We’ve got more dragons to train and if you think I’m rushing through these episodes a bit it’s only because I am, we’re wrapping up the old and bringing out the new this year. So let’s get started, when we last left Hiccup and the gang defeated Viggo but not all was well as the Edge’s volcano has erupted.
Living on the Edge
The Edge is rocked by a series of mini-eruptions, and
apparently this has been going on 3 months. Now geysers are spewing molten lava.
They’re using Gronckle iron to seal the cracks but it’s causing a lot of damage
and Hiccup is convinced by the others that it may be time to abandon the Edge,
especially since with Viggo gone, Hunter activity has died down. The twins are
already selling off their possessions but the matter of stabilising the volcano
is still a priority for Hiccup because of all the dragons they’ve relocated
there. Hiccup also receives some materials from Trader Johann for reasons to be
explained in a later episode.
They find a mixture of Gronckle iron and Death Song amber is
the perfect mix to seal the volcano, but they don’t have enough of either.
Astrid and Hiccup head out to Melody Island to secure the amber, Fishlegs is
tasked with gathering ingredients for Gronkle Iron and sorting out storage,
whilst Snotlout and the twins are to head to Dark Deep to find more Gronckles,
pretty sure there are some Gronckles on the Island but whatever.
On Melody Island, Hiccup and Astrid come across a rather
battered Garff, with no sign of his mother. She’s been captured by the new leader
of the dragon hunters, we saw him in the previous season as a sort of mystery
figure. He’s using the death song to lure and trap dragons, with an interest in
one particular dragon, the singetail.
The twins discuss parasitic and symbiotic relationships
whilst using Snotlout as a decoy for the Quakens whilst they lure away the
Gronckles. They are successful at plugging up all the geysers but the Volcano
itself is another problem. Thankfully the Quakens follow Snotlout back to the
edge and use their abilities to drill holes in the mountain and ease the
volcanic pressure.
Garff is injured but seemingly alive and well for now. But
the group elect to stay at the edge to end the threat of the Hunters, as we see
their new leader is capable of riding a Singetail.
The threat seemed more urgent in the previous episode but
it’s a solid episode establishing that the Hunters are still a major threat
Rating 7/10
Sandbusted
Hiccup and Astrid are fussing over betrothal gifts. Hiccup
has some type of talisman but Astrid is struggling, what do you buy for the viking
who has everything? She only has 2 days to work something out.
But all thought of that is interrupted when they receive a
distress call from Trader Johann. Snotlout calls him bad luck, and he’s almost
right. They head to the Northern markets because those assets were already
designed. Johann explains that traders have been disappearing with their goods
disappearing first then the traders themselves.
Fishlegs believes it may be related to the ‘curse of tears.’
Hiccup asks Fishlegs to explain, and the explanation they give doesn’t actually
explain anything. Hiccup and Snotlout split off from the rest of the group as
they explore what’s left of the market, with Astrid using this opportunity to
find a betrothal gift. She is presented with a map to the ‘treasure of tears.’
As Snotlout is being an idiot with Hiccup’s betrothal gift
it gets stolen by a trader, it changes hands multiple times as Snotlout and
Hiccup chase them down, they end up on a beach and are dragged through the sand
by an unknown, likely dragon, assailant. They wake up in a cave filled with
gold, and blue stuff, and skeletons.
Toothless and Hookfang quickly alert the others and it’s
revealed the twins bought the map, they want the treasure or something. Back
with Hiccup and it’s quickly revealed that the ‘Sandbuster’ doesn’t like direct
sunlight, it uses its blue amber to block it out of the cave. Hiccup devises a
trap or two to keep it busy but ultimately, it’s when Toothless and co arrive
that the day is saved. I kinda wish it didn’t happen that way, and showcased
Hiccup using his ingenuity successfully.
Turns out the medallion was passed down to Hiccup, it was
Stoick’s gift to Valka, if Hiccup’s such a great gift-giver, why is his
betrothal gift a hand-me-down, cheapskate! But at least he’s willing to accept
nothing from Astrid because ‘you’re the greatest gift to me’ or some such
sentimental crap. Turns out a sword that Snotlout had taken a liking to in the
cave of wonders was in fact Viggo’s, implying he may still be alive.
It’s a relatively harmless episode, not the show’s best
Rating 6.5/10
Something Rotten on Bezerker Island
The riders have been invited to the inauguration ceremony as
Dagur becomes the new chief of Bezerker Island. Everyone’s here, all 3 of them,
including Savage, who’s Savage? I have no clue but he’s up to no good so
there’s that. Flying over the island has all the dragons seem a little dazed,
which is highly unusual and will factor into a pretty major plot thread in a
later episode.
Dagur has taken on a Bezerker apprentice, Gustav, yeah, the
walking disaster area with a Monstrous Nightmare dragon. Yikes. Apparently,
he’s been doing so well he’s going to graduate 2 weeks early. Snotlout is
jealous for some reason, why the f*ck would you want to be Dagur’s apprentice.
Inside the dragon stables, a purple mist knocks all the dragons.
Those Berzerkians look surprisingly like dragon hunters. So,
it’s time for Gustav’s graduation but that’s interrupted as Savage attempts a
coup, capturing Dagur and putting everyone, including Heather, on the run. They
hide in a cave briefly whilst Hiccup devises a plan, and in true Scooby Doo
fashion, they split up. Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs and Heather are going to try
and free their dragon whilst Snotlout and Gustav head through the underground
maze to try and find Dagur. The twins, are useless and don’t benefit either
party.
Inside the tunnels, they find a huge chasm, that could be a
home for one nasty dragon. It’s shown here that Gustav lacks confidence without
his dragon, bringing into question the value of the Bezerker apprenticeship.
Something Snotlout’s tough-love approach tries to instil in him, but their plan
to distract the guards doesn’t work and Gustav ends up captured.
Snotlout devises a new plan and much to the surprise of…
everyone really, it works. With the dragons still acting weird whilst in the
air, Hiccup decides it’s unwise to take them into battle. Dagur, Gustav and
Snotlout are pinned down and Gustav admits he cheated during the Bezerker
tests. Dagur admits to Snotlout that he knew that the whole time and Bezerker
was just a sham to get Gustav away from Berk for a while.
Channelling Bezerker spirit, the crew charge into battle.
Toothless provides a bit of support from the cliff, and the crew prevail rather
easily. Dagur decides to give a golden bust of himself to Snotlout, but it’s
been a running gag that Dagur continually and deliberately gets his name wrong,
and he’s done so on that bust so it ends up being sea pollution instead.
It’s a solid episode and probably one of Snotlout’s best
showings, he’s highly capable when he puts his mind to it.
Rating 7.5/10
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