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kcwcommentary · 5 years

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VLD2x04 – “Greening the Cube”

2x04 – “Greening the Cube”

The Paladins are doing maintenance outside the Castle Ship, but Hunk and Lance don’t understand the technobabble Coran and Allura are speaking. Like with the use of odd units of time on this show, this particular technobabble is funny because it embraces its own goofiness. It doesn’t make sense, however, that they would send anyone out to do maintenance without the specific procedures needed for doing so having been reviewed in detail prior to doing so. It’s set up to make Pidge the genius above all others as she fixes the problem. It’s one thing for Lance to have messed it up, but for Hunk to not know what he’s doing when he’s supposed to be an engineer is annoying. If Hunk was allowed by this show to be smart, the way an engineer should be, then Pidge being smart wouldn’t feel so obnoxious. Instead, they have Hunk remark that the piece of tech they’re dealing with “looks like a big, delicious curly fry.” Because of course, Hunk is nothing but food. Ugh.

The ship, and thus the Paladins, start floating through a field of snowballs. I’m not sure why the ship wouldn’t have entered a stationary position while undergoing this kind of maintenance though. Or why all the Paladins are even outside for the maintenance. Seems like they were written to be out there solely so that they could have this snowball fight scene, which is a playfully pleasant moment. Hunk announces, “Squishy asteroid fight.” I don’t know why Hunk thinks they’re asteroids since asteroids are made of rock, not something that’s effectively a snowball. At least Pidge says something about them not being asteroids, and Allura calls them a spore. “This bioluminescent pulsing doesn’t seem natural,” Pidge says. Seems she needs to learn what the word “bioluminescent” means if she thinks it’s not natural. Just by looking at a snowball, excuse me, a spore glowing she declares it’s been programmed. That’s a massive conclusion for her to leap to. Ugh.

The quick decontamination scene is silly, but I love that Shiro seems to be really enjoying himself during it. Let that man take comforting showers more often please!!

Keith continues to ponder his blade, and he asks Coran about the possibility of the Galra ever being on Earth. Lance obnoxiously rants about Keith asking Coran about the Blue Lion. This is supposed to be more of Lance’s “rivalry” with Keith, but it just feels unjustified and unreasonable at this point.

Pidge’s going on about Alan Turing is a nice attempt at the show to point out how important Turing was to our technological development. The history of how he was abused by the British government because he was gay makes it all the more infuriating that more people don’t realize how much we owe him for all of our computers today.

The snowball, I mean spore’s glowing is apparently an encrypted message that someone’s under attack and a request for help. Coran declares that the “signal” came from Olkarion. I have a problem with it being referred to as a signal, but whatever. Once again, VLD has a planet that does not look like a planet; what the weird ridge of rock that extends way beyond the atmosphere of the planet is supposed to be, who knows. It’s ridiculous.

Coran not only knows the planet by name but explains the people who live there are known for being tremendous engineers. At least Keith asks why “tech wizards would use spores to send [a] signal.” Thank you, Keith. Pidge complaining that she doesn’t get to go to the city because the signal is coming from the forest is annoying. I get that they’re trying to create some kind of technology vs. nature argument in Pidge herself, but her being more interested in going to the “cool city” than in actually helping someone asking for help is irksome. Also, again, the message was in the spore, it isn’t being broadcast from the forest. These are some powerful spores if they can escape the planet’s gravity to go floating off into space. What sort of propulsion system do they have? because those spores need to be adapted into transportation technology. Highly propulsive spores that are a terrible communication system. It’s just weird.

Pidge “hate[s] the outdoors.” Keith on the other hand, says he “like[s] it out here, it’s quiet.” Awe. Let Keith have some peaceful time in nature!!

The Olkari (or at least Ryner) recognize Voltron on sight. They started living in the forest when the Galra attacked.

Pidge gushing over the Olkari being engineers is understandable since she likes technology, but, again, Hunk is the actual engineer of the group, but he just stands in the background.

The Galra have enslaved many of the Olkari and are forcing them to build a “superweapon” with their magical glowing hand/touch powers. We did the glowing hand/touch thing with the Balmerans/Balmera, and with Alteans and quintessence, why are we doing it again here?

The Olkari have plant-tech weapons, and they give the Paladins plant-tech crowns to wear to control the weapons. Hunk tastes his. He’s an engineer, the show places him in possession of advanced tech, and then writes him to lick the tech like it’s food. That is ridiculous.

“You must have a deep connection with nature,” Ryner says. “Not really,” Pidge responds. This tech v. nature thing this episode is doing is really heavy handed.

Ryner wants to rescue their king. (Does this show have any planets/societies who have governmental systems that are not monarchies?) He’s apparently the only one capable of designing the giant cube the Galra have had the Olkari build. The Paladins go on a stealth mission thanks to the Green Lion’s invisibility system Pidge installed on it (why hasn’t she put that system on all the Lions?).

Where is the Castle in all this? I can understand them wanting to hang back and not alert the Galra to their presence if possible, but are Allura and Coran just having tea?

Plot twist: the king is not imprisoned but watching soap operas. He’s helping the Galra, who now have no need/use for him since they’ve got the cube. Pidge blasts a hole in the wall with the Green Lion to help the Paladins escape. They return to the Olkari and then go on to form Voltron and attack the cube. The cube absorbs and redirects Voltron’s weapon blasts. So, they try using Voltron’s sword, which only just splits the cube into multiple functioning units. With the attack underway, it would make sense for the Castle to get involved now, but no. Lance tries freezing a cube, but no.

Pidge gets shot down, conveniently near Ryner, who tells Pidge she has to bond more strongly with Green’s spirit. So, after a few seconds of magic meditation, Pidge and Green are suddenly more “bonded” and return to the fight. Green has a plant canon: a beam that when it hits the cube causes plants to grow out of the cube. I’ve thought Blue’s ice canon and Red’s lava canon were bothersome, but a plant canon is just… absurd.

The Galra flee the planet when the Olkari attack in a very short montage. Shiro sets up the idea that the Olkari are allies of Voltron in fighting against Zarkon. And then we cut to everyone back on the Castle Ship. Who knows what Allura and Coran were doing the whole time.

Keith gets happy reflecting on the idea that everyone in the universe is related, “even the Galra.” I like seeing Keith seemingly happy in this episode. His thinking about the Galra and starting to piece together his connection to them is giving him something he really needs.

Zarkon’s ship shows up and the episode ends.

I’m really tiring of the Pidge-is-so-special-so-let’s-make-her-the-center-of-the-narrative writing like this episode gave us. Again, I can understand her being involved with a technology-centered story like this, but there was no reason Hunk shouldn’t have had some play in this too.

#voltron legendary defender #voltron #vld #voltron criticism #voltron critical #vld criticism #vld critical #vld season 2 #vld 2x04 #commentary

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alounuitte · 4 years

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fic masterpost: we came from the earth (but we belong to the sky) // VLD rewrite with @otterknowbynow

[in chronological order, * denotes WIP]

cactus blossoms (or: some can only bloom with water from the desert sky)* - pre-relationship adam&shiro, during their days as students at the garrison. precanon. read all on ao3 | chapter 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | TBA

I’ll Ask Once More for Clarity (if only to be sure) - one shot ft a panicked conversation, an awkward confession, and a first kiss (adam/shiro). precanon. AO3 | tumblr

Will Break for Food [Otter]- First-year Hunk convinces Lance to sneak down to the kitchens with him for a late night snack. precanon. AO3 | tumblr

I don’t want your pity, but sympathy can’t hurt - one shot sickfic, first-year lance is sick and gets some comfort from his best friend. precanon. AO3 | tumblr

The Last Thousand Days, The First Ten [Otter] - “Years before and days after one of the defining moments of Adam’s life.” precanon. AO3 | tumblr

what’s in a name (i still remain the same) - better alternate version of the scene where Shiro tells Pidge he knows her real name. set at the end of 1x05. AO3 | tumblr

an interpersonal demonstration of newton’s third law - lance teases pidge and accidentally hits a sore spot. set between 1x05 and 1x06. AO3 | tumblr

With No Place to Go [Otter] - coran and allura, coping with the loss of alfor’s AI. Set after 1x11, up through 2x04. AO3 | tumblr

you’d give your eyeteeth just to know the truth - keith, reflecting. set after 2x03. AO3 | tumblr

Altean Home Economics* [Otter] - hunk experiments in the castle kitchen, with help from the rest of the crew. set between 2x07 and 2x08. read all on AO3 | chapter 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | TBA

On the Shoreline [Otter] - blue lion introspection about her bond with lance. AO3 | tumblr

Where Loyalty Lies* - episodic, keith and the blades visit a mining station, intending to gather intel and take out the operation, and find a surprise that changes the mission. set sometime after 3x03. read all on ao3 | prologue | chapter 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | TBA

T’as de la place sur la canapé [Otter] - the team takes a nap. set between s3 and s4. AO3 | tumblr

Gotcha Day [Otter] - lance decides kaltenecker (and the team) needs a puppy friend. that’s not exactly what they end up getting. set between s3 and s4. read all on ao3 | chapter 1 | 2 | 3

#we came from the earth (but we belong to the sky)#belong to the sky verse #better voltron verse #willwrites #so i can find this again

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