Glimmer’s gonna be angry at us, but at least she’ll be around to be angry.

This episode puts the division between Bow & Adora and Glimmer on full display. Also, Catra is just having a bad time. Basically, pretty much everyone is struggling.

Except Double Trouble, despite being a prisoner.

Guard: Your Majesty, Adora has returned and called a meeting of the Princess Alliance.

Glimmer: Adora’s back?

Double Trouble: Adora called a meeting? Can she do that? I thought you were the queen.

Adora!DT: I guess I should be working on my Adora impression. She’s clearly the leader here.

Double Trouble obviously hasn’t heard from Catra in a bit, but I feel like this is more them making their own fun than strictly “following orders”.

Anyhow, Bow made some sort of simulation of what could happen if the Heart of Etheria were activated (basically, all go kaboom!).

Perfuma: That’s really going to happen, to Etheria, to us?

Bow: The Heart of Etheria nearly destroyed everyone in Mara’s time, and it’s gotten stronger, more volatile over the centuries. If it goes off now…we have to make sure it never goes off again.

Frosta: So, how do we stop it?

Shadow Weaver: Stop it? The real question is, how do you intend to use this to your advantage?

Adora: Uh, we’re not! You saw the simulation. We have to disable it.

Shadow Weaver: And throw away such power? Perhaps the First Ones were fools for storing so much raw energy at the heart of the planet, but now that it’s there…

Glimmer: What if there was a way to channel that magic ourselves?

Shadow Weaver: The princesses are powerful, but with that magic, they would be unstoppable.

Glimmer: We’d be supercharged! We could take down the Horde!

Adora: Are you seriously considering this? You heard Bow! It’s an unstable superweapon. Tampering with it is way too dangerous.

Glimmer: Dangerous? Every day, the Horde claims more territory. We’re running out of options! So I say, we get Light Hope to tell us how it works, and take our power back.

Adora: All she wants is to set the weapon off! Are you even listening to us?

Bow: Okay! Five-minute break.

Really, the main issue is with the First Ones who constructed the weapon in the first place, who stole power from Etheria with no consideration of the effect it might have on the planet. But that’s all moot at this point.

Meanwhile, between lack of sleep and having pretty much no one to talk to, Catra’s gone a bit stir-crazy, complete with seeing Scorpia when she (probably) isn’t really there.

And then Lonnie’s squad walks in.

Catra: What are you doing?

Lonnie: We just got back. The eastern quadrant is secured. No rebel activity.

Catra: While you were out on the field, did you see anyone- anything else?

Lonnie: Just lots of tired soldiers.

Catra: Get back out there, then.

Lonnie: Catra, we already worked a double! We’ve been going without r & r for days now. We need sleep.

Catra: Oh, I’m sorry. Are you tired? We’re all tired, but we’re not going to rest until we have all of Etheria under our control. Everything is finally coming together. We’re winning. So get back out there. Problem?

Bow: I know we’ve lost a lot, but we can’t-

Glimmer: Lost a lot? Elberon, Thaymor, Alwyn, Salineas! We’ve lost almost everything. This magic is the only thing that can help us save everyone.

Mermista’s willing to do anything to get her kingdom back, Perfuma’s still on the fence, and Frosta’s just tired and wants to go to bed at the moment, but would presumably side with the majority.

Swift Wind: How come I still don’t have a chair even though the new person does?

Scorpia: Oh, no, I’m sitting on Emily.

Adora: Swift Wind, is this really the time…to…

Scorpia: Hey, everybody! How are you? Gosh, I’m so sorry for popping in unannounced. I didn’t want to interrupt. Y’all seemed really busy, so I snuck past the guards and was just waiting for you guys to notice I was here-

Frosta: Horde soldier!

Naturally, a fight ensues despite Scorpia’s protestations…and so Emily starts firing (though clearly not with the intent to hurt them).

Scorpia: Please, I don’t wanna hurt you!

Perfuma: I-I think she’s telling the truth-

And stinging the only person who believed her understandably doesn’t help her case!

Scorpia: Ah! I am so sorry! I did not mean to do that, it’s instinct! Please! I need your help to save Entrapta!

Meanwhile, Catra’s only getting worse, and after she imagines Scorpia’s laugh, she drags Lonnie over for a chat, presumably because she has literally no one else to talk to.

Lonnie: Okay, no. There’s no way we’re working a fourth-

Catra: What are they saying?

Lonnie: What? Who?

Catra: Don’t pretend like you don’t know. Are they laughing at me?

Lonnie: Mostly, people are just tired. I think if you let them sleep, everything will be fine.

Catra: Everything isn’t fine! Scorpia would be here if everything was fine! Just leave. Like everybody else. Go! Double Trouble, are you there? Come on, answer me!

And she starts destroying her devices and she is just not okay.

Meanwhile, Scorpia seemingly surrendered as soon as they stopped attacking her.

Scorpia: Again, I am so sorry about the whole stinging thing.

Glimmer: Alright, Horde soldier, why are you here? Are you listening to me?

Scorpia: Wow. Yeah, but just, Shadow Weaver! At Bright Moon! Everything is making so much sense about why Catra’s been acting the way she has. And now I left- oh, that’s gonna do a real number on her.

Adora: Hey! Answer the question.

Scorpia: Right! Sorry. The thing is, you all seem really good at friendship.

Perfuma: You’re here to learn how to be a good friend?

Scorpia: Yes! That’s it. See, I thought I was being a good friend to Catra, but it turns out Catra wasn’t being a good friend to me, and also that I have no idea what friendship is. Man, I think Entrapta’s the only real friend I’ve ever had. And Emily.

Mermista: Say things that make sense!

Scorpia: Right! Okay, Entrapta wanted to warn Hordak about the whole, y’know, portal weirdness thing, so Catra sent her to Beast Island and I…I let it happen. Now, I have to save her.

Adora: Beast Island? With the blood beetles? And the trees with razor-sharp blades instead of leaves? It’s real?

Shadow Weaver: Oh, yes. But it’s much worse than that. We told you those children’s stories so you wouldn’t be scared.

Scorpia: It’s worse? Oh, what have I done?

Adora: We can’t leave her there.

Bow: If we want to safely disable the weapon, Entrapta’s our best bet! She’d know more about that than anyone.

Adora and Bow proceed to make a rescue plan, but Glimmer’s mad that they’re not listening to her, so she takes them aside for a chat.

Glimmer: Stop it! Stop just trying to barrel ahead with your own plans! We have to talk about this.

Adora: What’s there to talk about? Entrapta needs our help, and we need Entrapta.

Glimmer: Adora! Have you ever heard of anyone coming back from Beast Island? Do you even know where it is?

Adora: No, but we have to try!

Glimmer: Oh, great plan! The Horde’s on our doorstep and we’ll just drop everything to run off on a harebrained rescue mission!

Bow: Glimmer, you do want to save Entrapta, right?

Glimmer: Of course I do. We’ll save her. But we need to stop the Horde first. I won’t risk the whole Alliance for one princess who betrayed us.

Bow: There’s an unstable mass of magic in the middle of the planet. Everyone’s at risk unless we can get Entrapta to shut it down!

Glimmer: Entrapta has a habit of exploding everything she touches! You really want to let her near this thing? Just go to Light Hope and ask her. If we can get some of that stored power back, we could use it to defeat the Horde and save Entrapta!

Adora: What? No! I told you, we can’t trust her! She betrayed Mara. She lied to me! She’s the bad guy!

Glimmer: The Horde are the bad guys! You don’t have to tell her everything, just find out how it works and how to access it.

Adora: And if it goes wrong, people could get hurt!

To Glimmer, the Horde has been the bad guy all her life, and now that she’s responsible for defeating them, she can’t imagine not using any power at her disposal to that end.

Glimmer: Bow! You understand what I’m trying to say. Tell her! 

Bow: No! You weren’t there. We need Entrapta. We need to disable the weapon.

Glimmer: Why can’t you trust me in this?

Bow: Because you’re wrong!

Glimmer: You think I’m wrong? Fine. But I am still Queen. And as Queen, I am ordering you: No one is going to Beast Island. You’re not to set foot outside the castle unless I say so. End of discussion.

This is the first time that she’s wielded her power against her friends, basically just to win an argument…but seeing as it’s a very important (and urgent!) argument, that’s not going to be the end of it.

Meanwhile, the prisoners continue to be the only ones having fun.

Scorpia: Hang on, I get to stay here?

Frosta: This is the only other spare room we have. But don’t go thinking it’s a sleepover! We’re guarding you.

Perfuma: I brought snacks! Thought you might be hungry after your journey.

Scorpia: Okay, what is that? Why is it green and not bar-shaped? Are you trying to poison me? And if not, why are you being so nice?

Perfuma: It’s green because it’s a vegetable, silly! Do they not have those in the Horde? Oh, well okay! You should definitely be eating them. And we’re being nice because you’re our guest!

Frosta: Prisoner! I said it’s not a sleepo-

Perfuma: I’ll get pillows! Be right back.

But as soon as Frosta’s alone with her, she asks a very important question.

Frosta: How strong are your pincers? Can you crush things, or just cut?

Scorpia: Oh, you know, they’re good for general pincing and, uh, cutting through basically everything.

Frosta: Really? I gotta try that! 

Frosta: Oh, are you- are you crying? Is it because I made ice pincers? I’m sorry, they’re your thing, I get it.

Scorpia: No, it’s not that. The Horde always told me I was different, that I wouldn’t fit in with you all, but you’re making me feel the opposite of not belonging, which I guess is…belonging?

Frosta: I used to feel that way, too. And then I met Glimmer, and the others, and I realized that none of us fit in. We’re all different, but that’s okay.

Scorpia: That might be the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.

Frosta: Well, don’t get used to it! You’re still our prisoner. But, I’ve got first watch, so I’ll be up, if you wanna talk more.

it is so sad that the nicest thing anyone’s ever told her is “it’s okay to be different.”

And back at the Fright Zone, Catra’s barely keeping it together.

Hordak: I’ve taken the last of the coastal towns. What is the status of the woods?

Catra: Our raiding parties have crushed the villages near our current outpost. Tomorrow, we move farther inland. Everything is under control.

Hordak: Excellent. Etheria will be ours yet.

catra is broken and i am breaking

But back with people who are still functional, Bow and Adora are escaping from Bright Moon to go rescue Entrapta.

Bow: I’ve never lied to Glimmer before. I mean, it’s not lying lying. I left a note! Three, actually, but still…

Adora: We’re doing the right thing. We can’t let what happened in Mara’s time ever happen again. And Glimmer’s gonna be angry at us, but at least she’ll be around to be angry.

Then Swift Wind shows up and is too chatty, so that wakes Frosta up.

Frosta: I know what you’re doing. And you better hurry. 

Adora: You- you’re not gonna stop us?

Frosta: I didn’t join the Princess Alliance just to fight. I joined to save people, and the Horde, even after everything they did…they’re people, just like us. I’ll cover for you, but you have to go now! Everyone will be up soon.

Because they’ve got to spell it out sometime – this is still technically a kids’ show.

So Swifty flies them over to the ship (as that would presumably be the quickest mode of transport)…but of course, they don’t know how to fly a ship.

Swift Wind: Loop-de-loops! How could you betray me!

Eventually, Adora just gets to talking with the ship’s computer.

Computer: Please state navigational course.

Adora: Uh, Beast Island?

Computer: Setting coordinates for hazardous materials disposal site, designation: Beast Island. Coordinates set. Is any additional assistance required?

Adora: Can you maybe, fly us there?

Computer: Affirmative. Setting autopilot.

Bow: Wow. That was a lot easier than I thought it’d be.

Meanwhile, Glimmer finally gets a truth spell to work on Double Trouble.

Glimmer: Tell me everything.

Double Trouble: I…I can’t cry one cue! Whenever a role calls for tears, the only thing that works is thinking about children falling! They’re tears of laughter, but no one can tell the difference! I’ve never told anyone that before.

Glimmer: Tell me the Horde’s plans!

Double Trouble: Oh. Is that all? Why didn’t you just say so. Catra and Hordak are worked up because Horde Prime is on his way, with his armada, to conquer all of Etheria.

Glimmer: When?

Double Trouble: Any day now, darling. I’d say it’s curtains for your little rebellion here. But hey, while this truth spell is still working, here’s one more for you: If you’re already losing to Hordak, you poor lambs don’t stand a chance against Horde Prime.

And naturally, she goes to wake up Bow and Adora, only to discover they’ve flown the coop (they literally fly right over Bright Moon).

I don’t imagine this information would’ve changed Bow and Adora’s decision even if it had come sooner – it basically just says that the situation with the Horde is more pressing than expected, but they clearly thought that the Heart of Etheria was still more urgent.

Shadow Weaver: You can still stop them.

Glimmer: Let them go. If they don’t trust me, I don’t trust them. Horde Prime is coming. We need to be ready for him. I’m gonna figure out how to access the magic at the Heart of Etheria, and how to use it. And I’ll do it alone if I have to.

So Glimmer heads on over to the Crystal Castle, Bow and Adora are headed to Beast Island, and Catra’s just a mess.

Until next time…