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honorablefroggery
United States
Приєднався 7 лип 2021
24. i talk about nerdy stuff on tiktok and twitch!
Catra is the Best Character in She-Ra (Here's Why)
Catra shows us that not only is it never too late to change, but that our trauma doesn't define who we are. And that's the most important message of all.
In this video essay, we'll go over the root of Catra's anger, why she is so hurt, why she lashes out and becomes a villain, and most of all -- why her redemption arc matters so much.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
00:00 - Intro
02:30 - the catradora dynamic
05:45 - catra is selfish, adora is selfless
07:46 - the fatal flaw switcheroo
11:00 - catra, yearning, & fear
13:57 - catra is the most frustrating character ever
17:22 - the moral of the story
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#shera #catra #videoessay #spop
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FIND ME ON THE INTERNET:
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For inquiries: honorablefroggery@gmail.com
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MUSIC
All music in this video (except outro) is courtesy of Prod. Riddiman
ua-cam.com/channels/dSu.html...
Tranquility by Prod. Riddiman
www.beatstars.com/beat/tranqu...
Solitary by Prod. Riddiman
www.beatstars.com/beat/sereni...
Lost in Space by Prod. Riddiman
www.beatstars.com/beat/lost-i...
Outro music: King Chameleon - Sad Dream
ua-cam.com/video/WZMuxkCqhm0/v-deo.html
In this video essay, we'll go over the root of Catra's anger, why she is so hurt, why she lashes out and becomes a villain, and most of all -- why her redemption arc matters so much.
---------
TABLE OF CONTENTS
00:00 - Intro
02:30 - the catradora dynamic
05:45 - catra is selfish, adora is selfless
07:46 - the fatal flaw switcheroo
11:00 - catra, yearning, & fear
13:57 - catra is the most frustrating character ever
17:22 - the moral of the story
---------
#shera #catra #videoessay #spop
---------
FIND ME ON THE INTERNET:
TikTok: @honorablefroggery
www.tiktok.com/@honorablefrog...
Instagram: @honorablefroggery
honorablefr...
Twitter: @hnrblefroggery
hnrblefroggery
Support the channel on Ko-Fi!
www.ko-fi.com/honorablefroggery
----------
For inquiries: honorablefroggery@gmail.com
----------
MUSIC
All music in this video (except outro) is courtesy of Prod. Riddiman
ua-cam.com/channels/dSu.html...
Tranquility by Prod. Riddiman
www.beatstars.com/beat/tranqu...
Solitary by Prod. Riddiman
www.beatstars.com/beat/sereni...
Lost in Space by Prod. Riddiman
www.beatstars.com/beat/lost-i...
Outro music: King Chameleon - Sad Dream
ua-cam.com/video/WZMuxkCqhm0/v-deo.html
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Відео
Arcane is a Modern Greek Tragedy (Video Essay)
Переглядів 31 тис.2 роки тому
Let's talk about how Netflix's Arcane and Jinx in particular is the archetypal Greek Tragedy. It uses many of the same tropes and elements that are found in the works of the great playwrights of Ancient Greece Sophocles, Euripedes, and Aeschylus in order to tell a heartbreaking, compelling, wonderfully tragic story. In this commentary video, I'll break down all the different ways that Arcane's ...
And then nobara dies
oh my fucking god. season 2 is shot for shot what is described in this video
she was always the most interesting character to me. i loved her from the beginning and throughout the entire show, even at her worst. you could see why she was the way she was. see her fall apart. and see glimpses of happiness and a good person. i knew her redemption would come eventually but i’m glad they waited until the last season to do so
When will I have my gay love like catra?????
22:49 You just perfectly described what I felt after watching Arcane first time and second time and third and all 38 times
15:35 I'M NOT FUCKING CRYING (I totally am)
I just watched your video about Catra in comments I said I'm obssesed with her character well, Powder (I know, she call herself Jinx, but she will never be jinx for me) is next character, that I love with all my fucking heart. Next perfect written psychopath so I'm glad I can watch this (also, can we just talk about simmlarities between Catra and Powder?) btw, it's second video you made that I'm watching, but it's very good if you read this, know, that you are so fucking good at making videos and analisys of characters from shows
7:21 I'm not crying I'm not crying I'm not crying I'm not crying (I am crying)
5:29 NO NO NO NO I TOLD MYSELF I WON'T CRY DON'T YOU DARE😭
All I can say about Catra is that I'm fucking obssesed. I love her character. She is just so perfect written. I understand everything she ever did. I would never say that her actions were valid, but they were 100% understandable. I could NEVER hate her
My FAVORITE character was ALWAYS Catra.... I identify with her alot❤️🩹
Love this show but really don't understand the love for Catra, she was my least fav character, she was a bully throughout, toxic and just annoying with like no redeeming qualities whatsoever, I don't get it lol. She would even bully her friends that would repeatedly be nice to her. In my mind she didn't deserve the ending she got. I can see why the writers as a twist but it did not land for me. Other amazing characters in different shows have not received the luxury treatment Catra got in this show and it kinda rubs me the wrong way. Each to their own tho, really enjoyed the series nonetheless. If someone could explain why this character is so beloved, rather than being fascinated at her toxicity. No hate for the show at all, just don't get why large aspects of why this character is so beloved.
i think it's because a lot of this fandom has been where catra was before (if not as extreme). catra's anger and, as you said, bullying is a result of her being deeply insecure because of how often she was cast aside by everyone in the horde (including her adoptive mother figure, shadow weaver). shadow weaver made it clear that adora's affection for her was the only reason she wasn't abandoned or just killed off, and so when adora leaves, catra's self preservation goes into hyperdrive, along with her unhealthy coping mechanism of driving everyone away. i think it's really worsened by the fact that she's also trying to make herself too valuable for the horde to dispose of now that adora isn't there as a safety net, so she's incredibly self-serving. however, when horde prime kidnaps her and glimmer, she's taken far away from all of that pressure and given time to reflect and empathize with the leader of the enemy force. that time is ultimately what makes her realize just how far she's fallen, when all she desperately wanted was to be needed and cared about and safe. she comes to the conclusion that since she has none of that, she's practically worthless - but, glimmer has all of that, and she's best friends with adora, who catra still deeply cares about. so catra makes the decision that, if she can't get off this ship, them glimmer will. she fully expects to die in this act, so when she doesn't and instead is saved and accepted and given *safety* by adora and her friends, she can actually heal and get better (even if she still holds some preconceived biases about princesses from the horde). she's not entirely redeemed, but she's trying to be a better person and she actually can do that now that she has a solid support system. i think that's what makes her so interesting, and why most of the fandom is so drawn to her. tl;dr: catra explores the darkest possibility of someone who's traumatized, self-destructive, selfish and selfless all at the same time; and that makes her fascinating to the audience and someone that those who want to can relate to (albeit on a much smaller scale).
@@mercipurrs appreciate the breakdown and the detail, it does shed a bit more light for me on her character, especially her progression over the course of the series as well. Thanks again. I think what made it difficult was that the other characters were vastly different so she stood out so negatively on first watch. Very jarring. In light of what you have said tho, it adds to how personal of a journey she was on. Not meant to look pretty (which it deffo doesn’t) but maybe that’s the point.
@@vesselporterman7882 of course! that does make sense, catra sticks out like a sore thumb among the other cast members, so i can see why it would be jarring. im always happy to talk about catra though, so thanks for providing the opportunity for me to yap ^^
I like it. I couldn't understand why I was so attached to Catra and watching this video made everything clear.
Thank you for sharing this! helps to understand the show on incredibly different level :) thank you!
CATRA is mine no touching 😠
Low key… you all who seem to relate to Catra this much… you seem kind of messed up, like seriously. You saw a good side to this?
From videos I've seen about catra people relate to her because her story of being abused is relatable doesn't excuse you from being a peace of shit but it doesn't mean the pain wasn't real
Oh god. As a queer who’d been trapped in a christian cult during most of childhood I can relate so much. Yeah, there’s always hope ❤
I will say my major problem was how the story seems to have given adora to catra as a girlfriend in reward for her doing the one good thing. They shouldn’t have ended up together the way they did. It sends a toxic message to children. You don’t get to punish your ex best friend who has her own responsibilities, is the same age etc for not staying in an oppressive state for your benefit over the course of years, including via kidnap and torture, and then get to “get the girl” because you give yourself up when you’ve already lost it all and feel done with everything.
14:28 This scene is a perfect encapsulation of what went wrong, Catra believes Adora never cared about who she was, and Adora did have misconceptions, but once Catra goes back to the horde/Adora leaves their understanding falls even further. Catra believes Adora never had faith in her when Adora's faith waned when Catra said she always knew the Horde was evil. Adora doesn't correct her because both of them are pondering, "Was it all a lie?" Catra doesn't blame Adora for not having in her because she fits in the world view she has "Everyone is selfish" but they still care for each other but have no commination skills
One thing I think you overlooked is Catra's worldview and her relationship with power Also (I don't think you overlooked this) both Adora and Catra have a long road of understanding where their masks end and they begin. Catra's world view is that everyone acts selfishly, yet Portal Catra (Not Corrupted Catra) doesn't have this worldview and even if she did it isn't wanted by her. She doesn't want to be Force Captain, and that is proven by Adora being Force Captain and what ultimately breaks the delusion for Catra. When Adora forces Catra to come with her is when the illusion breaks for Catra. Catra doesn't want to be forced to do anything. She hates it, which is another reason she remembers who she is and that belief adora will force her to fix anything is scary and further sperates them. After Adora left the horde, Catra believes it to be her that Adora is leaving. This belief is from the screwed up world view she has. She believes everyone is selfish and out for themselves, yet Adora was the exception. When Adora leaves the Horde, Catra believes that all the promises and trust and truth are lies. This is believed and defended with Catra saying: "You never protected me! Not in any way that would put you on Shadow Weaver's bad side." However, Adora never expresses that she would turn down Catra attempts to leave the Horde and join the rebellion, but Catra is so mad at the belief that Adora left her that she doesn't. After the portal, this distant grows because Adora tries to force Catra into helping her, and She is livid over it. SeOne thing I think you overlooked is Catra Worldview and that both Adora and Catra have a long road of understanding where their masks end and they begin. Catra's world view is that everyone acts selfishly, yet portal (Not Corrupted Catra) doesn't have this worldview and even if she did it isn't wanted. She doesn't want to be Force Captain, and that is proven by Adora forcing her to come with her. Catra doesn't want to be forced to do anything. She hates it, which is another reason she remembers who she is and that belief adora will force her to fix anything is scary and further sperates them. After adora left the horde, Catra believes it to be her that Adora is leaving. This belief is from the screwed up world view she has. She believes everyone is selfish and out for themselves, yet Adora was the exception. When Adora leaves the Horde, Catra believes that all the promises and trust and truth are lies. This is believed and defended with Catra saying: "You never protected me! Not in any way that would put you on Shadow Weaver's bad side." However, Adora never expresses that she would turn down catra hand if she does abandon the Horde, but Catra is so mad at the belief that Adora left her she doesn't. After the portal, this distant grows because Adora tried to force Catra into helping her, and Catra is livid over it. Secondly, she is mad because she doesn't believe that when Adora asked for Catra's help in the Portal it was another extension of friendship like the first 2-20 times. After portal, Adora tells Catra this isn't a game and Catra realizes Portal killed the joval Adora. Adora is mad that Catra set off the portal and entrapped Angella. Catra over the season 1-3, never stops to see how Adora feels, and during season four, she hates the world she forced herself into, and this is compound by a lack of a way out. Catra's hatred of Adora dies as she hates who she is and what she is doing. When Catra breaks her world view, it comes solely from Glimmer, who just made a similar mistake as Catra. Talking with Glimmer, helps her reflect on the past again and understand what the world is. She runs from Glimmer the second she hears her look out for Adora. Not her she isn’t asking for Catra to save her it's Adora. Catra mindset is completely shattered by this but what to do comes later. Once she reflects on her past with Adora, she realizes who adora was and is: Caring and compassionate, the one friend she had who she threw out. Catra still remembers how Adora reacted to the portal and believes that Adora wouldn't come for her. She always believe the selfish world view but never state anything like it because "Why complain" but when she talks to glimmer she believes, "There is no one left in the universe who cares for me." Not because of the world but because of her actions. I am stopping here, but as the saying goes, "There is nothing more dangerous than a -man- person who has nothing to lose."condly, she is mad because she doesn't believe this is also an extension of friendship like the first 2-20 times. After portal, Adora tells Catra this isn't a game and Catra realizes Portal killed the joval Adora. Adora is mad that Catra set off the portal and entrapped Angella. Catra over the season 1-3, never stops to see how Adora feels, and during season four, she hates the world she forced herself into, and this is compound by a lack of a way out. Catra hatred of Adora dies as she hates who she is and what she is doing. When Catra breaks her world view, it comes solely from Glimmer, who just made a similar mistake as Catra. Talking with Glimmer, helps her reflect on the past again and understand what the world actually is or rather isn't. She runs from Glimmer the second she hears her look out for Adora. Not Glimmer, Glimmer isn’t asking for Catra to save herself, she is asking Catra to save/protect Adora. Catra mindset is completely shattered by this but what to do comes later. Once she reflects on her past with Adora, which she more open to and to do so objectively as her distant for Adora has died, atleast the falsehood of the selfish Adora. Catra realizes who Adora was and still is: caring and compassionate, the one friend Catra had who she threw out. Catra still remembers how Adora reacted to the portal and believes that Adora wouldn't come for her. She always believe the selfish world view but never stated it because "Why complain" but when she talks to glimmer she believes, "There's no one left in the entire universe who cares about me." Not because of her old worldview but because of her actions. I am stopping here, but as the saying goes, "There is nothing more dangerous than a -man- person who has nothing to lose."
4:14 Adora was abused too just in a different way
I’ve always felt pretty similarly about Catra, except for Catradora. No shame on Catradora shippers but they’re adopted siblings and it kiiiiiiiinnnnndda gives me the ick when I think about it too much
In respect there not adopted siblings really non of them are they are honestly in more of separate lives and there more in like a work situation but have friendships with each other out of everything (this is just my opinion so no hate at all! <3)
They weren't adopted, they were stolen from their homes and raised as child soldiers.
An absolutely lovely video, I've just watched the series for the first time and have felt so depressed thinking about the show, I've genuinely struggled to deal with the emotions that the show has left me, no other show or film has ever affected me like Arcane. Other forms of media have left me emotional before but nothing to this extend, watching Arcane literally shut me down for a good few days. I was recommended this video as a way of processing those feelings and this video was a brilliant watch and I just want to say thank you <3
These "kids" on the show are supposedly 18+ when this show starts, so you're wrong on that front. They should not look consistently 12 years old if you actually say they're 18-21 by the series end. Catra is the most toxic abusive person I have ever seen, and the fact we endorse this toxic relationship purely because it's gay, it disturbing. It was absolutely too late to "change" at the point she did, mainly to avoid actually punishing her for everything she did at this point.
SO REAL!
You're such a pest, then let's blame Glimmer the same way
Nobara has a theme song?
Home depot
Well she has multiple songs in the ost named after her or her technique so take it as you will
Thank you 😭 I want to watch this show again so bad now
Uno de los mejores analisis de catra ❤❤
Thank you very much for everything you said, your own story. It feels familiar
What I think is interesting about jinx is she’s effectively the main villain in basically every other characters story, but her story follows the heroes journey arch beat for beat.
i like this, but i think you got viktor a little wrong hes not in persuit of cheating death; in fact, he doesnt care about himself at all. his health doesnt decline further because hes trying not to die, his health declines further because he simply doesnt care about himself this is also what he learned from singed. he doesnt try to keep the expiriment alive to cheat death, he keeps it alive, is this suffering state, going against morals, for nothing but the sake of the expiriment. nothing matters about how much pain its in, because the creature wasnt what mattered either, it was only whatever answers he was seeking that made him continue viktor doesnt continue the expiriment for his own gain. he continues the expiriment because he wants to know what in the world will happen. where it will go. yes he wants to help people, just like jayce, but he differs where its not really his main motivator. maybe his main conscious motivator, what he thinks hes doing it for, but at least subconsciously its the expiriment hes looking for. what will happen, what are the answers, and whats the next question. he doesnt care about himself one bit, and he only stops when it harms somebody else. he inherited from singed his lack of care for anything but the expiriment, but he held onto his morals, enough to realize enough was enough
I’ve never connected so much to a character before Catra
Same
Wow, Arcane and She-Ra are the only two shows I like and you've made a video on both of them. You got yourself another subscriber. I remember watching She-Ra way back in, like, 2020. I'd just read the "Am I A Lesbian?" masterdoc and I was identifying really heavily with the "lesbian" label at the time. This story meant a lot to me during that period of my life. Ultimately, I ended up leaning towards the side of not feeling that Catra's redemption arc was as fleshed-out as it could have been, and that it falls a bit short in terms of addressing certain toxic behavious (and war crimes), *buuut* your video did make me think. I found it interesting that you connected the story of Catra with your own experience of religious trauma, and that you were able to see the value in her character (as you've expressed here) through that trauma. My personal trauma history has less to do with religion, and more to do with having an abusive alcoholic for a parent. Perhaps that's why I have trouble really connecting with Catra's story in the way that you do. I tend to think that character analysis, especially on the more "grass-roots" level as it's happening here, functions as a way for people to work through their own inner dissonances in a way that carries less risk than working them out through one's own real connections/relations. So I wonder if the "shape" of an individual's trauma history influences how they see/relate to Catra. Maybe people with religious trauma can see themselves in her and find healing/understanding through that. Thanks for the great video. If you ever feel like posting anything else, you've got one more set of eyeballs on it.
For Jayce I'd add that his pride is also what has him give into manipulations by anyone. To make him feel grandiose and important and right.
definitely! great point!
@@honorablefroggery Thank you for the video!!
If this was a Greek play or poem it would have been more successful than the odyssey
I have no doubt those are the standard definitions of those terms, but if so I'm here to tell the Greeks they didn't have their notion of tragedy quite perfected. I wanna just temper a couple thoughts. First, anagnorisis, the sudden realization that everything has gone wrong, and crucially also that it's *too late to do anything about it*. If there's still a chance to change things, to any degree, the situation becomes much less tragic. It's a major reason death is tragic, because it's so irreversible. So yeah, huge moment of anagnorisis for Powder when Vi says "you did this?" at the end of act one. I would even argue there's another potent anagnorisis before the episode is over: when Vi sees Silco standing over Powder and her perception of Powder as the one who just killed her family snaps suddenly to Powder as the last remaining member of her family, and in need her protection at that moment more than ever. But the anagnorisis isn't complete until she wakes up in a cell (presumably) and realizes there's absolutely nothing she can do to fix her mistake. That's tragic. Then the peripeteia, the sudden reversal of fortunes. It can't just be that though; the true tragedy is when it was so close you could almost touch it. "So close, yet so far". If someone is born rich and powerful and eventually deposed, it's not necessarily very tragic at all, but if a person has spent their entire life trying to claw their way up and loses it all just as they're about to achieve something, that's much more tragic. So without a doubt there's a peripeteia masterclass at the end of each act. As mentioned, the tragedy of the monkey bomb ruining the escape they had almost pulled off against all odds. Act two, the sisters reunite, everything is perfect, the right things are said, Powder is at the surface, reconciliation seems at hand, but then Caitlin and the Firelights show up and it all falls apart. Then the mother of all peripeteia at the end of the season. Sting might as well be singing "peripeteia" instead of "what could have been", because that's what it's all about. When it's so close you can see exactly what might have been. The rocket through the window doesn't even really change anything unless you consider what was about to be. It's how close they were to recognizing Zaun that makes it so utterly tragic. Otherwise the rocket is just a continuation of hostilities that already existed. Sad maybe, but not so exquisitely tragic.
Excellent video, by the way
You're brilliant. Just finished arcane. I feel like such a fool for waiting this long. I love tragedies but damn my heart is torn for jinx. That's why the show is so good though.
<3 <3 <3
agree.
Catra almost destroyed reality. As someone who never chooses neutrality on "Shin Megami Tensei", who chooses either Control or Synthesis on "Mass Effect", who is willing to choose money on Fable 2", helped a bad guy (who I backstabbed before he could) form a world empire that was programmed to become a large republic on "The Council", believe me, I understand what it is to see a worthless world you, especially considering Shadow Weaver, of all people, was the one who somehow got to the top on both sides. But the thing is, I want to change/remake the world. Reality's destruction, lack of attempts at fixing it given the plan was merely to send a signal and her harming of Entrapta are the crimes I can not ignore. There is no justice in there, especially since she knew how to have Hordack under her palm in order to make sure he wouldn't find some way to punish her. Inflexible destruction over adaptive control... That is mankind's sin that I most despise and it is the one I can not forgive. If you want me to keep being her supporter, let us make a trial. Right here, right now ! You are her defense. And you can not use the emotional factor to defend her, such as that Shadow Weaver broke her. You can only use the facts of what she could have done given her own habilities, because the emotional component was only excusable when she pulled the lever, nothing afterwards. I may not be virtuous (otherwise I wouldn't relate to her), but I do have common sense.
…so you’re one of those people who just copy and pastes the same comment in every video regarding a certain topic, I see.
@@tylerleach8796sometimes, when a theme touches me deeply.
@@JabamiLain “touches you deeply” Okay, dial it back a bit.
that's an unfortunate take. what she did was massive, but the entire show's scope is equally as massive, and it's premise is also centered around love - an emotion. if you don't want to judge the show based on it's core themes, then you're misreading it horribly. not to mention, glimmer also almost destroyed reality. she is catra's mirror, and she's still a good guy, not by a miscalculation either. i would get into this further, but it's clear you have no actual motivation to listen and will just parrot back 'she almost destroyed the universe!' to everything, so i wont.
She is pretty relatable and understandable, even if you don't live on a toxic household.
Catra has always been my favorite character from She-Ra. From the start. I love who she was in the beginning, what she became in the middle, how she grew towards the end, and who she chose to be when it mattered most in the final season. I love how complex and frustrating and confusing and beautiful she is. Her redemption arc was long and painful and ugly, but it was shockingly, strikingly human. I find it rather funny how even though she's a cat-person, she's one of the most human characters in the series. However, I've always wanted a deeper explanation on why she did what she did, why she became who she became, and boy, did I get what I wished for. This video is absolutely amazing. This is just such a detailed, beautiful analysis. I think you've really touched on the deeper meaning of her character and the overall show itself, and I completely agree---SPOP is not what it seems. It's considered a kids' show, but anyone older who's watching can clearly see the deeper, darker, bleaker side of it. It's truly a beautiful creation, as is Catra. And you've summarized her wonderfully. Thank you for being vulnerable. Thank you for your message, because you're right. Everything you said is so painfully true. I appreciate all that you said, because I for one can also understand and relate. I truly didn't understand how similar I was to Catra until you talked about it, talked about how you relate to her and how ND Stevenson relates to her. It's beautiful and sad how Catra's character is such an accurate representation of so many human flaws (despite obviously not being human). Thank you for this amazing, amazing video and perfect analysis of Catra's character.
Glimmer and Bow are adorable ! Adora is such a badass cutie pie ! Catra's little sense of morality and ethics is actually very realistic, so much so that even people in non-toxic households can somewhat understand where she's coming from. Like me, she has this somewhat nihilistic and utilitarian perspective of how life and business work. Bad phases caused by atrocities are temporary (I'm not saying you should actively commit them). But she also that with power comes the capacity for change. She's too afraid to go up against her abuser, as she doesn't believe she can be defeated. And now, she received validation from the Big boss Lord Hordack himself, giving her further motivation to stay where she is, because now she truly has garantees her ambitions of preventing her suffering in the new world can be fulfilled. She believes that there's no hope for herself, so she'll just protect herself because she's not ready to face her final judgement yet. But, when the new world is built, she is gonna try to at least make a few ammends. -Shadow Weaver also fascinates me. It's pretty clear she doesn't see Adora as just another weapon, otherwise she would have given up on her already. But, where does all of this favoritism come from ? Why feed this broken and twisted sense of motherhood for Adora alone ?
3 episodes. It only took 3 episodes to make this scenario a reality: -Me: I'm into very depraved stuff, you might not like it (it's not a lie). Also me: "We're gonna win in this ! We must be strong ! And we must be brave ! We must be brave !" (By the way, that tech princess seems like she's going to be interesting watching, given the rest of their kind seems to be more based around power and nature alone, while she seems to go beyond that).
you just claimed a new follower. ❤️
I gotta know... Should I watch this show ? I can accept this Catra being an abused individual turned abuser who then tries to be better. But I'm not sure I want to watch a show in which you're supposed to support a toxic ship and in which someone like this Catra is so easily excused. I watchef shows such as "Amphibia", "Owl House" or "The Last Airbender", I know what I want in this kind of arc. And from what I've heard so far, Catra's development wasn't worked out properly.
Ultimately that's up to you and what you want from a show! In my opinion (as someone who has gone through related trauma and struggles), the redemption arc was earned, not given. I also don't consider Catradora a toxic ship because they weren't together until Catra redeemed herself (and ultimately this is a fictional show where both MCs, Catra included, are recovering from both familial and religious trauma via grandiose fantasy themes). Like I said, it's up to you and your tastes. Zuko imo has a similar arc as Catra, and I know many who loved Zuko's arc in ATLA and then loved Catra's in SPOP.
@@honorablefroggery I've already decided to watch the show. Also, I noticed that in shows such as this, people seem to tend to forget about the special conditions these characters find themselves in. Even if the ship is toxic, they're in a war and were raised by a militaristic organization. So, taking these into consideration, Catra seeing her atrocities as normal and being emotionally unbalanced seems to be pretty natural.
Excellent essay!
I think one thing that people don't really talk about is the implication in episode 2. Catra is hurt by Adora, not just because she is leaving. Imagine being abused and tortured from childhood within sight of your best friend. Now she is surprised to find out that the people who did that to you aren't the good guys. In Catra's mind (which I think is valid), she can't understand how Adora would see the Horde as the good guys. Her whole life has been a struggle for survival. So now that Adora, her protection, is gone, she has to find a new way to survive. Of course, the way she goes about it is wrong. But I can understand her motives. Maybe I can understand her because I have BPD. If you look at the symptoms, Catra has so many of them. Fear of abandonment. Explosive anger. Impulsive behavior. Etc. Of course this doesn't excuse any of her behavior, but it can explain her motives. From the second episode, Catra was my favorite character because I saw so much of myself in her. Now, I've never tried to destroy the world or anything, but I've done things that I'm not proud of. I can't even describe all the ways I relate to Catra or how much seeing her helped me.
I think you are 100% right both about the motivation of Catra in S1E2 and about her diagnosis.
7:45 okay i would still one hundred percent watch this
20:05 LOL Still think the guys were WAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY too sensitive over this joke! 😆
Also the joke shows that Catra was already well advanced on her healing curve. Only the abuser herself, Shadow Weaver, could have derailed this process but luckily she ultimately failed.
16:26 Here right alongside Catra, Adora also fucks up in her own way. As while she's one of the most compassionate people around, she always struggled with empathy - especially when it came to Catra. She's so busy being baffled by Catra's regression here that she never stops to think why things may not be as sunny as she wants. But just like Catra finally lets vulnerability in, Adora also finally learns to listen instead of just talk. P.S. No rude disagreements or unkind comments please - if you disagree, that’s fine but I’m not interested in debates about those who see Catra as a bad or evil character or about Catradora as a controversial ship (which I don’t believe it to be).
Lmao BS. Adora is extremely empathetic, even since she was little. If she weren’t, she wouldn’t have ever cared about catra after she was violent to her since they were kids and took out all her shit on adora. Her empathy for catra is what allowed her to time and time again see her as a person who makes bad choices because of a flawed mindset, not as an evil person.
That’s sympathy & compassion, not true empathy - there’s a difference. To be empathic means to understand what someone’s going through, be able to put yourself in their shoes or at the very least have a good idea of what things for them must be like. Adora had moments of understanding but only when it was basically spelt out for her. She never took the initiative herself to think about how Catra felt until after the events of ‘Taking Control’ once Catra finally let down her walls - in fact, it was often when Catra finally took steps for self improvement that Adora followed suit with her own flaws.
@@sparxstreak02 lmao whatever, if you say so. Bottom line is it was never adora’s job to babysit catra and she did way more than she needed to. Plus I’d say she’s empathetic to catra in particular, because she reacted way differently to catra than, say, Scorpia when she was chipped, whom she sympathised with too because that’s just who she is. Catra got more passes because adora could imagine that it was extra hard for her. No one can perfectly empathise fully with an experience that is not theirs, and no sane person IRL would’ve given catra half the grace Adora did. Plus, no level of sympathy from a child that small would make them go back to someone who harmed them. It’s like how some cultures let kids touch fire when they’re curious and they don’t go back because they fear things that hurt them. Even with an underdeveloped baby brain, Adora felt EMPATHY for catra, and it’s reductive to say she didn’t, and patronising to explain the obvious etymological difference in the two words as if in practice sympathy and empathy are always so clearly defined and separate, especially in a relationship like that between catra and adora. I also find it super interesting how people don’t mention how catra failed to emphatise or even sympathise with adora’s own abuse and the fact that she didn’t “enjoy being the hero” as catra repeatedly accused her of, obtusely.
@@linoleumbonaparte5798 First off, when did I ever say it was Adora’s job to babysit Catra? 🤨 Also, if you look closer throughout the show, Catra is an incredibly empathic person in her own right (far more than Adora in my opinion) why do you think Melog bonded with her rather than Adora? And it’s not patronising to point out a fact in the differences of empathy & sympathy - especially if you do in fact think they’re one and the same. The point is both Adora & Catra messed up in their own ways with each other, trying to portray Catra as the only source of the problem shows immense bias, whereas I can admit both characters messed up but also made effort to make things right. You are free to disagree, but at least be respectful about it.
@@sparxstreak02 lmaoooo you’re using plot device melog as an excuse. Ok, perhaps because catra was the first to interact with it and it imprinted on her? And yes catra was sooooo empathetic to adora, entrapta, Kyle, scorpia, Glimmer after she stranded her mum and said the queen was taken out with some blasé tone etc lmaooo. I won’t say too much, just that I wish you a best friend/partner or other close person in your life that treats you EXACTLY as Catra did others, including both the physical and mental abuse x. Come back and tell me how empathetic they are and I’ll say you lack empathy for leaving them and not instead feeling whatever childhood trauma led them to mistreat you. Goodluck! PLUS, if Catra was truly empathetic, that’s even worse because she that means she felt people’s pain then exacerbated or caused it anyway…it’s giving sadism. And you didn’t directly say adora had to babysit her, but even the implication that adora did something TO catra by leaving the horde (and even asking her over and over to come with) creates a framing that adora owed Catra staying with her forever - she didn’t. Adora left and Catra FELT hurt, Adora did not hurt her.