Voltron: Legendary Defender Season 2
(Spoilers ahead)
Season 2 of Voltron: Legendary Defender is a straightforward but entertaining journey. The Paladins of Voltron and their allies plot to finally crush Zarkon and to save the universe from the evil clutches of the Galra. But what the Paladins believe to be the final mission of Voltron proves to be just the beginning.
In his review on Collider, Dave Trumbore declared Voltron: Legendary Defender to be superior to the original Voltron: Defender of the Universe. I agree with this, and would like to suggest the VLD is also superior to the original Beast King Go-Lion. VLD’s improvements on the franchise include a more fleshed-out universe, enhanced character development, and well-placed bits of humor.
The art in VLD is striking, and the worlds that the Paladins visit in the early episodes of this season are each unique and beautiful. VLD also succeeds in giving more personality to the Galra – they aren’t all evil cronies of Zarkon. The humor is timed perfectly, with hilarious moments and episodes scattered throughout the season. The seventh episode (“Space Mall”) is my favorite, featuring Coran at his funniest and a Galra version of Paul Blart. Oh, and the sneaky cameo of the show's producer...in the form of a hover-cow.
Keith benefits the most from this season’s focus on character development, which I’m taking as a bad omen for the future of Shiro, the Black Paladin and current leader. As the finale ends with Shiro’s inexplicable disappearance, it seems evident that season 3 will follow Keith as he struggles to act as the new leader.
I thought it was a bold choice for Shiro to replace Keith as the leader in this reboot. Shiro infamously dies early (and easily) in Go-Lion, and Sven is not incredibly important in Voltron. Aesthetics-wise it was a smart idea; in Voltron, Keith wore red but was the Black Paladin. VLD Shiro is so different from his past incarnations, but he is also an improvement. Keith’s mysterious background makes him an interesting second-fiddle to Shiro, but he hasn’t done much to prove that he would be an effective leader.
Unfortunately, the rest of the Paladins don’t receive nearly as much as development as Keith. Pidge makes some progress in her search for her family, and Shiro has some hilarious moments thanks to the obnoxious new character Slav. Lance and Hunk are completely reduced to comedic relief, which was disappointing. VLD is greatly influenced by Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Lance is basically my favorite character in the series, Sokka. But like Sokka, Lance spends much of his time making wisecracks and stumbling around a lot.
Coran becomes more lovable in this season, while Allura becomes more developed. Allura finds herself dealing with deep-seated prejudice against the Galra, as she spends much of the season allying with Galra rebels. Speaking of the Galra rebels, Commander Thrace was the best short-lived side character in this season. His final scene with Keith was incredibly touching and tragic for a Y-7 rated series, especially with the underlying implications of Keith referring to him as like kin.
Voltron: Legendary Defender avoids the sophomore slump and I have no reason to believe that next season will be disappointed. The series continues to breathe new life into the Voltron franchise, mixing binge-worthy story with a continually expanding universe.
