LogFAQs > #970004884

#34: Promise
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/5/6/AAAG8cAAD92M.jpg

Show: She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power
Original airdate: November 13, 2018

"I wonder what I could've been if I'd gotten rid of you sooner..."

This early episode revealed so much about the connection between Catra, Adora, and Shadow Weaver, their tragic past and the cycle of abuse the two young girls had to endure, a cycle that has now resulted in a rift between them that culminates in Promise, which sees the two struggling to escape from a mysterious ruin known as the Crystal Castle. As they work together, their efforts are interspersed with flashbacks from their early childhood, and I really felt just how much they'd already been put through, with Adora clearly Shadow Weaver's favorite, and Catra the reject, left around only because she'd befriended Adora. Now, Catra is starting to realize that she doesn't need Adora at all, but she still feels as if she does need her, exemplified by a scene where she's trapped by a robot, she calls out to Adora, but Adora can't save her, and as Catra is being dragged to her doom, she's forced to save herself, giving her the last bit of confidence she needs to break away from Adora for good. At the same time that this is empowering for Catra, it's also heartbreaking, because Adora still wants Catra to come with her, back to the fold to aid in the battle against the Horde... but she doesn't understand just why Catra is hurting, while Catra interprets Adora's gestures as trying to make her helpless, to prove that she needs Adora... and she has none of it, sending Adora seemingly to her doom and breaking it off with her forever (well, at least seemingly forever). It's the first of many moments where Catra breaks away from Adora, and it won't be the last, but it's perhaps the most tragic, as it sets Catra down a path where she, Adora, and indeed, the entire universe are nearly destroyed... while this episode lays the groundwork for just how much work they have left to do.