Voltron: Legendary Defender (Re)Watch 8.9, "Knights of Light, Part 1"

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The Paladins venture forth on a strangely dangerous sortie as the end of the eighth season of Legendary Defender approaches.

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8.9, "Knights of Light, Part 1"

Written by Mitch Iverson
Directed by Eugene Lee

Synopsis

It's not the most promising start.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Allura wakes in darkness, a voice whispering to her; the voice resolves into Honerva's, and she wakes again to find Coran and Lance watching over her. They confer with her about recent developments; she confirms that she took a dark energy into herself. The others' reactions as Allura explains are not happy.

Shiro and the Paladins confer about how to proceed, given Allura's embrace of the entity. They propose to assail Honerva psychically, noting that her threat justifies the risks involved. Shiro reluctantly agrees to support the plan, and Lance raises concerns; preparations to enact it begin.

The way to go seems clear.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

The Paladins sally forth, and Allura is swiftly aware of Honerva. The Atlas moves to assist as Voltron is formed and the Paladins push forward into Honerva's mindspace. Strange interconnections are noted before Allura is again taken, painfully, by awareness of Honerva, and Lance again expresses concern about the plan. Keith proposes focusing on tracking Honerva through the link, and the Paladins make progress on that end. They eventually find themselves at the boundaries of Honerva's psychic presence.

This is an even worse sign than usual.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

There, the Paladins other than Keith are seized by souls Honerva has corrupted; Keith is left alone to struggle futilely to reach them. The rest, however, find themselves fighting, in isolation, spectral foes whose blows are all too forceful. Allura takes particular exception to the situation, employing dark powers against their dark attackers and revealing that they are, in fact, assailed by the Paladins of old. And the Lions reveal some of the shared histories of the Paladins old and new, leading to the resolution of the conflicts they face.

In the wake of the battle, the two sets of Paladins confer, with the older lauding their younger counterparts and advising them. And the eight are returned to Keith, who still seeks for them. But their joy at reunion portends far worse to come...

Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Discussion

For the Valentine's Day 2019 edition of the Tales after Tolkien Society blog, there is a bit of romantic love in the air; Lance's affection for Allura comes through clearly in the present episode.

Aside from that, though, there are some things that attract comment. One is the prevalence of deus ex machina in the present episode. The remarks in "A Few Comments Inspired by Voltron: Legendary Defender" apply, as might be expected, although it must be noted that the Lions that provide much of the deus ex machina qualities are noted repeatedly throughout the series to have additional powers yet unknown, so there is at least some ghost of foreshadowing of their sudden ability to link Paladins across millennia. Too, as noted, there is ample medieval precedent for such events, so having them happen yet again is yet one more link of the series back to its forebears and antecedents.

Too, as with earlier episodes of the series, there seems to be something of the dream vision about the present episode. Certainly, the artwork in the episode suggests psychedelia, and I have heard such works as The Land of Cokaygne described as medieval drug-trips. There are similar elements even in, say, Pearl, or in the more widely-known Divine Comedy. So, otherworldly as the episode is (as any in a space-opera seemingly must be), it also has another connection to medieval antecedents, helping to keep the series grounded as a medievalist production even as it approaches its end.