'Toon Reviews 17: Voltron: Legendary Defender Season 2 Episode 13: Blackout + Final Thoughts

Blackout

This is the second part of the Paladins’ battle to end Zarkon’s reign which this season has been building up to, and it delivers on many fronts. 

It starts out with a confident tone that the Paladins can it off considering how they got Zarkon’s base through the teludav in the previous episode.  Working in their favor is Zarkon’s continued obsession of getting his original black lion.  At this point, it’s become so bad, he’s compromising common sense by flying straight into Voltron’s fray and using armor that hasn’t been tested.  Despite Zarkon’s behavior being a huge detractor, the episode knows not to make the battle too easy for our heroes. 

The battle offers Haggar a huge chance to work her magic by powering the base since.  She also creates a black hole that gives Voltron some very nasty blasts and drains the lions of their quintessence or energy.  The first of these blasts leaves a devastating effect when the lions float helplessly and the Paladins are unconscious.  However, as a previous episode established, the lions unleash advanced powers when their Paladins connect with them enough, and it’s a very pleasing sequence when it happens here.  It's not just the Paladins who get up to great moments here.  Usually, the supervisors, Allura and Coran, stay in the castle ship offering moral support behind their particle barrier.  In a battle this big, they let it down and initiate their own attack on Zarkon’s base as assistance.  It’s impressively brave to see them pull off a huge attack even if it gets them struck with a blast from Haggar that costs the castle power. 

Their support doesn’t stop there when Allura makes a bold move to face Haggar head-on with Blade of Marmora members Kolivan and Antok coming for support.  What follows is an intense combat scene with an actual death, a big reveal that Haggar is a being of Allura’s home planet when her mysterious cloak is let down, and Allura unlocking a new power to protect her from Haggar’s attacks, most likely due to being Altean just like her.  As for the Paladins, they continue to put up a good fight once they better connect with their lions. Shiro especially advances when he discovers his lions’ bayard, plugs it in, and unlocks its special powers that come in handy as Zarkon gets closer to controlling the lion.  It’s a great stage of development for Shiro unlocking these powers, and stand out even more when they bring the final attack that obliterates Zarkon’s armor and leaves Zarkon himself hospitalized. 

Like the last season though, there are lasting negative impacts from this last blow when the Paladins find that Shiro has disappeared, and a new Galra ruler, Prince Lotor, is called in while Zarkon is out of commission.  These are heavy aftereffects sure to shake up the dynamic, and give an enticing reason to keep watching this show.  With memorable action set pieces, shining moments for character after character, and moments with lots of promise for the future, this final battle ends Season 2 with style. 10/10

The Ranking

1. Blackout
2. Shiro’s Escape
3. Best Laid Plans
4. Greening the Cube
5. The Blade of Marmora
6. Escape from Beta Traz
7. The Ark of Taujeer
8. Eye of the Storm
9. Stayin’ Alive
10. The Belly of the Weblum
11. Across the Universe
12. The Depths
13. Space Mall

Final Thoughts

After leaving such a strong first impression with its first season, Voltron: Legendary Defender Season 2 greatly capitalizes on that season’s strengths resulting in not just a strong continuation of the story, but a well put together space odyssey that builds up to something great.  In fact, it’s so great it helps the show to move past its previous detracting points.

Through starting off exactly where the first season left off, the show starts to get an idea of where it wants to go.  Each episode offers a major step in the Paladins’ plan to save the galaxy, and when you put them all together, everything falls into a cohesive strategy with a definitive concluding point.  We start with the Paladins regrouping after being separated, then they learn about good Galra members out there, then they try to find out why Zarkon keeps tracking them as they form a new plan, then they form alliances with the rebel Galra groups who help them construct everything, and finally execute the plan which comes with its own consequences.  It’s an instance where nearly every episode matters in the grand scheme building up to a substantial final battle. 

Out of the storytelling is big expansion the show’s universe with many creative planets our heroes end up in like the technology-based tree planet, Olkarion, the decaying planet prompting immediate escape, Taujeer, and the secret base of the Blade of Marmora located between two black holes.  The steps to putting the Galra defeat plan together have many creative adventures to them too that take the Paladins to wild locations with insane and intense jobs to do involving escapades at a mall while getting important lenses, getting eaten by a giant worm, and going through with a jailbreak with a confusing idea of who to rescue.  It can occasionally get bogged down with a lot of time devoted to complicated explanations on how inventions like the teludav or creatures like the weblum worm work, but they usually turn out fine when we also get some light-hearted reiterations of the explanations. 

What really makes the storytelling stand out are strong themes that are prominent throughout several of the episodes.  A big one is about the importance of letting go of any prejudicial attitude as the Paladins find that some members of the Galra are rebelling against Zarkon’s rule.  They start out meeting one individual good Galra creature, Ulaz, builds up with them forming an alliance with an entire anti-Zarkon resistance, and culminates with a Galra traitor helping them at Zarkon’s base.  Some of them even go as far as to give their lives for the Paladins, making for some of the season’s more impactful moments. 

The final battle is an extremely satisfying payoff to all the work going into the plan with a lot of twists and surprises through showing how advanced the Paladins have become through controlling their lions with exciting blows against Zarkon, reveals of certain characters, and especially the aftermath.  Shiro disappearing and the call for Prince Lotor both leave a lot to look forward to in following seasons, and coming off of what may be the show’s most exciting battle leaves them with a lot to live up to.  The storytelling still isn’t perfect though, mostly through spending time on planets that don’t offer anything significant for future episodes like the trash nebula, the mermaid planet, and especially the space mall, mostly the shops not carrying the item of importance.  Even with that, there’s still plenty of plot development that adds to the appeal of the main story which thoroughly delivers in the end.

The characters we follow also impress with how more interesting they’ve become, at least most of them.  Some of them are still lacking in development like Hunk being predominantly nervous and thinking of food while Lance is still mostly a smart-talking fool, though the latter does have at least one genuinely nice moment on finding out what his purpose is.  Practically everyone else gets new developments that tie into the arcs started for them in the previous season.  Pidge, while not looking for her family nearly as much as last season, has one of the most beautiful moments of character development in the season when she expands her horizons beyond technical stuff.  Shiro goes through a lot of development through trying to make it as the Paladins’ leader through advocating his continuously returning memories for bigger causes, striving to establish a stronger control with the black lion so not to be overpowered by Zarkon, and even gives thought to who should take over for him.  You can easily tell how much Shiro has to put up with, so when he disappears in the end, you really feel for him and his teammates. 

As for his chosen successor, Keith is the standout characters for the season with a compelling arc of his own.  He has his own anxieties that only get more complicated when, in the first episode, Shiro requests him to lead the Paladins if something should happen to him.  A lot of time is devoted to Keith studying a blade with a Galra symbol on it, and protecting it from anyone who tries to take it, even the Galra resistance group everyone’s trying to get on their side.  His hesitations on becoming leader start to make sense when it’s revealed that he’s of Galra blood.  The impressive thing about Keith is that even with this reveal, he still acts the way he usually does while also having a much better control of his emotions when adventuring with the others.  He’s even fairly well accepted despite being half Galra by the rest of the team, though he does get a good amount of disgust from Allura.  Speaking of Allura, she has a relatable arc regarding prejudices against Galra, seeming stubbornly hesitant of believing there are good ones out there since they didn’t do anything to stop Zarkon for thousands of years.  It’s understandable behavior towards any victim of an evil race, though her behavior can go out of proportion, especially involving Keith.  This is why it’s emotionally satisfying when Keith going off to sabotage the Galra base opens her to accept him as a Paladin and family member.  As you can tell, a good number of our heroes are given a lot of defining moments and arcs that make them far more fleshed-out and relatable enough to follow. 

Even the villains feel more fleshed out, which is great considering how one-note all Galra members were in Season 1.  In addition to there being good Galra, this season adds some relatable members to much of the Galra like many of them fearing their leader when interrogated, or getting overly excited and confident over successfully carrying out a mission.  Even the leaders are a bit more interesting with Zarkon having a relatable flaw of obsessing over something, in this case his old black lion, to the point of losing focus on the main mission, and Haggar being revealed to be Altean like Allura, leaving something interesting to explore in the future.  The Galra are still not the most interesting villains, but I do give credit for being more multilayered than they first let on.  If anything, the Blade of Marmora is stiffer than they are at this point, though I would take the Blade over a grating neurotic like Slav, but that’s beside the point.  What matters is that while there’s still a ways to go with character development, it’s apparent enough that Season 2 has brought a lot of progress to that.

There’s no doubt that Voltron: Legendary Defender is more interesting as a series than ever with its second season with a well-flowing story, new heights reached by many of the characters, and an overall creative and epic scope.  If you like the first season, you’ll easily latch onto the second one and, like me, be excited to see what the show does next.  Until the look at the next season of this show, Vrepit Sa.

Highly Recommended

That's all there is to Season 2 of Voltron: Legendary Defender. I hope you enjoyed these reviews and stick around for my eventual look at the third season.

In the meantime, there's going to be a review set of a show new to this blog to fill in the third slot.  From the wild mind of Joe Murray, be on the lookout for reviews on the first season of the Nicktoon classic, Rocko's Modern Life. 

Also, don't forget about the reviews of Steven Universe Season 2 and Hey Arnold Season 3 currently in progress.

I'll see you all next time with more great reviews to share. Until then:

Stay Animated Folks!

'Toon Reviews 17: Voltron: Legendary Defender Season 2 Episode 11: Stayin' Alive

Stayin’ Alive

A big strength for this episode is the genuine emotional satisfaction in the status of the Galra defeat plan through the moments of team members looking back on their progress.  In fact, the start of the episode demonstrates this with Allura confiding to Coran about the prospect of defeating Zarkon which includes discussing how strong they are from their alliances.  It’s a calm moment showing the heart of the adventure that’s pleasing to see in a show with lots of big action scenes and space adventures. 

Also helping is that we see this idea through many alien races helping with the battle strategy such as the Olkari and the Balmerans.  Speaking of the Balmerans, it’s nice that unlike some alien creatures who show up in one episode and never again, the Balmerans come back after over a season and provide a big help for the greater good.  There’s even another scene to fit the calm tone where Allura, who healed the Balmera, is trusted enough to take its most enormous crystal.  It really brings to mind the heart of what the Paladins are fighting for and has an endearing use of many characters we’ve met together for a noble cause. 

However, the nice tone of the episode is compromised for the majority of the episode when the Robeast who attacked the Balmera last time appears for a fight, now powered by crystals.  This means that the focus is on a huge monster brawl fitting the overall tone of the series.  Allura proves to be very reliable in her own way and capable of more than simply giving orders to the Paladins as she fights the Robeast for a while.  However, despite holding a good fight, she still needs the Paladins, so they come in to help.  The fight itself is as thrilling as one would like an action scene to be with added challenges of the enhanced power of the Robeast and that they start out the fight with only a few Voltron lions, so it’s not so easy to defeat it the way they did before.  However, a few of the advancements the lions got this season play a role in the final takedown like the blue lion’s ice powers and the green lion’s vegetation, so the fight stands out more for reminding how much the Paladins’ lions have changed for the better. 

While this fight is great, it connects to a major concern of the episode.  The whole Robeast fight doesn’t have a point and just seems to pad things out while the teludav is being built.  The Robeast comes at the right moment, the Paladins fight it for a while with their new powers, and we move onto the attack plan once it’s defeated.  It feels like a standalone battle you can skip and not miss out on much despite how fun it is. 

However after this when the rest of the team meets Coran at Olkarion where the big teludav is completed, the nice, wholesome tone from the beginning returns resulting in another heartwarming moment of the Paladins looking back on the good times they had and what they could do after defeating Zarkon.  They kind of exaggerate when they say there won’t be a need for Voltron after that ignoring that there could be other evil threats out there, but that’s just me.  It’s still a sweet ending that’s nice to see from a show like this just before the following episode’s more substantial battle. 

While this episode is mostly a detour, its moments are impactful enough to watch and enjoy on your way to the season’s final two episodes. 9/10

The Ranking

1. Shiro’s Escape
2. Greening the Cube
3. The Blade of Marmora
4. Escape from Beta Traz
5. The Ark of Taujeer
6. Eye of the Storm
7. Stayin’ Alive
8. The Belly of the Weblum
9. Across the Universe
10. The Depths
11. Space Mall

The next Voltron: Legendary Defender review puts the takedown of Zarkon into action while somewhat turning the best laid plans upside-down.

Next time on MC Toon Reviews is a Steven Universe episode that resolves an arc, "Friend Ship."

If you want to stay updated for more reviews, become a follower of this blog, click here to like the official Facebook page, and click here to follow me on Twitter.

If you would like to check out other Voltron: Legendary Defender reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.

'Toon Reviews 17: Voltron: Legendary Defender Season 2 Episode 9: The Belly of the Weblum

The Belly of the Weblum

The Paladins all have their own distinct personalities as well as their own bonds with other teammates.  Keith, for example, has attitude issues, but also clearly has a good heart as he slowly prepares to become a potential leader for the Paladins, mostly teaming up with Shiro.  This episode shakes things up by teaming him up with another Paladin, the kind-hearted overly nervous Hunk, which is a good way to exercise his leadership skills by bonding with the rest of the team more. 

It happens when, following a light-hearted explanation on the team’s new plan to defeat Zarkon, they split up with Keith and Hunk assigned to collect huge teludav lenses from the inside of a giant planet-eating worm called a weblum.  On the way, there are some nice interactions from Keith and Hunk.  It’s not just their personality clashes that stand-out.  After learning that Keith is part-Galra from the Blade of Marmora, Keith himself feels uncomfortable about being around the team, particularly feeling that Allura, who’s frequently been harboring major Galra prejudices throughout this season, hates him now.  Hunk, despite being nervous about the new information, still treats him as a friend and teammate which is very endearing.  In fact, there are little to no moments of anyone being affected by Keith being part-Galra, and the most we see of Allura is one little look of discomfort at Keith which makes it feel like Keith is worrying about nothing.  If there were more scenes of others reacting to the information, Keith would be more justified to feel how he does. 

As for the weblum, how Keith and Hunk learn about it continues the trend of fun light-hearted material delivering serious information. It’s through a 10,000-year-old video with Coran explaining about the creature as if he’s doing an infomercial.  With a peppy attitude and working with a cute Altean in a weblum costume, Coran’s video is another entertaining highlight for the episode.  Another thing that makes the instructional video stand out is how it keeps skipping information due to its age.  It seems like an amusing side effect at first, but it plays to the dangers of Keith and Hunk actually facing the weblum without knowing what to do.  Eventually, when the information comes too late, there’s a mad dash to utilize it to get away from harm and inside the beast through its blind spot. 

From there, the two Paladins search for the teludav lenses inside the weblum via many creative challenges.  They’re pursued by the worm’s antibodies which seem too cute to be dangerous, Hunk is set down a wild slide of the bloodstream, and he only escapes through literally getting farted out, making for possibly the most productive fart I’ve seen in a show.  Hunk also gets a crowning moment by shooting at the weblum’s face, breaking the number-one safety rule which is the right thing to do to help obtain the teludav lenses.  Keith’s moment in the weblum is saving a Galra soldier trapped inside, claiming that Paladins should help everyone in need, even if they are Galra.  It seems like the soldier’s on his side through watching his back and helping him out of trouble.  However, in the end, the soldier takes some lenses and leaves Keith behind which doesn’t tie into his genuine help earlier.  You could argue that the soldier was hiding his true intentions, but in a season that’s showing not all members of a villainous race are bad, it doesn’t feel appropriate. 

Regardless, with an interesting rarely-seen character dynamic, legitimately entertaining moments to convey big information, and more of a sense of imagination to its missions help the episode stand strong. 9/10

The Ranking

1. Shiro’s Escape
2. Greening the Cube
3. The Blade of Marmora
4. The Ark of Taujeer
5. Eye of the Storm
6. The Belly of the Weblum
7. Across the Universe
8. The Depths
9. Space Mall

The next Voltron: Legendary Defender review covers a jailbreak featuring Shiro, Pidge, and Lance as we explore their part of putting the defeat plan together.

Next time on MC Toon Reviews is a look at another Steven Universe episode, "Keystone Motel."

If you want to stay updated for more reviews, become a follower of this blog, click here to like the official Facebook page, and click here to follow me on Twitter.

If you would like to check out other Voltron: Legendary Defender reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.

'Toon Reviews 17: Voltron: Legendary Defender Season 2 Episode 7: Space Mall

Space Mall

This episode offers significant progression on the main plot following up on the previous episode’s reveal that Zarkon keeps finding the Paladins because of his strong connection to the black lion.  Its current Paladin, Shiro, sets off to rectify this issue by making his own connection with the black lion stronger so Zarkon can’t overpower it every time Voltron is formed. 

Given the title of this episode, there’s also a lot of focus on the rest of the team going to a space mall for replacement teludav lenses for wormholes.  The mall trip plays out like a comedy with everyone getting up to some wild and crazy antics.  The mall perfectly resembles a common Earth one, meaning the only thing to set it apart from ordinary malls are the alien creatures who work and shop there.  The antics at the mall are very fun and play to each of the characters’ personalities. Hunk is forced to pay off a debt at a food court washing dishes but becomes chef thanks to his culinary interests. Keith gets caught in an auction for his Galra blade.  Lance and Pidge look for money to get a game console.  Coran winds up in an energetic bidding spree for the lenses at a shop resembling an old alien swap meet. 

Some of these antics allow many characters to shine like Hunk becoming a chef bringing something impressive out of his constant thoughts of food, and a deeper look into Keith’s Galra roots through his protection of his blade, suggesting it’s from his family.  All the same, it’s concerning that these subplots take up a lot of the episode. They’re fun sequences, but that’s all they are.  They only exist for humor’s sake and that’s a problem when your show is heavily plot-driven.  There’s more focus on the light-hearted mall scenes than far more important ones like Coran getting the lenses, which doesn’t feel right.  If they existed in short scenes like humorous moments in other episodes, that would be a much better way of integrating them while still focusing on the main story. 

Fortunately, enough time is devoted to the most important plot information we have at this point.  Referring back to Shiro attempting to bond with the black lion, this part is done insightfully.  When he goes to his lion, it flies to Zarkon’s home planet, and grants Shiro visions of when Zarkon piloted it, forming Voltron with other original Paladins including Allura’s father, King Alfor.  Zarkon was even able to unlock powers of the lion that Shiro hasn’t.  The memories are interrupted when Zarkon locates the black lion again, and Shiro ends up fighting the leader of the Galra Empire inside his mind.  It nicely interprets how strong Zarkon’s connection to the black lion is with him constantly popping up around Shiro who can’t strike a blow.  However, as soon as Shiro points out that the true bond to a lion depends on trust, the black lion sides with him which helps him win a fight he could’ve lost.  Then there’s the interesting twist that everything Shiro saw, even leaving, was just a vision set up by the lion, implying that the strengthening of Shiro’s bond was all in his mind, and the growth was all done through his power.  It’s an interesting and creative depiction of overcoming one’s innermost turmoil and a great one to lead into the next phase of our heroes’ mission. 

The episode still loses points for giving too much focus to frivolous stuff no matter how fun it is, but it’s still enjoyable and several moments offer great plot and character progression that must be seen to be believed. 8/10

The Ranking

1. Shiro’s Escape
2. Greening the Cube
3. The Ark of Taujeer
4. Eye of the Storm
5. Across the Universe
6. The Depths
7. Space Mall

The next Voltron: Legendary Defender review officially introduces us to the Blade of Marmora while also brings interesting reveals about Keith.

Next time on MC Toon Reviews is another review of a Steven Universe episode, "Chille Tid."

If you want to stay updated for more reviews, become a follower of this blog, click here to like the official Facebook page, and click here to follow me on Twitter.

If you would like to check out other Voltron: Legendary Defender reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.

'Toon Reviews 17: Voltron: Legendary Defender Season 2 Episode 6: The Ark of Taujeer

The Ark of Taujeer

This adventure is a big display of this show’s creativity and has the benefit of everything that happens coming together to develop characters and answer one of the biggest questions of the Paladins. 

Regarding how Zarkon constantly locks onto the Paladins no matter how far they go, we already have the possibility that Allura might be giving them away.  However, this episode provides another possibility tying into the past few episodes featuring short scenes of Keith pensively looking at a blade with a Galra symbol.  Although it’s never outright stated, there are hints that Keith has a bit of Galra inside him.  When everyone talks about how Zarkon keeps finding them, Keith says that he may be the reason claiming that Zarkon left a mark on him when they fought. 

Later, when he decides to leave to protect the team with Allura, he advocates that not all of the Galra are evil, even if his suggestion is shot down by Allura.  From these moments, we get a few sides that make Keith more interesting.  Not only is the idea of him being of Galra blood a remarkable possible attribute, but him believing there are good Galra out there shows how despite his tempers, he’s still considerate and open-minded, which means a lot contrasting to Allura’s biased attitude on the subject.  However, despite good intentions, it gets concerning that they’re abandoning their posts where they perform all their vital tasks with Keith helping to form Voltron and Allura piloting the castle, which the Paladins even bring up, and those tasks are desperately required in the episode’s mission. 

The mission provides the episode’s creativity, taking place on the Galra-controlled planet of Taujeer.  It’s inhabited by blobby figures with intercoms at their faces and talk with a robot filter to their voices.  The problem they face is also creative.  The outer layer of Taujeer is decaying like a layer of dry skin, exposing the aliens to deadly acid, and the Galra forces expect them to survive it, so they cut one of the engines on the escape ark.  This part of the episode mostly consists of four of the five Paladins doing what they can to keep Taujeer safe which is difficult without Keith, and a Galra attack, which proves that he and Allura were not giving the team away, makes it worse. 

Speaking of the attack, there’s a lot of time devoted to the commander in charge, Morvok, one of the more fleshed out members of the Galra Empire.  Rather than just acting menacingly, there’s an enjoyable edge as he shows a lot of focus on the possible quirks of fulfilling his mission and how over-the-top he is when commanding his troops.  He stands out among the villains for being both threatening and somewhat entertaining. 

As for the Paladins, following Coran’s hilarious attempt to pilot the red lion in Keith’s absence, the episode’s biggest reveal comes when the lion runs off and retrieves Keith and Allura just as they decide to go back to the team.  This allows Voltron to be formed, spelling Morvok’s defeat and the Taujeerians’ rescue.  The red lion locating its Paladin might not sound big, but this little moment has a lot of weight. A lion has a strong connection to its Paladin even when they’re really far apart.  The black lion once belonged to Zarkon, so his connection with that lion is strong enough to track the Paladins.  It’s impressive that Keith and Allura thinking they’re endangering everyone and everything to the mission ties into this huge reveal, allowing the story to really progress. 

Along with the interesting character developments and creative aliens and planet, it’s an ark worth getting on for a great episode. 9.5/10

The Ranking

1. Shiro’s Escape
2. Greening the Cube
3. The Ark of Taujeer
4. Eye of the Storm
5. Across the Universe
6. The Depths

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next Voltron: Legendary Defender episode where Shiro aiming to get better connected with his Voltron lion is told alongside a trip to a space mall.

If you want to stay updated for more reviews, become a follower of this blog, click here to like the official Facebook page, and click here to follow me on Twitter.

If you would like to check out other Voltron: Legendary Defender reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.

'Toon Reviews 17: Voltron: Legendary Defender Season 2 Episode 1: Across the Universe

While adhering to this new review practice, I've decided that it’s high time I get back to talking about the second season of the first Netflix original series I've ever seen:

Voltron: Legendary Defender (Season 2)

Basic Premise

I must admit that Netflix isn’t that huge of a provider of interesting animated TV shows, either original or acquired, to look into for potential reviews, at least to me.  At the very least, there is one original animated series from the popular streaming site for me to frequently check out, and that is Voltron: Legendary Defender.  Thanks to one of my friends inspiring me to check it out, I found a very good way to expand my entertainment horizons and offer a fresh, first-time perspective of a show I’m simply getting to know, and through reviewing the first season a while back, I say it’s pretty great. 

It’s an epic galactic apace battle saga at its core with a distinct cast of characters to follow all throughout with a story that gets bigger with every new challenge they have to face.  The premise itself is quite imaginative in which the fate of the universe rests in the hands of five small robot lions that form one large robot who defends the innocent from an evil empire. The catch is that the pilots of the lions, called Paladins, are mostly inexperienced when it comes to piloting and fighting and need the constant guidance of the two survivors of a planet wiped out by the Galra Empire which adds to the intensity of the mission. 

For the most part, each episode really delivers on an exciting scale you’d expect epic action series to.  It is held back from a lack of character development and the villains all coming off as the same dark and serious character, but every new season offers huge possibilities to expand upon areas previous ones didn’t, and since the first season impressed me significantly, I’m open to see what’s done with Season 2.

A huge reason for excitement on exploring Season 2 is how much the first one left me wanting more.  I mean, our Paladins were forced to go to the Galra Empire headquarters to save their princess leader, Allura.  Although they did rescue her, they got totally overpowered, mostly through overconfidence on Keith’s part, and in Shiro’s case getting hurt both mentally and physically.  Even when they escaped with the help of a mysterious traitor to Galra, things remained intense with the season ending with the whole team separated while going through a corrupted wormhole. 

As a result, we’re left with an exciting point to work off of with much promise for even more excitement.  In order to see exactly what great adventures we’re in for this season, I’ll just sign into my Netflix account, select the show and rejoin the Paladins for a lion’s share of Voltron action.

Now on with the reviews:

Across the Universe

The follow-up to the Season 1 finale features some of our heroes in various escapades after getting separated in the wormhole jump that helped them escape Zarkon. 

There’s a demonstration of how distinct they are with how they approach everything that happens to them in the galaxies they end up in.  They may have a huge responsibility of protecting the entire galaxy, but they’re still human beings with their own day-to-day problems to deal with.  In addition, there are imaginative interpretations of the galaxy from a few places and scenarios. 

Specifically, this episode features Pidge stuck on a trash nebula with no one to help her, Allura and Coran struggling to escape the compromised wormhole, and Keith saving Shiro, who was wounded by Zarkon’s witch wife Haggar, from a pack of strange aliens.  These subplots have different forms of appeal. 

There’s nothing too special about what Pidge gets up to since she just stays where she is until someone finds her.  However, it’s still cute and funny when she befriends a flock of cute fuzzy multi-colored aliens and her interactions with them are very sweet.  As for humor, it stems from her me-time which includes making dummies of her friends and poking fun of their quirks which is honestly a good interpretation of the basic personas and lack of development for some of them.  Pidge does still sees the good in her team when her technical know-how gets an old satellite working which ties into another subplot. 

Allura and Coran’s part is filled with creativity as they directly deal with the effects of the wormhole while piloting their castle ship.  Every time they go through it, they hit a black void that keeps them stuck and affects everyone with the mice becoming different creatures and Coran getting significantly younger, yet for some unexplained reason Allura is unaffected which holds the subplot back.  What's more, Coran’s personality changes with his degrading age are funny, and he surprisingly gets good ideas to get out of the mess the younger he gets, even if they don’t work.  Not to mention, it’s suspenseful when getting younger puts him in danger of disappearing forever. 

Shiro and Keith’s subplot is even more suspenseful though with Shiro stuck in a weakened state in a cramped cave with monstrous aliens outside.  Given how brash he was at Zarkon's base, you might think that Keith wouldn’t be effective as his rescuer, but he impresses through being resourceful and patient as he fends off the aliens and even gets the trust of Shiro’s lion.  This subplot is also the most impactful for ending with Shiro asking Keith to lead the Paladins if something happens to him which gives the story something to look forward to while also starting a nice character arc for Keith. 

Also impactful is an ending scene of the leaders of the Galra Empire, Zarkon and Haggar, setting out to find out who helped Voltron escape their grasp.  We start getting some new layers to the villains’ personalities when one of their own, Commander Prorok, shows genuine fear when the leaders imprison him for letting it happen.  This too sets up an arc where they try to find the traitor, and the fact that their own crew begins to fear them does start to paint the Galra Empire as more than just a seriously evil threat. 

Overall, while this premiere is mainly a showcase of various character moments and creative scenes, it’s a great way to ease us back into adventures with the main cast with distinct and appealing personalities and even a few starts of potentially beneficial arcs. 9/10

The next Voltron: Legendary Defender review will cover the galaxy Lance and Hunk ended up in which is inhabited by seductive mermaids.

Next time on MC Toon Reviews, we'll be covering the second episode of Steven Universe Season 2, "Joy Ride."

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