It’s been a little while since I’ve talked to people, or horses.

This is another episode where the show tries to be creepy, with limited success.

But the episode begins with Bow worrying about their relationship with Glimmer, because this is obviously the first time that he’s had such an intense disagreement with her, and they’ve known each other since they were kids!

Bow: Do you think Glimmer will still be upset when we get back? We did sort of, kind of, completely disobey direct orders.

Adora: She’ll understand. We all want what’s best for Etheria, and once we get Entrapta back, Glimmer will know we made the right decision.

Bow: Right. But I mean, what if she doesn’t? What if she never talks to me again?

Anyhow, the ship goes in for a bit of a rough landing, but they all arrive in one piece.

Credit where it’s due, the backgrounds and such on Beast Island are unique and fairly eerie, with the combination of organic and mechanical elements in various stages of decay.

Adora: As kids, we were warned of the dangers on Beast Island. There were the chibbets with razor-sharp teeth, scruffers with razor-sharp horns, razorfins with-

Bow: Razor-sharp fins?

Adora: Razor-sharp teeth, actually, I don’t know why they had that name.

And Swift Wind spots what seems to be the vessel Entrapta arrived on.

Swift Wind: Where do you think she went? What is that noise?

Bow: What noise?

Swift Wind: Eh, it’s gone. You didn’t hear it?

Bow: Uh, any scary Horde bedtime stories about noises only horses can hear?

Adora: Not that I can remember.

Swift Wind: I heard the same sound earlier, right before Mara’s ship crashed.

Bow: First Ones tech. This is all First Ones tech! But it’s corrupted, melted down. This must’ve been some sort of First Ones dumping ground.

That’s clearly the idea, given that the ship’s charts listed the island as a “hazardous materials disposal site.”

Swift Wind: Maybe everything went quiet for a good reason?

Adora: A bad reason.

Of course, she goes to transform…but it doesn’t work, so they just run.

Bow: What happened? Why can’t you be She-ra?

Adora: I don’t know!

Swift Wind: There it is again, that sound! Really, no one else hears that?

Then a mysterious magic-wielder shows up to rescue them just in the nick of time…whom they eventually recognize as King Micah.

Micah (aside from his childhood backstory) is one of the most similar characters to his incarnation in the original series – that is, in both series, he was detained by the Horde for 15 years, with the main difference being that in the original, his family always knew that he was alive. Beast Island itself was also supposed to be a Horde prison in the original, although given that Micah didn’t escape captivity until long after Beast Island was destroyed, I’m guessing he was never held there in the old series.

And speaking of Micah’s family, Glimmer’s currently enacting her plan to use the Heart of Etheria (and even if it is a terrible idea, I’m just happy for a change of scenery).

Glimmer: Light Hope! The Queen of Bright Moon demands to speak to Light Hope. Now. On behalf of the Great Rebellion, I need you to answer my questions. Eternia! Okay, I know you can hear me! So that’s how it is. Fine! I’ll just have to make you listen.

Because Glimmer never lacked boldness!

Voice: Unauthorized presence detected. Security protocol activated.

And the spiders are almost homey compared to the beasts of Beast Island!

Glimmer: You’re not getting rid of me that easily.

Micah: You know who I am? Please don’t kneel, I’m no king here.

Adora: Of course we know! Oh, I’m Adora, and this is Swift Wind and Bow.

Then he touches Bow’s face to make sure they’re all real.

Micah: Apologies. It’s been quite some time since I’ve talked to anyone else. Anyone real, that is. And you are real, right?

Bow: Very real! Hi! Are you real? I mean, we kinda thought you were dead.

Micah: If the Horde had their way I would be. They exiled me here. But I survived!

Adora: King Micah, we’re from Bright Moon. We know your daughter, Glimmer.

But he evidently senses danger, so they move to some sort of hiding spot.

Micah: So, what brings you to Beast Island?

Adora: We came here looking for our friend, Princess Entrapta. Any chance you’ve seen her? She’s got purple hair and really likes robots- like really, really likes robots.

Micah: Yeah, I know her. She stole my rations. Only the tiny ones for some reason.

Adora: That’s great! I mean, not the food part, but the other part! She’s okay, or she was not long ago.

Swift Wind: Did you see which way she went?

Micah: Why yes- is that horse talking?

Swift Wind: I can hear you. I am Swift Wind, and I ev-

Micah: It has wings!

Swift Wind: Well, this is definitely Glimmer’s dad.

Micah: Like I said, it’s been a little while since I’ve talked to people, or horses. Because horses talk now and that’s normal.

Adora: You were saying something about Entrapta. Do you know where she is?

Micah: Yes. Your friend headed straight for the center of the island before I could stop her.

Bow: Sounds like Entrapta. Could you point us in the direction-

Micah: You can’t go there! You’d never come back. It’s where the signal is the strongest.

Swift Wind: The signal! That must be the noise I’ve been hearing. What is it?

Micah: You’ve heard it? Then we have to hurry. This place is a mass of ancient tech. Mostly degraded, but some of it still works. And something at the center of the island never stops signaling. The signal dulls your resolve, exposes your vulnerabilities, it pulls you in! Everything that stays on Beast Island long enough becomes a part of it eventually.

Bow: Why can’t Adora and I hear it?

Micah: Stay here long enough, and you will. I’ve heard it every day, for months, years…I have no sense of time here. But I fight it! Nothing will stop me from getting off this island and reuniting with my family! But enough about me, tell me news of the Rebellion and Bright Moon. And my baby girl. You know her?

Adora: Glimmer? Sure! She’s…well, she’s-

Bow: She’s our best friend. We’re the Best Friend Squad.

Micah: Sounds like my baby girl. Always in a hurry to grow up and be friends with the older kids. What about Angella? Have you seen her?

But just then, something screeches, so they move along before Adora can tell him about the actual situation in Bright Moon. Because he was captured when Glimmer was a toddler, and since he’s evidently had no contact with the outside world until maybe a month ago when Entrapta arrived, he has no idea how long it’s been.

But he agrees to take them to find Entrapta, and only asks that they help him escape, too (which was naturally what they’d planned on as soon as they met him).

Adora: I can’t believe Glimmer’s dad has been alive this whole time, and he’s so cool! A little weird, but I guess that’s to be expected after all this time alone.

Bow: Glimmer will be so happy to see her dad again. She’ll have to forgive us for going against her orders, escaping Bright Moon, and taking Mara’s ship. Not that we technically did anything wrong, or need to be forgiven. I mean, Glimmer kept us in the dark. The truth is, she hasn’t been a good friend! But have we been? Can you even have a fight with a best friend and still be best friends? And don’t get me started on Shadow Weaver…are you okay?

Adora: Yeah, it’s just…why can’t I be She-ra here? What if something on this island infected the sword? What if Glimmer is right and all I do is ruin everything? I just feel useless.

Bow: Hey! You aren’t useless. We’ll figure this out. You’re still a hero, I’m still a techmaster, Swift Wind’s still-[…] He’s still a horse, but now we’ve got cool sorcerer dad helping us!

Bow is REALLY distracted by his conflict with Glimmer – he only just noticed that Adora’s struggling, and “we’ll figure this out” isn’t really what you want to hear when you feel “useless”.

Meanwhile, Glimmer’s destroyed a lot of spiders.

Glimmer: Are you gonna send more spiders for me to destroy, or are you gonna talk to me? First Ones stole the magic of Etheria, the magic of my people! Please! Talk to me! That magic is how I stop this war, it’s how I save everyone. That magic, the magic at the Heart of Etheria, I want to use it.

Light Hope: Temporary administrator access granted to Queen Glimmer of Bright Moon. Queen Glimmer, proceed.

Because of course Light Hope relents as soon as she hears that Glimmer wants to use the Heart of Etheria (as opposed to just being mad that the First Ones stole their magic).

Swift Wind: The signal, it’s getting stronger.

Micah: We’re getting closer, don’t let it distract you. Tell me, what is she like, my Glimmer?

Bow: Stubborn. Real stubborn.

Adora: Bow! […] She’s also brave. She’s one of the bravest people I know. I just…I want to be the hero she deserves, and I don’t know if I have been.

Micah continues to talk like Glimmer’s still a little kid, but they’re interrupted by dangerous critters.

Micah: It’s the pookas.

Bow: Pookas? That sounds adorable! Let me guess. More razor-sharp scary things?

Micah: Pookas travel in packs, hunting their prey across the island, luring them in and surrounding them until it’s too late. And right now, they’re hunting us.

Then they give chase, and naturally, Bow laments that Glimmer’s not there, because it would be way easier if they could all just teleport.

Bow: We never should’ve come here without Glimmer! She could’ve teleported us out in a second. Why couldn’t she just trust us? Why couldn’t she trust me?

Micah: Glimmer’s in the field? She’s fighting? She’s too young! Angella shouldn’t have let her…Tell me the truth. Glimmer’s not a little girl anymore, is she? How long have I been gone?

Swift Wind: No no no no! Silence is always for a bad reason.

They tangle with one of the pookas, then Swift Wind bolts and the rest follow.

Adora: Swift Wind, wait!

Swift Wind: The signal. You hear too, now, don’t you? It’s so loud. I can’t think straight.

Micah: We can’t stay! The signal’s too strong! The pookas lured us right into a trap. We have to move! Bow!

Adora: Bow! Not you, too! You have to fight it!

Bow: It’s too late, isn’t it? We couldn’t fix it.

Adora: No! We can still get out of here! Micah, help him! King Micah! Don’t give in now, not after all this time. We’ll get you back to Bright Moon. Glimmer needs you to come home and help her be Queen, and-

Micah: Queen? If she’s queen, then that means…

Adora: No, no! King Micah! Bow! Swifty! Please, I can’t do this alone! I can’t…I can’t do this…Glimmer was right.

Then she has a series of flashbacks, starting with Angella, and moving to Glimmer.

Adora: “Take care of each other.” Glimmer…I won’t give up! Not on my friends, not on Etheria, not on myself.

She-ra: It wasn’t the signal that was blocking me from being She-ra. It was me! I was afraid of what Glimmer said, that all I’ve ever done was make things worse. But I promised I’d take care of her…take care of everyone, and I will.

I still think she’s kinda missing the point of Angella’s words, that they should support each other rather than Adora shouldering every burden herself…and she’s also transformed into She-ra at least once since that argument with Glimmer, but whatever, the episode’s winding down.

Anyhow, they’re preparing to fight the pookas, but then a bigger monster shows up…

Which just contains Entrapta!

Entrapta: Princesses! I saved you!

I didn’t really care for the parts on Beast Island in general – it’s just depressing, and what little character development there is feels rather forced.

Meanwhile, Glimmer finally gets to Light Hope.

Light Hope: The Crystal Castle is intended only for She-ra and her steed. You are trespassing.

Glimmer: Well, She-ra’s not here right now. She took Bow and ran off on a stupid mission, and left me– left us all behind. She’s too afraid to use the magic at the Heart of Etheria, but I’m not.

Light Hope: Perhaps entrusting She-ra with this mission was a mistake. Adora is compromised. She is not willing to do what is necessary to protect Etheria, but you are. […] Adora has made much progress, but she still has not succeeded in balancing Etheria. If the planet is not balanced, the Heart of Etheria cannot be accessed.

Glimmer: Balance the planet…what does that mean? And how do I do that?

Light Hope: There is only one piece still missing. The princesses are conduits for the Heart’s power. They must all be connected to their runestones for the Heart of Etheria to function.

Glimmer: And that will make us stronger?

Light Hope: It will give you power like you’ve never known. The final piece is a princess who has not yet accepted her destiny, a princess robbed of her power by the Horde’s meddling.

So of course, Light Hope just betrayed Adora, but it’s a bit more complicated with Glimmer. She thinks that Adora’s just worried about the planet blowing up, and since Adora didn’t mention the role She-ra was supposed play regarding the Heart of Etheria (possibly because she doesn’t know herself?), that is precisely what Glimmer’s worried about, too! She just thinks it’s worth the risk if they can defeat the Horde. Light Hope is the only one who knows the full picture at the moment, so Glimmer’s just showing a lack of trust in her friends, not specifically trying to hurt them. But now she has everything she needs to get the Heart of Etheria running…

Until next time…