It’s not too surprising to see that Ursula’s plans to make Ariel fail to kiss Eric work, and that she twisted the deal so she now has Ariel under her control. This obviously upsets Triton, and Ursula gives him an ultimatum – either that Ariel be tortured by vicious shocks from her loyal eels, or she relinquish her power to let her be free. He chooses to give up his power and while that’s admirable, it’s hard not to see him as a bit stupid. Sure, Triton is a dad trying to protect his daughter in the moment, but you wonder why he gives up so willingly.
He’s clearly defeated and banished Ursula in the past and wields enough power to basically be a god, so it’s a bit odd that he doesn’t at least try to fight Ursula. He doesn’t even try to blow up and kill the two eels that shock Ariel. Triton’s decision to give up also only leads to his sudden death and Ursula’s rise to power – so it’s really not a decision that benefits anyone on his side. As a child, Triton’s choice might not seem so ill-advised given his emotional aspects. For older viewers, however, you can’t help but feel that it unnecessarily causes more harm than good.