@@luuuuux_ You don’t know everybody or their true intentions. You just don’t know who’s gonna hurt you. And besides, after so many wrongdoings, how can you expect people to be nice to you? It’s easier to just walk away.
This is why i loved the show so much and i was so disappointed when one of my friends said she thought it was ruined when they all forgave catra so quickly. Catra was my favorite character from the start and that continued throughout the show as she became more relatable
technically there was supposed to be a season 6 but either dreamworks or netflix wanted to cut it so the crew-ra did their best to wrap up everything into the concise, eventful, emotional season 5. either way i'm glad that catra became more open with her emotions, apologized to everyone, and tried to help the rebellion in every way possible. that scene where catra tried to reassure netossa since she chipped before was a nice touch
@@twentyonetortas5921 Wait, when was there a planned S6? I thought the deal was just 52 eps and that's it. (please give us a special tho, i need content)
@@thesovietonionn1343 it's been ages ago but i remember that there was a post showing the episode patterns of each season (including future ones remember this was 2019 then) where it would go like S4 would have 13 episodes, S5 would have 6 episodes, and S6 would have 7 episodes y'know something like that
@@twentyonetortas5921 I guess it was just a prediction about slicing the show into more Half-seasons like before to split release dates, I think I prefer the 13 ep fifth season any day
@@icecremii_ღ because they were on opposite sides of the war. Shadow weaver also forced Catra to drag her back to the fright zone in the beginning of the series and threatened to punish her if she didn’t do it. Plus Adora tried to kill Catra too. Y’all act like Adora is a defenseless baby. She literally is a being of powerful magic.
@@icecremii_ღ I'm guessing you're taking about the Promise episode. Catra knew Adora would survive. The next time they meet face to face, Adora is like "surprised to see me?" And Catra says something along the lines of "I knew you wouldn't go down so easily." Adora and Catra NEVER go all out when fighting each other, even when on opposite sides of the war.
@@maymunnie44 EXACTLY! It was a war. Everyone from one side tried to badly hurt/kill the ones from the other side. They were defending their lands from colonizers, but Adora and The Rebellion aren't innocent, defenseless little angels. They too were out for blood. And did some morally ambiguous things.
Catra is so much more than just some toxic monster. There's a reason why an overwhelming number of abuse victims in the fandom identify with her despite her actions and behavior.
I've just saw some some people judging catra on what she did. And this is what I've been trying to say she's so much more than what she did. Even below all the hurt she caused she's a good person
i know i'm going to get attacked for this but.... being a victim of abuse doesn't excuse all the bad things you've done. no matter how hurt she is, she still did a lot of fucked up things and thats not okay. we should sympathize with her, yes but, we shouldn't justify her actions.
Yay finally someone mentions a bit of Scorpia's part of the relationship's toxicity. Lack of respect of physical boundaries is one that always really bugs me regardless of intent. Violating those boundaries is self satisfaction, not altruism.
George M again, to be clear: catra’s behavior? 100% wrong. but relationships are two way things, and mixing someone with self hate and a short fuse with another person’s lack of boundaries? bad combo. for all catra’s toxicity, she does give clear verbal and nonverbal cues that she does not want to be touched, and scorpia does it over, and over. it’s just bad time central
Yes. It irks me how many people condemn Catra as the only one at fault because she's messed up but don't see Scopria's (or Adora's) part in the toxicity just because Scorpia is bubbly. Between harassing Catra and constantly disrespecting Catra's clearly stated boundaries ... Ugh ... That was not okay and should have been addressed instead of using Catra's, understandable, bad answers to that to make her appear more villainous. As someone who has been stalked and harassed and who doesn't like to be touched this is a sore point. I was also very disappointed by Scorpia's total lack of an actual redemption arc but this is another topic...
@@shinybearevidra Agreed. I used to think I didn't like Scorpia. But I realized my issues are more with how she was framed as "an innocent angel whose love was un appreciated by evil Catra" when, in fact, not only Catra didn't own to Scorpia to reciprocate her affections but Scorpia herself had a lot of flaws that never were acknowledged and explored.
i honestly love how realistic catra is. trauma isn't pretty. more often than not, it causes people to lash out at others, be irritable or angry, and to subconsciously keep hurting themselves (be it physically or mentally/emotionally) because, like you said, it's familiar. i know i personally have the worst habit of pushing people away when i'm scared they'll leave, because it'll hurt less if i convince myself it's a choice i personally picked, that i have control over it. it also took me a really really long time to accept affection and love, not because i didn't want it, but simply because i didn't know how to react to it and felt undeserving of it. honestly, hurting others before they can hurt you is an extremely common response from people with ptsd and other similar issues. which is why i never understood people who hate catra for being "too harsh" or "mean" or "taking too long to become better". the longer the trauma has been happening, and the more impactful it has been to someone's life, the longer it'll take that person to heal. because of that, catra's journey was extremely realistic and made her seem very human. she'd get better, and then fuck up again, sometimes relapsing entirely before trying again. and that's how healing *is*. sometimes you're good for a very long time and then you'll suddenly start going back to your worst habits for a while. healing isn't linear. i think too many people mistake "forgiving" with "excusing every single bad thing someone did". everyone forgiving catra at the end doesn't mean they're ignoring all the bad stuff she did, or forgetting about it. it simply means that they're saying "you've been hurt, and have hurt others, but it doesn't mean that you're undeserving of kindness, patience, safety and love".
Our minds fear what we can't understand. While I hate the person, Lovecraft's works show this greatly. Many of his books are based on the things he feared. His well-known creation, Cthulhu, was made because of his fear of the deep.
You have explained this so clearly. Thank you for that. I'll be honest, Catra really helps me thinking and healing. I'm an adult now, I wish I had a show like that when I was a teen. But better late than never :) Healing takes time, and the reassuring patterns are a seductive trap, indeed. Also, thank you for explaining the difference between 'forgiving' and excusing every single bad thing someone did'. I could not have said it better ♪
**realizing that the reason why I relate to Catra is because of shared trauma, albeit not nearly as severe on terms of physical abuse, and not because she’s cool, lesbian, punk cat**
I had never realized all those Catra - Glimmer parallels like the scene of Glimmer at the Princess Ball and Catra when saying "you were supposed to be my friend", that was a frickin exceptional analysis that shocked me so hard I had to stop my girlfriend from studying to show her that part of your vid!! ❤️
This is something a lot of people need to see, not just for the understanding of the character, but for their own betterment. A lot of people criticize Catra's character because she's 'abusive' and whatnot. But think they fail to realize that abuse is cyclical. We need love, kindness, and forgiveness in order to break the cycle.
This -- it's a very one-sided analysis of her character to talk about the ways she hurt people while ignoring the ways in which she was hurt. The latter inevitably and profoundly feeds into the former.
People who say the final season sucked because Adora got together with Catra despite Catra’s toxic tendencies keep ignoring Adora’s agency in the relationship, and her active desire to help Catra find herself. Wanting to help someone trying to escape their toxic cycle of behaviors isn’t unhealthy so long as you care about yourself as well. And Catra arguably helped Adora care about herself throughout the entire last season, rather than allowing her to fall victim to Shadoweaver’s manipulation and needlessly sacrifice herself.
Adora absolutely needed Catra's growth to cap off her own arc. They played directly in to each-other and while theae characters behaved on extremes that probably wouldn't work out in real life... This is fantasy. It is built of extremes that illustrate other things. They aren't real. They embody real things. And this was a story of healing for both of them.
@@ErynnSchwellinger i believe that's why a lot of people dislike it. A lot of blogs that dislike it that i see are worried that kids or just youth all together will try to mirror them irl without realizing it wont work out that way unless the 'catra' of that hypothetical really does want to improve. Personally, i have really conflicted feelings on the ship because of the memories it stirred up for me watching it but i do enjoy it Sorry if i misunderstood your comment-
@@forestissleepy I mean that their arcs directly impact eachother the whole time and they need eachother to compelte them. Catra going through darkness and anger and Adora going through people pleasing and selflessness. Neither is healthy. One more harmful than the other. And it shows us that. Which is lovely.
This is why it annoys me when people say Catra is just Kylo Ren. Catra is what Kylo Ren is supposed to be but isn't because the writing doesn't have a fraction of the care and consideration
True. That and, I refuse to believe Luke "I forgave Darth Vader who cut off my hand and threatened to torture my sister" Skywalker would try to kill his own nephew over "Scary Thoughts."
@@randomcenturion7264 dude Luke is a skywalker with anger issues just less nuts than anakin because he didn't have sucha fucked up childhood. He almost killed Vader in the last battle out of rage when he mentioned Leia, but he stoped. He did the same with ben. But ben's memory it's more truamatic cause he was a fucking child. Also,The last jedi Kylo ren is legit. TROS kylo ren is pure bullshit, i hate that movie
And I'm crying again, lol. Honestly, Catra is one of my favorite fictional characters ever, and I kind of hate how much I relate to her. I don't think I'll ever be able to truly put into words just how much her happy ending meant to me. More than any other character in the show, more than any character in any other show, I needed her to have a happy ending. She-Ra really gave me hope that even the most dysfunctional of us can still turn things around, even if we feel like it's too late.
i cried and now i feel alone for no reason. i don't have such a severe trama as catra does, but i do have it and it is awful. We are not alone we have ppl who share experience with us and there are ppl willing to let us into their lifes if we are willing to let them into ours. We can and with hard work we will get better. It just takes time and effort
I think the world Catra created after pulling the lever says a lot about her. It’s easily the worst thing she did in the entire show, almost dooming the world to destruction, yet the result was that she tried to make everyone happy, not even just herself. Adora was force captain over her, the Horde was thriving, Shadow Weaver was still in charge (albeit kinder), and yet somehow the people outside the Fright Zone were happy and contented, completely oblivious to their existence. Maybe that was only because the Horde has ceased to exist by the time Adora went to find them, swallowed up by a hole in reality, but it felt like it was by design. As much as Catra wanted the Rebels out of her life, she didn’t want them to suffer. I thought that was very interesting.
It's never too late. You can always turn things around. There are some bridges you won't be able to mend, and some people who won't be able to forgive you. But you can still be better, you can always start anew with new people, remember the people you hurt, and not repeat those survival behaviors. I'm old, I've been there, I've lived through this. Maybe why I'm an old man watching a kid's show and getting all watery-eyed. You can do better, you can be better. I know I'm a stranger on the internet, but I also know this was what I needed to hear at my lowest moments. Good luck, and I wish you all the best.
Yeah, Scorpia is a person were the simplest of line's hit HARD. Like the time she said to Carta, 'your a bad friend.' simply, no anger, no frustration, only straight hard facts, it's a quality I quit like about her..😋
Catradora haters: _"Their relationship is toxic and is an insult to people in abusive relationships"_ Actual abusive victims: _"She-Ra helped me to understand myself and heal so much. Inject this show into my veins, actually."_
@@K75-d5n That wasn't my intention, but there's a lot of concern trolling that's been going around in addition to people not getting the whole picture. If you still disapprove of it otherwise, then that's valid too.
This show makes me cry more than anything I've ever watched. My mom abandoned me. Told me i was an abomination when she found out i was bi. No matter what she did i always blindly tried to win her love. This show was a godsend as i related to catra on a core level
Both Adora’s and Catra’s relationship with Shadow Weaver reminds me a lot of my own relationship with my dad and it was really cathartic to see their character arcs play out.
I see at lot of people compare Catra's arc to Zuko's arc and say that Zuko's was better, but their arcs are structured differently and shouldn't be compared so much. For one, while Catra is a villain for longer, she is shown as sympathetic right from the start. Even as she gets deeper and deeper into her hurtful actions, you can always trace the reasoning back and tell why she's doing this. With Zuko, he started out as a cartoonishly angry villain that we gradually got more sympathetic looks into. Catra starts out as Adora's friend and transitions into an enemy, whereas with Zuko, the audience only knows him as an enemy to begin with. Catra also has a preexisting bond with Adora that Zuko did not have with any of the Gaang. I think this is what people most overlook when they say Catra was forgiven too easily. Adora and Catra fell back into their old ways of being friends easily because despite everything, they really missed each other, whereas Zuko had to work to earn the other's trust because he didn't know them. Even then, Catra had to earn Glimmer's trust on the spaceship. I think from Glimmer's end, with her realizing how much she herself had messed up, let her empathize with Catra and while she called her out, she didn't judge her as harshly as she could've. I know some people didn't want everyone to forgive her because that's not how real life works, especially when it came to Scorpia. I agree with this sentiment but at the same time Scorpia and Entrapta are not characters who hold grudges easily. I get the reluctance towards especially Scorpia and Catra, but at least the show does portray that Catra's truly remorseful and is going to work to make it up to her. Overall, I think discussions of redemption in media get muddled by whether the character "deserves" it or whether they should be forgiven or not. I feel like we should place less focus on these aspects and more on why these characters want to be redeemed. Why do they want to become better people? That's what's most interesting to me.
Yes!!!! Thank you for pointing out how different Zuko and Catra's arcs are! I feel like whenever people see a redemption arc for a villain, they immediately compare it to the way ATLA handled Zuko and his relationship with the main cast. Catra feels like a completely different take on redemption: a fallen out friendship, as opposed to a bullies-to-friends narrative.
18:20 So much this! People don't seem to acknowledge that the confession being free of expectation is *why* Catra was able get through to Adora when no one else could. Adora is stunned and in disbelief at Catra's plea. She believes Catra has no reason to love her because she knows Catra has nothing to gain from it. It's unconditional. Why does that matter though? Beginning in season 3 after Shadow Weaver joins the Rebellion, Adora, for the first time, is able to see her for who she truly is which is a stark contrast to the reverence she had for her in the premiere when she went as far as to criticize Catra for not being respectful towards SW despite knowing how poorly she was treated. In season 4, Adora sees how Shadow Weaver negatively affected Glimmer and shoots Shadow Weaver a look when Scorpia tells her that SW leaving the fright zone "did a number" on Catra. In season 5's "Failsafe", with this new clarity, Adora's mortified seeing Catra and Shadow Weaver's relationship firsthand in a new light. We see Adora constantly reassuring Catra and actively changing her speech patterns around her to comfort her while rejecting Shadow Weaver's adoration. For the first time, it seems like Adora truly understands why Catra is the way that she is, and she acknowledges where Catra's developed resentment of her stemmed from. In season 5, we see Adora truly trying to make good on their promise. This of course, only covers Catra's relationship with Adora and not Adora's arc of learning to accept love. Over the course of the show, Adora's unhealthy hero complex is constantly rewarded and is "positively" reinforced by those she helps. The repercussions of this pathology come to a head in season 4 where Adora only concerns herself with being the hero Glimmer needs her to be even going so far as to seek out the heart of Ehtheria if it meant not being a failure, and again in season 5 when she's distressed, confused, scared, and more than willing to throw her life away if it meant saving the world and those she cares about. The scars of Adora's trauma are subtle and are slowly peeled back rather than hitting the viewer in the face like a truck in Catra's case (bravo btw for having the protagonist progressively unravel this way over the course of the show, we don't see these kinds of hero subversions often in animation) While Adora's friendship and love for Bow and Glimmer is real, it was only after she proved her worth to the Rebellion that she was wholy accepted, humbly kneeling at the throne of the queen. In her mind, those connections, as real as they were, were something that had to be earned. In her mind, It was conditional. Adora felt she was swapping one predetermined destiny out for another which is why she's so lost after she breaks the sword. She can no longer use She-Ra as a crutch and has to ask herself for the first time in her life what she truly wants. Only after saving _Catra_ does that clarity allow her to awaken She-Ra's true form for the first time. Catra asking Adora "what she truly wants" in Failsafe expresses Catra's understanding of Adora's mindset that no one else around her even comes close to empathizing with. Deep down, despite everything, no one knows them better that each other. It's just like you said in your previous video, it was only after all else is stripped away, the embodiment of their past gone, and with only each other and the end of the world in their grasp, are they finally able to say it.
People seem to forget that Catra's journey from horde cadet to horde leader was by no means a natural progression. In season 1 before Promise, Catra was more than content with Adora escaping the horde (as painful as it was for her) and only tried to bring Adora back after Shadow Weaver threatened her. Even then, she allowed Adrora to escape the fright zone and said that she "didn't want her to come back" when asked about why she did it. From promise onward, everytime Catra descends further, her actions can be directly traced back to a previous traumatic experience - Shadow Weaver manipulating and leaving her, Hordak sending her to die, SW joining the Rebellion and almost devouring Catra which is something that isn't talked about nearly enough imo, etc. Seeing her snap the way she did was as painful as it was inevitable.
I like the way you put it. It makes you see that really Catra, even though she was hurt by Adora's leaving, knew it was the best thing for her and that on the other hand, staying in the horde was her own decision. While it is true that she liked to "bother" Adora in her encounters, she really started to build a more independent life by staying in the horde. But unfortunately she had to suffer the following traumatic experiences that pushed her to keep wandering until the end. This means that none of the subsequent events really had anything relate with Adora, and that's also why it was right for the series that season 4 they had almost no interaction (because they were really each going their own way without relying on each other's actions). It has been fortunate that finally these two lost souls met again to realize that they did care about each other. If it wasn't the intentions of the writers to bring them together, I'm sure the normal course of their lives would never see each other again, because they wouldn't have this need anymore.
@@rukiaxai I don't really see it that way. Catra and Adora are always in each other's orbit in one way or another. First I view Catra's season 1 glimmers of 'good guy' towards Adora as largely being a nod towards their previous relationship, respecting Adora's autonomy some and not wanting fight her that much. Later as Catra's punished pretty severely for the fallout either directly of letting Adora go or similar sentiments that see SW given enough rope to hang Catra with she progressively quashes her feelings of respecting Adora with way more bitterness and anger. The ultimate culmination being her drive to pull the portal lever just to satisfy her need for revenge. That revenge was directed at Adora though and I don't think there was any way they'd just drift apart until Catra was able to develop a secure stable relationship ( not romantic just, someone to count on ) because my read is that a fair bit of Catra's angst towards Adora is taking away her last secure stable relationship. A more balanced Catra might have been able to do that and drift apart but for a plethora of external and internal reasons that wasn't likely to happen.
Exactly. One person forgiving someone doesn't mean it's "teaching kids to forgive their abusers." It's one example, and Adora calls Catra out on her stuff while Catra stops herself and apologizes.
20:11 "there's a difference between the calculated repeated offenses of an adult and the dysregulated self-defense behaviors of a traumatized teenager." that's my favorite line, it means so much to me.
i love that they pushed her past what was “the point of no return”, and then begun her redemption arc. they could have easily started it in s1 when catra had the opportunity to save adora during promise, and then again in s3 when catra had the opportunity to help adora fix everything in the portal, but instead they pushed her so far that even people who love her character begun to wonder if she would actually get her redemption arc, and then brought her back. it accents the fact that it’s never too late to make a change, and i love it.
This is one of the main reasons I love She Ra. It's a sad but true depiction of child abuse, something I unfortunately am very familiar with. It also accurately shows the after math of that abuse. Thank you this video was very encouraging.
Your analysis is fantastic. As a survivor of emotional abuse, everything you say here resonates very powerfully. This show has taught me so much about myself and the world and it’s honestly too good for us mortals. Thank you for your videos and for giving me the words and confidence to talk about my own experiences with abuse.
@@5x5Takes When you make people cry with how excellent your videos are you better believe they’ll share! Thank you again for these analyses - they’ve meant so much to me. 💚
17:16 *”because it’s easier to expect hate than to accept love that could be taken away”* 19:42 *”to forgive is an act of compassion. It’s not done because people deserve it, it’s done because they need it”* Those really hit hard 😭
The effects of Emotional abuse are very often laughed off, and the behavior of those of us working through our trauma disregarded, rather than treated as part of a cycle we can still break. We are not evil. We are Hurting. we are reacting to a distorted view of others intentions. Give us a little time, help, kindness. a drop of understanding might save our lives.
As someone with Borderline Personality Disorder, I related to Catra on so many deep, intimate levels that was spooky to find in a children's show, and it meant a lot that she was able to be redeemed and ///find love/// in the end. Honestly, Catra is a *textbook* case of Borderline Personality Disorder, and a lot of the things that you directly point out are part of the diagnosis and notable symptoms. While there is a genetic disposition for BPD and mental illness in general, BPD at the moment is believed to be majorly impacted by one's environment, particularly as a young child. Catra's story is a tragically accurate depiction of the devolution of emotions, decisions, outbursts, and self-torment in people with BPD, but the show writers also showed us that we don't have to be defeated by the worst of ourselves, we can heal, we can change, and we can be forgiven for our mistakes. I doubt the show runners were specifically looking to depict BPD, but they hit all the notes anyway, and I hope any young viewers who may hear those words later in life can revisit Catra's story and know that they'll be okay, too.
I doubt it was coincidental. Literally every symptom of bpd can be attributed to Catra. *Behavioral:* antisocial behavior, compulsive behavior, hostility, impulsivity, irritability, risk taking behaviors, self-destructive behavior, self-harm, social isolation, or lack of restraint *Mood:* anger, anxiety, general discontent, guilt, loneliness, mood swings, or sadness *Psychological:* depression, distorted self-image, grandiosity, or narcissism *Also common:* thoughts of suicide
@@pawsgatekeeper3821 Abandonment in childhood or adolescence Disrupted family life Poor communication in the family Sexual, physical, or emotional abuse Yup
I'm happy they gave us all the signs, little and big. It can be a bit more subtle than you think it would be. Especially emotional abuse from friends, family, and others.
Okay... okay.... I just finished the series (finally). Catra’s arc was everything I wanted. Everything from her constant self loathing and her utter confusion at the very idea of her former enemies not only forgiving her but including her, and her recognizing her faults and apologizing to the people she hurt was all so natural and sincere. She is right up there with Zuko and Faith for redemption arcs done well.
I honestly hate that I've seen people say, "Catra was forgiven too easily." Number one, that was Adora's, Entrapta's, and everyone else she hurt's decision, not yours. Number two, Zuko's redemption arc is not the only way to go about a redemption arc. Zuko didn't ever have a good history with Aang and the others. He had to earn their trust. With Catra, however, Adora had seen the good side of Catra before, and not just for one or two scenes. She only needed to do one thing in order to show Adora she can be given a second chance. Adora loved her enough to want to give another chance when Catra was ready to take it.
Yeah. They’re both great redemption arcs, but for entirely separate reasons. Zuko has an empathetic mentor figure to keep him grounded, but Catra’s stuck in a tailspin of self-destruction until everything is stripped away from her except her connection with Adora. There’s no one way to write a good redemption arc, which makes sense-there’s no one “right” way to heal from trauma and grow into a better person after hitting rock bottom. When they reunite, Zuko doesn’t need to convince Iroh that he’s changed into a better person, despite how painful the betrayal in Crossroads of Destiny. Iroh’s already invested in his redemption, and welcomes him enthusiastically when he sees Zuko has finally embraced his destiny. Similarly, Catra doesn’t need to “win over” Adora’s love after she breaks Glimmer out of Prime’s ship. Adora is already invested in Catra’s personal growth, it just takes that one big act of selflessness to push them over the edge.
Not to mention, Zuko had to earn Katara's trust, he helped find who killed her mother. He helped Sokka get his father back. He didn't have to, he could have only helped Aang with his firebending, but no, he wanted to be a part of the group. Bow and Glimmer accepted Catra easily because she saved Glimmer, she risked her life to free Glimmer. Even Adora got hope her friend changed, forgiving her.
Honestly it even confuses me that ZUKO is used as the argument for why Catra shouldn't have been forgiven so easily... to preface, I think Zuko's redemption is perfect. I love it. It's not a criticism when I say this, but: Zuko was forgiven, or at least accepted by the Gaang, pretty quickly. Literally he comes and pleads his case and apologizes, and while they're not immediately buddy-buddy with him (especially Katara), they do accept him into their group within the same episode. And as you said, they don't have the benefit of having had a relationship within prior (like Adora). They also haven't witnessed any of his acts of redemption (like Glimmer). Yeah, he then has instances with Aang, Sokka, and Katara where they have bonding moments, but I'd argue the only instance where this functions as working toward an apology is in the case of Katara-- both Sokka and Aang harbored no ill feelings toward him at the start of their mini adventures. And again this isn't a criticism of Zuko's arc-- I love it, and I honestly think it wouldn't have been appropriate narratively for them to spend more time proving that Zuko is worthy of forgiveness (cuz the audience has seen it, even if the characters haven't seen it as much). But I just find it so weird that people think Catra was forgiven too quickly, but don't think Zuko was-- they were BOTH forgiven relatively quickly, but not *TOO* quickly.
when i was in primary school, i barely had any friends. so when i developed this friendship with a student from my class, it was completely new territory. despite that, it was nice. having someone to sit with during lunch, having a buddy for every group project or activity, or just someone to walk home with. it was safe and warm and something i will remember. so when we got placed into separate classes and she made new friends, i felt betrayed, and i don’t think i had any right to. i don’t ever recall her approaching me about it so i think i just took it as confirmation that i had been replaced. that was my mindset at the time. “she has new friends, she doesn’t need me anymore”. it’s a bit of a problem i’m still trying to work on today. i think being on my own for a while and finally finding the one person i could really get along with made me believe that everyone has that one person, unintentionally strengthening the whole “love is finite” thing. since i hadn’t been shown that much warmth and kindness by anyone else, i believed that everyone had their people or person already and i was just the odd one out. i kinda realised all the parallels to what was being discussed in the video and what i’ve experienced just now and i felt like sharing because... my notes are getting cramped enough as it is and it’s 1am over here. yea
Can we get a charactr study about Adora? everyone seems to ignore her trauma, her thought process. and uses Catra's trauma to undermind Adora's trauma. I think its important to talk about Adora's abuse too! because as it seems, people seem to think Adora was "loved" when she wasn't. It'd be interesting to see what your thoughts on her are, too
@@5x5Takes yeah ! everyone always ignores the fact that the love was fake in order to properly manipulate Adora into being a loyal soldier. Adora's thought process is actually quite faciniating too--she believes if she's not useful to someone, she doesn't deserve to live (according to noelle) and that to me, sounds like something she picked up from her upbringing. That's the thoughts of an abuse victim too.
I would love to see a vid of her too. To see her how Adora dealt with her own trauma, because there's still some people who belive that she didn't suffer or her trauma wasn't the big deal compares to Catra's.
Jenny Castro if anyone genuinely watches the show and comes away with “adora was fine,” i think that’s willful ignorance at that point. but yeah, i’d love to. just need a bit of a break from big char studies for a bit!
@@5x5Takes I see adora's compliments she would get from shadow weaver as a backhanded way to not only verbally abuse catra further but also make adora feel like she has to be the best at everything/live up to weaver's expectations and also make her feel bad about catra not being as 'loved' as her. that's just how I see it though.
gay little cartoon cat girl made very very important points about love and forgiveness and healing and we love to SEE IT. also once again u absolutely killed at the making points and connecting them and the absolute care u put into communicating what exactly makes catra and stories like hers so important.
@@Moon_Bloom yup, she died 9 times. according to noelle: -princess prom when she fell off the cliff for a dramatic exit -killed by spiders in “promise” -suffocated by hordak -portal’d -portal’d again -beaten by glimmer in “pulse” -beaten by hordak in “destiny part 2” -died when saving glimmer -prime’d/falling off the platform on horde prime’s ship once adora saved her in “save the cat” her lives were reset.
And given some of the examples there I'm tempted to believe she's back down to eight lives after getting thrown across the Fright Zone by Chipped Scorpia...
I had a friend who was horrible to me for a long time - like Catra and Adora, we were incredibly close as young kids, but things got more and more nasty the older we got until completely splitting at 16 when we left school. When we were 20, she came to me apologetic, she told me she’d changed and she was so sorry, she told me she missed me. I accepted her apology immediately - I didn’t need any more from her than the promise she’d do better, because I still loved her - the parts of her that were good - and if she was willing to make the effort to *be* the good parts of her and reject the things she did that were bad, I was willing to abandon the abuse (which was still, even then, traumatising me) and forgive her mistakes on the way to recovery. This is why I don’t take issue with what happens when Adora forgives Catra, because when you take away the higher stakes, that’s the story. And people are emotional creatures, and we want to forgive the people we love. The difference is Catra actually tried to be better after that - my friend didn’t, and we haven’t spoken in a year now.
YES GLIMMER AND CATRA PARALLELS! Season 4 when Adora and Catra are fighting about who's in charge, Glimmer says stuff that sounds so close to Catra: "You always have to be in charge. You always have to be the hero." and you can tell the Shadow Weaver is instilling that same mistrust in Glimmer. Shadow Weaver has always pushed Adora's friends away from her, simply because Adora is useful to her. God I hate Shadow Weaver.
As someone who grew up with an abusive parent I completely empathise with Catra. It's so difficult for people who haven't been through this kinda thing to understand how long term trauma like this affects the rest of your life and your character. It is often instinctual and sub conscious and self destructive because you are told your whole life you don't deserve happiness and eventually you believe it, especially if others let you down. Catra's arc is very accurate and inspiring to anyone watching who has experienced abuse. Change is possible. The past doesn't have to be the future. You can be loved and you do deserve to be happy.
Many say that the change of Catra was forced. And I answer them: "If you remember Catra fell to the lowest point?" "Do you remember that Double Trouble told her hers truths to her face after fighting Hordark?" "Do you remember Lord Prime putting her through that memory-erasing green liquid?" Every step in Catra's arc is so well constructed that it as good as Zuko's character arc. PD: You make me cry QwQ omg
@@koii4033 I kinda disagree. People put ATLA up on some pedestal but shows can do things as good as ATLA. Catras arc is fundamentally from Zuko though, they are different types of redemption and I do think dumps arc hits the landing better but their buildup is almost equal in how great it is.
that’s because it was all forced, it was all forced in in the last season. there was absolutely NO build up throughout the entire show, so dont fcking compare this shit “redemption” towards zukos. zuko never went towards catras extreme of destroying the entire world, traumatizing millions, hurting millions, and destroying homes and families. all of the things you stated were put in during the last two episodes of season 4 and the first few episodes of seas*n f*ve, and may i remind you that catradora is based off of the creator of she ras own toxic relationship? this redemption is absolute dog shi
Can we just talk about how Bow and Glimmer really accepted Catra even after everything? They see how much Catra means to Adora and are willing to accept her unconditionally. They can see her trying to change and make it easier on her by being gentle, accepting, and friendly. They really are the best friend squad.
I absolutely adored how realistic they portrayed catra's response to trauma. She didn't have some magical recovery, she endured and suffered, and her actions reflected her anger and confusion of her past. It really annoys me when people say she sucked and was a crappy person FOR NO REASON. She had many reasons to feel the way she did, and although it wasn't right how she acted, I was still a realistic version of how badly trauma can affect you.
Something I really like about this show is that it dares to turn around the usual story set up of the „golden child and scapegoat“ scenario. Most of the time it is the scapegoat who gets to escape their toxic environment and the golden child is the one who stays in it to later face their comeuppance (best example Zuko and Azula from Atla) but not here. Here ADORA escapes even though she had it „better“ (maybe not as bad but Adoras abuse was fucked up as well) and Catra, the victim who already suffered more and worse, was left behind to spiral down completely. I find that so interesting to watch because it actually took us places we haven’t seen these character „tropes“ before very often
Are we just going to skim over the fact that Catra and Adora were raised and even lived in a place called “The Fright Zone”? Most of the Horde Soldiers seemed to literally live off fright, even Shadow Weaver.
I guess their logic was more like ''The Rebellion is way worse'' and ''We only have to live like this to fix them'' but when Adora sees the actual damage to innocent people, people she was told she was helping, she flips sides. Meanwhile Catra has known exactly how bad the Fright Zone is cuz she lived through all that abuse and trauma, but didn't care cuz one day she and Adora would be in charge. She clung onto that last hope that they were gonna be able to make that life together and Adora just abandons that goal cuz she suddenly realizes the Horde is evil (even after witnessing everything Catra went through). In Catra's mind, she left for two strangers after suddenly getting a moral compass when it comes to random people. We can see why this is the case from Adora's POV, but for someone like Catra, who has seen and faced so much, it shouldn't make any sense. So when Adora leaves her and their dreams behind, Catra sets out to rise in the Horde and rule Etheria as a way of following those dreams while getting back at Adora for leaving her. This was defo fueled by her built up anger, resentment and desire to prove herself to the people who never acknowledged her worth.
lol I was just thinking that. Everyone constantly accuses Catra of all the bad "choices" she made and critize her for not "choosing" to adandon her home and friends and join the Rebellion like Adora did.......Catra and the others are Literally slaves, child soldiers forced to fight and killed if they ever tried to escape or simply failed a task. Yup, Catra's life was just full of freedom and choice.....
@@Sav3TheWorld Kinda Important that Adora was raised very differently from the other Horde kids. Shadow Weaver sheltered her like anything, gave her an insane moral complex and she was basically her golden child. That complex that she was left with is what allows her to immediately break through the Horde's brainwashing so it's way more of a choice for her than it was for Catra. Edit : If you think about it, Adora actually took just as long to work through the issues SW left her with. From thinking she doesn't deserve love to her entire responsibility issue, she isn't called out on it until Catra helps her break through. Adora was left with many problems, it's just that she was always fighting on the 'Good side' because that's how she was brought up. It's unfair to blame either her or Catra for these issues, they were both brought up differently, one spun into a narrative that turned her into the 'bad guy' and one internally fighting to always be the 'good guy'. In conclusion, frick Shadow Weaver
@@Sav3TheWorld "Abandon her Friends"? Catra didn't have Friends besides Adora. Sure, she was in a Team wie Lonnie, Kyle and Rogelio, but she didn't care about them.
Right? It's weird seeing people say that we needed Adora and Catra to show their affection for each other more before season 5 when it would've been seen as a weakness. Hell, back in season 1, Adora said that whenever she got sick she would hide away from the other horde soldiers to not appear vulnerable instead of getting help. I think when it comes to analyzing Catra and Adora's character and relationship, it's important to take into account how abnormal they are.
One thing you missed, or at least were super subtle about, is part of child-Katra's memories. If Promise showed her earliest accessible memories, then Shadow Weaver wrote a simple equation into Katra's brain. "I've only kept you around this long because Adora was fond of you, but if you ever do anything to jeopardize her future, I will dispose of you myself." There is a piece of Catra's brain that thinks that (fairly rightly) that without Adora, Shadow Weaver will kill her. But if she follows orders and brings Adora back, she'll have to make it open knowledge that Adora's future with the Hoard is gone and thus Shadow Weaver will kill her. And if she hurts Adora, Shadow Weaver will kill her. But if she does nothing, then Shadow Weaver will kill her. There are four scenarios, all of which reach the same end. On top of that, the person who could keep her safe has broken their word. No safety, only fear. No safety, only pain. No wonder Catra went insane. The only reason she didn't completely shut down is she is a survivor, she's a strong despite all the holes burrowed in her spirit. The one scene over all the rest of the series that made me want to cry was when Catra came to dinner that first time, and snuck close to the group and just sat there trying not to be seen. Outside safe||Outside hurts||safe hurts, even though she wants to be there. She is so utterly broken in that moment. But sometimes a broken bone heals wrong, and it can hold you for years, you learn to live with the pain, ignore it, and eventually not even know it is there, but the only way to make it right is to rebreak it and have it set correctly, to heal again. Taking that bao was the bravest thing we saw in the entire series, because it throws away the madness-mistaken-for-courage and sets up Catra's actual courageous self.
Well seen! This put her reacton at the very begining of the series into perspective. She was really freaking out about Adora eaving, not only because of Adora "abandonning" her (sort of yeah, sort of no) but also because of what it meant for catra's safety. So it was like a double betrayal. I remember her asking Adora if she ever worried about what would happen to Catra if she didn't come back to The Horde... It's clear that Catra is acting out of anger and fear/terror most of the show. She was a tragic character. I also found the meal scene so wholesome.
In addition to the two points made: Catra feeling abandoned, and legitimately unsafe (which I completely agree with and when Catra broke the fabric of reality we see that really clearly. Adora is a Force Captain and Catra hides behind her.) But I also think what was hard for Catra to get past was that it took Adora being told by OTHERS that the Horde was evil, when Adora saw how the Horde and Shadow Weaver in particular treated Catra. From Catra’s perspective, most days were a nightmare, but because Adora was also abused and pitted against Catra, Adora thought the abuse was normal and made excuses for Shadow Weaver. So I read it from Catra’s perspective as “so it’s not okay for other people to be harmed. Just me. All right.”
I find it annoying when people say catradora is toxic. That’s literally Catra’s character. She’s SUPPOSED to be a toxic bastard. She however is able to change and she does in the end. So please let me have my comfort ship.
1 interesting fact about Catra’s constantly changing relationship with Adora: Throughout the show, despite their conflict she never ONCE calls her She-Ra directly - just Adora. The only time she says that title is when she’s referring to Adora as the Rebellion’s secret weapon but whenever she’s talking to her face to face, Adora is the only name that comes out of her mouth.
I really liked Noelle Stevensons Don't let go. Deleted scene she wrote as a fan fic. I think it shows more of Catras mind set during her redemption arc. I kinda wish it was added to the character exploration.
@@taylorsweeney8501 google should take you to it. Sorry I don't know how to link it. It was good and its official. Written by noelle. It takes place in space right after save the cat.
"That chance isn't owed, and it's not expected. But it's still possible" - such a powerful line. As an abuse victim with abandonment issues, I hold Catra so close to my heart. She gives me so much hope
Bro. I’ve found my people. People who understand my love for Catra. It irks my soul whenever I see Catra hate from people who refuse to see her as anything but a ruthless, selfish murderer and then treat the other characters like their actions are dismissible. Like, it hurts me because I get Catra and her anger and her not knowing how to handle it. I get her self-hatred mentality and her refusal to believe she’s anything other than worthless. I’ve been waiting for someone to finally tell Catra’s side of things and foe people to finally acknowledge that she wasn’t as evil and other make her out to be. I’ve seen “she’s a war criminal and I can’t excuse that” so many times, as if everyone else didn’t commit crimes as well, just because they’re the “good guys”. Like ugh! I just wanted Catra to be loved for once and not antagonized/made to be the outcast or villain like Shadow Weaver did her entire life.
Right? I don’t know how so many people can’t see through her. Growing up I habitually placed a lot of focus on determining how others were feeling and trying to predict how my behaviour would affect that to avoid angering them so maybe that’s part of it, that you can’t really understand her if you can’t at all relate to her but it seems so obvious that she’s hurt and needs someone to reassure her that she has worth and is loved unconditionally. Through the whole series I felt a lot like Scorpia, wishing I could just go back to when she was a kid and hold and protect her.
I love how Adora never called Carta " a villian. " She was traumatized, abused and manipulated by the horde. That really changed her and made her confused and made her have anger issues.
I came to this video after watching a video with comments full of people who hated catra and her redemption. This video and its complete and gentle understanding of catra made me cry so much. I love her character and always admired that she showed sometimes people who are self-destructive deserve love too.
"When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change." - Avatar Aang When I see Catra going through her mental breakdown at the end of Season 4, and then choosing to do 'that one good thing' in Season 5, it always makes me think of this line, and I cry everytime :')
Nikita Lachke absolutely. her story exists for every person that might see themselves in it, ESPECIALLY the kindness in it. who said cartoons don’t matter!
@@lovelylavendertea4714 agh!! this is exactly what i mean! i also felt the same way and now i feel more positive and happier with myself then before. this show has really helped me a lot
I think the best way to describe Catra's actions is "reactive abuse". when she gets abused she turns right around and becomes abusive herself, making her arch more complex. most victims dont get shown how even as victims we can be abusive ourselves and working through that cycle and eventually breaking it over time rant over lol
And if the Alternative Reality is any indication, Catra’s deepest true wish is living a peaceful life with her love of her life, much like Adora as revealed in the Finale. I also noticed that everytime Catra does a good thing, hoping that something good happens, it backfires horribly, like that time Catra gave Shadow Weaver her Guild medal, not knowing that it would allow her abusive “mother” to escape. But when she helps Glimmer to escape, without expecting anything (no love, no future, no chance of a better life) but Horde Prime’s wrath, everything just looks bright and goes right for her. I perfectly understand Catra’s confusion about this unexpected turn of events
I wouldn't exactly call ruling Etheria "peaceful", but it was apparent that Catra only concerned herself with surpassing Adora because she didn't want to affirm Shadow Weaver's abuse. As long as SW was kind to her, she didn't care about Adora getting the Force Captain promotion without her.
I'm aware of the criticism I'll receive for saying this, but Adora and Catra continue to hold a special place in my heart because of the way they support one another in overcoming obstacles and working together to save the universe. I continue to hold out hope that they make a sequel comic book someday as well as a movie.
This show actually made me feel more confident in myself. I faced my inner homophobia and really embraced who i am Sept 1st, is when I came out to myself as bisexual. Oct 2, I came out to a in-person friend for the first time instead of online peeps. I still struggle with being "out" as I'm still in "the closet" partially from my mom being raised super religiously and ended up close minded while my dad on the the other hand is more open minded, kind hearted, and accepting since my grandma is that type of person as well. She-ra forever will have a place in my heart. The way your broke down Catra's character and really took time to understand her really makes me so happy. I love Catra as a character and will always adore her. You did such a great job with this video and the last She-ra video made me so emotional as well as this one. Thank you for making time into making these videos. It really helps a lot and may help others as well like the show did for me.
The parallel of Catra giving Adora an electric shock and saying “sorry, it was a reflex!” then doing the same to Entrapta and seeing that look of horror on her face after she does it was very powerful, I don’t think it’s talked about enough. It’s sort of what being manic or having a panic attack feels like. All she knows is trauma, so she reacts to everything the same way. She hurts people because she’s been told her whole life it’s all she’s good at, and no one validates her or takes her seriously if she doesn’t.
I love catra and adoras relationship, both children of trauma, both working to heal, and i love how catra recognizes immediately after her own start in healing, adora's own self destructive patterns. When you introspect in that way you do start to recognize the pain in others.
Shadow weaver: *projects what she hates about herself on Catra since early childhood* ALSO Shadow weaver: damn why this kid remind me of myself so much
*"She doesn't get to be a person. She's a child made into an adult woman's receptacle for her own self-hate"* Oh wow. That really resonated with me. Only recently I've been realizing that a lot of my childhood (6-11 years old) was spent just like that. There was an older cousin that moved in during those years because she needed a place to stay, and as 2nd in the hierarchy under my mom she made my life hell. It was never physical, but lots of verbal, psychological and moral abuse. And I accepted it as normal because, while my mom wouldn't do those (not until I got older and depressed), she would get physical. Generally only sandals, but a couple of times she beat me with a broomstick. And she only got rid of the troublesome cousin when the cousin flipped out on us after learning my mom got cancer. To be fair, the cousin helped her take care of me as we were poor, my mother worked several jobs and my (bipolar) father would be with me mostly on weekends. And he died when I was 12. Fuck. When I say it like this it sounds pretty sad, but there was a lot of good too! I'm just glad I found the perfect way to put something I was feeling into words.
Sorry if this is a long one. I've been needing to get this off my chest for a long time. So I too really like Catra, for your same reason. I'm probably an oddball fan of this show as I am a 20 year old straight male electrician. My buddy and his girlfriend always ask why I like She ra and Catra so much. I've never met a more relatable character anywhere else. I haven't been traumatized like she has, at least not in the same way. I used to be a very outgoing kid until I went to school and other kids thought I was obnoxious or weird and I learned to suppress myself to be safe. That continued in high school with friends and girls. I leanred people didnt like who I was, so I would adapt or suppress parts of me to fit. Girls were always hard to talk to and still are because I've managed to train myself to always think of myself as below them, not worth their time, and I simply gave up. However I met one girl who I became close friends with only to catch feelings. I told her how I felt, she didnt feel the same way, and we stayed friends. It was hard because I only found more to love about her and would sometimes confess my feelings again. Eventually I broke things off because I wanted her to be happy. I didnt make her happy. Now I still struggle meeting girls because I don't want to go through that again. I don't want to hurt them or myself anymore, and yet I want someone to love me the way I love them. I don't know what the hell to do now. I talk with my buddy and his gf about it sometimes but they don't understand. Anyways, thank you for these amazing videos. They've helped me open up to myself and to make needed changes. I really appreciate this community you've created that we can use as an outlet for stuff like this. Thank you
i love catra because most people know that abuse doesn't tend to make nice people and im so tired of every abuse survivor in media being a shy meek victim i want to see the chaotic and ugly, because i cant be alone in it
Catra matters to me. There’s been so many moments of hers that I strongly relate to. When I was a kid, I struggled with friends and constantly drove people off. At first, it was because I came off too strong, and then they found new friends. Then I lost friends because I just couldn’t connect with people like I used to. Now, I’m constantly struggling with anger and due to that, I constantly isolate myself
in a sea of overly negative video essay dunks on "why the show you like is actually horrible!!!", this thoughtful and empathetic analysis really stands out. Thank you.
As someone who was abused and traumatized in childhood by a parent, I see a lot of myself in Catra. I have come a long way, but I still stumble and have outbursts where I act like a jerk--only to immediately recognize it and apologize. People like myself and Catra need forgiveness and kindness in order to break away from a cycle; turning your back on people like us only feeds behavior spurned on by the cycle we know/fall back on. Of course, this is not to say to stay with toxic people. There is a difference between breaking away from a cycle, and actively harming people. Many people want to change and break away, but do not feel like we deserve it--so we double down and shut ourselves away as a form of punishing ourselves. Healing also isn't easy; you can never fully "heal" from abuse, but you can grow away from it.
Something I noticed about Catra being a cat-person is that it actually helps the audience read her complex character more easily. The position of her ears makes her emotions _very_ easy for even a young audience to read. Even moreso than just facial expressions would. Furthermore, her claws make the consequences of the moments when she _physically_ lashes out leave very visible wounds on others that the audience can plainly see, moreso than bruises would. (and bruises might have bumped up the rating so that it wasn't considered acceptable for kids anymore)
You know, I always rooted for Catra, not that she'd win but that she'd finally see where she belongs. I loved her even and damn, did they make it hard sometimes but it didn't make me dislike or hate her, just disappointed and I really felt that disappointment. It is a testament to the writing of this show that no matter how manipulative, underhanded, conniving and unlikable she seemed, I never crossed that line. And they showed this care to almost every single character in the show. I wish more shows had this level of depth in their characters. Kinda reminded me of Hunter x Hunter... and now I'm sad...
I saw a video of Catra haters. This person said that Catra being abused doesn’t mean she can abuse others, but what they don’t understand is that abuse can mentally change someone. Which is why Catra is my favorite cause we have similar lives. Thank you for understanding. 🙂
My toxic “friend” growing up with a bad life doesn’t excuse her from threatening to use pepper spray on my other friends because they had other plans she didn’t know about
@@ToeEater1108 while i definitely get your point I think there’s a fine line between things that can and should not be excused with abuse. Lashing out because you triggered by a traumatizing memory from your abuser that awoken can (to a pun extent) be excusable, trying to kill someone who did absolutely nothing to you isn’t. (Hope you can get what I’m saying, I’m not trying to say your point is wrong I just wanna bring that up.)
@@ToeEater1108 Oh no, I can definitely get what your saying just trying to say that at the same time, if someone in the show were to not forgive Catra I wouldn’t really hold it against them (not saying Catra doesn’t deserve forgiveness nor redemption.)
I have never, in my 24 years on this planet, related to a character more than I relate to Catra, as a BPD lesbian. I literally can't articulate how much her story, her redemption, impacted me. It made me feel hopeful for the first time in a long time, that maybe I won't be shackled by my childhood trauma forever, that I will find ways out of my harmful behaviours and become a better person. Honestly, Noelle is so amazing for giving us Catra and I think it's wonderful to think how many kids and adults alike will also be positively impacted.
even when she was the villain that u think everyone would hate, i still liked catra. maybe it’s cus i related to her too much or idrk but her character hurts me more than it should
this has to be the BEST video I've ever seen that takes the time to deconstruct and understand Catra's arc, not just classifying her as traumatized child or unforgivable villain, but showing how she struggles through those narratives and eventually rises to be more than either, and through it all this shines a spotlight on the sheer persistence and strength of Catra. She's been likened to Shadow Weaver both narratively and explicitly by Shadow Weaver herself, but Catra doesn't get enough credit for the grit and determination it takes to survive what she's been through and still work for redemption, a choice that Shadow Weaver never considered for herself (and frankly, I don't think SW could have persisted in the path for redemption. I don't think she has the motive or strength, not the way Catra does. But that's my opinion). And I love how you address Adora's role in this without taking the focus away from Catra's actions - yes, Adora was the catalyst in many of Catra's actions, and later her decision to save Catra certainly cemented Catra's path of redemption, but in the end Catra made her choices, bad and good. Their love was a powerful driving force in the growth of the plot as well as their personal growths, but it doesn't undermine the weight of Catra's decisions to confront her wrongs and work to earn forgiveness and redemption. I absolutely LOVED this video, and I'd honestly love it if you could perhaps do a similar sort of video for Adora's character - I feel like Adora's own set of traumas and behaviour patterns is not often discussed as extensively, and I think if anyone would do justice to it and how it complements the character journeys of those around her and against her, it would be you. Thank you for the videos you make and the love and passion you pour into them!
Every time I watch your analysis on she ra, I bawl my eyes out because I can relate so much. also I understand better why the series touched me on such a deep level. Thanks for doing this, I really appreciate your work.
this. video. is. so. good. it's one of the best explanations of the complexity of trauma I've seen. even my psych professor had trouble defining it. everyone thinks abuse is only hitting and trauma is brushes with death. it's definitely not. emotional abuse and the trauma that comes with that is so so complex. you did so good explaining it for Catra. literally the first two minutes are already GOLDEN. "she has a choice: accept Adora's forgiveness, not as an erasure of the past, but as a nod toward the future" THIS IS HUGE it's so hard to find that balance between moving forward and trying to do better VS glossing over the bad things that happened. I genuinely don't truly understand what forgiveness means. to me, most times when people ask for forgiveness, it seems like they're asking "please forget that I did anything bad." I'm trying to see it as a "we're moving forward toward something new" but I still just don't understand how people actively deal with the history of the bad things. god I love this show i love these characters so much
@@sepiasmith5065 I've definitely been trying to look at forgiveness in that way, too. Like, I think there's a difference between "forgive me" and "forgive and forget". Forgiving someone is like agreeing to move forward to build something new while forgive and forget (or asking someone to forgive you with the expectation that they'll forget) is ignoring the other person's feelings as well as your actions. They happened and that's that. You can't go back and erase them. All you can do is move forward and prove you can be better.
So much truth and wisdom in this analysis. “It’s easier to expect hate than to accept love that can be taken away” almost had me in tears. Not for myself, but for certain people in my life who I’m starting to realize were very clearly victims of manipulation and abuse growing up.
As a person that suffers from panic attack, I can make an analogy with Catra's abuse and her way of thinking.When you have a panic attack, you feel like dying and all reason leaves you, and even though you are not dying and people do everything to assure you of that, you still feel your way, not their way.And after a while, people will even go so far as to say"you are faking it" or"you are a drama queen' or"just stop having panic attacks".Same with Catra.It's easier for a person that didn't went through abuse to find"excuses", rather than accepting people have problems they don't have...
Everything about this is amazing. I love Catra and how her story plays out. I always felt that people give her a bit of a hard time. The points you made about safety in habits vs the fear of the unknown really hit me hard, and I think that's something I definitely need to work on. Thank you.
Holy fuck, yes. Thank you 🙏 🙏 As an abusive victim. I relate with Catra like many on a very personal level.. It's extremely tiring to see people insult Catras character and shit on her because she isn't perfect. Catra has many flaws, she's been damaged and traumatized. Much like many of us.
I gotta say, as lukewarm as I was towards most of the "best friend squad," I was instantly hooked on Catra's character ark, I watched through the entire show mostly because I wanted nothing more than to see this poor abused kitty find happiness. One thing I found interesting was how much they mirror the "golden child - scapegoat" dynamic that's so common in abusive families. Adora's name (as Scorpia even points out in the parallel timeline) has the word "adore" right in it. Not only that, but she literally has golden hair and golden jewelry all over her She-Ra uniform. I mean, she even turns into a 7 ft superhero princess who rides a magical winged unicorn everywhere, once you notice it it's not even subtle. While Catra isn't literally a goat, it's not hard to see that she does get blamed for absolutely everything as far as Shadow-Weaver is concerned. Interestingly another great redeemed villain, Zuko, has that exact same dynamic (even if the golden child in that story doesn't get redeemed by the end).
I think Catra is one of the most interesting characters ever written for television... this explains it all really well and I think enables people to find compassion and empathy for people who are stuck in an abusive cycle
I seriously don't know how you guys do it, but after watching your videos you get the same feeling as just getting out of the movies, mixed with a genuine therapy session. After watching you just sit in front of your computer or phone and don't immediatetly close it, you just sit there and try to progress those emotions you felt while wacthing, and try to understad the words that were spoken. Every single video is just incredible and i am so so grateful I found your channel. Thank you guys so much for your hard work, you definetely have mad talent.
This is the second video of yours that's done about the same thing for me. I hope one day that I'll be able to accept the words and the message behind some of the specific parts when that day comes. Thanks.
Ok, so I don't make the rules? But this is now required viewing for the entire fandom. Especially the portion that is still insistent on calling Catra an abuser and leaving it at that. ... ok, I do have a little more sympathy than that. I understand the impulse, to an extent, because I think some people really bristle at the idea of having an abusive character become sympathetic, or at having an abused character perpetuate the abuse they faced. For some, it's triggering to watch, or it feeds into stereotypes about abuse and fears of perpetuating those stereotypes. In a broader sense, I also think that the dialogue surrounding abuse in online fandom spaces underwent a massive shift some years back (I have my ideas as to the catalyst, but I can't necessarily prove it), and the focus became 1) elevating and validating abuse survivors and 2) recognizing abusive behavior -- which is to say, talking about Catra in a sympathetic light might seem to run counter to those priorities. So on the one hand, I do think people should be given the space to react negatively to Catra's arc, because I think they're by and large coming from a well-intentioned and protective place when they do. At the same time, though, "Catra is an abuser" is an incomplete reading of the text. It only considers the actions and not the mentality behind them. Where she behaves abusively, she does so specifically within the context of having suffered a lifetime of parental abuse and therefore having internalized abusive patterns of behavior. Her arc isn't really supposed to be about people forgiving her for that behavior, but rather about her choosing once, and then again, and then repeatedly, to break those patterns. And there is *_immense_* value and hope in that narrative.
@MapleMeii_ Oh, that was a joke, lol -- text doesn't convey tone super well. I'm extremely enthusiastic about this video, but I'm not about to literally sit a ton of strangers down and force them to watch it.
@MapleMeii_ I'd still definitely recommend giving it a watch! One of the best things about this show is that there are so many layers and insights to uncover the more you engage with it.
I don't think there's ever been a fictional character I've related to more than Catra is. I love her and she is extremely important to me, who she is and how she is like. For many people things Catra does are just inexcusable or nonsensical, but to me it all makes perfect sense, like you outlined in this video. She's important and I love her for who she is, just the same, it's important to me that she managed to overcome the destructive cycle. It gives hope and hope is important in the darkness.
catradora is so toxic
thanks for watching and commenting!
True
true
Forgive me, I kind of suck when it comes to understanding people. Is this sarcasm or…?
@@wobblezapper2374 nah, just facts
"its easier to expect hate that to accept love that can be taken away" holy damn these words hit me hard
As someone who pushes people away to preserve herself, yep 🥲
@@eileenbraswell3791 I do the same thing too. You wanna talk about it?
@@luuuuux_ You don’t know everybody or their true intentions. You just don’t know who’s gonna hurt you. And besides, after so many wrongdoings, how can you expect people to be nice to you? It’s easier to just walk away.
@@eileenbraswell3791 it’s funny how we feel the same way. Maybe we should just try to not push at least one person away.
@@eileenbraswell3791 same
I still crack up when Catra refers too She-ra as a “giant sword lady”
What episode 😭✋🏻
Also in S5 when she saw adora transform and blushed a bit
Catra _likes_ giant sword ladies
@@rosiissa I think it was princess prom
@@ok-lo9pl it was when she was talking scorpia into going to the princess prom
«How dare they take best friends and turn them Into giant sword ladies.»
This is why i loved the show so much and i was so disappointed when one of my friends said she thought it was ruined when they all forgave catra so quickly. Catra was my favorite character from the start and that continued throughout the show as she became more relatable
OMG I LOVE YOUR ANIMATIONS
technically there was supposed to be a season 6 but either dreamworks or netflix wanted to cut it so the crew-ra did their best to wrap up everything into the concise, eventful, emotional season 5. either way i'm glad that catra became more open with her emotions, apologized to everyone, and tried to help the rebellion in every way possible. that scene where catra tried to reassure netossa since she chipped before was a nice touch
@@twentyonetortas5921 Wait, when was there a planned S6? I thought the deal was just 52 eps and that's it. (please give us a special tho, i need content)
@@thesovietonionn1343 it's been ages ago but i remember that there was a post showing the episode patterns of each season (including future ones remember this was 2019 then) where it would go like S4 would have 13 episodes, S5 would have 6 episodes, and S6 would have 7 episodes y'know something like that
@@twentyonetortas5921 I guess it was just a prediction about slicing the show into more Half-seasons like before to split release dates, I think I prefer the 13 ep fifth season any day
"Her trauma isn't some anecdote to her fraught relationship with Adora, it's directly related to it."
Finally, someone who gets it.
Something I always ask people, is that, if Catra cared about Adora so much, why did she try to kill her so many times?
@@icecremii_ღ because they were on opposite sides of the war. Shadow weaver also forced Catra to drag her back to the fright zone in the beginning of the series and threatened to punish her if she didn’t do it. Plus Adora tried to kill Catra too. Y’all act like Adora is a defenseless baby. She literally is a being of powerful magic.
@@myasmith0824 I was talking when Catra pushed Adora off the edge and Adora didn't have anything to stop herself from DYING
@@icecremii_ღ I'm guessing you're taking about the Promise episode. Catra knew Adora would survive. The next time they meet face to face, Adora is like "surprised to see me?" And Catra says something along the lines of "I knew you wouldn't go down so easily." Adora and Catra NEVER go all out when fighting each other, even when on opposite sides of the war.
@@maymunnie44 EXACTLY! It was a war. Everyone from one side tried to badly hurt/kill the ones from the other side.
They were defending their lands from colonizers, but Adora and The Rebellion aren't innocent, defenseless little angels. They too were out for blood. And did some morally ambiguous things.
Glimmer and Catra are the same person but raised at different sides of the war, change my mind
My thoughts exactly!
Except glimmer got a chance to have people who cared about her. Glimmer had hope. Catra had abandonment
yeah however glitters parental figure was distant but caring whereas catras parental figure was plain abusive
Same sort of thing as hordak and wrong hordak, same situation, different people around you
Watch the overly sarcastic production's video, it's really good
Catra is so much more than just some toxic monster. There's a reason why an overwhelming number of abuse victims in the fandom identify with her despite her actions and behavior.
I've just saw some some people judging catra on what she did. And this is what I've been trying to say she's so much more than what she did. Even below all the hurt she caused she's a good person
I mean... She was abused her hole life being called a failure, garbage and always being compared to Adora.
i know i'm going to get attacked for this but.... being a victim of abuse doesn't excuse all the bad things you've done. no matter how hurt she is, she still did a lot of fucked up things and thats not okay. we should sympathize with her, yes but, we shouldn't justify her actions.
@@koii4033 it doesn't excuse her actions just explains them.
@@emmacroker5603 yeah thats my point but alot of catradora shippers actually supports catra's actions.
Yay finally someone mentions a bit of Scorpia's part of the relationship's toxicity. Lack of respect of physical boundaries is one that always really bugs me regardless of intent. Violating those boundaries is self satisfaction, not altruism.
George M again, to be clear: catra’s behavior? 100% wrong. but relationships are two way things, and mixing someone with self hate and a short fuse with another person’s lack of boundaries? bad combo. for all catra’s toxicity, she does give clear verbal and nonverbal cues that she does not want to be touched, and scorpia does it over, and over. it’s just bad time central
Exactly. I didn’t like Scorpia ngl...she was so..intrusive
Yes. It irks me how many people condemn Catra as the only one at fault because she's messed up but don't see Scopria's (or Adora's) part in the toxicity just because Scorpia is bubbly. Between harassing Catra and constantly disrespecting Catra's clearly stated boundaries ... Ugh ... That was not okay and should have been addressed instead of using Catra's, understandable, bad answers to that to make her appear more villainous. As someone who has been stalked and harassed and who doesn't like to be touched this is a sore point.
I was also very disappointed by Scorpia's total lack of an actual redemption arc but this is another topic...
I like Scorpia, but she disrespected Catra over and over with her attitude.
@@shinybearevidra Agreed.
I used to think I didn't like Scorpia. But I realized my issues are more with how she was framed as "an innocent angel whose love was un appreciated by evil Catra" when, in fact, not only Catra didn't own to Scorpia to reciprocate her affections but Scorpia herself had a lot of flaws that never were acknowledged and explored.
i honestly love how realistic catra is. trauma isn't pretty. more often than not, it causes people to lash out at others, be irritable or angry, and to subconsciously keep hurting themselves (be it physically or mentally/emotionally) because, like you said, it's familiar. i know i personally have the worst habit of pushing people away when i'm scared they'll leave, because it'll hurt less if i convince myself it's a choice i personally picked, that i have control over it. it also took me a really really long time to accept affection and love, not because i didn't want it, but simply because i didn't know how to react to it and felt undeserving of it.
honestly, hurting others before they can hurt you is an extremely common response from people with ptsd and other similar issues. which is why i never understood people who hate catra for being "too harsh" or "mean" or "taking too long to become better". the longer the trauma has been happening, and the more impactful it has been to someone's life, the longer it'll take that person to heal. because of that, catra's journey was extremely realistic and made her seem very human. she'd get better, and then fuck up again, sometimes relapsing entirely before trying again. and that's how healing *is*. sometimes you're good for a very long time and then you'll suddenly start going back to your worst habits for a while. healing isn't linear.
i think too many people mistake "forgiving" with "excusing every single bad thing someone did". everyone forgiving catra at the end doesn't mean they're ignoring all the bad stuff she did, or forgetting about it. it simply means that they're saying "you've been hurt, and have hurt others, but it doesn't mean that you're undeserving of kindness, patience, safety and love".
Totally true!!!!! I agree 100%! Also you really put this whole thing in great words. Thanks for this :)
Our minds fear what we can't understand. While I hate the person, Lovecraft's works show this greatly. Many of his books are based on the things he feared. His well-known creation, Cthulhu, was made because of his fear of the deep.
You have explained this so clearly. Thank you for that.
I'll be honest, Catra really helps me thinking and healing. I'm an adult now, I wish I had a show like that when I was a teen. But better late than never :)
Healing takes time, and the reassuring patterns are a seductive trap, indeed.
Also, thank you for explaining the difference between 'forgiving' and excusing every single bad thing someone did'. I could not have said it better ♪
Same
Nicely said!👍🏻
I’m glad that Catra’s trauma isn’t glorified, trauma isn’t pretty and she truly shows that.
Catra's trauma is written too well tbh. Too many people online treat her like a real person. For good or worse.
@@falconeshieldi mean many real person shared the same trauma so yeah
**realizing that the reason why I relate to Catra is because of shared trauma, albeit not nearly as severe on terms of physical abuse, and not because she’s cool, lesbian, punk cat**
All of the above applies to me :,)
ok
AHH YES
Yep come to that realisation earlier today as well
hahahahahahahaha /ohno/
I had never realized all those Catra - Glimmer parallels like the scene of Glimmer at the Princess Ball and Catra when saying "you were supposed to be my friend", that was a frickin exceptional analysis that shocked me so hard I had to stop my girlfriend from studying to show her that part of your vid!! ❤️
My girl and I are slowly making pace about this stuffs even though we have been together for a year
@@psyche_is1732 what do you mean? Make peace as in perhaps dealing with similar issues?
**Gasp** A girlfriend! You both have obtained the unobtainable!
@@NFC37 where we accept that we have other things to do and enjoy as well ~
@@Cometsarecool man she was straight before meeting me!! Anything can happen, serendipity became a word for a reason 🥰🍀
This is something a lot of people need to see, not just for the understanding of the character, but for their own betterment. A lot of people criticize Catra's character because she's 'abusive' and whatnot. But think they fail to realize that abuse is cyclical. We need love, kindness, and forgiveness in order to break the cycle.
i love you these are my exact points!!
Wowww you put my thoughts into super well written words. Well played friend
This -- it's a very one-sided analysis of her character to talk about the ways she hurt people while ignoring the ways in which she was hurt. The latter inevitably and profoundly feeds into the former.
@@ramywiles it’s so sad. people don’t understand why she did them and why she needed love and safety.
@@nikitalachke1808 I've spent time thinking about Catra's character. I'm even writing a long-running fanfic about it :D
People who say the final season sucked because Adora got together with Catra despite Catra’s toxic tendencies keep ignoring Adora’s agency in the relationship, and her active desire to help Catra find herself. Wanting to help someone trying to escape their toxic cycle of behaviors isn’t unhealthy so long as you care about yourself as well. And Catra arguably helped Adora care about herself throughout the entire last season, rather than allowing her to fall victim to Shadoweaver’s manipulation and needlessly sacrifice herself.
Adora absolutely needed Catra's growth to cap off her own arc. They played directly in to each-other and while theae characters behaved on extremes that probably wouldn't work out in real life... This is fantasy. It is built of extremes that illustrate other things. They aren't real. They embody real things. And this was a story of healing for both of them.
ikr? 👆 underrated comment
@@ErynnSchwellinger i believe that's why a lot of people dislike it. A lot of blogs that dislike it that i see are worried that kids or just youth all together will try to mirror them irl without realizing it wont work out that way unless the 'catra' of that hypothetical really does want to improve. Personally, i have really conflicted feelings on the ship because of the memories it stirred up for me watching it but i do enjoy it
Sorry if i misunderstood your comment-
@@forestissleepy I mean that their arcs directly impact eachother the whole time and they need eachother to compelte them. Catra going through darkness and anger and Adora going through people pleasing and selflessness. Neither is healthy. One more harmful than the other. And it shows us that. Which is lovely.
their relationship is just healing for them both ;-:
This is why it annoys me when people say Catra is just Kylo Ren. Catra is what Kylo Ren is supposed to be but isn't because the writing doesn't have a fraction of the care and consideration
True. That and, I refuse to believe Luke "I forgave Darth Vader who cut off my hand and threatened to torture my sister" Skywalker would try to kill his own nephew over "Scary Thoughts."
Really felt for her too, loved her as an antagonist
@@randomcenturion7264 dude Luke is a skywalker with anger issues just less nuts than anakin because he didn't have sucha fucked up childhood. He almost killed Vader in the last battle out of rage when he mentioned Leia, but he stoped. He did the same with ben. But ben's memory it's more truamatic cause he was a fucking child. Also,The last jedi Kylo ren is legit. TROS kylo ren is pure bullshit, i hate that movie
@@randomcenturion7264 *straight up tortured my sister and disintegrated her home planet along with everyone she ever loved.
@@emmafrost3115 XD Yeah, Luke forgave Vader after a LOT of B.S. he pulled.
Can’t believe I’m crying over a fictional cat person
This is unbelievably funny
Same
Me too 😭😭
its just so sad
too real
And I'm crying again, lol.
Honestly, Catra is one of my favorite fictional characters ever, and I kind of hate how much I relate to her. I don't think I'll ever be able to truly put into words just how much her happy ending meant to me. More than any other character in the show, more than any character in any other show, I needed her to have a happy ending. She-Ra really gave me hope that even the most dysfunctional of us can still turn things around, even if we feel like it's too late.
Nice name :D
i cried and now i feel alone for no reason.
i don't have such a severe trama as catra does, but i do have it and it is awful.
We are not alone we have ppl who share experience with us and there are ppl willing to let us into their lifes if we are willing to let them into ours.
We can and with hard work we will get better. It just takes time and effort
I think the world Catra created after pulling the lever says a lot about her. It’s easily the worst thing she did in the entire show, almost dooming the world to destruction, yet the result was that she tried to make everyone happy, not even just herself. Adora was force captain over her, the Horde was thriving, Shadow Weaver was still in charge (albeit kinder), and yet somehow the people outside the Fright Zone were happy and contented, completely oblivious to their existence. Maybe that was only because the Horde has ceased to exist by the time Adora went to find them, swallowed up by a hole in reality, but it felt like it was by design. As much as Catra wanted the Rebels out of her life, she didn’t want them to suffer. I thought that was very interesting.
It's never too late. You can always turn things around. There are some bridges you won't be able to mend, and some people who won't be able to forgive you. But you can still be better, you can always start anew with new people, remember the people you hurt, and not repeat those survival behaviors. I'm old, I've been there, I've lived through this. Maybe why I'm an old man watching a kid's show and getting all watery-eyed.
You can do better, you can be better. I know I'm a stranger on the internet, but I also know this was what I needed to hear at my lowest moments. Good luck, and I wish you all the best.
Bruh stop .. stopppp... stop speaking facts .. I just teared up reading this cause I relate so hard ...
"She's misunderstood, you of all people should know that." Scorpia said to Adora
WHAT EPISODE PLEASE
@@julijademsar8617 season 2 episode 5 white out
Yeah, Scorpia is a person were the simplest of line's hit HARD. Like the time she said to Carta, 'your a bad friend.' simply, no anger, no frustration, only straight hard facts, it's a quality I quit like about her..😋
@@niobedragones6457 "a person where the simplest of lines hits hard." Damn, I never really caught on to that, but you're completely right.
Catradora haters: _"Their relationship is toxic and is an insult to people in abusive relationships"_
Actual abusive victims: _"She-Ra helped me to understand myself and heal so much. Inject this show into my veins, actually."_
Yeah
It’s very wrong of you to invalidate people’s abuse for not liking Catra and adora
@@K75-d5n That wasn't my intention, but there's a lot of concern trolling that's been going around in addition to people not getting the whole picture. If you still disapprove of it otherwise, then that's valid too.
This show makes me cry more than anything I've ever watched. My mom abandoned me. Told me i was an abomination when she found out i was bi. No matter what she did i always blindly tried to win her love. This show was a godsend as i related to catra on a core level
Both Adora’s and Catra’s relationship with Shadow Weaver reminds me a lot of my own relationship with my dad and it was really cathartic to see their character arcs play out.
“not because they are good but because they are familiar, and to catra, familiar is synonymous with safe” beautifully said
I see at lot of people compare Catra's arc to Zuko's arc and say that Zuko's was better, but their arcs are structured differently and shouldn't be compared so much. For one, while Catra is a villain for longer, she is shown as sympathetic right from the start. Even as she gets deeper and deeper into her hurtful actions, you can always trace the reasoning back and tell why she's doing this. With Zuko, he started out as a cartoonishly angry villain that we gradually got more sympathetic looks into. Catra starts out as Adora's friend and transitions into an enemy, whereas with Zuko, the audience only knows him as an enemy to begin with. Catra also has a preexisting bond with Adora that Zuko did not have with any of the Gaang. I think this is what people most overlook when they say Catra was forgiven too easily. Adora and Catra fell back into their old ways of being friends easily because despite everything, they really missed each other, whereas Zuko had to work to earn the other's trust because he didn't know them. Even then, Catra had to earn Glimmer's trust on the spaceship. I think from Glimmer's end, with her realizing how much she herself had messed up, let her empathize with Catra and while she called her out, she didn't judge her as harshly as she could've.
I know some people didn't want everyone to forgive her because that's not how real life works, especially when it came to Scorpia. I agree with this sentiment but at the same time Scorpia and Entrapta are not characters who hold grudges easily. I get the reluctance towards especially Scorpia and Catra, but at least the show does portray that Catra's truly remorseful and is going to work to make it up to her. Overall, I think discussions of redemption in media get muddled by whether the character "deserves" it or whether they should be forgiven or not. I feel like we should place less focus on these aspects and more on why these characters want to be redeemed. Why do they want to become better people? That's what's most interesting to me.
Yes!!!! Thank you for pointing out how different Zuko and Catra's arcs are! I feel like whenever people see a redemption arc for a villain, they immediately compare it to the way ATLA handled Zuko and his relationship with the main cast. Catra feels like a completely different take on redemption: a fallen out friendship, as opposed to a bullies-to-friends narrative.
I’m completely agree and feel like Catra shares more with Azula for the most part. I’d explain it but that would be bothersome lol
Maybe I make a mistake, but Frosta doesn’t really forgive her
@@lokatla8261 Finally! Someone Who Agrees With Me.
Hm, I see.
catra is important to remind me that im a lesbian
good
same lol
james smith i do 💛
@james smith shut up, if you’re here to just bring this person down, then get out
catra would care, catra wouldn't do me like this. james i cant believe this i am truly disappointed /j /j /j
18:20 So much this! People don't seem to acknowledge that the confession being free of expectation is *why* Catra was able get through to Adora when no one else could. Adora is stunned and in disbelief at Catra's plea. She believes Catra has no reason to love her because she knows Catra has nothing to gain from it. It's unconditional. Why does that matter though?
Beginning in season 3 after Shadow Weaver joins the Rebellion, Adora, for the first time, is able to see her for who she truly is which is a stark contrast to the reverence she had for her in the premiere when she went as far as to criticize Catra for not being respectful towards SW despite knowing how poorly she was treated. In season 4, Adora sees how Shadow Weaver negatively affected Glimmer and shoots Shadow Weaver a look when Scorpia tells her that SW leaving the fright zone "did a number" on Catra. In season 5's "Failsafe", with this new clarity, Adora's mortified seeing Catra and Shadow Weaver's relationship firsthand in a new light. We see Adora constantly reassuring Catra and actively changing her speech patterns around her to comfort her while rejecting Shadow Weaver's adoration. For the first time, it seems like Adora truly understands why Catra is the way that she is, and she acknowledges where Catra's developed resentment of her stemmed from. In season 5, we see Adora truly trying to make good on their promise. This of course, only covers Catra's relationship with Adora and not Adora's arc of learning to accept love.
Over the course of the show, Adora's unhealthy hero complex is constantly rewarded and is "positively" reinforced by those she helps. The repercussions of this pathology come to a head in season 4 where Adora only concerns herself with being the hero Glimmer needs her to be even going so far as to seek out the heart of Ehtheria if it meant not being a failure, and again in season 5 when she's distressed, confused, scared, and more than willing to throw her life away if it meant saving the world and those she cares about. The scars of Adora's trauma are subtle and are slowly peeled back rather than hitting the viewer in the face like a truck in Catra's case (bravo btw for having the protagonist progressively unravel this way over the course of the show, we don't see these kinds of hero subversions often in animation)
While Adora's friendship and love for Bow and Glimmer is real, it was only after she proved her worth to the Rebellion that she was wholy accepted, humbly kneeling at the throne of the queen. In her mind, those connections, as real as they were, were something that had to be earned. In her mind, It was conditional. Adora felt she was swapping one predetermined destiny out for another which is why she's so lost after she breaks the sword. She can no longer use She-Ra as a crutch and has to ask herself for the first time in her life what she truly wants. Only after saving _Catra_ does that clarity allow her to awaken She-Ra's true form for the first time.
Catra asking Adora "what she truly wants" in Failsafe expresses Catra's understanding of Adora's mindset that no one else around her even comes close to empathizing with. Deep down, despite everything, no one knows them better that each other. It's just like you said in your previous video, it was only after all else is stripped away, the embodiment of their past gone, and with only each other and the end of the world in their grasp, are they finally able to say it.
yee!!! haw!
This was so beautifully put into words
This explanation brought me to tears for some reason
this was explained so well i can’t even fathom-
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
People seem to forget that Catra's journey from horde cadet to horde leader was by no means a natural progression. In season 1 before Promise, Catra was more than content with Adora escaping the horde (as painful as it was for her) and only tried to bring Adora back after Shadow Weaver threatened her. Even then, she allowed Adrora to escape the fright zone and said that she "didn't want her to come back" when asked about why she did it.
From promise onward, everytime Catra descends further, her actions can be directly traced back to a previous traumatic experience - Shadow Weaver manipulating and leaving her, Hordak sending her to die, SW joining the Rebellion and almost devouring Catra which is something that isn't talked about nearly enough imo, etc. Seeing her snap the way she did was as painful as it was inevitable.
I like the way you put it. It makes you see that really Catra, even though she was hurt by Adora's leaving, knew it was the best thing for her and that on the other hand, staying in the horde was her own decision. While it is true that she liked to "bother" Adora in her encounters, she really started to build a more independent life by staying in the horde.
But unfortunately she had to suffer the following traumatic experiences that pushed her to keep wandering until the end. This means that none of the subsequent events really had anything relate with Adora, and that's also why it was right for the series that season 4 they had almost no interaction (because they were really each going their own way without relying on each other's actions).
It has been fortunate that finally these two lost souls met again to realize that they did care about each other. If it wasn't the intentions of the writers to bring them together, I'm sure the normal course of their lives would never see each other again, because they wouldn't have this need anymore.
@@rukiaxai I don't really see it that way.
Catra and Adora are always in each other's orbit in one way or another. First I view Catra's season 1 glimmers of 'good guy' towards Adora as largely being a nod towards their previous relationship, respecting Adora's autonomy some and not wanting fight her that much.
Later as Catra's punished pretty severely for the fallout either directly of letting Adora go or similar sentiments that see SW given enough rope to hang Catra with she progressively quashes her feelings of respecting Adora with way more bitterness and anger. The ultimate culmination being her drive to pull the portal lever just to satisfy her need for revenge.
That revenge was directed at Adora though and I don't think there was any way they'd just drift apart until Catra was able to develop a secure stable relationship ( not romantic just, someone to count on ) because my read is that a fair bit of Catra's angst towards Adora is taking away her last secure stable relationship. A more balanced Catra might have been able to do that and drift apart but for a plethora of external and internal reasons that wasn't likely to happen.
Exactly. One person forgiving someone doesn't mean it's "teaching kids to forgive their abusers." It's one example, and Adora calls Catra out on her stuff while Catra stops herself and apologizes.
20:11 "there's a difference between the calculated repeated offenses of an adult and the dysregulated self-defense behaviors of a traumatized teenager." that's my favorite line, it means so much to me.
“when she lets go of expectations she’s able to give love freely. and when she gives love freely, adora is able to accept it.” wow.
i love that they pushed her past what was “the point of no return”, and then begun her redemption arc. they could have easily started it in s1 when catra had the opportunity to save adora during promise, and then again in s3 when catra had the opportunity to help adora fix everything in the portal, but instead they pushed her so far that even people who love her character begun to wonder if she would actually get her redemption arc, and then brought her back. it accents the fact that it’s never too late to make a change, and i love it.
This is one of the main reasons I love She Ra. It's a sad but true depiction of child abuse, something I unfortunately am very familiar with. It also accurately shows the after math of that abuse. Thank you this video was very encouraging.
Your analysis is fantastic. As a survivor of emotional abuse, everything you say here resonates very powerfully. This show has taught me so much about myself and the world and it’s honestly too good for us mortals. Thank you for your videos and for giving me the words and confidence to talk about my own experiences with abuse.
Michael Hartinger thank you for sharing, friend 💛
@Grace Garcia (gg1772) no worries. The world is rarely fair - we do what we can with what we have. Cheers to you friend!
@@5x5Takes When you make people cry with how excellent your videos are you better believe they’ll share! Thank you again for these analyses - they’ve meant so much to me. 💚
As someone who also had an experience with that kind of abuse, I couldn’t have said this better myself
Catra: *exists*
Shadow Weaver: "And i took that personally"
17:16 *”because it’s easier to expect hate than to accept love that could be taken away”*
19:42 *”to forgive is an act of compassion. It’s not done because people deserve it, it’s done because they need it”*
Those really hit hard 😭
The effects of Emotional abuse are very often laughed off, and the behavior of those of us working through our trauma disregarded, rather than treated as part of a cycle we can still break. We are not evil. We are Hurting. we are reacting to a distorted view of others intentions.
Give us a little time, help, kindness. a drop of understanding might save our lives.
Six months late but totally agree and relate
*looks over at the times I’ve snapped at my friends because I was hurting* yes
As someone with Borderline Personality Disorder, I related to Catra on so many deep, intimate levels that was spooky to find in a children's show, and it meant a lot that she was able to be redeemed and ///find love/// in the end. Honestly, Catra is a *textbook* case of Borderline Personality Disorder, and a lot of the things that you directly point out are part of the diagnosis and notable symptoms. While there is a genetic disposition for BPD and mental illness in general, BPD at the moment is believed to be majorly impacted by one's environment, particularly as a young child. Catra's story is a tragically accurate depiction of the devolution of emotions, decisions, outbursts, and self-torment in people with BPD, but the show writers also showed us that we don't have to be defeated by the worst of ourselves, we can heal, we can change, and we can be forgiven for our mistakes. I doubt the show runners were specifically looking to depict BPD, but they hit all the notes anyway, and I hope any young viewers who may hear those words later in life can revisit Catra's story and know that they'll be okay, too.
I doubt it was coincidental. Literally every symptom of bpd can be attributed to Catra.
*Behavioral:* antisocial behavior, compulsive behavior, hostility, impulsivity, irritability, risk taking behaviors, self-destructive behavior, self-harm, social isolation, or lack of restraint
*Mood:* anger, anxiety, general discontent, guilt, loneliness, mood swings, or sadness
*Psychological:* depression, distorted self-image, grandiosity, or narcissism
*Also common:* thoughts of suicide
@@NRobbi42 also i searched BPD risk factors and wow
@@pawsgatekeeper3821 Abandonment in childhood or adolescence
Disrupted family life
Poor communication in the family
Sexual, physical, or emotional abuse
Yup
@@NRobbi42 yeah , for Catra emotional and psysichal abuse , abandonment in the adolescense and poor comunication with the others ( her " family " )
I'm happy they gave us all the signs, little and big. It can be a bit more subtle than you think it would be. Especially emotional abuse from friends, family, and others.
Okay... okay.... I just finished the series (finally). Catra’s arc was everything I wanted. Everything from her constant self loathing and her utter confusion at the very idea of her former enemies not only forgiving her but including her, and her recognizing her faults and apologizing to the people she hurt was all so natural and sincere. She is right up there with Zuko and Faith for redemption arcs done well.
catgirl make my heart go brrr
Yes I just finished it tonight! Then i came straight here to watch videos about it🥰 it’s an amazing show
@@5x5Takes Don't you mean purrr?
What is the series’ name?
@@sunshinemonster0780 it’s called She -Ra: Princesses of Power (2018)
I honestly hate that I've seen people say, "Catra was forgiven too easily." Number one, that was Adora's, Entrapta's, and everyone else she hurt's decision, not yours. Number two, Zuko's redemption arc is not the only way to go about a redemption arc. Zuko didn't ever have a good history with Aang and the others. He had to earn their trust. With Catra, however, Adora had seen the good side of Catra before, and not just for one or two scenes. She only needed to do one thing in order to show Adora she can be given a second chance. Adora loved her enough to want to give another chance when Catra was ready to take it.
Yeah. They’re both great redemption arcs, but for entirely separate reasons. Zuko has an empathetic mentor figure to keep him grounded, but Catra’s stuck in a tailspin of self-destruction until everything is stripped away from her except her connection with Adora.
There’s no one way to write a good redemption arc, which makes sense-there’s no one “right” way to heal from trauma and grow into a better person after hitting rock bottom.
When they reunite, Zuko doesn’t need to convince Iroh that he’s changed into a better person, despite how painful the betrayal in Crossroads of Destiny. Iroh’s already invested in his redemption, and welcomes him enthusiastically when he sees Zuko has finally embraced his destiny.
Similarly, Catra doesn’t need to “win over” Adora’s love after she breaks Glimmer out of Prime’s ship. Adora is already invested in Catra’s personal growth, it just takes that one big act of selflessness to push them over the edge.
Not to mention, Zuko had to earn Katara's trust, he helped find who killed her mother. He helped Sokka get his father back.
He didn't have to, he could have only helped Aang with his firebending, but no, he wanted to be a part of the group.
Bow and Glimmer accepted Catra easily because she saved Glimmer, she risked her life to free Glimmer. Even Adora got hope her friend changed, forgiving her.
didn't she literally die and then adora brought her back to life, I think she paid for all her crimes tbh
Honestly it even confuses me that ZUKO is used as the argument for why Catra shouldn't have been forgiven so easily... to preface, I think Zuko's redemption is perfect. I love it. It's not a criticism when I say this, but: Zuko was forgiven, or at least accepted by the Gaang, pretty quickly. Literally he comes and pleads his case and apologizes, and while they're not immediately buddy-buddy with him (especially Katara), they do accept him into their group within the same episode. And as you said, they don't have the benefit of having had a relationship within prior (like Adora). They also haven't witnessed any of his acts of redemption (like Glimmer).
Yeah, he then has instances with Aang, Sokka, and Katara where they have bonding moments, but I'd argue the only instance where this functions as working toward an apology is in the case of Katara-- both Sokka and Aang harbored no ill feelings toward him at the start of their mini adventures.
And again this isn't a criticism of Zuko's arc-- I love it, and I honestly think it wouldn't have been appropriate narratively for them to spend more time proving that Zuko is worthy of forgiveness (cuz the audience has seen it, even if the characters haven't seen it as much). But I just find it so weird that people think Catra was forgiven too quickly, but don't think Zuko was-- they were BOTH forgiven relatively quickly, but not *TOO* quickly.
when i was in primary school, i barely had any friends. so when i developed this friendship with a student from my class, it was completely new territory.
despite that, it was nice. having someone to sit with during lunch, having a buddy for every group project or activity, or just someone to walk home with. it was safe and warm and something i will remember.
so when we got placed into separate classes and she made new friends, i felt betrayed, and i don’t think i had any right to. i don’t ever recall her approaching me about it so i think i just took it as confirmation that i had been replaced.
that was my mindset at the time. “she has new friends, she doesn’t need me anymore”. it’s a bit of a problem i’m still trying to work on today.
i think being on my own for a while and finally finding the one person i could really get along with made me believe that everyone has that one person, unintentionally strengthening the whole “love is finite” thing. since i hadn’t been shown that much warmth and kindness by anyone else, i believed that everyone had their people or person already and i was just the odd one out.
i kinda realised all the parallels to what was being discussed in the video and what i’ve experienced just now and i felt like sharing because... my notes are getting cramped enough as it is and it’s 1am over here.
yea
after that sweet first taste you start craving positive attention again starting the cycle again
Can we get a charactr study about Adora? everyone seems to ignore her trauma, her thought process. and uses Catra's trauma to undermind Adora's trauma. I think its important to talk about Adora's abuse too! because as it seems, people seem to think Adora was "loved" when she wasn't.
It'd be interesting to see what your thoughts on her are, too
adora definitely wasn’t loved. i’d love to do something like that
@@5x5Takes yeah ! everyone always ignores the fact that the love was fake in order to properly manipulate Adora into being a loyal soldier. Adora's thought process is actually quite faciniating too--she believes if she's not useful to someone, she doesn't deserve to live (according to noelle) and that to me, sounds like something she picked up from her upbringing. That's the thoughts of an abuse victim too.
I would love to see a vid of her too. To see her how Adora dealt with her own trauma, because there's still some people who belive that she didn't suffer or her trauma wasn't the big deal compares to Catra's.
Jenny Castro if anyone genuinely watches the show and comes away with “adora was fine,” i think that’s willful ignorance at that point. but yeah, i’d love to. just need a bit of a break from big char studies for a bit!
@@5x5Takes I see adora's compliments she would get from shadow weaver as a backhanded way to not only verbally abuse catra further but also make adora feel like she has to be the best at everything/live up to weaver's expectations and also make her feel bad about catra not being as 'loved' as her. that's just how I see it though.
gay little cartoon cat girl made very very important points about love and forgiveness and healing and we love to SEE IT. also once again u absolutely killed at the making points and connecting them and the absolute care u put into communicating what exactly makes catra and stories like hers so important.
I think Noelle did say Catra was becoming suicidal at some point.
Catra died 9 times, and mostly were suicide
@@oof5740 Wait did Noelle say that Catra died 9 times? That's super sad
@@Moon_Bloom
yup, she died 9 times. according to noelle:
-princess prom when she fell off the cliff for a dramatic exit
-killed by spiders in “promise”
-suffocated by hordak
-portal’d
-portal’d again
-beaten by glimmer in “pulse”
-beaten by hordak in “destiny part 2”
-died when saving glimmer
-prime’d/falling off the platform on horde prime’s ship
once adora saved her in “save the cat” her lives were reset.
And given some of the examples there I'm tempted to believe she's back down to eight lives after getting thrown across the Fright Zone by Chipped Scorpia...
She straight up asked Glimmer to kill her at the end of season 4, so yeah, probably.
Catras storyline is the thing in this show that brought me to legitimate tears NUMEROUS times throughout watching. Was fucking incredible
I had a friend who was horrible to me for a long time - like Catra and Adora, we were incredibly close as young kids, but things got more and more nasty the older we got until completely splitting at 16 when we left school. When we were 20, she came to me apologetic, she told me she’d changed and she was so sorry, she told me she missed me. I accepted her apology immediately - I didn’t need any more from her than the promise she’d do better, because I still loved her - the parts of her that were good - and if she was willing to make the effort to *be* the good parts of her and reject the things she did that were bad, I was willing to abandon the abuse (which was still, even then, traumatising me) and forgive her mistakes on the way to recovery. This is why I don’t take issue with what happens when Adora forgives Catra, because when you take away the higher stakes, that’s the story. And people are emotional creatures, and we want to forgive the people we love.
The difference is Catra actually tried to be better after that - my friend didn’t, and we haven’t spoken in a year now.
YES GLIMMER AND CATRA PARALLELS! Season 4 when Adora and Catra are fighting about who's in charge, Glimmer says stuff that sounds so close to Catra: "You always have to be in charge. You always have to be the hero." and you can tell the Shadow Weaver is instilling that same mistrust in Glimmer. Shadow Weaver has always pushed Adora's friends away from her, simply because Adora is useful to her. God I hate Shadow Weaver.
Agree, but still happy in the 11th hour she put someone ahead of herself. I wanted at least some redemption for her.
Yeah, like she’s a very good and complex character but honestly she’s just so damn mean and I hate it
As someone who grew up with an abusive parent I completely empathise with Catra. It's so difficult for people who haven't been through this kinda thing to understand how long term trauma like this affects the rest of your life and your character. It is often instinctual and sub conscious and self destructive because you are told your whole life you don't deserve happiness and eventually you believe it, especially if others let you down.
Catra's arc is very accurate and inspiring to anyone watching who has experienced abuse. Change is possible. The past doesn't have to be the future. You can be loved and you do deserve to be happy.
100%
Many say that the change of Catra was forced. And I answer them: "If you remember Catra fell to the lowest point?" "Do you remember that Double Trouble told her hers truths to her face after fighting Hordark?" "Do you remember Lord Prime putting her through that memory-erasing green liquid?"
Every step in Catra's arc is so well constructed that it as good as Zuko's character arc.
PD: You make me cry QwQ omg
nah, nothing can be as good as zuko's redemption arc.
@@koii4033 Well yes, but it gets closer.
Catra's change is just amazing, i love that she will finally be at peace ;-:
@@koii4033 I kinda disagree. People put ATLA up on some pedestal but shows can do things as good as ATLA. Catras arc is fundamentally from Zuko though, they are different types of redemption and I do think dumps arc hits the landing better but their buildup is almost equal in how great it is.
that’s because it was all forced, it was all forced in in the last season. there was absolutely NO build up throughout the entire show, so dont fcking compare this shit “redemption” towards zukos. zuko never went towards catras extreme of destroying the entire world, traumatizing millions, hurting millions, and destroying homes and families. all of the things you stated were put in during the last two episodes of season 4 and the first few episodes of seas*n f*ve, and may i remind you that catradora is based off of the creator of she ras own toxic relationship? this redemption is absolute dog shi
Can we just talk about how Bow and Glimmer really accepted Catra even after everything? They see how much Catra means to Adora and are willing to accept her unconditionally. They can see her trying to change and make it easier on her by being gentle, accepting, and friendly. They really are the best friend squad.
I absolutely adored how realistic they portrayed catra's response to trauma. She didn't have some magical recovery, she endured and suffered, and her actions reflected her anger and confusion of her past. It really annoys me when people say she sucked and was a crappy person FOR NO REASON. She had many reasons to feel the way she did, and although it wasn't right how she acted, I was still a realistic version of how badly trauma can affect you.
Something I really like about this show is that it dares to turn around the usual story set up of the „golden child and scapegoat“ scenario. Most of the time it is the scapegoat who gets to escape their toxic environment and the golden child is the one who stays in it to later face their comeuppance (best example Zuko and Azula from Atla) but not here. Here ADORA escapes even though she had it „better“ (maybe not as bad but Adoras abuse was fucked up as well) and Catra, the victim who already suffered more and worse, was left behind to spiral down completely.
I find that so interesting to watch because it actually took us places we haven’t seen these character „tropes“ before very often
Are we just going to skim over the fact that Catra and Adora were raised and even lived in a place called “The Fright Zone”? Most of the Horde Soldiers seemed to literally live off fright, even Shadow Weaver.
I guess their logic was more like ''The Rebellion is way worse'' and ''We only have to live like this to fix them'' but when Adora sees the actual damage to innocent people, people she was told she was helping, she flips sides.
Meanwhile Catra has known exactly how bad the Fright Zone is cuz she lived through all that abuse and trauma, but didn't care cuz one day she and Adora would be in charge. She clung onto that last hope that they were gonna be able to make that life together and Adora just abandons that goal cuz she suddenly realizes the Horde is evil (even after witnessing everything Catra went through). In Catra's mind, she left for two strangers after suddenly getting a moral compass when it comes to random people. We can see why this is the case from Adora's POV, but for someone like Catra, who has seen and faced so much, it shouldn't make any sense.
So when Adora leaves her and their dreams behind, Catra sets out to rise in the Horde and rule Etheria as a way of following those dreams while getting back at Adora for leaving her. This was defo fueled by her built up anger, resentment and desire to prove herself to the people who never acknowledged her worth.
lol I was just thinking that. Everyone constantly accuses Catra of all the bad "choices" she made and critize her for not "choosing" to adandon her home and friends and join the Rebellion like Adora did.......Catra and the others are Literally slaves, child soldiers forced to fight and killed if they ever tried to escape or simply failed a task. Yup, Catra's life was just full of freedom and choice.....
@@Sav3TheWorld Kinda Important that Adora was raised very differently from the other Horde kids. Shadow Weaver sheltered her like anything, gave her an insane moral complex and she was basically her golden child. That complex that she was left with is what allows her to immediately break through the Horde's brainwashing so it's way more of a choice for her than it was for Catra.
Edit : If you think about it, Adora actually took just as long to work through the issues SW left her with. From thinking she doesn't deserve love to her entire responsibility issue, she isn't called out on it until Catra helps her break through. Adora was left with many problems, it's just that she was always fighting on the 'Good side' because that's how she was brought up.
It's unfair to blame either her or Catra for these issues, they were both brought up differently, one spun into a narrative that turned her into the 'bad guy' and one internally fighting to always be the 'good guy'. In conclusion, frick Shadow Weaver
@@Sav3TheWorld "Abandon her Friends"?
Catra didn't have Friends besides Adora. Sure, she was in a Team wie Lonnie, Kyle and Rogelio, but she didn't care about them.
Right? It's weird seeing people say that we needed Adora and Catra to show their affection for each other more before season 5 when it would've been seen as a weakness. Hell, back in season 1, Adora said that whenever she got sick she would hide away from the other horde soldiers to not appear vulnerable instead of getting help. I think when it comes to analyzing Catra and Adora's character and relationship, it's important to take into account how abnormal they are.
One thing you missed, or at least were super subtle about, is part of child-Katra's memories. If Promise showed her earliest accessible memories, then Shadow Weaver wrote a simple equation into Katra's brain. "I've only kept you around this long because Adora was fond of you, but if you ever do anything to jeopardize her future, I will dispose of you myself." There is a piece of Catra's brain that thinks that (fairly rightly) that without Adora, Shadow Weaver will kill her. But if she follows orders and brings Adora back, she'll have to make it open knowledge that Adora's future with the Hoard is gone and thus Shadow Weaver will kill her. And if she hurts Adora, Shadow Weaver will kill her. But if she does nothing, then Shadow Weaver will kill her. There are four scenarios, all of which reach the same end. On top of that, the person who could keep her safe has broken their word.
No safety, only fear. No safety, only pain. No wonder Catra went insane. The only reason she didn't completely shut down is she is a survivor, she's a strong despite all the holes burrowed in her spirit.
The one scene over all the rest of the series that made me want to cry was when Catra came to dinner that first time, and snuck close to the group and just sat there trying not to be seen. Outside safe||Outside hurts||safe hurts, even though she wants to be there. She is so utterly broken in that moment. But sometimes a broken bone heals wrong, and it can hold you for years, you learn to live with the pain, ignore it, and eventually not even know it is there, but the only way to make it right is to rebreak it and have it set correctly, to heal again. Taking that bao was the bravest thing we saw in the entire series, because it throws away the madness-mistaken-for-courage and sets up Catra's actual courageous self.
Well seen! This put her reacton at the very begining of the series into perspective. She was really freaking out about Adora eaving, not only because of Adora "abandonning" her (sort of yeah, sort of no) but also because of what it meant for catra's safety. So it was like a double betrayal. I remember her asking Adora if she ever worried about what would happen to Catra if she didn't come back to The Horde...
It's clear that Catra is acting out of anger and fear/terror most of the show. She was a tragic character.
I also found the meal scene so wholesome.
This made me cry, but thank you for this
In addition to the two points made: Catra feeling abandoned, and legitimately unsafe (which I completely agree with and when Catra broke the fabric of reality we see that really clearly. Adora is a Force Captain and Catra hides behind her.) But I also think what was hard for Catra to get past was that it took Adora being told by OTHERS that the Horde was evil, when Adora saw how the Horde and Shadow Weaver in particular treated Catra. From Catra’s perspective, most days were a nightmare, but because Adora was also abused and pitted against Catra, Adora thought the abuse was normal and made excuses for Shadow Weaver. So I read it from Catra’s perspective as “so it’s not okay for other people to be harmed. Just me. All right.”
I find it annoying when people say catradora is toxic. That’s literally Catra’s character. She’s SUPPOSED to be a toxic bastard. She however is able to change and she does in the end. So please let me have my comfort ship.
1 interesting fact about Catra’s constantly changing relationship with Adora: Throughout the show, despite their conflict she never ONCE calls her She-Ra directly - just Adora. The only time she says that title is when she’s referring to Adora as the Rebellion’s secret weapon but whenever she’s talking to her face to face, Adora is the only name that comes out of her mouth.
The dislikes are from people who were crying and couldn't see the like button.
Yeah XD
❤️ hahaha
I really liked Noelle Stevensons Don't let go. Deleted scene she wrote as a fan fic. I think it shows more of Catras mind set during her redemption arc. I kinda wish it was added to the character exploration.
Where can i find it? Give me foooooood.
omg whAt that sounds so good
@Keroessa 01 @faith
I’m pretty sure they mean Don’t Go by Annacharlier on AO3. And yes it’s amazing
wait! where can I find this?
@@taylorsweeney8501 google should take you to it. Sorry I don't know how to link it. It was good and its official. Written by noelle. It takes place in space right after save the cat.
"That chance isn't owed, and it's not expected. But it's still possible" - such a powerful line. As an abuse victim with abandonment issues, I hold Catra so close to my heart. She gives me so much hope
hearing her say "some people have a bad day, I've had a bad life" sometimes she jokes around sensitive topics but that truly hit home
Bro. I’ve found my people. People who understand my love for Catra. It irks my soul whenever I see Catra hate from people who refuse to see her as anything but a ruthless, selfish murderer and then treat the other characters like their actions are dismissible. Like, it hurts me because I get Catra and her anger and her not knowing how to handle it. I get her self-hatred mentality and her refusal to believe she’s anything other than worthless. I’ve been waiting for someone to finally tell Catra’s side of things and foe people to finally acknowledge that she wasn’t as evil and other make her out to be. I’ve seen “she’s a war criminal and I can’t excuse that” so many times, as if everyone else didn’t commit crimes as well, just because they’re the “good guys”. Like ugh! I just wanted Catra to be loved for once and not antagonized/made to be the outcast or villain like Shadow Weaver did her entire life.
Same! Exactly the same.
Right? I don’t know how so many people can’t see through her. Growing up I habitually placed a lot of focus on determining how others were feeling and trying to predict how my behaviour would affect that to avoid angering them so maybe that’s part of it, that you can’t really understand her if you can’t at all relate to her but it seems so obvious that she’s hurt and needs someone to reassure her that she has worth and is loved unconditionally.
Through the whole series I felt a lot like Scorpia, wishing I could just go back to when she was a kid and hold and protect her.
I love how Adora never called Carta " a villian. " She was traumatized, abused and manipulated by the horde. That really changed her and made her confused and made her have anger issues.
Catra is my comfort character, I relate to her but she also brings a fantasy twist to real problems.
I came to this video after watching a video with comments full of people who hated catra and her redemption. This video and its complete and gentle understanding of catra made me cry so much. I love her character and always admired that she showed sometimes people who are self-destructive deserve love too.
i made this video many years ago. but that’s why i made it. i’m very glad to hear that
"The traumatized mind is predicated on safety."
God, I wanted to cry.
"When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change."
- Avatar Aang
When I see Catra going through her mental breakdown at the end of Season 4, and then choosing to do 'that one good thing' in Season 5, it always makes me think of this line, and I cry everytime :')
"Why do you love Catra so much?"
Me, who relates and also simps: *pulls up video* observe
i really hope by watching this video, more and more people will understand her like me. the way how the words flow is just...phenomenal.
Nikita Lachke absolutely. her story exists for every person that might see themselves in it, ESPECIALLY the kindness in it. who said cartoons don’t matter!
@@5x5Takes i know right! and understanding these characters will help you understand real people.
@@nikitalachke1808 and it has! after watching this video i feel more capable of forgiving someone who has hurt me in the past, and myself. thank you
@@lovelylavendertea4714 agh!! this is exactly what i mean! i also felt the same way and now i feel more positive and happier with myself then before. this show has really helped me a lot
I think the best way to describe Catra's actions is "reactive abuse". when she gets abused she turns right around and becomes abusive herself, making her arch more complex. most victims dont get shown how even as victims we can be abusive ourselves and working through that cycle and eventually breaking it over time
rant over lol
exactly you get it !!
And if the Alternative Reality is any indication, Catra’s deepest true wish is living a peaceful life with her love of her life, much like Adora as revealed in the Finale.
I also noticed that everytime Catra does a good thing, hoping that something good happens, it backfires horribly, like that time Catra gave Shadow Weaver her Guild medal, not knowing that it would allow her abusive “mother” to escape.
But when she helps Glimmer to escape, without expecting anything (no love, no future, no chance of a better life) but Horde Prime’s wrath, everything just looks bright and goes right for her.
I perfectly understand Catra’s confusion about this unexpected turn of events
I wouldn't exactly call ruling Etheria "peaceful", but it was apparent that Catra only concerned herself with surpassing Adora because she didn't want to affirm Shadow Weaver's abuse. As long as SW was kind to her, she didn't care about Adora getting the Force Captain promotion without her.
@@NRobbi42 yeah, but in a twisted way, their wishes are similar
I'm aware of the criticism I'll receive for saying this, but Adora and Catra continue to hold a special place in my heart because of the way they support one another in overcoming obstacles and working together to save the universe. I continue to hold out hope that they make a sequel comic book someday as well as a movie.
This show actually made me feel more confident in myself. I faced my inner homophobia and really embraced who i am Sept 1st, is when I came out to myself as bisexual. Oct 2, I came out to a in-person friend for the first time instead of online peeps. I still struggle with being "out" as I'm still in "the closet" partially from my mom being raised super religiously and ended up close minded while my dad on the the other hand is more open minded, kind hearted, and accepting since my grandma is that type of person as well. She-ra forever will have a place in my heart.
The way your broke down Catra's character and really took time to understand her really makes me so happy. I love Catra as a character and will always adore her. You did such a great job with this video and the last She-ra video made me so emotional as well as this one. Thank you for making time into making these videos. It really helps a lot and may help others as well like the show did for me.
I’m proud of you! Remember you are valid no matter what!
I'm so proud of you for coming out,you're so valid don't let anyone think others.💛
The parallel of Catra giving Adora an electric shock and saying “sorry, it was a reflex!” then doing the same to Entrapta and seeing that look of horror on her face after she does it was very powerful, I don’t think it’s talked about enough. It’s sort of what being manic or having a panic attack feels like. All she knows is trauma, so she reacts to everything the same way. She hurts people because she’s been told her whole life it’s all she’s good at, and no one validates her or takes her seriously if she doesn’t.
I love catra and adoras relationship, both children of trauma, both working to heal, and i love how catra recognizes immediately after her own start in healing, adora's own self destructive patterns.
When you introspect in that way you do start to recognize the pain in others.
Shadow weaver: *projects what she hates about herself on Catra since early childhood*
ALSO Shadow weaver: damn why this kid remind me of myself so much
*"She doesn't get to be a person. She's a child made into an adult woman's receptacle for her own self-hate"*
Oh wow. That really resonated with me. Only recently I've been realizing that a lot of my childhood (6-11 years old) was spent just like that. There was an older cousin that moved in during those years because she needed a place to stay, and as 2nd in the hierarchy under my mom she made my life hell. It was never physical, but lots of verbal, psychological and moral abuse.
And I accepted it as normal because, while my mom wouldn't do those (not until I got older and depressed), she would get physical. Generally only sandals, but a couple of times she beat me with a broomstick. And she only got rid of the troublesome cousin when the cousin flipped out on us after learning my mom got cancer.
To be fair, the cousin helped her take care of me as we were poor, my mother worked several jobs and my (bipolar) father would be with me mostly on weekends. And he died when I was 12. Fuck. When I say it like this it sounds pretty sad, but there was a lot of good too! I'm just glad I found the perfect way to put something I was feeling into words.
Sorry if this is a long one. I've been needing to get this off my chest for a long time.
So I too really like Catra, for your same reason. I'm probably an oddball fan of this show as I am a 20 year old straight male electrician. My buddy and his girlfriend always ask why I like She ra and Catra so much. I've never met a more relatable character anywhere else. I haven't been traumatized like she has, at least not in the same way. I used to be a very outgoing kid until I went to school and other kids thought I was obnoxious or weird and I learned to suppress myself to be safe. That continued in high school with friends and girls. I leanred people didnt like who I was, so I would adapt or suppress parts of me to fit. Girls were always hard to talk to and still are because I've managed to train myself to always think of myself as below them, not worth their time, and I simply gave up. However I met one girl who I became close friends with only to catch feelings. I told her how I felt, she didnt feel the same way, and we stayed friends. It was hard because I only found more to love about her and would sometimes confess my feelings again. Eventually I broke things off because I wanted her to be happy. I didnt make her happy. Now I still struggle meeting girls because I don't want to go through that again. I don't want to hurt them or myself anymore, and yet I want someone to love me the way I love them.
I don't know what the hell to do now. I talk with my buddy and his gf about it sometimes but they don't understand.
Anyways, thank you for these amazing videos. They've helped me open up to myself and to make needed changes. I really appreciate this community you've created that we can use as an outlet for stuff like this.
Thank you
You made me cry, I love seeing how people UNDESRTAND Catra, it warms my heart
"It's easier to expect hate than to accept love that can be taken away"
As an abused kid with CPTSD myself, this line came for my throat.
i love catra because most people know that abuse doesn't tend to make nice people
and im so tired of every abuse survivor in media being a shy meek victim
i want to see the chaotic and ugly, because i cant be alone in it
Catra matters to me. There’s been so many moments of hers that I strongly relate to. When I was a kid, I struggled with friends and constantly drove people off. At first, it was because I came off too strong, and then they found new friends. Then I lost friends because I just couldn’t connect with people like I used to. Now, I’m constantly struggling with anger and due to that, I constantly isolate myself
in a sea of overly negative video essay dunks on "why the show you like is actually horrible!!!", this thoughtful and empathetic analysis really stands out. Thank you.
As someone who was abused and traumatized in childhood by a parent, I see a lot of myself in Catra. I have come a long way, but I still stumble and have outbursts where I act like a jerk--only to immediately recognize it and apologize. People like myself and Catra need forgiveness and kindness in order to break away from a cycle; turning your back on people like us only feeds behavior spurned on by the cycle we know/fall back on. Of course, this is not to say to stay with toxic people. There is a difference between breaking away from a cycle, and actively harming people. Many people want to change and break away, but do not feel like we deserve it--so we double down and shut ourselves away as a form of punishing ourselves. Healing also isn't easy; you can never fully "heal" from abuse, but you can grow away from it.
16:43
"When we reach our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change."
*Aggressive Avatar State theme starts playing*
@@thesovietonionn1343 this is the best comment 😂❤️
YES!
The Legend of Korra omg😆😆😆
*pfp intensifies*
Aang: “It easy to do nothing but it hard to forgive.”
Something I noticed about Catra being a cat-person is that it actually helps the audience read her complex character more easily.
The position of her ears makes her emotions _very_ easy for even a young audience to read. Even moreso than just facial expressions would.
Furthermore, her claws make the consequences of the moments when she _physically_ lashes out leave very visible wounds on others that the audience can plainly see, moreso than bruises would.
(and bruises might have bumped up the rating so that it wasn't considered acceptable for kids anymore)
You know, I always rooted for Catra, not that she'd win but that she'd finally see where she belongs. I loved her even and damn, did they make it hard sometimes but it didn't make me dislike or hate her, just disappointed and I really felt that disappointment. It is a testament to the writing of this show that no matter how manipulative, underhanded, conniving and unlikable she seemed, I never crossed that line. And they showed this care to almost every single character in the show. I wish more shows had this level of depth in their characters. Kinda reminded me of Hunter x Hunter... and now I'm sad...
I saw a video of Catra haters. This person said that Catra being abused doesn’t mean she can abuse others, but what they don’t understand is that abuse can mentally change someone. Which is why Catra is my favorite cause we have similar lives. Thank you for understanding. 🙂
My toxic “friend” growing up with a bad life doesn’t excuse her from threatening to use pepper spray on my other friends because they had other plans she didn’t know about
@@Green.Star_ks Well, it does. If abuse goes to you mentally you can’t control it.
@@ToeEater1108 while i definitely get your point I think there’s a fine line between things that can and should not be excused with abuse. Lashing out because you triggered by a traumatizing memory from your abuser that awoken can (to a pun extent) be excusable, trying to kill someone who did absolutely nothing to you isn’t.
(Hope you can get what I’m saying, I’m not trying to say your point is wrong I just wanna bring that up.)
@@vulpiixfoxx Adora knew that Catra was abused and knew she needed her. A part of Catra’s abuse is accepting that Adora left her for two strangers.
@@ToeEater1108 Oh no, I can definitely get what your saying just trying to say that at the same time, if someone in the show were to not forgive Catra I wouldn’t really hold it against them (not saying Catra doesn’t deserve forgiveness nor redemption.)
BECAUSE she’s a poor kicked kitty.😭
WHY ARE ALWAYS THE CAT PEOPLE THE ONES WHO GET ABUSED THE MOST?
😭😭😭😭 YEAH
@Johanna 😭😭😭
I have never, in my 24 years on this planet, related to a character more than I relate to Catra, as a BPD lesbian. I literally can't articulate how much her story, her redemption, impacted me. It made me feel hopeful for the first time in a long time, that maybe I won't be shackled by my childhood trauma forever, that I will find ways out of my harmful behaviours and become a better person. Honestly, Noelle is so amazing for giving us Catra and I think it's wonderful to think how many kids and adults alike will also be positively impacted.
This is such a sweet comment. I believe in you and I hope you’re doing okay.
even when she was the villain that u think everyone would hate, i still liked catra. maybe it’s cus i related to her too much or idrk but her character hurts me more than it should
this has to be the BEST video I've ever seen that takes the time to deconstruct and understand Catra's arc, not just classifying her as traumatized child or unforgivable villain, but showing how she struggles through those narratives and eventually rises to be more than either, and through it all this shines a spotlight on the sheer persistence and strength of Catra. She's been likened to Shadow Weaver both narratively and explicitly by Shadow Weaver herself, but Catra doesn't get enough credit for the grit and determination it takes to survive what she's been through and still work for redemption, a choice that Shadow Weaver never considered for herself (and frankly, I don't think SW could have persisted in the path for redemption. I don't think she has the motive or strength, not the way Catra does. But that's my opinion). And I love how you address Adora's role in this without taking the focus away from Catra's actions - yes, Adora was the catalyst in many of Catra's actions, and later her decision to save Catra certainly cemented Catra's path of redemption, but in the end Catra made her choices, bad and good. Their love was a powerful driving force in the growth of the plot as well as their personal growths, but it doesn't undermine the weight of Catra's decisions to confront her wrongs and work to earn forgiveness and redemption.
I absolutely LOVED this video, and I'd honestly love it if you could perhaps do a similar sort of video for Adora's character - I feel like Adora's own set of traumas and behaviour patterns is not often discussed as extensively, and I think if anyone would do justice to it and how it complements the character journeys of those around her and against her, it would be you. Thank you for the videos you make and the love and passion you pour into them!
Exactly :)
Yes yes yes yes yes. This is exactly why Catra is so important. YES
Every time I watch your analysis on she ra, I bawl my eyes out because I can relate so much. also I understand better why the series touched me on such a deep level. Thanks for doing this, I really appreciate your work.
this. video. is. so. good.
it's one of the best explanations of the complexity of trauma I've seen. even my psych professor had trouble defining it.
everyone thinks abuse is only hitting and trauma is brushes with death. it's definitely not. emotional abuse and the trauma that comes with that is so so complex. you did so good explaining it for Catra. literally the first two minutes are already GOLDEN.
"she has a choice: accept Adora's forgiveness, not as an erasure of the past, but as a nod toward the future" THIS IS HUGE it's so hard to find that balance between moving forward and trying to do better VS glossing over the bad things that happened.
I genuinely don't truly understand what forgiveness means. to me, most times when people ask for forgiveness, it seems like they're asking "please forget that I did anything bad." I'm trying to see it as a "we're moving forward toward something new" but I still just don't understand how people actively deal with the history of the bad things.
god I love this show i love these characters so much
thanks for the heart!!! I edit my comments a lot to add more thoughts so it disappeared but I got the notification lol
@@sepiasmith5065 I've definitely been trying to look at forgiveness in that way, too. Like, I think there's a difference between "forgive me" and "forgive and forget". Forgiving someone is like agreeing to move forward to build something new while forgive and forget (or asking someone to forgive you with the expectation that they'll forget) is ignoring the other person's feelings as well as your actions. They happened and that's that. You can't go back and erase them. All you can do is move forward and prove you can be better.
So much truth and wisdom in this analysis. “It’s easier to expect hate than to accept love that can be taken away” almost had me in tears. Not for myself, but for certain people in my life who I’m starting to realize were very clearly victims of manipulation and abuse growing up.
As a person that suffers from panic attack, I can make an analogy with Catra's abuse and her way of thinking.When you have a panic attack, you feel like dying and all reason leaves you, and even though you are not dying and people do everything to assure you of that, you still feel your way, not their way.And after a while, people will even go so far as to say"you are faking it" or"you are a drama queen' or"just stop having panic attacks".Same with Catra.It's easier for a person that didn't went through abuse to find"excuses", rather than accepting people have problems they don't have...
Everything about this is amazing. I love Catra and how her story plays out. I always felt that people give her a bit of a hard time. The points you made about safety in habits vs the fear of the unknown really hit me hard, and I think that's something I definitely need to work on. Thank you.
Emmy Ping our pasts inform us but we’re not tethered to them. wishing you well 💛
Holy fuck, yes. Thank you 🙏 🙏
As an abusive victim. I relate with Catra like many on a very personal level.. It's extremely tiring to see people insult Catras character and shit on her because she isn't perfect.
Catra has many flaws, she's been damaged and traumatized. Much like many of us.
I gotta say, as lukewarm as I was towards most of the "best friend squad," I was instantly hooked on Catra's character ark, I watched through the entire show mostly because I wanted nothing more than to see this poor abused kitty find happiness.
One thing I found interesting was how much they mirror the "golden child - scapegoat" dynamic that's so common in abusive families. Adora's name (as Scorpia even points out in the parallel timeline) has the word "adore" right in it. Not only that, but she literally has golden hair and golden jewelry all over her She-Ra uniform. I mean, she even turns into a 7 ft superhero princess who rides a magical winged unicorn everywhere, once you notice it it's not even subtle. While Catra isn't literally a goat, it's not hard to see that she does get blamed for absolutely everything as far as Shadow-Weaver is concerned. Interestingly another great redeemed villain, Zuko, has that exact same dynamic (even if the golden child in that story doesn't get redeemed by the end).
I think Catra is one of the most interesting characters ever written for television... this explains it all really well and I think enables people to find compassion and empathy for people who are stuck in an abusive cycle
I seriously don't know how you guys do it, but after watching your videos you get the same feeling as just getting out of the movies, mixed with a genuine therapy session. After watching you just sit in front of your computer or phone and don't immediatetly close it, you just sit there and try to progress those emotions you felt while wacthing, and try to understad the words that were spoken. Every single video is just incredible and i am so so grateful I found your channel. Thank you guys so much for your hard work, you definetely have mad talent.
This is the second video of yours that's done about the same thing for me. I hope one day that I'll be able to accept the words and the message behind some of the specific parts when that day comes. Thanks.
@@IsiahTomas Your time to shine will definitely come one day!
You don’t have to tell me. She is was such a beautifully written character.
Ok, so I don't make the rules? But this is now required viewing for the entire fandom. Especially the portion that is still insistent on calling Catra an abuser and leaving it at that.
... ok, I do have a little more sympathy than that. I understand the impulse, to an extent, because I think some people really bristle at the idea of having an abusive character become sympathetic, or at having an abused character perpetuate the abuse they faced. For some, it's triggering to watch, or it feeds into stereotypes about abuse and fears of perpetuating those stereotypes. In a broader sense, I also think that the dialogue surrounding abuse in online fandom spaces underwent a massive shift some years back (I have my ideas as to the catalyst, but I can't necessarily prove it), and the focus became 1) elevating and validating abuse survivors and 2) recognizing abusive behavior -- which is to say, talking about Catra in a sympathetic light might seem to run counter to those priorities.
So on the one hand, I do think people should be given the space to react negatively to Catra's arc, because I think they're by and large coming from a well-intentioned and protective place when they do. At the same time, though, "Catra is an abuser" is an incomplete reading of the text. It only considers the actions and not the mentality behind them. Where she behaves abusively, she does so specifically within the context of having suffered a lifetime of parental abuse and therefore having internalized abusive patterns of behavior. Her arc isn't really supposed to be about people forgiving her for that behavior, but rather about her choosing once, and then again, and then repeatedly, to break those patterns. And there is *_immense_* value and hope in that narrative.
@MapleMeii_ Oh, that was a joke, lol -- text doesn't convey tone super well. I'm extremely enthusiastic about this video, but I'm not about to literally sit a ton of strangers down and force them to watch it.
@MapleMeii_ I'd still definitely recommend giving it a watch! One of the best things about this show is that there are so many layers and insights to uncover the more you engage with it.
Also did I seriously unpin my comment by editing it to thank y'all for pinning it hsdkjhfskjhdfkj
I don't think there's ever been a fictional character I've related to more than Catra is. I love her and she is extremely important to me, who she is and how she is like. For many people things Catra does are just inexcusable or nonsensical, but to me it all makes perfect sense, like you outlined in this video. She's important and I love her for who she is, just the same, it's important to me that she managed to overcome the destructive cycle. It gives hope and hope is important in the darkness.