘Corridors’ she’s once again left to contemplate what she wants to prioritise for herself rather than what’s deemed best for everyone else.
Catra was always the one who pushed Adora to face what she wanted, not what she was told to want. And ‘Save the Cat’ was PROOF that both their true priorities were always one & the same 💞
Why I am crying now..
@@cupidon191Here, a tissue box 😢😢 we can share
This came out at a perfect time after seeing Negative Legend’s She-Ra video
Link? Was it good or bad?
@@haydenberends3905 Oh it was good. The comments though?
…yikes 🤢
@@haydenberends3905 th-cam.com/video/IVU4CAXU3YY/w-d-xo.html
It's a blind viewing that also summarizes the plot of every season with brief comments but really nails how much the show earnestly built on itself with its characters and thematic thrusts as it went on.
@@sunlitsonata6853 Thank you for the link. I'll check it out. :-)
EXACTLY
I find Catra a very therapeutic character because I heavily relate to her, but I think this video finally makes me understand why Catra didn’t just leave with Adora. Leaving means changing how the relationship is. It means they can never go back, and to Catra that’s terrifying because it means that their relationship could fall apart either way.
As well delivered & insightful as always. I hadn't even realized that "Promise", "Remember" & "Corridors" make up a trilogy. Perhaps a video detailing that?
they each are a lynchpin. promise begins the spiral, remember cements it, corridors undoes it. and each framed by looking at memory with a specific perspecitve
@@5x5Takes Well said. Also I'd watch the hell out of a video about Glimmer & Bow in the portal or otherwise. If I may be so bold, one thing I would like is you branching out to cover other characters & their relationships.
@@autisticdragon8871 if i may be so bold, so would i. glimmer and bow are next.
@@5x5Takes Yuush!
I love the idea that Catra has a connection to empathetic magic. She has always been very driven by her emotions and tends to feel things on a deeper level than most characters, to the point where her emotion consumes her. It makes sense that Melog would trust her and bond with her because of this. Melog understands her, and she understands him.
The crimson waste and the portal incident are perfect examples of this. Like she said in the video, Catras thoughts/emotions are so strong and loud that she doesn’t even hear scorpia speak to her. She’s completely overwhelmed and in a highly emotional state. This only increases when she gets back to the horde and has her run in with shadow weaver and her hurting Entrapta. Catra is practically screaming for help, for something to change, to fix all this pain. And the sword gave her what she wanted through the portal.
What a lot of “what if” situations get wrong is the idea of its either “lets just do a fun wacky situations” or “this is what would have happened and why this would be bad for the main protagonists”
This deals with why it would be bad, for both sides of the same coin. In essence it says “you cannot see what could have been, only what is, and so that’s what you have got to work with” and its frankly beautiful.
The story telling in She-Ra deserves so much credit for its maturity in understanding relationships, and being able to represent realistic relationships of all types.
I just wanted to point out two things in case ppl don't know: 1. Stevenson said the Portal reality is a manifestation of Catra and Adora's wishes, they were the ones staying closest to it before it was set off, on purpose 2. Stevenson can't rewatch the episode happily because he was depressed during that time and couldn't do the concept "justice". It makes me wish he'd share what he'd change about it!
Yeah I’m late again…aren’t I?😅
ironic that you wish for an alternate reality, to fix what could be argued to be a display of why a perfect alternate reality cant work
Uh...Stevenson is a woman named Noelle?
@@Unison23 no. Stevenson is transmasc.
@@Unison23 Stevenson came out as bigender, and they haven’t decided a name yet.
One of the thing i love most about she-ra isn't just catradora. It's the fact that catradora is *the* most important relationship in the show and it's Catradora which *saves the world*
Goddamn, this analysis whips. Picking apart the parallels between the episodes really exemplifies how much attention to detail the writers had and just drives home how much this series is about Catra's personal growth
"WHIP!" 😂
Once again another fantastic analysis of Catra and Adora's psyche.
At the end I was thinking of a quote bow said "...I get it's hard to be friends sometimes, you got to work for it..." Idk why but I felt that it was a good way to describe what catra and adora where going through at that time
another great she-ra analysis video!!!
i never realized how many scenes from the sword were directly paralleled in remember. it just really makes me appreciate this episode more from a writing standpoint to have such clear subtle rewrites of those opening scenes to show what each of them thought should have happened so they would stay together.
this episode just made it clear that even in a universe where everything went as planned, it couldn't exist because both of them have had this rift of miscommunication and different points of view that has been brewing for years. what i like about this episode is also the fact that even though the universe was not real, it had consequences for the characters and also furthered understanding of their dynamic for the audience. for shows with an overarching plot, i really hate to see what-if episodes not further the characters POV or the audience's POV because its such a great excuse to really look into character motivations and relationships.
I'm always at awe at the many things you are able to bring and connect together it makes these scenes and the characters arcs so much more significant and understandable seriously amazing.
The more I sit with this show, and the more I see people complain about it being toxic, the more I think: Yes. This show is ABOUT people dealing with toxicity. It's the whole point.
Catra's toxic behavior is the most obvious, because she puts herself ahead of everyone else. But Adora's behavior, putting herself last, is just as toxic. It's just that it's a socially acceptable form of toxic behavior.
Catra only takes, Adora only gives. And the show's about them both unlearning that. If Adora had stayed, their relationship would've been textbook codependency. They had to take the long road to become people who could have an actual healthy relationship.
Perfectly said, my friend. PER👏FECT👏LY SAID👏
This show either makes me incredibly happy or incredibly depressed, there is nothing in between.
Hey so this is a tad bit off topic but bear with me please. I wanted to take a minute and say thank you to you guys. Remember the video about Adora being a great protagonist you made a while back? Thing is, I have a friend who's really dear to my heart and she struggles a lot with always wanting to fix things and taking responsibility for everything and anything. I watched your Adora vid back then just cause I like listening to people's fan theories and left there having learned some good advice on how I could try helping my friend. Well. Fast forward like half a year and she's getting there. 🙂She's finally learning to ease off a bit, relax now and then and take time to take care of herself, too. It's baby steps and she still got a good chunk of path to walk ahead of her, but I don't think she'd have made even those first steps by now if your video hadn't helped me find the words to give her the push she needed. So yeah. Thank you again for helping me help my friend. I know this likely wasn't your intention, but it's how it turned out anyway so I thought you deserved a word of gratitude. Stay safe and have a great weekend! 😊
"You can't have peace without doing the work to get there" just, CHILLS. Especially laid across "Promise" as a score and those fantastic flashbacks the show does. Bravo, just bravo.
I've always seen this and Moment of Truth as the crown jewels of pre-season-4 She-ra. Nowhere else have I seen such a tonal shift that overthrows any preconceived notions about a show's message or plot. Promise was an amazing prelude to this, but the story really takes full form here and it's a wonder to see unfold. Also terrifying. When I did my tier list this episode was a clear shot to the highest tier. I'd love to hear your opinions on Destiny, Fractures, or late season 4 in general since I think that's really the strongest point in She-Ra.
Aaaaaaand now I’m going on another She-Ra rewatch 😂🤣😂😭
Amazing video! I found your analysis fascinating, as always. Remember is one of my favorite (and one of the most heartbreaking) episodes in She-Ra’s run! Catra and Adora’s struggle is one of the, if not the most integral emotional centers of the She-Ra show. I’m glad there are people like you to break it down and to dive deeper into the dynamic! Well done!
Now, I’m off to rewatch the first season and bawl my eyes out at Promise again.
This is such a good video. I always imagined that the au was everyone's perception of what a perfect day would look like and for Adora and Catra that ment being together knowing that the only place this could happen was in the fright zone. Maybe Adora could see the world falling apart cus being in the fright zone was not part of her perception of perfect, just being with Catra
That last sentence…OMG I DIDN’T EVEN THINK OF THAT! 🤯🤯
wake up babe new five by five she-ra video just dropped
This is exactly why your channel is my favorite. Making the connection between Promise, Remember, and Corridors makes SO much sense, but I had never thought of it that way before. Your analysis is inspired.
they’re a trilogy!
The writing at the core of your videos and your delivery combine to make some of the most satisfying media analysis I've consumed. Great job all the way around.
gives me the shivers
Same that one iteration of Promise near the end gave me goosebumps
Not to sound weird but you have a very soothing voice also I love your She-ra analysis videos they are so good. Thank you for the content. Tbh this show is just so amazing and your videos really highlight that.😁
Another BRILLIANT analysis from a beautiful series. You pointed out some things I didn't realize were significant, like Adora driving the skiff and being in control in the Remember episode. Also, the fact that Catra's way of 'fixing' things is reading Adora's emotions and trying to self correct to 'fit in' so Adora would see things as 'perfect.'
As always, this is excellent analysis. I absolutely love every video you make about Shera, you put things into words that I somewhat noticed or couldn't properly articulate. Your work is incredible, keep it up ❤️
it is interesting that you consider the chapters "promise", "remember" and "corridors" as a trilogy taking into account that the same soundtrack sounds in the most important scenes of the chapters (also adding the confession of catra to adora, finally giving an end to this trilogy that you have talked about in your video)
Well done as usual, your analysis gave me a perspective I hadn't thought of before. She Ra is such a deep show, that endless videos can be made to examine it.
1:03 I’m not sure Catra & Adora’s relationship imploding would’ve been the case with every possible situation of the events that could’ve happened in the Premiere ep but I think it could possibly be a way of reflecting that, no matter how much you may wish to rewrite how you handled the situation that 1st time, the fact is that’s what you did & what ended up happening & you need to deal with it.
And this applies to both Catra & Adora in how neither of them handled their fatal exchange in Thaymor that day in the best way - far from it 💔
The point is, neither could take back the actions they took or what they said & could only hope to learn from what they did.
Every one of these videos gives such new insight into the show it makes me want to watch the whole thing again to thread it all together, this is incredible.
BABE WAKE UP NEW FIVE BY FIVE TAKES VIDEO JUST DROPPED
THE PROMISE MUSIC AT THE END
this video literally came at the perfect time omg. i’ve been rewatching she ra and your videos about it so seeing this pop up was awesome!!
Didn't Stevenson say on that one scene on remember where catra was talking and hanging out with a bunch of cadets (that in reality were not friends w catra as seen in s1) that some way some how catra only wanted to belong and be accepted, so really most of the fake universe was really formulated by catra.
I love what you said about things cannot be fixed with rewriting, like some sort of shortcuts but things need to happen, and happen gradually they should, made up of choices and decisions. Damn.
On the last part I got flashbacks on Adler, a personality theorist, that believes the interpretation of past events is what makes up the person you are today
And also, I wonder what shadow weaver's morning was like in that universe
11:52 i just notised that catra being very invested in things happening on her terms, which is shown both in the way Five mentions in the vid and in how she displays physical affection, happly jumping on adora and nussleing into her embrace while also being extremely adverse to touch from others when it wasent on her terms (scorpia in general and bow & glimmer both on the ship and on crytis) is another aspect of catra's cat-like qualities being woven into the very core of her roll in the show. as one of the personality traits cats are known for is always wanting things on their terms, i would have been so easy for them to just have catra's cat-girls status just be purely visual and not work to tie it into her personality, but it adds a really nice sense of authenticity to her.
I've watched the show twice, and while I noticed they go back to memories a lot, I hadn't noticed that the trio of memory episodes all go back to rehash the same event. I... just finished my second watch today, so I probably shouldn't rewatch it immediately, but there's the lead for doing it a third time: there's more patterns to notice, more to unpack, and plenty more laughter and tears of course.
Just finished the series and I wanted to congratulate you on this video. It was very well written, paced, and helped highlight narrative parallels between some of the most important episodes in the show. The breakdown of the character’s psychology really helps to understand their actions and internal conflicts. It really helped highlight details that I may not have picked up on in my watch through. All in all, this was an excellent video, great work!
Why are you so good at these videos!!! Your amazing and I love listening to and watching your analysis videos!
Can you do one on the likeness off catra and glimmer though out the series and how it turned them into friends?
And maybe a scorpion one, just a general character analysis. But I would really love to see the catra and glimmer one. 😄
currently writing glimmer
I second this. The parallels between Catra and Glimmer are many. Their relationships to Adora. Both lose their mother figures in season 2/3. Bow and Scorpia are similarly supportive characters whose friendships are pushed to their limits in season 4. This isn't even comparing Catra and Glimmer's character traits and their rise to power. So, so, so much to go on and Five by Five takes would do an amazing analysis on this.
She Ra has god tier character writing part ????
I honestly thought this was going to be about the ultimate turning point what-if. the first time Adora actually reached her hand out to Catra to stay with her, the section at 4:50.
Not as a character study but a, what-if, Catra actually followed Adora rather than running away. somewhat in a sense that i havnt quite seen anyone really nail down the reason for other than that Catra was beyond confused of the situation.
If Catra followed Adora into the rebellion. Then, how much would that have actually effected the story?
From simply matching up each of the major occurances: we wouldnt have had the princess alliance form, Entrapta wouldnt have been... Entrapted. im not sure if Adora would have stopped training with LightHope to activate the super weapon. and Prime wouldnt have been a thing as the portal wouldnt have been made without Catra.
But, as we have seen Catra's mental state of other people around Adora. even their own in the Hord. Im not sure how Catra would get along with others at this early stage. The mental psycological abuse is there. Catra isnt a 'Yes Man' kind of person, so indipendent thought could lead her to alot more of 'doing things on her own' jealousy and even the similar figure of high power is shown via Angela to Shadow Weaver, could stain the relationship.
We might ultimatly see Adora and Catra's relation get closer but stretching thinner and fraile. To maybe turn into the classic assumption, run away, jelous, cleche. Due to power, possition, or simply the 'best friend squad'.
As much as i hate to watch the downward spiral of Catra. it seems to be the better path in the end for everyone. And if she went with Adora, we might be seeing the more long-winded displaced relationship feeling, that might not end well. The Rebellion most likely would have won against the hord, yes. But we most likely wouldnt have had the ending that was fit for everyone. It could have even turned more violant due to a cornered Shadow Weaver and Hordak. Or... even an end-all if Adora continued down with LightHope.
Constructing situations like thing is something that is a specialty of mine. my brother thinks im crazy when i do this with WW2, and what ifs in other real life scenarios.
But, in the end, like as he says; we will never actually know that other path, how it will play out, or how it would actually conclude.
GOD THIS SHOW IS PERFECT. THIS VIDEO IS PERFECT. THIS SPECIFIC EPISODES IS WRITING AT ITS PEAK I LITERALLY CANNOT RECOVER FROM THIS EPISODE IT HAS PERMANENTLY CHANGED ME AS A PERSON. THANK YOU FOR THIS WONDERFUL ANALYSIS
So glad to see another She-Ra vid from you. Your analysis is always perfectly on-point.
Goddammit I love this show 😭💕 She-ra has so many layers, unpacking this show is a true delight. Thanks you for exploring these characters/themes!
i was so confused when i saw so little comments and likes, then remembered this came out 10 minutes ago
Amazing video as always!
yeeeesss. i always see people asking why catra didn't go with adora cause they'd still be together, but catra going with adora and adora staying with catra aren't the same. and i love how you explained that.
"what do you feel? what do you fear? what do you want?" - the power of those 3 questions together cannot be understated
Excelent video, you got me thinking a lot about that remembering what really happened vs how you interpret what happened.
Once again, your videos really get me thinking. You put them together so well and they're so thought out and accurate
Love it! Thank you again!! These videos always hit so well 💜🌈
It's interesting how much Adora and Catra love each other and yet don't understand each other.
As always, I love your She-Ra analyses. I love how you laid out and unpacked the narrative parallels between the intro episodes' scenes, the S3 finale's, and Corridors', showing each as a turning point of the broader arc. You brilliantly described how our interpretation of memories can shape our current feelings/behaviors. But I am not totally convinced of your argument that the sword mostly manifested Catra's desires. Since I love critiquing things and quibbling about fictional metaphysics, I want to offer a critique.
IIRC, we have never seen the sword react to anyone's innermost feelings _except_ She-Ra's. So, without knowing whose feelings the sword manifested in _Remember,_ it seems most reasonable to infer that the feelings were Adora's. Yes, Catra was closest to the sword and pulled the lever of the machine the sword was hooked up to, but none of this appeared to connect Catra's mind to the sword.
Any example of the sword reacting to someone else's emotions would undermine my objection here, but I do think the sword only connected to She-Ra's mind. Glimmer wanted to use the sword in S1, but only Adora could use it because the sword connected to her. We already know that the sword was connected to Adora's mind, and that it was capable of manifesting Adora's desires, but not that it was capable of manifesting Catra's.
Melog's empathetic connection to Catra struck me more as Melog's powers, not Catra's. Melog showed off his powerful magic in his introductory episode, after all. Melog reacted to Catra's emotions just like the sword reacted to Adora's, and the sword communicates with Adora alone (through visions) like how Melog communicates with Catra alone (through cat-language). So, I suspect that Melog connects to Catra's mind and the sword connects to Adora's, but not vice versa.
Although I criticized your argument that Catra's mind shaped the fantasy-world more than Adora's, I do think both of their desires contributed to it. I have interpreted the fantasy-world as equally shaped by every main character's desires -- that is why Glimmer's family is reunited, for example. (Although, then again, it's interesting that Bow is a librarian like his dads wanted instead of an archer. I do not know how to fit that into my interpretation.)
And then again, maybe my interpretation is incoherent because the sword would presumably have to connect to everyone's mind in order to shape the fantasy-world according to their desires? I dunno lol
sure! but melog is a very emotional being, and connects and bonds with catra. there's certainly cat-camaraderie involved, but with a fluid, soft magic system like she ra's, i like to think we can connect it to the characters as well. all fun interpretations.
magic tied to emotion --> big magic channel hooked up to big machine, new world happens--> new world now made of innermost feelings
im not combatively attached to this interpretation or another. we're not given a strict in-universe explanation, so it's fun to speculate, that's what's great about fiction.
SOBBING SHAKING CRYING BEFORE I EVEN PRESS PLAY THANK YOU FOR GIVING US SO MUCH SHE RA CONTENT!!
I'm happy beyond words that you've made another video. Your analysis of Catra and Adora are so deeply personal, and well researched,. And the editing? Hits you right in the chest- where the feelings are stored. You help my partner and I find words to describe the thoughts and opinions on these characters and their incredibly well written relationship. That, in turn, is putting pins in important points we had laid out previously but had no idea what to do with. Thank you so very much for sharing this!!
I guess I´ll have to go rewatch Shera... Your videos make me homesick for it
to me - or atleast since I watched She-ra when it came out, it’s probably unanswered. I feel like whenever the alliance comes to the horde, cat-ra and adora stay together without saying any words. (just a prediction)
I'm not going to lie, this season finale (both this episode and the next) really messed with my head. Without going into too much detail, I was in a position where someone kept telling me everything was fine when everything else was proof to the contrary. I felt very much like Adora for a second, knowing that something was wrong but not being able to figure out exactly what it was until literally the world starts falling apart around her. I was originally planning on dropping the show, but decided that because season 2-3 were two halves of a season, I would at least see if it could keep my interest. Anyway as I said, the episode hit way too close to home and I'm somewhat happy about that as the next two season were very enjoyable.
You make my favorite She Ra video essays! Love it!
Whelp. Looks like I am watching She-Ra again. Another amazing video. Thank you.
Thank you thank you THANK YOU for continuing your video essays on She-Ra. These are always such a treat. And offer way more insight into the show than I ever gleamed.
Your analysis vids are always just SO incredible and so emotion- and thought-provoking. I loved this one so much!!!
I was absolutely ecstatic to check in on your page and see that this video had been posted. I love She-Ra and your analyses give me the opportunity to relive what I love about this show while walking away with additional things to consider in the shows’ character building and themes. THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO MAKE THESE VIDEOS.
I love every one of these videos so much. So thought-out, such good writing, strong editing, and also I just really enjoy listening to your voice
You have no idea how happy I was to see another one of your She-Ra videos on my recommend I have missed these. I really hope you do more they’re some of my favourite videos on TH-cam
i think you explained this absolutely beautifully, this show is so amazing
I love this channel so much! The work you put into explaining the themes behind SPOP is amazing.
This is a FANTASTIC breakdown and comparison. Your videos have always given me something I didn't know I was looking for. Thank you and I hope you keep this up.
Oh boy, your making me miss this show again
Your videos really do enrich, explain and unpack, what is already an unbelievably good show, thanks.
I love She-Ra so much. This show is amazingly well crafted and might just be my favorite show ever. The character developments and how their arcs are symbolized in the narrative is perfect. “Everything is perfect.”
These “what if” scenarios are always fun to look at, and I really love what She-Ra did with its “what if” story.
There’s always been another what if idea that I’ve wondered about. What if Adora had let Catra go with her when she went to look for the Sword in episode one? How would that have turned out? Would Bow and Glimmer have even been able to capture Adora if Catra had been with her? Would Adora still have turned to the rebellion and would Catra have gone with her? Granted, the answer to some of these questions is probably “no” since a lot of what happened had to happen for just Adora in order for the events to happen they way that they were supposed to, but I still can’t help but wonder just what would have happened if Catra had gone with Adora to find the Sword.
But, when all is said and done, you can’t beat the original. The best shall always be She-Ra And The Princesses of Power.
Kinda depends on if Adora tried to convince Catra to come with her because Adora wanted her to or if she went for the whole 'but we have to' approach. If - and it's a big if - Adora took option one the Horde last about ten seconds max. After all that'd mean Bow and Glimmer don't get captured, Entrapta doesn't 'die' in the rescue attempt and the Horde never gets a tech upgrade, portal power or defective clone exoskeletons. Plus if Catra at *that* point in her life switched sides I'm pretty sure Adora wakes up to find the war's over thanks to Catra just wandering over to the Fright Zone and shredding everything in a really violent but very cheap alternative to therapy....
These kind of reviews and Analysis is why I’m proudly subscribed.
It's crazy how deep this show really is. This was a great video and totally worth the wait
Very mean of you to play Promise like that at the end when I wasn't ready for all the feelings. Great video, as always!
I'm always astounded by how good your videos are! You find the words to explain things so perfectly. 👏👏👏👏👏
Always dig these analysis vids, thank you for making them!
@Five by Five Takes Thank you for this video. What you said about perceptions of events vs reality of them really stuck with me. It helped me realize things about my own life and my mistakes and choices. Thank you.
Also great analysis. When I rewatch the show again I'm going to pay attention to those three episodes you've mentioned
First of all thanks subtitles. I know very little English and subtitles save me. Secondly, it's just brilliant. Such a seemingly small detail is of great importance in the whole show. Thank you for continuing to make videos. It's very interesting and great to listen to.
This was so so good! Loved the analysis! Really hit on the head what I love about this show
your analysis' are so awesome to listen to. It's so cathartic.
@Five by Five Takes Please continue to make character analysis videos from Shera. I really enjoy your in depth videos. I would love to see Shadow Weaver covered in the future.
Why do I watch this channel when it just makes me cry everytime?
Thank you again! It's hard to imagine a year of my future life in which I won't rewatch SPOP to concentrate on some aspect that Five by Five Takes has highlighted 🥰
This upload came at the perfect time because I was binging Your She-Ra series
Another reason why this show will forever be one of my favourites
I love these analysis videos!!
I loved this analysis! Every time I watch one of these videos I realize just even more just how well-written She-Ra is. I’d love to see you guys do analysis videos on the shows Amphibia and the Owl House! Both of those shows are so amazing and I don’t see a lot of analysis videos made on them. I think you guys would really like them.
I get excited everytime I see you upload a video
Well well well, Five by Five Takes just uploaded a She-ra video so it's time for my regular dose of self reflection and crying.
Congratulations: you are officially the only channel I have rung "that notification Bell" on
awesome analysis! to some people, it just semantics but you're absolutely correct. every bit of this show has been masterfully done that those semantics are actually vital and profound. love this show so much...thanks for making more content about it.