She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Rewatch 3.1, "The Price of Power"

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After a short second season, the series resumes--and grows more serious.

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3.1, "The Price of Power"

Written by Noelle Stevenson, Shane Lynch, Josie Campbell, Katherine Nolfi, and Laura Sreebny
Directed by Roy Burdine and Steve Cooper

Synopsis

It's enough to disturb, certainly.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Adora sleeps fitfully in Bright Moon as Shadow Weaver looks over her. She wakes, confronting the obviously ill Shadow Weaver, who collapses.

Angella and Castaspella make to interrogate the now-captured Shadow Weaver, conferring briefly. They are joined by Glimmer, Adora, and Bow, and Adora presses to be admitted to the interrogation; Angella refuses all three of them, citing safety concerns. Adora tries to puzzle out the situation, and Glimmer tries to support her mother's decision. Adora tries to sneak in, regardless, but is interdicted. For her own part, Shadow Weaver refuses to answer the questions put to her by Angella, saying she will only speak to Adora.

Also a disturbing way to wake up.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

In the Fright Zone, Catra wakes imprisoned in the cell that had held Shadow Weaver. She considers her circumstances briefly before Scorpia makes to free her; Catra is to be punished publicly. Catra refuses the effort in despair and mocks Scorpia's concern.

Adora persists in her desire to defy Angella's edict and visit Shadow Weaver, sneaking away from her friends in the night--repeatedly and unsuccessfully. She argues to her friends that others in the Horde deserve the same chance at redemption that she was offered; Glimmer and Bow are moved by the argument.

Another wonderfully disturbing thought, this.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Interrogation continues, with Shadow Weaver resisting the relatively inept attempts of Angella and Castaspella to elicit information. The captors confer about their captive's status and likely motivations. Bow distracts Angella and Castaspella while Glimmer and Adora sneak in to question Shadow Weaver. Shadow Weaver tries to manipulate Adora into aiding her, and Adora is motivated to heal her, despite not knowing how to do it. Shadow Weaver offers to teach her magic and control.

Entrapta makes her case.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

In the Fright Zone, Entrapta reports to Hordak about her progress, noting new technology and asking for Catra to retrieve it. Hordak notes Catra's failures, which Entrapta refutes based upon the Horde's overall improved performance. Hordak is not quite convinced.

Adora struggles with Shadow Weaver's lessons before being interrupted by Angella's angry entrance. She does accomplish the healing, however, restoring Shadow Weaver; Shadow Weaver confesses that she has been betrayed and cast out, and she details Hordak's plan to summon his fellows through a portal he means to build. Entrapta's skills are noted as key to Hordak's plans, and Adora is cited as evidence that portals can work. She flees from the revelation, seeking advice from Light Hope and finding confirmation of Shadow Weaver's account--as well as fatalistic discourse.

Adora returns to Bright Moon with questions. She purposes to quest for answers; Glimmer and Bow move to accompany her. And in the Fright Zone, Catra challenges Hordak; he has agreed to Entrapta's plan, and he sends her to the same place for which Adora is bound: the Crimson Waste.

Discussion

There is an interesting issue handled in the episode. As Adora continues to try to talk to Shadow Weaver, Glimmer and Bow counsel her to do otherwise, noting that Shadow Weaver is evil because she is from the Horde; Adora replies that she is, herself, from the Horde and opines that she is only accepted because she is She-Ra. The language used in the exchange parallels many of the less fortunate discussions of race and ethnicity: "You're not like them," Adora is told, not unlike the "You're one of the good ones" trotted out unthinkingly by people who belong to prestige groups as they talk to people of other groups (such as attested here and here among many, many other places). Going back to the idea of Adora as Arthurian amalgamation (and the healing scene brings Lancelot to mind, among others), I find myself thinking of Sir Palomides, the Middle Eastern outsider acknowledged as a worthy member of Arthur's court--seemingly the only one in such narratives as Malory's. It is the case that race and ethnicity were considered differently in the European medieval than they are now, but it is also the case that the lines were as problematic, though drawn in different places. Palomides is "one of the good ones" no less than Adora, and if they are accepted because they assimilate:

1. The reminder that they are "the good ones" is a reminder that they may not always be perceived so, and
2. Others might similarly be among "the good ones," frustrating the kind of sharp division that too many people want to see between too many groups.

Perhaps the only clear line to be drawn is between those who want such sharp divisions (largely because they overtly desire supremacy or tacitly benefit from it) and those who know that matters are more nuanced and mixed.

Some More Notes about the Kerrville Renaissance Festival

We did feel like royalty, yes.
Photo from Sonya Elliott's phone,
helpfully taken by a kind passer-by

𝔍ust yesterday, my family and I returned to the Kerrville Renaissance Festival (still @kerrrenfest on Twitter, even if the Twitter feed does not update much, as well as on Facebook and as #KerrvilleRenFest on several platforms). We went last year and had a pretty good time of it, so, when I once again won free one-day tickets, we figured on going again. The weather was not quite so kindly to us this year as last, unfortunately, but we still had a pretty good time of it--and I have a few comments to make about the experience this time that I did not last time around.
Some things carried forward from last year, as might be expected for an event run by the same people. We were privileged to see the return of the Bedouin Dancers out of San Antonio, as well as the Last Chance Forever Bird of Prey Conservancy--and we got to see more of the latter's exhibition this year than last. I noted with some interest John Karger's comments about vultures and cockroaches; he remarks that, despite the annoyances they might sometimes provide, such creatures are vital to the balance of nature and deserve respect therefore. It is a good message that bears repeating.

Last Chance Forever in exhibition
Photo my own.

Too, there were the standards of such festivals, including parades and pageantry, wonderfully anachronistic food stall (including an excellent Caribbean food stall that seemed to fit well with the anachronistic pirate-garbed folks wandering through the event alongside steampunk-wearing people and the occasional furry). Last year's remarks about the wonderful blend of times and peoples, and about the chance for people to be more themselves, seem in large part to apply (though I have a bit more to say about such things below).

The young Ms. 8 with someone feeling very much themself
Photo my own.

The event seemed fuller this time than it did last time, both in terms of having more booths and attractions available and in terms of having more attendance. I count it as a good thing; an event that brings in more people, year to year, is an event likely to be offered again, and more events in my hometown makes for a better hometown for me and mine. It's selfish, I know, but I don't think it's the kind of selfishness for which I can be too much blamed.

The San Antonio Recorder Society performing
Photo my own.

Among the stuff that was new to this year was a period musical group from nearby San Antonio, Texas: the San Antonio Recorder Society. As it turns out, there is a thriving early music community in San Antonio, which might not be expected of the Alamo City but which adds to the cultural richness of Central and South Texas. It was a pleasure to listen to them, and it is another good to see them get more attention.
New to me, though not to the festival, was an attempt at archery. All three of us--my daughter, my wife, and I--tried our hands at sending shafts out to stick into butts, and all three of us had a good time of it. My daughter landed the most arrows on target; I was actually able to put one into the hind end of a boar-shaped target, despite having a bow that had perhaps too high a draw-strength for me to handle well (if "well" can be applied to the performance of someone who'd never picked up a bow before). Playing at archery highlighted one of the major benefits of such events, though: the otherwise rare opportunity to have a bit of hands-on experience with the daily lives of those who lived centuries ago.

Ms. 8 trying her hand at the bow
Photo my own.

One thing that I did notice this year that I did not notice last year (which does not mean it was not present, just that I did not notice it) was the prevalence of a group that might well be called bloated neckbeards presuming to lecture the exhibitors and performers about "how things really were" in the medieval and early modern periods being represented and refigured at the festival. As someone who can make some small claim to knowing about the times in question--and who, admittedly, has noted what such festivals get wrong about the times--I found myself somewhat galled by the audacity. I may make note of inaccuracies, but I do not stand and berate vendors who cannot rebut as deserves, and I listen to those who make more of their living doing such work than I do anymore; they know things from the embedded experience that I do not and, as I am now, cannot. There are jerks in every crowd, I guess.

Sonya trying her hand at the bow
Photo my own

I understand that the event organizers cannot regulate attendees' behavior that they do not witness, and there's little way to anticipate which customers will decide to abuse the unequal power dynamics involved in sales relationships. But they can see when people come in openly wearing overtly white supremacist, anti-Semitic, and misogynist emblems and insignia (as opposed to the often-coded use of medieval/ist symbols as such markers, about which others have written more eloquently and at greater length than I can). Certainly, I saw such people walking about the festival, and I did see many of the people of color at the event--exhibitors and attendees both) growing apprehensive at their presence. The event is in a Texas Hill Country town; there is a large Hispanic population, and there are a lot of weapons on display, with presumably more that are not shown openly. Knowing this, and knowing there are people espousing hate walking around, I understand the apprehension. I share it.

Me trying my hand at the bow
Photo by Sonya Elliott

Despite seeing such--and I must confess my own failure in not confronting them openly in the moment--my family and I had a good time at the festival. My wife and daughter have expressed a desire to go again next year, and perhaps to do so in period or other festive dress; I expect I will join them, and I have even considered how I might be a more active participant in it. (I doubt that such scholarship or commentary as I might offer would find a willing audience, but I have other skills I might ply in such a venue, to be sure.) There are other, similar events in the area that we will doubtlessly attend, and I have similar thoughts about them, similar concerns about how they allow unfortunately prevalent narratives about a mythical past to be reinforced--but similar hopes about how they can serve as a corrective to those narratives and present a more inclusive, ultimately accurate, idea of the past that was, and promote celebration of the nuance and difference that have pervaded all times and more places than people commonly recognize.

An Update on #Kzoo2020

𝔄s a follow-up to "Starting for #Kzoo2020," the Society is pleased to note its presence at the upcoming International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. A sneak preview of the Congress program is available here, and it reports that the Society has two events, both on Friday, 8 May 2020:

1. At 1:30pm local time in Bernhard 209, the panel discussion "Deadscapes: Wastelands, Necropoli, and Other Tolkien-Inspired Places of Death, Decay, and Corruption"; and
2. At 6pm local time in Bernhard 213, the annual general meeting provided for in §5.1 of the Society Constitution

An image of the school, taken from the school's website for commentary

Known agenda items for the meeting are

1. Election of a new Vice-President (At-large) and Secretary and 
2. Determination of what panels, if any, will be proposed to the 2021 Congress and other conferences that might emerge as being of interest. 

Other items can be sent to talesaftertolkien@gmail.com; we're happy to hear from membership about them!

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Rewatch 2.7, "Reunion"

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As the second season of the series ends, Bow gets a bit of backstory, and a clear direction is laid out for the story to continue.

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2.7, "Reunion"

Written by Noelle Stevenson and Josie Campbell
Directed by Jen Bennett

Synopsis

Yeah, a red, flashing screen's not a good sign.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Considering his findings, Bow receives a sudden summons and races off to answer it. He is later missed by Glimmer, who recruits Adora to pursue him. They are able to follow him easily, despite his admonishment that he needs no help. Glimmer points out the oddities of Bow not noting his background, and she finds his bow and arrows just outside a structure that turns out to be a library. Bow and Glimmer and Adora surprise each other, with Bow hiding their weapons as his dads, Lance and George, enter--and welcome them warmly.

No tension at all...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

In the Fright Zone, Catra sends searchers out after Shadow Weaver. Scorpia expresses concern, to no avail, as Bow's dads entertain a nervous trio. The lies Bow has been telling about his life outside emerge amid the almost oppressive kindness of the dads, as does their distaste for the princesses and the war against the Horde.

In private, Bow confesses to Glimmer and Adora, finding some rebuke from Glimmer. The family tensions at work emerge, but Bow notes that his dads' work offers them some avenue of insight into the problems of Mara and the signal.

It's not only flashing red that's a bad sign.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Catra frets in the Fright Zone, and Scorpia asks her for clarification. Scorpia tries to offer comfort, as well, and Catra reveals that Shadow Weaver has escaped. They are overheard.

Bow suffers through a tour of his home as Lance and George show off what they have. There is much material to review, and Adora's ability to read the ancients' language produces interesting results.

He does cut a dashing figure.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

While Adora "helps" Bow's dads, Glimmer upbraids Bow for not telling her about his family and background. She urges him to come clean to his dads, and he demurs. And Adora activates a guardian device while "helping," and a fracas ensues, revealing that Adora is She-Ra, that Glimmer is a princess, and that Bow is a more-than-competent warrior. Explanations follow, and reconciliations immediately thereafter. And Lance and George figure out that part of the message is a star-chart, indicating where the trio needs to go.

Back in the Fright Zone, Hordak summons Catra to account for her failures--and for lying to him. It does not go well for her. And Shadow Weaver suddenly stands over a sleeping Adora...

Discussion

Bow's dads might be thought to be an immense departure from medieval history; popular conception certainly holds that, prior to "modern" "loosening morals," particularly in the "pure" European medieval, there was no sanction of homosexuality and that all practitioners of it were punished--severely. And while it is true that particular behaviors have occasioned rebuke at various points in the past, to assume that Bow emerging from a loving household headed by a pair of married men cannot be parallel to the medieval is flatly incorrect. Examples Berkowitz cites, for instance, point toward same-sex marriages (and what might be called "civil unions" closer to now); they are echoed by Pickett at Stanford, and Lyne points to similar examples in Ireland being not merely tolerated, but celebrated, just as others were solemnized with ceremony. Rather than being a deviation from the medieval, then, Bow's dads are a reiteration of it--if a less familiar aspect of the medieval for many.

The names of Bow's dads, too, evoke the medieval, both calling to mind legended warriors--Lancelot and St. George. Their characters do not correspond so much to the names as others (Lance from Voltron: Legendary Defender comes to mind as an example), but there might be a backhanded comment to be found in their inability to address the fight in the later part of the episode when Bow is able to act successfully (namely via the battle of Crécy, in which English archery decimated Continental chivalry). It is, admittedly, a thin joke, but one that is not unfit for either the poorly-punning George or his and Lance's avowed vocations as historians.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Rewatch 2.6, "Light Spinner"

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A long look backwards shows that some things have stayed the same in the penultimate episode of the season.

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2.6, "Light Spinner"

Written by Noelle Stevenson, Katherine Nolfi
Directed by David Dwooman Woo

Synopsis

Pretty looking place, this.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary

In a floating kingdom, a sorceress instructs her students, while another student shows off his prowess. The relationship between the two, Light Spinner and Micah, is clearly close for an instructor and student, and Micah chafes at not being able to study at what he perceives as his potential. A shift reminds that Light Spinner is a former name of Shadow Weaver, and Catra interrupts her imprisoned reverie to taunt her.

In the Fright Zone, Hordak is assembled, injuries upon him clear as Catra reports to him regarding her efforts with Shadow Weaver. He bids her be sent to more forceful imprisonment; Catra demurs, but Hordak insists, giving her a deadline for interrogation. He also rebukes Catra for her interest in Entrapta's work.

He's awfully young for a grad student.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Catra returns to Shadow Weaver, who continues to reflect upon her earlier life as a sorceress in Mystacor. Her teaching Micah is a focus of her memory; he was her star student, powerful but undisciplined. She enlists him in her projects, somewhat clandestinely, finding him of surprising assistance. Light Spinner tells Micah of her plan to combat the newly-arrived Horde.

Scorpia joins Catra as she mulls over her task. The stakes involved are made clear, and Catra's jealousy is noted. The complexity of the relationship between Catra and Shadow Weaver is reinforced.

It does look like a faculty meeting...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

In the past, Light Spinner explicates the danger of the incoming Horde to her peers. She proposes a ritual she believes will be efficacious against them; her peers reject the idea. Forcefully. And in the wake of the rejection, she enlists Micah to her aid.

Amid the reminiscences, Catra returns to taunt Shadow Weaver with her impending fate. Shadow Weaver asks for a token.

In the past, Micah initially proves helpful to Light Spinner, but the spell breaches their control, and he flees. Dark forms take Light Spinner, changing her as the others in Mystacor arrive. She upbraids him for his cowardice, and the others rebuke her; she makes her escape, joining the Horde she had originally purposed to oppose.

Shadow Weaver asks Catra why she persists. After an initial flippant comment, Catra offers a more honest, considered response. Shadow Weaver works upon Catra, finding that, in a paroxysm of pity, Catra has provided the requested token.

It's not a pretty thing.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Shadow Weaver reflects upon the arrival of Adora at the Horde; she recognizes her potential and takes over her upbringing. And she enacts her escape from the Horde, using the token that had been brought to her. Catra arrives shortly after, finding herself betrayed. Again.

Elsewhere, Glimmer, Adora, and Bow try to track down a curious signal. It is a clue about Mara.

Discussion

Earlier-noted tensions surrounding maternal relationships are reinforced in the present episode; once again, Shadow Weaver's maternal behaviors are a focus. Even prior to her fall, she seems apt to manipulate those for whom she stands in loco parentis, as witness her near-successful attempt to cozen a young Micah into completing the forbidden ritual. It is a persistent problem, and one that likens her to the decidedly (early) medievalist work in The Faerie Queene. In the first canto of the first book, the Redcrosse Knight fights the spawn-consuming Errour, and while the idea of a monstrous mother consuming her own get is not new to Spenser, it does help to note that the trope pervades medievalist works, so that its inclusion in the present series helps to reassert the medievalism of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. (I am also in mind of the different motherhood depicted in Voltron: Legendary Defender, as well as many works critiquing how motherhood is presented in children's programming. But I am not up enough on such things to be able to form some cohesive statement about them, at least not at the moment.)

I also note the focus on the carceral experience in the episode. It is another thing that has parallels in the medieval, though it is far from original to it. A 2009 issue of Huntington Library Quarterly makes much of the matter, and such medieval works as Malory's--already long-tied to the series in these re-writes--also feature imprisonment prominently. There is some subversion of usual patterns, however, in that Shadow Weaver merits imprisonment, while most of those depicted in various carceral works do not or argue that they do not. But Shadow Weaver's extended reminiscence on her earlier life does seem to fit the common mold of longing for freedom--though not motion toward penitence, certainly, not with how she acts towards Catra.

Indeed, Catra is more and more a tragic figure. What end she will come to, and whether or not she will super her unfortunate background and continued disregard, has yet to be seen.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Rewatch 2.5, "White Out"

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A surprising amount is laid bare amid conflict, making things more tragic than they otherwise might have been.

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2.5, "White Out"

Written by Noelle Stevenson and Laura Sreebny
Directed by Lianne Hughes

Synopsis

Looks like a cool place...
Image taken from the episode, used to inform terrible jokes

In a cold and snowy region, Catra, Scorpia, and Entrapta search out a piece of ancient technology. Entrapta crows about available data, and sinister creatures begin to present themselves.

Sea Hawk escorts Adora, Glimmer, and Bow to the same location. Glimmer explicates their reasoning; they are reconnoitering, following reports of Horde activity in the north.

Scorpia tries to increase her intimacy with Catra. Catra rebuffs the attempts at advances Scorpia makes. She does notice a piece of ancient technology that Entrapta cautions her about the technology, and Catra realizes the potential of the technology to thwart She-Ra. Trouble interrupts their conversation.

Decidedly not a good sign.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary

As Adora, Glimmer, Bow, and Sea Hawk advance, Adora grows apprehensive, and Sea Hawk explicates rumors of strangeness. Entrapta confirms them just before a confrontation begins. Bow tries to talk Entrapta out of working with the Horde; she refuses. Catra takes the chance to infect She-Ra with the programming problem she'd experienced when first meeting Entrapta. It sends her into a berserk rage in which she cannot distinguish friend from foe. Scorpia manages to restrain Adora, and the Horde takes her captive as sinister creatures look on.

Also not a good sign.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary

Glimmer, Bow, and Sea Hawk take stock of their situation. It is not great, but they proceed to rescue Adora. She is incapacitated, as if drunk, but the Horde installation comes under attack from the local megafauna--which has been affected by the programming problem. Glimmer, Bow, and Sea Hawk fall under the same attack. The enemies are forced to work together to extricate themselves from the threat, though Catra is not pleased at the event. Nor yet is she pleased that Entrapta had long succeeded at the mission of retrieving ancient technology.

Discussion

Sea Hawk seems to have come down a bit from his earlier-noted mimicry of Sir Kay the Seneschal. Though he still seems obsessed with his public profile, and he is still given to overwrought bombast, he seems to have accepted his limitations. It indicates a degree of character development that seems to be absent from the medieval antecedent.

Something that does seem to align with medieval antecedent, if not to be congruent with it, is courtly love; it is clear that Scorpia suffers from it, as does Sea Hawk (to a lesser extent). In both characters appears a critique of the concept; yes, both speak and act as if their devotions to their beloveds--Catra and Mermista, respectively--ennoble them, but both also express their misgivings about the ways in which they are treated as they try to demonstrate their devotions. (It is notable that Scorpia does more and better in her devotion to Catra than does Sea Hawk in his to Mermista. Might there be a comment about relative maturity to be found therein? Or perhaps an elevation of affection that reads as divorced from procreative impulses?) Both reaffirm their devotions, however, with Scorpia doing so in rather emphatic fashion, so the critique is nuanced.

I find myself unsure how to regard the nuance. Scorpia recommits to a relationship that seems woefully one-sided, verging on abuse if not outright engaging in it. She is, in the main, a strong character, one of a few who breeds sympathy for the antagonistic forces in the series; for her to be treated so, and to allow herself to be treated so...again, I am unsure how to regard it. I think this is a place where others, better informed about such things, are better positioned to speak; I hope to have the chance respectfully to listen.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Rewatch 2.4, "Roll with It"

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A punning title points to a potential set of references in an interesting aside.

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2.4, "Roll with It"

Written by Noelle Stevenson and Josie Campbell
Directed by Jen Bennett

Synopsis

Screen and all...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary

Adora, Glimmer, and Bow assail a Horde fortress that commands a passage. The assault goes poorly, despite some reasonable planning. It is fortunate, then, that the whole matter is but a game, soon reset.

The trio is gaming out strategies to take the real Horde fortress from its occupiers. Adora frets about the lack of successful planning in their past exploits, worrying about the quality of defenders--though Scorpia seems to be in command of the Horde forces in the fortress.

Glimmery.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary

Glimmer takes control of the gaming situation; narrative and artistic styles change to suit. Even so, the proposed plan games out as unworkable. Others soon join the "planning" sessions, with narrative styles and planning change--though no more effective plan emerges.

In the fortress, the Horde becomes aware that princesses are in the area. They send out a robot to gather intelligence, finding the princesses amid planning. Scorpia is convinced of the "plans'" veracity before the reconnaissance feed ends.

Yep. That looks like victory.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary

Adora has an outburst, from which Glimmer talks her down. United, the princesses and Bow proceed to assail the Horde fortress. It has hardened itself against the incoming assault, but it is not able to hold out against the attack. Despite a struggle, the Horde is beaten back.

Discussion

Given the content of the present episode, a passage from my earlier write-up of an episode of Voltron: Legendary Defender would seem to apply:

As a loving and evidently well informed call-out to Dungeons & Dragons, the episode is inherently medievalist; the game referenced is itself noted for its medievalist origins, borrowing extensively from Tolkien and from various military and political histories of the Middle Ages. Borrowing from it, in turn, is a continuation of the trope it embodies--one that itself pervades medieval literature and art, with the frequent appropriation and refiguring of characters and whole stories by other creators in other times and places. (The retelling of Chaucer's Miller's Tale in Heile van Beersele, per Frederick M. Biggs's 2005 Review of English Studies piece, "The Miller's Tale and Heile van Beersele," offers one example. The accretion of myth around King Arthur, beginning in Gildas and Nennius and extending through Geoffrey of Monmouth through Malory, offers another and more extensive. There are any number of others.)

The call-out is every bit as overt in the present episode as in the Voltron episode; a screen on the table is a giveaway, and references to "making checks" cement the invocation. It also hearkens back to Dungeons & Dragons' origin story; by report (attested in Daniel Mackay's The Fantasy Role-Playing Game, Gary Alan Fine's Shared Fantasy, and Lawrence Schick's Heroic Worlds, among others), the game emerged from tabletop miniatures wargaming, which gives occasion for the competing narrative views on display in the present episode. What was true of the Voltron episode, then, is also true of the present episode, in terms of its medievalist leanings.

Such 80s. Much wow.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary

Notable also amid the call-out is the shifting narrative and animation style. While each shift presents an homage to another artistic style--including one to the original series--the shifts themselves echo the multiple textual traditions that emerge in medieval practice. To explain: a lecture by Prof. Chris Healy at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette makes reference to the "medieval Xerox," which, maugre some popular accounts, is not a person but a process. To wit: medieval copyists would, per Healy, not seldom work from oral readings. That is, one scribe would read aloud, while another or others would write what they heard. Owing to differences in pronunciation, hearing ability, and the lack of orthographic standards, different versions of the same text would emerge from such sessions. While a simplification of processes, it is a useful explanatory model, and one that seems to be at work in the present episode; each of the rebel narrators works with the same basic structure but imposes a wildly different interpretation on it. In the end, the fact is that something corresponding to parts of each is present; it is textual transmission in reverse, but inversion is a common appropriative technique...