Classic Voltron Season One (1984-85)

(Episodes 21-30)

Episode #21: "It'll Be a Cold Day"

In this, the second episode centering around the royalty of the planet Pollux, Romelle escapes the dungeons of Planet Doom only to be shot down on the ice-planet Neeve. Prince Bandor and the Voltron Force launch to rescue Romelle. Haggar is ready for them, trapping Bandor along with Romelle. Lotor shows up and demands that Allura be handed over in exchange for Romelle and Bandor. However, Keith turns into a snowman and fools Lotor, and Voltron destroys our latest RoBeast. Romelle ends up going back to Planet Doom with Lotor and Haggar anyway.

This episode is pretty cool. Haggar once again shows fine form in all her appearances in this episode. High points include where Haggar again performs her "face-lift" act to fool Allura, and her awesone confrontation scene against the Voltron Force. Very cool to watch! Unfortunately, one of the Space-Mice goes along with Allura, once again blowing our cover. Drat! At least we got to re-capture Romelle...

Episode #22: "The Deadly Flowers"

After mysterious seed pods fall to Arus from space, several Arusians, including Allura herself, become very sick from the flowers the seed pods produce. Turns out that the pods were a clever gift from Haggar. Lance ventures out alone in Blue Lion to planet Lyra for the antidote. Lotor is there when Lance arrives to make things interesting. Unfortunately, Lance has an ally in a girl named Farla*, who gives Lance the seeds for the roses of Lyra so the Arusians can grow the rose to make their own antidote. In addition, Voltron destroys the RoBeast that we unleash to attack the Castle of Lions.
*(In addition to being the name of the girl that helps the Voltron Force, Farla is also the name of Allura's Go-Lion counterpart.)

This would be a good episode for any fans of Lotor OR Lance, since they both figure heavily into the episode. If you're a fan of both, this would make an excellent episode. Personally, I didn't get too much out of this episode. The swordfight between Lance and Lotor was entertaining, though...

Episode #23: "It Takes Real Lions"

Lotor's training a new RoBeast. Meanwhile, on Arus, the Voltron Force goes for a swim after a tough practice session with the Lions. Coran and Nanny send Allura to her room to study, and Lotor takes this opportunity to unleash the RoBeast on an unsuspecting Voltron Force. Without Blue Lion, the RoBeast is headed for a quick victory against the other Lions. Lotor breaks into Allura's room and is about to capture her when castle guards storm in and force Lotor to retreat. Allura launches Blue Lion, and after the other Lions are cut loose from the RoBeast's choke-hold, Voltron is formed to destroy the RoBeast.

This is a good episode. Not the best, but still very watchable. The very sight of Allura dressed only in a string bikini is enough to make any Allura fan drool. Coran and Nanny blow a gasket over the whole thing, which is entertaining to watch as well. After that, the episode goes downhill a bit, but overall, this isn't half bad considering the limited airtime that Haggar receives. Definitely worth a look or two.

Episode #24: "Raid of the Alien Mice"

Haggar unleashes mutant Doomite mice to wreak havok on the Castle of Lions in preparation for the upcoming RoBeast attack. Unfortunately, Cheddar and the other Space Mice turn out to be formidable and tricky opponents in this small-scale battle. The Doomite Mice do succeed in knocking out the castle power generators, so Keith, Hunk, and Pidge must resort to foot power to get to their Lions. The RoBeast blocks their path by fire before they can get to the Lions. After Pidge, Allura, and Cheddar dispose of the Doomite Mice, power is restored so that Blue and Green Lions can launch and save the day for the Voltron Force. Voltron is eventually formed, and the RoBeast bows under the Blazing Sword once again.

As I've stated numerous times on this site, DRAT THOSE SPACE MICE!!!! I wish that someday Coba would sneak into the castle and eat each and every one of those little furballs alive! The entire episode was plagued by the horrible things! (Actually, this was not a bad episode, but I gave it two Rainbow Balls just becaue of the Space Mice.)

Episode #25: "Short Run of the Centipede Express"

Zarkon has two cool new weapons to play with: The Centipede Express Space-Train and the massive Doomsday Ion-Laser Gun that is being built on the newly-captured Planet Moura. Despite Haggar's warning, Lotor enlists the help of a slave named Haran to test the Gun. In exchange of freedom for his people, Haran agrees to shoot the Gun at Planet Arus at the unveiling ceremony the next day. Unfortunately, Keith and the other members of the Voltron Force get to Haran to try and "talk some sense into him." Instead of firing on Voltron, Haran revolts and fires on the Centipede Express, which turns out to be a RoBeast. To stop Voltron from destroying the Gun further than he already has, the RoBeast attacks. After a short but exciting fight, Voltron makes short work of the task at hand by using the Blazing Sword to tunnel completely through the RoBeast.

Although this episode has its doubtful moments, (Why would the guards get so excited over JUICE??) this is an overall fulfilling episode. There's a small amount of treachery here a la "Zarkon is Dying," and both Doomite weapons are extremely cool. (This isn't the last we see of the Doomsday Ion-Laser Gun, either!) One of my favorite humourous Voltron scenes is in this episode, where after the Centipede Express is shot at by the Gun, Haggar poses the Eternal Question: "Is this what they call a very SLIGHT turbulence?" (Click the quote for a soundfile!) Although the Voltron Force got lucky once again, I can enjoy this episode quite easily

Episode #26: "The Invisible RoBeast"

Haggar makes things very interesting by unleashing an invisible RoBeast on Arus. Pidge, Lance, Allura, and Nanny are caught completely by surprise as they return from a fruit-picking trip. Keith and Hunk rescue the others and try to detect the RoBeast. After returning to the Castle to re-group, the Voltron Force return to fight the RoBeast. After a good fight underwater, Blue Lion is captured by the RoBeast. It takes a good amount of technology for the Lions to detect the RoBeast's exact location, but when they do, the RoBeast is basically finished. Blue Lion is released, Voltron is formed, and another RoBeast bites the dust.

This episode is a solid four out of five. The idea to create an invisible RoBeast was brilliant, and it takes the Voltron Force awhile to figure things out before they can destroy it. I really liked the scene where Black Lion is scanning for a fix on the RoBeast. There's a lot of stuff crammed into this episode, and the end result is very exciting and nicely entertaining.

Episode #27: "The Green Medusa"

Lotor captures Anga, a female Medusan, to use as a RoBeast to attack Arus. Meanwhile, the Voltron Force are gathering orphans to the castle to find foster homes for them. Lotor unleashes the energized Anga, and the Voltron Force launch the Lions to counter-attack. In the fight, Pidge gets ejected from Green Lion's cockpit, and Anga captures him and sinks underground. The others think Pidge is a goner, but it turns out that Anga has become friendly. Haggar goes down to Arus to "change her mind." Unsuccessful, she injures Anga instead. Lotor unleashes another RoBeast, and Anga carries Pidge to Green Lion with her last bit of strength. Voltron is formed, and the second RoBeast goes "BOOM!"

This episode shows a little bit of Pidge's background, which should please the fans of the Voltron Force. Haggar has another good scene with Pidge and Anga, which should please fans of the Doomites. On a personal note, I think this episode is nicely well-rounded. I like the music heard as Anga carries Pidge to Green Lion. All in all, this episode is pretty interesting.

Episode #28: "The Treasure of Planet Tyrus"

It's Lotor's birthday, and he takes a vacation to Planet Tyrus, Ashkelon's home planet. Zarkon informs him of a treasure-ship containing a solid-gold statue of Lotor. Lotor and the Doomite troops with him go to investigate the ship, which turns out to be wrecked in space. The Voltron Force, who received the ship's S.O.S. message, get to the ship first. Lance uses the atomizer on Red Lion* to hide the Lion in Lotor's statue. After discovering their stolen treasure, the Voltron FOrce disguise themselves as guards to fool the Doomite troops. Back on Tyrus, everything hits the fan as Keith and the others reveal themselves to Lotor. A fantastic fight sequence ensues where Lance falls through a trap-door. After the others are tied up and set up to go into orbit, Lotor takes a break to enjoy a piece of his huge birthday cake. Unfortunately, the Space Mice ruin the fun again, and when Lance breaks through the statue with Red Lion, Voltron is formed. The Doomites retreat, only to have their ship destroyed by Voltron.
* (An interesting thing to note is that Toei Animation was the one to goof here. Although Lance is presumably in Red Lion when it combines into the Lotor statue, we still see him throughout the rest of the episode. Go figure.)

This is definitely a cool episode, not only because it takes palce on my home planet of Tyrus, but because it has some extremely cool scenes in it. Small technical nitpicking aside, that whole "Red Lion in Lotor's Statue" thing is excellent to watch. Lance almost gets eaten by cannibals, and the Doomites almost win again in great form. Although this could be considered a low point, the "Angel Food?!?" scene is hilarious! (Stay tuned for a soundfile!) A great episode to watch!

Episode #29: "Magnetic Attraction"

Haggar creates a magnetically-charged, fire-breathing RoBeast to unleash on Arus. When it is unleashed, it dries up all the water on Arus, including the moat in which Blue Lion calls home. Without the power of water, Blue Lion is useless, and Lotor takes advantage of this opportunity while the other Lions are being taken care of by the RoBeast's megnetic attraction. Unfortunately, Lance figures out a way to get out of the RoBeast's clutches, and as soon as the Lions accomplish this, Yellow Lion digs a well to fill up the moat. Blue Lion launches, Voltron is formed, and the RoBeast is taken apart piece by piece.

This episode was a little to "blah" for my liking. It had enough action, with a good fight between the Lions and the RoBeast, but otherwise, most of the episode was devoted to the science of the Lions and Blue Lion's need for water to launch. There are some cool technical shots of the inside of the Lions, though. We learn that Black Lion gets its power from the lightning, Red Lion from fire, Yellow Lion from magma, Green Lion from wind, and of course, Blue Lion's power lies in water.

Episode #30: "The Sleeping Princess"

This episode opens with Lotor having incessant dreams about Allura and a woman (commonly believed to be Lotor's mother). Princess Koral of the planet Demos is picked by Zarkon as a suitor for Lotor. Lotor wants one more chance at capturing Allura, and Haggar helps him by creating a Painless Blade that induces Sleep. Coba uses it to cut Allura, causing the Voltron Force to believe she is dead. Keith smells a rat, and the Voltron Force plan to fake a funeral to bring out Lotor. When Lotor hi-jacks the hearse carrying Allura, Pidge goes one-on-one with Lotor until the Lions can launch. Haggar arrives to assist Lotor, but Pidge has a grenade up his sleeve, and Lotor and Haggar are forced to give up Allura and retreat. Allura wakes up, and the episode ends.

I have to agree with many Voltron fans when I say that this is an excellent episode. The storyline has a lot of twists and turns in it that make the episode extremely watchable. Not only is it a great story, but Voltron is never formed to fight a RoBeast! Pidge fans should like this episode, because it gives him a good chance to shine. The sequence where Pidge has the grenade is tragic for a fan of the Doomites, but at the same time, it's hilarious to watch. ("Pidge! Get rid of that grenade!!") Haggar and Lotor give great performances too! Very good episode.

On to Episodes 31-40!
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