Episode Rankings: She-Ra Princesses Of Power

She-Ra: Princesses Of Power is an amazing show, and probably an ideal one too. Every season improves on the last and the series ends at the perfect place, not too short where all of the characters aren't fleshed out enough, and not too long to the point where it outstays its welcome. I don't need to tell you how great all the LGBT rep in this show is, but it helps that the overarching story is intriguing and well-paced, the characters are rich and complex, and the comedy is just plain fun to watch. And of course, there's the endlessly fascinating Catra, my favorite character of any show ever. If you haven't watched She-Ra, watch it. If you have seen it, watch it again! But for now, here's my ranking of its episodes:

1. Corridors (S5.03)
2. Destiny: Part 2 (S4.13)
3. Heart: Part 2 (S5.13)
4. Hero (S4.09)
5. Heart: Part 1 (S5.12)
6. Destiny: Part 1 (S4.13)
7. Save The Cat (S5.05)
8. Promise (S1.11)
9. Mer Mysteries (S4.07)
10. Princess Prom (S1.08)
11. The Portal (S3.06)
12. Perils Of Peekablue (S5.07)
13. Moment Of Truth (S3.04)
14. Roll With It (S2.04)
15. No Princess Left Behind (S1.09)
16. Fractures (S4.10)
17. Failsafe (S5.11)
18. Shot In The Dark (S5.08)
19. Princess Scorpia (S4.06)
20. Light Spinner (S2.06)
21. Return To The Fright Zone (S5.10)
22. Battle For Bright Moon (S1.13)
23. Launch (S5.02)
24. The Price Of Power (S3.01)
    
25. Taking Control (S5.06)
26. White Out (S2.05)
27. Beacon (S1.10)
28. Once Upon A Time In The Waste (S3.03)
29. The Sea Gate (S1.05)
30. The Coronation (S4.01)
31. Reunion (S2.07)
32. Protocol (S4.05)
33. The Sword: Part 2 (S1.02)
34. Remember (S3.05)
35. Horde Prime (S5.01)
36. Ties That Bind (S2.02)
37. System Update (S1.06)
38. Beast Island (S4.11)
39. Light Hope (S1.12)
40. Stranded (S5.04)
41. Pulse (S4.04)
42. The Sword: Part 1 (S1.01)
43. An Ill Wind (S5.09)
44. The Valley Of The Lost (S4.02)
45. Razz (S1.03)
46. Huntara (S3.02)
47. The Frozen Forest (S2.01)
48. Flutterina (S4.03)
49. In The Shadows Of Mystacor (S1.07)
50. Signals (S2.03)
51. Flowers For She-Ra (S1.04)
52. Boys Night Out (S4.08)

She-Ra: Princesses Of Power (Season 5)

She-Ra's first three seasons were pretty great, and the fourth season was amazing, but it's the fifth and final season that would definitely qualify it as one of my favorite animated shows out there.

The final season of She-Ra has a much larger scale than all the seasons before it. It's not just relegated to Etheria this time, it's a massive galaxy-spanning battle with Horde Prime, who's attempting to take over Etheria through mind-control. It just feels so grand and climactic compared to everything that has come before it in the series, from the first half which has the main team travel to space to rescue Catra and Glimmer, to the dramatic second half which has the remaining members of the alliance forced to fight their mind-controlled friends. Horde Prime is a strong and intimidating villain, and given the show's generally weak action, I like how the battle between him and Adora/She-Ra is more emotional and mental than physical and violent. Horde Prime wasn't necessarily trying to kill She-Ra rather than break her, and that makes him a really good villain.

But everyone knows that's not the best part of the season, it's the way all of the character arcs get resolved! Obviously the highlight is Adora and Catra, particularly the latter's redemption arc. I'll go more in depth on the redemption later, but it was a lot of fun to see her join the main group and develop a bit of a rapport with them. And that's not even mentioning her romance with Adora which was just amazing, and probably the most groundbreaking thing this series did. Korra just implied a female relationship and Adventure Time had a last minute kiss, but in She-Ra, the kiss between Adora and Catra was pretty much the climactic moment of the whole series. There's more than just Adora and Catra, though. The whole season is packed with satisfying payoffs, from Entrapta readjusting to the Princess Alliance, to Shadow Weaver's low-key kinda selfish sacrifice, to Glimmer finally reuniting with her father Micah again. Even with the mind control plotline, I feel like the whole cast got their time to shine, and even Swift Wind wasn't too bad since his jokes were at a bit of a minimum. She-Ra's greatest strength has always been the characters, and they're at their absolute best here.

Catra Segment: Easily the best part of Catra's character arc, the redemption. The first three episodes have Catra spending a lot of time alone on Horde Prime's ship, thinking through the fact that it's pretty much her fault she got into this mess. However, Glimmer's there too, another character who feels guilty for her past actions, so Catra gets someone to connect with for the first time in a while. So, Catra saves Glimmer and sends her to Adora, feeling that if no one cares about her anymore, she might as well do one final selfless task. And then Adora goes to rescue Catra and reveals that she still cares. Throughout the rest of Season 5, Catra struggles to adjust to Adora's team, many of whom take a few episodes to trust her. However, as she does, she starts to develop a support group, which is exactly the thing she needs. And even better, she starts to treat people a little bit better as well, particularly Adora, who she helps deal with her self-sacrifice issue. And by the end of the series, Catra has saved the world, she has a massive support group of friends, and is dating the person she cares about most, Adora. Catra may not have fully redeemed herself for everything she's done, but she has broken the cycle of abuse that Shadow Weaver started. It's a great first step for the character, but seriously, she still needs some serious therapy after all that.

Most of the episodes this season are excellent, but these are my favorite:

Corridors: This was easily my favorite episode in the series, particularly because of Catra. I love the way the maze-like hallways are used to symbolize her decision to save Glimmer, and the scene where she sacrifices herself to do so while still letting in one last apology to Adora is so powerful it legitimately made me tear up. Even outside of that, the subplot on Adora's ship added some much needed levity.

Save The Cat: I generally preferred Corridors for making me way more emotional, but this episode was also just great. The battle between Adora and mind-controlled Catra was heartbreaking and brought the tension between them to an absolute head, She-Ra's new costume reveal was awesome and far-and-away better than the original, and we even get introduced to Wrong Hordak, the source of a lot of the humor for this season.

Perils Of Peekablue: I loved this episode, it focuses a lot on some of the best side characters like Scorpia, Mermista, and Double Trouble as they try to send a message to She-Ra. There's a fun espionage bend to most of the episode, with a lot of goofy hijinks like Scorpia's amazing singing, but it also has a dark ending which leaves Scorpia and Mermista chipped. This episode also has the hilarious scene where Catra messes with Adora by sitting on her lap, kickstarting this season's amazing trend of adorably gay scenes between the two from here on out.

Shot In The Dark: This episode is the perfect example of why I like "filler" episodes. In the grand scheme of things, this was just a detour to introduce Melog and get the team onto Etheria, but it also had a ton of fun character building. The interactions between Catra, Bow, and Glimmer were just so entertaining, and did wonders to help her fit in the group a bit more. I just really like the humor in this one, it was just an absolutely joy to watch before things start to become serious again.

Failsafe: This was a strong penultimate episode that did a great job at setting up the finale and exploring Adora's own fatal flaw, her willingness to sacrifice herself. Even if Catra was generally worse, it was definitely worth discussing how Adora can alienate the people who care about her by constantly throwing herself into danger. But then again, the real best scene is "Did you just jump into fire for me?".

Heart: What an amazing final episode for the show, easily one of the strongest animated series finales out there (I might actually like it more than A:tLA's, just barely though). Obviously the highlight is the big kiss between Adora and Catra, but there are just so many amazing payoffs here. Bow and Glimmer end up together, Shadow Weaver sacrifices herself, Hordak turns on Horde Prime, it's just so climactic and satisfying. And even with how many characters redeem themselves, I'm glad that the show decided to just kill off Horde Prime, he deserved it.

Overall, Season 5 was an amazing final season, with a compelling conflict, great character resolutions, and a perfect ending for one of my favorite characters of all time.

5/5 Stars

My ranking of the She-Ra seasons is:

5 > 4 > 3 > 1 > 2

My ranking of the She-Ra finales is:

4 > 5 > 3 > 1 > 2

Favorite Episode: Corridors

She-Ra: Princesses Of Power (Season 4)

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

She-Ra: Princesses Of Power (Seasons 2 & 3)

She-Ra's second and third seasons are a bit strange, as they were originally intended to be just one season that ended up being split in half. As a result, I can't really talk about one without talking about the other.

While Season 1 focused on assembling the titular princess team, Seasons 2-3 raise the stakes a little bit, or at least Season 3 does. Since Season 2 is only the first half of the intended season, it's mostly fairly episodic outside of the last two episodes. Anyway, the main plotline of this season is that Hordak is trying to build a portal to Horde Prime, while Adora is trying to find the ship of the previous She-Ra, Mara. As a whole, I don't think these main storylines are the most interesting, rather it's how the characters get involved. Shadow Weaver is given more depth and backstory as she switches sides, Adora learns she's part alien in a super cool plot twist, Catra becomes way more complex and morally grey as I'll explain later, Entrapta develops a cute friendship with Hordak, and even Glimmer's mom Angella gets some moments of her own. Frankly, the story doesn't become truly amazing until Season 4, but the character work in these two seasons are even more top-notch than before.

Season 2 is the lighter of the two seasons, mostly composed of a few light-hearted episodes with the exception of the last two. It's probably the funniest season of the series, with episodes like White Out and Roll With It being genuinely really hilarious. It ends on a weird note as the finale Reunion doesn't quite feel like one, though it's still a great episode with some really good representation and a tense double cliffhanger. Season 3 is one episode shorter and feels a bit stranger paced, mostly because it is intended to be the darker second half of a larger season, but I'd say it's generally the stronger half. It has a surprising premiere, a fun arc in the desert, and a tense final bunch of episodes that executes the concept of the "What If?" scenario better than most shows I've seen (looking at you, Mr Robot). Overall, both seasons are pretty solid and improve on Season 1 in their own ways, it's just a shame that they had to be split up.

Catra Segment: In Seasons 2 & 3, Catra starts to spiral out of control a bit, especially during the episode Light Spinner, which has Shadow Weaver use Catra to escape and get to Adora, another example of the abuse and neglect Catra has to deal with. In Once Upon A Time In The Waste, Catra gets to become a gang leader and is truly happy for once in her life, she's surrounded by people who respect her and doesn't have to be in the Horde anymore, only to fall back into her vengeful ways upon running into Adora again. The season ends with Catra completely hitting rock bottom, burning her bridges with Scorpia and Entrapta and nearly erasing reality itself, causing Adora to finally call her out for being a lost cause. Catra is pretty much irredeemable right now, but she's also facing her consequences right off the bat! Pretty much everyone absolutely despises her right now, even her ex-best friend. Catra fell into the same type of abuse that SW inflicted on her, and is absolutely alone as a result.

Both seasons have some pretty good episodes, with these being my favorites:

Roll With It: This one was just adorable. There's not overarching plot here, it's just the team making a plan to storm one of the Horde's fortress, each character brainstorming their own idea. The highlight is easily the hilarious homage to OG She-Ra, but the whole episode is just packed with cute exchanges, funny moments, and good vibes all around.

Light Spinner: Easily the darkest episode of Season 2 (really just the only dark episode of Season 2), Light Spinner goes in depth on Shadow Weaver's backstory and her original identity. But that's not the real emotional punch of the episode, rather it's her using Catra to escape, made even worse when we learn she's going to see Adora.

Moment Of Truth: This is easily the most intense episode of the season, a mad chase to stop Catra from activating the portal before she destroys reality, something that feels like it could be a season finale. This episode has Catra's worst act, sending Entrapta off to die and potentially destroying reality is gonna be a hard thing to come back from.

The Portal: I was worried when I learned the last two episodes of the season would be a "What If?" episode, as they tend to not have any ramifications on the overall story. Boy, was I wrong! The decision to not have this episode take place in a literal AU was a genius one, because dramatic scenes like Adora calling out Catra and Angella's heartbreaking sacrifice actually stuck. We also got to meet Micah, Mara, and Horde Prime himself, ending the season on a big cliffhanger.

Overall, Season 2/3 suffer a bit from being split up and its story isn't super compelling, but in terms of humor, drama, and character work, this is far and away an improvement on Season 1. And the show just keeps getting better...

Season 2: 3/5 Stars

Season 3: 4/5 Stars

3.5/5 Stars

She-Ra: Princesses Of Power (Season 1)

She-Ra: Princesses Of Power is a reboot of the spinoff of the iconic 80s Saturday Morning Cartoon He-Man. I haven't seen either of the originals and don't entirely want to, so I will not be comparing the She-Ra reboot to them at all. She-Ra deserves to be reviewed on its own merits, because it's an excellent and ground-breaking animated series with likable characters, complex themes, and a phenomenal second half. It's also incredibly gay.

She-Ra: Princesses Of Power is about Adora and Catra, who were both originally raised to be a part of the Horde, an army bent on taking over the planet. Adora finds a sword that turns her into She-Ra and sets off with her two new friends Glimmer and Bow to assemble a rebellion to destroy the Horde, while Catra is left feeling betrayed that her best friend left her and becomes Adora's enemy. There are a lot of other characters here such as the eclectic cast of princesses that Adora assembles, from the snarky Mermista to the hotheaded Frosta (yes, I said hotheaded). All of the characters in She-Ra have unique designs and personalities that help them stand out as memorable, even if they don't become super fleshed out until later seasons. This season follows a fairly standard save the world plot, so the real highlights are Adora and Catra themselves. They're both super complex and interesting characters with a compelling parallel, both having their own major flaws to overcome spawned by their abusive upbringing under Shadow Weaver, yet they both end up going in different directions, Adora joining the heroes and Catra doubling down on being a villain. Their relationship is the beating heart of the series, and this first season does a good job at laying the groundwork for what's to come. 

Something I really liked about this season is the pacing. For most of the first half, each episode is focused on Adora's team trying to recruit a new princess to the alliance. Then, halfway through the season, they reunite for the big Princess Prom, which shifts the storyline to something far more serialized and serious... or at least until the pretty standard "power of friendship" finale. While Adora, Catra, and to an extent Glimmer have a lot of character development and depth throughout the season, I sadly can't say the same about most of the cast, which ends up just making this season feel somewhat predictable and basic, especially compared to the later ones. And while I think the pacing is strong, the fact that the season spends half of its time establishing characters means that things don't get really exciting for a while. As for the animation, I think it's alright. I already praised the character designs, and the art style is clean and expressive, but the action is pretty weak, and I wouldn't say it gets much better throughout the series. On the other hand, I really like the background score, and it becomes legitimately killer in key moments of the show. I'd say the entire score is amazing, but the opening theme is pretty grating.

Catra Segment: Okay, so Catra is an insanely complex and interesting character, probably my favorite of all time, so each season is going to have a little segment that unpacks her development and character arc. Season 1 introduces a lot of the core elements of Catra's character, her jealousy and fear of betrayal, her feeling like second fiddle to Adora, and her abuse under Shadow Weaver. But for most of the season, Catra's heart really isn't in being evil, at least not until Promise which has her enter the citadel and confront her own past, at which point she fully turns on Adora for breaking the promise she made about always protecting her. At this point, Catra is very much a villain with a sad backstory and history with Adora, who still hopes she can get her to change her tune.

While it takes some time to get there, She-Ra's first season does have some really great episodes in its second half:

Princess Prom: I don't think this episode would be nearly as satisfying if we didn't have that first half to introduce us to most of the cast in isolation, so now that we have an episode where the entire cast unites at one place, it feels huge! There are a ton of cute character interactions, particularly that amazing dance scene between Adora and Catra. And then there's the pretty surprising cliffhanger which has Catra get a win by capturing Glimmer and Bow, and She-Ra's sword.

No Princess Left Behind: And coming right after Princess Prom, we get the first teamup as the Princesses unite to create a rescue mission. It's a ton of fun, at least until it isn't and everyone leaves Entrapta behind because they think her to be dead. Did that mistake have a lot of ramifications for the future...

Promise: Easily the best episode of the season, Promise is pretty much a two-woman play (with a ton of horror and bizarre situations) that has Adora and Catra stuck in the citadel together and forced to work out their problems. It's an emotional episode that really makes you understand both of these characters' point of view, especially Catra's and the abuse she had to face in the Fright Zone, and the final scene where Catra lets Adora fall to her supposed death is tragic but also perfectly in character.

Battle For Bright Moon: Given the emotional rollercoaster that is Promise, this finale did feel a bit on the simple side. Still, it was great to see most of the Princesses reunite for that big final battle, Glimmer's character arc ends on a strong note, and I like how the Horde's actions didn't immediately get reversed in the end, there were still lingering consequences like how the forest was still frozen.

Overall, She-Ra's first season is fine. It has great pacing, a strong cast, and a great second half, but it's also pretty basic and it takes some time before it really starts to unpack some of the characters.

3/5 Stars