It's finally time for the Paladins to put their plan into action and get Zarkon's ship in position so they can use the teludav. The only problem is that Slav says the cloaking on it won't last long, so they would have to hurry with their work and keep Zarkon busy as well. Keith volunteers to go and download the virus into the control center while Shiro and the others distract Zarkon from their true intentions.
Tropes for this episode include the following:
- Batman Gambit: The Druids leave Thace alone with his knife to see where he goes after he cuts his bonds.
- Broken Smile: Keith sports one when he escapes the Galran ship and realizes that Thace succeeded in transmitting the virus.
- Complete-the-Quote Title: "The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry." This should be a giveaway that the scheme won't go as planned.
- Disappears into Light: Both of the Druids that Thace and Keith defeat vanish in this fashion.
- Face Death with Dignity: Thace smiles as he stays behind in the control center as it explodes.
- Family of Choice: Allura explains to Keith that the team has grown to become her family as he prepares to head to Zarkon's ship.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Thace gives up his life to make sure the control center explodes, and that everyone has a chance of beating Zarkon.
- Humongous Mecha: Zarkon gets his own robot to go fight against Voltron.
- Keystone Army: Crippling Zarkon's flagship crippled the entire fleet.
- Lured into a Trap: Haggar suspects this when Zarkon suddenly finds the Black Lion. She's proven right too little, too late.
- More Expendable Than You: Thace stays in the control center and tells Keith to flee so that he can fight and form Voltron. Keith doesn't want to leave Thace, but he doesn't have a choice.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Allura apologizes to Keith for her racist behavior before he goes on the Suicide Mission. She gives him a hug makes him promise to come back alive.
- One-Man Army: The Black Lion can hold off a fleet of Galra ships on its own without much assistance from the other Lions.
- Outrun the Fireball: Subverted by Keith, who tries to outrun the exploding command hub, but doesn't quite make it. Thankfully, he manages to get far enough away from the center that all the blast wave does is launch him into space.
- Parting-Words Regret: Averted; Allura goes to Keith before he goes on his Suicide Mission. She makes sure to tell him that she was wrong, and that she wants him to come back safely.
- Properly Paranoid: When they haven't received any updates from Thace, Kolivan advises they abort the mission, believing Thace was killed upon his discovery as The Mole.
- Stock Scream: The Wilhelm Scream can be heard from one of the Galra soldiers that Thace shoots.
- Suicide Mission: Keith volunteers to go onto the Galra ship in order to shut down the control center, knowing how dangerous the mission is. Allura goes to him later to apologize for her cold treatment towards him and hugs him, making him promise to come back to them safely.
- Time for Plan B:
- Keith volunteers to go onto the Galra ship and transmit the virus when they don't get Thace's signal.
- When the Druids reveal they changed the control codes, Thace tells Keith they have to overload the control center and made it explode to make the override happen.
- Throwing Your Sword Always Works: Keith throws his knife which turns into its sword form and impales itself into one of the Druids that was about to attack Thace.
- Took a Level in Badass: Keith's combat skills have notably improved since the first season, where he was easily overpowered by a lone Druid. Here, he manages to defeat two of them with only a little help from Thace.
- Why Can't I Hate You?: Allura admits this to Keith when she found out about him being half-Galra which allows her to apologize to him.
- You Are Too Late: Thace tells this to the Druids as he prepares to set the control room to explode. They reply with the same line and tell him that they had already changed the code to the controls.
