My VLD S8 thoughts (and thoughts on the overall show)
Alright, I just finished watching season 8 and before I say anything else, I just want to say I am very happy with the show and how everything ended.That said, I understand that obviously not everyone feels the same. Were there parts I loved? Absolutely. Were there parts I’d change? Of course. But was watching worth it? Yes.
Now, some thought under the cut (spoilers obviously):
On Season 8:
As always, the animation and storytelling was beautiful!
KEITH AND LANCE MEAN SO MUCH TO EACH OTHER
Oh my goodness I love Colleen Holt
“BEYBEY, NO”
Really liked the found footage episode. It was kind of dry/slow at parts but I think the idea was really cool!
Allurance
Also that whole date scene was B E A U T I F U L
I wish Keith and Shiro has more time together this season (especially because it was a focus of previous seasons) but I get that the producers only had so much time and space to fit things
The Paladins of Old!
The whole season had me on the edge of my seat and trying not to yell or cry (in a good “too many emotions” way)
MARKS OF THE CHOSEN
Finishing off the entire show with Shiro’s kiss was the best thing to ever happen to me
On VLD as a Whole:
I’ve been reading some posts here (a mistake, really) and while I agree with some people in terms of “I wish there was” and “why couldn’t there be”, I’m overall very happy with the show. Do I miss when season 1 first came out and everyone was positive and it was just fun? Heck yeah. But part of the problem since then is people tend to get way too seriously invested in shows like these. Everything has flaws. Everyone has different likes/needs/interests. You will always find issues and “problematic” things in any show, movie, game, book, etc., but that doesn’t mean it’s automatically bad. It’s okay to be upset, but it’s also okay to enjoy things that aren’t perfect.
I am sad there wasn’t more LGBTQA+ representation and that it wasn’t more prominent, but we also don’t know what happens behind the scenes and every company, producer, director, and CEO has their own set of “rules” they make others follow. I am on the other hand very very happy they showed Shiro’s wedding and that, despite what some think, this character was actually introduced at least at the beginning of S8 (maybe part way through S7 but it’s been a while so I can’t remember.
Now, we’ve known from the get-go that romance was never going to be the focus of the show, and for that I am happy. I also like the way the handled what they did have. I know tonnes of people wanted K/L or K/S to be cannon (I would’ve enjoyed the former) but I’m actually really happy Keith didn’t end up in a relationship. He didn’t need romance and definitely wasn’t ready for it. In fact I don’t think he’s ready for romance even at the end of the show (maybe in the post-credits stuff but that’s beside the point). Keith needed family, and that’s what he found. Lance on the other hand was always about a relationship. This was something both he and the producers excplicitly said basically when the show started. Allurance, I thought, happened naturally. She didn’t suddenly go “oh Lance I love you” but instead figured it out along the way. She started to get a long with him really well as a friend, and then after the mice told her about his crush and post-Lotor she took the time to think. They got a long really well and also their S8 date was beautful
In terms of everyone’s character arcs, I think they were handled very well.
Hunk grew so much into his current leadership role. He started as an anxious introvert who got sick just looking at a spaceship to a culinary diplomat (didn’t think I’d ever used those words together but here we are). He is there to support others and make them happy and to care. While he didn’t have tonnes of time in the limelight during the earlier seasons, he got all the pushed he needed laster on (and lots of time!)
Keith’s whole arc was very obvious and very long. It was also very early in the show so a lot of us got kind of sick of him. He is exactly where he needs to be by the end. I’m glad he was put a bit on the back burner for this season because he was still always there, and he already discovered who he was. As a leader you need to support your team, and that’s exactly what he did.
Shiro has had a lot going on (also a lot of Shiros going on but that’s what it is) and while yes, it’s been hard for him not to be directly with the team and it’s been weird having him sort of on his own, he needed an easier job and some rest. Even between season 7 and season 8, you can tell he’s really fit for the position. In S7 he was antsy and always on edge because he wasn’t in the field, but this past season he has been in control and you can tell he is at peace, and people no loonger look up to him because he is cool and the best, they look to him because they trust him and know he trusts them as well.
Allura’s whole story is tragically beautful, and while I’m obviously sad (and nearly cried) at her sacrifice, she knew that’s what she would have to do without question. Her whole purpose, her whole drive is fighting for what’s right and striving for cooperation. Yes, it would have been nice for her to have a “happily ever after” because it’s what she deserved, but she would have been restless and in her last moments, she brought everyone together, made her father proud, and gave everyone hope.
Now, I definitely think Lance deserved better, but aside from loosing Alluran, I think he’s where he needs to be. He never wanted a complicated life and missed Earth and his family like nothing else, so having him stay at home to help at the farm and being the “tour guide” for Allura’s monument is prefect. Yes, Lance has and will always be my favourite so I’m definitely biased here, but I’ve also seen a tonne of people complaining about his arc or “lack thereof” except I actually think it was handled really well. Lance didn’t have a super obvious arc like the others but it instead spanned over the entire show. Obviously he had bigger moments which led him to where he is now, but part of his issue was a lack of patience. He needed to learn how to say things and how to act without impulse and how to share the spotlight. He is a support character. His growth came alongside the growth of the others, and so I think it’s extremely fitting that he didn’t have a specific arc, but instead matured over time. He really, truly earned his Marks of The Chosen.
