Voltron Season 7 Episode 13 Review: Lions’ Pride Part 2

This Voltron Legendary Defender review contains spoilers.

Voltron Season 7 Episode 13

Let’s recap for a moment.

Voltron, a giant robot made up of five lion bots, gets owned by an Evangelion looking mecha, which then gets PUNCHED FROM SPACE by a giant SDF-1 style battle fortress.

And that’s only a FEW MINUTES of the episode.

People, Voltron is the best show on TV.

That fight scene was… have they invented a word to describe that knock down brawl? Stunning? Incredible? Riveting? Awe-inspiring? ALL OF THOSE WORK.

The whole episode is just one giant fight and the Voltron team just keeps getting rocked. No matter what power they pull out of their asses it isn’t enough. Even the power of the GIANT ATLAS MECH can’t stop this Eva mech (that’s what I’m calling it now).

Man, the Atlas is so god damn amazing. It’s a carrier warship that can also transform into a GIGANTIC robot. It’s not all powerful, it’s clearly very slow and can be outflanked by a faster mech but it’s got the raw power.

ALSO COME ON, IT LEGIT PUNCHED A MECHA BY CRASHING DOWN FROM SPACE. I don’t need to get all critical and talk about the symbolism of it, it’s just the most metal thing I’ve seen on TV this year.

It does tie into the theme of bonds from this season. Shiro is only able to activate the Atlas’ true power when he sees his team in danger. Same thing when Voltron is about to finally overcome the Eva mech. They see Shiro, and the people of Earth, in danger. Only when that happens can they pull one last power up out of nowhere and take the Eva mech out.

Those endless power ups may seem like a cop out on the surface but it’s all tied into the bonds they’ve been deepening throughout the season. All of this is earned not because they trained with the weapons or got some mystical upgrade but because of their friendship. When put to the test they are capable of anything.

But even still, they almost didn’t make it. They almost died. Can those bonds stave off the most powerful forces in the universe? What the hell was up with that Altean in the cockpit? Where are they from? WHO ARE THEY?

I’m glad the series took another moment to show how important Adam was to Shiro. It wasn’t just a throwaway death, there’s more meaning to it. Maybe the next season will explore it? Even if it doesn’t, I’m taking every moment we get with Shiro’s feelings for Adam on display.

It still sucks he died but seeing a queer man be that open about his feelings for another man in an animated kids show? That’s still revolutionary.

The set up for next season is absolutely bonkers. Everyone’s on Earth. The Blades. Acxa. Krolia. The Voltron Coalition. Even alien civilians! Earth is now a giant hub for the resistance. They’re not just playing defensive or running sneak attack operations. They’re taking the fight to the Galra. They’re going to liberate the universe. 

They’ll be… defenders of the universe. The most brilliant use of the original series title and it was worth waiting seven seasons for.

Voltron Season 7 was incredible. The beginning may have been a slow start but on reflection that was all to reaffirm the bonds between the team. To demonstrate how far they’ve come and how essential they are to one another.

The second half was the true highlight. Everything from the B Team on Earth to the nonstop fights, it was a thrill ride from start to end. I can’t even begin to imagine what the final season will be like.

The biggest pressing concern is Haggar. Over the course of the series we’ve learned so little about her. We know her back-story a bit but there are so many huge gaps we need to fill.

Next season really needs to be Haggar’s time to shine. If she’s going to be the big bag of the whole series we need to really dig deep into her psyche. See how she feels. See more of how she fights. See what bonds, if any, she still has in her life. If she has none, what has she done to amass so much power to make up for it?

I’m both excited and sad for the last season. Excited because I have faith it’s going to stick the landing like no other show has. Sad because then it’ll be over.

But man, it’ll have been one hell of a ride.

Shamus Kelley is a pop culture/television writer and official Power Rangers expert. Follow him on Twitter!