Wait, Dragons Again?

Warning: Possible spoiler alert.

When I first watched The Dragon Prince I had this weird feeling that it was somehow similar to something I’d watched before. The hunch became immediately clear when I saw that it was created by Aaron Ehasz, because the similarity in writing to Avatar: The Last Airbender is uncanny. However, this show does not live up to Avatar standards, so from the get-go I should tell you that if you go in expecting it to be as good as Ehasz’s last big hit, you’ll be disappointed. The characters aren’t as well developed, the jokes are nowhere near as funny, and the plot doesn’t evolve as seamlessly.

On the bright side, the story is so absolutely original that it compelled me to binge watch three seasons regardless of the sometimes overtly cheesy and often mistimed comic relief. The Dragon Prince gives ample time to each character, allowing the protagonists as well as the antagonists to grow in their own storylines. The story is exceptionally rich in detail considering there are only nine episodes to a season. Each episode is packed to the brim with action, which is great if you love plots that move at breakneck speeds. I however would have preferred a few more filler episodes that allow the dynamic between the characters to flourish, although that may just be the Avatar fangirl coming out in me.

Another aspect of the show that received mixed reactions from me was the constant agenda pushing. Sometimes the show got it right, like with the female leads and rulers. At other times, and you’ll know what I’m talking about if you watch it; it couldn’t be plainer that the show was trying to make a political point at the expense of credibility in the plot. However, some of those credibility concerns might only spring from the fact that we aren’t used to seeing certain types of characters, such as a mute female general, and since it honestly didn’t detrimentally alter any aspect of the story, I took it in stride. By the end it didn’t strike me as weird anymore, just a part of the world created in the show. Credit where credit is due, I guess?

Season 3 of the series released on Netflix on November 22. It sheds light on the back story of the egg, and why it wasn’t destroyed in the first place. Corvus kills Rayla, Bait becomes king, Callum falls in love with Zym, there’s an epic battle, the Dragon Queen is actually Viren’s mom, and Viren is an entomophile.  Well, some of that is true. Possibly.

Rabita Saleh is a perfectionist/workaholic. Email feedback to this generally boring person at rabitasaleh13@gmail.com