I think one of the important steps for Catra turning herself around is Glimmer. Aside from Adora, Glimmer is the one she’s hurt the most, it’s through her actions Angella is trapped in a dimensional rift (nothing will make me believe she’s dead – if Micah can pop up after a decade, Angella can do the same too– trapped, yes, dead? Never!).
And for majority of season 4 Glimmer and Catra acted as foils to each other, rising to more power at the same time with Catra spiraling further and getting everything she ever wanted and still feeling how hollow it is. Meanwhile, Glimmer is also going further in her quest to be a good Queen, and to end the war while seeking vengeance against Catra.
It’s Glimmer’s actions that finished what Catra had prematurely started in season 3 and brought Etheria fully out of Despondos and gained Horde Prime’s attention in the process. They had different motivations but the end point was the same, the difference is – Glimmer immediately realized her mistake.
And, Catra was caught off guard by this. No one ever taught Catra that she can reverse her actions and try to save people.
Catra is genuinely thrown that Glimmer isn’t pushing her advantage, all her life her role models have been Shadow Weaver and Hordak and neither would stop at this moment if it was advantageous to them.
And when Glimmer leaves Catra to try and stop the Black Garnet, Catra is startled enough that she follows Glimmer and watches her. The only person she knows who would do something like this is Adora, but Catra has too much baggage with Adora to let that affect her.
It’s why Catra gets caught up in the beam that transports Glimmer, Hordak, and herself into Horde Prime’s ship because this whole attitude and behavior is so alien to her. Catra’s been reactive ever since the moment Shadow Weaver appeared in season 3 and claimed to be one of the good guys. And immediately after the events of the Portal, Adora finally drew a line between them.
Catra’s been running, she’s even made sure that she would stay away from Adora for majority of season 4, making Double Trouble do the work. It’s why, it also had to be Glimmer on the ship because if Adora was on the ship all Catra would be doing is running away and pushing away her feelings. Away from Etheria and everything that was clouding her judgment, it’s the clearest Catra’s ever been able to be (before the horrific moment she was chipped).
Shadow Weaver wasn’t around to trigger her, Hordak is just one of the clones and didn’t need to impress. It’s her, slowing down and being alone with her thoughts with nothing else to distract her.
Having Glimmer around, someone who is a foil to Catra, and the person Catra hated because she thought Glimmer took Adora from her but grew-up in a more loving environment also helped Catra. Glimmer is able to model behavior Catra can copy in a way that won’t feel like she was just following Adora’s lead. I think one of the moments that struck me the most is how Glimmer reached out and asked Catra to stay.
I attribute this moment to directly influencing Catra being vulnerable and asking Adora to stay after Adora rescued her.
It was the moment where Catra realized she had to be vulnerable because she will lose Adora if she didn’t. And so far everything she’s done up to the point resulted in only hurting herself more, Catra finally took a bigger chance and asked what she really wanted to ask from Adora, staying with her.
This culminates over all to the final episode where Catra asked Adora again…
Glimmer is also an important compnent to getting Catra to a healthy place, both have done harm to each other and then found friendship and solace on one of the most terrifying places in the universe. And because Glimmer was brought up in an environment where she’s loved and allowed to flourish, she was able to realize her mistake and fix them.
Something Catra was never taught, all her life when things get too bad she had Adora to protect her or she could run away, when Adora drew her line and told Catra she would no longer be a scape goat to Catra’s own bad decisions, that she had to ‘live with’ her own mistakes. It was the first time Catra was really cast adrift and she chased blindly after something she thought she wanted. And succeeded.
Glimmer also ran after a goal and succeeded but in the end after alienating her friends, all it got her was a weapon that nearly destroyed everyone she cared about, and alone in a ship with someone she considered her enemy.
But it’s also Glimmer who finally realized she can’t survive in Horde Prime’s ship alone and broke down to ask Catra to stay.
Glimmer was able to model behavior for Catra to look at and think – oh, that’s a thing I can do. I can be vulnerable and it won’t destroy me. I can stand again, and face my mistakes. I don’t have to do the same thing again and again.
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