WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Season 3 of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, now streaming on Netflix.
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power has altered a number of the relationships from the original series in new and interesting ways. From Adora and Catra to Scorpia and Catra, the show has touched upon a number of different dynamics.
However, the most unexpected one comes in Season 3. Having impressed Hordak in the previous season, Princess Entrapta forms a surprisingly sweet relationship with the leader of the Horde, providing each with someone to lean on.
SCIENCE BUDDIES
After being left behind in the Fright Zone, Entrapta essentially turned on the rest of the Princess Resistance and joined the Horde. She was less driven by revenge and more intrigued with the various inventions and technology that the Horde was experimenting with, allowing her to go further than she ever did before. Quickly, Entrapta became one of the most valuable assets to the Horde, helping further all of the advancements that Hordak had been developing.
All of this severely impressed Hordak, who elevated her to his frequent collaborator. For her part, Entrapta was excited to finally have a lab partner. The brilliant inventor had never found someone quite at her level, so getting to work with Hordak gave Entrapta the chance to finally work with a peer. It's something that clearly has a positive effect on Entrapta, who admits that she never really had a friend quite like him.
SOMETHING MORE
The relationship between the two changes early in Season 3. While visiting the lab one day, Entrapta comes across Hordak in the middle of switching out of his robotic exoskeleton. She becomes the first person to see just how frail Hordak really is underneath all that armor. Hordak is initially furious, screaming at her to leave him alone. But unlike his various minions like Catra and Shadow Weaver, Entrapta doesn't flee.
Instead, she helps develop a more advanced version of his suit that incorporates First One tech. Doing so greatly amplifies the potential of the suit and reduces the pain he's in. But more than that, she offers Hordak a shoulder to cry on. He finally opens up about his origins for the first time. He reveals the tragic elements of his young life, revealing that he's actually a clone of the real Hordak.
Hordak had never been open with any of his other subordinates. But Entrapta listens to his story, and then reveals how she can empathize with her own life of being ostracized. It gives Hordak something he's never had before: a friend.
A BROKEN ALLIANCE
The two spend the rest of their scenes together actually interacting with a soft touch, openly complimenting one another and working together. The pair work together better than they ever did alone. It reaches the point where they even begin to admit their fondness for one another. It's a surprising turn for the series to make, giving Hordak more personality and humanity that he ever had before.
This added depth is what makes the ending of the season so heartbreaking. When Entrapta learns the full extent of the damage that could be caused by activating Hordak's portal, she decides to try and stop him from activating it. While Catra and the rest of the Horde know that it's very unlikely that Hordak would back down, Entrapta is convinced that she can convince her science partner -- and now friend -- to hold back.
But Catra knocks her out to keep her from sharing the information and then goes the next step further. She activates the portal herself and then frames Entrapta for letting the princesses escape into the Fright Zone in the first place.
The news has a major impact on Hordak, who seems genuinely shaken and hurt by the news. It's a surprising look on Hordak, and proof that the character does actually have a heart. The relationship between Entrapta and Hordak is one of the sweeter pieces of her character, too, allowing her to be the open one for once.
It was positive growth for both characters. With Catra escaping alongside Hordak and Entrapta seemingly condemned to Beast Island, it's likely that her perceived betrayal of Hordak will play another role sometime in the future of the series.
She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, starring Aimee Carrero, Karen Fukuhara, AJ Michalka, Marcus Scribner, Reshma Shetty, Lorraine Toussaint, Keston John, Lauren Ash, Christine Woods, Genesis Rodriguez, Jordan Fisher, Vella Lovell, Merit Leighton, Sandra Oh and Krystal Joy Brown, is now available on Netflix.