Netflix Retrospective - Dragons: Race to the Edge Season 2 Episodes 1-3

Right, we’re back with Dragons: Race to the Edge with season 2 or as I prefer to call it season 1 part 2, because this clearly was a 26-episode season cut into 2 when it was pitched to Netflix. Season 1 delivered on some creative world-building and had an interesting main antagonist, who continues into this season. How does season 2 stack up? Let’s take a look

Team Astrid

Hiccup and Astrid are returning from a late patrol on their respective dragons. They see like Nighterrors are missing and it turns out Snotlout and the Twins are being idiots. After berating the 3 for leaving the Edge defenceless, they get message from Berk.

So they leave the edge defenceless and fly back to Berk, Dagur had staged a hit-and-run attack, the damage is mostly minor, but one of the targets was the house of Astrid’s parents. Thankfully for her, this show isn’t yet ready to have actual consequence and they weren’t at home. But it does have Astrid thinking, the house was destroyed, what if they were home?

We see Stoick giving out orders to his guys, and smiling with a sense of pride when he sees Hiccup giving instructions to his team. I’m glad they don’t have the usual challenge of authority. It really speaks to how far their relationship has come. Hiccup’s going after the ship that attacked them, they suspect it Dagur but it seems odd that it was only a single ship rather than Dagur’s fleet that attacked.

He comes up empty anyway, and finds that the twins, rather than aiding with repairs have been looting all the destroyed houses because they’re idiots. Given Dagur’s heading, Hiccup decides to head back to Dragons Edge and use that as a base to search for Dagur. With no home to go to, Astrid decides to sleep at the arena and Hiccup decides to stay with her, with Snotlout and Fishlegs volunteering to do the same.

I guess the volunteered off-screen because they’re also there too. Astrid has trouble sleeping, and walks around, axe in hand. Stoick is there to provide some elderly wisdom. Although really of the main 6 only Hiccup and Astrid get any meaningful development, it’s nice to see them draw upon multiple sources.

All of the characters are wise in their own way and flawed in their own ways too. Hiccup is a brilliant strategist and inventor but always tends to doubt himself, and can often be a little too idealistic. Astrid is the bigger realist but her quickness to action can often land her and others in trouble. Stoic knows what it means to lead people, and understands the burden that can be, his flaws tend to be his rush to anger, leading to him not thinking things through. Gobber, like Astrid is a bit more of a realist and has the gift of craftsmanship but can also say the wrong things and put his foot in it.

I’d like to see a TV series do more with Valka, her wisdom comes with a vast wealth of experience outside of Berk. From what I can tell, she tends be less trusting but that flaw hasn’t had the time to show itself beyond surface level. I’m going way off topic, I like the scene with Stoick giving some advice to Astrid.

Astrid decides the next morning that she’s going to stay on Berk and train an auxiliary unit of Dragon Riders. And yes, it’s taken nearly a third of the episode to establish the main through-line. Hiccup decides to stay as well, sending the others out to look for Dagur, telling them to resupply at the edge. Oh boy, I know where this is going.

Practically all of Berk turns up, and Snotlout is particularly excited to see his father, I wish I was… I never thought I’d find a guy played by David Tennant I hate more than Kilgrave, but Spitelout is that awful, in the series, he has maybe 2 lines in the films. Other notable characters include Gustav, oh joy of joys, Gothi and Bucket and Mulch? Basically, all the minor characters from Berk from this series and the previous 2.

Turns out Dagur has been watching from the shadows and thanks to some information he has the general vicinity of their base. Astrid is a strict teacher to say the least. Poor Gothi. Back at the Snotlout is lazy and the twins are incompetent, so it’s up to Fishlegs to search for Dagur. Hiccup observes Astrid’s teaching, and is surprised how harsh she’s being, it’s almost like she wants them to fail.

Hiccup gives Astrid a quick pep-talk, again, it’s nice that each character can provide their own wisdom when appropriate. He decides to head back to Dragon’s edge for a bit, and come back. I’m just gonna stop mentioning how the travel to the Edge is supposed to take several days, I think I’ll go mad otherwise.

Hiccup arrives to find the Edge under siege by Dagur’s forces. Thankfully the dome is providing them with cover, and this buys them time to send a message for reinforcements. Astrid’s team ask to help, but Astrid tells them they’re not ready before heading off with Stoick. Dagur’s forces make landfall, but they seem to be holding their own as Astrid and Stoick arrive.

OK, animation error, they throw the net on top of Stoick and Skullcrusher, but in the next shot of them, Stoick’s on top of the net somehow. Stormfly is caught in a chain, Astrid comes down and briefly fights Dagur before one of Dagur’s crew gets the drop on her, about to strike the killing blow, Astrid is saved when Gustav, flying his new Monstrous Nightmare blasts the killing weapon.

And the rest of Astrid’s auxiliary team arrive, turning the tide in the riders’ favour. Hiccup rescues his father, most of the fleet is destroyed and what’s left decides to retreat. Astrid decides that they actually are ready and, oh no…, puts Gustav in charge. I think she may have taken a bump to the head.

A lot happens in this episode, maybe a little too much, this could’ve done with being a 2-parter. But it’s still got plenty of moments I like too.

Rating 7.5/10

Night of the Hunters part 1

The Sun rises on the Edge once again and Astrid is up training herself with some new manoeuvres. The land by the river which doesn’t do a good job casting a reflection before seeing trouble. She sees several ships docking on the island bearing the same insignia as the Valiant, the ship where they found the Dragon Eye.

They’re dragon hunters, rules with a semi-iron fist by our new villain, Ryker. He quickly spots Stormfly, and the hunters attack, with Ryker able to fire an arrow into Stormfly that weakens her. Astrid is shook off and Stormfly is captured, Astrid lands in water, clinging to bit of driftwood, weren’t they on the beach a second ago, she can’t be that far from the shore.

Apparently not as she’s still out there, clinging to the wreckage in the middle of a storm. This could’ve easily been solved if she’s spotted them out on the water. Ryker spotting her might’ve made more sense too. The rest of the team split up to find her, and Hiccup does so just as she finds herself losing grip on the log.

They take her back to the edge where she recovers and fills them in. The head back to the beach to look for clues, and Snotlout stumbles across one of their arrowheads. Fishlegs deduces it’s made of dragonroot at a high enough concentration to completely overwhelm a dragons’ senses to stop them from flying. They head back to the Valiant to see what other clues they can dig up. Though it seems like the ships have been stripped bare, they find another dragon eye lens, and an indication that a changewing would be the dragon that makes it useful.  

They head over to Changewing Island another animation downgrade is that these trees aren’t moving in the wind. I guess this is to be expected with TV budgets but it does look odd, especially since they’re in the background for quite some time. It’s funny because the water in the next scene is clearly moving, even if the lack of reflection is still jarring.

The Changewing is tied up, not sure that was Tuffnut’s doing, but it gets them the acid they need. They find what appears to be a hunter port, which is likely where they’re going next. We cut to the fleet which we see us fairly well dragon proofed. They attack doesn’t appear to go well, as Fishlegs and Meatleg are captured. Astrid ends up captured too for some reason.

Fishlegs feigns Meatlug being sick, to get the guard to open their cage. They free Stormfly but they don’t get far before Ryker has them dead to rights again. The twins are hit and Hiccup only barely manages to get an also hit Hookfang out of range. Turns out Gronkles are immune and Ryker knew this, using their escape plan to lure them in. As a result, the twins, as well as Barf and Belch have been captured.

We end the episode with the reveal that Heather is among Ryker’s crew and so is Dagur, wow, Dagur lost so badly in the last episode he resorted to this…

As an introduction to a new villain goes, Ryker is a decently intimidating villain who is intelligent and ruthless, generally par for the course for HTTYD villains.

Rating 8/10

Night of the Hunters part 2

Heather takes Astrid for a word with Ryker as Astrid berates what she sees as a betrayal of trust. It’s not exactly the first time, just saying. We don’t actually see Astrid’s interrogation, but it’s revealed she semi-cracked under the strain of lack of sleep, telling Ryker that the Dragon Eye is back at the edge, but lies and says it’s heavily guarded.

Hiccup has a new plan and stage 1, finding the Screaming death, the Titan form of the Whipsering death and major antagonist in Defenders of Berk. Not sure how it got to an island near the edge but…

They lure the Screaming death away as Hiccup needs something down in the tunnels. Heather summons the riders to meet Ryker. Each of their dragons is serving a purpose for him. Meatlug is being forced to make metal, Stormfly’s spine needles are perfect for arrowheads and Barf and Belch are being fattened up and greased so their hide can be sold at market. Ruffnut tries to beg and this just makes me hate that scene in the third movie even more. Because here, she’s making a play for the guards keys.

Hiccup and Snolout find moulted scales of the Screaming Death and get to work collecting them. The others make their play, knocking out the two guards and going to rescue their dragons. Fishlegs notices that they’re able to make Gronkle iron, which is very strong and seeks to find out the formula. He created it by accident in an episode of Riders/Defenders of Berk.

Barf and Belch are less happy to be rescued as they’re being pampered, and as the twins approach, they trip an alarm. Whilst the others are cornered by guards, Astrid encounters Heather. We see all them brought before Ryker, apparently the battle went in Heather’s favour, hahahahahaha, no, not buying it. Anyway, Heather suggests they get put to work, separated so they can’t plot together. There’s a mention of a villain named Viggo, and we will get to him, just not today.

Them getting to work actually proves beneficial to the riders. Ruffnut regains the affection of Barf and Belch whilst Fishlegs works out the formula for Gronkle Iron. Like me, Tuffnut is surprised that Heather beat her in a fight. Hiccup and Snotlout have created armour with the screaming death scales and come in for the attack. The others uses this as an opportunity and Astrid manages to beat Heather.

The gang reunite and fly away but Ryker doesn’t seem that upset, they’re one step closer to the Dragon Eye apparently.

This episode gives us a good display for most of the characters, both in comedic and serious situations. Ryker is a little on the dull side but there’s time for that to improve. That addition of Dagur and Heather definitely helps.

Rating 8/10