Agreeing to find a new pilot for the Black Lion the team first decided to look in their own ranks. After dragging his feet on the whole thing for a bit and letting the others try first, Keith finally caves and steps up and is immediately accepted as Black Lion's new pilot.
Meanwhile, Lotor decides to retake a recently freed planet. After that, he lures the paladins out with a trap, getting Black, Green, and Yellow, but not Blue or Red. Lance is stuck with his lion suddenly giving him the cold shoulder and wondering if his lion hated him now. Allura comes up and tells Lance that the Red Lion wants him, and as she leaves the Blue Lion lowers it shield for her. After all the lions converge, Lotor tells his fleet to retreat. As Lance tells Allura he's happy she's taking over for Blue, Coran yells over the intercoms that the Black Lion was leaving the castle with Keith telling everyone he was going to pursue Lotor.
Tropes for this episode include the following:
- Animal Eye Spy: How Narti navigates the planet and finds two inhabitants hiding on the rooftop.
- Broken Tears: Allura breaks down when the Red Lion won't accept her.
- Character Development: Earlier in the episode, Lance is vocally against Keith becoming their leader, but after the Black Lion chooses him over the others Lance admits to Keith that they should respect the lion's choice.
- Distress Call: The Puig leader, possessed by Narti, uses his signal device to call on the paladins for help, claiming that the Galra were attacking.
- Failure Montage: Allura attempts to pilot Black, and is almost indifferent to not being chosen. It's more humorous between Pidge and Hunk. Pidge can't reach the controls, and after Hunk tries to act like a leader Coran kicks him out. When Lance gives it a try, and after half an hour he pouts, sitting on his helmet and declaring, "It's useless, the Black Lion hates all of us!"
- Finger-Forced Smile: Ezor makes the leader of the Puig do this.
- Finger Wag: Ezor does this to the Puig leader as he tries to struggle.
- Get Out!: After Hunk tries to pilot Black again, Coran tells him in an annoyed tone that he wasn't the one and to get out of the lion. Note that his "attempt" consisted of shouting random orders followed by a demand that a sandwich be delivered to his Lion.
- I Meant to Do That: Keith yells at Lance for scratching Lotor's ship with Red and Lance tells him to fly his own Lion. Red facing backwards, runs into Galran ships behind them and Lance yells "I meant to do that" as the lion flips over in space.
- Inescapable Net: Zethrid catches a Puig family with a net shot out of her gun.
- Just Toying with Them: Ezor teasingly holds the Puig leaders communicator over his head before grabbing him and tossing him aside.
- Leave No Survivors: Inverted. Acxa specifically orders her group to take prisoners and kill no one.
- Little "No": When Keith is in the Black Lion, he makes it clear that he does not feel worthy of succeeding Shiro, but the Black Lion reactivates. Keith's reaction is to quietly say, "Please, no."
- Lured into a Trap: The Paladins are lead into one when the leader of a planet that they recently freed sends them a distress signal. It was actually Narti controlling the leader, and when the lions approached, a whole battle cruiser was waiting for them.
- Mythology Gag: Narti can see through her cat's eyes, similar to some of the things Haggar did with her cat in the original cartoon.
- Just like in the original, Keith pilots the Black Lion, Lance pilots the Red Lion, and Allura takes over Blue.
- Passing the Torch: Lance hands over his bayard to Allura, saying it was hers now. He also tells her that if he had to lose Blue to someone, he was glad that it was her.
- Tactical Withdrawal: Lotor says the main reason he drew the lions out was to assess their strengths. He wasn't going to go on a full-out battle without knowing more about the paladins.
- Tracking Device: Keith places a tracker on Lotor's ship in order to pursue him.
- Wham Line: Keith talking to the others in the Black Lion, "You wanted me to lead Voltron? This is how I lead."
- You Are in Command Now: The Black Lion ends up choosing Keith as its pilot, much to his dismay.
