Voltron: Legendary Defender Season 2 is the Star of the Internet

By starrymag | February 28, 2017

By: Alexandra Geisser

 

A word of warning: this article contains spoilers for Voltron: Legendary Defender Season Two.

 

As fans of Voltron: Legendary Defender devoured the first season many were hungry for more. Fans craved for a Season Two to answer all the questions that had gone ignored. When Season Two’s trailer was released, the need for antiphon skyrocketed.

 

Questions and theories stormed the Internet––was Takashi “Shiro” Shirogane (voiced by Josh Keaton) going to survive the season? How was Emperor Zarkon (Neil Kaplan) tracking the paladins? Would Keith (Steven Yeun) actually step up to the plate and lead Voltron through the Black Lion? Heck, should Keith pilot the Black Lion? Wouldn’t Princess Allura (Kimberly Brooks) make the better pilot and leader that Voltron needed? How has Zarkon lived for 10,000 years? Where was Shiro?

 

Speculation had the Internet enraptured for months until the second season’s date was revealed––January 20th, 2017, only half a year after season one’s release. Excitement took the fandom by storm at a Season Two premiere date.The fateful day came and binge watchers had a field day!

 

Voltron’s second season consisted of thirteen episodes: Across the Universe, The Depths, Shiro’s Escape, Greening the Cube, Eye of the Storm, The Arc of Taujeer, Space Mall, The Blade of Marmora, The Belly of the Weblum, Escape from Beta Traz, Stayin’ Alive, Best Laid Plans and Blackout. This season focused on two characters in particular –Keith and Shiro– and their questionable relationship. (Their relationship remains questionable by the end of Season Two as well––we didn’t actually learn anything about the two except that they’re not brothers.)

 

At first watch, fans were in love with Season Two. It was filled with comedy, action and drama that outshone Season One with ease. Fans were enraptured by the way the season played out and, by the way, the final episode tore at their heartstrings. However, when people began to analyze the show, certain…aspects were noticed.

 

A large complaint about the show is the lack of character development for Lance (Jeremy Shada), Hunk (Tyler Labine) and Princess Allura. These three characters seemed to have been shoved to the side, having not gained anything nor grown throughout the season unlike Pidge (Bex Taylor–Klaus), Keith and Shiro did. Hunk was reduced to fat jokes, according to fans, while Lance’s insecurities seemed to have been completely ignored. Not to mention how Allura’s character development took a step back as Keith’s took several steps forward.

 

A second complaint was the pacing. People argued that the end of Season Two was rushed––a few say an episode or three could have solved that problem. However, the complaints remained saying that from The Blade of Marmora and on everything was crammed together for a messy ending.

 

The planning and battle against Zarkon, himself, left fans frustrated. Three episodes were dedicated to the building of Zarkon’s demise were rushed and felt empty of certain things Season One had. Unity was broken from the rest of the season and the team, especially with the underwhelming reveal of Keith’s lineage to his teammates.

 

The ending of Season Two left people internally screaming, as well. The trailer of hinted at the fact that Shiro might not survive with phrases such as, “Keith, if I don’t make it out of here… I want you to lead Voltron.” Fans quickly found out that all the lines that hinted at Shiro’s demise came from the first episode alone and he survived then. Fans felt they had nothing to fear, until the episode Blackout ended with Team Voltron entering the Black Lion’s cockpit only to find it empty. Theories on Shiro’s whereabouts and wellbeing have been circling the fandom since Season Two’s release date.

 

Another controversial thought was the hinting at who would take Shiro’s place as the leader of Voltron if something happened to him––which something did. Shiro specifically wanted Keith to take his place (for reasons unknown, but many claim favoritism), but fans and characters in the show argue against that logic. In the episode The Blade of Marmora, Lance questions Shiro’s decision to take Keith to the rebel’s base saying that Keith is too hot headed and that he will attack first and question later. This is further proven earlier in the season in the episode Greening the Cube where Keith decides in a breakneck decision to hold the king hostage with a sword to his throat before trying to think anything else through. Even Keith seems to have trouble believing Shiro’s words, not being able to see himself in a leadership role. Many fans have narrowed the next leader to three candidates: Keith, the one who seems most likely succeed Shiro; Allura, the leader of the paladins and princess of Altea; and Lance, an ignored character who is assumably (according to the writers) going to start showing “leadership qualities.” (This statement was said to happen in Season Two along with a delve into sexuality, but fans were left empty-handed in those regards).

 

Keith leading Voltron; however, would leave questions in his wake––if he was going to become the paladin of the Black Lion, why did the writers take so much time to build upon Keith and the Red Lion’s relationship? In Season Two, one of the most infamous scenes is when Allura and Keith are stuck in space with no way to help the other paladins and from an undisclosed distance, the Red Lion comes to Keith’s aid without anyone at the controls. Not to mention, the Red Lion also attacks the Blade of Marmora’s base when Keith starts to have a mental breakdown, sensing his fear and attacking for the sake of her “cub.” (People headcanon Keith holds a lioness–cub relationship with his lion.)

 

Many think Allura should lead Voltron as beyond Shiro she’s the only one who can be considered a leader. She’s a natural born leader and many “ship” her with Shiro. She has a certain respect and dignity to her that few characters in the series possess.

 

Surprisingly, people object to both Keith and Allura being leader in favor of Lance. How this resurgence came about, no one’s entirely sure. People claim that, out of all of the paladins, he’s the most level-headed besides Shiro. Lance is strategic (as seen in Season One when attacking the Balmeran Galra base) and the one thing that Lance has that Shiro and Allura don’t seem to do (according to fans)––listen to the other Paladins. So what gives?

 

The most shocking twist of the season wasn’t Keith being able to pilot the Black Lion in episode one (which was a twist to promote Keith becoming leader of Voltron, no doubt). Nor was it Keith being half Galra (and having a southern father, to boot). It was the reveal of Prince Lotor in the upcoming Season Three. For some odd reason, the first thing fans did with the reveal of Prince Lotor was romantically pair him with Lance. Some like this pairing, saying Lotor could be completely different from his 80’s self, while others hate the ship and say it’s abusive. Of course, we have no idea how Lotor will play into Season Three and what he’s like, but fans seem to have the habit of jumping the gun.

 

Haggar, the alien who summons Prince Lotor, is another reveal to the fans. Fans were lead to believe that Coran and Allura were the last two surviving people of the alien species of Alteans when they’re, in fact, not. Haggar is another surviving Altean who is able to “bend” Quintessence (a vaguely mentioned aspect in the series) and magic. With the reveal of Haggar being Altean, we also get another plot twist––Allura, too, can bend Quintessence and use magic. Fans didn’t seem all-too interested in this reveal, unfortunately. That wasn’t all though––some episodes received largely differing opinions and rightfully so.

 

The episode Space Mall, in particular, received a lot of controversial opinions and views. Personally, I felt the episode was both half filler and half plot, a combination which usually doesn’t go down well. If you ignored the comedy aspect of the show, you’d see two episodes shoved together––one episode being a whacky, hilarious filler episode that ends in Lance and Pidge adopting a cow and another which shows Shiro and the Black Lion bonding and revealing themselves to each other (as well as a fight with Zarkon in the astral plane).

 

Another episode, this time viewed in a positive light was The Blade of Marmora. It is in this episode we find out that Keith is half Galra. The episode had amazing animation for Keith and dove into the red paladin’s psyche for a past we’ve still yet to discover. Many praised this episode for its colors, messages and the fluidity of the fights scenes shown.

 

Overall, Season Two could have used some work in the eyes of fans. Many fans choose to accept the season as it was or scorn it for what it lacked in. It gave birth to new theories, fan art, fanfiction and hopes for Season Three (which was recently confirmed along with three other seasons and a special throwback to one of the past Voltron seasons). The season could have used a few more glance throughs before being greenlighted, but we must take it as it is and (hopefully) learn from it.

Until next season!