Netflix Retrospective - Dragons: Race to the Edge - Season 1 Episodes 10-13

Have Dragon Will Travel part 1

A ship is attacked by a mysterious cloaked figure on an armoured dragon, bearing witness are two Berkians, Bucket and Mulch, who were recurring comic relief characters in Riders and Defenders of Berk. Our riders are on Berk, collecting things for their trip back to the edge. Astrid has some knives, Fishlegs is loading Meatlug up with rocks, too many for her to carry.

The twins are testing out maces, with predictable effect as Stoick confronts the riders about the attack, Tuffnut claims responsibility because he’s an idiot, or because he just wanted to confess to something. Hiccup vouches that they were all together all morning, which suggests a rogue dragon rider is about, which is obviously bad news

They check out the boat, with Hiccup and Astrid believing that Dagur was behind the attack. They’re trying to work out which dragon could be responsible but because this show is this show, it’s a brand new one, they discover a scale and head back to Berk where Bucket gives a description for Fishlegs to draw a picture of the dragon.

For more information, they consult the dragon eye. The dragon is called a Razorwhip, and they discover it eats sea slugs. So they head out to check out the islands with large populations of the creatures. They discover a campfire and land beside it, confirming that it is this island that the rider chose. They split up with Fishlegs and Meatlug staying to keep an eye on the campsite, but the Razorwhip never left and quickly captures him.

The twins search the skies but Tuffnut is busy fantasising and they’re knocked off their dragon by the Razorwhip. Stormfly seems to have a scent, but thanks to some well timed bait, they’re lured into a cave and trapped inside. Snotlout needs to land because he needs to pee but the Razorwhip sends logs rolling in his direction, and he’s forced into the water. Hookfang tries, maybe a little, to look for him. So that just leaves Hiccup and Toothless, they spot the dragon and it’s a chase. The dragon creates obstacles but they’re ultimately just inconveniences and a well timed shot knocks the rider off. She takes off her cloak and reveals it’s Heather… complicated backstory to be retconned anyway, so let’s just say she has some history with the riders, not all of it good.

She wanted to scare them away for vague and stupid reasons, so Hiccup invites her to Dragon’s edge. The Razorwhip is called Windshear, she’d found him injured and used training provided by the riders to train it and they'v become a deadly duo. Oh and she has a pretty fancy battle-axe that easily takes down the twins, though a light gust of wind could also do that. Astrid is rather fond of her, but Hiccup needs to address the issue of the attacked ships

Heather continues to be uncooperative when pressed about it. That night she locks some of the dragon cages and leaves, unbeknownst to her, though, Hiccup was watching and follows her. She flies off to trader Johann and gets a scroll from him. With barely any convincing, Johann spills his guts to Hiccup, her family were killed by some ‘quite nasty individuals’ and she’s out for revenge. She was raiding ships involved in the attack to recover and redistribute the lost wealth.

Turns out that for whatever reason, Dagur is involved. But it turns out she didn’t count on Dagur having a larger fleet, she’s spotted and Dagur orders her fired upon. They catch them in chains as more ships arrive. Hiccup arrives to see her capture.

Horray, plot progression and an interesting direction.

Rating 8/10

Have Dragon Will Travel part 2

Hiccup and Toothless try and free Heather but it turns out the chains are dragon proof. Instead Toothless blasts the winches, which ultimately frees her. Hiccup convinces her to withdraw, the numbers too great for them to survive the fight although now the chains are out of action, they really did have a shot.

So, retcons incoming (for the record – retcons add to continuity, they don’t necessarily replace the old) anyway, Heather was separated from her birth family at a very young age, all she knows of her father is a horn she was given. Her apologies feel really insincere but I don’t think they’re meant to, comes with the kind of character she’s been written as.

Heather goes out for training with Astrid and they discuss weapons, then they discuss if Astrid and Hiccup are an item yet. Not yet… Apparently, Heather’s kinda into Fishlegs but this barely goes anywhere so I’m just gonna forget that line ever happened. Man that running animation is awkward.

Back with Hiccup, Toothless uncovers the horn again and Hiccup notices the Chief Seal is his father’s. Heather takes Astrid back to her old campsite and they uncover Trader Johann, who’s been mapping Dagur’s ship co-ordinates. Dagur plans to purchase a new fleet, likely with the money from the raid. These new ships are much stronger and have winches that are dragon proof.

Heather and Astrid head back to the edge to persuade the others to join in on an attack on Dagur’s forces. None of them are comfortable without Hiccup and Toothless, but after some guilt shaming, they agree to come, a long as the objective is to capture not kill. Astrid pins the map to the wall so Hiccup can see, and with the news of Heather’s heritage, he’s soon back to find it.

Meatlug, Snotlout and the twins provide a diversion as Heather and Astrid sneak aboard one of the ships and begin taking out the guards, with a cr*ppy level of stealth. They eventually capture Dagur but Heather immediately goes back on her word, ordering Windshear to go in for the kill. Just in time Hiccup arrives with the horn. As Hiccup provides his explanation, Dagur begins freeing himself. Turns out, the Horn was given to the chief of the Bezerker tribe after his daughter was born, the same tribe Dagur now runs. Turns out she and Dagur are siblings.

Dagur’s fleet arrives and the others decide to withdraw but Heather is stunned by this revelation, Dagur tries to appeal to her as the only family she has left. Feel the Empire Strikes Back rip-off. Heather decides to withdraw, they damage Dagur’s ships but only lightly. Heather prepares to leave, she needs to figure herself out on her own.

It’s a good episode, but you really have to know about Heather to be truly invested in it.

Rating 8/10

The Next Big Sting

You remember Hiccup’s glider in How to train your dragon 2, guess we’re going to find out about that now. He’s dragged them to the top of a cliff to show them the proto-type the ‘Dragonfly 1.’ He tests it out, jumping off the cliff, but it doesn’t seem to work and Toothless has to rescue him. Take 2 seems to work a bit better but only slightly. Take 3 has him actually gliding but without the ability to make sharp turns, he calls to Toothless to avoid crashing into a rock.

With his glider broken, and Astrid telling him to stop, he concedes to stop, for the moment. They hear a call from a dragon in distress. They find a young speed-stinger, who’s injured his leg. Hiccup intends to bring it back to Dragon’s Edge to look after it. He calls on the twins to hold the guy down so he can attach a splint to its leg.

Ruffnut is stung in the face and can’t talk, she’s only partially paralysed. The adult version would have paralysed her whole body. They manage to attach the splint and Hiccup calms it down, but as they leave, 2 from its pack come out looking for it, followed quickly by their chief.

Fishlegs has managed to train the speed stinger, although he did take a shot to the arm. With him healed, Snotlout, already wary of Speed Stingers, wants him gone, Ruffnut gets stung in the leg this time, the twins begin to argue and it causes the speed stinger to get agitated and attack, taking out Barf, Toothless and Stormfly manage to get the dragon back in its cage. Ruffnut agrees with Snoutlout that the dragon must go.

I don’t know exactly how much time has passed between scenes, this Dragon is getting better remarkably quickly, and now the splint can come off. Fishlegs discovers that Speed Stingers have webbed feet and can run on water as long as they’re running fast enough. A small army of speed stingers begin crossing the water towards the island.

Snotlout and Ruffnut enact their plan, but the Speed Stinger wakes up first, stings Ruffnut in the right side and brings Hookfang down. The others catch up but hear the Speed Stinger pack approaching, including the chief. Meatlug gets stung protecting Ruffnut and Snoutlout is suddenly feeling ‘selfless and heroic.’ He grabs their speed stinger and lures him away from the others, they all prepare to ambush but he’s saved by the Speed Stinger they healed.

Turns out he’s torn and feels a need to protect his new pack, the dragon riders. Hiccup, Astrid and Tuffnut arrive but the Speed Stinger chief knocks out Belch and makes an attack run for Hiccup and Toothless, they avoid it using Hiccup’s upgraded glider, now folded into his arms like it is in the films. They’re scared off, but Hiccup convinces it to go back with his pack.

It’s a nice little detour, setting up something that will be important later on, the flight suit.

Rating 7.5/10

Total Nightmare

We open with Hiccup and Toothless competing a time trail, getting into and out of the dome through a prescribed route before the dome closes. Snotlout’s up next and bragging as usual. Before he gets to the dome, Hookfang is distracted by something… They don’t make it in time. Snotlout has to search for Hookfang, who ran off after the trial, I guess and when he finds him, he’s more irritable than normal. Snotlout manages to calm him down and takes him back to base but Hookfang seems to be pining at the wall and is off his food.

The others don’t initially see that anything’s wrong. I’ve not really talked about it but it’s a running joke that Hookfang would defy any time Snotlout attempts to be dominant. Hiccup quickly comes around and advises he lock him in a pen to prevent Hookfang from hurting himself. But Hookfang manages to escape.

Hiccup, Snotlout and Astrid go to look and find Hookfang with a female monstrous nightmare. He seems territorial and is burned when Snotlout tries to approach. Fishlegs suspects that Hookfang might be going feral, in less than a day. Wow, that sex must be good or something. Hiccup questions the very idea that a dragon might just ‘go back to the wild’

“You wouldn’t do that to me, would you bud?”

I’m not crying, you’re crying! Snotlout tries to scare off the female with an electric eel, but Hookfang bats it back into him with his tail. Which leads to him getting the same burn marks as the fire. Snotlout orders Hookfang to choose, and he chooses the girl, much to his devastation. I swear this episode inspired the third movie or something.

The others find more Monstrous Nightmares for him to train but he can’t bear to sit on them. Snotlout announces that he intends to quit being a rider. Did he not hear the previous line about Dagur and how they’re vulnerable if they’re down a rider? He goes to say goodbye to Hookfang but finds him injured. He initially blames the female for this but soon discovers that he’s helping protect her Eggs from a Titanwing Monstrous Nightmare, and losing. Toothless and the others arrive to help and drive him off.

But it quickly returns, and it’ll take Hookfang establishing dominance over the Titanwing to make it go away for good. Snotlout saddles up and heads on the attack. With the female providing some support they drive the Titanwing away and decide to head towards the dome. In a very clever move, especially for Snotlout, he’s using the Titanwing’s larger size and lack of manoeuvrability against it, intending on trapping it in the dome. They don’t make it out either, but that was never plan, Hookfang crawls around the dome, spurting out short fire blasts, wearing the Titanwing down.

Ultimately Hookfang and Snotlout are victorious and return to find the eggs hatched, quick question, why didn’t they go to the mating island like all dragons supposedly do?

It’s a decent episode, especially for a Snotlout focused one, he’s surprisingly more tolerable than normal. Still, it doesn’t feel much like a season finale, and I’d be surprised if it were ever intended as one.

Rating 7/10

We’ll be coming back to this but for the time being, it's time for another Theme Month