Swift Wind comes to Bright Moon, Entrapta decrypts the First Ones' data crystal, and Light Hope tells Adora about the history of She-Ra and Etheria.
Tropes
- A Form You Are Comfortable With: Light Hope is really bad at this. When Adora finds her initial form creepy, she helpfully cycles through a few others, each more unsettling than the last.
- Asshole Victim: As Shadow Weaver had been abusing Catra for years, nobody is sad to see Catra break her mask and render her powerless.
- Bait-and-Switch: After hearing Imp's recording of the conversation between Catra and Entrapta, it initially seems as if Catra might get in trouble for her insubordination towards Shadow Weaver. Instead, Hordak is so intrigued by Entrapta's theories that he gives her the Black Garnet to study.
- Depower: Catra shattering the stone on Shadow Weaver's mask strips her of her connection to the Black Garnet and leaves her unable to use her magic.
- The Dog Bites Back: Well, cat, but Catra finally gets to pay Shadow Weaver back for all her abuse, breaking the crystal on her mask and then having her locked up.
- Foreboding Fleeing Flock: After the Horde starts experimenting with the Black Garnet, the various animals in the Whispering Woods (including one of the robotic spiders) begin fleeing in terror. Swift Wind is also able to sense something bad happening, and it's only his connection to Adora that keeps him from fleeing.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: When Light Hope shows Adora images of all the Princesses, there a few things of note that you might miss:
- Despite drawing their power from the same Runestone, Glimmer and her mother have differently colored holograms.
- Netossa and Spinnerella are there despite not having any Runestones of their own, as well as the apparently powerless Scorpia.
- There are Princesses that we have yet to see, and there is a conspicuous gap in the circle of images.
- There is an orange figure that has a cat-like tail, with another shot showing ears similar to Catra's.
- Laser-Guided Karma: As Catra lampshades during her fight with Shadow Weaver, the years of abuse she endured have given her the cunning, ferocity, and quick reflexes necessary for her to dodge the old witch's blows and take her down.
- Layman's Terms: After excitedly shouting her theories, Entrapta is told by Catra to explain them like a normal person. It ends up backfiring a little since she ends up dumbing the explanation down so much she wonders if she has to explain what math is to an annoyed Catra.
- Love Is a Weakness: Light Hope tells Adora that the attachment she has for her friends is a distraction, the guilt she feels for what happened to them is only holding her back, and she should stay in the Crystal Castle until she has been properly trained as She-Ra. Fortunately, Swift Wind comes by to tell Adora how much of a stupid plan that is.
- Mr. Exposition: Light Hope basically exists to give the backstory on Etheria and the First Ones.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: After revealing that he gave the Black Garnet to Entrapta to study to the incredulous Shadow Weaver, Hordak tells her that despite having the Runestone for years, all she has managed to do with it is parlor tricks whilst Entrapta has been able to do more for the Horde with it in the few hours she has been studying it.
- The Reveal:
- The First Ones were explorers that came to the planet countless millennia ago, who not only settled Etheria but are implied to have terraformed it. According to Entrapta, this is how the Princesses have their powers thanks to it being a Magitek blending of technology and magic.
- Adora is the first She-Ra in a thousand years after her predecessor Mara banished Etheria to another dimension, also revealing why the planet has no visible stars.
- She-Ra herself is a Legacy Character charged with uniting the world in harmony along with the other Princesses, each of whom has a connection to one of the Runestones that maintains the planet.
- Running Gag: Everyone's shocked reactions to finding out that Swift Wind can talk for the first time, and Swift Wind's deadpan responses.
- Seen It All: While everyone else freaks out over Swift Wind's sudden ability to talk, Queen Angella doesn't even blink.
- Shout-Out: After telling the others that Etheria is run by ancient computers, Entrapta announces her intention to "hack the planet".
- Stalker Shot: When Entrapta wants to experiment on the Black Garnet and Catra tells her she can get it for her, the camera cuts to a different angle of the room revealing a little bit of Imp in the shot. Then, the camera switches again to show a better view of Imp, who then leaves to report what he saw to Hordak.
- Stupid Evil: Shadow Weaver is so adamant about not giving up the Black Garnet that even after Hordak has approved of Entrapta's experiment, she attacks Catra's group. This leads to Catra shattering her mask and Scorpia detaining her.
- Unusual User Interface: Adora is found unconscious on a crystalline slab, which is creating a virtual environment in her mind through which Light Hope is able to speak to her.
- Villainous Breakdown: Shadow Weaver loses it when Hordak gives his approval for Entrapta to experiment with the Garnet, attacking Catra's group in a rage. It happens again when Catra breaks her mask's crystal, apparently rendering her powerless, desperately grasping at the pieces in the hopes she can fix it.
- Weird Weather: Once Entrapta begins hacking the Black Garnet, a large bolt of red and black energy fires up into the sky above the Fright Zone and causes red lighting storms. It also begins snowing in the Whispering Woods, which is noted to be an impossible anomaly.
