She-ra and the Princesses of Power: Season Three
Directed by ND Stevenson
2019, Netflix
6 episodes, 24 minutes
Rating: ★★★★★
Good: Intension Emotional Beats, Strong Female Characters
Bad: Short, Cliff-hanger Ending
With the fourth season of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power having just recently been announced, I think it’s way past the time that I should review the third season. I don’t think there’s really a lot to add from what I’ve already said in my previous reviews of season one and season two. The show continues to impress and make an impact on me. It also continues to improve its storytelling, focusing more and more on character development and avoiding too much fluffing about. There’s significantly more worldbuilding in this season, as we explore further into the origins of Hordak and get to experience more of the world of Etheria. While the choice to make Hordak sympathetic is questionable, my only real criticisms lie in the cliffhanger ending, and the fact that the second and third seasons should have been one continuous season, given the number of episodes in both. I think where the show really shines is in their strong female cast, and in Adora’s venture through an alternate version of reality.
ND Stevenson and the team behind the show have and continue to represent all kinds of interesting female characters, each with their own motivations and personalities that make them unique, while also adding to the story without making them one-dimensional. It’s a breath of fresh air—and while their introductions can sometimes be tropey—they always end up feeling like they belong in the narrative. However, speaking of tropes, I don’t think Catra was a strong this season, as it felt she was being used more often than not to cause conflict rather than having her act of her own accord. She is almost always playing the part of the Badass Bitch™, fighting against everyone and anyone who gets in her way, and doing the most toxic thing imaginable in the process. By contrast, Scorpia’s personality has continued to develop in interesting ways, making her less of a bumbling minion and more of a character all of her own, and the introduction of Huntara was a good time all around.
The most impressive development though, had to be with Queen Angella, whose death has to be the most emotional turning point in the series so far. It comes at the end of two incredible episodes, after multiple emotional beats and possibly the most interesting use of magicky elements in the show so far. I was consistently impressed with these two episodes, as well as with the interactions between characters. It really felt as though all the relationship conflicts that have been a part of the series from the beginning had finally reached some kind of climax. Time will tell if the writers can follow up in the next season without undermining everything that came before. Similarly—as morbid as this may sound—I hope that Queen Angella’s death is permanent, or at least she doesn’t come back in any meaningful way. I know that death isn’t the only way to make things interesting. In fact, I usually roll my eyes at character death for the sake of drama. However, I think it would work well if she were really gone, forcing Glimmer and her friends to deal with the trauma instead of sweeping it under a rug. It fits the emotional maturity of the show, and would force the characters out of their comfort zones—Glimmer in particular.
I am eagerly anticipating the fourth season of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, which—as of writing this—is slated for release in less than a month. I find myself with less and less to say with each season, as the series continues to impress and has little for me to criticize. I can’t help but imagine that the writers take the time to reflect on each season, fixing mistakes and improving on what came before instead of just cranking out more and more episodes. I feel like a broken record, but once again I have to commend She-Ra as the example that all modern animated series should follow. With its inclusive cast, deep story and powerful emotional beats, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is everything I’ve wanted out of animation and then some. While one day I would like to see a satisfying end to the series, I can only hope that it inspires more of the same in the near future.