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In a brand new review strategy, I’m returning to a show I’ve
left on the back-burner for a look at not one, but two of its seasons:
Voltron: Legendary Defender (Seasons
3 & 4)
Basic Premise
Although I’ve invested a lot of time in one of the latest Netflix original animated series, I have not forgotten the first one I’ve seen,
Voltron: Legendary Defender. This space adventure series is a very
exciting one that sets itself to get better with each season. Through exploring new galaxies and allowing
characters to move beyond their basic traits with every adventure, its efforts
to become something impactful really show.
While this may not be a show I watch a lot, which has since ended and I
have totally not been keeping up with it, I do acknowledge it as a generally
great show from what I’ve seen. This is
why I’m glad to finally get back to talking about it after so long. I mean, the last thing I talked about was
Shiro’s disappearance and Zarkon being put on life support while the Galra
prince Lotor was called. Of course I
can’t just stop discussing the show there.
Now, you might be wondering why I’m reviewing two seasons
together instead of one season getting its own review set. A lot of that is because of how long it’s
been since I talked about it and that the show has run its course as of now
with 8 seasons in total. At the rate it
takes for me to get through one review set, covering two seasons at once is a
good way to cover a lot of ground faster.
Plus, Seasons 3 and 4 are much shorter than the previous two. Together,
they amount to a similar number of episodes, so that means both of them
together qualify as a review set for this show.
For now, it’s time to rejoin the Paladins: Shiro, Lance,
Keith, Pidge, and Hunk; their advisors: Allura and Coran; and their enemies of
the Galra Empire to see what’s in store for them. This time though, it’s a
double portion of galactic epics done in the Netflix scope.
Season 3
Changing of
the Guard
This episode smoothly follows up on the recent events of our
heroes and enemies. The Paladins have
just beaten Zarkon and there are noteworthy effects of what was gained and
lost.
There’s an interesting and smart
direction for the Paladins’ new strategy.
Rather than taking on all the battles themselves, everyone is pushing
any planet they liberate from the Galra to join them in all future big
battles. After all, Voltron may be the
most powerful being in the universe, but it’s hardly ever a good idea to leave
everything to one force. Looking back,
when the rebellion consisted of Voltron alone, it couldn’t beat the Galra by
itself. It was only in the second season
when the Paladins started recruiting other groups like the Blade of Marmora
when they started gaining progress. Now
is the perfect time to expand on the progress, which believably requires as
many alliances as possible. Getting
these alliances grants the episode with a fair amount appeal. There are exciting battles to liberate the planets, little scenes of
the new planets aiding the Paladins in personal goals, and extravagant hero
worship. It’s quite a time to be one of
them.
There is, however, a bittersweet
air to where the Paladins are now. With
their victory comes the loss of who was the most authoritative Paladin, Shiro,
making it hard for their new allies to maintain their hope. Without him, not all the lions will work and
Voltron can’t be formed. The weight of
his loss is especially felt through Keith, the one who was inspired by Shiro
the most. The way he lashes out about
Shiro not being around brings a relatable tone of how many people can feel when
losing a close one. This even happens at an important meeting meant to inspire
other planets. This allows the episode
to speak volumes of how heavy moments like this can be. It’s only through a moment at the end when
everyone confides in Keith about the loss, showing he’s not alone, that moves
him towards trying to form Voltron without Shiro. This shows that talking and trying to
understand grief is among the best ways to help someone deal with it, enhancing
the episode’s heart.
As for the enemy
forces, the biggest takeaway is the Galra being assigned to take charge in the
fight against Voltron while Zarkon’s incapacitated, Prince Lotor. Through exposition from Galra followers,
there’s interesting background to this character. He’s a dark conqueror like all the other
Galra, but Lotor is a bit of rebel to their customs. He lets the planets he conquers rule as their
own empire, is accepting of colorful followers who aren’t fully Galra, and apparently
got so bad, he was exiled. His formal
introduction features him partaking in gladiator matches, displaying impressive
fight skills, which he later uses on a jealous Galra commander. Instead of killing him though, Lotor lets him
live, offering the commander a chance to join him, claiming that simply
pledging loyalty instead of outright destroying is the way to go. This move suggests Lotor isn’t all-out evil,
but far more smart and calculating, seeming like a legitimately good leader and
challenging villain. That said, it’s
hard to buy if he really means this inspiring ideal when he orders the
commander who already pledged loyalty to him be sent to a freezing planet as
prisoner. It’s a bit of an enigma to
leave Lotor on.
Still, like what our
heroes face, it’s a substantial continuation of what’s happened with the series
paving the way for what seems like a smart visionary future.
A
Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where the matter of who controls Shiro's lion is the focus, featuring a new Paladin to form Voltron.
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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