Red and Blue make Purple

dent-de-leon

So it never really sunk in for me before, but Keith blamed himself for Ulaz’s death

Keith is the only one who talks to Shiro after they lose Ulaz. And actually, even when they’re there in the battle, all the other paladins look happy–Keith and shiro are the only ones upset. It’s….pretty unsettling to see everyone else celebrating after someone dies for them, especially considering how shiro is so obviously upset by this

When I talk about how Keith and Shiro really seem disconnected from the rest of the team on some things, this is definitely one of them. No one else really cared when Ulaz died, really grasped the depth of his sacrifice. This further isolates Shiro–and especially Keith. Because he’s starting to suspect he’s galra, and already he sees that his team lacks this notable level of empathy. They still see galra as distinctly alien and foe first; they don’t treat Ulaz with the same measure of compassion they would grant to another human. Shiro is the exception

And we know that Keith and Shiro are always able to pick up on each other’s moods, know that they’ve both checked in with one another–Keith noticing Shiro’s panic attacks throughout season 1, Shiro asking him if he’s okay throughout Keith’s whole galra scare in season 2. Shiro and Keith both care about each other immensely; both paladins are also intimately familiar with how to read one other.

So of course, out of everyone, Keith goes and talks to Shiro. Apologizes for not trusting him. But more so than that, he really feels like all of this is his fault. He realized he has a galra blade; so even back then, he was beginning to suspect Zarkon could track him

He asks Shiro about it of course, trying to indirectly gauge if he’s somehow responsible. And when Shiro’s response is–well yeah, Zarkon might be onto us–Keith looks visibly hurt. That’s a guilty, apologetic look if I ever saw one. He’s also afraid–afraid that he’s the one who let Ulaz and Shiro down, afraid that he’ll have to leave the team, that he’ll lose his family again. Keith really cares; he’s a lot more compassionate than I think a lot of people give him credit for, and he certainly doesn’t want anyone else to get hurt on his account

Something else that really drew my attention was just how defensive Keith is in this scene. When Allura sees them talking and suggests Ulaz was the reason they were found, Shiro is clearly hurt. But he doesn’t raise his voice or argue; there’s nothing but defeat when he questions her, like he just can’t believe it. How can Allura think so lowly of someone who gave their life for them? Who saved Shiro once before already? Shiro is deeply troubled by all this, but also still in mourning. He’s tired, drained. The one who goes on the offensive and gets argumentative though, the one who really speaks up for Shiro and challenges Allura, is Keith.

It’s clear here that Keith is siding with Shiro against Allura. That he’s not really defending himself here, but rather, he’s standing up on Shiro and Ulaz’s behalf. For Keith, it was always the injustice towards others that really sets him off. You can especially see this with how much he hates Lubos for selling out his people–“You’re no king.” Keith knows Ulaz isn’t responsible, and he knows Shiro is still distraught over his loss. And he’s not about to look down on either of them

The framing of this scene further emphasizes Keith and Shiro’s distance from the rest of the team. Keith is shown standing closer to Allura, but still noticeably on Shiro’s side–in front of him, defending him. Putting Keith more in the middle also mimics his inner conflict about being galra. But anyway, I think this scene could be definite foreshadow. We know Zarkon had a falling out with Alfor, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he split from everyone. Someone else from the team could have sided with him.

And I certainly don’t think Shiro is evil or anything, but going rogue doesn’t really have to be an “evil” thing. And I think that, somewhere down the line, it’s very possible Shiro and Allura will decide they both want very different things, and Keith might be torn between.

Though at this point, I think it’s obvious what his choice would be

xairylle

Was talking to @shevoj1207 and @blk-l and during our very productive and educational meeting, we have decided that if Shiro became a bird, he’d be called a Shirp.

Doodled the Shirp. Colored the Shirp. Uploaded the Shirp. TA-DA