Now that the Black Lion has a pilot, it’s time for team Voltron to truly take to the skies.

However, their flight is not without a bit of turbulence, and this is seen in the third and fourth episodes of Voltron: Legendary Defender season three.

Spoiler alert!

S03E03- “The Hunted”

This might be my favorite episode of the season simply because of the way the characters– namely Keith, Lance, Allura, and Lotor– are fleshed out. The episode opens with Keith leading the team to Lotor after placing a tracker on the prince’s ship in episode two. They’re struggling right off the bat, as Allura has never piloted a lion before, Lance is not used to the speed of the Red Lion, and the Black Lion is slower than Keith would like it to be. Also, the team cannot seem to form Voltron.

Another struggle the team faces is Keith’s more aggressive form of leadership. The former Red Paladin pursues Lotor without hesitation, even though the atmosphere surrounding a planet they fly through scrambles everyone’s sensors, leaving them blind and vulnerable to separation. It’s not until after Lotor leads the team into an area filled with explosive gasses, which the lions’ blasts set off, that Keith realizes his mistake of not listening to the team. With Lance’s encouragement, Keith now knows he cannot dive in head first and must fix the mess he’s made. This is an important moment of growth for Keith and proof that learning the hard way is oftentimes essential. Also, the fact that Keith went to Lance illustrates that Lance truly is, figuratively, literally, and as Allura said in episode two, the right arm of Voltron – the second in command, just as Keith was to Shiro.

Allura has the hardest time in this episode because the Blue Lion will not listen to her. She’s constantly banging against rocks or the other lions. She attempts multiple times to connect with the Blue Lion, including sweet talking the robot Lance-style, which is absolutely hilarious. She finally has a breakthrough when she realizes she can’t fight alone and can’t regulate everything. I found this moment very touching and relatable, for I believe everyone has simply had to let go at some point in their lives. For Allura, she has to let go of the idea that she must always be in command and be independent. The Blue Lion wanted the princess to lean on it and admit her shortcomings. With her internal fog cleared, Allura is able to pilot the Blue Lion and even lands an ice blast on Lotor’s ship, prompting him to retreat. She also ends up finding everyone on the team after their separation.

We don’t see anything spectacular from Pidge and Hunk this episode, though Hunk’s heart of gold is further shown when he chooses to abandon the pursuit of Lotor and break from the team to go after Allura, who took a hit.

Toward the end of the episode, Keith steps up to the plate and delivers a speech encouraging the team to work together despite the bumps in the road. With this, Voltron is formed. The team is finding its footing again, but Lotor sees their ability to form Voltron as “an opportunity.” He will surely use the team’s recovered skill against them.

S03E04- “Hole in the Sky”

This episode introduced alternate realities, and I wasn’t so sure about it at first. However, the crossover ended up being a vital component to the storyline of this season, as the other reality contained a piece of the indestructible, Quintessence-filled comet that was used to construct Voltron.

Team Voltron accessed the alternate reality by entering a portal of Quintessence that an Altean ship, which sent the team a distress signal, was trapped in. Alteans exist in the other reality, and they wiped out the Galra and restored peace. But something is a little off about these supposed saints. It’s actually a little obvious and predictable that these Alteans are not as wholesome as they seem – this is an alternate reality, after all, so it was kind of a no-brainer for me that the Galra would be good and the Alteans would be bad.

While Keith may be quick to act, he’s not quick to trust, and we see that this episode. He continually voices his concern about the Alteans to Allura, but the princess is blinded by her loyalty to and affection for her people. A side note about Allura: her bayard is a glowing whip, and she is very proficient with it.

Perhaps the best part of this episode is that, in the alternate reality, Shiro is a rebel named Sven, complete with a Norwegian accent. This is a clever homage to the character of the same name from the original show, whom Shiro was based on.

Once team Voltron defeats the evil Alteans and emerges from the portal with the comet, it is revealed that it was actually Lotor, not the Altean ship, who emitted the distress signal. The Paladins unwittingly bring the comet to Lotor, who didn’t even have to get his hands dirty. Lotor is a master at using team Voltron either against itself or for his benefit. Like Grand Admiral Thrawn from Star Wars Rebels, he’s always one step ahead. Now that Lotor has the comet he has a huge advantage, for any weapon that is made from the rock possesses immense power.

Verdict

These episodes did a wonderful job advancing both the characters and the storyline. Almost every character is developed further, and both fans and the Paladins see how much of a threat Lotor is. He is a formidable foe who always has a plan, and he won’t be easy for the team to defeat.

What did you think of episodes three and four of DreamWorks’ Voltron: Legendary Defender?

Edited by: Hannah Wilkes