"Voltron Legendary Defender" Seasons Five And Six Review (Spoilers)
Also reviews for the latest episodes of Star Trek: Discovery, and The Mandalorian, and the series premiere of The Wonderful World Of Mickey Mouse.
Voltron: Legendary Defender "The Prisoner"
That was a solid episode with a really great cliffhanger.
My favorite part was Lotor's conversation with Allura and Shiro at the beginning. He is QUITE convincing in his arguments which makes him dangerous.
I question how and why the Garla know Dr. Holt is important to Team Voltron. That seems kind of like the emotional nuance that would escape the Garla. These are no subtle chessmasters, and as great as the dire cliffhanger was, I think it was a little TOO cunning on behalf of the Galra. And it implied a willingness to negotiate which is also entirely outside of what's been demonstrated with them in the past.
Still, the episode was effective and affecting. Good start to the season. ****.
Voltron: Legendary Defender "Blood Duel"
Well, that was an ambiguous ending. Something big just happened, but I couldn't tell exactly what it was.
Lotor's rant against Zarkon felt righteous. I really liked Shiro's plan to not give over Lotor as a prisoner, but as an armed agent. Smart.
Pidge was annoying this episode. Free tip, Pidge. You being stubborn and unwilling to explore all potential solutions to this problem isn't helping your father: It's actually making planning his rescue more difficult. I hate it when genre characters act like this for personal reasons, and they always do. Would it kill a sci-fi show to be populated with heroes who are actual professionals and good at their jobs? It's basically Star Trek versus everything else. It totally bugs me.
But the rest of the episode was pretty great, even if I'll have to wait until next episode to see Zarkon's real fate. ****1/2.
Voltron: Legendary Defender "Postmortem"
I am not a believer in the idea that a genre show needs to live and die by the season and midseason premieres and finales. It's perfectly fine for a show to tell it's story in the proper order instead of only saving the good stuff for Sweeps. I DO believe that. And still feel let down by the fact that Zarkon died at the end of the second episode of the mid-season, and nobody on Team Voltron cast the blow. It feels strange to call it anticlimactic after this action-packed episode assured us the battle is just beginning. But the truth is his death should have been harder to achieve, more spectacular, and involved Shiro personally. It's no wonder it hit me wrong.
As for Pidge's father being back I DO approve of that. That is earned forward momentum which is something every show needs and most shows never remember to do.
I found it as annoying as Shiro did that his secret con with Lotor is being thrown back in his face. That was actual correct call! That's why Zarkon was actually dead! Maybe he'd have let them in on it if they weren't busy coddling Pidge's tantrums. If Shiro has to go outside the team for help when the team is refusing to help itself, that isn't a mark against Shiro, especially if the move in question is successful. The correct reaction is "Thank you Shiro for allowing us to have our cake and eat it too, which our dumb plan never would have done," even if Zarkon HADN'T betrayed them as Lotor and Shiro predicted. I resent the team resenting Shiro for being better at this than they are. The actual solution is for them to stop sucking.
I liked the "White Light" animation during Lance's final power move. It was like the old "Take On Me" music video.
I'm glad there appears to be plenty of show left. But I think we deserved a bigger Zarkon fate than we got. ***1/2.
Voltron: Legendary Defender "Kral Zera"
That was a little too easy. Because of that, I do not trust Lotor at all. This is gonna be a mistake.
For the record, the Galra have the stupidest way of choosing leaders.
That entire episode made me uneasy. I would be very cautious over trusting Lotor if I were Team Voltron. This is probably gonna blow up in Shiro's face. ***.
Voltron: Legendary Defender "Bloodlines"
Keith's mother? Interesting.
The fact that Allura needs to rely on Lotor so much is the precise reason I don't trust him.
Fighting robots means the good guys can dispatch them in some creatively gruesome ways.
"See you later Paladudes!" The Paladins' robot was pretty funny.
I am nervous about Lotor. ****.
Voltron: Legendary Defender "White Lion"
Interesting episode. Still worried about Lotor.
Shiro's stuff is also interesting. I can't tell what's wrong with him.
Good one. ***1/2.
Voltron: Legendary Defender "Omega Shield"
I liked Hunk totally winning over those Galra soldiers by speaking their language.
Allura saving Lance was cool too.
I'm wondering what that final transformation for Haggar meant.
Interesting. ****.
Voltron: Legendary Defender "Razor's Edge"
An Altean? Hmmm.
Keith's backstory with his mother was pretty cool. Although the visions of Shiro worry me.
To be honest, I am not invested in Lance's crush on Allura because he spent the earlier part of the season being a creep to her. That being said, them exploring the 'ship at ALL is another hint something bad is gonna happen with Lotor. If there is a betrayal coming, it will be no surprise.
I liked this episode too. ****.
Voltron: Legendary Defender "Monsters & Mana"
That wasn't actually great, but I 100% approve of the show doing fun episodes now and then so I will grade it accordingly. ****.
Voltron: Legendary Defender "The Colony"
Big stuff happening there although none of it was stuff I didn't expect. We'll see how much damage Haggar and Lotor managed to actually do in an episode. ****1/2.
Voltron: Legendary Defender "The Black Paladins"
Major earned drama.
I kind of got a lump in my throat when Keith called Shiro his brother. Who wouldn't?
I am not made of stone and that episode moved me very much. ****1/2.
Voltron: Legendary Defender "All Good Things"
The Shiro we've known since he battled Zarkon in Season 1 is a clone and came back in Season 2? I'm not okay with that. At all. I actually liked and sympathized with him. It's not fair to tell me it was for no good reason after all this time.
Lotor totally cray. He done lost his mind.
Very epic feel to the entire proceedings, but I'm not happy about what they're doing with Shiro. ****.
Voltron: Legendary Defender "Defender Of All Universes"
VERY cool.
Looks like we're going back to Earth.
The Shiro stuff worked out okay. I'll allow it.
Man, Lotor is bonkers. Glad he bit it.
Pretty great finale. *****.
Star Trek: Discovery "Scavengers"
Burnham got demoted. Sad because Saru clearly didn't want to do it.
That is one big cat.
First live-action Bajoran we've seen in the Kurtzman era. No earring, probably because he was a slave.
My favorite stuff was the stuff between Stamets and Adira. Very cute.
Nice episode. ***1/2.
The Mandalorian "Chapter 12: The Siege"
Carl Weathers directed this? Neat!
Gina Carano is SO freaking hot. I cannot get over it.
Who is Gideon's source? I guess we'll find out soon enough.
The stuff with Baby Yoda and the wires was hilarious. Mando is such a dope. I love how much the Child enjoys flying and blowing stuff up too.
The Empire fell, right? Why are there still Stormtroopers and Empire bases? Who does Gideon actually work for?
That was a fun episode. The visual effects were good too. ****1/2.
The Wonderful World Of Mickey Mouse "Cheese Wranglers"
Pete asking why he can't cut the cheese sums up the tone of the Rudish stuff perfectly.
Are those the Weasels from Roger Rabbit? I'm gonna say they are and you can't stop me.
All right. ***.
The Wonderful World Of Mickey Mouse "House Of Tomorrow"
Alan Tudyk! Yay!
Those were some creepy portraits of Minnie.
Always remember: Bambi was a book first. But is that REALLY a spoiler? Really?
Pretty good. ***1/2.
Voltron: Legendary Defender "The Prisoner"
That was a solid episode with a really great cliffhanger.
My favorite part was Lotor's conversation with Allura and Shiro at the beginning. He is QUITE convincing in his arguments which makes him dangerous.
I question how and why the Garla know Dr. Holt is important to Team Voltron. That seems kind of like the emotional nuance that would escape the Garla. These are no subtle chessmasters, and as great as the dire cliffhanger was, I think it was a little TOO cunning on behalf of the Galra. And it implied a willingness to negotiate which is also entirely outside of what's been demonstrated with them in the past.
Still, the episode was effective and affecting. Good start to the season. ****.
Voltron: Legendary Defender "Blood Duel"
Well, that was an ambiguous ending. Something big just happened, but I couldn't tell exactly what it was.
Lotor's rant against Zarkon felt righteous. I really liked Shiro's plan to not give over Lotor as a prisoner, but as an armed agent. Smart.
Pidge was annoying this episode. Free tip, Pidge. You being stubborn and unwilling to explore all potential solutions to this problem isn't helping your father: It's actually making planning his rescue more difficult. I hate it when genre characters act like this for personal reasons, and they always do. Would it kill a sci-fi show to be populated with heroes who are actual professionals and good at their jobs? It's basically Star Trek versus everything else. It totally bugs me.
But the rest of the episode was pretty great, even if I'll have to wait until next episode to see Zarkon's real fate. ****1/2.
Voltron: Legendary Defender "Postmortem"
I am not a believer in the idea that a genre show needs to live and die by the season and midseason premieres and finales. It's perfectly fine for a show to tell it's story in the proper order instead of only saving the good stuff for Sweeps. I DO believe that. And still feel let down by the fact that Zarkon died at the end of the second episode of the mid-season, and nobody on Team Voltron cast the blow. It feels strange to call it anticlimactic after this action-packed episode assured us the battle is just beginning. But the truth is his death should have been harder to achieve, more spectacular, and involved Shiro personally. It's no wonder it hit me wrong.
As for Pidge's father being back I DO approve of that. That is earned forward momentum which is something every show needs and most shows never remember to do.
I found it as annoying as Shiro did that his secret con with Lotor is being thrown back in his face. That was actual correct call! That's why Zarkon was actually dead! Maybe he'd have let them in on it if they weren't busy coddling Pidge's tantrums. If Shiro has to go outside the team for help when the team is refusing to help itself, that isn't a mark against Shiro, especially if the move in question is successful. The correct reaction is "Thank you Shiro for allowing us to have our cake and eat it too, which our dumb plan never would have done," even if Zarkon HADN'T betrayed them as Lotor and Shiro predicted. I resent the team resenting Shiro for being better at this than they are. The actual solution is for them to stop sucking.
I liked the "White Light" animation during Lance's final power move. It was like the old "Take On Me" music video.
I'm glad there appears to be plenty of show left. But I think we deserved a bigger Zarkon fate than we got. ***1/2.
Voltron: Legendary Defender "Kral Zera"
That was a little too easy. Because of that, I do not trust Lotor at all. This is gonna be a mistake.
For the record, the Galra have the stupidest way of choosing leaders.
That entire episode made me uneasy. I would be very cautious over trusting Lotor if I were Team Voltron. This is probably gonna blow up in Shiro's face. ***.
Voltron: Legendary Defender "Bloodlines"
Keith's mother? Interesting.
The fact that Allura needs to rely on Lotor so much is the precise reason I don't trust him.
Fighting robots means the good guys can dispatch them in some creatively gruesome ways.
"See you later Paladudes!" The Paladins' robot was pretty funny.
I am nervous about Lotor. ****.
Voltron: Legendary Defender "White Lion"
Interesting episode. Still worried about Lotor.
Shiro's stuff is also interesting. I can't tell what's wrong with him.
Good one. ***1/2.
Voltron: Legendary Defender "Omega Shield"
I liked Hunk totally winning over those Galra soldiers by speaking their language.
Allura saving Lance was cool too.
I'm wondering what that final transformation for Haggar meant.
Interesting. ****.
Voltron: Legendary Defender "Razor's Edge"
An Altean? Hmmm.
Keith's backstory with his mother was pretty cool. Although the visions of Shiro worry me.
To be honest, I am not invested in Lance's crush on Allura because he spent the earlier part of the season being a creep to her. That being said, them exploring the 'ship at ALL is another hint something bad is gonna happen with Lotor. If there is a betrayal coming, it will be no surprise.
I liked this episode too. ****.
Voltron: Legendary Defender "Monsters & Mana"
That wasn't actually great, but I 100% approve of the show doing fun episodes now and then so I will grade it accordingly. ****.
Voltron: Legendary Defender "The Colony"
Big stuff happening there although none of it was stuff I didn't expect. We'll see how much damage Haggar and Lotor managed to actually do in an episode. ****1/2.
Voltron: Legendary Defender "The Black Paladins"
Major earned drama.
I kind of got a lump in my throat when Keith called Shiro his brother. Who wouldn't?
I am not made of stone and that episode moved me very much. ****1/2.
Voltron: Legendary Defender "All Good Things"
The Shiro we've known since he battled Zarkon in Season 1 is a clone and came back in Season 2? I'm not okay with that. At all. I actually liked and sympathized with him. It's not fair to tell me it was for no good reason after all this time.
Lotor totally cray. He done lost his mind.
Very epic feel to the entire proceedings, but I'm not happy about what they're doing with Shiro. ****.
Voltron: Legendary Defender "Defender Of All Universes"
VERY cool.
Looks like we're going back to Earth.
The Shiro stuff worked out okay. I'll allow it.
Man, Lotor is bonkers. Glad he bit it.
Pretty great finale. *****.
Star Trek: Discovery "Scavengers"
Burnham got demoted. Sad because Saru clearly didn't want to do it.
That is one big cat.
First live-action Bajoran we've seen in the Kurtzman era. No earring, probably because he was a slave.
My favorite stuff was the stuff between Stamets and Adira. Very cute.
Nice episode. ***1/2.
The Mandalorian "Chapter 12: The Siege"
Carl Weathers directed this? Neat!
Gina Carano is SO freaking hot. I cannot get over it.
Who is Gideon's source? I guess we'll find out soon enough.
The stuff with Baby Yoda and the wires was hilarious. Mando is such a dope. I love how much the Child enjoys flying and blowing stuff up too.
The Empire fell, right? Why are there still Stormtroopers and Empire bases? Who does Gideon actually work for?
That was a fun episode. The visual effects were good too. ****1/2.
The Wonderful World Of Mickey Mouse "Cheese Wranglers"
Pete asking why he can't cut the cheese sums up the tone of the Rudish stuff perfectly.
Are those the Weasels from Roger Rabbit? I'm gonna say they are and you can't stop me.
All right. ***.
The Wonderful World Of Mickey Mouse "House Of Tomorrow"
Alan Tudyk! Yay!
Those were some creepy portraits of Minnie.
Always remember: Bambi was a book first. But is that REALLY a spoiler? Really?
Pretty good. ***1/2.