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'She-Ra and the Princesses of Power' Season 4 sees Horde-Rebellion war intensify, Glimmer and Adora's friendship fragment

The war between the Horde and the Rebellion is taken up a notch, Glimmer sports a more mature look as she tries to transition into her role as queen, new character Double Trouble sows chaos and mistrust, Adora learns more about Mara and Etheria’s past and Catra slowly grows more alone and unhinged
PUBLISHED NOV 5, 2019

Spoiler Warning: The following article contains spoilers for season 4 of ‘She-Ra and the Princesses of Power’ 

If there’s one thing ‘She-Ra and the Princesses of Power’ extols above all else, it’s the power of friendship. Arguably, it’s what most children’s animated shows attempt to preach, which is why, once again, this season of ‘She-Ra’ manages to stand out from similar shows by emphasizing the point that maintaining friendships under trying circumstances isn’t easy - it requires effort.

Things get worse for the Rebellion this season, and the show’s heroes are subject to very trying circumstances indeed. Unlike seasons 2 and 3, season 4 of ‘She-Ra and the Princesses of Power’ releases with a full 13 episodes and fans have a lot to look forward to.

The war between the Horde and the Rebellion is taken up a notch, Glimmer (Karen Fukuhara) sports a more mature look as she tries to transition into her role as queen, new character Double Trouble (Jacob Tobia) sows chaos and mistrust, Adora (Aimee Carrero) learns more about Mara (Zehra Fazal) and Etheria’s past, and Catra (AJ Michalka) slowly grows more alone and unhinged. 

The season’s main focus is on the fragmenting friendship between Glimmer and Adora. After the passing of her mother, Queen Angella (Reshma Shetty) at the end of season 3, Glimmer is forced to take on the role of Queen of Bright Moon, and it couldn’t have come at a worse time.

Glimmer is forced to make a lot of difficult choices that Adora disagrees with. Glimmer’s responsibilities initially keep her away from adventuring with the Best Friend Squad, and in that separation turns to Shadow Weaver for guidance.

Shadow Weaver’s world view is a little more ruthless than Adora’s idealism. Glimmer and Adora are now both leaders in their own right and their views on how to fight the Horde clash often. Poor Bow is caught in the middle and does his best to keep communication open and non-confrontational in some truly admirable ways, but there’s only so much he can do. 

Scorpia (Lauren Ash), in the meanwhile, finally realizes how toxic her friendship with Catra has been, leaves the Horde and finds her first moments of acceptance among the Princesses of the Rebellion as the show reveals she is, in fact, one of them. Scorpia’s endless positivity has been her most endearing quality and neither the Horde and Catra have done right by her.

Even though she’s initially treated with suspicion, Scorpia finds a real sense of belonging in Bright Moon - hopefully, something that gets to be explored more in season 5. Major revelations about She-Ra, both present and past, are revealed this season.

There is a flashback that shows us more of Mara’s early days as She-Ra, which also shows that the First Ones had less than benevolent intent. Acting under their programming, Light Hope (Morla Gorrondona) is revealed to have been working to achieve the First Ones’ goal of using the power of She-Ra to weaponize Etheria right from the very beginning.

We’re finally led to understand Mara’s motivations and Light Hope is given her most humanizing moments, ultimately fighting against her programming for the memory of Mara’s friendship. Double Trouble, the new character voiced by Jacob Tobia, is an excellent addition to the cast.

In this darker season, their character offers a few refreshing moments as they’re the only one of the Horde taking any pleasure in their job, as they infiltrate the Rebellion’s ranks. Catra’s state of mind goes from bad to worse, as at this point she’s pushed everyone in her life away and is growing increasingly unhinged. 

The war between the Horde and the Rebellion happens largely in the background and between episodes. We see the results of the war, but very little of its action. The focus is instead on results of the war, and the toll it takes on our characters.

While the show keeps its light-heartedness, its humor, and its fun - the musical episode featuring a song whose refrain was “It’s fun to be friends with friends!” was an especially delightful highlight - the season takes a decidedly darker turn and by the end of it, our characters are in a worse place than ever.

Teased at the end of season 3, Horde Prime does not actually make its appearance until the final episode, but now that it’s here and that Etheria rejoins the larger universe, things are looking dire for season 5 with no clear path forward. 

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