Voltron Season 5 Episode 5 Review: Bloodlines
This Voltron Legendary Defender review contains spoilers.
Voltron Season 5 Episode 5
While last episode was a major game changer this one featured a much smaller change in the status quo that could lead to a fundamental shift in the overall conflict. Sam is going back to Earth and could be upgrading their defenses.
When we last saw Earth they didn’t seem to be in any position to defend themselves but who knows what was going on behind the scenes? Even if they were on the up and up they’d still need to rapidly advance their technology to compete with the Galra. In my wildest dreams this leads to them making their own version of Voltron. Perhaps one made of vehicles? Just an idea.
What happens if Earth enters the conflict though? Will that help team Voltron or just complicate things, especially with Lotor now on the Galra throne? What if they want to wipe the whole race out without prejudice and the Paladins have to defend their former enemies. The possibilities are endless and I’m so jazzed to see this picked back up down the line.
Beautifully the scene also finally addresses the team trying to contact their families. This has been a hope for many Voltron fans and it did not dissapoint. Hunk got teary eyed in his message! Lance defied all expectations and sent a message to his family that he misses so much he can’t help but cry! I am so here for emotional Lance.
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I’m also here for mad high jinks with the Garrison Trio. This season has been pretty damn intense so I’m delighted to see these three especially get to cut loose and get into mischief. They even get the Galra guards into it! These three were so much fun to watch together way back in the pilot so returning to that is heartwarming. Also, #TeamPunk for life.
The Galra civil war plot also gives us more of those sweet, sweet Galra politics. I’m sad the rebels taking back a third of the galaxy didn’t get this level of attention but I’m more than happy with giving the bad guys that instead. It helps us get an idea of how they were able to take control of such a large chunk of the galaxy in the first place and it demonstrates there isn’t an easy end to this conflict.
Sure, they might stop the Galra overall but there will always be pockets of resistance. Some of them will not go quietly. If Earth enters the conflict it could last even longer.
Oh boy, Lotor. You’re in for a rude awakening when you find out Haggar’s your mom. Did you hear how he talked about her? The bile that rose up in his throat? If you thought you might have loved Lotor before wait for that reveal.
Speaking of reveals, how about that HUGE lore drop with Oriond being a place to harness Altean alchemy? We already knew Alfor did some serious magic to make the Voltron lions but going in-depth on how he did it? Perhaps opening the show up even more to its magical side? This could be really cool or it could totally break the show if it isn’t done correctly. I have a lot of confidence in the Voltron team so I’m pretty sure it’ll be the former.
Less successful is the Keith plot, mostly because it was stunningly obvious Krolia was his mom the second you saw her. She has the same chin! I could barely focus on his plot because I wasn’t sure if they were trying to be that obvious about it or the design just happened to look THAT close to Keith’s.
I’m happy this season is finally addressing or wrapping up a lot of long term plotlines but I wish the whole question of Keith’s mom had a little more weight since it was set up to be such a big deal in season two. It does reinforce the train that is this season is just hurtling along and doesn’t have time for anything that doesn’t get the plot where it needs to go.
If the overall story needs Keith to find out about his mom then it’s going to reveal it as fast as it can. Maybe we’ll get more back story on this later because it could lead to an intriguing development down the line. I know this is really thinking ahead but go with me here.
Lotor is the endgame boss for Voltron and I have no doubt he’ll be defeated/killed by the end of the series. That leaves a power vacuum and who better to fill it than Keith? We’ve already established a half-breed can take the throne and he doesn’t have anyone or anything back home. He might finally find a place to belong helping to lead the Galra empire, perhaps alongside his mom.
We’ve only got one episode left and if the rest of the season has been any indication it’ll be huge. My body is ready.
Shamus Kelley is a pop culture/television writer and official Power Rangers expert. Lotor’s hair was pure angst and how can you not love it? Follow him on Twitter!
