Redemption and Circumstance: The Issue with Catra

Very gentle spoilers for characters in Season 3 and Season 4. Plot descriptions kept vague. The surprises contained in both seasons will likely not be ruined for you if you haven't seen them.

Let's make the exposition brief, get the scene-setting out of the way. Catra is one of the primary antagonists from Netflix's promising-but-rushed She-Ra and the Princesses of Power - and yes, she's called that because she's a cat. Why? Don't actually matter. Catra was the best friend of Adora (the main protagonist and the true identity of the titular She-Ra; lot of Ra's here), and the two of them grew up together serving as child soldiers for the Horde, a bunch of techno-industrial evil douchebags led by professional bastard Hordak and his wicked vizier Shadow Weaver, the mother figure to both Catra and Adora. True to the staples of the "Prodigal Sons" trope, Adora and Catra were separated by fate - Catra remained with the Horde, and Adora went on to fight for the freedom of the planet that the Horde was trying to conquer.

Up to speed? Cool. That's Catra in a nutshell - the dark side of the same coin that Adora belongs to. The literal Tails to her Heads. Now the important question - what's wrong with Catra as a character? What happened?? Catra started off so well - Season 1 and Season 2 Catra was a fantastic antagonist. She made strong, dynamic choices, and was full of enough ambition and insecurity that we really got to see a glimpse of the person underneath her smug, embittered shell. She wasn't anywhere near 'forgivable' or even 'redeemable', but she was sympathetic at least. It felt like she had good reason to act the way she did.

But then, at some point, the showrunners decided that Catra needed to have a redemption arc... even though Season 3 and 4 Catra (which is where we left off with her, no less) has shown signs of getting progressively nastier, crazier, and somehow far more unlikable and isolated.

And this is the problem with Catra. The showrunners are attempting to redeem a character that has done nothing to deserve a redemption arc.

What makes a redemption arc really click is if you feel that the redeemed character in question... is worthy of the narrative's grace or not. If you want a strong example of a tried-and-true redemption arc... well, look no further than what many people consider to be the best of the best: Avatar's Prince Zuko. Zuko needs no introduction. He's the GOAT - that's all there is to it. The neat thing is, there are many similarities between Prince Zuko and Catra - they both start off as evil-oriented characters with abusive caretakers, a lack of friends beyond a single, reliable and positive-minded confidant (Uncle Iroh for Zuko, and Scorpia for Catra), and an incredible drive to prove themselves and live up to the overwhelming expectations placed on them by their shitty superiors.

But what separates Zuko from Catra is Zuko's gradual rise from villainy. Zuko absolutely did not start out as a character worthy of redemption - he was tragic, misunderstood, and sympathetic, sure, but none of that wiped the blood off of his hands. He was a selfish and impulsive murderer hell-bent on chasing something that practically everyone around him agreed wasn't worth it. Even with his moments of genuine kindness beneath his veil of wounded arrogance, Zuko would often relapse and fall back on his goal, because it was all he had beyond his Uncle Iroh. As the show neared its middle section, however, the kindness of the series protagonists (in particular Aaag) and the wisdom of Iroh slowly started to reach Zuko. Even when Zuko achieved exactly what he wanted... he wasn't happy. And it was only then that the road to redemption started - right in the middle of the show, and right when Zuko was starting to grow into a better and more mature person. There isn't a soul on Planet Earth that denies the inherent 10/10 writing of Zuko's arc. He's magnificent - and a big reason Zuko's arc worked was because of pacing and focus. Zuko had ample time to be set up a villain, had ample time to realize his shortcomings, and had plenty of time to work past his flaws and turn into the lovable badass he is today. Godspeed, Zuko.

Compare Catra. After Season 2, it feels like Catra begins to descend further into villainy. Catra becomes a lot more selfish and underhanded than before, the already-enormous gap between her and Adora deepening even further as Adora desperately tries to sway Catra from doing something irreversibly bad (much like an actual cat). Catra begins working against and betraying her superiors to get what she wants. She practically turns into an omnicidal maniac by Season 3, ranting that murdering everyone would be just fine if it meant that her better-written rival wouldn't win. And the further that Catra descends into hedonism and villainy, the further she alienates her boss (Hordak), her childhood friends (Lonnie), and the only people that even give her the time of day anymore (Entrapta and especially Scorpia), all because of her vacuous, toxic, ritualistic habits that stem from cycles of abuse (institutionalized and personal) and self-inflicted loneliness.

Good qualities for a rising villain? Absolutely.
Good qualities for a character the showrunners clearly want to redeem? Not a fucking chance.

And therein lies the problem. Catra has done practically nothing to deserve forgiveness, and yet the showrunners desperately want her to have it. Even the moments of levity that Catra has are always seen under the pretense of her doing something terrible and self-serving, like conquering a desert nation just to fuel her ego. She still does terrible things, still orders her troops to do terrible things, still consistently refuses the call to goodness, and still abuses those closest to her - especially Scorpia. And while the showrunners were wise enough to realize that Scorpia would, realistically, get fed up and hurt by Catra's personality... they weren't wise enough to have Catra make up for her behavior even though they want us to believe she's worthy of salvation (they also weren't wise enough to realize that Glimmer is absolutely using Scorpia even though Scorpia dislikes Catra for the very same reasons... it makes me concerned for the state of She-Ra's initially-good themes about abuse, but that's another essay for another time). By the end of Season 4 (which is exactly where we are now), Catra is at an all-time low... and there hasn't been a single, noticeable all-time high outside of what flashes we've seen of Catra when she was a happier child. And that's not the Catra they want to change. That's not the Catra they want us to see.

I'm sorry, but a "Reason You Suck" speech should not be delivered from one piece of shit to another piece of shit of equal value, lmao. Double Trouble (bad name) is also a hedonistic, selfish diva who's even more shallow and directionless than Catra... and much like Catra, the showrunners never bothered to give them a chance for redemption. So using Double Trouble as the means to try and force an atoner's clarity out of Catra... yeah, bad move. It's like Stalin telling Hitler "dude, you are bad for killing people." A much better eye-opener character would have been Hordak, who is actually a decent example of a villain that's been given humanity and understanding in spite of his malicious, snarling demeanor, unlike Catra, who... hasn't.

Catra's backstory and harsh circumstances also aren't enough to redeem her. It makes her easier to understand, yes - it's undeniable that the Horde and Shadow Weaver's emotional abuse fucked her up, and was partially responsible for putting Catra in the broken mindset that leads her to make bad decisions. But she'll get no sympathy from me. Why? Because of Adora. Adora was in the exact same boat as Catra - sure, Adora was favored by Shadow Weaver, but Shadow Weaver still definitely abused her, albeit in a far subtler, more manipulative way. Adora was just as indoctrinated by the Horde as Catra... but Adora made a conscious decision to join the Princesses and fight for what is objectively good (because at least the Princesses don't conquer planets). This implies that the same thing happened to Catra... Catra is making a conscious decision to stick with the plainly-evil Horde and making a conscious choice to continue making bad decisions. Adora even points this out in Season 3, stating that Catra made her choice... so she has to live with the consequences.

And Adora's right. Catra's making the choice to be an asshole, and that's that. Assholes are, typically, unforgivable, unless they make a point to not be an asshole. Like Zuko. Sure, it's fucking sad that Catra was abused and mistreated and groomed to only be a killing machine, but it doesn't excuse anything she's done up until this point. Like, it's possible to relate to the loneliness and anger that often drives school shooters or terrorists... but they don't deserve forgiveness for murdering children. They never do. And neither does Catra. The showrunners need to realize that, too.

With Season 5 on the horizon (and it's looking to be the finale), we're running out of time... and Catra, as of this point, has not met the requirements of a character that deserves a redemption arc. She isn't worthy of our grace. She's become nastier and altogether more grim and chaotic than before, snarling and slinking around the Horde's headquarters and sulking in her growing loneliness. Truly a character worthy of being forgiven. It really sucks because there have been plenty of moments before this that the showrunners could have used to develop Catra and possibly steer her in the direction of a person that wants to improve themselves... but that didn't happen. Instead, they doubled down on making her a slimy, smug snake with an inferiority complex and a massive temper. That's not to say that any of these traits are bad for a villain/anti-hero (not at all), or bad for a redemptive character per se... but if you want to make someone terrible make a noticeable transition into someone good, at some point you have to make them not want to murder kids, kick puppies, and abuse their closest friend. We're in the endgame now, and Catra's morally (and narratively) worse than where she started.

"I don't care what happens to this character." The eight deadly words to hear if you're a writer/creator. And it's true. Given the intended direction Catra's going down... I don't care what happens to her. For all the screentime Catra's allotted, it feels like she's heading nowhere satisfying very quickly (unless they wind up not giving her a redemption arc after all... in which case, this'll all just feel like a cocktease). It's a shame to see such a promising character wasted on deteriorating writing quality and ruined by the all-too-pressing need to make 'something special'.

Let this be a lesson - if you want a devil to look like an angel, at some point or another... they need to start making a strong step towards the road to heaven.

For Zuko, that was standing against his father.

For Catra...

Well. She had her chance to stand up.

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Smiling Friends (Psychicpebbles) Pilot - Review and Overlook

Well, I'll be damned! Some of you Internet veterans may remember the works of Chris O'Neill ("Oney", nowadays best known as OneyPlays) and Zach Hadel ("Psychicpebbles"), two Newgrounds-based animators and voice actors that mutually got their start making Flash cartoons on Newgrounds (although it seems Zach still animates; Chris has been focusing mostly on his stellar OneyPlays Youtube channel). You're probably familiar with most of their works without even recognizing it - Leo and Satan, Left 4 Speed (can't believe it's been 11 years already, that was the funniest shit back in the day), the more recent "GET OUT OF MY CAR" meme, and Hellbenders in particular, a collaboration series between the two animators that ultimately never went anywhere beyond a few promising videos (one of which guest starred Jason Paige - yeah, the Pokemon Theme dude - pounding out a hilariously, genuinely incredible rendition of 'Silent Night').

Why the elongated intro? Well, here's the interesting thing about Hellbenders - Chris and Zach intended to pitch the series to Adult Swim. Which, if you're familiar with Adult Swim's late-night, absurdist brand of humor and familiar with Chris and Zach's off-kilter, absurdist brand of humor, seems like a match made in heaven. But the unfinished pilot pitch was rejected by the network and the two of them quietly dumped Hellbenders into the bin - Hellbenders is now fondly remembered by a lot of Internet animation buffs as a prime example of "what could have been".

Hellbenders did show a lot of promise - but the thing is, if you were to ask me, Hellbenders would not have been able to sustain itself as a syndicated TV show. The unfinished pilot was leaked online, easily viewable to anyone that can hop onto YouTube, and it's rough. The original Hellbenders videos were four-minute (at best) ventures that ended almost exactly when they needed to; you were able to forgive the barebones story in favor of the great, shotgun-comedy gags and silly ass faces. The pilot, 'Zachnaphobia', taps out at about this five-minute mark, and the story honestly isn't engaging or wacky enough on a superficial level to make room for jokes. It isn't terrible, but it's somewhat trite - you get the distinct feeling that both Chris and Zach can do better (and they have).

This is not to say that Adult Swim hasn't greenlit total garbage before (they are absolutely guilty of this), but even speaking as a fan of both Oney and Psychicpebbles, I'm kinda glad it didn't amount to much, given the state the series was in. It needed sharper writing, sharper direction if it wanted to go toe-to-toe with some of Adult Swim's legitimately great series, like Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

But it's the year 2020, and wouldn't you know it, Zach "Psychicpebbles" Hadel himself now has his own cartoon pilot up on Adult Swim's website. Everything has a way of working out in the end, huh? It was aired about a month ago, and it was met with almost unanimous praise and warmth from the Internet community. The important question remains, though - is Smiling Friends actually good? Is it a marked improvement from the rough-but-promising Hellbenders, or is Smiling Friends a noticeable downgrade?

Just now noticed the office was located next to the Asylum - that's a good bit.

Well, for one thing, the series has a perfectly good hook beyond 'two guys acting dumb' - a classical trope, but one that's been done many, many times before. That's a start. The titular Smiling Friends are an organization of dubious merit whose sole purpose is to put a smile on their clients' faces, no matter what the cost, financial or otherwise, may be. The Smiling Friends are a small group - we don't see more than five or so people at the office, and at least two of them are only used for single-scene gags. The focus lies in the laps of Pim (Michael Cusack), a bright-faced, optimistic little purple dude that winds up being more of a doormat than he intends, Charlie (Zach Hadel himself), the calmer, more straightforward cool guy that reels in his group when they get too silly, and Alan (also Michael Cusack), a deadpan, idiosyncratic worker with obvious bouts of OCD and possible latent autism, who still manages to come off as a pretty straightforward guy compared to their creepy but friendly boss (Marc M.) and Glep (Zach once more), a lazy little pile of green gibberish with a wizard hat that demonstrates no sign of magical prowess whatsoever.

If any of this seems weird to you, you're clearly not familiar with either Zach's works or Adult Swim's. I had the straightest face possible jotting that down, and a part of this is due to the fact that the characters' absurdities and weirdness are never pointed out. Thanks to how casual Smiling Friends really is at its core, this imbues the series with a sense of gentle confidence and levity that helps make room for the characters and the jokes they provide. Luckily for Zach, these characters are pretty instantly likable, especially on the design front - their designs immediately communicate their personalities, with Pim's wide eyes accentuating his innocence and Charlie's beady eyes firmly defining him as the straight man. Their simple shapes and colors are a welcome break from Adult Swim's occasional tendency to rely on ugliness. The only character I wasn't feeling too hot on was Pim, Charlie, and Alan's boss - not only does he lapse into a joke that's a rehash of a gag from one of Zach's videos back in the day, he's too reliant on awkwardness and tension to sell him. He has only one scene, true, but every minute matters when you only have 11 to spare.

Pim and Charlie are sent to brighten the day of Desmond (Mike Stoklasa, from Red Letter Media, an unexpected guest) at the pleas of his high-pitched mother, who tells them Desmond's been feeling a little under the weather. Expecting Desmond to be a child (which leads to a great gag where Pim shouts "I LOVE KIDS" at the top of his lungs), Pim and Charlie are stunned when they see that Desmond's a (possibly) middle-aged, droning, nihilistic shell of a man permanently angling a gun at his head and mulling over his divorced wife, his estranged children, and the death of his dog (who died of a broken heart). Charlie is clearly taken aback by Desmond's over-the-top melodrama, but Pim is determined to brighten his day, no matter what. In the meantime, Alan hangs back at the office in pursuit of a presumed mouse thief that stole some of his cheese and his prized 74th paperclip. However, Alan discovers that the perpetrator is a little Bliblie, a monstrously obnoxious species of little purple dudes that constantly scream, steal, and cause chaos wherever they go. Multiple Bliblies gather and proceed to literally crucify Alan in the office. This sure seems like it has fucking nothing to do with Desmond's case at all, but here's the thing - when Pim, Charlie, and Desmond return after an unsuccessful day, Desmond is forced to shoot an attacking Bliblie; the rush of adrenaline it gives him actually makes him smile. He then goes on to grow his hair back, clean himself up, and start a Bliblie-killing business called Desmond's Bliblie Control, which is exactly where we end off.

These little guys sound fucking hilarious; it's like white-noise blabbering at a mile a minute.

It's fucking stupid, yeah, but it manages to work a hell of a lot better than Hellbenders' pilot did. Having two plots occurring at once was a boon for the pilot's pacing; Smiling Friends benefits a lot from having multiple things going on at the same thing. If you ever feel like one scenario's getting too stale, there's another one right on its heels. The gags are strong in "Desmond's Big Day Out". We get to meet Pim's dysfunctional family, a collective of funny, split-second stereotypes that work far better than they should; there's this amazing joke where Alan confronts a man literally living in the walls of his office (probably the best gag in the entire episode); the fact that the theme park 'Daveland' is just named after a random guy is way funnier than it should be, and Desmond constantly holding his gun against his head is an incredibly funny out-of-context shot. Pim also becomes catatonic and broken around the 9-minute mark and ends the episode like that - there's a genuine streak of ingenuity and creativity that I felt was missing somewhat from the Hellbenders pitch.

The voice actors commit to their roles with gusto - I have to give credit to Michael Cusack and Mike Stoklasa for managing to make both Alan and Desmond (respectively) completely deadpan, but in a way that's completely different and easily identifiable from the other; the former's nasal bluntness is a result of his silly nature, whereas the latter's is due to over-the-top Eeyore levels of depression. The animation isn't fantastic, but it's much livelier than most Adult Swim cartoons - everyone is about as expressive and fluid as they need to be. I particularly like how crisp the characters' outlines are - it sharply defines them against their surroundings and draws our attention to their features without screaming for it.

It isn't perfect. As I said before, there's a couple flat jokes (the boss) that go on longer than they need to, and the pilot still never fully manages to shake the feeling that its natural home is on YouTube, a common issue that permeates a lot of big-screen projects created by Youtubers, like the surprisingly-average and inoffensive Smosh Movie, the ridiculous list of Fred movies, or the fucking monotonous Breadwinners series. Even in its current state, I wonder if Smiling Friends would be able to comfortably sustain itself for multiple episodes and multiple seasons - even with the menagerie of relatively plotless shows like Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Squidbillies, and Metalocalypse before it, Smiling Friends feels like it lacks that something special to truly carry it for eleven seamless minutes. It's tough to put a bead on what that something special is - perhaps Smiling Friends could benefit from more chaotic energy? It's tough to judge Smiling Friends at the state it's in - it's only a pilot, after all. But humor from a mostly skit-based platform like YouTube doesn't translate particularly well to fifteen-minute episodes that rely on narrative structure, character, and clean pacing.

"Desmond's Big Day Out" is still a hell of a lot better than "Zachnaphobia". It's a much more fleshed-out and fully operational passion project that works shockingly well for what it is. It made me laugh several times, and that's really all it needed to do at the end of the day. I'm hesitant to see where it goes next - it's hard to tell if future episodes (assuming there are any future episodes) will be able to sustain this level of quality, finesse, and passion without becoming repetitive or shrill. While I have faith in Zach's ability to make me laugh (he's a fucking delight on OneyPlays), it's possible that the show's shotgun method of comedy may hurt its pacing in the long run. Time will tell. As it stands, Smiling Friends is funny and surprisingly heartfelt at its core.

7/10.

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Statement of Principles

STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES

Evening, world - I'm Sam "LastKeyMusic" Lasky. You may also know me as Key, LastKeyMedia, LastKeyVGM, and a few other monikers I've gone by in the past. I predominantly specialize in music, audio, and performance, composing and covering songs for a wide number of projects, among other things. I'm also a writer, designer, and media analyst / reviewer -  and that's what brings us to the Last Key Media weblog! This is a media analysis-centered blog; all the material on this blog primarily relates to discussions about literature, film (animated or live-action), video gaming, theater, and other entertainment mediums.

REVIEWS

Oxford Dictionary describes a review as "a critical appraisal of a book, play, movie, exhibition, etc.", and I can not think of a more accurate definition. My reviews will discuss whether or not a "book, play, movie, exhibition, etc." is worth seeing. These reviews will touch base briefly on the central themes or anything I find interesting (be it story, character, setting, or production value) and will usually involve little to no in-depth analysis unless it is absolutely necessary.

ANALYSIS

Unlike reviews, which focus on a product's merits, analyses more or less looks at why certain things are the way they are in said product (in my own opinion). I will discuss theme, philosophy, allusions, all that good shit. Analysis posts tend to be more subjective, as they will focus on what I personally think a product means or represents, and that does not necessarily count as fact or pertain to what it actually is. Reviews provide relatively quick plot descriptions; analyses tends to break down storytelling and analyse some of the glossed-over aspects.

REACTIONS / RANTS

The difference between reviews and reactions is simple yet subtle. I will write a review over a product I have seen / played / focused on in its entirety; reactions are all about my opinions on an incomplete project or something I have (likely) not seen in its entirety yet. Reactions tend to be shorter and less formulaic than reviews, more snippets of thoughts rather than concrete, organized thoughts.

RATINGS

If I ever use ratings - which I will - they will be out of 10, as is the norm.

10 / 10 - Nothing is perfect, but a 10 /10 is close enough. The flaws are ultimately trivial in the face of something that is well and truly great.

9 / 10 - Something truly amazing. The flaws are evident, and there could be room for improvement (What If's or If Only's) but it's something I personally believe everyone should see. Essential viewing.

8 / 10 - Really, really good. Not essential viewing, but something worthwhile and special.

7 / 10 - Very good. Nothing that will blow your mind; the flaws are evident enough that they simply can't be ignored, but there's enough positives in its favor that I'd recommend it anyway. 7/10's are also reserved for anything that's consistent and solid from start to finish, but isn't particularly challenging or bold.

6 / 10 - Decent. This is where the cons begin to outweigh the pros. Enjoyable enough that I can safely say "I had a good time with this", but flawed enough that it makes me wonder if it was truly worth my time.

5 / 10 - Subpar. My least favorite rating. It is the absolute epitome of "mediocre". The flaws are both minor and major; the strong points are harder to care about. In short, boring. Rarely, very rarely, 5/10's might be the end rating of something that has incredible highs and abysmal lows in equal measure, but these are rare..

4 / 10 - Poor. Something went wrong. Too many shortcomings, inadequacies; there may be some strengths, they simply aren't enough to save it in the long run.

3 / 10 - Bad. Straight up bad, not worth your time. The problems keep building up, and it bothers the hell out of me. Contains at least one or two strong points to save it from being truly abysmal.

2 / 10 - Fucking Awful. One of my more favorite categories; negative reviews are far easier to write than positive reviews. A 2 / 10 is truly incompetent, unable to function as an object let alone something worthy of praise.

1 / 10 - Massive ass. Truly terrible. 1 / 10 films, games, etc. tend to be a guilty pleasure, because this rating puts it firmly in either the "so bad it's good" or "so bad it's really bad" camps. Insulting to your intelligence.

0 / 10 - If something or someone ever receives this elusive rating, that's when you know that somebody's fucked up.

And I think that'll cover it.

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