Why Catradora Rules

Catradora rules, everyone.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure I’d ever go back and revisit my only entry on here to go viral. It was rough, shoddy and, quite literally, thrown together in an hour. And it was angry. I tried giving it weight with an in-depth explanation of why I didn’t think Korrasami was good, to be fair. Yet over 4500 Views and 23 Comments later, the results speak for themselves. The internet either really loves me, or really hates me, because my dissertation has overtaken everything else.

All the more reason why another, more-recent lesbian romance, that from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, is so interesting. That this show was headlined by an openly queer woman works in its favour, but even without that Catradora would still be huge. Because this series already had two queer relationships with Netorella (Netossa and Spinnerella) and Bow’s dads, so a third was a logical conclusion. But why’s Catradora a big deal?

Because it doesn’t feel like queerbaiting.

What’s queerbaiting? It’s when a story has a forced, queer romance/character to appeal to queer fans, often without thought or room for development. A good example would be JK Rowling’s retcon involving Headmaster Albus Dumbledore from the Harry Potter franchise being gay without putting in the effort prior (not that she wasn’t guilty of nonsense like this since.) When something’s queerbait, it feels cheap and pandering. It feels inauthentic, essentially.

I mention this to contrast Korrasami with Catradora. Controversial as it may be, I think Korrasami’s queerbaiting. I’m sure Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino had the best of intentions, and it’s possible to see hints early on, but it never plays out organically in Avatar: The Legend of Korra. It, instead, feels like a last-minute inclusion in a show already fraught with issues. I know some people have fond attachment to it, and I don’t want to detract from that, but I wasn’t one of them.

Truthfully, Korrasami had the potential to not be queerbait. Like many parts of the show, there was a spark of brilliance underneath the final product. All it needed was time. Time to develop, be passed by more eyes and be woven in organically in the grander narrative. And yes, I know that TV writing’s hard to do well. But sooner or later, it’s worth acknowledging that Korrasami felt less like a relationship and more like leftovers for Korra and Asami.

Which brings me back to what Catradora does differently. For one, it’s given time to breathe. Throughout the show’s run, we’re given many instances where it flirts with Catra and Adora possibly being lovers. They do it so frequently, in fact, that it feels long-overdue when it culminates. And it feels natural.

Two, it makes sense in this context. Like I said, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power already had two queer couples. One of them even plays a key role in the show’s primary conflict, so you get used to it. That’s kinda a big deal, if we’re being honest. Especially in a kid’s show, where some of the audience might not even know they’re closeted.

And three, the end-result feels both overstated and understated simultaneously. Overstated in that Catradora’s the big romantic set-piece. It’s built up to the most, and it’s the big “clap out loud moment”. And understated in that it’s treated as normal. This is She-Ra and the Princesses of Power looking at what came before, acting on it and shrugging it off like it’s no big deal. And it works!

This plays into the grander trend of growing acceptance toward queer individuals. A lot has happened, particularly in The US, in the years since Avatar: The Legend of Korra ended, both in entertainment and in the grander culture. On a macrocosmic scale, there was The Supreme Court of the United States’ Obergefell v. Hodges ruling in June of 2015, which voted 5-4 in favour of revising The 14th Amendment to allow same-sex marriages to be the law of the land. Additionally, this election cycle has seen South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg run for President, which-like him or hate him-is a big deal. This isn’t including other, smaller events, none of which I’m an expert on.

But even microcosmically, TV programming, particularly on services like Netflix, has started including queer text and subtext. Shows like Adventure Time, Steven Universe and Tuca and Bertie have shown how normalized it’s become. Back when Avatar: The Legend of Korra was still in syndication, queerness in media was largely a burgeoning concept. These days, thanks to queer show-runners, it’s more commonplace. And Catradora’s proof of that.

It helps that She-Ra and the Princesses of Power has better romantic writing. For as much as I enjoy both Avatar series, their romance has always been a sore spot. (Zuko and Mai’s relationship dragged down the scenes where it was on display.) Not so here, and you see the difference…even if this show has other flaws that I won’t go into here. But I digress.

It’s no secret that I love this show, even if it’s not quite as good as Avatar: The Last Airbender. It’s funny, cute, touching and well-written. But it also has great queer relationships. And Catradora’s one of them. I can’t stress that enough.

So yes, Catradora rules. And its existence makes Korrasami even more awkward. The end.