Entrapta, Catra, and Scorpia take a trip into the frozen wastes to dig up a piece of First Ones tech Hordak wants to power his portal. Bow, Adora, Glimmer, and Sea Hawk follow them. Adora is corrupted by the repaired disc from System Failure, and the whole group is trapped in the polar base by enraged ice worms.
Tropes
- The Bad Guy Wins: Entrapta successfully got her hands on a piece of First Ones' tech that could power Hordak's portals, and had actually held onto it for a while but didn't say anything.
- The Berserker: We discover that this is what happens to Adora when she holds the corrupted Sword of Protection.
- Big "NO!": When she realizes Scorpia was going to destroy the First Ones crystal, Catra angrily exclaims, "No!".
- Call-Back:
- Entraptra brings out the repaired First Ones crystal that she had before, and once again it causes every bit of tech nearby to go berserk.
- Catra calls Adora out on not being able to kill her, just like the hologram Catra did in the first episode of the season.
- A depressed Sea Hawk sings a sad reprise of his "I Am" Song from his introduction.
- "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: Entrapta reveals at the end that she's had the First One artifact for quite some time; she just didn't want to mention it because she was having so much fun.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: In contrast to their previous encounters, the brief fight between Catra and the berserk She-Ra is very one-sided in the favor of latter, with only the intervention of Scorpia saving Catra from having her lights punched out for good.
- Didn't Think This Through: Catra infects the Sword of Protection in an attempt to take She-Ra out of the equation and it works...but once Bow and Glimmer escape, the now-berserk She-Ra instantly turns her rage toward Catra, who has all she can handle trying to stay alive as she's pursued by a She-Ra who's no longer being held back by Adora.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: Though Scorpia refers to Adora as Catra's "ex-best-friend", she also specifically notes that they're stuck in a closet together, and their discussion is very The Missus and the Ex.
- Drunk on Milk: Once again, after reverting to Adora from infected She-Ra, Adora is left floppy and drunken.
- Evil Laugh: The berserk She-Ra lets out a menacing laugh coupled with a Slasher Smile as she prepares to impale Catra.
- Exposed to the Elements: Everyone wears cold weather gear except She-Ra.
- For Your Own Good: Scorpia quotes this directly to Catra once she decides to destroy the disc.
- Friendly Enemy: Sea Hawk and Scorpia are on opposite sides, but that doesn't stop them from being friends.
- Internal Reveal: Catra is starting to catch on to the fact that Scorpia loves her, though it's already clear to the audience.
- Locked in a Room: Scorpia and Adora are stuck in a storage shed together for much of the episode. Sea Hawk is later added.
- MacGuffin: The artifact that the group is after. It turns out that Entrapta had it the whole time.
- Mundane Utility: Catra has used Scorpia's exoskeleton as a nail file.
- "Not So Different" Remark:
- Catra is stubbornly determined to find a way to take control of Adora, even when disaster is staring her in the face and someone else is suggesting she call it quits. Exactly like Shadow Weaver.
- Sea Hawk and Scorpia both realize this as they bond over their fears about being good enough for the objects of their love.
- Odd Friendship: Scorpia and Sea Hawk bond over worrying that they're not good enough for their respective crushes.
- Oh, Crap!: Catra is deeply enjoying the prospect of having a berserk She-Ra on a leash to turn against the Rebellion and enjoys watching her attack her friends with lethal force. That is, until She-Ra starts charging towards her with the same murderous intent.
- Pet the Dog: Despite being angry at first that Scorpia destroyed the disc, Catra thanks her on the ride home for getting them out of there and even offers to share her blanket with her. She also gives a small smile after Entrapta runs off with the First Ones tech after admitting that she hid that fact because she had fun hanging out with them.
- Power Echoes: The berserk She-Ra's voice has a reverb effect, emphasizing her power is out of control.
- Reassigned to Antarctica: Catra takes being assigned this mission that way.
- Skewed Priorities:
- Sea Hawk is more concerned about whether people think he's cool than anything else, including imminent mortal danger.
- Catra is so determined to control She-Ra that she refuses to break the disc corrupting her when her own life is at stake.
- The Password Is Always "Swordfish": When Scorpia can't remember the password Catra gave her, Adora starts playing with the console, and then the door opens. Adora says she put in Catra's favorite number.
- Stupid Evil: Catra is so obsessed with controlling She-Ra that she refuses to break the disc with the virus corrupting her, even as infected First Ones' machines attack and nearly kill her. This is despite the fact that the corrupted Adora already nearly killed her showing that relying on a corrupted She-Ra as a weapon is a bad idea.
- Sympathy for the Devil: Despite being one of the series' evil-doers, Sea Hawk sympathizes with Scorpia upon learning about her relationship problems with Catra.
- Unstoppable Rage: Catra does very poorly against the berserk She-Ra. Adora has previously gotten the better of Catra even when she's refusing to kill her. While her rational thought is gone, the fact that she's fighting with the intent to kill means she will simply try to end a fight with her sword.
- You Wouldn't Shoot Me: Catra calls Adora's bluff when she has a sword to her head. She's right about regular Adora, but corrupted Adora is another matter.
