Sunday, December 31, 2017

'Toon Reviews 11: Voltron: Legendary Defender Season 1 Episode 6: Taking Flight

Taking Flight


 
 
 
 
 
 
This episode starts up a new part of the main story where the Voltron Paladins and their associates use their castle as a ship to help anyone in the galaxy who’s in need and eventually defeat the Galra Empire.  However, even with this new layer to the plot set up, doesn’t mean that everything we see leaves an impact on the ultimate goal.  At this time, the team is especially set on rescuing the people of the Balmera Hunk and Coran had visited in the last episode with Hunk especially thinking hard about saving Shay and her people.  However, during their mission, the team gets sidetracked by a pair of rebels on the run from Galra, Rolo and Nyma.  At first, they seem perfectly sympathetic on account of trying to escape a tyrannical empire like Galra, and Rolo even gives them vital information about Galra, should they be defeated, leaving the team perfectly fine with try and help them repair their ship.  At the same time, Hunk has the right idea of being wary of what the rebels say which makes for an interesting character moment coming from a large, light-hearted character like him.  However, most just write Hunk’s concerns off as wanting to save his “girlfriend” Shay, particularly from Lance.  Speaking of Lance, his cocky lady’s man ways really go too far here when he’s instantly smitten with Nyma.  It starts off as standard goggling over beautiful appearances, but things really get out of hand when he allows Nyma a ride in his Voltron lion.  While what Nyma says to him can be interpreted as easily impressed by what Lance shows her, it can also be seen as an obvious act, something Lance is idiotically not considering around someone he doesn’t even know.  Plus, going so far as to show her the workings of a component of the galaxy’s most powerful defense weapon is beyond too dangerous to let his guard down, especially since the castle was JUST attacked.  Sure enough, during their flight in the lion, which admittedly has its nice moments, Nyma ambushes Lance and she and Rolo capture his blue lion to turn it over to Galra for money.  Despite being fueled by idiocy, the following scene of the team rescuing Lance’s lion from Rolo and Nyma is a very exciting one that takes us through an asteroid field complete with awesome moments of Keith taking out their ship with his lion, and all for someone he has a rivalry with.  One thing to appreciate is that despite their actions, Rolo and Nyma still show their sympathetic sides for lamenting how they turned out because of living under Galra for so long and hope that the Paladins will defeat their emperor.  This story is overall fine for what it is despite frustrating moments, but it feels like a distraction placed in the middle of something big which we didn’t really need.  Apart from information about how the team can eventually defeat Galra and in-between scenes of Witch Haggar and her druids working on something called to Komar Experiment, foreshadowing Voltron’s impending ultimate threat, the whole episode really lacks in importance.  At least by itself, it’s a good watch with prominent moments. 8/10
The Ranking
1.      The Rise of Voltron
2.      The Fall of the Castle of Lions
3.      Return of the Gladiator
4.      Tears of the Balmera
5.      Some Assembly Required
6.      Taking Flight
 
Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where after this detour, we finally "Return to the Balmera."
If you would like to check out other Voltron: Legendary Defender reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.

No comments:

Post a Comment