She-ra S2 speculationre: Catra's arc
Dec. 15th, 2018 10:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mswyrrSpoilers for all of S1.
I think there’s going to be a reversal of roles between Catra and Shadow Weaver in S2 - Catra has defeated her and taken her spot as second in command to Lord Hordak and she’s adopted some of her behaviors. IMO, her gaslighting and manipulation of Entrapta shows that she learned more about that kind of thing from SW than Adora ever did.
She’s flexing her muscles. She’s felt powerless for so long that she’s absolutely drunk on finally having power. And she only knows how to define what power looks like in the only terms she’s ever known, which is to emulate Shadow Weaver. And no amount of kindness or apologies from Adora was enough to break her out of that. Instead, Catra rather viciously tried to kill Adora. Twice!
She’s got to come to the end of herself, the end of this dark path, and it clearly isn’t going to come from Adora. Because this isn’t really about Adora: it’s about Catra finally getting to lash out after years of abuse. Make the world pay. Make people bow to her will for once.
In the way that Shadow Weaver reacted to having Hordak take away the rune stone from her–and in her backstory as a princess who fell–I see the potential for a narrative about how certain kinds of power become addictive. You reach for them to soothe your pain and actually end up becoming utterly powerless in chasing after them. They come to own you.
It would be cool if Catra has power over Shadow Weaver. And in SW’s brokenness Catra can see the specter of what might become of her if she keeps trying to please Lord Hordak. This could come along with SW finally–stripped of her addiction and Hordak’s influence–having some self-awareness about the horrors she’s inflicted. But it can also just come from Catra thinking that hurting Shadow Weaver will make her feel better and then… it doesn’t. She just sees, in this ruined and disgusting person, what Hordak would make of her if she serves him well.
Seeking real domination of others is an illusion that strips you of the only thing you can truly achieve mastery over, which is yourself. And even then, it’s not through pure, mechanical control so much as growing in self-knowledge and the search for peace and wholeness within yourself.
I think there’s going to be a reversal of roles between Catra and Shadow Weaver in S2 - Catra has defeated her and taken her spot as second in command to Lord Hordak and she’s adopted some of her behaviors. IMO, her gaslighting and manipulation of Entrapta shows that she learned more about that kind of thing from SW than Adora ever did.
She’s flexing her muscles. She’s felt powerless for so long that she’s absolutely drunk on finally having power. And she only knows how to define what power looks like in the only terms she’s ever known, which is to emulate Shadow Weaver. And no amount of kindness or apologies from Adora was enough to break her out of that. Instead, Catra rather viciously tried to kill Adora. Twice!
She’s got to come to the end of herself, the end of this dark path, and it clearly isn’t going to come from Adora. Because this isn’t really about Adora: it’s about Catra finally getting to lash out after years of abuse. Make the world pay. Make people bow to her will for once.
In the way that Shadow Weaver reacted to having Hordak take away the rune stone from her–and in her backstory as a princess who fell–I see the potential for a narrative about how certain kinds of power become addictive. You reach for them to soothe your pain and actually end up becoming utterly powerless in chasing after them. They come to own you.
It would be cool if Catra has power over Shadow Weaver. And in SW’s brokenness Catra can see the specter of what might become of her if she keeps trying to please Lord Hordak. This could come along with SW finally–stripped of her addiction and Hordak’s influence–having some self-awareness about the horrors she’s inflicted. But it can also just come from Catra thinking that hurting Shadow Weaver will make her feel better and then… it doesn’t. She just sees, in this ruined and disgusting person, what Hordak would make of her if she serves him well.
Seeking real domination of others is an illusion that strips you of the only thing you can truly achieve mastery over, which is yourself. And even then, it’s not through pure, mechanical control so much as growing in self-knowledge and the search for peace and wholeness within yourself.
no subject
Date: 2018-12-15 06:17 pm (UTC)Learned and exceeded, even -- learned from SW's (strategic) shortcomings as well. With the hard power at her disposal, SW often reaches for undisguised threats -- even when she's really Trying, as with Adora in Mystacor. Catra's manipulation of Entrapta, while not exactly the paragon of subtlety, is still more finesse than SW usually shows.
no subject
Date: 2018-12-17 04:35 pm (UTC)I would be interested to see if growing in power within the Horde actually tempts her to be more blatant in her control of others, though. Is it a point of pride for Catra that she's better than that or a byproduct of her circumstances in S1?
no subject
Date: 2018-12-17 03:14 am (UTC)(and this also reminds me I need to watch She-Ra (my list of to-watch stuff on Netflix is alarmingly long))
no subject
Date: 2018-12-17 04:39 pm (UTC)They seem to be handling the baddie stuff, with the Horde as a metaphor for abuse/alienation, really well so far. The writing can be rather weak on the goodies, though... so there's reason to hope but cause for caution as well.
I think they get the two different stories of how people respond to long-term abuse they're doing with Catra and Adora though. That really provides a strong core for the story.
(and this also reminds me I need to watch She-Ra (my list of to-watch stuff on Netflix is alarmingly long))
I really would recommend it! But the first half of the season was, at times, excruciatingly slow for me - it starts to kick off around episode 7. From there on out it's great.