Tuesdays, ANIMATED INSIGHTS BY SHANNON MUIR takes you inside Shannon’s latest reflections on writing, animation, and life in general. To catch up on all posts, check out the Animated Insights portion of the website! This week she gives her first (non-spoiler) thoughts on VOLTRON LEGENDARY DEFENDER Season 4.
VOLTRON LEGENDARY DEFENDER Season 4 came to Netflix on October 13, 2017, long awaited by many including yours truly.
There’s not too much I feel comfortable sharing just yet as some people may not have gotten to the show yet – it’s only been available a few days – but let me say I was pleased with the results, for the most part. The overall arc saw resolution to some questions that have existed since the first minutes of the show, and introduced some new directions as well. One particular episode truly made me believe things were (very tragically) as they appeared and then proved otherwise; as a writer, more often than not, I can figure these things out one step ahead – in this case, I actually accepted they took a certain course with the story, only to find they did what I thought they would and be more pleased that they’d convinced me otherwise! That’s when you know a good story is working.
Only one episode didn’t work for me. I think this largely has to do with my sense of humor. Most of it was the show largely poking fun at itself. If you’ve seen the episodes already, you know which one I mean, because it’s hard to miss. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s probably a good enough episode. I just kept looking for character and wanting the character arcs to pick up I’d just become so invested in… but, as you readers know, character is always a top story attraction for me.
One major question I have I cannot reconcile, and this will only be a spoiler if you haven’t seen Season 3 yet, and if so my apologies. Now that we know that Haggar and Zarkon’s wife Honerva are one in the same (though he doesn’t seem to realize it), how did their son Lotor stay alive for 10,000 years? Was he frozen in a chamber as Allura and Coran were? If so, at what age and who did it to him and why? Allura also didn’t seem to know in Season 3 that Zarkon even had a son, but the Galra recognize who he is, so it’s not like he was hidden at birth. This is the big question I find myself wanting an answer to ASAP.
I look forward to revisiting this again in a few weeks for a more in-depth analysis once it is more likely people have caught up on the whole season.
Until next time…