Season 4 of She-Ra marks the point at which the show goes from good to great. It's dark, it's emotional, it's surprising, and it packs in a lot of great and compelling episodes throughout its short length.
Unlike the first two seasons, it really hard for me to nail down a main storyline, as Season 4 is far more character-driven than all of the others. There is the Heart Of Etheria and the mystery of what it does, but it balances alongside a ton of other more character-heavy subplots. I actually quite like this, especially for the darker penultimate season of the series, as character has always been She-Ra's greatest strength. And Season 4 gives new shades and depth to most of the characters. Entrapta and Scorpia rejoin the Princess alliance, Glimmer starts becoming desperate to destroy The Horde regardless of the methods used, Hordak and Catra start to conquer more and more kingdoms, and Light Hope and Mara's true natures are revealed. Needless to say, things have gotten really tense for most of the cast, with this season feeling like more of a tragedy between the constant switching of sides, the flawed decisions several members of the cast make, and the general downer ending.
Season 4 has a bit of a weak first half to it, not getting really good until around Episode 6, but this first half does have a few fun experimental episodes like Protocol, and a strong minor antagonist in Double Trouble. I'd also like to give a moment to praise Double Trouble and just how important they are. Sure, it's not the best that one of the few instances of nonbinary representation is a shapeshifting alien, but I can't care too much, they're such a joy to watch and it gives me so much joy to see such an enjoyable enby on TV! It's a strong start and probably the second most groundbreaking thing this show has done for western animation (the most groundbreaking thing comes next season). I'd also like to bring up the one weak character in the whole series, Swift Wind. He's annoying, overly idealistic, and feels like he's made specifically to please children. I wanted to bring him up here because he has an entire episode focused on him this season in Boys Night Out, which is probably my least favorite in the whole show.
Catra Segment: During this season, Catra pretty much just falls further and further into despair. She's having nightmares about what she's done in Season 3, and is trying to just play up her villain role in the hopes that it'll make her happy, but it doesn't. No matter how many villages she conquers, nothing helps. And with Scorpia gone, Catra has a complete mental breakdown because she knows it's all her fault. And the Hordak begins to hate Catra too. And then Double Trouble systematically calls her out on all of her faults and for driving everyone away. And then she gets abducted. Catra's arc this season is really hard to watch because she just doesn't improve at all, she just keeps falling further and further into despair that's pretty much entirely of her own making, to the point where she just tells Glimmer to kill her in the finale. However, this is also why I think Catra's redemption arc works, because she will continue to be punished for her consequences through her mental state and losing everyone around her until she decides to change. To put in simply, Catra needs therapy.
This season has had some really great episodes, especially in its latter half:
Princess Scorpia: I don't think I mentioned this but I adore Scorpia. She's funny, a great foil for Catra, and her affably evil attitude made a shift to the Princess Alliance almost guaranteed. This episode reveals Scorpia's backstory and destiny to become a princess, and the end of the episode where she finally calls out Catra and leaves is just such an amazing moment.
Mer Mysteries: I'm a fan of episodes that seem unassuming at first only to be revealed to be much larger and darker. Most of this one is a fun whodunit that finally gives Mermista a lot of screentime, and we even get to see Double Trouble reveal themselves and interact with the main cast! However, the big twist that it was all a distraction so that Hordak could take over Mermista's home is a gut-wrenching and near permanent tone shift for the season (I said near because Boys Night Out is still a thing).
Hero: I didn't think much of Razz before this episode, but wow, did I end up feeling bad for her. Her dealing with Mara's death is heart wrenching, especially that memorable pie scene near the end. Hero is also a super important episode, though, as Mara's message reveals a ton of interesting lore about Etheria and Light Hope, along with the cool reveal that She-Ra doesn't need her sword...
Fractures: This episode was just plain eventful. There's Scorpia finally joining the Alliance (after getting captured and pleading her case all episode), Catra going through a complete breakdown, Double Trouble's absolutely joyous interrogation scenes, and a compelling conflict between Glimmer and Adora that leaves them split up on different missions going into the last few episodes of the season.
Destiny: This is still one of the most bonkers season finales I've ever seen, like it drastically changes the direction of the series in so many ways and wraps up all of the story arcs in a single episode. Where do I even start with this one? Adora destroying the sword, Double Trouble's brutal calling out of Catra, the Catra/Hordak fight, Horde Prime's arrival and kidnapping, Scorpia gaining her powers, and that's not even all of it! Destiny is easily one of the show's best episodes, an absolutely stunning finale.
Overall, Season 4 is a big step-up from the first three. It's dramatic, character-focused, and has a phenomenal second half once it really gets going.
4/5 Stars
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