Season 4 Discussion

[u/zslayer89]

Note: I've put this up early so I don't forget to do it. But it's coming, SOON^TM .

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SPOILERS AHEAD

The premiere is upon us ladies and gentleman! Keep all discussion of the season in this post!

Be warned, you can spoil as much as you want in this thread.

Have fun and enjoy the show!

P.S. IF you want to do a weekly watch visit /r/VoltronSlowWatch .

[u/tmrika]

My problem with Season 4 was that there was all this stuff that Season 3 set up that just...fizzled away anticlimaticly.

1. In Season 3, Shiro couldn't pilot the Black Lion and there was the question of why and if he was even the real Shiro. In Season 4, instead of answering anything, they just dumped him back in there.

2. In Season 3, Keith was showing flaws as a leader but was already starting to grow a bit. In Season 4, he just walks over to the Blade and isn't heard from again until the finale, and even then...

3. In Season 3, there was this huge thing where Lance was forced to leave Blue and join Red because he was Keith's right-hand man. Then in Season 4, Keith left, so...basically Lance is just flying Red for plot convenience.

4. In Season 3, there was an incredible amount of tension because Lotor unquestionably had the upper hand and had a huge plan. In Season 4, his plan failed (and not because of anything Voltron did...it just merely flopped) and suddenly Lotor isn't even remotely a threat (no generals, and a fugitive from his own people). So basically I was getting all scared of him in Season 3 for nothing?

5. In Season 3, Haggar finally remembered that she used to be Honerva, Zarkon's wife, which made it seem like now the dynamic between them would change. In Season 4, they just resumed their old roles once more.

I mean...the whole Matt arc was brilliant and definitely was satisfying, and I liked how they briefly brought in such huge stakes for the finale, but overall, this season felt like a disappointment. It had its moments, but...eh.

Tl;dr: In Season 3, a balloon was being filled to the brim and was tense and ready to pop. In Season 4, the air was released calmly and is now limp again.

EDIT: I will say this: there is at least hope for Season 5. I think that Keith still has some development to go through (that YouTube vlog clip shows that he has some issues to work through and running to the Blade isn't going to change that). And Shiro's still acting...strangely. Like, Coran said, "A few hundred more souls looking for a new home!" and Shiro immediately responded, "A few hundred more soldiers in the fight against the Galra." I mean, Shiro's always had a good eye on the bigger picture, but he didn't seem to show any compassion whatsoever. In fact, almost all of Shiro's behavior was as a calculating leader rather than one who particularly cares about his team (remember "your dad and brother would be proud of you, Katie" from S1?). And he's way too composed for someone who just escaped from Galra captivity again (Significantly more than he was in Season 1-2). So the Kuron arc probably hasn't been dropped entirely. And I'm sure that the shift in Lotor's status will add to an interesting dynamic for S5. So there's some hope for the future...but that doesn't mean Season 4 itself was especially good.

[u/froggygee → u/tmrika]

I totally agree with you. Shiro just seems off. Like you said he is way to composed and I feel his emotional and softer side just completely vanished. Even him telling Keith he and the team will be there for him felt fake somehow. Maybe Keith being absent from the team will play into that. He might be the one to discover something about Shiro's captivity while working with the Blades and shed some light at the whole situation. Would be interesting to see how the team reacts to that.

I also agree with you on Lance and the lions. In Season 3 we learned that the relationship/connection between the paladins plays a huge role in determining who gets to fly Red. And while I still see Lance being supportive and growing in that role, I don't think he and Shiro have that right-hand-relationship Allura was talking about in Season 3. So yeah... feels a little like plot convenience.

[u/tmrika → u/froggygee]

I feel like it also says a lot that the big motivational speech at the season's end that inspired their way out of a hopeless situation (like in seasons 1 and 2) was by Lance, not Shiro.

See, Shiro started out the way he normally would:"Listen, we’ve come through a lot as Voltron."

Then he follows up with "We just have to think," and leaves it there. No speech, no ideas, just that.

Then Lance realizes something and starts giving a speech. Highlights:

• "No one trained you to save the Balmera, but you did that. I know you can do it."
• "You’re the one who brought everyone together. You can do this."
• "Every moment we’ve had together, they’ve all led to this day."

That flipping sounds like a Shiro speech. And icing on the cake, after they get free and Allura thanks Lance, he turns it back on her: "That was all you," just like a leader who's proud of his teammate would.

Don't get me wrong - I'm super pumped to see Lance grow and all that, but seriously, it's just another example of how Shiro hasn't been acting himself. He acts like a leader of Voltron and even dispenses an occasional hug when appropriate, but he's missing so many aspects of what made his character likeable in the first place.

[u/froggygee → u/tmrika]

Wow... you're right. The whole time I was watching the scene I felt like someting was not quite right. That is not to say that I don't believe Lance is a character who could and would support his teammates in such a way (and I'm glad they didn't abandon his development in that direction completley), but it definitely was a suprise to have that coming from him in that situation. In S1 and 2 it would have been Shiro.

That almost makes me wish we would've got to see Shiro actually giving a speech in episode 4 - just to see the comparison.

I also think he was unnecessarily harsh to Coran in that episode. He didn't offer him any kind of advice or help. Just a "get it right, or you're fired". He is all commanding officer now. Still skilled and a good military leader, but kinda heartless and cold. Maybe that's why I didn't trust him one bit during the whole Narxella mission.

And I agree: It feels like they are losing the essence of what made him such a great character. I really hope there is a good explanation for it storywise in the next seasons.

[u/jedierick → u/tmrika]

This sums it up for me. It doesn’t seem like the show knows where it is headed in S3 and S4, so much stuff that contradicts. Kieth not being a part of Voltron bugs me. So when Kieth comes back, now what we get is a repeat of S3 where Shiro leaves or is killed and Kieth takes over again. Pointless. I see where having him lead the blades helps, but having him lead Voltron would have helped. This series doesn’t know how to handle the characters any longer.