Netflix Retrospective - Voltron: Legendary Defender Season 7 Episodes 10-13

Ok, we’re on the final season 7 retrospective. Things are pretty dire on Earth right now, can the Paladins turn things around?

Heart of the Lion

 

Shiro wakes up from having the operation to install his new arm, like Sendak’s it’s not directly connected to his body, controlled by his mind.

 

Thanks to Sendak’s memories, they’ve worked out the installations the Galra have been building are deterrents to prevent outside intervention and are likely weaponised, they don’t have the firepower to destroy the base and need reliable intelligence. Since the nearest base is in a heavily patrolled sector with urban cover, two teams are given the go ahead.

 

Pidge, Keith, Allura, Griffin and Kosmo are the ground team infiltrating the base. Hunk, Lance, Veronica and Kinkade are a sniper team providing them cover and keeping an eye out for them, though they’re warned to use communications sparingly. Despite the warnings, they enter the base undetected, still the base itself is hostile. In a few still frames they progress towards the central structure, where Kosmo comes in handy teleporting Keith and Pidge into the base. To my delight, the writer of this episode doesn’t treat Griffin as an asshole.

 

Thanks to Lance’s instructions and a teleporting wolf, they make it to a console so Pidge can hack in, unfortunately, it’s not so easy for Allura and Griffin who are spotted by drones and have to bailed out by the snipers, attracting even more attention. Pidge discovers they’re creating Zyforge cannons, those ones we saw in the s4 finale. 2 of them are supposed to be enough to protect a small galaxy and there are 6 of them being made on Earth.

 

The 6 cannons need to be attacked simultaneously before the Galra can arrange a counter-attack. They have the fuel to allow the MFEs to attack one cannon but they need the Lions to attack the others. Shiro says they may come to them if they connect with them, which we have seen to be possible from a much further distance. But to ensure the element of surprise, they have call them upon arrival, so there’s no do-overs.

 

It’s a solid enough plan, and it’s quickly placed into effect, with the Paladins quickly connecting with their lions and summoning them to Earth, with the exception of Lance and Red Lion. Veronica is dropping him off by land, and they come under attack from Galra ships. Their vehicle is flipped and Lance is knocked out, when he comes too he finds Veronica injured but alive, unfortunately enemy attacks mean she won’t be for much longer. Fortunately the Red Lion arrives.

 

It doesn’t matter though as it seems the Galra were ready for their attack and had increased defences to allow for the launch. Sanda had given Sendak this information in hopes of him leaving Earth alone. With options limited, they need to make a move on Sendak, and that means forming Voltron, unfortunately, this is exactl what Sendak planned, firing all 6 Zyforge cannons and using satellites to redirect the blast so they all hit Voltron.

 

This ups the stakes and could honestly be the best episode this season

 

Rating 8/10

 

Trial by Fire

 

The Blast had separated the lions and knocked out their paladins, ready for Sendak to draw them in. Sanda thinks they might leave Earth alone but she’s in for a rude awakening because she’s a moron. To quote the Darkest Lion “You can’t reason with a Lion when your head is in its mouth” you need a position of strength, even if you have something to bargain with. She’s thrown in the brig with the other Paladins as the can.

 

The Zyforge cannons are converging on the base and even with the particle barrier they wouldn’t stand a chance. But they may be able to redivert power from the barrier to power the Atlas. With the MFEs fully charged, they’re able to mount a defence once the barrier drops.

 

Sanda is legitimately remorseful, and you know what that means, she’s a dead woman walking. Still, the power drain didn’t go unnoticed and Sendak sends in the fleet to hit them. Making matters worse, the Atlas refuses to launch under the power drain. Fortunately, Coran has an idea, using the crystal created from the destruction of the castle of Lions. Pity he didn’t come up with it before they put down the particle barrier. Shiro is given command of the ship and needs the fighters to clear a path. Unfortunately, Sendak’s ship has arrived to support and even with the added fire-power, they’re badly outnumbered and the Atlas’ weapons and shields are only barely functional.

 

The paladins try again to connect with their Lions and bust themselves out. Hunk manages to do so first and the others quickly follow suit. Rather than arranging their own escape, they send the Lions out to help the Atlas. Guards go to execute the Paladins but Sanda gains their attention by claiming the Atlas has a weakness. It’s a ploy, Sanda jumps the guard, grabs his gun and begins shooting. She sacrifices her life to buy them time.

 

It’s another great episode, as we head into the finale.

 

Rating 8.5/10

 

Lion’s Pride part 1

 

This probably needn’t be a two-parter but it is one so…

 

We quickly get the Voltron transformation scene and the cool visual of Voltron riding the Atlas. The MFEs come aboard to recharge but Sendak sends everything to delay Voltron and the Atlas to they can’t destroy the Zyforge cannons. Making matters worse, the launch points have surface-to-air cannons and they being used to pin Voltron down.

 

Some luck comes as the Atlas quickly charges the MFEs so they can mount an offensive on the surface to air cannons. Shiro calls of the attack on Sendak so they can stop the Zyforge cannons from merging and destroying the Earth. Their plan is to use the reflective plates against them. The Atlas is taking heavy fire, but finally some luck comes back as their shielding system comes online. The Paladins use the plates to reflect the beams but that won’t last forever. Shiro decides to infiltrate Sendak’s ship and disrupt its crystal, Shiro’s arm serving as a link so they can hack in. The plates all destroy themselves and the beams begin to connect but the now shielded Atlas now blocks the beam. It can only last so long, thankfully Shiro’s plan is working and the MFEs are having luck with the cannon.

 

The crystal is shattered, leaving the Galra ship without power and falling to Earth, one cannon is disarmed and the Lions begin to recover and start taking out the rest of the cannons, saving the Earth. Sendak’s ship is falling fast and Shiro’s still aboard. Time for him and Sendak to have a rematch. The Lions head in to steady the ship and stop in crashing into a populated area. Shiro is down but Keith and the Black Lion come to the rescue, striking a fatal blow against Sendak.

 

Earth is saved but the success is short lived as something else is crashing down toward Earth.

 

I wish a breather episode had come around here, since we’re instead being thrown straight from one action scene into the next, but here we are, what we got is a less good but still good final showdown

 

Rating 7.5/10

 

Lion’s Pride part 2

 

The object is a mechanised armoured suit, about the size of Voltron. Its staff is able to deflect attacks and it has plenty of firepower of its own. Its staff is also a scythe, able to block their blade attacks. The Atlas is there to back them up but a single shot disrupts their shield, forcing a recharge. Fortunately it’s able to buy time to allow Voltron to be formed. The suit splits its scythe into two separate swords, Voltron is able to do the same but it’s outmatched the suit tears through the shield like it isn’t even there.

 

The MFEs move in to provide some support, allowing Pidge to form a shoulder cannon and knock the suit back, this buys time but with the suit’s been drawing quintessence from Voltron and now it’s weapons are even more power. The fight continues to go badly, Voltron is suit completely knocked down and drained, the power directed at the Atlast, which sustains heavy damage. Shiro begins to connect with the Atlas and has an idea. The Atlas begins to transform into its own giant mecha suit, the ‘white lion.’ It’s a lot bigger than Voltron and carries some heavy firepower of its own.

 

Unfortunately, it seems like the suit can project an astral form the same size, and it begins draining its quintessence. They notice a short opening as it’s about to fire the cannon where they can strike, and combine a sword with jets, they manage to make that opening, destroying the suit.

 

The impact separates the Lions but the suit has a self-destruct mechanism that could take out half the planet, and the Atlas is still down, so it’s up to the Lions to force it into space, even if it comes at the cost of their own lives. Of course it doesn’t, the Lions crash down to the Earth but the Paladins remain alive inside of them.

 

Shiro makes a speech regarding loss, and we get a passing glance at Adam again. Things do start to improve for Earth, Matt arrives with a few friends of his own, as many of Voltron’s allies have converged on Earth, a new centre for the Galactic alliance. The Paladins are fine, if slightly injured and all get a reunion of sorts. Rebuilding efforts begin and whilst things will never go back to the way they were, things are improving. They seem to have gotten a teleduv installed in the Atlas, but one last twist remains before the episode ends, they’ve been salvaging what was left of the suit in search of a power source and they’ve found one, an Altean.

 

As a prelude to the next season, it makes a hell of a statement, but I can’t help but feel its placement immediately after the last action scene makes it difficult to breathe, maybe if the Sendak arc had ended at 11, and 12 allowed as a breather episode.

 

Rating 7/10