Voltron season 2 returns to Netflix in less than a day, and I was given the opportunity to watch the first three episodes ahead of the premiere. This is my (mostly) spoiler-free review!
As I’ve mentioned previously, I got to Voltron: Legendary Defender a little later than most. I devoured the show in less than a day and feel as though I haven’t stopped talking about it since. I even named it one of my highlights of 2016, as well as the series I was most looking forward to watching this year. That’s no small feat, considering its stiff competition.
For anyone that might have stumbled onto this review by mistake, Netflix and Dreamworks’ Voltron: Legendary Defender is a reboot of the ’80s animated television show Voltron: Defender of the Universe — which, in turn, was comprised of footage from Beast King GoLion.
Headed up by Avatar and Korra alums, Joaquim Dos Santos and Lauren Montgomery, it came as little surprise that Voltron took its many, many fans by storm. The perfect blend of nostalgia and reimagining, Dos Stantos and Montgomory paid tribute to Voltron’s origins, whilst paving their own way with a slick, clever and endearing series, winning the hearts of viewers new and old.
Voltron‘s first season served very much as an origin story — as so many do — introducing not only the basic lore and history of the Paladins, but also the war between Altea and the Galra, as well as the motivations and personalities of the core characters. There were struggles and conflicts introduced that continue through to the first episodes of the sophomore season — as you might expect, considering the tumultuous finale that tore our heroes apart.
One thing that becomes ever more evident across all three episodes of the second season is that the Paladins are — quite literally in some cases — out of their depth. Though they may all, at one point or another, have been enrolled at the Garrison, their experiences (bar Shiro) with battle were limited to simulations. A far cry from the harsh reality they’re now faced with as defenders of the universe. And though, as Allura decrees in the trailer for season 2, they’re stronger together, they find themselves isolated and entirely dependent on themselves in the first two episodes.
The first of the three episodes, “Across the Universe,” is concerned with Keith and Shiro, who have landed on a hostile planet, with Shiro still suffering from the wounds inflicted on him by Haggar in the finale. There are some great moments between Shiro and Keith throughout the episode, resulting directly from Shiro’s pragmatism about his injuries — which was, in equal parts, hilariously deadpan and also heartbreaking. How they get out of their particularly dire situation is something that I’ll leave up to the premiere to tell, but fans of Shiro and Keith will certainly be pleased with their interactions in episode 1.
Sharing screentime with Keith and Shiro in episode 1 are Pidge, who has ended up on a trash nebula, as well as Coran and Allura, who (per the first sneak peek released for the season) are trapped in a Groundhog Day-esque timeloop, with potentially devastating consequences. Though Coran’s de-aging escapades are entertaining, the tension built up as you realize he has very limited time remaining to exist is excruciating. It also didn’t resolve itself exactly how I thought it might — but was still incredibly satisfying.
The second episode, titled “The Depths,” is entirely dedicated to Hunk and Lance. It is an episode that I previously teased, when I watched it with other fans at New York Comic Con, but was just as satisfying the second time around. Both episodes set up some interesting arcs and potential trajectories for the characters that I’m eager to see play out over the remainder of the season, but it was the third episode, “Shiro’s Escape,” that really cut into the meat of the potential the sophomore season has.
As originally revealed in the trailer, the third episode is where our rag-tag group of universe defenders discover that Zarkon and Haggar have the ability to track Voltron. As evidenced by the season finale, the Paladins are still woefully unprepared for the full might of the Galran forces — but they are not without some surprising allies.
One of those allies was introduced during the first season, and though Zarkon believes he has weeded out the traitor, in reality they remain in operation. But, as it transpires, the Galran “traitor” is not alone in his mission to bring down the Empire from within. During a flashback sequence that many fans have been clamoring for, a second Galran ally is revealed — and with them, the potential for the Paladins to stand a fighting chance of winning against Zarkon.
The first three episodes perfectly set up the remainder of season 2, and the struggles that the Paladins have ahead of them. With the truth about Zarkon out in the open, and Allura’s decision to keep that little nugget a secret, there’s some tension and mistrust brewing between the Paladins and the Alteans. As well as Shiro still struggling with the mental and physical trauma of his time as a captive of the Galra, and Keith discovering a personal connection to their hated enemy, there’s no shortage of revelations and developments left to unfold.
If you haven’t taken the time to binge-watch Voltron ahead of the season 2 premiere, or have been conflicted about picking it up, I implore you to do so. If the first handful of episodes are anything to go by, the sophomore season will be building on the very strong foundation that the first laid down — and you definitely don’t want to miss out on what comes next.