My analysis and thoughts on Catra's Badass in Distress and Damsel out of Distress scene from the "Promise" episode from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power.
Even though it was for a few seconds, it's still a very scary, heartbreaking, and interesting scene.
From Catra's terrified blood-curdling scream as a spider bot suddenly climbs out of the mirror towards her.
Adora immediately rushing to Catra's (who's ensnared up and gagged in green sticky goo-like substance) aid upon hearing Catra screaming in the other room and tries to save her, but despite Adora's efforts, Catra is pulled away from her, much to Adora's horror and despair.
And as Catra (who is even more ensnared and trapped in the sticky goo-like substance) is being dragged away down a hallway in the Crystal Castle by the spider robot, she (still gagged by the sticky goo-like substance) cries out for Adora's help, with tears falling from her eyes, shrieking and screaming as she desperately struggling to break herself free.
Then, out of fear, frustration, adrenaline, and with a spark of fire that's still within her, Catra tears the sticky goo-like substance off of her with her claws, freeing herself from the spider robot's grasp on her. And Catra proceeds to fight back, damaging and wrecking the robot spider with her agility and her claws.
This scene showcased one of the many scenes of Catra at her most vulnerable, as well as at her most badass.
AJ Michalka did an phenomenal job with bringing out fear, helplessness, emotional vulnerability, frustration, fire, resilience, and badassery of Catra without saying much, all while Catra was trapped, ensnared, and gagged for most of the scene.
AJ Michalka didn't need to say anything to convey the emotional vulnerability, fear, helplessness, powerlessness, the feeling of being trapped, the frustration, adrenaline, anger, and spark of fire from within Catra. Her blood-curdling screams, muffled shrieks, struggling shrieks, and the desperation and fear for her life did.
My Thoughts.
"I was so scared for Catra in that scene. While watching the entire time, I was like "My God! Catra, no! Come on, Adora! Save your ex bestie (girlfriend)! I swear to Mara, if that giant freak of a spider bot does anything to Catra, I am so going to-".
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One thing that didn't come across in my first few posts that I will clarify before I start— I am not a Sebaciel shipper. While I think there are underlying erotic themes and elements to their relationship, I don’t ‘ship’ them in the way I think it may have came across.
Following that, I also don’t think their relationship is sexual. This statement problematizes my original statements on account of not wording those the best (my fault gang). What I mean by this is, while thematically I believe there is erotic elements used as key aspects of their dynamic, I don’t think that their relationship in universe is sexual.
This does not mean that those elements are not at times intended for the sexual gratification of the audience (or the author). All of it is so ‘doing brain surgery with my right hand and heart surgery with my left’ levels of complicated.
Also, my intent with this clarification isn’t for to create distance between myself and Sebaciel shippers, or align myself with Sebaciel antis. Moreso I’d like to establish how I interact with their relationship outside analysis so everyone knows where I’m actually coming from.
I’m gonna be honest, I have WAY too much time on my hands, compilation videos aren’t enough, I need to TALK. So, analysis blog. I know I missed the initial hype train for Trolls 3, but this is Tumblr so I know some of you little freaks watch the tags for any grain of new content. (Dreamworks give us Trolls 4 and my life is yours).
Branch is pretty much always going through it no matter which movie, so we will be visiting him a lot here, hence the username.
I was not expecting people to be so receptive to watching me dig up the dead horse and start hitting it again. However, this is notoriously a fandom of sick pervs so expecting less is on me.
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My name is Maraschino(You can also call me cucumber/OP/lowkey whatever, formalities don’t matter)! I’m a university student studying Bioethics and Postmodern Media, so most of my time is spent writing synthesis essays or ‘putting the fries in the bag.’
There are a lot of things I will be clarifying about my personal philosophies as I develop this blog, however, I would like to make it abundantly clear that the way I approach media analysis is based off three principles:
A separation of church(participation in fandom, so shipping, fan fiction, and head cannons) and state (formal analysis done applying collegiate research skills)
Analysis is a morally neutral thing that can lead you to moral or immoral conclusions. Your interpretation and reading of any text of piece of media does not reflect your character. (This is not the same thing as media not having an impact on reality mind you)
I am always whiling to change my perspective if presented with a reasonable counter argument.
All of these principles have a significant amount of nuance and I will expand on them below, but know that this is the mentality I am operating under as I go about this. I’m coming at Black Butler very objectively so I am always whiling to hear people out and engage in discussion.
That being said: I do hold this manga, and its fandom, very dear. As someone who values conversation, nuance, and debate I do ask that an effort is made to keep any debate civil and any rebuttal well constructed. If you are going to make a counter point please use the text and don’t attack someone's character.
I am at times disgustingly optimistic, so I am hopeful people both find this instructing, and that I gain some insight from others. But please, please be kind.
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In order to keep my methods as out in the open as possible I am going to be very open about my research and analysis process for this project. There are several reasons for this outside of me wanting to show anyone looking at this blog how I came to any given conclusion.
Research and analysis are incredibly important skills that, in my opinion, are treated like this jarring and unapproachable thing. Through this transparency I’m hoping to not only show you my method but also subliminally message you into thinking research isn’t that hard and actually super easy and cool. We are in a literacy crisis and I, in a move of genius, am using a long winded analysis of the shitty shotabait manga to aid it.
Below I will be linking my sources and posts about the process I go through to make my more well polished posts.
Epic II takes place as Orpheus adds more onto his song, despite the encouragement of Eurydice in A Gathering Storm to prepare for the upcoming storm. This version of his Epic focuses on the glittering riches of the Underworld, as well as the highly contrasting construction that is always taking place there, which is done by all of the residents of Hadestown. We also learn that without Persephone there, loneliness looms inside of him, and that is why he turns to such projects.
King of silver, king of gold
And everything glittering under the ground
Hades is king of oil and coal
And the riches that flow where those rivers are found
Chant shows the listeners/viewers the true desires and the differences between the two couples in their relationships are revealed. Eurydice learns that Orpheus prioritizes his music over their survival and seemingly, even their relationship. Persephone sees that Hades has begun to prioritize growing his empire to mimic the world above that she loves so much over her. As the storm gathers, the characters will drive themselves farther and farther apart until it is too late for Orpheus to salvage his love while he still has Eurydice.
And that is the reason we're on this road
And the seasons are wrong
And the wind is so strong
That's why times are so hard
It's because of the gods
The gods have forgotten the song of their love
Hey, Little Songbird happens as Hades and Eurydice meet for the first time. Hades tempts to entice her into coming with him to Hadestown, promising luxury and safety through the deal, and playing into her fear that she will not survive with Orpheus, who is merely a poet and has nothing more than his music. Eurydice who has been going hungry recently and is fearful of the winter storm to come, is enticed by his offer of security and wealth.
Hey, little songbird, look all around you
See how the vipers and vultures surround you
And they'll take you down, they'll pick you clean
If you stick around such a desperate scene
See, people get mean when the chips are down
When the Chips are Down (”Songbird vs. rattlesnake) [Intro] begins as Eurydice is faced with the decision of going to Hadestown or staying in the world above, and leads into:
And Hades gave her a choice to make
A ticket to the underworld
When the Chips are Down takes place as the Fates appear and encourage her to consider the offer after Hades invites Eurydice to come with him to Hadestown. They tell her that she should and needs too look after herself now that she is starving and the “chips are down”, leaving her very own life in the balance of her decision.
Help yourself
To hell with the rest
Even the one who loves you best
What you gonna do when the chips are down
Now that the chips are down?
Gone, I’m Gone has Eurydice explain that, although she is in love with Orpheus, she cannot overcome her desire for the material protection, providence, and safety that she will be provided with in Hadestown. Orpheus is unable to provide for her, and because of this, she decides to go to the underworld where she is promised those things.
Orpheus, my heart is yours, always was, and will be
It's my gut I can’t ignore
Orpheus, I'm hungry
Oh, my heart it aches to stay, but the flesh will have its way
Oh, the way is dark and long
I'm already gone
Wait for Me (”Hey, the big artiste...”) [Intro] shows Orpheus as he realizes that Eurydice is gone, goes looking for her, and is told by Hermes that she has gone to Hadestown. He then tries to convince Hermes to give him directions to Hadestown, and it leads into the next song:
So... just how far would you go for her?
To the end of time
To the end of the earth
You got a ticket?
No...?
Wait for Me starts Orpheus’s descent into Hadestown as he looks Eurydice. Not knowing why she is there but determined to bring her home, he begins the long trek to the Underground. Hermes gives Orpheus the much-needed advice for the Underworld that he will need in order to survive the journey. On the other side, the Fates try to discourage Orpheus, saying that his trip is pointless and he will fail.
Wait for me, I'm comin'
Wait, I'm comin' with you
Wait for me, I'm comin' too
I'm coming too
Why We Build the Wall shows Hades leading a chant regarding the values and reasoning of “life” in the Underworld. These values include working for the sake of work, rejecting poverty, and isolationism. This song illustrates the silent power that Hades has over his kingdom, while his workers sing the creed. During the song Eurydice also learns from a resident of Hadestown what it is like to live there and how she is to spend the rest of her life.
The enemy is poverty
And the wall keeps out the enemy
And we build the wall to keep us free
That's why we build the wall
We build the wall to keep us free
Why We Build the Wall (”Behind closed doors...”) [Outro] has Hermes is guiding the audience’s attention to the fact that a lot can happen on both sides of a pair of closed doors. Eurydice may be signing a sketchy contract, but Persephone is letting the workers rebel and get a glimpse of freedom.
Another Theatre Thursday is complete [(and with a whole hour to spare before my posting deadline (oops)] Next Week we’ll cover Our Lady of the Underground - Chant (Reprise).
Hadestown is a musical that hit Broadway in March of 2019. Originally performed in Vermont in 2006, and with an earlier concept album coming out in 2010, the music and production of Hadestown has gone through a lot on the journey to Broadway. A Greek Tragedy with a Jazzy Twist, Hadestown has proven to be a success with audiences and critics alike.
And brother, thus begins the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice!
It’s a love song. It’s a love song!
It’s a tale of love from long ago
It’s a sad song. It’s a sad song!
But we’re gonna sing it even so
It’s an old song. It’s an old song!
It’s and old tale from way back when
And we’re gonna sing - We’re gonna sing
We’re gonna sing it again!
This is an introduction post to a four part series (six if you include the intro and conclusion) on Hadestown. Each part will cover ten songs in total, the introduction will cover more history and background, then the conclusion will cover more of my overall opinion on the show (spoiler- it’s really good).
Dropping music throughout the earlier months of 2019, as well as show clips and live performances really built up hype for this spectacular show. Once the whole soundtrack was released in July, it was on repeat for months on my Spotify and I’m sure I wasn’t alone in that.
Through multiple revisions of the musical as a whole, the story has remained mostly the same. It’s two Greek tragedies in one, and with a fun jazzy twist on top of that. Hadestown merges the stories of Orpheus (Reeve Carney) and Eurydice (Eva Noblezada), and Hades (Patrick Page) and Persephone (Amber Gray) to create one fluid and dynamic narrative on-stage.
Other cast members are Hermes, played by Andre De Shields, and the Fates who are currently played by Jewelle Blackman, Yvette Gonzales-Nacer, and Kay Trinidad. There’s also a decently-sized ensemble, and a live band that plays on the stage for at least part of the show.
Nominated for fourteen Tony Awards, and winning eight of them including the all-important Best Musical and Best Original Score, Hadestown has been wowing audiences since its debut. It also has a spectacular set design, featuring a rotating stage and an in-floor elevator in the center.
I’ll further indulge my love for the lead’s and their voices in later posts, but a small mention to Noblezada’s gorgeous and powerful belting voice, and her insane range, as well as Page’s impressive lower register.
Hadestown is a new telling of classic Greek mythology (which I’ve always been obsessed with- you’ve been warned) that had spent a year on Broadway before everything got shut down. Here’s to hoping it comes back soon, I have see it before it goes off Broadway again!
Here’s the first Theatre Thursday, Hadestown! It’s a little shorter then the other posts will be, since it’s just an Introduction to the next five TT posts. Next Week we’ll cover Road to Hell - A Gathering Storm.
