She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Rewatch 4.1, "The Coronation"

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As the fourth season of the series begins, relationships shift and new dynamics begin to assert themselves.

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4.1, "The Coronation"

Written by Noelle Stevenson, Laura Sreebny, Josie Campbell, and Katherine Nolfi
Directed by Kiki Manrique, Diana Huh, and David Dwooman Woo

Synopsis

She seems ready.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Bright Moon shines in the sun as Glimmer prepares herself for her day, making decisions now that Angella has gone. Not all of them are of equal importance, admittedly.

Preparations for Glimmer's coronation proceed, with Glimmer uneasy about her ascent to the throne. Adora and Bow offer such support as they can, but there is only so much that is available to them, especially as Castaspella hustles her away for various functions; the two friends confer about the queen-to-be, discussing how to make things good for her.

Castaspella lays out the order of events to come, noting the importance of refining the attunement between Glimmer and the Bright Moon rune stone. She tends towards the overbearing--as do the allied princesses, who are contributing to events as they are able, and with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Glimmer soon finds herself overwhelmed.

Hordak's not in a good place right now...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

In the Fright Zone, Catra and Hordak begin to take stock of their situation. It is an acrimonious conference, but it does note that Horde Prime received word of their position. Catra withdraws, presumably plotting.

Glimmer contemplates her situation unenthusiastically. Confusion about how to proceed produces no small amount of stress, unhelpfully. Shadow Weaver walks the halls of Bright Moon, if under guard, and Adora also finds she has much to consider. The stress tells on the other princesses, as well, and the strain cannot be sustained.

Something suggests this will be important.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Catra confronts Scorpia as the latter treats Entrapta's effects. Catra is unhappy about matters; after she leaves, Scorpia begins acquiring Entrapta's robots for herself.

It never does get to be easy...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Glimmer's coronation proceeds, with Glimmer sad among those gathered to witness. She, along with Adora and Bow, moves to complete a required quest, though none of them are clear about the goal. Bow marvels at the surroundings, and Glimmer rages in felt futility. A passage is revealed, however, and they proceed into a chamber that suggests itself as their end-goal. But matters are not simple, and a fracas ensues. Glimmer finds herself unable to teleport, having not taken from the rune-stone out of a desire not to admit her mother's death; she sorrows at the lack of sorrow of others. Adora apologizes for her oversight. The three reaffirm their friendship and rejoin the fight.

Glimmer reaches her goal and asserts her rule, the rune-stone responding to her. The fracas ends, and Glimmer receives a message from Angella as she is empowered. It offers some closure for her, and they return to the gathering, where Glimmer is hailed as queen.

And in the Fright Zone, Catra asserts herself, as well, seizing power from Hordak by incapacitating him. She keeps him alive because he remains useful for his skills.

Discussion

Much medievalist work features a hierarchical, feudal system reminiscent of, though not corresponding exactly to, the Norman model ostensibly practiced in England during the High Middle Ages; they follow Tolkien in presenting an amorphous governmental structure that emphasizes dynastic succession as reinforced by magical indicators and a divinely influenced bloodline. Most such works do not do much to examine the implications of such a system; following Tolkien, they take such a system as a given and as a way things ought to be. There are exceptions, of course--Katharine Kerr's Deverry novels treat the matter, among others--but they are comparatively rare, and usually more "adult" than such properties as She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. For the series to openly confront the fact that succession to power in a monarchical / feudal / dynastic system requires the deaths of prior office-holders, typically parents, is therefore striking. It is a useful reminder that, even in the often-sanitized medievalisms popular culture presents, there is more, and more unpleasant, than is often realized.

Similarly, the sacral rulership model often present in the medieval--the idea that the king was divinely sanctioned and was afforded special powers as a result had no small currency, and it is echoed in Tolkien ("the hands of the king are the hands of a healer," anyone?), Hobb (the Skill of the Farseers), and others--is manifest in the present episode. The princesses in Etheria are already long established as (generally; Entrapta is an exception) connected to rune-stones that are intertwined with the planet, and the present episode notes that Glimmer had been accessing but part of the power that would be available to her from the rune-stone due to Angella's influence. With Angella no longer pulling, Glimmer has the full power--an overt, identifiable might that presents in in-milieu fact what is, in the audience's world, myth and legend. Too, Angela is identified as a semi-divine being earlier in the series; with Glimmer have acceded to her position, it is also likely that she enjoys or approaches enjoying that same status--the heavenly chosen, indeed.

And it is interesting to note that Glimmer's coronation is explicitly noted as a continuation of a line of queens; Bright Moon, at least, appears to be a matriarchy by tradition and convention, not only because of the happenstance of only women surviving to rule. It seems, too, from the involvement of the allied princesses, that Bright Moon is preeminent among the Etherian nation-states; its queen may not be in direct command of the many princesses, but she is certainly more than first among equals. The feudal overtones are present therein as much as in the earlier-noted succession issue, marking the series once again as borrowing heavily from medieval/ist forebears.