Anonymous asked:
"theory that Keith really was in love with Lance makes season 7 and 8 almost comedic at times. Keith letting Lance get away with shit because “anything you say gorgeous.” only early season 7 but him letting Lance pick the lion arrangements and trusting him to lead the team the next episode. moral of Voltron (2016): gay people will be your boss and make that everyone else’s problem"
I love this ask because it's so funny, and at first I was only going to respond with my agreement that Keith is really just outing himself as in love with Lance any time he has to interact with him, but then I started wondering... does he out himself?? is it visible through his actions after season 6? Which led to the question,
Does Keith have a soft spot for Lance after his return?
We know thanks to
this analysis that Keith definitely has a soft spot for Lance in the first three seasons, before he leaves. But when he comes back, the first thing he does is yell at Lance. This is
very out of character for Keith, given what we've seen from his reactions to Lance since season 1. Keith is very rarely actually angry at Lance, like he seems here in Season 6, Episode 4. And
here I discuss why he reacts that way, but if we ignore that for a second, what do we see? Well, from where Lance and Keith left off, hugging and saying goodbye, it kinda seems like, after season 6, something changed, and Keith hates Lance now. But... Is that true? What does Keith's actions tell us?Let's have a look together, shall we?
Their first interaction, despite popular belief, is not Keith yelling at Lance, but actually here:
[Season 6, Episode 4: The Colony, 05:05]
Lance commenting on Keith's appearance. Which we know Keith hears, because he reacts:
[Season 6, Episode 4: The Colony, 05:10]
His expression changes, turning more serious. Okay... that's interesting... Why was it necessary to cut to Keith while Lance is still speaking? Usually, this type of shot is used to indicate that the receiver heard the person speaking, and to show us the receivers reaction to what is being said. This is evidenced when Keith reacts to Hunk saying that Lotor is in the Quintessence field and we see Keith's expression change again and him saying "Oh, no". So, we know that Keith heard what Lance said, not just by the shot, but also because his expression changes. Keith reacts to Lance commenting on his appearance by changing the subject and asking where Lotor is. And it seems his impatience reaches a head when Keith lands and they have their second interaction here:
[Season 6, Episode 4: The Colony, 06:05]
Wanna know something interesting about this?? Keith's expression changes again when Lance says this and walks towards him, because THIS is his expression while Lance talks:
Keith is not frowning nearly as much as when he yells at Lance. That means he reacts again to Lance commenting on his looks. Again, I examined here what lies behind Keith's reaction, but as far as we've seen as a casual viewer, this pretty much sets up the "Keith dismisses Lance because he doesn't take him seriously," impression that we get (and many fans when the season was released...)
In fact, Lance talks to Keith multiple times in this episode, but Keith never answers him. (Also, side note: See 18:50 for leader Lance moment...)
Actually that is no longer a side note. When Lance gives orders, Keith (and Pidge👀) is the first one to react and do exactly what he says:
So, now we have confirmation that Keith does take Lance seriously, actually, and that's not what lies behind his reaction when he first landed. In fact, we have a continuation of Keith listening to Lance that we saw in season 3. Mind you, it's been two years since Keith saw Lance, so it's fascinating that he reacts instantly to what Lance says.
Keith then asks Hunk and Lance if they can still pilot their lions to which they both respond with a positive, which is the second time Keith talks to Lance, but it's all business and includes Hunk, unlike when Lance talked to him.
In episode 5: The Black Paladins, Lance asks if anyone has any ideas, and Keith instantly comes up with an idea to Coran, showing again, Keith listening to Lance [Season 6, Episode 5: The Black Paladins, 02:00]. Then Keith talks to Lance, but again, just like before, Pidge is included in his order and it's all business. [Season 6, Episode 5: The Black Paladins, 02:21]
The next time they interact is here, in episode 6: All Good Things:
[Season 6, Episode 6: All Good Things, 06:04]
Strangely, Keith ignores Lance again here... even though we know he heard him, because he heard Allura who spoke right after Lance. We start to see a pattern here of Keith ignoring Lance, when Lance talks about him personally, which is strange again and out of character, since we've just examined multiple instances where Keith very clearly listens to Lance when they're all about business... (side note: when I say "out of character", I don't mean that the writers somehow forgot Keith's characteristics or changed them, but rather in the organic sense, that Keith is purposefully acting in deviation to his usual behaviour. I am using "out of character" here as a watsonian argument rather than a doylist one.) Well... this actually supports my argument about his reaction here, because this interaction is right after Keith sees Lance and Allura hugging (or at the very least being alone together, if we want plausible deniability...)
And curiously, when Lance starts talking business, then Keith responds to him directly, but still evasively...
[Season 6, Episode 6: All Good Things, 06:15]
(side note: see 10:44 for another Leader Lance moment. It's the smartest move, because Lance doesn't want to fight if they can avoid it, since he knows that they won't win, given what Hunk said. And I love that they cut immediately to Allura directly after Lance speaks, because she's the one to make the first move (both physically and orally, when she compares Lotor to Zarkon), which escalates the situation. Also see 18:15, when Lotor attacks the lions with his sincline... he takes out Lance (the Red Lion) first. Usually, when you attack, you target the biggest threat first, much like Pidge does in the comics... sorry I couldn't resist commenting on these things.)
But... When we cut back to Keith in the Black Lion, on his way, he starts begging Shiro for help after listening to Lance give orders and the team struggling a lot. In fact, the last person he hears (clearly) before he talks to Shiro's spirit is Lance:
[Season 6, Episode 6: All Good Things, 19:30]
So again, we have Keith weirdly evading Lance talking directly to him, but he still reacts to everything he says. Keith is very attuned to Lance and it is shown through his actions. And interestingly, the first person he thinks about when he's trying to activate the wings of the Black Lion is Lance:
[Season 6, Episode 6: All Good Things, 20:50]
Also first person to react to Keith getting there is Lance...
And yet again, we have Keith answering Lance evasively...
even though he just thought about him and clearly reacted to his voice through the comms, returning the subject to the business at hand.
In episode 7: Defender of All Universes, we have them interacting again when it's all business. Here, Keith responds to Lance pointing out a problem with a solution by forming Voltron's sword [01:57] just like in the last episode, though he responds to him directly this time...
(Side note again, note their positions in this shot:
[07:48] interesting that Lance is in the middle here, rather than Keith. If Lance had been next to Allura, he would have mirrored Pidge as the Arm to Allura's Leg like how Pidge is the Arm to Hunk's Leg. But instead, Keith mirrors Pidge...)
Next interesting interaction is at [13:05], when Keith starts by saying that they should grab Lotor and get out of there. Pidge and Hunk both argue against it, saying they need to leave, but it isn't until Lance tells Allura that they need to go now that Keith seems to change his mind, and starts convincing Allura to leave him.
(side note: this is an interesting inverted parallel to season 3, episode 1, when Lance tells Keith they need to move on and in the end Allura convinced Keith)
Again, Keith is seen here listening to Lance very much like in season 3 (in fact, this whole episode is one big parallel to Season 3, Episode 3: the Hunted).
At [18:48] Lance asks everyone what they wanna do now that they saved all universes, and Keith actually responds to him for the first time, fully, saying they need to save Shiro. But strangely, when Lance is crying, feeling guilty about not helping Shiro sooner, Keith doesn't react much at all. Keith might be ignoring Lance here again, or he's just too focused on Shiro, but I found this very strange... (side note, while Allura is getting Shiro's spirit out of the Black Lion, the camera strangely focuses on Lance as the one in the center of the frame when we get everyone's reactions... this is a very interesting choice...)
In [Season 7, Episode 1: A Little Adventure, 22:30], Keith reacts to Lance saying that Shiro is looking better by asking him where they were. He says, "we couldn't get a hold of you guys," indicating that he tried to contact them at one point. Lance answers his question. This whole interaction is very reminiscent of their dynamic in seasons 1-3. In this analysis, the author points out a pattern of Keith frequently looking to Lance for an explanation and Lance usually answering his silent questions. BUT.... I observed something interesting while replaying this interaction. Look here:
Keith's smile disappears JUST as Lance starts talking and he starts pouting... ummmm okay??? that's certainly interesting. We have another instance of Keith reacting to whatever Lance is saying. Man... whatever Lance did pissed him the fuck off, to the point that Keith pouts whenever Lance speaks LMAO sorry this is so funny to me.
And this is his reaction to Lance explaining whatever they were doing which looks a LOT like his expression from season 1:
[Season 1, Episode 7: Return to the Balmera, 01:18]
He probably thinks Lance is being a goofball here, like he was in season 1.
Next episode is when we have the famed instance that anon mentions above, Keith letting Lance decide who goes with whom. This episode also reveals a lot in terms of character dynamics after Keith's return, since fighting Lotor didn't really allow the team time to properly interact. This is the first time we really see them interact as a new team. First interesting interaction we see is actually Keith and Allura's expressions and reactions to Lance being a goofball, when he says they should start hitting the road:
They are wearing the same expression here, which is interesting... It looks a bit ambiguous. And I'd like to point out that Lance is being an actual goofball here, but Keith doesn't look like he did above. But what's most interesting is how their individual expressions change when Krolia speaks:
Allura smiles while Keith frowns. What an interesting contrast, and it tells us that their ambiguous expressions to Lance are also a contrast, meaning, whatever Keith was thinking while looking at Lance, Allura was thinking the opposite and vice versa...
When Keith says that he'll take the wolf, he's looking at Lance, which is already interesting, because it's just like when he looked to Lance in season 3, when laying down the plan:
[Season 3, Episode 6: Tailing a Comet, 13:40]
I'm saying he's looking at Lance here and not Hunk, because of what Lance says: "Hunk's right. Keith you're keeping the cow." hmmm..... Last we saw Kaltenecker, he was with Lance, so what Lance says here insinuates that Lance gave Kaltenecker to Keith at one point. Oh, that's interesting... because it further implies an interaction between Keith and Lance that we haven't seen... but anyway, Keith is clearly looking at Lance here because Kaltenecker is the subject, and we all know that the unspoken owner of Kaltenecker is Lance, just like how the unspoken owner of the mice is Allura and the unspoken owner of the wolf is Keith. Actually, the animals are used as symbols for them in this episode, in the order that I just stated. So, Lance is essentially saying, "you're not getting rid of me, you're stuck with me," on a symbolic level, which makes Lance's line of "someone else is gonna have to take the wolf" symbolic as well. When Lance looks at Pidge, Pidge immediately refuses, saying she's allergic (asexual Pidge for the winnnn).
THEN, Allura suggests taking the mice, to which Keith weirdly frowns and grows extremely defensive, like, immediately.
He folds his arms the
instant the mice are mentioned, the first time he ever does so since returning. Oh, this is sooooo suspicious. ummm..... hey Keith, why did you grow defensive the
instant Allura mentioned the mice??? Why do you care if she gets the "smallest passengers" as long as you get the wolf?? Why are you so
against the idea that you
verbally argue against it??? haha oh, Keith, you're outing yourself here already... because he knows that
the mice heard Lance's confession just like Keith did, and he doesn't want the mice to tell Allura, because he's jealous. IT ALL GOES BACK TO THE QUANTUM ABYSS BABYYYYYY
[Season 6, Episode 2: Razor's Edge, 12:34]
But I'm getting ahead of myself...
(Side note: this is an interesting foreshadowing to Keith and Allura's contrast again:
Allura says that she's terrible at drawing, and the next time drawing is brought up again, Keith is drawing in the game show with Bob two episodes later:
[Season 7, Episode 4: The Feud!, 04:03]
which he is pretty good at, considering the time limit. AND LM mentioned in an Afterbuzz TV Podcast that Keith was definitely the type to sit indoors and doodle for himself when he was younger, while discussing this episode (which is a GREAT listen btw, I highly recommend listening to this podcast. Just a fun little contrast I spotted while rewatching this season.)
Okay, then of course we have this telling frame of Coran when he asks why they let Lance decide who rides with whom:
He's looking at Keith, as if Keith let Lance decide, lol. And he most likely did, but possibly not just because it was Lance who wanted to decide, but because he didn't want the mice with Allura.
Lance ends up deciding to put the mice with Hunk, and the wolf with Allura, while Keith gets Coran (for some reason) and Lance gets Romelle (but, curiously, he doesn't flirt with her or look flirtatious at all when he says "Romelle and I are going back to Earth."... hmm...).
Okay, this is where the symbolism of the animals comes into play, because it tells us a lot about the characters and their current dynamics with each other.
First, we see Hunk with the mice:
He's looking very happy, which, symbolically, makes sense because he and Allura are great friends, and so they (can) have a lot of fun together.
[Season 7, Episode 4: The Feud!, 05:00]
Next we see Allura with the wolf:
Again, symbolically, this aligns with her and Keith's dynamic. She is not interested in him at all, and in fact they often clash against each other. They do not work together at all.
But hold on... we're missing an animal... WHERE is KALTENECKER ??
Well, what Hunk says here when they're trying to figure out who's with Pidge gives us a hint:
[08:25]
Notice how he says "they're with Keith" and not "He's with Keith,". The only new passenger Keith has that we see is Coran, but again, Hunk says they not he, when he's listing off all the animal passengers, which means Keith kept the cow, just like Lance said he should.
And what's even more fascinating is that when we cut to Pidge, we still don't see Kaltenecker.
So, Keith still kept the cow, even when they sent all the passengers to Pidge. Keith... I see you, you ain't slick.
Next interaction between Lance and Keith is here:
[10:58]
Lance responds directly to Keith and even took the time to pull up his feed for Keith to see, but Keith doesn't look at him at all. But when Pidge talks, Keith responds immediately:
[11:05]
Hmm, that's interesting. Why didn't you say that here, Keith, when Lance said this?
But he doesn't ignore him for long, because he still listens to him when he comes with advice, just like in season 3:
[12:40 ; 15:15]
He responds to Lance, but indirectly... which is a contrast to season 3, when Keith would often say "Lance is right."
And Lance supports Keith's orders, just like in season 3, as well:
[16:55]
And for the first time, we see Keith say something outside of business:
[17:04]
He reassures Lance that they'll see each other on the other side. He might also be reassuring himself. I find this significant, because as we've seen until now, Keith doesn't respond to Lance directly or talk to him unless it's necessary or it's all about business. But it was absolutely not necessary to tack that last bit on. Yet, he did. I think Lance calling him team leader brought him back to their time co-leading Voltron in season 3, and he was reminded of his feelings for Lance, so he couldn't help himself. It's also interesting that we cut away from Keith, being denied his expression when he says this... We've had his expression to everything Lance says up until now, but for this one line, that sounds a little bit more intimate/personal than the usual order he gives, we don't see Keith's expression at all... hmm....
Typically in anime, the camera cuts away from the character speaking to a wider view to convey intimacy/melancholy in their line... it’s a way of giving the speaker privacy.
And wouldn't you know it, we have another instance of Keith reacting to what Lance says, when it's all about business:
[21:13]
His eyebrows draw closer together and he looks more focused. Also note how he reacts before Pidge starts talking, meaning his reaction is entirely because of what Lance said.
And Keith immediately wants to go and help, but he never makes it. But you know who does? His animal symbol, Kosmo:
[21:58]
Okay, then we have the next episode, where again, Lance is acting kinda like a goofball, but Keith's reaction to him is very fascinating:
[Season 7, Episode 3: The Way Forward, 01:49]
First, this is the only other time Keith talks to Lance directly.
Second, he's very calm when he says this, but his expression does not match when Lance usually acts like a goofball, in fact it resembles his expression from the last episode very much:
Which is very interesting again, because his expression before this is mirrored again with Allura when we open the episode:
Yet here, it is contrasted
again when Krolia speaks:
[02:04]
Allura is looking much like Keith
usually does when Lance is acting like a goofball:
hmm... very interesting.... especially because we'd expect Keith to say what Krolia said if Keith
really didn't take him seriously, and thought he was just one big goofball... Their expressions here actually tell us what their ambiguous expressions in the previous episode meant, and what they were thinking about. Allura doesn't like it when Lance is acting like a goofball, but Keith
does. That's why Allura smiles when Krolia speaks but Keith frowns. Their reactions and their thoughts are direct contrasts and inform on each others opinions of Lance.
Also interesting that he's still looking at Lance when Krolia lays down the plan:
and HERE, when they're talking about Coran:
He's still wearing that thoughtful expression...
And here... is Keith
still looking at Lance ???
[07:15]
I can't tell for sure but... he's definitely looking to the side, because his eyes shift when he looks towards the door. If he's still looking at Lance, then Keith is staring quite a lot at him... which is very interesting... something is going on with Keith internally here.
Keith and Lance are also the ones to help Coran up when they see him:
[14:58]
Which gives us the frame that parallels the frame from season 1:
Except Keith and Lance have now switched places, which sure is fascinating... Keith's just had his debut as the main character, where he introduced a new cast of recurring characters through him, as discussed
here and the first episode of season 7, he introduced a new character through his history with him, James. But another character is
reintroduced through him in this episode as well: Acxa. This episode also has a lot of characters commenting on the relationship between them as potentially romantic, as well as some shots of them that would usually imply romantic undertones... BUT Keith doesn't show any interest in Acxa ("can't we just fight??" lol ok Keith you don't have to sound so offended) and in fact we know that once Acxa returns to Earth in season 8, she grows much closer to Veronica than she ever does with Keith. So, Acxa is a red-herring love-interest for Keith the same way Allura is a red-herring love-interest for Lance. Keith and Lance really
did switch places in more ways than one. That is so brilliant (if it wasn't at the cost of Lance's character growth...).
Next we have the famed "Lance, lead the way," line:
[16:59]
Which Lance doesn't like at all:
[17:00]
It's important to show you that Lance reacts to this command already before Keith leaves. Lance probably clocked that Keith planned on leaving just by his order alone... uh-oh, Lance, is someone having flashbacks to the last time Keith left?
This whole episode, Keith has looked at Lance very thoughtfully, and didn't respond harshly at him even though Lance was acting like a goofball, in fact, he likes it when Lance is being a goofball. And here, Keith doesn't hesitate before giving Lance the "reigns", so to speak, trusting him to lead the team in his stead. This completely obliterates the argument that Keith doesn't take Lance seriously, because Krolia and Shiro are right there. If Keith didn't take Lance seriously, he would have given them the lead instead of Lance.
Okay, next we have the famed and notorious Garfle Warfle Snick Episode, The Feud! which tells us everythingggggg about Keith.
First interaction we have with them is when Keith draws during the pictation round, and Lance absolutely bombs it, not answering correctly at all. Keith doesn't react to the Arusian drawing, but to the Blade of Marmora drawing he starts losing patience, breaking his pen:
[04:43]
So Lance's wrong answers are clearly affecting him, building up until he snaps.
Lance keeps guessing wrong and then time runs out, but interestingly, Keith still doesn't react like we would expect. Look at his face when he returns to his place beside Pidge:
[05:15]
He looks sad, instead of angry:
Aw man, Keith, why do you look so sad? Just because Lance couldn't guess your drawings?? So what? unless... those drawings meant something more to you than just winning... unless you were trying to tell him something through the drawings... What were you trying to tell him?
Well... let's look at what he drew. First, an Arusian:
That's interesting. This is the first time Arus or Arusians have been mentioned since they left Arus in Season 1. Now, remind me again what happened in Arus...
[Season 1, Episode 5: Tears of the Balmera, 21:28]
ohhhhh riiiiight.... Their bonding moment, where Keith "cradled" him in his arms (that we also never see by the way... it's only referenced by Keith...
And JDS)
Next drawing we have is the Blade of Marmora. This is where Keith breaks his pen in frustration when Lance answers completely wrong, which is also interesting. While Lance might have cooperated with the Blade of Marmora, Keith is the one who's undeniably been most involved with them. Why does Keith become
so frustrated, to the point of breaking his pen, when Lance can't answer? Why does he expect Lance to know the answer here? Well, because... The Blade of Marmora is the excuse Keith used to leave Voltron, which impacted the both of them greatly, as discussed
here:
[Season 4, Episode 1: Code of Honor, 22:25]
Here, Keith also looks sad... In the game episode, Keith expected Lance to know the answer because Lance is the whole reason he left. So, when he can't answer, it's like Keith's thinking, "Don't you understand anything between us??? Don't you remember what I did for you??".
Next we have the Red Lion:
Which obviously relates to Lance, because that's the lion he's flying now, and the lion which Keith used to fly. The Red Lion is their connection to each other.
Next we have Haggar. Now this is interesting, because as far as we've seen, neither Lance nor Keith has interacted directly with Haggar. In fact, the only characters who have are Shiro and Allura (and Hunk), whom I've established multiple times are a direct parallel to Lance and Keith
here,
here and
here. So this may be meant more as a foreshadowing to her importance to their relationship in the future.
So, all the drawings are related to Keith and Lance and their relationship to each other. That's why Keith looks so sad, because Lance not being able to guess any of the drawings makes Keith think that these moments weren't as meaningful to Lance as they were to Keith, which is the opposite of the truth (... huh I'm getting Deja Vú here). He's so dejected in fact, that he puts his head in his hands when fucking Zarkon could guess it, but not Lance:
And when Keith confronts Lance about it, what Lance says is very interesting:
[07:09]
"Hey! I'm not a mind reader." What an interesting choice of words. Usually, you'd say this when you don't understand gestures or intentions. But Keith was drawing. Why didn't he say "It's not my fault you can't draw" like he did the first time he guessed wrong?? Well, because all the drawings are gestures between Lance and Keith and their relationship; specifically, they're gestures Keith performed for Lance, because he cares about him. Keith was trying to tell him that he has feelings for him by reminding Lance of their connections and moments together, and everything Keith did for Lance. That's why Lance is saying he's not a mind reader, because he didn't understand Keith's intentions behind them the same way Keith did. How was he supposed to know that that's what Keith was trying to tell him?? He thinks Keith hates him! Keith has done nothing but push him away since he got back!
The whole game episode is a great metaphor for their constant miscommunication. And when we cut back to Keith, he's still looking really sad:
Everyone is looking concerned at Bob, but not Keith. Keith is looking solemnly down at the table, seeming deep in thought.
Anyway, moving on!
While Lance is guessing names alone, Keith is the only one who tries to help him by pointing to his knife:
[10:57]
When Lance answers wrong, Keith doesn't look as angry as Allura does:
[11:19]
And he cheers Lance on when he's trying to guess Swirn:
Looking much more enthused and encouraging than anyone.
And when Lance finally guesses a name correctly, both Allura and Keith sigh in relief (again mirrored here...):
[13:52]
Okay, then they have to choose who gets to leave the game, and here I'd like to point Keith's expressions out again, because they tell us a lot about what he's thinking and feeling:
Unlike the others, he doesn't look nearly as confused, and he looks like he knows what his answer is already:
[19:15]
He looks pretty determined from the get-go.
In fact, he starts writing immediately:
[19:22]
When we get the close-up of them deciding, only Pidge and Keith are writing, meaning Keith was very certain about his decision, just as Pidge was.
and what I find most curious is Keith's body language when he has to explain his choice (right after Lance):
He's crossing his arms and pouting. Huh... this is only the second time Keith has crossed his arms since he returned. Remember when he did this the first time?
[Season 7, Episode 2: The Road Home, 04:38]
When Allura wanted to take the mice. Keith is being weirdly defensive here, again. And as we've established throughout this whole thing, Keith always listens to Lance, and he always reacts. So, Keith is feeling defensive here because of what Lance said, but why?? Well, because Keith has spent the whole game trying to reconnect to Lance and remind him of their deep connection to each other, only to understand that Lance probably doesn't feel the same way he does, because he couldn't guess any of the drawings. He was looking sad, yet thoughtful, probably trying to come to terms with the fact that his feelings are one-sided. But then, Lance chooses him and compliments him:
[20:04]
Keith isn't like Lance, Keith understands gestures and actions much better than words, which is why he mostly communicates through actions. Keith chose Lance because he loves him, and he wants him to be free. So, when Lance chooses Keith, it must have been a huge shock for him, especially coupled with everything Lance said on top of it. Keith becomes very flustered, because Lance reciprocated. Lance chose him back. Which is why he responds so harshly here:
[20:14]
Remember, this is the second time Keith has ever responded harshly to Lance since he returned. The first time was here in the hangar, after Lance commented on his appearance, calling him "cool" and "grizzled":
[Season 6, Episode 4: The Colony, 06:05]
Isn't it funny that Keith consistently responds so harshly after Lance compliments him??? I sure think it's funny. Oh, Keith, I see right through you. Keith is acting very defensively here because he doesn't want to think he has a chance with Lance, since he saw Lance confessing his love for Allura to the mice in the Quantum Abyss. He's pushing him away when Lance shows even a
modicum of interest in him, both times, because he doesn't want to be rejected, just as he says in his
vlog.
And he's still pouting even when they move on to Pidge:
[20:26]
Also interesting that Keith is the first one to call Bob a jerk:
[22:17]
For Keith, this whole game show was very exposing to him and very confusing. On the one hand it seems like Lance doesn't care about him the same way he cares about Lance, because Lance couldn't guess any of his drawings, meaning he didn't find meaning in them the same way Keith did. But on the other hand, Lance chose Keith out of everyone (including Allura, whom Lance supposedly has feelings for), and said some really nice things about him. Keith here doesn't know what to think, and I think he blames Bob for putting him through all of that (which is fair I guess, Bob did keep them hostage). Keith is feeling very confused (and vulnerable), because in his head, he is receiving a lot of mixed messages from Lance.
Okay, after this harrowing episode, Keith goes back to kind of ignoring Lance and only speaking to him about the task at hand. In Episode 5: The Ruins, Lance talks to Keith [01:35] but Keith doesn't respond. When Lance teases Keith about being just like his mother, Keith only responds with "Focus!" [02:40], again, changing the subject like he did in Season 6, Episode 4: The Colony.
Also I have to point out that Shiro looks hella weird and stiff here:
I think they forgot to add him in this shot, because he looks fine the next time we see him ToT
[02:25]
Anyway, we have another instance of Lance talking to Keith, but Keith not responding at [04:50] (It's Lance getting the final word on calling the wolf Kosmo btw, in case you don't remember). And at [20:23] Lance says "Good job, Keith." but Keith doesn't respond, again.
THEN, we have the most interesting episode, The Journey Within. At [4:52] we have Keith responding to Lance's distress once it's all business again. After that, we don't really have any interaction. In fact, again we see Keith responding and talking mostly with Allura, Hunk and Pidge rather than with Lance, even though Lance speaks to Keith multiple times.
But, we do have an interesting shot. When they all get separated from the lions, and check supplies, Keith says that they have each other. Actually, let me show you:
In this shot Keith says, "We just need to hang tight."
and in THIS shot he says, "We have each other," but curiously, Lance is in focus the entire time the camera pans to include Hunk. He is most likely looking at Lance, too, when he says this, since he is in the direction he is looking and is the only one right in front of him, but I can't say that for certain since Keith isn't in the shot.
EDIT: I am pretty sure Keith is looking at Lance here, because his expression changes to a fond/melancholic look. See here the rotated frames that make this more clear:
The next time they interact, the team is attacked by a red cloud, which is the manifestation of Keith's fears that I discussed
here.
[13:10]
Again, Keith doesn't respond, but he does react. He looks shocked at Lance, and then he
looks away. I interpret it this way: Keith is most likely feeling very vulnerable here, because of what Hunk talked about, since it brought up what he did for Lance again, leaving Voltron for him, which I discussed
here, and being vulnerable with Lance after essentially being rejected by him is scary for Keith, so he looks away, putting his walls back up (just like he said in his vlog, again....)
Then, we have this:
[13:32]
Believe it or not, this is the first time this episode Keith responds directly to Lance. He's very dejected, and most likely he's lost his drive to keep them all together, but Lance hasn't. He still respects Keith as his leader, so he continues his ritual to maintain discipline.
BUT, then things get heated when Keith insults Allura's father. Lance comes to her defence immediately, but curiously, Keith doesn't shoot anything back at Lance, even though we just saw him pick a fight with literally everyone there.
Keith doesn't say anything to this, even though he picks a fight with Hunk as well, when Hunk interjects right after this, so it's not because Lance calmed him down, in fact, what Lance said is very escalating. Keith turns to him, but he doesn't respond.
But when he does respond, it reveals a lot:
Lance barely finishes speaking before Keith responds
immediately, because this is exactly what he was afraid would happen, this is what he has been waiting for Lance to say since he returned. Keith has been pushing Lance away this whole season, and now that Lance is pushing back, Keith
just takes it as confirmation of his fears and leaves. He doesn't shoot anything back, because he
can't. He can't force Lance to love him, so he does the only thing he knows, which is push Lance away and pull himself away, just like he said in his
vlog. We know where Lance is coming from in this conversation, since we discussed this already
here. This scene shows us another instance of Lance and Keith miscommunicating, but it's never been worse than this. This is the worst of it.
This episode is all about Keith, and Keith facing his worst fears. At the end, when he starts accepting them all as his team, it includes Lance. He starts gaining some peace within him, some finality to his feelings. That is why at the end of the episode, when they all face the white veil again, Keith says "We're not running this time." and Keith and Lance activate Voltron's wings.
EDIT: Not only that, but this is also the first time they form Voltron in season 7. Before this, they tried to form Voltron in Episode 2: The Road Home, but they were unable to
[Season 7, Episode 2: The Road Home, 12:58]
Pidge attributes this to the Lions not being at full power, but she is wrong. They can't form Voltron because Keith is in emotional turmoil. That's why, once Keith gains clarity, they are finally able to form Voltron.
Keith is no longer confused about his feelings for Lance. He's accepted the situation as it is. If this episode wasn't about Keith and his feelings, including his feelings for Lance, then why are they "rewarded" with Voltron and Voltron's wings at the end?? Keith and Lance barely interact in this episode, and when they do, they say some really hurtful things to each other. They take out all of their hurt over the past seasons on each other. They shouldn't have been able to activate the wings, because they are still in turmoil, which is the whole reason they got stranded in space in the first place. But the turmoil is gone because of Keith. When he apologizes for what he said and accepts them all as his friends and his team, he gains peace and clarity. Including clarity about his feelings for Lance. As Keith said when they get back to their lions, he is done running away.
EDIT: This is also why, right before they form the wings, the colors of the white tunnel they're in change from Blue to Purple to Red and then back to Blue. All of those colors are associated with Keith and Lance. Blue is Lance's color, Red is Keith's and Purple is the combination of the two:
and guess who makes a reappearance a few episodes later when Team Voltron tries to get back to Earth...
[Season 7, Episode 9: Know Your Enemy, 03:04]
KALTENECKER!! and LOOK where he is!! those are purple lightings!! Kaltenecker has been in the Black Lion this entire time !! HAH. Oh, Keith, you are sooooo obvious. Lance said, "you're keeping the cow" and Keith really was like "whatever you say gorgeous" just as anon said!! vindication!!! Keith is keeping Lance. He is not going to push him away any longer.
This episode is also the first time we see Keith talk to Lance first since episode 3, and just like then, he starts by laying down a plan, and then tacks on something unnecessary:
"Don't miss." Given what Keith has been through the past couple of episodes, I think this was more Keith being salty than him not taking Lance seriously or doubting him, because Keith doesn't hesitate before dashing out of there to distract the drones. Keith can't hide his feelings for very long, just as we saw in episode 3 with "we'll see each other on the other side" (and season 1 "the amount of information in your brain could be stored in a paper airplane" for that matter lol). He's not very good at hiding, he's better at running away. But as we saw in episode 6: the Journey Within, Keith has decided not to run. He faced his fears head-on and he accepted them. That doesn't mean he's happy with Lance all of a sudden, though.
But look...
Here he's on the other side of the elevator from Lance. But then in the next shot...
He's moved to be right behind him... and finally..
[12:21]
pfft okay Keith, you didn't have to literally stand between them. He feels he does though, because he is subtly trying to get closer to Lance, now that he has accepted his feelings for him.
Okay, next thing isn't an interaction with Lance, but with Hunk, but we see something interesting here:
[15:38]
Keith crossing his arms, for the third time. But this time it has nothing to do with Lance, unlike the two other times. But similar to the two other times, Keith is crossing his arms because he feels vulnerable/defensive. He wants to be there as a friend for Hunk, but he's afraid Hunk won't open up to him, and thus reject him. Look at his face:
He looks uncertain and vulnerable, because Keith usually never approaches people, like he's doing here. This speaks to his massive growth from how he used to be in seasons 1-3. There, he also wanted to get closer to people, but he let them come to him instead of approaching them. And we saw Lance and Keith grow much closer to each other in season 3, because Lance frequently approached Keith and later came to him with his worries. But here, Keith is the one approaching someone, but he's still new at this, and he's afraid Hunk won't see him as a friend to open up to, which he confirms by saying "I don't expect you to open up to me." Here, he is maintaining the growth he experienced from episode 6, where he faced his fears head-on instead of running away. Here, he's doing something about his fear of being alone. He's approaching someone, someone he considers a friend.
But as we know, Hunk opens up to him immediately, and we see Keith uncrossing his arms again:
[15:52]
This is going to be very important for an interaction later, so remember this !!
(Side note, Keith's expression there actually resembles Lance's expression a lot in Season 8, Episode 1: Launch Date, when Lance asks Allura out:
This is because they're both being vulnerable here, and they're afraid of the other party's rejection.)
Next interaction we have is again Keith speaking to Lance first, asking him for cover and Lance guiding Keith through the Galra base:
[07:27]
This is the longest and the most Keith and Lance have spoken since Season 3, and it is also a reprise of their maze challenge in season 1, when Keith had to guide Lance through the maze:
[Season 1, Episode 2: Some Assembly Required, 11:22]
Here, again, Keith doesn't doubt Lance's skills for a second. He puts his entire trust into his guidance, and I think this whole sequence is a beautiful display of how far they've come as paladins and teammates. Keith doesn't tack on anything unnecessary here, he is all business.
And we have another reprise... but this is given to Pidge instead of Lance, which is interesting...
[Season 1, Episode 7: Return to the Balmera, 11:44 ; Season 7, Episode 10: Heart of the Lion, 08:48]
Another interaction here which is again all business:
[Season 7, Episode 10: Heart of the Lion, 10:13]
Where Keith actually does respond, unlike earlier this season, when he would just react...
And... sorry, I have to point this out again:
I pointed this frame out in
my main analysis where I pointed out that Keith still associates himself with the Red Lion here, even though the Black Lion has also come to his rescue multiple times. And now, thanks to Episode 4: The Feud! we know that he also associates the Red Lion with Lance, because of his drawing. And Keith has never looked this fond except when he looks at Lance:
So... doesn't it kinda seem like Keith is talking about Lance here?? feel free to call me delusional but... Keith talking about the Red Lion, who Lance shares a connection with, coupled with the fond expression he usually gives Lance... gives me that vibe. Especially because... no one else is looking this fond in that scene in season 7. so like... Why is Keith feeling so fond all of a sudden?? Well... he's just come back from a mission where Lance guided him through a heavy Galra-operated base. And he had that moment with Pidge which reminded him of Lance from a few years ago (for him), their first mission together. This mission has been full of reminders of Lance for Keith, so here, he’s started feeling all fond for him again...
Lance has tried to show Keith since his return that he's still got him, but Keith hasn't been receptive of it, pushing Lance away instead, because he's come back with the vision of Lance confessing his feelings for Allura fresh on his mind. But now, as I said, he went through episode 6 and he decided to stop running. And here, after the mission... he's decided to stop pushing Lance away, too.
EDIT: In fact, when he calls the Black Lion to him, Kaltenecker is still in the Black Lion's cargo hold:
[15:35]
And actually, I know this is what is happening, because of what happens after this meeting. So, remember when Red not responding to Lance was a
huge point of discussion in fan circles back when season 7 was released? Well... everyone analysed this from Lance's point of view, and I think they were absolutely right in doing so, but this analysis is about
Keith. And Keith has
just reminded us of his association with the Red Lion, when he said, "And Red saved my life numerous times." He's reminding us again that the Red Lion is a symbol for himself, as I discussed
here. So, when Allura seems to start reciprocating Lance's feelings:
And the Red Lion doesn't respond to Lance when he calls to him:
It's a symbol for how Keith hasn't responded to Lance all season because of Lance's feelings for Allura. HELLO ???? everything I've just said has JUST been proven correct. The Red Lion is literally doing the exact same thing Keith has been doing all season, not responding to Lance when Lance talks to him/calls him. It is NOT a coincidence that the Red Lion all of a sudden doesn't respond to Lance right after Allura shows interest in him.
I can't make this shit up, bro. I'm not even trying to. It's all right there in front of us. I'm just pointing it out.
And of course... we can't forget the famed: "Lance? Lance, come in!"
Pointing out here that Keith is the last voice Lance hears before he gets up, just like how Lance's voice is the last Keith hears (clearly) when Keith activates the Black Lion's wings in season 6. And he sounds... kinda panicked.
And of course, the first person Keith calls out to after they're caught by Sendak in the next episode is Lance.
[Season 7, Episode 11: Trial By Fire, 05:54]
AND this time, when Lance asks, Keith responds immediately:
[15:46]
I'd like to point something else out that I found interesting in this episode. When Atlas attacks, Hunk suggests that they all try to reconnect with their Lions so they can break them out or help the Atlas in some way in the fight.
And while they try to connect, we get a shot of each of the paladins in this sequence: Lance, Allura, Pidge, Keith and Hunk. The first person to connect to their Lion is Hunk, and Hunk gets the seeing through his Lion's eyes animation that until now only Shiro, Keith and Pidge have had. Each of the paladins then connect to their lions respectively as they were shown, except for Lance. Lance was the first person they showed trying to reconnect to his Lion, but the Red Lion is the last to be activated.
[17:28 ; 18:26]
This shows us that their connection is still tenuous. It's funny, because until Allura started showing interest in Lance, Voltron never showed us this problem. Lance never had trouble connecting with the Red Lion until Allura started reciprocating his feelings. We know that the Red Lion is a symbol for Keith, so this is symbolism for Lance struggling to connect with Keith, now that Allura shows interest in him. But the Red Lion does respond, even if it is delayed. The Red Lion always reacts, just like how Keith always reacts.
In the next episode, when they defeat Sendak and they've saved Earth, Keith looks up at the Lions and smiles very proudly. But what's funny is that he might be looking at a very particular Lion, because when his expression changes, and he sees something in Earth's atmosphere his eyes don't move, which means whatever he's looking at, whatever he saw, is close to or in the same place as, whatever he was looking at before right? Look here:
His expression changes, but his eyes don't move right? so he's looking at the same place/direction as he was before whatever he saw appeared, right?
Well in the next shot, we get to see what he was looking at both times:
[22:42]
Now... since the thing Keith spotted is right above the Black Lion, what Keith could have been looking at is the Black Lion... but why would he look at the Black Lion and look proud, when he landed the Black Lion and it just stands there? It's not like the Black Lion performed an action that would make Keith proud. So, whoever he was looking at is either the Yellow Lion or the Red Lion. Considering what Keith said a few episodes ago...
And considering that Lance was the first person to wake up and take out the zaiforge cannons... which helped them win the day...
[17:17]
AND considering in this shot, when the Lions are landing after Keith saved Shiro, Keith's head is tilted towards the Red Lion not the Yellow Lion:
AND CONSIDERING the opening shot of the following episode we see Hunk beside Keith, leaving only the Red Lion in the sky:
[Season 7, Episode 13: Lion's Pride Pt. II, 01:02]
Doesn't it kinda seem like... Keith is looking at Lance here??
[Season 7, Episode 12: Lion's Pride Pt. I, 22:38]
Feel free to call me delusional.
Next interaction is Lance saving Keith from underneath the Altean Mech:
[Season 7, Episode 13: Lion's Pride Pt. II, 02:43]
Keith doesn't respond here, but he does react by getting out of there.
Then, Lance and Keith take down the Altean Mech by activating Voltron's wings, which gives them enough speed to strike them in the open chest:
[16:06]
Which means Keith and Lance's connection (and the weapon only they share... a sword) saved the day.
Keith's responses to Lance in the last half of Season 7 is a direct contrast to the first half. We saw a pattern of Keith not responding to Lance, but after episode 6, this changes, and now Keith responds to Lance and reacts to him immediately, even looks at him fondly and proudly, very openly. And this trend continues into the next season.
In season 8, we don't see Keith responding harshly to Lance at all, and he also doesn't ignore him a single time. The first scene we have with them is the famed sunset scene, and here Keith has never looked at Lance any fonder:
[Season 8, Episode 1: Launch Date, 14:12]
He is totally at peace here with his feelings for Lance, and he is also at peace with the notion that they are most likely not reciprocated, because he doesn't seem upset or defensive when Lance says he has a date with Allura.
In episode 3: The Prisoner's Dilemma, we have Keith and Lance forming the wings of Voltron, which saves the day again:
[04:33]
And in this frame, Keith and Lance are looking at each other, with Lance smiling at Keith...
Keith furthermore responds directly to Lance when he asks how he knows about the beast [17:46]. And Lance comes to Keith's defence when Warlord Lahn attacks Keith's intentions again:
[18:04]
Which Keith does seem to react to, because his body posture and expression changes... And a few minutes later, Keith unlocks his second bayard form, a blaster, which is
Lance's weapon, after he hears Lance say "We're coming for you!" and yelling while he shoots wildly at the door (almost in a panic... Lance I see you.)
Again, Keith is very attuned to Lance, and Lance was most likely on his mind when he unlocked this bayard form, just like how Keith was on Lance's mind when Lance unlocked his sword.
In Episode 4: Battle Scars, we have Keith and Lance activating Voltron's wings again to get to Olkarion faster (is that really necessary...?)
[05:52]
Within like. The first five minutes of the episode.
and again...
[07:47]
They really want us to remember that Keith and Lance form the wings of Voltron (and also... maybe Keith just wants to cause it's the closest he can get to Lance... but that's speculating a bit).
In Episode 5: The Grudge Lance compliments Keith but also teases him, to which Keith reacts:
[08:46]
But he doesn't respond harshly to him, even though he could have. He just looks annoyed, lol. At first, I didn't really get it, I was like "why is Keith looking so annoyed here? Lance just complimented him?" when I remembered the pattern we've seen since Keith's return. Keith always reacts defensively when Lance compliments him. And it's confirmed when in the next shot, Keith has his arms crossed, meaning he's feeling defensive (which is the
first time Keith has crossed his arms this season, and the
fourth time overall since his return, btw):
Does Lance complimenting him affect him that much??? Keith at this point has decided not to run away anymore, but maybe Lance complimenting him still makes him feel vulnerable, especially because at this point, Lance is dating Allura, so like, why is Lance complimenting him so much ??? Why can't he just be Allura's boyfriend? It's all friendly of course; as a casual viewer, we don't think more of it. But for Keith... it means something else. Keith loves Lance, so when Lance compliments him, of course it affects him (and Lance is mirroring Keith's posture here, so Keith's reaction also affects Lance. Probably more than he wants to admit/let on).
Okay... I have to point this out cause it makes me crazy. You know the whole exchange between Acxa and Zethrid, when Zethrid takes Keith hostage? Yeah, that was all added to retcon Ezor's death. She was meant to stay dead, but seeing the reaction to Adam's death, they decided to bring her back to life. That's why Ezor never speaks (and the one time she does, it is very clearly not her voice lol), why she's frequently drawn out of style from the others in the scenes she's in, why Ezor isn't mentioned at all by any other character and why all of sudden Zethrid and Acxa talk about Ezor leaving Zethrid rather than having died, which was what was implied by Zethrid's lines "You took everything from me." "I welcome death, now that Ezor's gone.". All of that was added mid/post-production. That scene at the end, where Ezor comes to visit Zethrid? Was also edited. Most likely, the original scene was about Acxa trying to help Zethrid move on from Ezor's death and join the Coalition, but their dialogue was cut short after Acxa says "I won't give up on you.", because then they reveal Ezor behind Acxa (who is drawn with much thicker lines than Axca is...)
This episode also reveals to us Acxa's true love interest. Remember when I said Acxa is a red-herring love interest to mask Keith's true love-interest? Well, Keith is a red-herring love-interest for Acxa, too, because as I said, even though Acxa joined Keith at the end of season 7, we never see them talk at all, and in fact this whole episode we see Acxa connecting with Veronica, Lance's sister. Zethrid targets Keith because he was involved in Ezor's death and because she thinks Acxa loves him, but she is wrong. Acxa's love interest is revealed when she is saved by her, after Zethrid almost shoots her. Many have before pointed out how they found it odd that Shiro didn't save Keith, because of their connection, but it makes perfect sense, because Keith is not the one who was aimed at, he was not the real target, it was Acxa. So, Acxa is the one who truly needs saving, and she is saved by her love-interest, Veronica.
Episode 6: Genesis, Lance and Keith form the wings of Voltron to save themselves from a huge beam and reach Oriande faster to stop Honerva (again...):
Okay. So remember when I said Keith is now at peace with his feelings and his inner turmoil after Season 7, Episode 6? And that's why he reacts all nice and fine to Lance saying he has a date? 'Cause he wants Lance to be happy, even if it means being with someone else? Well... we see something odd in the next two episodes: Day Forty-Seven and Clear Day...
If you follow me on tumblr, you might have seen these instances already, because
I posted them a while ago, but I have to point them out here again:
[Season 8, Episode 7: Day Forty-Seven, 14:40]
[Season 8, Episode 8: Clear Day, 05:44]
Both times, Keith is clearly interrupting a moment between Allura and Lance. And he is frowning deeply, which is a contrast to his light expression and tone in Episode 1: Launch Date. Doesn't he seem... a little bit jealous? Okay, maybe not jealous persay, we can't say that for certain (even though it looks a lot like it) but he is clearly unhappy in both of these moments. So, Keith is no longer happy for Lance, but what made him change his mind? Season 7 Episode 6 very clearly settled something within Keith (as the title suggests, The Journey Within, right?) but here it's like... he's backtracking a bit. Which is odd, because Keith until now has been very consistent in his behaviour, and I highly doubt that the writers just forgot about his journey back then and his new clarity. So... it's on purpose. Maybe Keith has seen something that made him change his mind...
Let's rewind and examine Lance's relationship with Allura from Keith's POV. First episode we have the famed sunset scene, right, where Lance is all insecure and Keith encourages him and talks him up to send him on that date with more confidence. Keith in his mind is like, "okay, I've done my part to make Lance happy, now I can just stay out of it." Episode 2 is all about Honerva so there's nothing there, and episode 3, we don't see Lance and Allura talking much at all, actually Lance talks more to Keith than he does to Allura in this episode. But then we have episode four and...
[Seaosn 8, Episode 4: Battle Scars, 03:21]
...yikes. If I was there, and I was listening as a third party, I would be the embodiment of this emoji:
Like I would be soooo awkward and uncomfortable. But if I had feelings for one of the parties?? Specifically the one who was being yelled at?? I would be pissed. Especially if that person got yelled at 'cause they were defending me. I'm not trying to demonize Allura here, 'cause she does apologize to Lance and like there doesn't seem to be another spat like that the rest of the episode, I'm just trying to put myself in Keith's shoes. If I was Keith in this instance, how would I react to this? How would I feel? Well, I would feel like how I described above.
In episode 5, Allura compliments Lance and calls him a genius when he figures out what direction they should go to go back to the lions. But Keith isn't there for that, so he doesn't hear it. In episode 6, they're fighting in Oriande and they barely speak, but Allura does save Lance from Honerva/Lotor by retracting her weapon and letting Honerva get away, but again, that was in Honerva's mindscape, so Keith didn't witness it. You know what the next thing he does witness is?
This exchange here:
[Season 8, Episode 7: Day Forty-Seven, 14:25]
Notice how the instant Lance says he feels a little tense, Keith looks at him and he keeps looking at him throughout the whole conversation, even when Allura reassures Lance. And he interrupts their moment by telling them to move out. Huh, why did he feel the need to do that, here? Shouldn't it be a good thing that Allura managed to calm Lance down? Well... considering the last thing he saw between them, and knowing that Lance is usually never nervous to go on missions, he is usually very excited, because it's his opportunity to show off and be of service to his team... and knowing that Lance was very insecure about his date with Allura, and feels like he's not good enough for her... maybe Keith is attributing Lance's "tenseness" and nervousness to his relationship with Allura. I'M NOT SAYING HE'S RIGHT I'M JUST SAYING THAT'S MOST LIKELY THE CONCLUSION HE'S COME TO AS HE WITNESSES THIS. He sees now that Lance and Allura are not a good match (i mean... literally anyone with eyeballs can see that but I digress), because Lance is not confident, he is not secure in his relationship with her and he is not happy.
That is also why he reacts this way in the next episode:
[Season 8, Episode 8: Clear Day, 05:44]
He is being jealous, yes. But he is also pissed. He does not want Allura and Lance to be together anymore, because he sees that Lance is not happy in that relationship at all.
Well, he gets his wish in the (original cut of) the next episode, because as I argued
here Lance and Allura most likely break up after they have a discussion about the dark entity and Allura saying she wants to use it to find Honerva (but I actually think she wants to use it to find Lotor and save him... since I'm pretty sure both of those episodes were about finding Lotor and saving him... but anyway).
It's a bit hard to talk about these episodes, since they were so heavily edited, but if we look aside from the edits, we still see Keith beaming at Lance when they all get back from being trapped in Honerva's mind.
When Keith says, "you guys are alright," he's looking directly at Lance:
[Season 8, Episode 9: Knights of Light PT. I, 20:22]
Meaning his beaming face here:
[Season 8, Episode 9: Knights of Light PT. I, 20:13]
is because of, and for, Lance.
And in Episode 11: Uncharted Regions, we see Keith
approaching Lance at the table:
Notice how, unlike with Hunk in season 7, Keith doesn't cross his arms a single time during this whole conversation. Keith is being very open, and he wants to be there for Lance and reassure him, but he's not defensive at all. Keith approaching Hunk in season 7 is a lead up to this very moment. Keith is finally approaching Lance, rather than avoiding him or letting Lance approach Keith himself. We are seeing Keith grow massively here, going from always responding to Lance to finally approaching him. And he instantly talks about the first time they met with a very fond look on his face:
And he continues looking extremely fondly at Lance while they talk about how much they've grown:
And when he talks about ending the war with Lance, just like in the first episode...
AND, KEITH IS THE ONE TO INITIATE THE HAND HOLDING:
[06:47]
Do you understand how big of a deal this is? In season 7 we saw a very clear pattern of Keith ignoring Lance, responding to him mostly indirectly or only talking to him when necessary, because he is in emotional turmoil over his feelings for Lance and his jealousy. But after Season 7, Episode 6, we see that pattern change very subtly and slowly. Keith gains clarity, including in his feelings for Lance. In season 8, we see this clarity take form in supporting Lance in his relationship with Allura, because he wants Lance to be happy. But once he realizes that this is not the case, that Lance is not happy, Keith expresses his unhappiness with their relationship, but without getting involved.
I can't really talk about the rest in good-faith because it's been obviously edited heavily, but... I can point out that Keith continues to look fondly at Lance, even after a whole year has passed:
[Season 8, Episode 13: The End is the Beginning, 20:31]
After everything we've just seen and examined, what can we conclude? What is the most likely answer to the question of this analysis?
Does Keith have a soft spot for Lance? Absolutely, because it is a product of his love for him. Keith is in love with Lance, undeniably.
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