She-Ra and the Princesses of Power- Season 5 Review

Over the past 2 years we've had 4 amazing seasons of She-Ra and the the Princesses of Power and now we finally have the concluding season. So does the finale stick the landing and the rebooted She-Ra series become one of the finest animated series  of recent times?

She-Ra started off with usual Heroes Journey fare but then very quickly escalated and grew into something much more epic, featuring time travel, alternate dimensions and pocket universes; heady stuff indeed.

At the end of season 4, Hordak had signalled Horde Prime and Etheria had been revealed to the Empire, losing the protection the previous She-Ra (Mara) had provided it by placing it in a pocket dimension. The sword was broken and Adora's ability to call on She-Ra was lost.

This season the princesses face all out war as Horde Prime looks to leach the powerful magic from the Heart of Etheria for himself, and achieve God-hood by destroying the universe and making everyone left in his image. With the majority of the rebels overwhelmed by the Prime clones, the remaining faction undertake guerrilla warfare, freeing small areas one at a time, whilst battling their friends who are under Prime control from microchips in the neck.

One of the shows biggest strengths is the attention it gives its characters, it has always allowed them a chance to develop arcs that are subtle and true and this holds in this concluding season too. Mermista, Scorpia and Perfuma all get a chance to shine as they undergo their own trials but the biggest character development is with Entrapta. She learns to appreciate and understand her friends as well as continuing her love of tech. She has some of the funniest and most touching moments and is MVP as she has to find a hack to prize the brainwashing microchips off of her friends and most of Etheria.

Married couple, Netossa and Spinarella are heavily featured as they join the rebellion too but their powers are given more credence and their true power is shown in all its might as they fight against each other as the Horde chip has control over one partner. It's all quite heavy stuff but dealt with the usual confidence and honesty that has made this show so popular amongst the LGBTQ+ community and those looking for wider representation in media.

The complex, maybe even toxic, relationship between Catra and Adora is explored as we gain more insight into Catra's motivations. We get to understand her abandonment and attachment issues and whilst not entirely sympathetic, we do start to understand why Catra is the way she is. The CatDora relationship comes to the fore, especially at the 2 part conclusion as they race to the Heart of Etheria against Horde Prime.

Horde Prime is the archtypal supervillian, his motivation is pure power. He is a malevolent gentleman, inviting Catra and Glimmer to dinner whilst serving her food and delicacies from long destroyed worlds. He seeks to rid the universe of emotions, which he sees as a weakness. He cannot be reasoned with and as he has been in power for so long and has succeeded in spreading the Horde Empire far and wide, doesn't need to explain his ideology except for the further acquisition of power.

With the players on both sides set, the various story threads all weave together to a stunning conclusion that will satisfy fans whilst raising the possibility of a movie or one off special. I won't spoil anything here but I felt extremely satisfied with how the series ended, honouring all the character arcs and motivations yet feeling like a real journey.

This season is well written with shades of dark and light incredibly well plotted with never a moment wasted. It doesn't lose its central message that friendship is awesome but can be hard work, whilst delivering gripping and emotional scenes, episode after episode.

I have loved this show and would recommend it for anyone with a passion for animation but also anyone who appreciates well rounded characters and tightly scripted stories.

LINK- MCOG Soundtrack on Vinyl Review

LINK- What Comics Have Taught Me

LINK: Japan: My Journey to the East

LINK- Ulysses 31 Retro Soundtrack Review

LINK- An English Geek in Saudi Arabia

LINK- Gravity Falls Complete Series Review

LINK- Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated Complete Series 1 Review

LINK- Nintendo: My One Constant in My Gaming Life

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power- A Retrospective Before the Final Season

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power on Netflix is a modern reimagining of the classic ’80s Filmation series. She-Ra is a part of the He-Man universe and so holds a place in many fans’ hearts, and as expected this raised the profile of the 2018 reboot, especially online.

Even before the show aired there were many debates about whether the new takes on the characters were any good. Some arguments seemed to be reasonable, with some complaining about the more cartoony super deformed art style, or the redesign of She-Ra herself, but some seemed purposely argumentative and toxic like why there was wider LGBTQ and minority ethnic representation on the show. People accused it of being a show for SJW’s with the common refrain, ‘Go Woke, Go Broke’.

So, away from the Twitter frenzy and YouTube comments, what has the show been like and has it proved the detractors wrong over the past 2 years and 4 seasons?

Warning- Spoilers Ahead As I Discuss the Plot Points of All 4 Seasons.


The story itself is classic hero fare: Adora is a cadet in the Fright Zone and a part of the Horde, who are trying to wipe out the 'evil' Princesses. However, after a joy riding accident in the Whispering Woods with her friend Catra, Adora finds the Sword of Power and has visions of She-Ra and the First Ones.

Adora is captured by Princess Glimmer of Bright Moon and Bow and realises that the Horde are evil and that the Princesses aren't a guerilla force but actually just peaceful rulers of their respective lands. Adora undergoes a crisis of Horde faith and joins Glimmer in her aim to unite the Princess Alliance which once fought the Horde but ultimately failed and fell apart.

Adora is then trained by Lighthope, a First Ones Yoda-type hologram, in the ways of She-Ra but makes slow progress. The Princess Alliance get used to being friends as well as allies and hold strong against the continuous daily onslaught of Horde robots.

The first two seasons of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power are bright and generally breezy but boy does season 3 crank things up a little. There are three main through-lines over the course of this season; Hordak's plan, which is suitably nefarious, involves portals and the Horde army travelling through space and time to take over Etheria; Adora and her Best Friend Squad deepen their bonds on a journey through the Crimson Waste to find more First Ones technology and learn what happened to Mara, the previous She-Ra, and Catra and Scorpia become closer as they search for the tech in the Crimson Wastes too.

The three storylines converge in dramatic fashion and, from episode 5, get pretty heady as the true area of development is character as we delve further into all our invested parties. We learn about Hordak's motivations, and even though he is the big bad in this series, it is hard not to feel a little sympathy for him. We see his friendship (maybe romance?) with Entrapta grow and so, what could have been a 2-dimensional bad guy, becomes more intriguing.

The storyline then goes to some pretty dark places, not Pulp Fiction level dark but for a 7+ kids show... pretty noir. Alternate realities, the darkest timeline and time and space being all wobbly wobbly feature in this series and actually play a huge part in the finale. We find out that Hordak's plan is to open a portal to bring Horde Prime and the intergalactic Horde army to Etheria, Adora finally gains some insight as to who she really is and where she came from and Catra goes full heel and sustained some cool but temporary evil looking scars to show how bad ass she really had become. It all reached a dizzying crescendo that culminated in the ultimate sacrifice from a figure that would change the structure of the Princesses Alliance forever and have grave implications for the Best Friends Squad moving forward.

The forth season kicks off as Glimmer has her coronation as Queen of Bright Moon. As she ascends the throne and has to deal with diplomatic concerns, Bow and Adora take the lead on missions. The excursions meet with initial success until a shape shifter, Double Trouble, enters the fold and adds some espionage into the unfolding drama. They' tap into the growing hostility between Glimmer and Adora and light the fuse to the powder keg, and we see the group splinter in spectacular fashion. Meanwhile, Catra bonds with Double Trouble, falls out with Scorpia and realises that victory is not all its cracked up to be as she and Hordak take over most of Etheria.

I really enjoyed the 4th season as it looked at the military industrial complex in more detail, specifically the many levels of bureaucracy that underpin it- heady stuff for a 'tween cartoon'. Glimmer struggles with the duties required from being a Queen, co-ordinating the campaign whilst sending her friends and colleagues out into the thick of battle whilst struggling with the guilt that mounting casualties unsuccessful campaigns rack up. Catra struggles with gaining resources to take the Horde war machine forward whilst Hordak struggles to move forward with creating the ultimate weapon without his colleague and potential love interest, Entrapta. The varying story threads all weave together wonderfully reaching an exciting and intergalactic climax as a deus ex machina is pulled and the status quo is shifted yet again.

All in all, it all added up to another great season that is building to a final battle between Etheria and the Horde Prime Empire. That is what season 5 will focus on.

What I have really enjoy about She-Ra is that the storyline has been intriguing, however the strong characterisation and the journey that each character goes through has endeared them to you; you become invested, be they hero or villain. There are definite shades of grey; Hordak seeks acceptance from his superior, Catra has attachment issues, Entrapta finds it hard to make friends, Scorpia is in a toxic relationship with Catra and Kyle wants to be loved and respected. The show also goes deep into lore and it is genuinely exciting to see the battle between Adora/ She-Ra and Catra as they realise that they want different things in life yet their paths are inextricably and destructively linked.

As for the animation style, I always liked the design of the '80s show but I thought the new art style was great too. I am a big fan of Noelle Stevenson (the creator and lead writer of the show), who created the amazing Nimona and Lumberjanes graphic novels, and her art style felt modern and stylised like Steven Universe. I didn’t understand why there seemed to be a small contingent of very vocal people criticising the show when many other cartoons had a more simplistic style compared to what they were years ago, after all, Phineas and Ferb, Adventure Time, The Amazing World of Gumball and Over the Garden Wall are all brilliant but less detailed and 'realistic' when compared to '80s fare such as He-Man, TMNT, The Mysterious Cities of Gold, MASK or GI Joe. However, what is inarguable and has been beyond dispute is that the storylines, dialogue and characterisation in the new She-Ra show have been much better than its predecessor. In a medium which has been uniformly hegemonic in portraying white characters and often sexualised females, the recent wave of real world representations in cartoons has been exciting and the fact that She-Ra has been backed up by engaging stories and well-rounded characters is a testament to what the series has achieved.

After 4 stunning seasons and a cliffhanger ending building to a final battle between Etheria and the Horde Prime Empire, I can say that it’s been a heck of a journey but it seems like a good a place as any to end on a high. I can’t wait for the fifth and final season and I would advise everyone to ignore the detractors and naysayers and check out the show, it is one of the finest animated series around and well worth a watch!

LINK- MCOG Soundtrack on Vinyl Review

LINK- What Comics Have Taught Me

LINK: Japan: My Journey to the East

LINK- Ulysses 31 Retro Soundtrack Review

LINK- An English Geek in Saudi Arabia

LINK- Gravity Falls Complete Series Review

LINK- Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated Complete Series 1 Review

LINK- Nintendo: My One Constant in My Gaming Life

She-Ra Season 5 Trailer Drops

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power on Netflix is a modern reimagining of the classic ’80s Filmation series. She-Ra is a part of the He-Man universe and so holds a place in many fans’ hearts, and as expected this led to many debates about whether the new take on the character was any good.

After 4 stunning seasons and a cliffhanger ending where the varying story threads all weaved together to build to a final battle between Etheria and the Horde Prime Empire, the answer is most definitely yes!

The fifth and final season will air on 15th May and I for one can’t wait! It’s been a heck of a journey but it seems like a good a place as any to end on a high. So, check out the new trailer and wait with bated breath for a tub thumping finale!

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Season 4- Complete Series Review

Fans of this blog will know that I have a deep affection for She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. What many thought would be a bright and breezy reboot of the classic 80s Filmation series quickly established itself as a complex character-driven animation with an over-arching storyline that added much more nuance and lore than the original series ever had.

Season 3 of She-Ra changed the status quo of the entire series as it got all 'parallel universes and 'inter-dimensional portals' on us. So how does season 4 carry on the momentum established in the excellent previous seasons?

Catra finds herself even more isolated as the series continues.

Catra finds herself even more isolated as the series continues.

Well, at the finale of the last season we found out that Hordak's plan was to open a portal to bring Horde Prime and the intergalactic Horde army to Etheria. Adora finally gained some insight as to who she really was and where she came from, and Catra went full heel and sustained some cool but temporary evil looking scars to show how bad ass she really had become. It all reached a dizzying crescendo that culminated in the ultimate sacrifice from a figure that would change the structure of the Princesses Alliance forever and have grave implications for the Best Friends Squad moving forward.

The new series kicks off as Glimmer has her coronation as Queen of Bright Moon. As she ascends the throne and has to deal with diplomatic concerns, Bow and Adora take the lead on missions. The excursions meet with initial success until a shape shifter, Double Trouble, enters the fold and adds some espionage into the unfolding drama. They tap into the growing hostility between Glimmer and Adora and light the fuse to the powder keg, and we see the group splinter in spectacular fashion.

Meanwhile, Catra bonds with Double Trouble, falls out with Scorpia and realises that victory is not all its cracked up to be as she and Hordak take over most of Etheria.

What this season does is look at the military industrial complex in more detail, specifically the many levels of bureaucracy that underpin it- heady stuff for a 'tween cartoon'. Glimmer struggles with the duties required from being a Queen, co-ordinating the campaign whilst sending her friends and colleagues out into the thick of battle whilst struggling with the guilt that mounting casualties unsuccessful campaigns rack up. Catra struggles with gaining resources to take the Horde war machine forward whilst Hordak struggles to move forward with creating the ultimate weapon without his colleague and potential love interest, Entrapta.

The series has a few standout episodes, including number 7, where Hermista (one of my fave characters) gets her moment to shine as she leads the bottle episode where they try to figure out who the mole in the Alliance is, it's very stirring stuff with just the right amount of humour thrown in to add levity to proceedings. In another episode Light Hope glitches and whilst she is rebooting does some strange stuff, much to Adora's annoyance and our mirth. In another standout episode, the relationship between inept Horde soldier Kyle and his comrades is examined as the concept of family is looked at, they come across as sympathetic minions in a greater geo-political situation rather than faceless goons.

What I really enjoy about She-Ra is that the storyline is intriguing but the strong characterisation and the journey that each character goes through endears them to you, you become invested, be they hero or villain. There are definite shades of grey; Hordak seeks acceptance from his superior, Catra has attachment issues, Entrapta finds it hard to make friends, Scorpia is in a toxic relationship with Catra and Kyle wants to be lived and respected

The varying story threads all weave together wonderfully reaching an exciting and intergalactic climax as a deus ex machina is pulled and the status quo is shifted yet again. All in all, it all adds up to another great season that is building to a final battle between Etheria and the Horde Prime Empire.

LINK- She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Complete Season 1 Review

LINK- She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Complete Season 2 Review

LINK- She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Complete Season 3 Review

LINK- Disenchantment- Complete Series 1 Review

LINK- Gravity Falls Complete Series Review

LINK- Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated Complete Series 1 Review

LINK- Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated Series 2 Review

LINK- Ms Marvel Can Change the World

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Complete Season 3 Review

The first two She-Ra and the Princesses of Power series have been a bright and generally breezy reboot of the classic 80s Filmation series, but boy does season 3 crank things up a little. There are three main through-lines over the course of this season; Hordak's plan, which is suitably nefarious, involves portals and the Horde army travelling through space and time to take over Etheria; Adora and her Best Friend Squad deepen their bonds on a journey through the Crimson Waste to find more First Ones technology and learn what happened to Mara, the previous She-Ra, and Catra and Scorpia become closer as they search for the tech in the Crimson Wastes too. The three storylines converge in dramatic fashion and, from episode 5, get pretty heady.

This series has a laser focussed storyline but the true area of development is character as we delve further into all our invested parties.
A surprising addition to this is that we learn about Hordak's motivations, and even though he is the big bad in this series, it is hard not to feel a little sympathy for him. Special mention must be made of the cool artistic style to present Hordak's back story, all art deco edgy stuff, similar in style if not colour palette of Batman: The Animated Series. This episode, episode 2, also sees his friendship (maybe romance?) with Entrapta grow. What could have been a 2-dimensional bad guy, becomes more intriguing and the storyline goes to some pretty heady places, not Pulp Fiction level dark but for a 7+ kids show... pretty noir. Alternate realities, the darkest timeline and time and space being all wobbly wobbly feature in this series and actually play a huge part in the finale.

Fans of this blog will already know how much I like this series but this series ups the ante and delivers powerful, tour de force storytelling whilst remaining humorous and true to the characters it has developed. I've said it twice before, but I will say it again: miss this show at your peril.

She-Ra Season 3 Airing This Friday

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power on Netflix is a modern reimagining of the classic ’80s Filmation series. She-Ra is a part of the He-Man universe and so holds a place in many fans’ hearts, and as expected this led to many debates about the redesign of the characters. Some arguments seemed to be reasonable, like some complaining about the more cartoony super deformed art style, or the redesign of She-Ra herself, but some seemed purposely argumentative and toxic like why was there a wider LGBTQ and minority ethnic representation on the show and why She-Ra herself was less 'feminine'.

I personally thought that She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Season 1 was an excellent 13 part animated series with a lot of heart. I knew that it would not please all fans of the 80s show but as a father 2 young daughters I liked the strong female lead, the characterisation of the entire cast and the well told Heroes Journey tale.

I thought that the second series continued well from where the last series ended with She-Ra still being trained by Lighthope and making slow progress. The Princess Alliance was holding strong against the continuous daily onslaught of Horde robots. At only 7 episodes the second series was light on storyline but it really focused on the characters and the world of Etherea. Along the way it tackles some heavy topics like toxic friendships, ageism and bureaucracy through the lens of animation.

So, it is with bated breath that my daughter and I have been waiting for the third series to drop and with the trailer dropping this week, it seems like the wait isn’t going to be so long! I am ecstatic and super excited to see where writer Noelle Stevenson et al. take us next.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Season 2- Complete Series Review

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power on Netflix is a modern reimagining of the classic ’80s Filmation series. She-Ra is a part of the He-Man universe and so holds a place in many fans’ hearts, and as expected this led to many debates about the redesign of the characters. Some arguments seemed to be reasonable, like some complaining about the more cartoony super deformed art style, or the redesign of She-Ra herself, but some seemed purposely argumentative and toxic like why was there a wider LGBTQ and minority ethnic representation on the show and why She-Ra herself was less 'feminine'.

I personally thought that She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Season 1 was an excellent 13 part animated series with a lot of heart. I knew that it would not please all fans of the 80s show but as a father 2 young daughters I liked the strong female lead, the characterisation of the entire cast and the well told Heroes Journey tale.

Well, this second series continues from where the last series ended with She-Ra still being trained by Lighthope and making slow progress. The Princess Alliance is holding strong against the continuous daily onslaught of Horde robots.

The story works from there as the Princesses start getting used to being friends as well as allies. Meanwhile, Catra is making good progress as Horde Captain by taking over many of the kingdoms but becomes increasingly disillusioned by the paperwork, red tape and slow bureaucratic busywork of it all. Hordak, meanwhile, is busy with his portal machine, looking for an intergalactic endgame. So, from this briefest of overviews you can see that there's a lot going on.

At only 7 episodes this series is light on storyline but it really focuses on the characters and the world of Etherea. Along the way it tackles some heavy topics like toxic friendships, ageism and bureaucracy through the lens of animation. The episode focusing on Shadow Weaver is excellent and offers us a look into her past, showing her descent from the light side. The MVP of this series however is Scorpia, the wannabe bestie/ lover of Catra. We see her try to get Catra to open up to the possibility of friendship and maybe more but to little success. Don't get disheartened though, it's not all edge lord stuff, there's plenty of fun and the D&D episode, 'Roll With It' shows that the writers are on a winning streak with this series.

I'm glad that this series exists, one with strong characters that aren't afraid to work together to challenge the status quo.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power- Complete Series Review

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power on Netflix is a modern reimagining of the classic ’80s Filmation series. She-Ra is a part of the He-Man universe and so holds a place in many fans’ hearts, and as expected this has led to many debates about the redesign of the characters. Some arguments seem to be reasonable, like some complaining about the more cartoony super deformed art style, or the redesign of She-Ra herself, but some seem purposely argumentative and toxic like why there is a wider LGBTQ and minority ethnic representation on the show and why She-Ra herself is less 'feminine' .
So, away from the Twitter frenzy what is the show like?

The character redesigns have led to many online discussions, unfortunately not all have been healthy. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power ©Netflix, NBC

Well, I did like the design of the '80s show but the new art style is great too. I am a big fan of Noelle Stevenson (the creator and lead writer of the show), who has created the amazing Nimona and Lumberjanes graphic novels, and her art style feels modern and stylised like Steven Universe. I don't understand why this seems to be an issue when many cartoons have been drawn in a more simplistic style compared to what they were years ago, after all, Phineas and Ferb, Adventure Time, The Amazing World of Gumball and Over the Garden Wall are all brilliant but less detailed and 'realistic' when compared to '80s fare such as He-Man, TMNT, The Mysterious Cities of Gold, MASK or GI Joe. However, what is inarguable and beyond dispute is that the storylines, dialogue and characterisation in the new She-Ra show is much better than in its predecessor. In a medium which has been hegemonic in portraying white characters and often sexualised females, the recent wave of real world representations in cartoons is exciting and the fact that it is backed up by engaging stories not just meant to sell toys is brilliant.

The story itself is classic hero fare: Adora is a cadet in the Fright Zone and a part of the Horde, who are trying to wipe out the 'evil' Princesses. However, after a joy riding accident in the Whispering Woods with her friend Catra, Adora finds the Sword of Power and has visions of She-Ra and the First Ones.
Adora is captured by Princess Glimmer of Bright Moon and Bow and realises that the Horde are evil and that the Princesses aren't a guerilla force but actually just peaceful rulers of their respective lands. Over the course of a few episodes Adora transforms and aims to unite the Princess Alliance that once fought the Horde but ultimately failed and fell apart.

So, as I stated before, the usual Hero's Journey fare. But what really helps set this apart from many shows of its peers is the snappy dialogue and characterisation. From episode 10 of onwards the show goes deep into lore and it is genuinely exciting to see the battle between Adora/ She-ra and Catra as they realise that they want different things in life yet their paths are inextricably and destructively linked.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is an excellent 13 part animated series with a lot of heart. It may not please all previous fans of the show but as a father of a 3 3/4 year old daughter I can honestly say that it is wonderful to have a show that has a strong female lead that isn't wearing questionable clothing or revealing too much skin. The Heroes Journey is a universal tale and in She-Ra it is a tale told well.

LINK- Disenchantment- Complete Series 1 Review

LINK- Gravity Falls Complete Series Review

LINK- Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated Complete Series 1 Review

LINK- Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated Series 2 Review

LINK- Ms Marvel Can Change the World

LINK- 13th Doctor Revealed

LINK- She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Season 2 Review

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power- Episode 1 Review

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is a reboot of the 1985 series. The series is a modern reimagining of the character and world of Etheria, which is a good thing. He-Man and She-Ra are fondly remembered, however if you revisit both cartoons in this modern age you realise just how bad He-Man really is and how much better She-Ra was.

This modern take of She-Ra is written by Noelle Stevenson, author of The Lumberjanes and Nimona, both of which I love. She has a habit of creating plucky and interesting characters and so it is with this series.

Raised as an orphan, Adora/ She-Ra is a strong and willing fighter for the Horde, battling against the insurgent Princesses and looking to rule over Etheria in the name of Hordak. However, after retrieving the Sword of Protection from the Forbidden Forest her latent powers are revealed and her secret origins flash before her eyes.

As a first episode, 'The Sword part 1' has me invested. The characterisation of Stevenson's cast is excellent and the interplay between them is wonderful. There are some wonderful one-liners, ''Are you brain-damaged? Please don't be brain-damaged. Shadow Weaver will kill me.''

I am looking forward to seeing if this series lives up to its promise and will be providing a full series review soon but in the meantime, check out the first episode as it is a well done modern interpretation of a classic cartoon.