SRPOP Season 3 Reveals the History of Etheria, She-Ra, and Hordak

Show Review:

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Season 3

Rating: 8.7 out of 10 stars

Overview

Pros

• Great for children and adults
• Fun plot with high stakes
• Well-made characters
• Representation of different body types and skin colors
• LGBTQ+ representation
• Some Catra and Scorpia bonding moments
• Backstory for Hordak

Cons

• Overly childish intro
• Poor art style choices

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Review

This season was only six episodes long, so this will be a short review. Nonetheless, it was a really good season and a wonderful experience.

This season begins exactly where we left off with the previous season. Shadowweaver is standing over Adora’s bed, but collapses after Adora draws her sword. Since Bright Moon has no dungeons, Shadowweaver is imprisoned in a spare room that had the cushions removed but otherwise is super comfortable.

I am not sure how I feel about Shadowweaver switching sides. Sure, it’s good for the heroes. But Shadowweaver is abusive toward Adora and Catra and makes a problematic hero. I do think they dealt with it pretty well though, establishing that she has selfish motives even when on the side of good.

It is just like Adora to be concerned about Shadowweaver, and for Adora to heal her. Adora obviously has an unhealthy attachment to Shadowweaver, but remains compassionate despite Shadowweaver’s transgressions.

Catra’s punishment is harsh considering she has increased the productivity of the Horde by 400% and has retrieved plenty of First One’s relics. Entrapta tries to stand up for her, which says a lot about her character. This season certainly strengthens Catra’s character arc as she becomes more and more unhinged.

I love that Catra and Scorpia become closer as friends, at least for the first part of the season when Catra is sent on an apparent suicide mission to the Crimson Waste. Also, when Catra is introduced to a party for the first time, it hearkens back to when this happened for Adora as well. It’s a sweet moment. For Catra’s sake I wish she had left the Horde and stayed in the Crimson Waste, at least for a time. The experience was really good for her and Scorpia.

The Hordak and Entrapta bonding moments were touching. Entrapta emphasizes that she enjoys being Hordak’s friend and Hordak points out that no one should underestimate Entrapta. As they build the portal together, Entrapta cools Hordak’s temper and accepts him as he is, flaws and all. She is a person who appreciates imperfections. It honestly made me like Entrapta more, even if she does frustrate me at times.

Getting to learn more about the history of Hordak and how he is a defective clone of Horde Prime was interesting and made him seem a little more personable, and less like a one-dimensional big bad.

Knowing that Etheria was separated from the rest of the universe and that a portal could compromise the safety of the planet really helped build the narrative. Revealing Adora is a First One and that she came through the portal as a baby is a nice touch.

Angella’s sacrifice and loss was a poignant part of the season, and showed how high the stakes had been. I never loved her as a character, but her being brave and spontaneous for once was a sight to see. Glimmer is young to be the next queen of Bright Moon, but her inheritance of the throne will no doubt change the dynamic of the three best friends: Adora, Glimmer, and Bow.

Catra snapping and sending Entrapta to Beast Island was incredibly sad, especially when she told Hordak that Entrapta had betrayed him. It was painful and yet fitting.

Like in the previous seasons, there is a lot of representation of different body types and skin colors. That is refreshing honestly, especially when you compare it to the original She-Ra franchise.

The intro is the same as the previous seasons. I know a lot of people really like the intro, but I don’t. It’s too childish compared to the rest of the show, and I don’t care what people say, it is not catchy. Not to say it’s horrible, but it’s not that great.

Also, the art style makes them all look young even though Adora, for example, is 17. They look like a group of 12-year-olds. It could have been better.

In conclusion, this season was even better than the first two and I would recommend it for all ages except the very youngest children.