She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Rewatch 1.6, "System Failure"

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Still another princess joins the rebellion, though there are some hints that things may not go so well with this one...

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1.6, "System Failure"

Written by Noelle Stevenson, Katherine Nolfi, Sonja Warfield, and Josie Campbell
Directed by Stephanie Stine

Synopsis

Looks stereotypically evil...perhaps foreshadowing?
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

In a foreboding castle that stands hard by a mountainside, servants work to meet the demands made upon them--namely the delivery of small foodstuffs to their mistress, who secludes herself amid her work and an army of robots. And, as might well be expected, the work goes awry, the robots turning on the one who built them.

Adora, Bow, and Glimmer make their way to the castle, hoping to recruit its princess, Entrapta, to the rebellion. Bow sings her praises and trumpets his own make-work--to some ridicule from his companions.

When they are confronted with a rockfall, Adora charges forward to handle it. Bow rebukes her impetuosity before they arrive at the castle--which displays signs of trouble and defensive mechanisms. Adora and Glimmer reconnoiter, finding only the malevolent robots at work. A melee ensues, and the party is soon separated.

This is not a good way to meet people.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Adora and Glimmer fall into the labyrinth that Entrapta has constructed within her castle. Their attempts to navigate it go poorly until Entrapta herself greets them.

Bow, meanwhile, has been taken by the castle's living servants. They reveal to him that the marauding robots are sound-driven, and they feed him. He tries to marshal them against the robots as the robots attack.

Red eyes are generally not a good sign.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Entrapta lays out events to Adora and Glimmer as they move through the labyrinth together. Entrapta inadvertently summons the robots against them, and Adora begins to suffer from the noise. As she makes to save them, she is herself affected by the technological problem that has afflicted the robots, going berserk until Glimmer disarms her, and she reverts to her regular form.

The robots press the attack on Bow and the servants. They execute a successful defensive plan, fending off the attack. They then head out in search of Entrapta, Glimmer, and Adora--who acts drunkenly despite not having imbibed. Entrapta articulates the problem facing Adora. Glimmer stumbles onto a solution to the robot problem, but enacting it proves challenging, given Adora's condition and Entrapta's navigational difficulties. The robots are also a factor.

Bow makes his point.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Bow's group fares better, though the castle servants are initially reluctant to fight. Bow motivates them, though, and battle is joined--helpfully for Adora, Glimmer, and Entrapta. Reunited, they press on to Entrapta's lab, where they manage to use the robots to disable the robots. And Entrapta agrees to join the rebellion, while Adora expresses concern about having been afflicted.

Discussion

Something in the nomenclature of the princesses' realms, as described in the series, attracted my attention as I rewatched this episode. With the exception of Angella in Bright Moon, there are no reigning kings or queens; the princesses seem to be the heads of their states and governments (small as they are). Yet the realms are described as being kingdoms--which is a strange point of disjunction from the expectations of medievalist properties. Typically, it would be expected that kingdom would have a queen or a king ruling it, while a realm ruled by a prince or princess would be a principality--of which the medieval Italian states are perhaps the most prominent examples, though they are hardly the only ones. It may be a simplification for what is, at root, a children's program, certainly, but it still attracts notice.

Perhaps of more moment for a medievalist discussion is the echo of Robin Hood that appears in Bow and the kitchen staff. Bow's resonance with the Sherwood archer is not much muted by the garishness of his clothing, neither in choice of weapon nor in their opposition to an invading government--nor yet in their reliance on the common folk. Indeed, the ability of non-princesses to combat hostile forces receives much attention in the episode, just as the common folk's effectiveness against a hostile government factors heavily into the traditional Robin Hood stories. While it may seem unusually egalitarian for a medievalist property, and Robin Hood is not exactly a democratic icon, there is some antecedent to be found for it.