SPOILERSahead for the final season ofShe-Ra and the Princesses of Power.
If you haven’t had a chance to watch the fifth and final season of DreamWorks Animation’sShe-Raseries on Netflix, you should remedy that immediately. Over the last 18 months or so, showrunnerNoelle Stevensonand her team have delivered a fantastic animated series that’s one part homage to the 80s classic cartoon, one part action-packed story of rebellion against an oppressive and destructive force, and one part allegory for characters discovering themselves and finding the confidence to come out to the ones they love.
It’s that final major part of the story ofShe-Rathat gets the full stage in Season 5. All pretext is gone, all metaphor and double-talk and euphemism is cast aside to allow characters–both gay and straight–to finally profess their true feelings to themselves, their parents and mentors, and their romantic partners. That’s a huge undertaking for what’s ostensibly a kids' show, but an incredibly important one. So whileShe-Ra and the Princesses of Poweris absolutely fantastic as an action-first, outward story of rebellion, it’s an even better coming-of-age tale about overcoming internal conflict to become fully realized adults. And we’ll dig into all thespoilersto talk about how that came about … now!
Back in Season 4, our heroes were in quite the tight spot. A sacrificial play on the part of She-Ra shattered her Sword of Power and stopped the planetary heart’s power from pulling the planet itself apart. Etheria was pulled out of the Dimension of Despondos and placed back into a “shared” universe with the rest of existence. And while that sounds good in theory, that put them squarely in the crosshairs of Horde Prime, who reprogrammed Hordak in his likeness, kidnapped Glimmer, and teamed up with Catra, all while Adora remains without the transformative power of She-Ra. How can the fractured rebellion hope to survive, let alone win?
Early on, the remaining resistance fighters rallied around Adora, now armed with a staff and just as ambitious as ever when it comes to fighting the Horde forces. However, Horde Prime knows from experience that taking out the heart of the rebellion–She-Ra herself–is the key to eliminating it completely. Prime uses the vast network of connected spires across Etheria to broadcast a message to the rebels, one that offers a peaceful surrender under his rule and undermines She-Ra’s leadership. At the same time, Prime extends an opportunity to the captive Glimmer, one that gives her a chance to remake their worlds without war – and a hopeful reunion with her father – if she would only deliver She-Ra to him. Obviously, Glimmer rejects the offer, knowing that help is on the way, but is forced to divulge the secret of the Heart of Etheria.
Meanwhile, Catra, of all people, keeps Glimmer company aboard Horde Prime’s orbiting ship. We see memories of a young Catra and Adora during their time under Shadow Weaver’s care in the Horde. The memory of Adora telling Catra she’ll always be her friend is the spark of the redemptive moment we’ve been long waiting for; Catra attacks Hordak and frees Glimmer. Adora, Bow, and Entrapta, en route to the flagship while in Mara’s own spacecraft, are able to intercept Glimmer in space, thanks to Catra’s help. Rather than punish Catra. Horde Prime offers her a chance to be free of her attachment to Adora, to become exalted within the Horde. “All beings must suffer to become pure,” says Prime, as his cult of clones repeat, “Prime casts out all shadows.”
While Catra acclimates to her new place within the Horde structure, Bow and Glimmer work on patching things up now that they’re reunited. Entrapta does some patching up of her own on the damaged ship, meaning the trio of Star Siblings – Starla and her bird Glory, her sister Tallstar, and brother Jewelstar – in their search for new fuel crystals. Throughout their adventures, Adora struggles to regain her power as She-Ra without the sword itself, but glimpses of some internal control over that power shine through when they’re most needed, often at times of self-sacrifice in defense of others.
A pivotal episode, “Save the Cat“ sees Adora surrendering herself to Horde Prime while Entrapta, Bow, and Glimmer attempt to locate Catra. The trio accidentally “breaks” a clone they dub Wrong Hordak, who helps them navigate the flagship and aids in their adventures. As Horde Prime learns of the First Ones' lineage in Adora’s past, Catra is revealed to be co-opted into the Horde through a control chip embedded in her neck. When Prime critically injures Catra, Adora manages to summon the full transformative power of She-Ra, including a reforged sword and a stylish new outfit. She’s also able to save Catra, but their troubled history will be harder to heal. (Easily lost in all of this drama is the fact that Hordak begins to fight back against his reprogramming upon seeing one of Entrapta’s gadgets.)
Adora and Catra attempt to make amends while the latter adjusts to her new life among her former foes. Strategically, Catra’s slight remaining connection to Horde Prime helps to clue the rebellion in to the Horde’s movements. But they’re too late to keep Etherian villagers – and even some of the princesses themselves – safe from the mind-control chips of Horde Prime. (Don’t worry, though; there’s still time for a silly sort of side quest as Scorpia, Mermista, Perfuma, and Sea Hawk don disguises to seek out Prince Peekablue, who is actually Double Trouble in disguise. Fun’s over when Scorpia and Mermista join the chipped rebels, including Spinnerella and even Micah!)
Catra, now free of the chip thanks to Entrapta, gains a familiar in Melog, a shapeshifting big cat-creature that’s the last survivor of Horde Prime’s attack on the planet of Krytis. Melog’s magical abilities are able to get the team through the Horde blockade and they realize that Horde Prime’s weakness may be magic itself, something that Hordak also realizes. Shadow Weaver connects the narrative thread of the importance of magic, learning that Etheria itself is a living planet of pure magic which has been constrained to its core; she wants to repeat the sins of the past by using the planet’s magic against Horde Prime to save Micah, with Castaspella’s help.
Horde Prime delves into the memories stored in his older clones to better understand his past battles against the First Ones while Hordak is experiencing visions of his own memories. It’s through these discoveries that Prime learns of a way to tap into Etheria’s vast magical reserves as Hordak learns that Prime may not be all-powerful. The revelations will set the Horde rivals on a collision course with the rebels on Etheria.
A massive battle between the rebellion and the chipped princesses plays out in the Fright Zone; Scorpia shows instances of being able to temporarily break through Horde Prime’s mind control here. While their friends are fighting for their lives, Bow and Glimmer help Bow’s dads George and Lance to decipher a message from Mara and her rebel squadron Greyskull, one that tells of a Failsafe that will permanently deactivate the Heart of Etheria, and it’s kept hidden beneath Mystacor. The catch is that that much magical power will certainly kill a mortal, leaving on a fully transformed She-Ra as the only being capable of withstanding the force.
Shadow Weaver and Castaspella lead Adora, Catra, Melog, Bow and Glimmer into Mystacor through series of forgotten, sealed tunnels and rooms, leading to an ancient First Ones artifact known as the Crystal of Arxia. One problem is that Mystacor is controlled by Micah, who is controlled by Horde Prime. Another problem is that Catra, now with the rebels, isn’t over Shadow Weaver’s past betrayals, and with good reason. The dark magic-wielder continues her head games with both Adora and Catra even as she leads her ever deeper through the catacombs. She claims, once more, that Adora is distracted by her feelings for Catra, but in a twist of sorts, tells her to focus on protecting her if she wants to transform into She-Ra. It’s up to viewers to decide whether Shadow Weaver wants the best for Adora here or just wants to use her power as She-Ra to access the Heart of Etheria.
The problem is that the Failsafe needs to bond to a willing, living soul, who then carries it within their body to the Heart of Etheria in order to deactivate it. Catra challenges Shadow Weaver on this point: Deactivating the Heart either sends the entire planet’s magic flowing into the vessel or destroys it before flowing out into Etheria itself. Despite Catra’s protests and Shadow Weaver’s machinations, Adora once again makes the decision to sacrifice herself in order to do it. She’s forced to make the decision quickly as a mind-controlled Micah and his dark magic-wielding sorcerers show up to battle them; thankfully, Adora transformers into She-Ra after bonding with the Failsafe in order to save her friends with her newly powered-up light. Though they’re safe for the time being, Catra is tired of Adora always throwing herself on the sword for others; she decides to leave with Melog despite Adora’s protests.
Elsewhere, Swift Wind assists Entrapta in her quest to access the Horde’s computer control center to disable the mind-control chips from a central hub before they can fully bond to their hosts. Entrapta encounters Hordak, who recognizes her; she says, “Remember, your imperfections are beautiful!”
With the final stage set for battle, Bow and Glimmer, now closer than ever, join Adora in her quest to take the Failsafe to the heart; Sea Hawk and the unchipped Princesses attack the Spire as a distraction; and Wrong Hordak and Swift Wind aid Entrapta in accessing the control network to finally disable all the remaining mind-control chips. They’ll all have to hurry as Horde Prime activates a giant drill that will pierce the Heart of Etheria, corrupting the landscape and the First Ones' tech itself with his viral technology.
In the chaos, She-Ra experiences visions of herself as Adora alongside Catra through their many appearances and memories. The scenes get increasingly intimate, distracting Adora, nearly killing her when she almost steps off of a ledge. Her She-Ra form flickers, providing a fantastic visual cue as to the conflict roiling within her. Elsewhere, Melog attempts to convince Catra to return to Adora and the others, prompting Catra to admit out loud for once that she actually is in love with her best friend and former rival.
She eventually heads back to base where she finds Shadow Weaver uncharacteristically drinking. Catra convinces her to transport them to the Heart of Etheria where they meet up with Bow and Glimmer. Adora determines to go on the rest of the journey by herself; Catra and Shadow Weaver go after her. Melog accompanies Bow and Glimmer on their return to the battle, hoping to aid the flagging rebellion (but not before they admit that they, too, love each other.)
She-Ra experiences visions of Mara, who poses challenges to Adora that are similar to the ones Catra has accused her of: “You’re worth more than what you may give to other people. You deserve love, too. You’re so close, Adora. Don’t give up.” But Horde Prime interrupts their meeting, bidding goodbye to his “oldest enemy” before triggering the First Ones' security system, and injuring She-Ra to the point that she transforms back into Adora.
Back at the big battle, Bow and Melog have to deal with a mind-controlled Scorpia on their own and Sea Hawk tries to use a sea shanty to break Horde Prime’s control on Mermista (it doesn’t work, but admitting that he loves her does … or, at worst, distracts her.) But even though Glimmer delivers a powerful blow to save her friends in the nick of time, Micah’s dark magic has engulfed every princess but her, his own daughter… It’s not looking great for the rebellion going into the final episode.
Glimmer faces off against her dad, and Micah seems to know exactly who she is, his “daughter, the weakling, the failure”, the realization of which doesn’t snap him out of Horde Prime’s control. That’s a tough moment to swallow. However, Glimmer experiences a vision of her mom that gives her the strength she needs to fight back. She tells Micah she loves him and that she’s not losing another parent, just before giving him a mighty blast of light to drive his dark shadow magic away.
In a parallel scene, Bow tells Scorpia that everything will be okay if she just trusts him. She does, just for a moment. Entrapta’s program starts to work its magic, disabling the mind-control chips and returning Scorpia and everyone else back to normal. Entrapta is delighted to see that her plan worked. Bow uses Prime’s hologram tech to address everyone freed from the villain’s control and rallies everyone to the fight. We get glimpses of Kyle, Lonnie, and Rogelio here (and Rogelio has a little baby in a sling around his chest) along with a montage of all the familiar faces we’ve met over the years — Huntara, Double Trouble, Soda Pop, Admiral Scurvy, etc. — fighting back against the Horde soldiers.
Back at the Heart of Etheria, Catra and Shadow Weaver arrive to help escort Adora to the Heart itself. Shadow Weaver taps into her power to fight the security creature, cutting Catra off from the battle and leaving her free to go help Adora; it’s a visual and narrative twist on the last time that the sorceress trapped Catra behind a shadow wall. It’s here that Shadow Weaver sacrifices herself, removing her mask to show her scarred face, after telling Catra that she’s proud of her; whether she’s doneenough to redeem herself in this moment is up for debate. Catra and Adora reunite, having witnessed their caregiver’s death together.
Now in the Heart of Etheria, Adora is scarred and her Failsafe is damaged; Prime’s virus has also damaged her ability to transform, or so she thinks. Adora chooses to sacrifice herself to destroy the Heart regardless of her certain death. Catra refuses to leave but makes the decision with her; she stays with Adora, also facing certain death.
As the virus pierces the Heart of Etheria, fueling Horde Prime, he orders Hordak to destroy Entrapta … but his “little brother” turns on him instead, severing his connection to the Heart temporarily. Hordak finally stands up for himself, dropping Horde Prime into the abyss … but Prime takes over Hordak’s body instead. He now plans to unleash the power of the Heart and kill everything and everyone “in cleansing flame.” Hordak Prime has a fantastic villainous monologue to signal Etheria and the Horde’s impending doom, proclaiming peace at last after the world burns.
Hordak Prime: “Though all is reduced to rubble, Prime shall rise again. So it has been, and so it always shall be.”
She-Ra: “No, you’re wrong. It’s time for you to go.
Adora has a final vision of herself in a She-Ra-like dress, all prepared for Scorpia’s first ball. She, Catra, Glimmer, and Bow are all a little older; Catra wears She-Ra’s cloak around her shoulders. Horde Prime interrupts her “beautiful wish” to steal her future away, but it’s Catra who keeps fighting for Adora to bring her back around.
Catra finally confesses her love for Adora to her directly in a beautiful moment, saying, “Please, just this once, stay.” Adora says she loves her, too, and they kiss.
With their hearts clear, their combined spirits are enough to trigger the Failsafe, drawing the magic of Etheria into the newly transformed She-Ra and driving out Horde Prime’s virus. She-Ra’s powerful sword blast sends a wave of energy out from Etheria’s surface to the orbiting satellite, turning it into a massive tree. Nature energy spreads out in every direction, erasing both the Horde’s presence and the First One’s restrictions.
Her power seems to burn the Prime away from Hordak. She even restores his memory of a time when he was young, when he cared for the infant Adora, whom he found in a field.
Now restored, everyone reunites in celebration. Mermista and Sea Hawk are together, as are Spinnarella and Netossa, Scorpia and Perfuma, and Entrapta and the newly restored Hordak. The princesses all hug, and Adora looks out onto an Etheria full of life once more. Even granny Razz and the remaining Horde soldiers look on at the change to their planet, dazzled.
Bow, Glimmer, Adora, and Catra agree for one more best friends road trip, ultimately planning on bringing magic to the universe as they look up into the cosmos.
