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
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