She-Ra and the Princesses of Power: Season 4

November 5, 2019 1:07 PM - Season 4 (Full Season)

Catra vows to conquer Etheria before Horde Prime arrives, Glimmer struggles with a new role, and Adora and the princesses face treachery old and new.
posted by marfa, texas (14 comments total)

Am I a bad person for kinda wishing that the last episode had ended with the penultimate scene and that was it? The end of the series? Or is it just because I didn’t sleep last night and then spent all of today binge watching?

Um. I really, really liked Glimmer’s hair. And the pie episode was my favorite.
posted by Ruki at 7:31 PM on November 5, 2019 [1 favorite]

A bunch of the baby-bats similar to Hordak's batboy flew out of Mara's ship! So batboy is somehow connected to Mara's ship and Hordak got him from there. Then dressed him in cute little PJs.

I'm not on board with Glimmer's new hairstyle (I miss those chubby cheeks! baby Glimmer!) or Glimmer being a teenage queen who has no-one to check her impulses except for a evil gardener and best friend child soldiers. The aunt who seems like she would be a good influence disappears after the first episode - for Narrative Reasons?

A lot of answers - Mara and Light Hope, the pie episode, Scorpio's growth - they had better do an ENTIRE SCORPIO episode, Huntaro returning to lead the rebellion and the absolute delight of Double Trouble.

I hope Double Trouble isn't just there for one season and there's more going on there with Catra. They didn't have to come back to see Catra at the end of the double-cross, or rescue her from the burning building.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 2:56 AM on November 6, 2019

I ADORED everything Scorpia-related. SO MUCH. and Double Trouble is the nonbinary chaotic theater lizard I didn't even know my heart was yearning for.

These poor kids, though. Even Catra. Everyone was cracking under the stress.

(also, omg Lonnie and Rogelio and KYLE.)
posted by nonasuch at 7:21 AM on November 6, 2019 [1 favorite]

Ha! I liked Glimmer's hair because it was a visual signal to me of her becoming everything she disliked most about Angella.
posted by Ruki at 10:27 AM on November 6, 2019

Rae Geiger just confirmed that the Hordak reset means he's really gone, so it should be interesting to see how Catra and Glimmer get themselves out of there in season 5 without an inside guy.
posted by marfa, texas at 6:32 PM on November 6, 2019

The pie episode was incredible.

Entrapta is my favorite, so I was sad that we didn't get to see her until the end! I loved the Scorpia episodes, Scorpia's Entrapta impression, and all of Emily's puppy antics.

I was really happy about Lonnie, Kyle, and Rogelio getting more screentime and not treating Kyle like a punching bag.

Also, Double Trouble has the best shoes.
posted by marfa, texas at 6:41 PM on November 6, 2019

Whoa.

Is ... is this still a kid's show?
posted by kyrademon at 5:21 AM on November 9, 2019 [2 favorites]

The pie episode had me sobbing at the end. Dying desperately trying to save everything, and then only being remembered as insane.

Is ... is this still a kid's show?

Game of Thrones has nothing on this. Seriously. What does "adult" actually even mean in this context?
posted by happyroach at 1:55 AM on November 10, 2019

Thoughts are not in any way coherent but HERE. WE. GO.

* The way Shadow Weaver has manipulated most of the other characters involves faking a maternal role -- she can't do that with Glimmer, because Glimmer actually knows what a healthy (ish?) mother-daughter relationship looks like. Also, Glimmer's getting parented enough by Adora. Whew.

* Double Trouble. Two things I wanted to highlight about them, real quick: their transformation is marked by darkness with flecks of green, contrasting pretty hard with the She-Ra transformation (which we saw the outside of, cool). Also, I think Double Trouble's confrontation with Catra was not... mean spirited? Their relationship didn't read like that to me. I think they could be genuine friends once Catra grows through some of her, uh, character flaws(?).

* THIS SEASON AND SECONDARY CHARACTERS Y'ALL. The additional screentime with Lonnie/Kyle/Rogelio ESPECIALLY watered my crops, cured my illnesses, etc. Also excellent: Swift Wind, Spinnerella/Netossa, Perfuma getting more development (especially with Huntara?? EXCELLENT CHARACTER COMBINATION). I loved the altered role of Shadow Weaver in this season as well -- she's clearly one of the smartest characters and gets to show it, but finally allowed some space to breathe, too ("They're daisies. I find them cheerful.").

* MARA. MARA. MARA. MARA. RAZZ. my heart is broken. MARA. good episode but I'm dead now so there's that

* Light Hope. "Are spiders helpful? I learned to make spiders." Very Janet. But also... intense computer learns to love feels. Also very Janet!

* Scorpia :)))))

* Next season: one or more princesses forcefully breaks her bond with her crystal to prevent the heart of etheria from going off @ HPrime's command?

* MURDER MYSTERY EPISODE BROUGHT ME BACK FROM THE DEAD AND THEN KILLED ME AGAIN

I'll probably return to yell more after I've done some rewatching.
posted by snerson at 11:49 AM on November 10, 2019 [1 favorite]

Is ... is this still a kid's show?

When season one ended I hoped this show would dig into the backstory a bit more. But I was not going to complain if it glided along as a happy kids show where they learn a lesson about friendship every episode. I am not part of the target demographic and grown men complaining about kid shows is a very dumb part of the internet.

I'm amazed at what they delivered. The overarching storyline is planned out better than a lot of sci-fi shows I've watched. But it still is a kids show. Kids can handle more than we give them credit for, and this show is great at being for kids without talking down to kids.

For what it's worth, the lessons about friendship are also far more than I expected.
posted by Gary at 2:40 PM on November 10, 2019 [7 favorites]

The second half of this season felt like this show's "Mirror Gem / Ocean Gem" to me; the stakes just kept getting higher till they blew the whole show open.

My only complaint is Adora's managing to stop the Heart of Etheria popping off through sheer force of will. It always feels unsatisfying when the hero succeeds just by trying hard enough. But maybe Light Hope's friendship with Mara causing her to lose conviction was part of it?
posted by valrus at 10:37 PM on November 14, 2019

Light Hope giving in was definitely part of it! Also, without the sword, could Horde Prime actually make the weapon work?

Long term, to defeat HP is going to require the kind of massive power you could only get with a magic filled planet. It has to also not take out a chunk of the universe. So it can't be Princesses plus Sword again. The only real question is what will it be?
posted by emjaybee at 9:18 PM on November 16, 2019 [1 favorite]

One issue appears to be that She-Ra is still the focal point of the planet's power, it's just that the sword is what controls her. So without the sword Adora cannot be forced to be used as a weapon, but maybe can direct the planet's power in some other more productive way.
posted by suelac at 5:55 PM on November 24, 2019 [1 favorite]

Season 5 trailer has been released, with the season itself hitting Netflix on May 15th!
posted by hanov3r at 3:30 PM on April 30, 2020 [3 favorites]