This is gonna be a long one. Well, let's get into it.
When it comes to the character of Seladon in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, people usually have one of two opinions: the first being that Seladon was well written, had a believable turn from brat to evil and then to good, and is not beyond redemption. The second is much more common, being that Seladon is a bitch who should have been drained of her essence. She is irredeemable, forgiven way too easily, and has no place in the Gelfling rebellion.
Where I stand is with the first opinion. I understand why people hate her- she is an extremely frustrating character to watch, because she watches the General murder her own mother, and she still sides with the Skeksis. However, Seladon is a victim of indoctrination, neglection, and her own character traits.
Let's look at the traits that Seladon has throughout the series: she is stubborn, loyal, arrogant, impulsive, and short-tempered. Tavra points out that both of her sisters are extremely stubborn, Seladon is branded "Loyal Seladon" by Mother Aughra, she is definitely arrogant (she believes it is "for Thra" that Mayrin be burnt), almost every decision she makes is impulsive, and she is constantly annoyed with Brea. So, her downfall is partially due to her own character traits and biases, though still heavily influenced by the doctrine she was raised with.
Seladon did mourn the death of her mother, however, it is worth noting that All-Maudra Mayrin was tough on Seladon, even once saying in front of her that, because Tavra and Brea were gone, all of her daughters were gone. So, at the time of her death, Mayrin's relationship with her daughter was very rough. It doesn't surprise me that Seladon held her loyalty because of her roughened relationship (and the fact that she would feel more guilty tattling and being wrong than being prideful and telling herself she did the right thing.)
The final point is something we barely see, yet have heavily implied- Seladon is highly indoctrinated to be loyal, faithful, and fearful of the Lords of the Crystal, the Skeksis. The lack of seeing this indoctrination is one of the things that makes us not understand Seladon, but we do have to hold some empathy: she values tradition, because she has been taught that way. She has been taught that this is a system that works, and that it is her responsibility to carry on such a tradition. And she has been told her whole life "The Skeksis are our Lords. We do not defy our Lords." When Seladon spoke this line to Maudra Fara, she seemed scared. Scared of what war would bring. Scared of the end of all Gelfling. And, you know what? She was right. Only two Gelfling remain by the start of the movie, because of the Gelfling Rebellion. Other lines throughout her Princess days back this thinking, as she asks "what are we without the Skeksis?" "Think of your responsibilities!" and even one from All-Maudra Mayrin, "(A bunch of things the Princesses have). All because of the Skeksis generosity. Would you give them back as well?" Mayrin likely taught Seladon that everything they own is because of the Skeksis being generous, caring Lords. These teachings, plus the duties she performed carrying them, drilled into Seladon's head that the Skeksis are benevolent, all-powerful, and not a force to be reckoned with. They can be kind, but they can also be cruel, and going against them will lead to the extinction of Gelfling. It's why Seladon said she'd honor the request given to her mother- seven Gelfling from each clan, every trine. It was few Gelfling die or all Gelfling die. She thought it was best for all Gelfling not to go to war when the Skeksis are so powerful. And she was right. Aughra warns Fara not to go to war, because she wants the Stonewood to live, not die out. Storming the Skeksis castle is a bad idea, and dangerous. The Gelfling needed Arathim and all the clans to show up, plus Deet's Sanctuary Tree, Darkening-Controlling magic to win their first battle that the Skeksis were confident they would win, and so were not prepared to put up too much of a fight. And we see in the movie that the Gelfling lose the war. The reason Seladon changes sides is because she accepts. She accepts that she was taught wrong. She accepts that it was her fault Mayrin died. And she accepts that the Skeksis were only going to continue mass genocide on every Gelfling because they wanted essence, so fighting was the only option. She was able to accept that she was wrong to do many things, and she should have sided with Brea when she had the chance at the Citadel. She even went as far as to say it should have been her to die, because it was her making mistakes, and it was her price to pay, not Tavra's. Seladon was never truly evil. She was misguided, rash, and in the words of Mother Aughra, Seladon was "brave, but lost."
Seladon has a few humanizing- er, Gelflingizing?- moments throughout the series. When we are first introduced to her, she is just some stereotypical, bratty older sister. But the Henson Company decided that they would take that stereotype and make it someone that can survive outside of fiction, creating a well-rounded character. It's one of Age of Resistance's greatest qualities: each character with a major role and more than one episode of screen time is well-rounded, and each one has someone, somewhere out there that relates to them. Obviously, Mira, some of the castle guards and Paladins, most of the Maudras, and Deet's dads are not very fleshed out because of the little screen time they get, but most everyone has a three-dimensional personality, and not a shallow character arc. Back to Seladon, let's look at her humanizing moments that contribute to the idea that she is well-written and three-dimensional.
1. Seladon rants to Tavra.
Ah, yes, her first humanizing moment- Seladon and Tavra have a conversation where Seladon rants to her younger sister about how she did the right thing, sending Brea to the Order of Lesser Service, and how Brea is spoiled and Mother's favorite. Tavra, however, disagrees, and helps Seladon redirect her anger. Seladon is not mad at Brea, but it's in fact her Mother. She is always pushed to her limits so that she will be ready when she is All-Maudra. However, with her anger directed correctly, Tavra can extinguish it by reminding her that she is strong, and Mayrin is hardest on her because she wants Seladon to be ready, and that she is the strongest of the sisters. It is with Tavra that Seladon can admit that she doesn't feel strong. And I know how that is. I have a sister, and often times she's the only one I can admit things to, the only one I don't feel embarrassed telling about things. Seladon is embarrassed that she doesn't feel strong when she needs to be. The conversation shifts to being about how boring Seladon's many tedious meetings are, before being interrupted. But having Seladon get a chance to express her feelings and have Tavra help her realize them is an extremely well-written moment, and is essential in allowing us to see that Seladon is not a stereotypical bratty sister, but a character.
2. Seladon's Goodbye to Mayrin.
While it was quite upsetting for viewers see Seladon choose to burn her Mother, it was sort of heart-wrenching to hear her final words to her mother- "I loved you with all I had. I'm sorry it wasn't enough." Seladon chose to make an example of her Mother because she believed it would discourage rebellion, and it was highly likely not an easy decision to make. And before you fret, the Henson Company confirmed that, even though she was not buried, Mayrin returned to Thra.
3. Seladon Begs for Mercy.
Despite showing disdain for treachery, Seladon tells Aughra that she will convince the Skeksis to have mercy on her before taking off. At the castle, Seladon asks for the Stonewood to be released, politely despite the comments she hears about her from the Skeksis. The emperor responds with his famous line, "Uh... no." before the Skeksis erupt with laughter. Seladon, remaining calm, says she understands, and asks the other clans be spared. SkekSo again just says "no" nonchalantly and the room erupts with laughter. Seladon compliments the Emperor, and reasons that a few traitors could be in any Clan, but punishment should be reserved for those that spread the "filthy lie" that they drain Gelfling. Upon being told they do drain Gelfling, Seladon briefly processes the shock, and says she will honor the request made of her mother for seven Gelfling from each clan every trine. The Emperor again delivers an "Uh, no" before the Skeksis openly mock Seladon, saying she could be a Skeksis, and closing in. In one last attempt, Seladon begs for her sisters, Brea and Tavra, to be spared if no one else will. Not once does she mention herself. Only her sisters. She still loves them, and if no other Gelfling will be spared, she wants them to be. She is then mocked and belittled more, and is even on the verge on tears. She is being faced with the fact that she made a devastating decision, and it's hard to accept that. Her dress is then ripped to shreds as she begs for mercy one last time, in fear. She is mocked once more before the Skeksis encircle her and destroy her dress, and order her to be drained. She is pulled by her hair and locked away, reality being a smack in the face.
4. Seladon and Brea lose Tavra.
There is no doubt that the death of Tavra was hard for everyone, viewers and Gelfling alike. Of course, it was hardest for Brea and Seladon, because she was their sister and best friend. She loved them both equally, and when she died, she wished they could see each other the way she did. Tavra undoubtedly was the most important Gelfling to her sisters, because she always made their lives better. They could tell Tavra things they didn't tell each other. And Tavra was the one that brought them together. While it was a sad end of one time with the death of Tavra, it was a new beginning of a new life, with the sisters being closer than ever before. So, it was a bittersweet moment as Tavra said goodbye, joined the hands of her sisters, and had them hug over her body. And when the battle came, they both agreed on something for once- they'd do it "for Tavra." They'd keep her sacrifice in mind when they fought, and would honor her memory.
5. Seladon and Baffi mourn Maudra Fara.
One of people's least favorite moments was when Maudra Fara, a character I for one was excited to see more of, gave her life to protect Seladon, everyone's least favorite Gelfling who rarely makes it on the not-hit list. But, like it or not, Fara decided she'd die for Seladon. She took a fatal blow meant for the All-Maudra, and Seladon could only buy her a few last minutes. If I recall correctly, Seladon comforted Fara's pet fizzgig Baffi as he saw his loving owner pass. Once someone else buys rights to TDC:AOR, Seladon adopting Baffi could lead to more sweet moments that will aid her path to redemption. I will admit, however, that Fara should not have taken a blow for Seladon, or at least should have lived after being taken by Seladon away from the battlefield. It seems very unearned, that Fara took the blow. But, perhaps we can justify it by saying that, if Fara and Mayrin were friends, then Fara was sort of an Aunt to Seladon. Maybe that's why Fara protected her, as they could have had a history together.
All of this is why I believe Seladon is a very well-rounded character who does deserve her second chance. She may have spent season one being an antagonist, but nothing she did was pure evil. Besides, if SkekGra, who used to do terrible things and immediately assumed Hup was a slave with seemingly no problems with that, can become good, so can Seladon. So, that's why, the next chapter is on the redemption of Seladon and how I'd go about that.