This is not my destiny!

Just a quick aside: A lot of stuff happens in this episode, and hence, there will be many images.

Adora: Stay here, King Micah. The Sorcerer’s Guild is on their way to help protect Bright Moon. I promise, Your Majesty, we’ll bring Glimmer home to you. Swift Wind, take Bow and Entrapta to the Fright Zone. Find Glimmer. We can still stop this.

Bow: What are you going to do?

Adora: I’m going to the Crystal Castle. I have to keep Light Hope from activating the Heart of Etheria.

Meanwhile, Glimmer and Scorpia are caught almost immediately, but fortunately, it’s just Lonnie’s squad, who are pretty fed up with the Horde by now.

Lonnie: Scorpia, we thought you got out! If Catra sees you-

Scorpia: She can’t. I know how this looks, but I promise, I’m here to help.

Lonnie: We’re done protecting Catra. We’re done with this whole place. But you’re one of us, Scorpia. We won’t stand in your way.

Glimmer: I’d get out of here if I were you.

Lonnie: That’s the plan. But hey, take care of her.

Scorpia: Should be easy from here. Seems like a pretty slow day in the Fright Zone.

This isn’t quite the last we see of these three, but I’m pretty sure it’s the last we hear from them. They played their roles well, and I wish them the best.

Of course, Glimmer expected it to be this quiet, considering that the Fright Zone’s pretty much empty except for these two.

Catra: Hordak, whatever you’re doing-

Hordak: I know about Entrapta.

Catra: Entrapta was a traitor. What else is there to know?

Hordak: I trusted you. Your days were numbered the moment you crossed me! And after I’m through, you can’t even begin to imagine the punishments Horde Prime will inflict upon you!

Catra: Oh, because he’s gonna swoop down and fix everything for you at any moment, right? You’re lying to yourself now. Why would Horde Prime care about you? You’re a defect, a mistake! Haven’t you noticed? I’m running things here!

So evidently, it’s not just Adora that Catra picks up on insecurities she shouldn’t be privy to…or maybe it’s just more convenient that way.

Then she breaks his arm-gun.

Catra: Now we can finally end this. I didn’t need Entrapta, I didn’t need Adora or Scorpia, and I don’t need you!

And finally, she rips out the chip from his suit again, and leaves him to be crushed (but not killed) by a piece of machinery that he blasted loose.

And these two finally come to the Black Garnet Chamber (or at least what’s left of it – Hordak blew up a lot of rooms during his rampage).

Scorpia: Hey there. Princess Scorpia? We’re supposed to, like, connect? I’m no princess. Not really.

Glimmer: Hey, we’re in this together. You’re one of us, and we believe in you.

Scorpia: Woah. It’s like-

Glimmer: Connection.

Then, with the planet balanced, Light Hope is very happy (in her way), Adora is anxious, and the rest of the princesses are just enjoying some immense power.

But Double Trouble’s still around, and I guess they just want to teach Catra a lesson.

Adora!DT: Hey Catra.

Catra: No. You can’t do this. You can’t come in and take this from me now!

Adora!DT: Woah! I knew this would get a rise out of you, but still. You really are obsessed, aren’t you, Kitten?

Double Trouble: You know, it took me a while, but I finally figured out your character.

Catra!DT: You try so hard to play the big bad villain, but your heart’s never been in it, has it?

Catra: What- what are you- stop. Stop it!

Catra!DT: People have hurt you, haven’t they?

Shadow Weaver!DT: They didn’t believe in you.

Hordak!DT: They didn’t trust you.

Adora!DT: Didn’t need you, left you.

Double Trouble: But did you ever stop to think, maybe they’re not the problem?

Scorpia!DT: It’s you. You drive them away, Wildcat.

I mean, they’re doing the same thing that Catra just did in the last scene (knowing stuff they shouldn’t technically be able to know), but it’s just so good I can ignore it.

Catra: Why are you doing this?

Double Trouble: It’s for your own good, darling. We both know this was never what you really wanted. But it was also a good distraction. Your army was ambushed on their way to a “defenseless” Bright Moon. Your face right now is almost better than applause. Almost.

Catra: You…betrayed me.

Double Trouble: It’s not personal, darling. You knew how this worked. The best way to survive is always choose the winning side. The rebels have some kind of ancient superweapon. Any minute now they’re going to use it. And when they do, everything you’ve worked for will be destroyed. I’d really better be going before that happens! And scene.

Catra’s basically at rock bottom, and she’s left with no one to blame but herself. But as I’ve discovered myself, the good thing about rock bottom is that the only way left to go is up. Double Trouble kindly nudged her in the right direction by asking her to interrogate both her motives and her goals.

Meanwhile, Scorpia’s got lightning powers now (and most appropriately, an electric guitar theme)! And she proceeds to defeat all the remaining soldiers and bots with ease.

Scorpia: Wow! Oh, sorry! Boy, that sure has a kick, doesn’t it?

Glimmer: You’re amazing!

Scorpia: Thank you! It’s terrifying! And fun? It’s terri-fun-fying!

Glimmer: Go help the other princesses finish the fight. I’m gonna find Hordak and Catra.

Scorpia: Catra! I know she’s done a lot of bad things, but…don’t hurt her.

Glimmer: We’re the good guys, remember?

And Adora’s finally arrived to confront Light Hope.

She-ra: Light Hope! Please, don’t do this.

Light Hope: Good. You are here. Now we can begin. After a thousand years, my programming will be fulfilled. The Heart of Etheria will be unleashed against the First Ones’ enemies.

She-ra: No, there are no First Ones anymore! Whatever war they were fighting, it’s long over!

Light Hope: The First Ones will rise again. You are a descendent of their mighty empire. That is why I used all my strength to reach across the entire universe to find you, and bring you here.

She-ra: You told me Hordak was the one that brought me through the portal. You told me he stole me. But it was you all along! All of this is because of you!

Light Hope: This is your intended function. You will bring the First Ones to glory. It is what you were born to do.

She-ra: No, no! I won’t!

Light Hope: The Heart of Etheria has been activated. You will be the one to fire it. There is no stopping it now.

Light Hope must have been involved somehow in opening Hordak’s portal when he found Adora, and I’m guessing she was similarly involved in bringing Hordak to Etheria in the first place – maybe it was an early attempt to summon a First One.

Meanwhile, Glimmer discovers the aftermath of…well, everything with Catra.

Glimmer: Guess you wanted all my attention for yourself. Your troops are gone. You’re all alone. You’ve lost!

Catra: What are you waiting for? Do it. Looks like we’re both alone, Sparkles.

To be fair, that’s all Glimmer needs to realize what she’s done. But it’s already too late.

And the same thing happens to all the other princesses…

So we return to She-ra.

She-ra: It won’t work! Mara hid us in Despondos so you couldn’t hurt anyone else!

Light Hope: Mara– Mara’s interference caused a significant delay, but no longer. With the planet balanced, portal capability is restored. Initiate planetary move out of the dimension of Despondos.

Then we finally check in with Swift Wind, Bow, and Entrapta, and Swifty’s been grounded, evidently due to some sort of resonance with Adora’s pain.

Bow: Entrapta, what’s happening?

Entrapta: It’s a portal! A big portal. With the planet balanced, the portal capabilities must be back online. We’re getting pulled through!

Bow: Through to where?

Entrapta: It’s…

Bow: Stars.

Entrapta: We’re not in Despondos anymore. We’re in the wider universe!

Bow: I need to find Glimmer!

And speaking of Glimmer…

Glimmer: Adora was right. Light Hope used me! She activated the heart.

Catra: So? I thought you wanted to win. Use your weapon.

Glimmer: I can’t! It would destroy everything! I have to try and stop it.

And the way she tries to stop it is attacking the Black Garnet. I’d say it’s kind of low to just try to destroy someone else’s runestone, but considering how worn out she clearly is, I’ll give her a pass.

I mean, Light Hope was telling the truth when she said that balancing the planet would supercharge the princesses, she just failed to mention that it only lasted as long as it took to prime the Heart of Etheria…

She-ra: Look at all these stars, these worlds! They will all be destroyed. Mara sacrificed her life to stop this from happening.

Light Hope: Mara. Mara would not want me to- Mara was a traitor. She turned against her people.

She-ra: Mara was your friend! She knew you were more than just a program, and so do I! You can stop this!

Light Hope: I am not as strong as Mara. I cannot change my programming. This is our destiny.

She-ra: No! This is not my destiny!

Light Hope: You will comply.

poor scorpia. She just found her people, and now the world is literally falling apart around them.

Light Hope: It is time.

She-ra: I won’t be controlled. I am not a piece of their machine. I am not a weapon. And I am going to end this now!

Light Hope: No, stop! Don’t! Do it. Do it! Don’t- don’t…do it.

So she breaks the thing that’s controlling her: The sword.

Light Hope: Adora, thank you.

So she did manage to defy her programming in the end, after all.

this show. making me sad over a computer program.

But Glimmer’s still in the middle of the Fright Zone, and even an injured Hordak is not to be taken lightly. Bow finally catches up to her and saves her…

But he can’t get to her before Horde Prime abducts her. And the rest of his fleet arrives.

Glimmer’s dazed, but immediately realizes she can’t use her magic.

Horde Prime: Is that you, Little Brother? I thought you had perished.

Hordak: I was pulled into a shadow dimension. All this time I have been trying to return to your side, but it has not been in vain. I have built an empire in your name.

Horde Prime: I received your transmission, but I could not determine its source, until I detected an energy reading like nothing I have ever seen before. And when I arrived, this curious planet had appeared.

Hordak: I conquered this world, for you! To show you that I am worthy, so that I may retake my place at your side! I have bent its people to my will!

Horde Prime: To your will?

Horde Prime: Why can I not see your thoughts? I see now. You have given yourself a name. You tried to create an empire of your own. There was even a time you wished I would not come for you. Is that so?

Hordak: No, brother! I did it, all of it, for you!

Horde Prime: You have forgotten who you are! You truly think you are worthy to stand beside me, could be equal to me? I made you in my image! But you have become an abomination, and so you must be reborn! Take him to be reconditioned.

and he just incapacitates hordak like that

Horde Prime: But I have been rude. We have a guest. Royalty, unless I am mistaken. I apologize for my little brother. His actions are an embarrassment. I desire only peace and order.

Glimmer: Then, you’ll leave us alone?

Horde Prime: Oh, no, child. I cannot let word spread of my brother’s botched conquest. For order to thrive, this whole mess must be wiped away, beginning with you.

And this is Glimmer’s rock bottom. She knows that Horde Prime never would have discovered Etheria if she hadn’t balanced the planet…but her rescue comes from a surprising source.

Catra: I wouldn’t do that if I were you. You don’t want to destroy Etheria. The whole planet is some kind of ancient superweapon, a really, really big one. Sparkles here is a part of it. And if you want to learn how to use it, you need me.

Horde Prime: A weapon. That explains these readings. They are stronger than anything I’ve seen. Your Majesty, what an honor to host a guest of your stature. Trust that your planet will become the jewel of my empire, and it will allow me to bring peace and order to the farthest reaches of the universe. Thank you for your allegiance, child. All creatures, no matter how small, have a place in service of Horde Prime.

because catra hasn’t survived this long for nothing

Bow: Adora! They took her. They took Glimmer!

Adora: She-ra’s gone. The sword is broken.

Bow: So what are we gonna do?

Adora: We’re going to get Glimmer back, and we’re going to save the universe.

told you it was a lot

Until next time…