Everything seems really complicated with you.

This episode is pretty low-key, mostly concerned with Glimmer reintegrating into the team, but also with a little world building.

Adora: So, let me make sure I get this right. Catra saved you from Horde Prime? Like, Catra Catra? Why would she do that? It doesn’t make any sense.

Glimmer: She said she wanted to do one good thing in her life. She said she was doing it for you. There’s so much I want to say, to both of you! About what happened on Etheria, about what I said, what I did. What I mean is, I’m really, really-

Then the ship lurches, ruining the moment, and Bow heads off to investigate.

Glimmer: Adora, I’m so sorry for everything I said! You were right about everything. I should’ve just listened to you, I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again, and now I-

Adora: Hey, hey! It’s okay. We’re here now, and nothing’s gonna pull us apart again. I really missed you, too.

She makes up with Adora easily enough, but Bow’s been awfully cold to her since the rescue.

And then they discover the problem with the ship: They’re out of fuel!

Entrapta: But not to worry! Darla’s sensors have picked up a nearby planet that has a natural supply of the exact fuel crystals we need, and I’ve set a course. So all we have to do is gently glide through a rocky debris field, the planet’s incredibly dense atmosphere, and gingerly land on a solid crystalline surface. Hang on!

Meanwhile, back on Etheria…

Scorpia: Hey buddy! […] Whatcha doing?

Swift Wind: I’m, uh, on watch patrol tonight. You know, so just protecting us from any bots Horde Prime might send.

Scorpia: Uhuh. Like you were the night before, and the night before that, basically every night since Adora left? I could take over if you want. It’s getting pretty late.

Swift Wind: Ah, no, that’s okay. Uh, I was kinda in the middle of something. […] It’s nothing. You’d laugh at me.

Scorpia: I would never. You can tell me, I’m great with secrets! Like, one time, Kyle told me he had a crush on Rogel…never mind, I didn’t say anything. Anyway, I’m a vault for secrets!

Swift Wind: I’ve had this connection to She-ra, our sacred bond, and yeah, I know She-ra’s gone, but I thought maybe I could still connect to Adora. Talk to her, fill her in on what’s been going on.

Scorpia: Oh! Tell her I say hi!

Swift Wind: That’s the problem! I haven’t been able to feel her. I’ve been picking a bright spot in the sky every night, hoping it might be Mara’s ship, and sending a daily report, but…

Scorpia: I bet you just haven’t picked the right one!

This is, naturally, just a set-up for one of Swift Wind’s reports from the rebel base, but it’s still sweet.

Adora: This is the crystal planet, with all the crystals?

Entrapta: Correct!

Bow: So then, where are the crystals?

Entrapta: Well, Darla’s sensors say the crystals are on this planet, and Darla would never lie to me, so they’ve gotta be here, somewhere.

Glimmer: What is that? It looks like-

Bow: It’s a spire. The first wave of Horde Prime’s invasion. It’s what he’s doing to Etheria right now.

Glimmer: This planet, he destroyed it! That’s what he’s doing to Etheria? This is all my fault! Horde Prime only found us because-

Bow: Because you activated the Heart of Etheria. My tracker pad is picking up an energy signal. Entrapta’s right. Those crystals must be here somewhere.

Yeah, he’s still pretty sore about that whole debacle. Adora’s always been very forgiving (even to a fault), and having grown up with Catra, she presumably had to frequently exercise it. Bow’s used to conflicts with authority figures, but it was always he and Glimmer together, not on opposite sides.

Bow: We’re looking for these pink crystals – thulite.

Adora: Not a lot of pink here, or any colors.

Glimmer: That’s okay! We’ll find them. We’re the Best Friend Squad, and we’re great at quests! Right, Bow?

Bow: Yeah, sure. Come on.

Thulite is, of course, a real mineral, but from what I can tell, it doesn’t show up in crystal forms like they depict here. It is, however, very pink.

And with Bow basically not talking to her, Glimmer asks Adora for advice.

Glimmer: He’s still mad at me, isn’t he?

Adora: Well, Bow missed you so much, but he was really hurt by everything you…by everything that happened. I think he was so focused on finding you he never actually worked through all his stuff.

Glimmer: Well, what do I do? There has to be a way to fix it!

Adora: You’re asking me? Oh, wow! Well, Bow’s usually the friendship stuff guy, and I’m usually the punch-your-feelings-out guy, but okay! Um, ah, maybe if you try-

And just then, they’re interrupted by an earthquake!

Adora: I’m okay! And I found the crystals! Not the pink ones, though.

So Bow and Glimmer try to find a way down, while Adora sees a light within a cavern and goes to investigate.

Meanwhile, Swift Wind reports on slightly less gloomy matters (or at least in a more upbeat fashion).

Swift Wind: Adora! Hello, from Etheria, it’s me, Swift Wind! Oh man, have I got a lot to catch you up on! So, a lot of people have been looking for you because of the bounty Horde Prime put out, but don’t worry! Perfuma and Scorpia took care of them!

[…]

So then back at camp, Shadow Weaver was all like, “Perhaps we should use magic to discover Horde Prime’s true motivation.”
[Frosta] “Oh, not this again!”
[Micah] “No! Bad Shadow Weaver! Bad!”
[Shadow Weaver] “But magic, magic, magic, power, power, power, blah blah blah.”
[Mermista] “Ugh, why are you still here?”

Everyone was pretty on edge. That’s when Sea Hawk got an idea.
[Sea Hawk] “Morale boosting adventure!”
It, uh, it didn’t go well.
[Mermista] “Ugh, make it stop.”
At all. It was terrible. It was one of the worst things I’ve ever seen. Anyhow, hope space is fun! And that you’re getting these. It’s just, uh…I know the others think this is useless. I know, they try to be supportive, but I see it. So if you could just give me a sign you’re hearing this…come home soon, Adora. We need you.

Yeah, with Bow too upset to be upbeat, we needed a little comic interlude.

Then Adora meets/fights these people, the Star Siblings.

Jewelstar: Who are you? Why are you following us?

Adora: Why are you hitting me?

Jewelstar: Answer the questions!

Adora: You first! Are you with the Horde?

Jewelstar: No way!

Starla: We’re only here for the fuel. After that, we’re getting as far away from Horde Prime as possible.

Tallstar: Are you with the Horde?

Adora: No! I mean, I was, but I’m not anymore. It’s complicated, okay?

Tallstar: What’s complicated?

Jewelstar: Do you serve Horde Prime or not?

Adora: No! Do you?

Star Siblings: No!

Adora: Then we’re all on the same side! Can we please stop hitting each other now?

It’s great to finally meet some new characters!

Bow: You should be more careful now that you can’t teleport.

Glimmer: I really miss teleporting. Remember when I finally learned how to use my powers? We teleported everywhere! Bright Moon, Mystacor…

Bow: Castaspella hated it.

Glimmer: But we’d always teleport away just when she was about to catch us!

Bow: That was forever ago. A lot’s changed since then.

Glimmer: Uh- um…yeah. I guess it has.

She’s trying to get him back to acting the way he did before, but that’s only reminding him of what all’s changed (both between them and in the world around them).

Meanwhile, Adora’s getting to know these people (from left to right): Starla and her bird Glory, Jewelstar, and Tallstar. These people were also from the original series, with the most prominent difference being that they were the Star Sisters. Jewelstar is instead a trans man in this show, and the other significant change is that while Jewelstar in the old series was the youngest and Starla (presumably) the oldest, their birth order has been switched here. But they were from another planet in the original series, too (just not refugees).

Tallstar: Once we get the thulite crystals, we’re blasting off, and rations won’t be a problem. 

Adora: The pink crystals? That’s why my friends and I are here.

Jewelstar: Yeah, but they’re pretty much impossible to get to, stashed away-

Starla: in the center of this cave, that-

Tallstar: is falling apart, because of the-

Adora: Earthquakes?

Jewelstar: We’re stranded until we can get them.

Adora: We can’t be struck here, there’s no time! Horde Prime invaded Etheria. I have to stop him before he takes it.

Tallstar: If he’s on your planet, it’s already over. This place used to be a safe harbor for travelers across the galaxy. Then, Horde Prime arrived. Now we’re just scavenging the remains, same as he did to our home world. If you’re smart, you’ll run away. Far, far away, like we’re trying to do.

Adora: Well I’m not! Running away, that is. I am smart.

Oh, Adora, I love you, but you can be pretty clueless sometimes…

Adora: Look, I’m a part of a rebellion fighting the Horde. Once my friends find me and we get fuel, I’m gonna face Prime, and I’m going to stop him.

Starla: Wow, really?

Adora: Really. Why don’t you help us fight back? You’ve got the tech, and the weapons. You could do so much more than just scavenge! You could-

Tallstar: Get killed? Prime has already taken our home. Do you think we’d be on this wreck of a planet if we had a choice? Horde Prime always wins. He’s unstoppable.

Jewelstar: And you’re just one girl with a stick. What could you possibly do?

Adora: Well, I used to be- stronger. But that doesn’t matter! If everyone works together, I know we can take him down. He has to pay for what he did. And he- he has someone on his ship. Someone I…we’re stopping him. Period.

Jewelstar: If your friend is with Prime, it’s already too late.

Adora: Oh, no, Catra is not my friend, I mean, she’s- used to be, but that was a long time ago, and then, she’s tried to kill me a bunch of times since then, but then she saved Glimmer, and maybe that means there’s still good in her, and now, I don’t know, it’s- it’s complicated.

Tallstar: Everything seems really complicated with you.

Jewelstar: Whatever she is, friend or not, she’s gone. There’s no point in going back for her. No one stands up to Prime and survives. I’m sorry.

Then Bow and Glimmer catch up, followed shortly by Entrapta.

Entrapta: Hello!

Tallstar: Okay, how many of you are there?

Entrapta: Several! Adora, I came as fast as I could to warn you. Darla’s sensors indicate that this planet is apparently a hotbed of seismic activity!

Adora: Yeah, uh, we kind of learned that the hard way.

Entrapta: Well, Darla and I figured out an algorithm to predict the tremors, and we’re sorta running out of time before the really big one hits. So, are we getting the thulite now, or…

Jewelstar: Fine. We need to hurry. Let’s go. 

Thus they agree to work together in the interest of getting the fuel before it’s functionally buried for good.

Glimmer: You guys are pretty close, huh?

Tallstar: Yeah. Growing up under the threat of Horde Prime does that to you. We’ve lost a lot, but we still have each other.

Long story short, after some finagling and another earthquake, Glimmer’s the only one who could access the thulite.

Jewelstar: We need to turn back!

Bow: Jump! I’ll catch you.

Glimmer: We can’t! This is our one shot!

 Bow: It’s too dangerous!

Glimmer: Please, Bow, just trust me! Okay?

But the whole cave is starting to collapse, including the exit.

Entrapta: Slight hiccup in my calculations. The seismic activity is increasing faster than anticipated.

Tallstar: What does that mean?

Entrapta: We’re out of time! They need to come back now, before this whole place breaks apart!

And this is just when Glimmer reaches the thulite…

Entrapta: There’s no time!

Tallstar: I can’t hold it anymore.

Adora: No! Hang on. […] My friends are on the other side. I am not going anywhere! I’m not leaving anyone behind!

Because she only broke the thing that controlled She-ra, not She-ra herself.

Tallstar: Was that magic?

Entrapta: She-ra. I think that was She-ra!

But the cave is still collapsing, and Bow and Glimmer have a lot of ground to cover yet.

Bow: Ready to do something that probably won’t work?

Glimmer: Always.

And thus they manage to escape with the thulite just in the nick of time.

Jewelstar: Thank you for helping us get the fuel. You Etherians are so reckless-

Starla: Stubborn-

Tallstar: And brave. Magic hasn’t been seen in the universe in centuries. But what I saw you do…you might actually be able to take on Prime. And we want in.

Jewelstar: We’ve spent our whole lives running away, but not anymore.

Starla: We’re going to fight Prime, and take back our home.

Adora: Then welcome to the Rebellion.

It was fun seeing some new characters (and a new setting), but of course, we have to get back to the plot…and Glimmer finally gets a chance to actually TALK to Bow!

Glimmer: Look, I know you’re still mad at me. Maybe you’ll be mad at me for a really long time! I deserve it! And maybe- maybe we’ll never be friends like we used to be. But I’m not going to stop trying to make it better. I made a mistake with the Heart of Etheria. I should’ve listened to you, and I’m sorry! You get to be mad for as long as you need to be. But I’m not going anywhere. And when you’re ready, I’ll be here.

Bow: Okay.

these two

Glimmer: Adora, are you okay?

Adora: Yeah, I just…look, I know this is going to sound crazy, and dangerous, and I know Catra was our enemy, and she’s done a lot of bad things, and hurt a lot of people, but-

Glimmer: You wanna go back for her.

Adora: I can’t just leave her there. I have to try.

Glimmer: Catra sacrificed herself to save me. Whatever you need to do, I’m with you.

Bow: Then let’s do this, Best Friend Squad style.

Naturally, Bow doesn’t have much to contribute to this conversation, because he still mostly considers Catra an enemy, but he always supports his friends in their endeavors, no matter how crazy they seem to him.

Meanwhile, back on Etheria…

Scorpia: What is it? What’s going on?

Swift Wind: I felt her! She-ra is back!

Next time: Save the Cat!