Voltron: Legendary Defender “Red Paladin”

Is Shiro back this episode?  No?  OK, I will continue to pretend he isn’t coming back.

I mean, that’s all that Keith is doing in reverse.  Keith won’t take over as leader of the Paladins and pilot the Black Lion because he wants Shiro back.  But the show never even removed Shiro from the opening credits, so he’ll be back at some point.

In the meantime, someone needs to fly the Black Lion.  So, really, everyone in the castle needs to try.  Hunk isn’t interested.  Pidge literally doesn’t fit in the pilot’s chair.  Lance sits there a very long time and nothing happens.  Finally, Keith reluctantly goes in, and…the Black Lion accepts him.  So does Lance, and that was nice.

But now we need a pilot for the Red Lion.  Allura figures she isn’t doing anything else and her father built Voltron.  But the Red Lion doesn’t respond to her.

By this point, Lotor has already retaken the same planet Lance and Hunk freed with the Blade of Marmora back in the previous episode, and Lotor does it with, like, three people.  Those would be his superpowered female generals.  All Lotor does is stand around looking smug.

I hate smug!

Anyway, the Paladins race out to help.  Well, three Lions do:  Black, Yellow, and Green.  Why not Blue with Lance?

Funny thing:  it won’t let him in.  Allura shows up to find out why, and the Blue Lion wants her.  It seems Lance’s previous maturity means he is now best-suited to fly the Red Lion.

So, we have five Paladin-pilots again.  All kinds of ships exploding.  And Lotor…calls a retreat.  He saw what he wanted to see.

But Keith put a tracker on Lotor’s ship…

Hey, he isn’t Shiro.  He won’t do things Shiro’s way.