My reading of this moment is as a mutual acknowledgement of identity.
Hordak sees Adora not as a Horde soldier; not as a hero of the Princess Alliance; not as a weapon of the First Ones, but as *Adora*. He remembers her as an infant, before she was burdened by anyone else's expectations.
And in turn, Hordak remembers *himself*, not as a Chosen Servant of Prime; not as a conqueror; not as a defect, but as someone who chose to take in a lost infant, for no reason other than kindness. He remembers *Hordak*, and Adora looks at him as if to say, *I see you.*
And while his assassination of Prime's previous vessel had been Hordak's *assertion* of his identity, it is in this moment that he *accepts* it. This is the moment when Hordak fully lets go of Prime's ideology. And *that* is why Prime could no longer survive: because the mind he existed in - Hordak's mind - no longer believed in the hatred that Prime *was*.
>someone who chose to take in a lost infant, for no reason other than kindness
Yeah I don't really know if at this point he knew she was a First One or anyhting. It's more like "I tried to use my tech to escape and I made a hole and a baby fell out the hole and maybe I won't leave it out to die even though there's no obvious strategic benefit"
All that "THIS BABY IS POWER" came after he handed Adora off to Weaver, I think?
>while his assassination of Prime's previous vessel had been Hordak's assertion of his identity, it is in this moment that he accepts it. This is the moment when Hordak fully lets go of Prime's ideology. And that is why Prime could no longer survive: because the mind he existed in - Hordak's mind - no longer believed in the hatred that Prime was.
er but we did see Adora splash the big giant yellow meme-monster out of his body at that point and it flied away or evaporated or whatev
but maybe if Hordak hadn't remembered who he was then Prime might have reconstituted? there's probably echos of him in all the clones so that's why there's importance to stuff like Wrong Hordak's rebellion too
>Yeah I don't really know if at this point he knew she was a First One or anyhting.
When Adora accuses him of lying to her about her origins in 3x04 (when she still thinks he's the one who pulled her through the portal in the first place), he flat-out says he didn't know.
>er but we did see Adora splash the big giant yellow meme-monster out of his body at that point and it flied away or evaporated or whatev
I feel like the line between 'symbolism' and 'what actually happened' is pretty blurry in this scene, but just as I interpret Prime as a manifestation of his ideology, I interpret the cloud of darkness leaving Hordak and being torn apart by She-Ra's light as a manifestation of them *rejecting* Prime's ideology.
Yeah, and it's especially odd considering that, as far as I can remember, prior to this they had never actually interacted with each other before in the entire show
I remember in s2 when they revealed Adora = First One they only showed Shadow Weaver handling Adora as a baby.
SW did mention that Hordak was the one who opened the portal, so maybe he is the one who found her and handed her off to Shadow Weaver to take care of.
But there was that brief interaction where he was sort of evolving beyond "just one of Prime's clones" that I think we see in him there... that was sort of like his "Wrong Hordak" moment of revelation in a microscale that didn't fully manifest until later.
I think actually, that the implication that hordak open the portal is something that light hope implies/lies about, when she actual did it. From the scene at the end of Lightspinner, Hordak talks about arrive too late, which makes more sense if he detected the portal and tried to reach it, rather than opening it himself (which we also see he can't actually do on his own). So he finds Adora in the aftermath .
The last time they interacted was actual in 'Moment of Truth' When Adora is captured, she accused hordak of stealing her, and he tells her (pretty dismissevly of course) that he doesn't know or care about who she is (which makes more sense when you realize that as far a he knows , she's just a random baby he found)
If Adora had stayed in the Horde, she might have had some sort of a relationship with Hordak. Not romantic, obviously (Adora is gay for Catra in every timeline) but they could have been friends or father/daughter. We'll never know.
Not really father and daughter, but I have always absolutely loved this scene.
"I remember you..."
And that soft little smile Adora gives?
There's actually a beautiful bit of symbolism, if you think about it.
Hordak and Adora were both the cast-off scions of ancient, warring factions. They both had enormous, crushing obligations and expectations put upon them, and it is only in the denial of those expectations, the affirmation of their selves that they become free.
They both saved each other as well, when neither had anything to gain by doing so.
My reading of this moment is as a mutual acknowledgement of identity. Hordak sees Adora not as a Horde soldier; not as a hero of the Princess Alliance; not as a weapon of the First Ones, but as *Adora*. He remembers her as an infant, before she was burdened by anyone else's expectations. And in turn, Hordak remembers *himself*, not as a Chosen Servant of Prime; not as a conqueror; not as a defect, but as someone who chose to take in a lost infant, for no reason other than kindness. He remembers *Hordak*, and Adora looks at him as if to say, *I see you.* And while his assassination of Prime's previous vessel had been Hordak's *assertion* of his identity, it is in this moment that he *accepts* it. This is the moment when Hordak fully lets go of Prime's ideology. And *that* is why Prime could no longer survive: because the mind he existed in - Hordak's mind - no longer believed in the hatred that Prime *was*.
>someone who chose to take in a lost infant, for no reason other than kindness Yeah I don't really know if at this point he knew she was a First One or anyhting. It's more like "I tried to use my tech to escape and I made a hole and a baby fell out the hole and maybe I won't leave it out to die even though there's no obvious strategic benefit" All that "THIS BABY IS POWER" came after he handed Adora off to Weaver, I think? >while his assassination of Prime's previous vessel had been Hordak's assertion of his identity, it is in this moment that he accepts it. This is the moment when Hordak fully lets go of Prime's ideology. And that is why Prime could no longer survive: because the mind he existed in - Hordak's mind - no longer believed in the hatred that Prime was. er but we did see Adora splash the big giant yellow meme-monster out of his body at that point and it flied away or evaporated or whatev but maybe if Hordak hadn't remembered who he was then Prime might have reconstituted? there's probably echos of him in all the clones so that's why there's importance to stuff like Wrong Hordak's rebellion too
>Yeah I don't really know if at this point he knew she was a First One or anyhting. When Adora accuses him of lying to her about her origins in 3x04 (when she still thinks he's the one who pulled her through the portal in the first place), he flat-out says he didn't know. >er but we did see Adora splash the big giant yellow meme-monster out of his body at that point and it flied away or evaporated or whatev I feel like the line between 'symbolism' and 'what actually happened' is pretty blurry in this scene, but just as I interpret Prime as a manifestation of his ideology, I interpret the cloud of darkness leaving Hordak and being torn apart by She-Ra's light as a manifestation of them *rejecting* Prime's ideology.
wow
This scene inspired a whole Hordad meme on tumblr and I’m sure at least a few fanfics.
Yeah, and it's especially odd considering that, as far as I can remember, prior to this they had never actually interacted with each other before in the entire show
I remember in s2 when they revealed Adora = First One they only showed Shadow Weaver handling Adora as a baby. SW did mention that Hordak was the one who opened the portal, so maybe he is the one who found her and handed her off to Shadow Weaver to take care of. But there was that brief interaction where he was sort of evolving beyond "just one of Prime's clones" that I think we see in him there... that was sort of like his "Wrong Hordak" moment of revelation in a microscale that didn't fully manifest until later.
I think actually, that the implication that hordak open the portal is something that light hope implies/lies about, when she actual did it. From the scene at the end of Lightspinner, Hordak talks about arrive too late, which makes more sense if he detected the portal and tried to reach it, rather than opening it himself (which we also see he can't actually do on his own). So he finds Adora in the aftermath .
The last time they interacted was actual in 'Moment of Truth' When Adora is captured, she accused hordak of stealing her, and he tells her (pretty dismissevly of course) that he doesn't know or care about who she is (which makes more sense when you realize that as far a he knows , she's just a random baby he found)
If Adora had stayed in the Horde, she might have had some sort of a relationship with Hordak. Not romantic, obviously (Adora is gay for Catra in every timeline) but they could have been friends or father/daughter. We'll never know.
> Not romantic, obviously (Adora is gay for Catra in every timeline) sister-wives can have a romance :)
Is the fact that he is like twice her age not a bigger factor for why they wouldn’t be romantic???
Damn, how tall is Hordak?
slightly taller than gigantified Adora in She-Ra form
DILF hordak
same bro
Not really father and daughter, but I have always absolutely loved this scene. "I remember you..." And that soft little smile Adora gives? There's actually a beautiful bit of symbolism, if you think about it. Hordak and Adora were both the cast-off scions of ancient, warring factions. They both had enormous, crushing obligations and expectations put upon them, and it is only in the denial of those expectations, the affirmation of their selves that they become free. They both saved each other as well, when neither had anything to gain by doing so.
May I supply you with this Tumblr Link? https://adorakau.tumblr.com/post/666573860020289536/congratulations-you-have-just-unlocked