Voltron: Legendary Defender (Re)Watch 8.3, "The Prisoner's Dilemma"

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Past deeds come back to haunt the Paladins as the eighth season of Legendary Defender continues.

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8.3, "The Prisoner's Dilemma"

Written by Erik Bogh
Directed by Eugene Lee

Synopsis

You'd think they'd know better.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

A Galra facility comes under assault; it responds as it is able, but, as it is fighting against the Voltron Coalition, it cannot do much, and it is soon taken. Casualties and collateral damage are minimal; the victory is overwhelming. In its wake, Coalition forces tend to the wounded, and the facility's commander is revealed to be an officer with whom Voltron had worked before--Lan, who is now embittered by circumstance. Evidently, as Sendak raged while Voltron was away, he and his suffered from the internal Galra conflict.

One of many less-than-good things to see...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

An arriving distress signal interrupts the tense discussion. Lan accompanies the Paladins as they go to investigate; the signal is coming from one of Lan's ships. They had been dispatched to salvage weapons from another base; they seem not to have fared well in that task, as Voltron finds the ships in fragments. No life signs are forthcoming, and only one ship remains reasonably intact. The distress signal is automated, and recovery operations begin.

Another such thing...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

The ship is ruined inside as the rest are outside. No Galra survive as the Paladins and Lan reconnoiter, and Lan rages against his circumstances to Allura. Hunk and Lance come across the agent of destruction, a bio-engineered superweapon programmed to destroy Galra; it passes them by as it continues its own crusade against the Galra. Keith recalls it, and a fight against it ensues. With difficulty and the emergence of new abilities from Keith's bayard, the weapon is defeated.

The Paladins return to Lan's base, and Lan joins the Coalition. New intelligence suggests that other threats are present and need investigation; Shiro demurs against the stated mission of the Atlas. Keith proposes splitting up to handle the expanded mission--and Hagar continues her own work, sending out more Altean-driven Robeasts to enact her will.

Discussion

It is good that the series is working to address plot points raised in earlier seasons as it draws towards its declared end; while it is to be expected that some threads will not be tied off, each such knot makes for a more durable tapestry. So to see the unintended consequences of earlier actions play out is welcome.

Indeed, such seems to be the dominant thread of the episode, that actions have ramifications that may not be able to be perceived in the moments they are taken. There is ample precedent for it, including among the medieval works that underpin much of what happens in Legendary Defender. Arthuriana offers examples thereof; the conception of Mordred is one. As Malory has it, Margawse takes Arthur, who is unaware that she is his half-sister, into her bed, where he sires Mordred. He commits incest without knowing it, leading ultimately to the downfall of his kingdom of Logres. The unintended consequences of Keith's earlier actions do not lead to the Paladins' downfall, to be sure, but they do wreak ruin that he had not foreseen and for which he has to imperil himself to atone. It is a knightly thing, to be sure, and its occurrence helps tie a loose thread into the warp and weft of the medievalist tapestry that is Voltron: Legendary Defender.