Tuesday, July 5, 2022

Netflix Retrospective - The Dragon Prince Season 3 Episodes 4-6

We’re back with more episodes of the Dragon Prince as a grand conspiracy is set into motion and time is running out for Callum and Rayla

Chapter 4 – The Midnight Desert

We open with the message Ethari sent being intercepted by a flying elf, she reads the message and smiles.

It’s clear Rayla is really not taken the news about being cast out from her home well but naturally she’s being closed off, refusing to talk about how she feels.

Back at Katolis, Prince Kasef delivers an ultimatum, either Katolis joins him and the other 2 kingdoms in waging war on Xadia, or those kingdoms will first wage war on Katolis. Seems like a mighty fine way to lose manpower. You’re probably stronger with your 3 armies than doing this, though I suspect this is Viren’s plan, and he suspects that Ezran won’t let it come to that. Meanwhile Viren is undergoing some kind of transformation through Aavaros.

So that elf from earlier calls herself Nyx and approaches Callum and Rayla, claiming to be an emissary of the Dragon Queen sent to help them. She claims that she was sent to take Zym straight there but Rayla is immediately distrustful of her. Of course, the route they plan to take would take an extra week and that’s not time they can afford to waste when they can cut across the deadly Midnight Desert in 2 days with Nyx’s help.

Ezran is told that thanks to Amaya’s training, Katolis would likely triumph of the other invaders but the cost would be substantial, thousands if not tens of thousands of lives. Ezran believes that is no victory.

So what’s so deadly about the midnight desert? Well, the black sands soak up the sun, making it the hottest desert known to elf, and at night soul-fang serpents roam. To avoid this, they need transport, and Nyx has just the thing, a massive Ambler to carry them across, high above the desert and out of range of the soul-fang serpents.

Ezran speaks to the baker, asking him to take of Bait whilst he decides to make decision. In what honestly feels like no time at all, Callum and Rayka have a reached an oasis, a stop point magically protected from the soul-fang serpents.

What upgrade did Aavaros make for Viren, well his upgraded eye can see an aethereal form of Aavaros. Ezran has made a truce with the other kingdoms, he will abdicate the throne, and for some reason be sent to prison and Katolis will join their war effort but those who choose not to fight will be allowed to lay down their arms. It’s a terrible compromise made even worse as Viren is set free.

Rayla finally opens up over her pain and guilt of being cast out, Callum is there with some words of encouragement and at moment of vulnerability she kisses him. She immediately, regrets it is the wrong word but she and Callum agree never to speak of it again.

Of course with them being distracted by big feelings, neither of them were keeping an eye on Zym and he’s gone.

It’s a strong continuation, with a good dive into Rayla’s feelings that may have benefited from extra time.

Rating 8/10

Chapter 5 – Heroes and Masterminds

Bait helps smuggle in some jelly tarts and decides to join Ezran in prison. Back at the Oasis, Zym is gone and worse their mounts were untied and let out of the oasis, Rayla manages to call one of them back but the other is attacked by the soul-fang serpents and his soul is drained. They have no choice but to wait until daybreak to set off after them.

At Katolis, Viren presents himself as the new king, much to Opeli’s overruled objections. Corvus brings Opeli, as they may soon be considered traitors, but it’s not long before they run into Soren.

Daybreak comes and Ezran and Rayla head out, but it’s clear the awkwardness from the night before is still having an effect. Thankfully the Ambler leaves really large tracks for them to follow. Someone visits Ezran in Prison, it’s Soren, who wants to get him out, regretting that he failed to stop the moonshadow elves.

In an earlier scene I neglected to mention, the Ambler got its foot-stuck, the ground having given way thanks to all the tunnels the soul-fang serpents dig, and that might be their biggest stroke of luck as the Ambler’s stuck again, giving them a chance to catch up. Soren plans to smuggle Ezran out of the city is a sack, but Ezran prefers to hide in hay cart. Soren doing his absolute best to sound suspicious, successfully gets him out.

Claudia pays her father a visit and promises she’ll be there, this is also her first look at the Aavaros Caterpillar, Aavaros says she’ll be a valuable asset. Soren gets Ezran out of Katolis were Opeli, the Baker and Corvus are waiting. Soren has to go back to not arouse Viren’s suspicions. 

Nix manages to get the Ambler’s foot unstuck but Rayla and Callum are close enough to it that they can get aboard. Nix plans to get Zym back to his mother, but for treasure rather than peace. They have her cornered but of course she can still fly.

Back in Katolis, Viren addresses his army, fulfilling Ezran’s promise to give them the opportunity to lay down their arms. About a dozen or so lay down their arms and are forced to wear a broken chain badge to show their desertion.

One thing Nix didn’t plan for was that Zym, as a storm-dragon is able to zap her, and soon she’s forced to the ground. Her wings damaged and with night having fallen, she’s surrounded by soul-fang serpents.

Transport back to Xadia for Zadia arrives with Lujanne and Phoe Phoe, who Soren sent a message to. For the others it’s into hiding, I guess. Rayla decides, for reasons known not even to her really to go and save Nix from the soul-fangs. Callum says she did it because she’s a hero, willing to do the right thing, no matter what the personal cost.

And this time they kiss properly, go you two.

This is a decent episode, continuing this season’s strengths and finally giving what shippers had asked for ages. And, I actually did find Nix kinda charming.

Rating 7.5/10

Chapter 6 - Thunderfall

Viren and his really large army begin their march on Xadia, as Nix and the Ambler have got the duo off the desert. The Storm Spire is about a day’s journey away, but Nix warns them the air will get thin up there.

Doesn’t seem to be bothering Ezran that much as he and Phoe Phoe are making great progress, though Phoe Phoe has now travelled the entire night.

Back with the armies, Aaravos asks Soren about his killing the great stormdragon Avizandum. He wonders how he accomplished it.

We flash back to a time after the story told in the last season. The dragon had killed King Harrow’s wife and since then Soren had been working on a powerful spell. He had taken her dying breath, and thanks to Claudia, had managed to secure an rare unicorn horn. The one last ingredient, the blood of a man with undying hatred for the target and undying love for she whose last breath was used.

Harrow is hesitant but his hatred is undeniable and he provides his blood for the spell. Phoe Phoe is worn out and apparently sick as well but she has to see it through.

Back at the story, Harrow and Viren head to the border and find it abandoned, Viren theorises the Dragon must be taken somewhere more important so they head to the stormspire. Avizandum is prepared to let them leave and live, saying that today is a day of life, this only angers Harrow and he begins his charge, Viren holding him back, Harrow stabs him with the magic staff created from the spell and turns Avizandum to stone.

Viren has realised that he must’ve been protecting the egg whilst the mother was gone, and since they killed his father allowing him to be hatched presents too great a danger, it needs to be dealt with. Something Harrow reluctantly agrees to. Aaravos reveals that Avizandum is the reason he’s been imprisoned.

Back in the present, news soon reaches the army that the border has been completely destroyed, still, Claudia has packed some magic that might help with that. Phoe Phoe manages to land with Rayla and Callum, who are right at the Dragon statue from the story. Unfortunately doing so was Phoe Phoe’s final act, for the moment, as her body burns up into a single feather. As a phoenix, she will be reborn, eventually.

Viren uses his magic to part the lava and make a passageway through for the army to race through. Callum admits that he has pretty conflicted feelings regarding that dragon turned to stone, it’s up to Rayla to comfort him now.

It’s another solid entry into the series, as the flashback provides some important context for the entire story to work with.

Rating 7.5/10

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