Ranking my favorite She-Ra episodes

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as a little 40k celebration, here is a fun ranking of the show that started it all.
don't take this extremely seriously, there are so many episodes I love. i had to cut back so much of what i wanted to say, so more rankings and episode analyses to come!
/ fivebyfivetakes

[@the_aberration7398]

14:44 "Shadow Weaver can still expertly push the buttons that she installed." That is a killer line. Five by Five Takes, I applaud you.

[@stomyn]

Promise really feels like She-Ra's version of The Storm from Avatar. It's the episode that takes two major rivals and puts all of their cards on the table. The audience is given all of the information they need about them, and how their past informs their character, rivalry, and future. It also is the audience's first look into the kind of depths the creators are willing to go to for their characters, and just how seriously they are taking their story. It's a wonderful kind of episode for a show like these to have, and I absolutely love it

[@5x5Takes]

it’s delicious

[@benjisaac]

I read this comment before the video and I wasn’t even sure which big emotional episode Promise was until I checked but just the name elicits such a strong emotional response from me and that’s how you know a show did something right

[@Mvsticxve]

😊

[@rebekaheevee]

Atla and shera have so many connections relating to each other

[@JustAMagicDuck]

I will never stop loving the scene in Failsafe where Catra says “I’m not doing this because I like you” and her empathic support animal looks at her and then pounces on Adora and starts licking her face. Like, “sorry, no results found. Is this what you meant?”

[@_somerandomguyontheinternet_]

Yeah. It’s amazing, because they’re more than her emotional support animal. They know what she is feeling and mimic it, so it’s “not because I like you” and then “(pounce) I like you.”

[@rmsgrey]

Save the Cat is when Catra is rescued, but Corridors is when she is saved.

[@petercoo9177]

Great point! There's a lot going on in BOTH those episodes, but I think that, if you had to boil it down to a single sentence, that's the best way to do it. (I am very new to the show, and a very old guy 🧓who never cries, but Adora saying "No - no - no! Catra, come back!" got me the closest to it I've been in decades; such phenomenal voice acting, on everybody's part.)

[@Marta-uv4id]

Even though Promise might not be the best episode of the show (it's up there, though) it's the first episode where the show *truly* shines. I still can't watch the episode without getting emotional.

[@5x5Takes]

it’s SO GOOD

[@_somerandomguyontheinternet_]

Yeah, my friend watched the show on my recommendation, and he started out being like “The problem is, it is the show's job to convince me that the ‘we are the baddies?’ angle is believable to the characters involved. There is literally NOTHING about the setup that makes that a believable situation. But the real reason why is because it is a kid's show, and if they don't do enough to make the bad guys obvious bad guys then that causes trouble for the producers who have to meet certain kid show standards. That trope demands nuance and we didn't get any” and I was just like “just wait [until Promise]…”

[@twigthetroll9279]

@@_somerandomguyontheinternet_ Soooo how soon and much he end up eating those words 👀

[@_somerandomguyontheinternet_]

@@twigthetroll9279 oh he’s a fellow superfan now. Came around by the end of season 1.

[@twigthetroll9279]

@@_somerandomguyontheinternet_ AYYYYYYY

[@thejohnhopkinscompany9599]

She-ra is one of those shows where I cry more every re-watch because I understand the emotional significance of more moments. At this point I'm a complete mess the entirety of Season 5 and even thinking the words "I chose to be brave" gets me choked up.

[@maraschwartz6731]

I started crying multiple times just watching this video and remembering the episodes

[@flamingsword7341]

Recently started a another rewatch of the show with my gf (her first time watching) and I was a bit high and I shit you not I started tearing up EPISODE 1 anytime something got established that reminded me of stuff that happens later on.

[@thejohnhopkinscompany9599]

@@flamingsword7341 I'm just imagining Catra arriving on screen for the first time and you bursting into tears thinking about the entirety of her character arc.

[@flamingsword7341]

@@thejohnhopkinscompany9599 pretty much any catradora interactions wrecked me lmao

[@petercoo9177]

@@flamingsword7341 Well, yes. I imagine there are many examples I could find, but one that really stands out for me was right near the beginning of S1, e1, when Catra is mocking Adora after training - "...you should have seen your face! It was like, 'oh, no, betrayaaal!' " At the time, it comes across as just two fellow grunts goofing around, but in light of what is about to happen (and keeps happening for four seasons), it's an example of some rather dismal foreshadowing. This is a sign of either (a) extremely lucky coincidences or (b) really well-thought plotting. I am thinking the latter is more likely.😁

[@TrueTgirl]

One of my favorite lines in the show happens in The Portal, that being "take care of each other." Adora being the only one to hear Angella's dying wish means it warps with Adora's lack of self worth and hero complex from a plea for them all to love and support one another into yet another dire burden laid on Adora's shoulders while also depriving Glimmer of her mother's true final wishes at a time when I think she needed to know her mother had faith in her the most. Because "take care of each other" means Angella trusted them both, trusted them all, to carry on without her. "She asked me to take care of you" makes it sound like she still had no confidence in Glimmer, no faith that her daughter would do well. Meanwhile, Adora remains incapable of believing that she is worth the concern of anyone else, especially after how she believes she's just failed and allowed Angella to die in her place. And all of this tears her and Adora apart because they've each inherited half of Angella's burdens, Adora as a caretaker and Glimmer as the queen, and are trying to carry on alone when they really need to be sharing their loads the most. The arc that begins with Angella sacrificing herself so they can live, all the while telling Adora not to blame herself and begging them to be good to each other, continues with Adora warping those wishes in a way that hurts them both, finally comes to a head when Glimmer answers in kind (though she doesn't realize it) by saying "Maybe your best isn't good enough! If it was, my mother would still be here!" From that point, there's never any chance of going back, and the way forward drives both of them for the rest of the show.

[@rainbowfox1075]

FINALLY SOMEONE TALKS ABOUT THIS!

[@basicallyacrow]

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@aaaaaaaa-tz7tu]

this actually put so much in context for me. honestly I think the reason why glimmer attached to shadow weaver so much despite knowing she's evil is because she was the only person that didn't make her feel weak. she was the only person who didn't make her feel helpless. and no matter how much she knew she was bad... she was so desperate for validation, for anyone who'd look at her and see potential. see something to be impressed by. she was falling into the same trap adora and micah did, I think. that desperate need for approval. and unfortunately , shadow weaver is very good at pushing those buttons.

[@Nerd704]

The lines by horde prime where he just lays out Catra's feelings are so brutal. All she ever wanted was you. *OW MY HEART*

[@_somerandomguyontheinternet_]

Yeah. I read that and *OOF.* Like I know why they took it out and from a narrative structure perspective it makes sense but DAMN, if that wouldn’t have pinched every viewer right where it hurts the most.

[@Nerd704]

@@_somerandomguyontheinternet_ I'm glad that Catra got to confess her feelings to Adora herself instead of being outted by Prime when she was brainwashed and mindcontrolled but still it's such a wam line.

[@CyberController-]

"Bro, she was simping for you SO HARD"

[@Sylph264]

Your videos on Catra and Adora are actually what got me to watch this show in the first place. Every new video you do on it reminds me why I love it. Thank you for your thoughtful, heartfelt content.

[@5x5Takes]

anytime :) thanks for being here

[@italianirishscotish]

"Catra's body flopping around like a sack of potatoes" Perfect wrap up of why Save the Cat is amazing

[@NamelessDemonkitten]

Just hearing the music from Corridors was enough to almost make me cry. That episode really is something else.

[@DahVoozel]

Same.

[@danielmason96]

Agreed!

[@AmurTiger]

I've been singing the praises of Corridors for a while now and it's comfortably my favorite episode. The juxtaposition of how brave and selfless and good Catra is being in what she certainly expects will be her last moments and her self-perception as someone too wrong, harmful and hated to be missed by anyone just so good and to an extent is alluded to by that opening shot. The peaceful tranquility of Catra perched on the window while annihilation and destruction reign below. Failsafe is also another big favorite of mine since Catra's absolutely being her best self, yes including the end. As I see it Catra's made her case why Adora shouldn't take the Failsafe ( something that Catra's correct about ) and whatever words of needing or wanting Adora has to say she made her choice. Even if it's unfair to characterize that as siding /with/ Shadow Weaver the distinction is narrower then one might think, like in 'The Price of Power' Adora performatively 'resists' Shadow Weaver with her words but then goes and DOES exactly what Shadow Weaver wanted, Failsafe repeats this pattern. Catra's pretty clearly demonstrated that she understands how Shadow Weaver is manipulating Adora over the course of the episode and is the only one cynical and canny enough to see the trap before it's sprung on Adora, she's spent much of the season now trying to unlearn the things that Shadow Weaver taught her and she watches much of Failsafe watching Adora fail to do that, which isn't great. To top all that off unlike 'The Price of Power' this time what's being asked of Adora is to very explicitly risk her life against the unknown and Catra understandably doesn't have the capacity to watch Adora do that, especially since as far as she knows she'll JUST be a spectator ( and perhaps a distraction ). In the end we see her mourning Adora in my view not because she feels particularly rejected romantically but because she can't romance a corpse and she has every expectation that that's where Adora's headed both due to her innate pessimism. As Catra sees it, she's done everything she can to help Adora survive she can't actually do anything now. Which is driven home by the fact that the moment she sees something she can do something about she heel-turns immediately and runs through a number of metaphorical brick walls to get to Adora and keep her safe from a threat she can do something about. Overall a great list, I'd like to see Shot in The Dark there since my cat-oriented biases definitely like Melog's introduction but I'm not sure which of yours I'd push out in exchange.

[@5x5Takes]

no i wanted shot in the dark so bad 10 is a dumb number

[@fakhraarif2718]

'Catras body just flopping around like a sack of potatos' Killed me

[@itsmarleyelise]

Save The Cat has got to be my favorite episode of them all. So cathartic. So chilling. So loving.

[@yuvibitter]

One interesting tidbit about corridors B plot is that, while it's mostly played for laughs to balance the drama, it also has Entrapta reveal she named the ship Darla (including a silly hugging animation that humanizes it even more). It's a clever contrast to the "unnaming" ceremony that Horde Prome conducts

[@5x5Takes]

good catch!!! i dig

[@TenuredTable847]

7:38 This scene made me cry so hard, the chaos was building and building till it reached what felt like a breaking point. Then when we learn about Mara’s sad fate it all goes to stunned silence followed by Razz’s sad memorial for her. AHHHH

[@flora4026]

SO glad to see you doing she-ra stuff again bestie

[@5x5Takes]

trying not to pigeonhole myself but i do love this show :)

[@twigthetroll9279]

One more thing about Save The Cat. Adora's Ironic Echo of Prime's *"You miscalculated."* ACTUAL *PERFECTION* 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌

[@elizabethmazorravidal]

I really wish there had been more time dedicated to Bow and Adora's friendship, because it's Bow who brings her into Brightmoon essentially and it's Bow who struggles the most keeping his friends together. I just think he and Adora have such an interesting dynamic and I'm sad we didn't get to see more. Also, so rude to show the pie. You know it just makes people cry. Why you tryna make people cry on a Thursday.

[@indecisivewolf5620]

I actually just finished this show for the first time 2 weeks ago. I watched the first season years ago but just never got around to finishing it. I managed to avoid every single spoiler except for the fact that Catra gets redeemed. As a huge fan of redemption stories (also enemies to lovers, friends to enemies to lovers, etc.) I thought that Catra's redemption would be the one thing in the show that would make me actually cry. But no. It wasn't Catra's redemption. It was the pie for Mara that made me cry.

[@thejohnhopkinscompany9599]

13:06 Oh god, the way you edited that makes it look like Adora booted Catra off the ledge.

[@slashercat8649]

I love the video but I ended up bursting out laughing at this point 13:06 with the way it's edited making it look like Adora just kicked Catra off the cliff

[@5x5Takes]

bonk

[@AwesomeAsadaf]

Adora: Get off! Also Adora: Oops, shit

[@Katztatztrophe]

Listening to other people still being excited to talk about SheRa mends my heart, pls. never stop

[@Utterlis]

corridors is by far one of the greatest episode, I'm so glad you put it in first position (screaming crying rolling on the floor)

[@5x5Takes]

it’s SOOOO

[@SheLovesBooks_4]

My favorite episode is Save the cat. It's heavy and we see how horde prime is so Indroctinating, it showcases Religious trauma and how it effects people. The way adora looks at catra with her horafid of what horde prime has done. The fact that adora's selfishness on stoping the mission and getting catra back perfectly cntrasts catra's selflessness on saving adora and glimmer. The line "come on catra, you've never listened to anyone in your ehole life, are you really gonna start now? " Resemblles the line in the last episode when catra says "You can't gibe up! You've never given up on anything in your whole life so don't you dare start now". Plus we even get a super badass she ra design, with a super badass fight scene. The way catra reassures herself by listening to adora's heart beat like in the flashbacl scene in corridors is so cute and wholesome. Though i do have a few problems lile the paising of the episode and wrong hordak. Don't get me wrong wrong hordak is a amazing and hilarious character but this episode was not really the time to intraduce him and he doesn't really make much relevance as he was suppose to be a reminder that hordal is gone but hordak did survive. After all these are my opinion s and hopefully you will be able to maoe more she ra content in the future since i love this show dearly and tour content on it is amazing.

[@Cleverstryke]

yess! more she ra content! i love listening to your she ra videos and you explaining the deeper meanings

[@Greenweeper1387]

I always come back to those videos because they always make me feels good and comfortable, like when I’m watching the show

[@willowarkan2263]

7:37 hero always breaks my heart.

[@Laimill1]

This show has SO MANY great episodes that have such great writing and emotional impact. No other show has me rambling MULTIPLE episodes struggling to rank them because they are all so good. This show man

[@benjisaac]

I wrote my college admissions essay about how much I love Hero!

[@taskerwanlin4102]

I teared up so many times during this show (especially season 5), but Catra’s apology in corridors was the only thing that got me fully crying. There’s just so much that builds up to it and every bit of internal conflict Catra had, every moment of weakness and uncertainty, in the 4 seasons prior felt like it just burst out of my TV screen in that moment. Hit me like a truck

[@mikakestudios5891]

"Adora has a lot of anger, but she also has a higher threshold for unleashing it," hmmmmmmmmm that one doesn't hurt at all. No, doesn't feel personal one bit.

[@stocxt]

I'm happy to see She-Ra content in 2023. I'm getting back into the series again and I think it still deserves to be discussed and recognized

[@AmethystTheFoxx]

Corridors is genuinely my favourite Episode, even above Heart Part 1 & 2. I know this is heresy to some, but I love the simplicity of it and watching Save the Cat right after (sorry Stranded, you're kinda in the way). It makes me tear up every time, every line delivery is on point, the suspense of finally waiting for that change of heart is immaculate and the pay-off is one of the most beautifully saddening endings to any episode in TV history, ever.

[@Junoisverysleepy]

God the voice acting in “Save the Cat” will never not make me clutch at my heart. It’s such a perfect episode.

[@mchia9699]

Your videos are a breath of fresh air. So many ppl shit on Shera and they don't even bother to try and understand it, but you are so accurate with your analysis and you're so in love with the show you make me love it even more!!

[@Rocker21344]

Your passion when talking about SPOP is something I just can't get enough of. It brings back all the emotions I felt when watching through the show myself

[@CyberController-]

Save the Cat is just the best. Action, emotion, a new form (which 2018 really needed more of), and semi-confirmation that Prime had fought with either Mara or D'vann at some point. Now *that* fight must've been epic.

[@xxAliceNightxx]

Let's not forget the best part of Save the Cat when Adora says 'You miscalculated'

[@lilithh2708]

I really love Roll With It. It's a fun and silly episode that doesn't add much to the story or characters at first glance. But looking a little deeper you get to see the doubt and stress on Adora as she has taken on a leadership roll. You get to see how the alliance only works out of shear luck because everybody is kind of more interested in doing their own thing. But more importantly this is what I consider to be the first really great Scorpia episodes. You get to see just how she sees her relationship with Catra and the first look at her desperation to be accepted by anyone. For me this painted a picture of Scorpia as someone who is very lonely and is honestly a good person who actually respects her comrades, not something there is among the leadership of the hoard. Also you get to see how devastatingly effect she is at combat. It took like all of the princesses and Bow working together to take her down, and she generally had both Adora and Glimmer on the ropes. For me, this was the moment when I realized what an asset she would be to the rebellion and how much better she would fit end there. Something that really made when it was learned that she was in fact a princess and the only reason she was with the hoard was because her home was the first to be overrun by Hoardak and her family surrendered to him.

[@DustyStarrs]

absolutely NOT surprised that all the big Catradora episodes are in this top ten. For me, it's the series finale, of course, as well as the Bow's dads episode and the Castaspella episode! For no big and meaningful reasons, really just because there's a sense of safe and calm and support in both. Plus, in the case of the latter episode, I wanna be an Etherian sorcerer real bad.

[@outsider1305]

YAY SHE-RA CONTENT I WATCHED YOUR CHATACTER ANALYSIS VIDEOS FROM LIKE A YEAR AGO THIS MAKES ME SO HAPPY

[@NeveWeller]

Every time I hear Catra say " Theres no one left in the entire universe who cares about me" I want to scream "WE DO CATRA, WE DO! THE WHOLE ENTIRE FANBASE DOES!!!!"

[@ravenhudson5055]

this reallyyy makes me want to rewatch She Ra again, as well as reaffirms my love of Catra and Catradora's character arcs

[@Rocketknightgeek]

I personally have a big soft spot for MerMysteries as it expertly plays on audience expectations to really smack us with a big shake up in the threat of the Horde. Every season of PoP up to there as well as Voltron and Avatar had these silly mid season episodes with multiple perspectives that were largely a giant goof off playing with the characters before everything got serious in the next episode and here's that distraction having a real consequence. Also any time we get to see Mermista being an overt goof in her overserious delivery style is just hilarious and kinda precious.

[@MischaLecter1]

you got most of mine! the only one missing is shot in the dark. that one is such a comfort episode for me. it’s where you can see how catra fits into the best friend squad and how you can tell she is truly on the path to changing for the better. even to the point where a telepathic alien cat chooses to form a connection to her. this was another excellent video from you! i adore all of your she-ra takes

[@taylor_green_9]

I love your analysis of each episode. Also, the She-Ra depiction on that ancient First Ones' vase was riding a dragon?! Were we robbed of She-Ra dragons?! I need a movie, a short, an OVA, anything, to show me those dragons, and preferably Adora getting to ride one

[@anaiahdaniels]

so glad i'm not the only one STILL hooked on shera, loved all youre analysis videos, it takes what I know about the show and expands it to something greater than I could have imagined, ive been watching this show from the start, i was young and didn't completely understand the whole plot and what the show really had to offer when it came to the relatable aspects of life and trauma, but as you explained and delved deeper into the characters, specifically adora in this case her main commitment was always destiny, and I absoulutely LOVED how you explained adora after the sword was broken. Props to you!

[@fRkOdCmK]

Your videos are always so amazing!! Watching She-Ra clips makes too sentimental. This kids' cartoon has emotionally traumatized me /pos

[@peteryang5056]

I had a feeling I knew which episodes would be the top 3 here because you basically inhabit my brain where this show is concerned. (I'm also one of those rare fans that puts "Corridors" ahead of "Save the Cat.") But it also just feels right that the "Promise trilogy" tops the list. This show circles around a lot of themes and character arcs, but at its heart (har har), it's about Catra and Adora. Their relationship is the structural backbone of the show and the most thematically rich element of the story. The way these three episodes reveal their history to the audience while simultaneously forcing the characters themselves (and Catra in particular) to wrestle with that history at different points in their arcs is just beautiful storytelling. It's character backstory used as a torch to illuminate the characters' inner lives, not as a bludgeon to surprise us with "shocking" secrets or twists. To give just one example, that scene in "Promise" where Shadow Weaver threatens Catra is horrifying, but not because it's surprising. Everything we've seen about Catra and Shadow Weaver's relationship to that point makes it crystal clear how abusive Shadow Weaver likely was in the past. We know she's awful to Catra. We've known since episode 1. If anything, the "twist" version of this would be a revelation that Shadow Weaver used to treat Catra well. But the scene hits like a ton of bricks because ultimately, it's not about surprising the audience with new information. It's about putting us *in Catra's mind,* seeing through Catra's eyes, as Shadow Weaver rises above her, her body frozen in place, and tells her in no uncertain terms that SHE IS TO BLAME FOR ALL OF ADORA'S MISTAKES and that Shadow Weaver will MURDER her if she causes Adora to fail. And now we're no longer viewers outside the show, dispassionately taking in information about this creepy smoke lady being mean to a catgirl. We *are* Catra, screaming internally to flee but unable to move as our ostensible parent tortures us for the mistakes of our best and only friend in the world. I honestly don't know how anyone can leave that scene without deeply empathizing with Catra for the remainder of the show. Anyway, that's just one example (and not even from my favorite of the bunch, which is "Corridors"). But it's emblematic of the rich and subtle writing of these three episodes, and the way this scene informs everything in the later two episodes shows the perfect way this mini-trilogy coheres. They're a matched set in so many ways, and I pick up new details that further deepen their themes every time I rewatch them. (Lastly, on an almost entirely unrelated note, one of the reasons "Arcane" has become maybe my favorite series ever is that it somehow manages to pull this exact same trick off for nine fucking episodes in a row.)

[@angelofmusic1992]

A couple of my favorite episodes ended up on your list, like the Promise and Save the Cat. Princess Prom is another one of my favorites. The light hearted stuff is fun and I love the tension between Catra and Adora in that episode.

[@rev.rachel]

Thank you for finally mentioning, even briefly, how problematic Scorpia’s behaviour is. I see a lot of people treating Catra as the only one in the wrong here, but Scorpia is utterly incompetent at boundaries, and it’s uncomfy to watch. Yeah, they both need connection, but it only adds hurt to Catra that the one person who seems willing to offer her connection does so utterly without regard to her own wishes. It’s yet another theft of agency after everything Shadow Weaver did to her.

[@JediMB]

Dang it. Ever since I started watching Mosco/Wee Lass Reacts' She-Ra reaction series I keep getting She-Ra recommendations on KZbin again. The tears must flow.

[@ArcFox42]

This list feels like it was tailor made to make me cry. Thank you for reminding me of all the reasons I love this show. So much of Catra's trauma and self-destructive behavior reminds me of my own and letting out some tears through the course of her journey is so cathartic. Might be time for a rewatch here soon.

[@febblepebble]

this is for myself if anything since I keep coming back to this video while rewatching the series: 1:29 0. Heart 2:43 10. Light Spinner 4:39 9. Once Upon a Time in the Waste 6:04 8. Hero 7:44 7. Destiny pt 2 8:58 6. The Portal 10:40 5. Remember 11:20 4. Save the Cat 13:28 3. Failsafe 15:20 2. Promise 16:47 1. Corridors

[@dangreen3868]

I know it's not winning any awards but "in the shadows of mystacor" is still one of my favorite episodes. it shows us a really important view into Adora's psyche and her abuse. it's the episode I rewatch when I'm feeling upset about my own abuse and want to relate to Adora

[@5x5Takes]

underrated ep!

[@lemonraven]

Don't think I wouldn't notice that "[oprah i love bread]" before "I LOVE parallels" captioning XD 2:45

[@5x5Takes]

i live to entertain

[@CassieAngelica]

Before I watch this, here’s mine: 10 - S3 E3 “Once Upon A Time In The Crimson Waste” 9 - S3 E5-6 “Remember & Portal” 8 - S5 E3 “Corridors” 7 - S4 E12-13 “Destiny, Pts 1 & 2” 6 - S5 E1 “Horde Prime” 5 - S1 E13 “The Battle Of Bright Moon” 4 - S4 E6 “Princess Scorpia” 3 - S4 E9 “Hero” 2 - S5 E11 “Failsafe” 1 - S5 E12-13 “Heart, Pts 1 & 2.”

[@5x5Takes]

horde prime is sooooo god! i’m going to make another list of “non obvious choices”

[@CassieAngelica]

@@5x5Takes Wow, your response just made my day!💖✨ Thank you so much!

[@peteryang5056]

@@5x5Takes The dinner with Horde Prime, Glimmer, and Catra is my pick for the single scariest scene in the series.

[@5x5Takes]

@@peteryang5056 IT’S SO GOOD I LOVE THAT EPISODE

[@ink7548]

Promise is the episode where the show really transitions into the serious show that's underneath and where it really shows how good it can be, compared to the fun but less impactful episodes before it.

[@SheLovesBooks_4]

Omg Five by five takes finally came back with she ra content I love your videos

[@Noctober-viewing]

i feel Hero is by far my personal top, while i usually cant put episodes or books over one another, i will say the story of madam razz, how we get such a big dive into maras character, the big reveal of the heart of etheria was amazing, and madam razz leaving the pie for mara. That episode always makes me cry. This show was so well made, its amazing and by far one of my favorites to watch (cough cough roll with it cough)

[@sparxstreak02]

17:56 I wholeheartedly agree 🥰 In no small part due to the fact that by S5, they understand SO much of each other’s pain 🥺

[@peeblekitty5780]

At first I was like, "Really? Save the Cat is only #4?" and then you mentioned failsafe and promise and corridors and im like damn. I forgot how many absolute banger episodes this show has. Just watching these clips and hearing the music is getting me emotional.

[@pra.]

I loved Corridors so much too, the Glimmer and Catra moments were so heartwarming, and the ending was really crushing

[@milkymosquito]

i can listen to you talk about she-ra for hours lol, great video as always, def will be checking out the patreon

[@NeedsContent]

These videos are always top quality, filled with empathy and gentle yet cutting insight. As always, thank you for sharing.

[@kenzz9682]

Great video! Aaaaand now it’s time for another rewatch of all your she-ra videos, they’re easily my favorite on this platform

[@JaneDoe-jo8bc]

"I don't think I've ever recovered from what this finale did to me" SSSSSSSSS AAAAAAAA MMMMMM EEEEEEEEE

[@kastiloshepherd1892]

Hey there! I found ya via your POI videos and I've got to say I love your takes on She-ra, and NGL, never thought I'd see the intersection between the two fandoms like i have seen in this channel which covers both

[@kayleekirkpatrick9193]

All of these are wonderful examples of amazing heart wrenching episodes but I would like to shed some light on my favourite not as heart wrenching episodes Mer-Mysteries. I adore it. It focuses on Mermista and Double Trouble, 2 of my favourite characters and it's a murder mystery styled episode, something I adore. System Failure. We get introduced to Entrapta, my lovely little nerd and it's funny. Entrapta's workers are entertaining side characters that I do wish we got more of and in the main fight we get Bow being a badass. Reunion. Reunion is a familial episode, something we don't get in the show, unless it's depressing. I love Bow's dads and their concern and then support in relation to what Bow does. The slight sadness about the fact that he was scared to tell his dads that he wanted to explore rather then be a scholar. It's great. Boys' Night Out. I really just love Seahawk and Bow and you add a magical talking horse, it's great and funny. This next and last one doesn't really fit with the others but it deserves a mention. Perils of Peekablue. It's a Scorpia centered episode. It hints to the romance of Perfuma and Scorpia, and the main plot thing is never seen. The closest we get is Double Trouble and they just make it even better. Scorpia sacrificing herself at the end makes it really sad and finishes it wonderfully. Thank you for reading this if you made it this far lmao 😂 I know it's a lot but I needed something to cheer me up after remembering each of the episodes in the video

[@miriamrosemary9110]

Such an amazing show. And you made me realize things I didn't notice before! Thank you for enhancing my experience of the show.

[@J_CtheEngineer]

I hace your catra and adora videos saved for whenever I want to feel anything. My top 10 is save the cat x10

[@sparxstreak02]

8:13 OMG I never even REALISED this parallel but of COURSE! 😱

[@cass6020]

Once upon a time in the waste is probably my favorite episode. Seeing such a raw expression of Adora getting increasingly upset only to be constantly cut off by Catra's story is so perfect on a meta level, and we know Adora takes every chance she has to ignore her feelings. I find the pacing and character beats line up perfectly in this episode

[@pjdixon6199]

Good to know people are still talking about this show, I honestly thought everyone forgot about it.

[@BluePhx17]

Ah I can’t get over how great this show is Great list, bows crop top moments was top tier. I often think of that when I need a chuckle.

[@dawesome_sauce]

You never cease to surprise me with new insights and analysis on episodes I've seen multiple times. I feel like I always gain something, which is just a credit to the show as a whole: there are always more layers to uncover and discoveries to make. Basically, what I'm saying is if you want to make future She-Ra videos, I'm all for it!

[@richardconnor2871]

Princess Prom was the first episode that I feel like made the series really stand out. It had been fine up until that moment, but that's when it started becoming transcendent to me. All the episodes you listed were definitely better than it in retrospect... But that one will always stand out to me as the beginning of really enjoying the series. Plus, Catra in that suit alone is worth at least a thousand points :P

[@fluffytigers]

yes i love this! I absolutely love how you analyze every character and episodes. It's so nice seeing you explain each and every detail out about how deep it really is and the turning points of the story. When Catra is being absolutely cruel and want to be accepted by SW broke my heart to, but i also loved when she finally broke from all that, but just to encounter Prime who was 10 times worse... the trauma... which you also see Catra react to sw touch in the failsafe as they are invisible, and they get exposed by the enemy. Adora breaking the sword, and come to realize that she needed was love, but still didn't quite get it until the very end. *cough* because sw/prime manipulation *cough* which made her go into the failsafe despite seeing that Catra was scared, and shaking. Which also was one more of the reasons she did go in because of catra and everyone else of course. despite Catra not wanting her to go in, and Adora's Hero complex kicking in. But overall glad of how everything ended! love your videos!

[@taylorparis7228]

Promise and Corridors being your top two is so real Both expanded on Cadora's relationship

[@sparxstreak02]

8:08 While I have no doubt that Glimmer knew at least some of what Scorpia was going through, her convincing Scorpia to team up to connect to her Runestone gave me serious parallels to when Catra convinced Entrapta to team up with the Horde since Catra knew the feeling of being left behind but was also manipulating Entrapta to gain an advantage to their side. Glimmer’s MAIN motivation was to use the Heart of Etheria by any means necessary & that included manipulating Scorpia’s longing for friendship to getting what she ultimately wanted - & given how Glimmer convinced Double Trouble of all people to switch sides & betray Catra, it doesn’t surprise me that she sunk this low in her own quest to ‘win’.

[@alkaneashworth]

Damn even the clips of those scenes made me cry, this show really wrecked me in the best way possible. Also I love your analysis video on she-ra thank you so much for your work.

[@claeab255]

Even from the very first shot of Corridors it already shines. The visual composition is stunning, the reds and oranges of the planet surrounded by the dark greens and whites of horde prime's flagship, accented by Catra's outfit. It just screams "I don't belong in here and I know it". Plus the visual storytelling of this apocalyptic event, explosions bigger than mount everest times 20 shaking the planet to its core, billions, possibly trillions dead, and yet Catra has no reaction. Just complete apathy scored by a hint of depression. It just works so well.

[@liliankastning6389]

Please continue doing shera videos I love them so so much and u always do an amazing job

[@fermintenava5911]

She-Ra is a show I didn't expect to love. But it really took me by surprise and now it's probably my favourite show of the 2010's (maybe even of all time, though eternity is such a silly concept in itself). Unfortunately, my brain doesn't remember individual episode names that much, so I mostly recall different moments - the one with strategy meeting, the one where Kyle finally gets to shine for a moment, the episode with Bow's fathers, all the times Adora gets her "disfunction", and of course all the times there's focus on Netossa and Spinnerella. That said, I'm glad you've made this list, because it reminds me of all the ones I'm missing. 😀 I'll try to give them a rewatch before Netflix can think of taking them down.

[@midnights2631]

I love the parallels in this show, I wish we got more episodes but I read from a comment the sixth season got cut. I love this show so much, it would be so interesting if we got more episodes and learn more about everyone.

[@BoYo5310]

my personal favourite moment is when catra does "that one good thing in her life" and sends glimmer to adoras / maras spaceship

[@hannaho1817]

This is the best list of episodes, I love how you balance character moments, art, plot, and relation to the main drive of the story One episode that I absolutely love that I think gets overlooked is ties that bind. I only really like the B plot tbh (I think that’s how it’s used?) because I love seeing bow, glimmer, and Catra interact. They all three have close connections with the main character and it’s nice to see the similarities and differences between motives. Catra and glimmer were v similar in this episode, but the things that motivate them were different and I think this is also really seen in corridors. If not for ties that bind, we wouldn’t have had that chemistry and balance between Catra and glimmer and perhaps why both of them are close (or were close-) to Adora

[@sparxstreak02]

Would you consider doing your Top 10 Least Favourite Episodes of SPOP? I know some people get oversensitive when this is discussed but I like hearing what makes the ep fall short & what could’ve made it rise just that little bit more - hope you consider it 🤞 (we eat up ANY She-Ra content you produce❣️)

[@5x5Takes]

nahhhhh, i enjoy talking about things i like more than those i don’t tbh

[@sparxstreak02]

@@5x5Takes No worries, completely up to you 😌

[@5x5Takes]

@@sparxstreak02 it’s just more fun for me! plus there’s nothing egregious in any episode really. most of my “complaints” just have to do with the limited runtime/episode order

[@sierrasik444]

So many of these make me want to cry

[@leonaise7546]

This is quite late but I’m so glad people are still talking about this masterpiece of a show. I felt like it’s been forgotten❤️‍🔥

[@evadeceuster1165]

I'm happy to see that my top 2 is exactly the same. No Princess Left Behind, Princess Scorpia and Reunion are some of my favorites that weren't in this list. As well as the pilot episode, which I think sets up the story so well.

[@SparklingsRoblox]

before going into this ranking i had a sneaking suspicion corridors would be at the spot it is HAHA its just such a good episode for every character involved and i love witnessing the parallels from previous memory related episodes and especially how her staring at her younger self is what broke the dynamic but staring at adora's younger self is what helped her turn around again. the parallels in especially season 5 in general get me every time (save the cat vs heart pt. 2 i'm a sucker for LOOOL) love your videos!!

[@rmsgrey]

Yeah, the longer the list went without Corridors coming up, the more I was waiting for it.

[@plovergrrl]

This video launched yet another She-Ra rewatch and Promise is SO pivotal. It's brilliant. And god, the Golden Child dynamic with Shadow Weaver 😢

[@charleston1789]

Alright! Time to rewatch the whole thing for like the 12th time 😁 I LOVE your videos on She-Ra, like all your videos are good, but this is my comfort food

[@StareachValcin]

Definitely great episode choices for a top 10 episode list for She-ra and the princesses of power. I personally can't make a top 10 episode list for this series because I like many episodes for the wholesome moments and many episodes for the serious moments, while there are some great episodes that I like yet still have a hard time watching because of some hard and painful moments. This is still a great list of many of my favorite episodes of the series. Side note: when Adora and Catra talked during the episode "Corridors", their last conversation was actually during the flutterina episode in season 4. Do you think you can make a video about this Adora and Adam from the 2021 cgi He-man and the masters of the universe series? I know that they are from different continuities and shows, but Adora and Adam are still twin siblings, regardless of which shows they are on. The fact that they haven't been reunited on screen since the original She-ra series is still my biggest nitpick of this She-ra series. The closest we get to a mention of He-man is a throwaway line from one of Bow's dads. Adora doesn't even know what happened to her family in her series, and has mainly shown concern with that with the season 3 premiere episode. I honestly like more of family bonding with Adora and Adam, especially considering that in She-ra and the princesses of power, Adora's family might still be out there.

[@harmonicpsyche8313]

Thank you so much for this excellent video! I always love listening to your thoughts and analysis of She-Ra. I'm really glad that Destiny pt. 2, one of my favorites, made your list. But I wish you mentioned a few of my other favorite aspects of that episode, especially the MUSIC! "Destiny pt. 2" may have my favorite score of any SPOP episode. I've relistened to, and rewatched the episode so many times to relisten to, the climactic moment of the song “I Won't Be Controlled” where one of the show’s major conflicts explosively culminates: Adora-and-love against Light-Hope-as-Fate’s-nun. Plus, the reappearance of Horde Prime's theme (which I love so much I posted a video of it) as his fleet fills the Etherian sky really hammers home the terrible threat Prime poses and how terrified Adora must feel without her sword. I can only imagine the cold horror she (and for that matter Glimmer) felt wondering if their decisions doomed everyone they love in the face of such an overwhelming enemy. Btw, I apologize if I already asked, but have you had a chance to read any of the tumblr posts analyzing themes in SPOP about Christianity (especially in season 5)? I wrote one in May 2020 about how SPOP's moral messages criticize Christian fundamentalism’s: tumblr.com/hello-that-happened/619052807009533952/she-ra-versus-christian-fundamentalism The essay-post discussed SPOP’s dark-versus-light subversion and its anti-teleology, among other themes.

[@5x5Takes]

yesss, im a big fan. no personal experience with christianity, but it's a great unpacking

[@irisnahir222]

I love your she-ra videos so much, never stop

[@petercoo9177]

Greetings #Five × Five Takes, thank you for the new material! I agree that rankings are a challenge - what criteria should one weigh more heavily than the others? - but you've done the job of making me/us think. For myself, ranking #2 - through #10 would be an appalling task, but #1 must go to "Hero" (I know, no Catra, blasphemy!). The time transitions were so smooth, and the scripting so perfect, it just left me speechless. My S/O and I, sitting at home in the "computer room" actually applauded at the end of "Hero", it was that good. (We only started watching SPOP this spring; had never heard of it before, it only came across my radar because some reactionary went wackaloon complaining about it...)

[@boywonderous]

there's not a single shera video of yours that doesn't get me sniffling. this was incredible. i can't wait to see more from you. ps: have you ever considered watching warrior nun? the show isn't that good compared to shera or tlok, but i'm curious as to your interpretations of the protagonists who i think bare a lot of resemblances to adora and korra. anyway that's it thank you for the video can't wait for more!

[@lizz-kikimoria]

oh my goodness, with each new video of yours im literally always amazed by your way of phrasing your thoughts and the wording itself TT hard to find right words cause this is my second language, but to sum it up(even if a bit messily) AAAAAAAAA WHAAAA YES daaaaaaamn so good ooooooff amazing how can I be in love with a literal text whaaaaaaaaaaa speechless TT

[@KayLee-lw5iv]

"I am a coward" made me ugly cry Showing frightened people doing the last thing they want to just stabs me in the heart and twists and I never expected it from this show