She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Rewatch 1.4, "Flowers for She-Ra"

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Adora meets a new princess, and an alliance begins to build.

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1.4, "Flowers for She-Ra"

Written by Noelle Stevenson and Josie Campbell
Directed by Lianne Hughes

Synopsis

What a thing to be put off by...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Glimmer exults at Adora's acceptance by Angella and shows her around Bright Moon, including to her quarters. Adora is somewhat overwhelmed by the lavish surroundings, and she has trouble adjusting to them. After wrestling with her accommodations, not entirely successfully, she encounters an admonitory Angella.

The next morning, Adora wakes in Glimmer's bed. After an initial shock, the two confer, and Glimmer informs Adora that she is to attend a planning meeting. The surroundings impress her, and Glimmer lays out some of the background of the rebellion Adora has joined; it is fractured after an earlier, significant defeat, with most of the princesses keeping to themselves. After a social gaffe, Adora listens to the briefing Angella gives; Princess Perfuma of Plumeria is besieged by the Horde and requests aid. Angella orders humanitarian aid dispatched--and rejects Glimmer's proposal of an armed response. Adora volunteers to lead the mission, and Angella reluctantly agrees.

It is surprising.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

In the Fright Zone, Lonnie, Kyle, and Rodrigo train until confronted by the newly promoted Catra. Shadow Weaver presses Catra for information about Adora again until she is suddenly stricken by a strange malady and retires.

Glimmer and Bow confer about the state of affairs in Plumeria when they arrive--they are much worse than had been expected. Adora, as She-Ra, follows, bringing supplies in single-handedly; she exults in the power and popularity of the form, even as Bow notes the nearby presence of the Horde.

What else would a Princess Perfuma of Plumeria look like?
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Perfuma greets them shortly after, welcoming them warmly--especially She-Ra. Adora finds herself the focus of attention, not entirely comfortably, as Perfuma explicates their circumstances.

In the Fright Zone, Shadow Weaver approaches a large crystal and tries to impose her will upon it before she is addressed by Hordak. He rebukes her insubordination and orders her to take Plumeria. She does not take it well.

The Plumerians fawn over Adora, and Bow makes things worse in that regard. They seem to expect that She-Ra will heal the forest, and Adora proposes investigating the nearby Horde activity. Perfuma demurs, citing her own and her people's weakness. Adora is confused about how to proceed, though she makes the attempt sincerely if ignorantly and ineptly. And all the while, the Horde approaches, poisoning the local fauna. Adora is obliged to reveal her inexperience.

The Plant Princess props up the people.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

As the Plumerians rebuke Adora for not being the savior they expect, Glimmer rebukes them for their inaction. But the Plumerians prepare to depart rather than supporting Adora, Glimmer, and Bow. The three purpose to infiltrate the nearby Horde installation. They have some success, finding the source of the local poisoning--but they are also found by Horde forces. They have also left behind a note for the Plumerians, and Perfuma resolves to aid them.

Melee ensues, and amid it, Adora destroys the Horde's machines, setting back their efforts against the rebellion and healing the land that had been tainted. Perfuma's powers are restored, and she chases the Horde away. Glimmer invites Perfuma to join an alliance, and Perfuma agrees enthusiastically.

Shadow Weaver confronts Catra about Adora once again, sending out her own forces against her former ward. But in Bright Moon, all is well.

Discussion

While the residents of Plumeria evoke the commune-dwelling hippies of the 1960s and 1970s more than anything else, there is something about them that brings to mind medieval monastic communities. They practice a simple life that seeks more to be left in peace than most anything else, and there is evidently a focus on prayer among them. Indeed, among Perfuma's first words in the episode is an ascription of the Bright Moon party's arrival to providence, with She-Ra as something of a messianic figure.

And on the subject of names, there is something that reads to a twenty-first century audience as somewhat silly in calling a plant princess Perfuma--or, really, many of the emblematic names that have popped up in the series so far. But such names, working from descriptions as much as serving as unique identifiers, follow long-standing practices across cultures, which take many names from nearby objects or actions performed. How many Coopers and Hunters and Archers and Smiths are in the English-speaking world? How many Guerreros and Zapatas in the Spanish-speaking, or Schwarzes in the German-speaking? And how many such names in the chivalric literature that serves as at least one set of antecedents for the series? La Cote Male Tayle, though a name given in mockery, is still one to be found in Arthuriana, as is Beaumains. Hengist and Horsa are, upon consideration, similar. Silly as they might on the surface sound to modern hearing, the character names in She-Ra do speak to long tradition that spans cultures but is amply attested in the medieval.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Rewatch 1.3, "Razz"

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The series moves ahead, displaying some interesting parallels.

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1.3, "Razz"

Written by Noelle Stevenson and James Krieg
Directed by Stephanie Stine

Synopsis

This is clearly not the face of a happy mother.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary

Adora accompanies Glimmer and Bow to Bright Moon. Glimmer has Bow escort Adora into the castle through covert means as she makes to confront her mother, Angella. When she does, Angella upbraids her before she falls ill due to her overexertions. Angella rushes her up to the glowing stone that fronts Bright Moon and watches with concern as Glimmer recovers; after, she presses Glimmer, who teleports away, presumably to retrieve Adora.

Meanwhile, Bow nervously watches over Adora, who intuits that she will be unwelcome due to her prior association with the Horde and its predations upon them. Bow asserts that Adora will come to be valued, given time. Glimmer enters to announce Angella's imminent arrival and suggest that Adora transform into She-Ra. Adora confesses her inability to summon the form and frets; Glimmer and Bow move to intercede to allow Adora time to practice. It does not go as well as might be hoped.

Although it might be better than expected...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary

Part of the issue is that Adora is distracted by the allure of the outdoors and a horse. Her repeated attempts do not fare well, though they do work an interesting transformation on the horse--which promptly attempts to flee from the strangeness. Adora's efforts to retrieve the rampaging animal reveal her--and her still-worn Horde emblem-- to the Bright Moon locals, who pursue her. Angella is displeased to receive a report thereof.

In the Fright Zone, rumors of She-Ra's success against the Horde spread, and Catra finds herself under suspicion. Adora's absence is noted, as well.

Not exactly what one would expect...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary

Continuing to flee, Adora encounters Madam Razz. Razz acts toward Adora as if she recognizes her and bundles her along for berry-picking, to Adora's confusion. Adora asks Razz about the sword and herself as Razz leads her to an overgrown structure that Adora recognizes as a First-Ones ruin. The structure begins to activate, showing a field of stars and leading Adora to a strange vision. She presses Razz for information, getting little other than a command to resume berry-picking.

Elsewhere, Catra returns to her bunk and rages impotently against her situation. Shadow Weaver confronts her for her failure to retrieve Adora. Catra asserts Adora's defection, angering the magician as she conveys Catra to her own master, Hordak.

It is an interesting transformation.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary

Adora continues to follow Razz, if with some difficulty. They come upon the scene of a battle, the revelation of which leaves Adora shaken. Razz opines about the current political and military situation, offering some quiet guidance. Their conversation is interrupted by the sounds of the horse Adora had changed being imprisoned by the Horde; she moves to intervene. In the ensuing melee, she transforms into She-Ra again and fights against the soldiers present--with some assistance from the horse and Razz.

Adora wakes to find Razz and the horse--Swift Wind--watching over her. Adora determines to defend Etheria and makes to return to Bright Moon, aided by Swift Wind. Once there, she interrupts Angella's tirade against Glimmer and swears herself to the opposition to the Horde. Angella accepts her vow.

Catra finds herself in Hordak's presence, which is not a pleasant experience, though Catra is promoted in Adora's place.

Discussion

A couple of interesting points come up in the episode. For one, the parallels between Adora and Catra seem to be emphasized. They are clearly connected figures, even in the previous two episodes, both ostensibly under the direct tutelage of Shadow Weaver and acting as friends, if with some tension. But while Adora's defection leads to her being welcomed and accepted--and in a ceremony markedly evocative of traditional conceptions of knighting ceremonies--Catra's persistence is rewarded with rebuke. And while Adora's elevation is celebrated, Catra's meets with disbelief. The mirroring is a common enough device, certainly, and anticipates a major narrative thread through the series that has been released as of this writing.

For the other, the Razz of the title is an interesting figure. She is evidently not in the best presence of mind, but she is also evidently possessed of some power. In the episode, she easily scales the First-Ones ruin, for example, and calls her broom to her hand through an unseen force. She also effects escape from the Horde. As with the mirroring between Adora and Catra, there is ample antecedent for the device of the kooky mentor-figure, but I cannot help but thinking of the many hermits that appear in such chivalric works as Malory's, or even of the (predominantly female) anchorites of the Middle Ages. Such facets of medieval life are perhaps not as familiar as the knights Adora evokes or even of the triumphant archers that Bow re-presents, but that lesser familiarity does not make them any less "true" medievalisms than the other parallels.

Perhaps their lesser familiarity makes them more "authentic" than their more common counterparts. There are knights enough to be found, to be sure, and even a great many priests and nuns and monks, but there are far fewer of other religious orders whose presence punctuates medieval literature (Chaucer's Prioress, Summoner, and Pardoner come to mind as examples) and life. That such a one--refigured, yes, but so are the knights and nobles--appears in the episode can be taken as a suggestion that a more nuanced, detailed, and accurate idea of the medieval can be used well as an underpinning for the works of popular culture. Given the struggles against misuse and misappropriation of the medieval that pervade popular culture and academe, any such efforts have to be welcome.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Rewatch 1.2, "The Sword: Part 2"

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The series begins to establish patterns, and some medieval parallels become evident.

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1.2, "The Sword: Part 2"

Written by Noelle Stevenson and James Krieg
Directed by Jen Bennett

Synopsis

It makes sense to be surprised at such a thing.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary

Proceeding directly from the previous episode, She-Ra quiets the aggressive megafauna to the astonishment of Glimmer and Bow--and herself. Adora falls out of the She-Ra state, and a brief fracas ensues until the megafauna resumes its attack. Bow returns the sword to Adora, and the three flee, arriving at a site that seems to correspond to the sword and that Adora is able to open in time for them to escape the megafauna.

Within the structure, Glimmer and Bow continue to grill Adora about her surprising knowledge. Adora retaliates, and Bow tries to make peace for the moment. They proceed towards finding an exit and heading to Bright Moon, and strange gaps in Adora's knowledge are noted; Bow offers exposition to fill them.

The red lighting is a clear indication of trouble.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary

Exploration continues, if with some complaint, and the connection to She-Ra becomes more evident. Systems in the structure activate, which soon becomes a problem, as Adora, Glimmer, and Bow are ignorant of their operation and trigger security protocols they must then avoid.

They do so only at great risk, but they manage to extricate themselves. Adora's continued presence with them occasions comment from Glimmer; she notes that Adora could easily have left at most any time, and Adora asserts a need for information to correct the deficiencies of her prior education. Bow notes that Angela will have answers, and Adora continues along with him and Glimmer towards Bright Moon.

The lighting seems backwards here, yes?
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary

In the Fright Zone, Shadow Weaver interrogates Catra about Adora. Catra's answers are unsatisfactory, and Shadow Weaver tasks her with retrieving Adora.

Adora, Glimmer, and Bow happen upon a village in the midst of a festival. Upon realizing that Adora has no real concept of such things, Bow takes her into the celebration, to Glimmer's chagrin. Their revelry is interrupted by an attack by the Horde--led by Catra amid her assigned search for Adora. Adora tries to convince Catra to leave off the attack; Catra tries to persuade Adora to return to the Fright Zone with her. Neither can bring the other over, and a melee breaks out, with Adora resuming her She-Ra persona and defeating the Horde contingent. Catra withdraws in anger and disgust.

In the wake of the battle, Adora realizes she has committed treason against the Horde and turns to the putative rebellion.

Discussion

As noted above, several patterns for the series emerge in the present episode. The title theme and sequence is one. The transformation sequence through which Adora becomes She-Ra is another--and it, though echoing tropes from anime, is reminiscent of and parallel to a trope in medieval literature: the heraldic blazon. As is suggested elsewhere in this blog and as is attested in no shortage of other sources, a heraldic blazon is a detailed description of an identifying emblem, one often used in medieval chivalric literature to 1) buy time for the narrator and 2) impart a more detailed understanding both of the described object or character's appearance and inner state, given the strong symbolic overtones (or outright statements) usually identified in such works.

While visual media such as streaming service cartoons might not need to use such devices to convey appearance to the audience, transformation sequences such as She-Ra's can carry similar information about the inner statuses of those who transform; they accentuate particulars of the characters' physical appearances and accoutrements, and the details presented and attended to can be read no less fully for their overtones and implications than can the descriptions of panoply and escutcheon that pervade such works as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight or those of Chrétien de Troyes. In effect, the transformation sequence serves the same function as the heraldic blazon in the different medium (while also linking the series to specific genres for reference, though that likely exceeds the scope of what the Society is apt to treat; comments about it would be welcome).

Applying the idea to the present episode, then, positions Adora as beginning with aggression; her sword is raised to begin the sequence, then turned to be edge-on to the viewer, a formal salute that portends violence. Her eyes remain clear, even if details of her form do not, calling attention to both (and responding to prevailing decency standards surrounding the release of the series; the show is aimed at younger audience, for whom nudity is generally seen as taboo, and Adora's evident age is such that rendering her nude would be potentially problematic). Her swelling in size makes sense; such heroes as She-Ra and her medieval(ist) parallels are larger-than-life figures (note, for example, the comments about the height of "historical" figures in Tolkien). The shorts--rather than the swimsuit-like attire of the 1980s She-Ra--tend to desexualize the character; her physical beauty is not emphasized, but rather what she can do is. The focus on long, flowing hair that follows would seem to belie that, however, even as the sequence ending with vambraces summoned by a fist striking into a palm and a return to the upraised-sword position reasserts the martial nature of the heroine. Or so a reading might assert.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Rewatch 1.1, "The Sword: Part 1"

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A new Netflix reboot of an older cartoon begins, and a new rewatch series with it.

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1.1, "The Sword: Part 1"

Written by Noelle Stevenson
Directed by Adam Henry

Synopsis

Not an auspicious starting place, to be sure.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

A quiet opening moves towards a tortured-looking place, in which a young woman suits up and warms up in advance of a military training exercise. The young woman and her unit, from which a member--Catra--is absent, are to practice reaching and liberating a rebel stronghold. The practice is successful, and the young woman, Adora, acquits herself most ably.

After the exercise, Adora and Catra confer briefly before Adora is summoned by a hierarch, Shadow Weaver, and promoted to an officer's position. Shadow Weaver also tasks Adora with a mission against a prominent rebel stronghold, Bright Moon.

That looks a bit better.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

In said stronghold, the princess Glimmer confronts her mother, the queen Angella, over her conduct in the field. In a fit of pique, Angella grounds Glimmer, and Glimmer storms off in an equal pique.

Adora and Catra confer about Adora's elevation and Catra's jealousy and angst. Adora takes Catra out on an illicit escapade outside their stronghold--the Fright Zone. Adora is lost along the way, finding a sword after waking from falling from her vehicle. Touching it sends her into a mystic-seeming vision, from which she wakes to find Catra anxiously tending her.

In Bright Moon, Glimmer angrily writes in her diary. Bow "surreptitiously" calls upon her, and the two confer about Glimmer's annoyance at Angella. They head out of the castle to pursue a strange reading Bow has received.

I can't get you out of my head...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Back in the Fright Zone, Adora wakes from a dream to find Catra sleeping at the foot of her bunk. She heads out to find the sword again, drawn to it. Bow and Glimmer are bound to the same place, as it happens, and a melee begins. Adora makes contact with the sword and has another vision, one that explicates the sword to some extent; she is chosen to be its wielder long since. It also allows Glimmer and Bow to take her captive, and they purport to take her to Bright Moon for interrogation.

Along the way, they confer about their circumstances until coming across the ruins of an attacked village, for which Glimmer upbraids Adora. They are also attacked by local megafauna. Adora defends them from the attack, transforming into She-Ra for the first time to do so.

The heroine of the day.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Discussion

I have to note that I do not have the nostalgic feelings for this series that I did for Voltron: Legendary Defender. I did not watch She-Ra: Princess of Power as a child, though I did watch He-Man (and several others); I had already had an experience being rebuked for watching a "girls'" show. (It might be said I was a brony before there was a word for it.) I am aware of the earlier series, certainly, and there are parts of the present series that make more explicit reference to the earlier series than others (or so I infer; the evidence suggests it, even without watching the earlier series). But I'll not be focusing much on callbacks and throwbacks.

There's enough to do with the present series's overall medievalism. Even in the first episode, much reads as Arthurian, though there is not necessarily a one-to-one correspondence between characters in the series and antecedents in the romances; there's not a direct counterpart to Malory's Sir Dagonet, for example, or to the Gawain-poet's Gawain. But a chosen hero who is meant to draw a magic sword that is itself held in a restricted place evokes Arthur and the Sword in the Stone, and a seeming hero emerging from a morass of villainy seems somehow to call to mind Tristram and the Cornish in Malory, as well.

Another major point of discussion emerges, too. The names given to people and places are clearly emblematic: Catra is cat-like, Glimmer glimmers, Angella has an angelic form, Adora is clearly adored, and the Fright Zone is clearly frightening. It should be obvious which is the side of "good" and which "evil" to any who hear such names--yet Adora seems not to realize the perfidy of the Fright Zone and its inhabitants. Given Adora's appearance--pale skin, blond hair, blue eyes--she can be read as something of a stand-in for a great many people who enjoy privilege unaware of it and unaware of its foundations on structures of ignorance and hate. It is the kind of thing with which medieval studies, perhaps more than many other areas of inquiry, has had to grapple in recent years, with the execrable openness of ideologies that deserve all opprobrium and their proponents' empty-headed attempts to invoke the medieval to justify themselves to a world that is beginning to admit it might actually know better.

The medievalism in She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is not "straight," of course, but it is no less "crooked" than that bruited about by groups and people who should be abjured in the strongest terms, and it does not purport to be "how it really was," either. It may be that the invocation of the medieval can be read as a rebuke to those who would (continue to) misuse the medieval to (continue to) justify their racist, colonialist ideas and practices. More such rebukes, and stronger, would be welcome.