A Critical Analysis of Shadow Weaver's Arc From a She-Ra Fan (Part 2)

In the last video, I analyzed Season 1. Due to the volume of character development in Light Spinner's famous episode, I decided to devote a whole video to discussing it. Thank you for watching, and God bless you all!
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Fair use principles under Section 107 of the Copyright Act allow the unlicensed use of copyrighted materials for fair use purposes, such as commentary, criticism, teaching, and news reporting. I make no money off of this video. All rights for clips and music go to Noelle Stevenson, Tristan Alric, Sunna Wehrmeijer, DreamWorks, and Netflix.
CITATIONS:
1. Alric, Tristen. "The Ones Who..." Bug Fables Soundtrack. Moonsprout Games, 2019. MP3 file.
2. Lynch, Shane. “Light Spinner.” Netflix, 26 April 2019. www.netflix.co...
3. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, "Light Spinner.” Directed by David Wooman, Noelle Stevenson Executive Director. Performed by Aimee Carrero, AJ Michalka, Lorraine Toussaint, and others. Dreamworks, 2019. Netflix. www.netflix.co...
4. Unknown. “Special Edition for Suicide Prevention Day.” National Wildfire Coordinating Group, 10 September 2020. www.nwcg.gov/s...
5. Wehrmeijer, Sunna. "Light Spinner." The Music of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. Back Lot Music, 2020. MP3 file.
6. Wehrmeijer, Sunna. "The Price of Power." The Music of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. Back Lot Music, 2020. MP3 file.
7. Wehrmeijer, Sunna. "Ties that Bind." The Music of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. Back Lot Music, 2020. MP3 file.

[@joyeeverett6196]

Also, my microphone was being super weird. When I upload the full, 1-hr long analysis I’m going to alter the mixing because dang...that was super unfun to listen to.

[@sparxstreak02]

7:58 Catra WAS talented - Extremely so, just not with magic, which was the only talent Shadow Weaver considered useful - making her her view on Catra being ‘talentless’ make sense in a way.

[@joyeeverett6196]

This is true, but it’s also true that Catra didn’t apply herself in class because fighting didn’t come naturally to her. We see this in the Promise when Adora beats her in training. Shadow Weaver imo was more comparing how they are in fighting prowess than magical, seeing as how she didn’t know Adora was She-Ra and Adora didn’t display magical abilities prior to the sword (as far as we know). Regardless, this is not an excuse to mistreat her or withhold love from her. Love and respect from a parent to their own child is a given, not something that is earned. Edit: to clarify, I don’t mean Catra isn’t powerful. But she had to work for and earn her strength, similar to Light Spinner in her episode. They are alike in this way. I know this makes Catra stans uncomfortable, but I personally think it needs to be acknowledged.

[@sparxstreak02]

🤔 debatable on the fighting considering how many people Catra took down combat wise (including Hordak) & 2 me she didn’t apply herself in training bcuz she wasn’t given the encouragement Adora was, as she KNEW Shadow Weaver would never praise her. Plus, I think Adora was given more attention & instruction as the ‘Golden Child’ in combat fighting - allowing her 2 hone her skills more but 2 each their own on this 🤷‍♀️

[@joyeeverett6196]

@@sparxstreak02 Yeah, I’m not really commenting as much on the reasons for why they behaved the way they did. Again, I’m not saying Catra sucks at combat, just as I wouldn’t say Light Spinner sucked at magic. They just both had to work for their prowess because they weren’t as naturally gifted as their counterparts (Adora and Micah respectively). I am not blaming Catra or implying that Shadow Weaver was right to treat her how she did by saying that Catra isn’t naturally gifted in combat. Heck, I’m terrible with social cues - that’s something I have to work at because it’s not natural. Everyone has an area they need to work on. My point is that Shadow Weaver was WRONG to treat her that way, but they do have that similarity in common - they’re not naturally gifted in the talent expected of them. I think where we diverge is that I think it was more related to discipline and fighting prowess in the Horde than magical talent, seeing as how Shadow Weaver wasn’t aware of Adora’s magic till a few episodes in.

[@TeresaShiho]

This is one of my favorite episodes! I love that it shows us how SW/LS is capable of love, and I think it's really interesting that her descent into evil started with good intentions! (Also yes, Micah is the most adorable, and I adore his imitation of Norwin as well) My only criticism of this episode is that it didn't really give a reason for why she joined the horde. I guess they wanted people to make their own opinions, but like, she's already a controversial character. Leaving this so vague has just caused people to argue about her motivations. I agree with the reasons you gave, but like you said a lot of people use this decision as "proof" that she never actually cared about Etheria. I dunno, it just would have been nice to have a more solid explanation. But yeah, loved the video! Your analysis is on-point, and I'm looking forward to the rest :)

[@joyeeverett6196]

That's fair, although I think that what is shown is pretty clear if you make the right inferences. Of course, people will always have different interpretations of the episode. Heck, there are even corners of the fandom saying she sexually abused Micah because the Spell is a symbol of losing your virginity to grooming or something like that. I'm like "Um, okay, just realize that's your own opinion". I do think Shadow Weaver explicitly stating her reason for joining the Horde to Micah later on, assuming they actually put the legwork into their story, would have solved this issue.

[@maxxpheonix8470]

@@joyeeverett6196 Corners saying she did WHAT?

[@joyeeverett6196]

@@maxxpheonix8470 Real thing, though fortunately people aren’t buying into it much.

[@luc-i-guess]

I absolutely love this series! Very entertaining and thoughtful

[@joyeeverett6196]

I’m so glad! I didn’t see other critical reviews of her arc on KZbin, and I found that to be a problem. So I was like, “guess I should make my own!”

[@luc-i-guess]

@@joyeeverett6196 Absolutely! I think it's worth an in-depth and more objective look for sure. Parent relationships are messy and need to be viewed with a certain level of compassion but also critique, which you do very well!

[@joyeeverett6196]

@@luc-i-guess Yes. I mean, I don’t deny she was a bad parent to her kids. I just have an issue with the showrunner (and the fandom) pushing the fact that she was ALWAYS manipulative and selfish to everyone she ever spoke to. There is some evidence, but what I see tells me she was a very complex person who both loved Micah and was jealous of him. Which I think makes their relationship very tragic. There also wouldn’t be a reason to give us a whole episode about Shadow Weaver if the point is she was always a selfish jerk.

[@luc-i-guess]

@@joyeeverett6196 You're hitting the nail on the head! Can't wait for the next video!

[@april_eclipse_studios]

Micah is definitely a cinnamon roll! He is so cute, as a kid, but is always a cinnamon roll

[@cosmiquealiene6168]

I'm enjoying this series a lot :D

[@joyeeverett6196]

Thanks! I’m glad you could in spite of my microphone frying the audio. 😅

[@cosmiquealiene6168]

@@joyeeverett6196 It still sounds better than my mic tbh...

[@joyeeverett6196]

@@cosmiquealiene6168 yeah, I have to say yours is a bit muffled as well. But it’s ok, we learn and grow!

[@hilarymajor3983]

Micah is not the cutest cinnamon roll ever to walk Etheria. Bow is. I will die on that hill. Other than that, great job, this is very well done and interesting. I love Shadow Weaver, her voice actor is amazing. I love that she never excuses her actions and is never given a sob story background. She is an awesome villain, straight up. Now if she were to team up with Azula they would rule the cosmos.

[@joyeeverett6196]

I will concede that Micah is against Bow for cinnabun status. However, I do find Light Spinner’s fall to be tragic. Yeah, we don’t know if she had any preexisting trauma, but the Spell certainly hurt her and warped her perspective on the world, and I find that really sad myself. Lorraine Toussaint is also pretty cool. So glad you liked my analysis though, even if we don’t agree on everything. That to me means I’m being respectful and kind to those who think differently and they feel safe around me.

[@nicolecanlas9365]

Yes micah is such a cinnamon roll

[@valentinaembers5713]

I love this series! I’m looking forward to the next parts. 💜👏

[@kerokikun2784]

3:03 😂