Halloween is over and we’ve got a show to finish, can Voltron end on a high?
Day Forty-Seven
OK, now this is interesting, we’re checking back with MFD Pilot Kinkade or Ryan as this confirms his name is. He’s recording a documentary about life was like on the Atlas. Turns out he studies as a photographer before becoming a sniper.
He bumps into Rizavi, who wants to spruce up his documentary to make it more exciting, and you can tell how exciting it was before in that we’re 3 minutes in and I’ve barely written 3 lines. They interview Pidge, as it’s revealed they’re heading into the Grei-Aye system, where a disable Robeast has apparently been found. Pidge and Keith aren’t the people I’d turn to to make things sound exciting but what do I know?
Hunk interrupts and some banter ensues before they get called to battle stations. They drop the camera but the dog, Bebe, takes it to the bridge in his mouth, apparently, they’re being attacked by tentacle hentai. It’s difficult to describe this in detail because the camera is carried all over the place by the animals and we don’t actually see much of the action for what clearly is budgetary reasons.
Kinkade gets his camera back somehow and recharges it as the mission continues. And so sadly do the interviews. It’s a gag episode, you know how much I love these… We get a look at the botanical gardens where they grow all the food for the crew.
The crew arrive in the Grei-Aye system, and find the disabled ro-beats, but apparently the cock-pit can launch from the beast and form a fighter of its own, the Atlas manages to disable it. They find the Altean inside and bring them in, apparently they’ve done this a few times but neither Allura nor Romel have been able to get any information out of them. And the same is true of this captive, Allura says she’s done with this and her and Romel.
They capture a nice moment between Allura and Lance, as he consoles her over this situation that best that he can. They later interview Allura themselves, as she vents her frustrations over the whole affair. Hunk through the episode has been working on baking, as it turns out he’s been baking buns, apparently an authentic Altean dessert that he thinks might help them get through to them.
It seems to work as Kinkade signs off.
I don’t know what to tell you, this was the most boring episode I’ve ever seen. I get what the plot is trying to do but they way it’s framed means we miss all the interesting stuff in favour of lame jokes. I get it, this was clearly a cost-saving episode, action is expensive but there are better ways a bottle episode could’ve been done.
Rating 4.5/10
Clear Day
One of the Alteans, Tavo has agreed to speak with Allura but of course Honerva had her little trick to short out their minds, she triggers it on Tavo. Allura manages to extract something from him, they manage to contain it but it intrigues Allura on an almost hypnotic level.
Cast your minds back to season 4 and the beginning of the Voltron coalition, they were in contact with a mayor to have Voltron visit on their annual holiday, Clear Day, the only day clear enough for the residents to be on the surface. Well, the Atlas is close by and find that they’re celebrating it again, a little early thanks to time dilation. Concerned about recent hostile activity in the sector, they agree to provide some extra security.
Shiro tells the group that whilst they’re there to provide some extra security they should enjoy themselves too, he’s hoping it’ll boost Morale after their defeat. You know, sometimes the immediate danger supersedes re-growing morale.
The creature in question is a bug from the quintessence field and it’s clearly having an impact on Allura, she sees Lance, then Lotor, who begins guiding her and whispering about her taking the power from the Quintessance field to use against Honerva. It seems it was only a dream but Allura’s plant is dead.
I’m gonna not bother explaining all the subplots at the carnival. All the visions begin to take their toll on Allura and she releases the entity. Turns out the Warden from all the way back in season 2 turned his life around, go him, I guess.
Coran finds Allura unconscious
I mean this is better than the last episode, but not by much. It focuses on characters we give a damn about which makes the subplots less aggravating but it does also feel like we’re just killing time.
Rating 6/10
Knights of Light Part 1
Allura wakes up in the dark void, hearing something calling out for her. She wakes up in the medical bay, finding Lance and Coran both worried for her, even moreso finding out that she’s let the entity possess her now.
Shiro comes to a meeting and the rest of the team have concocted a plan. The entity bonds Allura and Honerva, if they used Voltron’s shared consciousness they could join with her to enter Honerva’s mind and find out not only where she is but other key information that could help them. Shiro warns them that having spent time in the void himself, it will take a lot of strength not to lose their sanity, but gives his blessing for them to go ahead with their plan.
With the Paladins departing, Shiro has the ATLAS place on high alert, we’re thankfully spared the transformation scene in its entirety as the Paladins form Voltron and enter the shared consciousness. They travel towards a bright light, into a network of everyone’s thoughts, but proximity to Honerva, even on the astral plane has its drawbacks and now they’re all able to feel every time Honerva reaches out.
Through the power of combined focus they’re able to bring a version of Voltron into the void with them and they’re able to track Honerva further. After a while of travelling they lose the Lions and arrive at a barrier between them and Honevera’s mind. On the other side they see representations of the souls she’s corrupted, and soon they drag everyone except Keith in.
Each of them is forced to face off against some kind of Knight with their coloured Suras. They’re very skilled immune to fire. Allura becomes more aggressive, the Lions return and it’s soon revealed she’s up against the old Blue Paladin. We get a flashback of Alfor giving his fellow Paladins their bayards. The other paladins see their aggressors as they truly are, and stop trying to fight. Eventually the Lions roar and end the fight, we get another flashback of the group deciding what to do in the wake of Zarkon’s betrayal, and them sending the Lions away.
It seems the Lions managed to free
the corruption of those souls, and each give their blessing to their paladin
replacements, which in the case of Alfor means the world to Lance. Of course,
Keith is a different story, the Black Lion, followed by the other Lions return,
along with the past and present paladins. Which means that Allura gets her
reunion with her father.
But the journey continues and Honerva is close. Allura uses her power to pierce the wall and allow them entry, but is warned these dark entities are what drove Honerva and Zarkon mad.
This is a deeply interesting and emotional episode, a great start to a 2-parter that’s more character than action-driven
Rating 8/10
Knights of Light part 2
The Paladins continue to progress into Honerva’s mind, finding themselves on Daibazaal, the former home planet of the Galra. For now, they’re hidden in the chaos of Honerva’s thoughts. The entity guides them to the Galra palace as Alfor tries again to warn Allura about the use of the entity. Allura remains resolute but another entity attacks and she’s pushed through the floor into the void.
They find themselves in their lions facing the monster from Arus. They form Voltron and fill some time with the transformation sequence. This is one of the guardians of her thoughts and memories and it has a few tricks it couldn’t access during their last fight. Fortunately, so does Voltron, as the original Paladins show up in spirit versions of the Lions to hold the monster off.
The next location is on Oriande they enter and begin to access her memories, including the attack on the original Paladins where Honerva killed them and trapped their minds inside her consciousness. Lance is growing ever more concerned as the entity caused Honerva’s origin.
They dive deeper, and enter a web of her thoughts, seeing what she saw when she looked inside Lotor’s mech. Pretty sure he was already dead. Now they find themselves bombarded by sound-bites of her memories. They hold hands and let the entity guide them and find themselves on Altea. Right on cue Zarkon’s mech arrives as the latest guardian. Keith summons the Lions and they form Voltron to fight it. Once again the old Paladins find themselves able to help, joining their consciousness with Voltron and together they manage to destroy it.
The defeated mech turns into the Black Lion and out comes an uncorrupted Zarkon. It seems he has no memories of his Galra empire so Allura, enraged by this decides to show him. He shows remorse, interestingly enough. And helps them realise that the moon that had been above them is a moon of Daibazaal, not altea. The Black Lion destroys the moon and Honerva’s deepest desires are shown, to live with Lotor and Zarkon again.
They work out her plan is to use Lotor’s ship to pierce realities and find one where she can live, but doing so would ultimately end all other realities. At this point, Honerva knows they’re here, and the Lions are sent away. Even Zarkon can’t see a way out, but Alfor and Keith are stubborn in the face of this, and hope the force of 10 paladins will be enough to end it. And it works, the Lions are reforged, and so is Voltron and they form a blazing sword for the first time, cracking through the next level of Haggar’s defence.
They did it but Allura is left unconscious
It’s a great 2-parter, and a great send-off to the Paladins of old, and interesting insight into Honerva’s thoughts, more on that next time though.
Rating 8/10
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