Monday, January 1, 2018

'Toon Reviews 11: Voltron: Legendary Defender Season 1 Episode 7: Return to the Balmera

Return to the Balmera
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Now that we’ve learned about Balmeras and have gotten to know the creatures who inhabit them, we’re set up to root for the Voltron team to save them from the rule of Galra by breaking them out of prison, particularly Shay and her family.  The whole rescue mission features several exciting moments as the team makes its way around the Balmera with the knowledge that it’s an actual living creature they shouldn’t hurt.  Right at the start, the excitement of the mission is effective through a fast-paced sequence of the team taking out the Galra defense devices along the Balmera.  Things get even more exciting and tense when a lack of Galra soldiers lead the team down to a hanger full of them.  Throughout the underground jailbreak sequence, while there isn’t a lot of time for character growth or interactions apart from some amusing banter between Lance and Keith as they deduce how to close the hanger to weaken Galra defenses, it’s still a good continuation of the excitement of the mission.  It all leads to a big reveal that even with the weakened defenses, Galra, specifically a commander named Prorok, knew the team was headed to the Balmera, and the Paladins end up trapped in its core with Shay who was used as bait while their floating castle ship is put at the mercy of a mob of Galra ships.  It’s this moment though that reveals another creative element of the Balmerans.  Their devotion to their literal beast of a planet allows them to send messages to each other as Shay sends a distress call to her imprisoned family.  Sure, her family’s eventual reveal to use the same power to open the doors to the core, as well as Rax regretting his actions without a moment between this episode and him getting Shay imprisoned in “Tears of the Balmera” are a little too convenient for the moment, but it’s still easy to get an impressed response to the reveal.  The excitement of the mission reaches its high point when the Paladins escape the Balmera core in time to get to their Voltron lions and help their advisors fend off the Galra attackers featuring yet another great formation sequence of the titular robot.  In an interesting turn of events, the final blow doesn’t come from Voltron who simply sets it up.  It actually comes from their usual associates, Allura and Coran, and with their already weakened castle ship too.  Even at that, the excitement doesn’t end, for in the last moments of the episode, the Paladins are led to fight another Robeast, immediately sent by Zarkon due to Prorok’s failure of a plan, which will take them into the next episode.  As for this episode, it works very well as a follow-up to our introduction to the Balmerans with an exciting adventure that’s engaging to the end, even if it lacks in meaningful character moments. 9/10
The Ranking
1.      The Rise of Voltron
2.      The Fall of the Castle of Lions
3.      Return of the Gladiator
4.      Return to the Balmera
5.      Tears of the Balmera
6.      Some Assembly Required
7.      Taking Flight
 
Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where we're treated to the Robeast fight this episode teased and one of Princess Allura's best moments in "Rebirth."
If you would like to check out other Voltron: Legendary Defender reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.

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