Some Thoughts/ Hopes for the New Sofia the First Series from a Parent's Perspective
So, I've been thinking a lot about the new series as a parent because that's what I am, and I can't change that.
Specifically, I've been thinking about the way things end with a not quite yet twelve year old child being placed, effectively, in the position of a full adult role as Protector of her Realm.
And, there is a part of me that would like that addressed?
That is a lot of responsibility for a child.
I think my struggle with Season 4 is that I quite like a lot of the characters in it as individuals.
But, I don't like the amount of pressure placed on a character who is still, for all intents and purposes, a child.
The season begins with the betrayal of Sofia by her mentor. It continues with her accepting a position as "Protector In Training" (seemingly without fully understanding what that's going to entail - or at least - without anyone fully explaining what that will entail). While still in training, Sofia is required to hunt down a dangerous interdimensional criminal while not being able to really/ not feeling fully able to speak about those activities to her safe adults. This to the point that she sneaks off FROM HER DAD to face off against this criminal ALONE at one point. Finally, near the end of the series, she "proves herself" by fighting, effectively, an Eldritch horror monster Queen. Thus, leading to her being asked if she wants to take up a position occupied exclusively by other adults.
As a parent, I just can't say I'm overly fond of that.
However, I do like many of the characters in the season AS CHARACTERS.
Twitch is such a fun character. I'm a sucker for a fun shapeshifter. There was so much lore that could have been explored here.
Chrysta reminds me a lot of a female Goliath from Gargoyles.
Terrible teacher. Not a great mentor, in the literal sense of being able to give good explicit instruction and guidance. But, a really good heart and a great leader. There's a lot of really great parallels between these two characters. And, like, eventually, she does catch on which is nice.
However, I think Chrysta suffers from only being in one season and not having enough screen time to really get developed properly. We see her grow in her ability to literally mentor/ give direction, but there were a lot of other elements of her character that felt like we were jumping around from plot point to plot point without a lot of coherency - unlike what we got over the previous three seasons with Miranda, Roland, Baileywick, and Cedric.
So, I'm kind of hoping to see more of her in Royal Magic because I don't *hate* her character. I think she really suffered from the "rushed writing" treatment that so many plot points/ characters got from the writing switch in Season 4. So, again, I hope to see more of Chrysta because she needs more of her personality developed to get the fullest picture of her character, in my opinion.
The Protectors in general.
Again, I love this concept. I'd love to see a whole show about them. I'd love it if Dimension 20 made a DnD spin off based off of 'em.
But, I don't know, after having spent 3 seasons in the same universe learning it and understanding it, to try and understand a very different universe by world jumping was very hard for me.
Harder still, as a parent, it was really difficult to watch these characters treat this twelve year old as much older than her age.
I have the same second hand squirms with a lot of the latter half of Steven Universe but, again, at least Rebecca Sugar later addresses that. And, SU is designed for older kids.
Sofia is geared at 2-5 year olds (maybe a little older), but the marketing is for kids who are pretty young.
I just can't say I love the idea of the 12 year old these young folks are supposed to identify with and look up to being treated like an adult/ asked to comply with/ feeling like she has to comply with things she shouldn't.
At some point, I'd really like Sofia to say "No thank you, I'm not ready for that," and to have that be not only an acceptable/ an accepted answer but one that is celebrated.
Even in the 80s, in an episode of Fraggle Rock (a show by the Jim Henson company), they addressed that through sports. A character tried to push through an injury, and they all celebrated her deciding not to play when it became apparent that she couldn't finish the game.
So, I just have a lot of complicated feelings surrounding The Protectors as characters and the kinds of values the plot they're imbued in seem to enforce in young people (young girls especially.)
However, the characters themselves also **break** a lot of stereotypes? Which, I like.
So, it's really complicated.
I'd like to see many of them as returning characters because I like many of them as individuals. However, I'd like to see them return in a capacity outside of seeing Sofia **as** a Protector.
I think there is space for all of these things to be true, and I hope, if they do decide to keep Sofia as a Protector, that the creators handle that with nuance.
Otherwise, Squish and I will be having many lengthy conversations about safety, expectations, and why sacrificing your own well being for the sake of others happiness is not always the correct course of action.
It may just cause you to run off, and go borderline Elphaba level villain-era with a side of I have no idea who the heck I am so let's go dancing! ADHD-Fiyero for flavor, in your late teens and early twenties, then deeply regret it, and spiral into the existential pit of shame in your mid-twenties only to climb out of the shame pit, for your newborn child in your late-late twenties and thirties.
