For some reason, in the interim period between seeing Voltron in its original run and when I rewatched it a few years ago, I had either conflated this episode with the one where Haggar starts a robeast-produced drought, or just remembered it as being much later in the story arc. Anyway, this is only the second full episode with Lotor as the primary antagonist. And wow. His Allura-fixation is serious.
Bridge over the River Chozzerai
Allura thanks the team for helping to restore Arus to its previous beauty. She tells them the story of the love bridge, in which two youths, a girl (Kia?) from the kingdom of Altair, and a boy (Aldar) from Helena, are in love. Though war between their kingdoms has destroyed all the bridges between their kingdoms, they try to build their own with stones tossed into the river. It doesn't go so well, so the goddess of love creates a bridge for them, and they're together.
Allura and her kingdom are rebuilding the bridge, and they're going to reenact the legend with Allura as the girl and one of the team as the boy. And Lance actually says "icky sticky." Naturally, everyone except Keith (who looks embarassed) wants to be the one. Ultimately, Pidge suggests they draw cards. One of the mice (looks like one of the kids) agrees to help Pidge choose the joker, but double-crosses him. Hunk wins. Everyone gushes over the princess's gown, but Hunk's hopes are somewhat dashed when Nanny announces that she's going, too. They leave in their lions.
The blue cat watches the proceedings, and reports back to Haggar. And, for the first time, we see Haggar's . . . workshop? Whatever it is, it's not the chamber she used for Beastman Deathhell, and it's pretty badass looking, with giant eyeballs and optic nevers dangling around a platform. She, of course, has a plot to take advantage of the separated Voltron Force.
Meanwhile, Lotor and Zarkon are watching two robeasts fight in the arena. A yellow cyclops dude of a type we will see again, and an elephant with two trunks. Maybe he's the space jockey? Haggar appears in their box and tells them Allura is going to the Love Bridge. Lotor rushes off, but not before Zarkon has him take the new robeast champion.
We are then treated to Lotor's fantasy of Allura serving him wine in a bellydancer's costume.
We caught to Allura and Hunk, at opposite ends of the bridge, in costume, with a crowd of Arusians. Allura recites the tale again, and she and Hunk run towards each other on the bridge. They are about to meet when suddenly, Lotor's batplane bursts out of the river and destroys the bridge. Allura is left on the bridge's suspension spans, and Lotor leaps out of the batplace and approaches her. Hunk has apparently fallen into the river.
In castle control, the team sees what's happening and launches the lions. They fly to the river but are intercepted by the now-supersized Space Jockey Robeast.
Lotor backs Allura to the end of the span until Hunk suddenly somersaults in from somewhere. They struggle briefly, but Lotor knocks Hunk hanging off of the span and Allura into the river. He runs back to the batplane while Nanny urges Hunk to save her. The batplane is closing in on the swimming princess, but in caught by Hunk and Nanny in the yellow lion. Lotor retaliates and the yellow lion crashes into the river, Hunk and Nanny unconscious.
The robeast fires its trunk cannons and missiles at the team and the castle. Black and green lions are disabled by giant launching paws that grab onto the lions and electrocute them. Lance attacks the robeast, but its ears fly off(!) and take him out. The robeast then hits the other two with the trunk cannon.
Allura climbs a giant staircase to her waiting people, and then sprints to blue lion. But Lotor is waiting. She draws a gun on him. He tries to disarm her, but she eludes him and points the gun to her own head. Refusing to fall for her bluff, she lunges at her but trips on a rock. She opens fire and drives him back long enough to get to blue lion. The blue lion enters the river and starts digging yellow out from under the landslide. They get free, but yellow lion isn't responding. The batplane starts a strafing run, but the two lions drive him off.
Meanwhile, the Space Jockey is bombarding the castle. The team reunites, and they devide the only way to form Voltron is with yellow lion in freefall. Despite the best efforts of a commercial break, it succeeds (and we get a crazy new shot of an acid-tripping hippy's view of the lions entering formation). They form Voltron with Nanny as a passenger.
Voltron does some fist roaring, and the Space Jockey fires on him. Voltron stands his ground, forms the electro-saber, and cuts the flying ear weapon in half. They exchange more fire, but the robeast knocks Voltron down with the electro-paws, then rolls up on his to point the trunk cannons at Volts' face. They launch him clear with the fire/wind green/red combo, form blazing sword, and the day is saved.
We cut to the desert lion sculpture where yellow lion resides, and we see the lion sickbay for the first time. Hunk suggests that maybe they could have ended the war if Allura had kissed Lotor, but Allura shoots down that idea.
Lotor is kneeling before Zarkon, getting berated. Now they have to come up with a new plan to eliminate Voltron. Lotor vows that Allura will one day be his.
The Legendary Bridge of Love
There's a surprising amount of dialogue that survives from Golion into Voltron in this episode.
In the Golion version of the legend, the youths belong to the kingdoms of Altea and Helena, presumably the same kingdom Queen/Princess Elena is from. The Altean girl's name is Frida, and the Helenan boy is Yuuji. The goddess of love is named Roman (short for Romantic?) in this version. The scene is also backed by music we've never heard before in the series. Is it stock? Stolen from another Toei series? New for this series?
The dialogue where they hassle over who "hugs" the princess, and Suzuishi's bartering chease with the mouse is basically unchanged from Voltron. Seidou calls Hys an old bag, which is a new kind of awesome.
When the two beastmen fight, Sincline calls the fight over, but Daibazaal throws a sword to finish of the yellow cyclops as it struggles to get back up. He also says he will now teach Sincline how to rule the empire at his side, and that Fala is not worth his time--he should just leave it to a half-beastman. Naturally, he doesn't. 'Cuz he's craaazy.
The batplane has some sort of VTOL thrusters. And, presumably, an autopilot, since Sincline jumps out of it to grab Fala.
As they launch, Kogane orders the other two to hang back, flanking him. Then they see the beastman. Aaand we get a commercial break (only one in the Japanese format).
Sincline's sword makes lasery noises, but if it's glowing, it's silver instead of pink like last episode. Mostly it just looks white. As he's chasing Fala, Sincline kind of zones out staring at her, saying "Just like a Mermaid . . . " Then yellow lion jumps him, but he gets the upper hand.
The beastman has missile launches in his hands and "knees." There's a lot of ordnance traded between this one and the castle.
The Altean villager Fala speaks to at the top of the steps gives her a weapon--I missed that in the Voltron version (too busy typin'). Sincline says she has the eyes of a leopard. And that he's the one who will choose her death. Um. Charming, I guess.
We here the blue lion song as Fala rescues Seidou and Hys in the crashed yellow lion. When they drive off Sincline, they fire three columns of missiles and a column of . . . other projectiles.
The beastman is doing a number of the castle, killing yet more guards just innocently standing around. Poor guys. As they form Golion, we hear the Formation V song. I don't know if that's what it's called, but that's kind of the chorus. Sometimes, when just walking around or something, I'd overhear my friend Monica singing "fighting, fighting, golion!" under her breath.
Golion weapons: Double sword (cuts the flying ears), laser magnum, foot missiles (both drive the beastman back), fire tornado (blows the beastman off of them), and Jyuoken. And this beastman is named Galgo at the very end, by Sincline. Daibazaal doesn't like him haring off after Fala because he will never allow some traitorous princess to kneel before him.
The dialogue at the end about hugging/kissing Sincline/Lotor is about the same.
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