“You and Toothless came together for a very specific reason at a very specific time.”

Sixth and Final Season: Race to the Edge

It’s the final season of the show, so the stakes are even higher.  We have a new antagonist that was totally unexpected the first time around.  And now they’re looking for a King of Dragons.

Johann and his cronies do not find the King of Dragons on their lens; they must need more in In Plain Sight.  Krogan and Viggo differ on their methods of retrieving lenses.  Johann suggests they figure out how to persuade Hiccup to give up his lenses. 

So, meanwhile at Dragon’s Edge, Dagur stops by and discovers that of course, Hiccup has built his own Dragon Eye.  But he needs more gems to properly make it work.  That’s when Johann drops by and he’d be glad to help Hiccup acquire the appropriate gems (now we can hear the wheedling and conniving in his voice).  Just like Heather, Oswald left a Dragon Eye lens for Dagur, except his was lost years ago, though he has an idea where it is.  Snotlout goes with Dagur to retrieve that and the twins invite themselves along to the Northern Market with Johann and Hiccup.

Some Hunters try to trap Hiccup at the market and get the lenses, but Toothless rescues Hiccup.  The twins point out the irony of the trap, but Hiccup willingly goes with Johann to get the final gems, in the lair of the Sandblaster.  Except, as we’ve noticed, the twins often will speak the truth amongst their gibberish and chaos.  And Hiccup has learned to listen; he realized Johann was playing Hiccup.  Why else did the trader suggest bringing all the lenses?  Why would the Hunters ask for the lenses?  He even rattles off the clues Johann has dropped through the years, giving them just the right or wrong information as needed.

Johann has been a traitor since Breakneck Bog (all the way back in the first season of Riders of Berk); probably got annoyed by the dragons and the teens.  He desires the King of Dragons so he can become the richest man on Earth.  His tales have been stolen from real merchants that he disposed of once he sank their ships and took their cargo.  He also wants to rid the archipelago of Hiccup and his Dragon Riders.  “But you have the most annoying habit of not dying when you’re supposed to.”  [Bit harsh for a so-called children’s show.]  Johann makes a grab for Hiccup’s bag, but it doesn’t have the lenses in it.  Johann manages to escape, but Hiccup knows they’ll get another shot.  Dagur has his lens and now it’s a race: “first person to find all five lenses reveals the King of Dragons.”  “Game on,” Hiccup declares.

Unfortunately, Hiccup now has to inform his father of Johann’s treachery.  Stoick’s decisions in No Bark, All Bite, is to burn everything Johann has recently brought.  His argument is to make sure none of the food is poisoned.  Hiccup has a different opinion on how to do things, so he butts heads with Stoick.  He did invite three of the most trustworthy merchants in the archipelago to stop by and vie for Berk’s trade.  Stoick quickly dismisses them because none of them had willow bark, which they need for their medicines.  Hiccup and Stoick will go get some bark; Gobber offers to stay behind and try out all the merchants.

Flyers tail the duo and set fire to the islands where they can get the bark.  Hiccup and Stoick continue to bicker, then realize that there’s a larger plan at work.  In fact, the Hunters have invaded Berk and hold its people hostage (seems the merchants weren’t so trustworthy.)  The Riders work on escaping as Hiccup and Stoick fly back.  Stoick faces off versus Krogan, but the man manages to slink away at the end instead of fighting against more of the Riders.  Stoick tells his son that he and Berk need Hiccup, though the teen intends to return to the Edge to fight against the Hunters.  Dagur, proving to be good ally, sends the willow bark that Berk needs.

Hiccup sets up a summit at Defender of the Wing island to fill his allies in on Johann’s treachery in Chain of Command.  At Wingmaiden island, Snotlout bonds with Minden about how they’re passed over for the more important roles of authority.  Minden repeatedly tries to prove herself, but often chooses the wrong option; like moving all the guards to the other side of the island to combat a fire; it was a distraction.  She feels like she’s not longer worthy of being a Wingmaiden.  Snotlout points out that he never said she should quit, but deal with there are some people their leaders will choose over them.  “I’m an idiot, ask anyone.”

Meanwhile, at the Defenders of the Wing island, Dagur meets Mala and they end up bonding; well, the twins try to mediate between them when the two leaders bicker.  And they bond and Mala rides with Dagur when they come to help rescue Hiccup and Toothless.  Krogan once again retreats and the Riders hide their lenses on Wingmaiden island.  As they fly back to the Edge, Hiccup states that Snotlout is indeed a valuable member of the tribe, though he’ll have to fight Astrid for some of the tasks.

There is apparently a Loyal Order of Ingerman and Fishlegs is distressed to discover that his family was known for hunting Dramillion dragons.  [How is this different than any other family in Berk?  All of Berk fought dragons until Hiccup shot one down and then rode it into battle.]  Astrid goes along with Fishlegs to find the rest of the Dramillions and make sure they’re not extinct.  Nope, not extinct, but there are Hunters who train using them, so the two have to set the Dramillions free.  Meanwhile, the twins and Snotlout try their hands at educating a group of kids from Berk, which goes about as well as one can expect from Snotlout and the twins.  “How is it that three dragon riders who have gone head-to-head with Viggo Grimborn can’t handle three children from Berk?” Hiccup quips.

Fishlegs gains the trust of the Dramillions by echoing many of Hiccup’s actions: tossing his Viking helmet aside, and holding out his hand to the dragon’s nose.  The three children do emerge from the woods, having proved themselves to their new trainers and are eager to rejoin Fishlegs for more education.

Gruffnut returns in A Gruff Separation to moderate the Thorston Induction Trials for the twins, though he claims there is only one spot open in the family.  At first, neither twin will compete, but he talks them around separately.  The first challenge is to acquire Speed Stinger venom, which they’ll use in the second challenge to freeze Changewings in order to grab some of their molted skin (which works a bit like an visibility cloak.)  The twins don’t fully trust Gruff and neither does Hiccup, so he follows them through the challenges.  The third challenge is to go into a nest of Titanwing Zipplebacks and retrieve a chest.  The twins ultimately work together because Ruff won’t leave Tuff to be eaten.  Gruff takes the chest, supposedly back to Berk.  And his story gets a gaping hole in it when their aunt arrives on the Edge to administer the trails.  We find out that the chest has a lens in it, but the conclusion of the story won’t play out for a few episodes.

The relationship between Dagur and Mala goes well and in Mi Amore Wing, they announce they are getting married and ask Hiccup to be the best man.  They act very lovey-dovey and Astrid notices the differences in her relationship with Hiccup.  Hiccup quips that he’s never seen Dagur so passionate about anything, except killing me.  Astrid wears the betrothal medallion, to see if Hiccup notices.  He’s distracted by a dragon problem and doesn’t notice.  He spots a Dragon Eye lens on the Armorwing, before he notices the medallion, which does not earn him any points with Astrid.  She goes so far as to give the medallion back to Hiccup.  But, when Krogan turns up and it becomes a race to get the lens, Astrid takes Hiccup’s hand.  “I’m with you.”  “I know.”

Afterwards Hiccup tosses the lens to protect Dagur and Krogan flies off with it, Hiccup admits that he’s taken Astrid for granted.  Yes, their relationship is different from Dagur’s and Mala’s; it’s built on years of friendship.  But he couldn’t have done any of the big things; the Riders, the Edge, without Astrid.  “You’ve always been there for me, and I want to always be there for you.  I love you, Astrid Hofferson, with everything I have.  And I always will.”  He returns the medallion to Astrid and kisses her.

With Krogan and the Hunters gaining another lens, Hiccup decides it’s wise to move their lenses from Wingmaiden island as a precaution.  They arrive on the island when it’s time for a new batch of baby Razorwhips to pick their maiden who will be their protector.  One decides that Ruffnut is their person, much to Ruffnut’s annoyance.  Tuffnut is eager to help and secretly does the training tasks for his twin sister, bestowing the name “Wingnutt” on the baby dragon.  Ruff struggles to bond with the dragon and the dragon won’t go to anyone else.  She attempts to give up, but spots a Hunter ambush and goes into action with Wingnutt.  Astrid commands the Riders as Hiccup faces off with Krogan.  Ruff recues Atali, but still refuses to remain on Wingmaiden island afterwards.  She’s still a Dragon Rider and since men aren’t allowed and the island and Ruffnut won’t be separated from Tuffnut…  Wingnutt decides to stay with Atali in Ruff Transition.

Johann seals Viggo inside a cave with a Monstrous Nightmare in Triple Cross.  Next, Hiccup goes to find another lens, alone, based off a note from Stoick.  But he’s prepared when Viggo pops out; he’s learned a few things over the years.  The two adversaries face off and Viggo has his own fire sword, with a few improvements [some of those will be incorporated in Hiccup’s next sword.]  Viggo’s sword emits Zippleback gas, which gets his breathing room to ask Hiccup for help against Krogan and Johann.  He tells Hiccup that Krogan is employed by a mysterious buyer from the North [Drago], not Johann.  Viggo has come for the Skrill, who is the Singetail’s natural predator.

He’s learned from Hiccup about dragons.  The Monstrous Nightmare protected Viggo in the cave in.  And Viggo won’t hurt the Skirll; it’s a magnificent creature; he’d never torture it.  That’s something Hiccup never thought he’d hear his adversary say.

When they enact their plan, Viggo gives Hiccup to Johann, but he won’t kill Hiccup when all three men argue.  That’s Hiccup’s cue for his part of the plan to get Johann’s lenses.  It’s another trap and Viggo comes by to help Hiccup get out.  It will be Viggo’s last stand; he already has several arrow wounds.  The Skrill stands beside Viggo against the Hunters while Hiccup and Toothless escape, despite Hiccup’s protests.  He covers the Maces and Talons board at the Edge, a bit in memory of Viggo.

Astrid wants to check on Garff in Family Matters.  Hiccup tries to warn her not to; they don’t want the Hunters to find him.  But, Hiccup can’t win an argument against Astrid.  And indeed, when they find the adult Deathsong and go to free it, Garff is captured.  The Riders are forced to retreat and they wonder why the Singetails won’t leave the island.  Turns out, it’s a hatchery.  Throughout all of this, Snotlout is composing a book (which Hiccup and Astrid call a short story and a work of fiction.)  The Riders eventually come up with a plan to get all the eggs out and all the dragons to leave, and free the two Deathsongs.

Darkest Night is where the season starts wrapping up.  Stoick is patrolling at night, alone, when the Flyers attack.  He and Skullcrusher are knocked down; Stoick has to bat away fireballs with his axe.  Gobber and the A-Team rescue Stoick before it’s too late, but he’s badly hurt.  Hiccup and the other Riders rush back to Berk.  Spitelout speaks at a council meeting that it’s time they take the offensive Johann.  Snotlout agrees with his father; they need the right strategy and right leader.  Spitelout says that if Stoick can’t be chief, someone needs to step in.  That would mean Hiccup.  Hiccup’s not ready to take on even the temporary mantle of chief; he’s not ready to give up on his father getting better.

Hiccup blames himself for this mess.  If he had never left for the Edge, none of this would have happened.  His friends come by because they can’t sleep either and start theorizing what life would be like if they had stayed on Berk.  The twins figure they would have gone full Loki and chaos would rein, with Johann and Dagur still attacking, but Berk would be less prepared.  Fishlegs thinks that there would have been peace.  Snotlout bursts his bubble and loudly proclaims that he would have been the favored Viking and engaged to Astrid instead.  Hiccup puts a loud end to their storytelling.  It doesn’t matter what story they come up with.

“We trained the dragons. We left Berk. And my father is on his deathbed because of it, because of me. None of this would have happened…if I had never shot down Toothless in the first place. You know it, I know it. Berk knows it. Everyone knows it! Even he [Toothless] knows it.”

He storms off for some privacy, but Toothless finds him.  Hiccup apologizes.  Then Astrid finds him and tells him a different story.  If Hiccup had missed that shot those years ago, Stoick would have eventually made Hiccup complete his training and kill a dragon.  Hiccup mocks Stoick in the cove on why killing a beast that’s minding its own business suddenly makes you a man, when Toothless shows up.  Hiccup accidentally catches him, but still can’t bring himself to kill the Night Fury.  Toothless gets free and yells at Hiccup, but then a Screaming Death appears.  Both Hiccup and Toothless attempt to protect the other, including a wild flight.  They’re both knocked out at certain points and Stoick comes thundering up to scare off the Screaming Death.  Same as after the Red Death, Toothless kept Hiccup safe, though the young Viking still lost his leg.  So ultimately, the pair come together as they are.  As Astrid told Hiccup earlier, they came together for a reason.  Hiccup agrees, he’s exactly where he’s supposed to be.  He’d ultimately still be out there fighting for dragons; all of his friends would end up right where they are.

Hiccup’s not giving up on his dad, but he has to stop Johann and the Flyers, or none of what’s happened will matter.  Then more bad news at the end of the episode; Heather brings word that the Flyers have attacked Vanaheim.

In Guardians of Vanaheim, Stoick wakes up long enough to tell Hiccup to do what he needs to do.  Luckily, Alvin and some Outcasts arrive to help keep an eye on Stoick and protect Berk.  The Riders find fires on Vanaheim and the Sentinel dragons down, seemingly dead.  There’s one Flyer left that tells them that word is on its way back to Johann.  Fishlegs remains behind when Meatlug won’t leave the Sentinels; the rest of the Riders race after the Flyers.  They’re forced to regroup and Hiccup now starts worrying about making the wrong decision; a lot is riding on what he decides.  Astrid calms him down; the young man makes a hundred decisions a day, they’re not all going to be correct.  What is important is that Hiccup keeps going after making a mistake.

Meatlug is able to wake up the Sentinels with her lava; and some help from the twins (cause they’ll take any excuse to start a big fire).  Johann doesn’t make it to Vanaheim, but he does have Gruffnut and the Dragon Eye lens.

The season ends with the two-parter King of Dragons.  Legend says that the King of Dragons uses its mind to control other dragons.  The Riders think it’s a Titanwing Dramillion based on what lenses they have.  As the Riders get ready to head out, Spitelout brings word that Stoick’s condition has worsened.  He’s not dead, but the council has called Hiccup back to Berk to be acting chief.  The teens start packing up, with Astrid keeping them in line.  Hiccup ultimately decides that he’s going after Johann; the chief doesn’t have to follow orders, well, Stoick never did.  Spitelout goes with the Riders when they find the Hunter navy.

The twins rescue Gruffnut, but he talks them and Spitelout into going back for something important.  (They ultimately leave him on a beach later.)  Turns out, the Titanwing Dramillion can cloak itself like a Changewing.  It’s a battle to try to either capture the dragon or protect it.  The Hunters get him and cart him away.  Later, the Riders find him left to die and bring him to Defenders of the Wing island for care.  There, his fire reveals the final puzzle in the Dragon Eye for the King of Dragons.  Hiccup had been thinking that the Dramillion couldn’t be the king, because the skeletons don’t match.  The final showdown will take place on Berserker Island.

Once again, when the Riders manage to surround Krogan on Berserker Island, he retreats.  Oddly, the Singetails can’t get too close to the island, something prevents them.  The king must be beneath the island, using its mind control.  Wingmaidens arrive to bolster the Riders and Astrid takes charge after she tells Hiccup to go protect the king from Krogan and Johann.  (They do have enough time for a kiss.)

The king indeed has as strange blast; ice rather than fire.  [It’s a Bewilderbeast.]  Hiccup finds an egg and tries to get it to safety, but is pinned down by Johann and Krogan.  Hiccup ends up over the cliff and starts to climb up using his fire sword and his peg leg.  Johann grabs the egg, but they all fight over it.  Toothless protects Hiccup, then Hiccup orders him after Krogan and the egg.  Now it’s just Johann and Hiccup.  Johann quips how ironic it will be that the final resting place for the champion of dragons will be in the King of Dragon’s birth nest.  A blast from the king freezes Johann and gives Hiccup a chance to climb up, made a little more difficult when his sword breaks (ice plus fire).  Hiccup never actually sees the king.

We see a whole flock of dragons; all the dragons we’ve seen in the show arrive to help defend the king of dragons.  Garff recues Astrid.  Fishlegs and Snotlout both rescue Ruffnut.  Krogan manages to get away, but Toothless has the egg.  When Krogan reports to Drago, Drago refuses to give the man another chance, he motions for him to be killed.  They’ll just have to find another king of dragons.

The Wingmaidens know of someone who can care for the egg, so they leave it in a special spot.  A mysterious figure [Valka] retrieves the egg.  Astrid and Hiccup share a kiss at Dagur and Mala’s wedding, where Snotlout and Fishlegs start vying for Ruffnut’s attention.  The Riders officially leave the Edge (though the buildings remain).  Stoick recovers, but Hiccup figures his father will try to hand the reins over soon.  They destroy both Dragon Eyes; they’re chocked full of information on dragons, but in the wrong hands, they would be very dangerous. 

“We are older, stronger, braver, and in some cases wiser… We return to Berk ready for anything, ready for anyone, ready to fight for our dragons and they are ready to fight for us.”

 This all sets up the second movie; excellent tie-in.  Though there is a question to be asked: where were all of these allies when Drago moved against Berk?  The simple answer is, these allies weren’t written into the timeline until after the second movie had come out, so they weren’t available to be used.  Also, parts of this, like the attack on Stoick, become so much more poignant after the second movie.

I liked Astrid’s story best of all in Darkest Night because it’s the most plausible.  While the twins would undoubtedly go full Loki with nothing to take up their time, their tales always descend into the absurd.  And there’s no evidence to support either Fishleg’s or Snotlout’s ideas.  Yes, Hiccup would have to prove himself to his father.  And he quickly learned once he was in dragon training that he didn’t want to kill them.  He’d figure out some way to befriend them.

It’s sweet that Dagur and Mala got together and definitely not something we could have seen coming.  Hiccup does have a point that his and Astrid’s relationship is very different than theirs; Astrid has always been Hiccup’s second in command and Snotlout has wisely learned that.  He’s still searching for his exact place and has proven on occasion to be a decent leader.

We see Hiccup get a little more ruthless.  He almost attacks the Flyer on Vanaheim, but puts his sword in the sand.  He fires an arrow directly at Krogan, only for the Singetail to bat it away.  He’s also gotten good at throwing bolas.  He’s developed skills that help with dragon riding, but don’t center completely on dragon riding.

This will play into the second movie, but Hiccup has gotten good at persuading people to the good qualities of dragons.  He persuaded his father and all of Berk.  Alvin and Dagur are now allies because they discovered they couldn’t best Hiccup and it was better to have dragons as friends than enemies.  Hiccup’s even gotten Viggo Grimborn to respect dragons and want to protect them rather than hunt and sell them.  That was something we did not expect when he was introduced.  Krogan’s proven to be more of a blunt instrument, with very little of the finesse and charm that Viggo displays.  There would be no turning him, since he delights in using dragons to attack the Riders.  And there’s no turning Johann.  He hid his disdain for years, masterfully.  Hiccup is learning what sort of people are out in the world.  Some can be reasoned with, some cannot.  There are more dragons than they ever thought of; and again, some can be reasoned with, and some cannot.

Hiccup continues to develop as a leader.  The Berk council is willing to name him acting chief when Stoick is incapacitated.  He speaks well with other leaders who are undoubtedly older than him.  He’s gained their trust as an expert on dragons.  He’s finally settled into a friendship with Dagur and stands as his best man at his wedding.

I love this show like I love the movies.  There are episodes I willingly watch over and over for how the characters act, for little scenes that pop up.  The teens get to grow into young adults and have adventures and some crazy times.  What teen hasn’t wanted a super cool clubhouse with their friends?  The show is a wonderful bridge between the first two movies and I’m now kind of eager to watch the second movie soon.  First, I will step back and work on some stories for a few weeks, but never fear, How to Train Your Dragon 2 blog will be coming.

“Please don’t kill me, I’ll never hear the end of it from my dragon…why don’t I ever listen to my dragon?”

Season 5: Race to the Edge

`           A lot more ties to the second movie pop up in this season.  Reminder, the second movie came out before this series began, but storyline-wise, this all happens before the film.

            So, Living on the Edge picks up with the aftermath of the volcano erupting at the end of Season 4.  Aftershocks rock the island and most of the team is ready to leave.  Even Astrid tells Hiccup “it might be time to head back to Berk.  Viggo and Ryker are gone.  The Dragon Eye is destroyed.  Even Mother Natures is telling us to go.”  Softer, “Hiccup, we won.  We can go home now.”  Hiccup finally agrees, though he says they need to stabilize the island and relocate the dragons first.  That’s when Johann arrives with news.  Astrid and Hiccup go to investigate and find an injured Garff.  He was recently injured, meaning the Hunters are still active and still a threat.  Hiccup and the other Riders decide that they can’t go home yet.

            We see that the Dragon Hunters have a new leader, the mysterious cloaked bounty hunter.  He’s been using the adult Death Song to lure in dragons.  Some of his hunters think that’s cheating.  The man seems to allow a discussion, but then eliminates the naysayers a few minutes later.

            Hiccup and Astrid are preparing to make their betrothal official in Sandblasted.  Hiccup already has his betrothal gift for Astrid, but Astrid is desperately seeking a gift good enough for Hiccup.  He’s not an ordinary Viking; he has a Night Fury, a suit made of yak hides for flying, a sword that ignites on command, and he will be the next chief of Berk.  She enlists Fishleg’s help in finding a gift.

            Once again, the Riders head off to investigate information that Trader Johann has sent them.  In the course of the day, Snotlout allows Hiccup’s gift to Astrid to be taken, so Hiccup and Snotlout have to chase after the guy.  They disappear into the beach where many merchants have met the same fate.  There’s a new dragon that blasts something that turns into glass they have to avoid.  It also dislikes sunlight, which is why is hides in a cave under the beach.

            Astrid leads the other Riders to find Hiccup and Snotlout even admits he won’t leave without Hiccup (he’s come a long way, especially since the Thawfest games).  After all the commotion, Hiccup and Astrid get a moment alone.  Hiccup’s gift is the charm his father used for his mother, now strung as a necklace.  Astrid admits she doesn’t have a gift for Hiccup.  Hiccup is fine with that; she is the only gift he needs.  Astrid has always been a part of their family and Hiccup hopes she always will be.  The episode ends with Hiccup noticing that a sword one of the other Riders has picked up is Viggo’s sword.  How did Viggo’s sword end up somewhere else?

            Next, the Riders are invited to Berserker Island to watch an apprentice graduate in Something Rotten on Berserker Island.  That apprentice turns out to be Gustav, which annoys Snotlout, since Gustav has always been trying to copy Snotlout.  And Dagur makes up new nicknames for Snotlout.  Hiccup is a little surprised to see Savage back with the Berserkers.  Hiccup was right to note his appearance, because Savage tries to take over the island.  He knocks out the dragons and puts Dagur in prison.  Snotlout and Gustav have to work together to get the Berserker chief out and then all the Riders go into battle without their dragons.  Which hey, just proves that Hiccup can now.  Also, turns out that the apprenticeship was made up; Dagur took Gustav off Stoick’s hands as a favor.

            In Snotlout’s Angels, Snotlout says something so heinous to Astrid that he has to fly away immediately.  We don’t hear what it is, but all of the Riders agree that Astrid is right to try to beat Snotlout up.  Hiccup does insist they need to find Snotlout regardless. 

            Snotlout manages to find an island full of Viking women, who call themselves Wing Maidens, partly due to the fact that they have dragons on their backs.  While there, Snotlout is called out for his attitude towards women.  Heather, Astrid, and Ruffnut figure they need to go in to retrieve Snotlout and discover that the Wing Maidens tend to baby Razor Whips, who would otherwise be prey to male Razor Whips.  They watch over then until they’re strong enough to defend themselves.  Heather’s Razor Whip, Windshear, would have been raised for a time on their island.  The Riders have gained new friends and Snotlout admits that all he had to do was be nice to Astrid, instead of opening his yap.

            On Defenders of the Wing island, the new Great Protector takes on his duties; there is a changing of the guard in A Matter of Perspective.  Gronk and Mala explain that the old Great Protector will retire to Vanaheim, the final resting place of dragons.  It is a well-earned rest and a day to rejoice, not to mourn.  He is lucky to have led such a meaningful life.  The twins decide to try to find Vanaheim, even after Hiccup warns them they should not.  So the other Riders have to follow them in turn.  What appears to be Sentinel statues are actually stony dragons that want to protect the weary dragons on the land and keep other dragons, and humans away.

            The Riders manage to get past the Sentinels when they cover themselves in the fruit that grows on the island and insists to the other Riders, especially the twins, that this part of dragon culture needs to remain secret.  They can tell no one about the island.  From the sky as the Riders fly away, we can see that there is a large dragon skeleton on the island [Spoiler from the second movie: it’s a Bewilderbeast.]

            The Outcasts come to Hiccup and the Riders to report that Alvin has been kidnapped in Return of Thor Bonecrusher.  Snotlout insists that they should bring Thor Bonecrusher back in order to retrieve Alvin.  Hiccup advises no, because Thor was very arrogant.  Fishlegs wants to help, so he goes to Snotlout; on the conditions that he’s not so heroic and dangerous, and that he still loves Meatlug.  Snotlout also makes sure that Fishlegs can be brought back by clapping.  Except he said for Fishlegs to be anti-heroic.  So, Thor does not follow the plan, though they find out that whoever has Alvin wants a particular fish in exchange.  Weird.  During the fight, Snotlout claps to bring Fishlegs back, but Thor remains.  However, it did actually work and Fishlegs just pretended to still be Thor to continue with the plan. 

            They get Alvin back and we discover the new baddie’s name is Krogan.  Oh, and he’s working with Viggo, who is still alive and scarred, isn’t that grand.

            Hiccup and Astrid head off together to find ingredients for Hiccup’s secret project in Dawn of Destruction.  Snotlout brought up how the couple seems to only have time for each other now, and not their other friends.  Hiccup and Astrid both tell each other they don’t want to forget their friends, but they still want personal time together.  Astrid comments that she likes sensitive Hiccup.  Hiccup warns her not to tell his father.  Oh, Stoick already knows, everyone knows.  It’s what makes Hiccup such a great friend and leader and boyfriend.

            While they’re gone, Krogan has a group of Singetails attack the Edge.  He has a group of men flying them, whipping them into obedience.  The Riders attempt to fight them off.  Viggo gets on the island and makes his way back to the volcano.  He argues with Krogan that he doesn’t take orders from anyone, and that Krogan came looking for Viggo.  These two are uneasy allies.

            Snotlout is actually doing a decent job of leading the Riders in their fight against the Flyers, but they’re very happy that Hiccup and Astrid show up.  Hiccup makes the call for them to retreat, though he makes sure to destroy his hut before they finally leave.  They head for Defenders of the Wing island and are welcomed by Mala.  Fishlegs reveals that he and Snotlout snuck into Hiccup’s hut at the beginning of the fight to retrieve Hiccup’s secret project: a new Dragon Eye.  We see that Viggo is searching for the original one.

            Mala and Throk help cheer up the dejected Riders in the first part of Wings of War.  They have personal recommendations for each person, such as training for Snotlout and boars for the twins.  Viggo warns Krogan that Hiccup is a formidable adversary, and yes, he respects Hiccup’s ingenuity.  Krogan warns Viggo against the sentiment and sends his Flyers to the Defenders of the Wing to chase the Riders away. 

            They head back to Berk.  Stoick takes charge; he knows how to lead in a war; and knows what dragons are like under the influence of evil men.  He advises Hiccup that it’s more important to win the war than the battle [he also has a flashback to something we will see in the second movie.]  However, Stoick also holds that is may come to having to fire on the Singetails if they want to take down the Flyers.  Hiccup cannot hold to that; there has to be another way.  He flies off to think about it.  Stoick goes to Astrid with a plan.

            Hiccup’s plan is to go study Singetails, though he gets in a spot of trouble and separated from Toothless, though he finds Spitelout instead.  Spitelout has wanted revenge on the Singetails for ruining his off-Berk supply storage.  But that means he’s learned a bit about Singetails, and even named many of them.  Of course some sort of -lout name, but are we surprised?  Hiccup gets an idea and flies back to Berk, only to find Gustav, who tells him that Stoick and the other Riders have launched a pre-emptive strike on the Flyers.  Hiccup’s not sure a pre-emptive strike is a good idea, but he, Gustav, and Spitelout fly after everyone.  Hiccup uses what he learned from Spitelout and the Singetails to get the dragons distracted and shoot off their flyers.

            While Garff has bonded with Stormfly in No Dragon Left Behind, it is time for him to find a new home, because he’s not safe for the other dragons.  Fishlegs thinks he’s found the perfect island, but it’s not as uninhabited as he thought.  There are giant snake-like dragons called Slitherwings on the island, which are very poisonous.  It looks like Stormfly is hit defending Garff and Astrid is desperate for the antidote, which requires Slitherwing venom.  When the other Riders fail to get the venom, she punches a Slitherwing to acquire it.  But the antidote is only working on Astrid, not Stormly.

            Hiccup and Snotlout meanwhile, look for Garff.  They find him encased in his amber.  Luckily, Stormfly comes to the rescue with a new, powerful blast.  Stormfly hadn’t been poisoned, she had been depressed because she couldn’t keep Garff from harm.  Fishlegs finds a better island the next time.

            Tuffnut goofs off during the Changewing migration in Snuffnut.  Throk also comes to the Edge because he’s in love with Ruffnut and desires to take her away to be his bride.  Though his idea of courtship does not match up with that the teens learned in Berk and Hiccup has to guide Astrid away before she hurts their guest.  Fishlegs is left to educate Throk.  Throk makes his intentions known to Ruffnut, but she turns him down when he only invites her, not Tuffnut as well.  She takes her status as a twin very seriously; they’re a package deal. 

            Hiccup and Astrid point out to Tuffnut that Ruffnut could be giving up her own happiness with Throk to remain with Tuffnut.  So, Tuffnut stages his death by Changewing.  But Ruffnut still won’t leave.  This Changewing will be her new brother.  Throk understands a bit and tries to bond with the dragon.  Hiccup and Astrid knew that Tuffnut wasn’t dead and make him show himself.  Throk leaves the island alone, saying that for the good of the archipelago, he cannot split up Ruffnut and Tuffnut.

            Dagur and Heather are still searching for their father in the next episode, but Dagur worries that Heather’s obsession is going to get her hurt.  “As someone who’s spent most of their life in various states of existential crises,” I know meaningless.  He likes having a sister and doesn’t want anything bad to happen to her.  He sneaks the diary away from Heather and takes it to Hiccup.  He also wants Hiccup to tell Heather that there’s nothing in the diary and to give up on the search, but Hiccup recognizes a few drawings.  Oswald was on Vanaheim.

            When Hiccup sees the skeleton of the dragon again on the island, he comments that it’s even larger than the Red Death (the dragon he went against at the end of the first movie).  There are other dragons that he spots.  They apparently hunt the aging dragons and Oswald gave them the name ‘Grim Gnashers.’  Hiccup, Fishlegs, and Dagur found Oswald’s hut, his notes, and his body (they don’t show that on screen, but we do see the stone cairn they erect.)  The guys figure that Oswald ended up shipwrecked on the island and got along with the Sentinels, defending the gaining dragons on the island.  He left notes for both of his children and tells Dagur in his that he’s proud of his son.  Dagur admits to Hiccup that he feels guilty; he was a villain.  Hiccup disputes that Dagur was a kid, albeit misunderstood, diabolical, and slightly maniacal.

            The guys help drive off the Grim Gnashers and earn the Sentinels’ trust.  They’re allowed to leave the island.  Fishlegs takes Oswald’s research.  Meanwhile, back on the edge, the other Riders have been searching for Chicken, who apparently has a secret family, with Snotlout oddly narrating the entire time.  Heather is not at the Edge.  Instead, she has met with Johann, who tells her he has information that Oswald is alive.

            When Hiccup, Fishlegs, and Dagur find that out in Sins of the Past, they quickly fly to the Northern Market; it is obviously a trap.  Heather’s contact leads her to Krogan, who captures Wind Shear.  Krogan proposes a deal; he’ll give back Wind Shear if Heather hands over the Dragon Eye lens that has been on her belt this entire time.  Heather agrees, for Wind Shear.  But Krogan drops the cage into the ocean.  Luckily, Dagur is there to rescue his sister and her dragon.  They try to get the lens back, passing it between the various Riders, but Krogan does end up with the lens.  And gives it to Trader Johann who SURPRISE, is a bad guy all along!  He’s in search of the King of Dragons.

            Each season’s villain ups the ante.  Now we have Krogan who does not mind lulling his men into a false sense of security and then personally killing them.  Viggo was a bit like that, but he also respects Hiccup as an adversary.  Krogan does not.  Krogan’s men are disposable to him.  Viggo tries to advise Krogan to keep some Flyers back when they take the Edge, but Krogan senses victory and sends them all, then Hiccup pulls out a trick.

            We’ve already seen Alvin and Dagur turn from adversaries to allies.  Hiccup admits that Dagur was not always the best guy, but he’s changed; he’s grown.  Oswald was right to be proud of his son.  And I did not see the betrayal of Johann AT ALL the first time I watched the show.  Now, it does color how you view him the entire time during re-watches.  When do we get the clue that he can’t be trusted?  This will develop more in the final season.

            Astrid and Hiccup grow as a couple, as they grow up.  They are the future of Berk.  They learn to support each other and also learn to balance remaining close to their friends and peers and also sneaking some alone time.  Their feelings for each other have developed beyond crushes; Hiccup admits that Astrid has been a part of his family for a while.  Astrid lists a myriad of good qualities that Hiccup has.

            All the teens are growing.  Snotlout can lead the Riders decently in a fight, though Astrid and Hiccup still excel in that.  Hiccup easily takes charge of any group of riders when he’s around, and everyone lets him, including Stoick.  Stoick knows war, but even that is changing, though it means he still has some things to teach his son.  And they’re going to butt heads at some point on how to deal with an adversary.  Hiccup will always want to protect dragons, even if he recognizes that they can be harmful and there may be a line that comes when he can’t, when the safety of his people comes before saving a dragon.

            It’s nice to see Snotlout learn a lesson to keep his mouth shut and not insult women.  Whether it sticks or not is yet to be seen.  The twins still have their moments of brilliance, amongst their crazy.  And even the fact that Ruffnut is a woman is brought to attention and the idea that other guys may find her attractive and the twins may have to separate.

            Hiccup’s world is expanding.  He is gaining new allies and keeps coming across new information about dragons.  There are Slitherwings and Grim Gnashers.  The dragons’ final resting place in Vanaheim.  An island of woman who take care of Razor Whips.  Throk and Mala are friends to the Riders.  And Hiccup continues to grow as a leader.  He can spar with Astrid without immediately ducking for cover; kind of cool to watch.

            We’re heading into the last season of Race to the Edge and I might actually get that up soon.  More puzzle pieces fall into place.

(A side note; the writing is coming along well, as is making the tiniest dent in my TBR pile).

“Whatever it is, I bet it’s the twins’ fault.”

First, my deepest apologies for the lengthy delay.  You may be aware that I managed to get distracted my new-to-me fandoms last year.  There are still some projects connected with those that I need to work on, but I am really going to try to finish the How to Train Your Dragon portion this year.  I do thank everyone who has been reading these posts in the meantime.  I am…astounded.

Anyways, on with the show!

Season Four: Race to the Edge

The second part of Defenders of the Wing opens the season with Hiccup managing to convince Mala that Viggo has used the Dragon Riders.  They were all tricked.  Mala agrees to go with Hiccup to save the Eruptadon, though she also threatens to kill him if anything goes wrong.  She starts to realize how well Hiccup and Toothless works together and marvels at their harmony in flying; it’s rather magical.  They find Viggo’s ship and attack.  But there’s no Viggo and no dragon; another misdirection.

No, Viggo is at Dragon’s Edge, with the intention of using the Eruptadon to destroy the Riders’ base going through the crust of the dormant volcano.  (Apparently a classic Maces and Talons move.)  Hiccup and Mala make it to the Edge to attack Viggo there, Mala having great fun taking out several of the Hunters.  She now understands that Hiccup and his friends are not enemies to dragons and that he recognizes the good of the many outweighs the good of the few. 

With some help from Gronkles on the island, the lava is stopped from getting to their headquarters.  The Dragon Riders and the Defenders of the Wing are now officially allies.  The village even puts up with the twins’ antics, though undoubtedly pleased when the Riders head back to the Edge.  Viggo is displeased with the outcome; he had been expecting a victory.  Hiccup keeps interfering with his plans.

We then find out that Ruffnut and Tuffnut have a cousin named Gruffnut, who comes to visit the Edge.  Tuff is excited.  Ruff sees Gruff for who he really is and is not happy of the influence he has on her twin brother.  Gruff tends to tell tall tales, that Tuff falls for.  The others make him come clean that he’s trying to take one of their dragons in order to pay off a debt.

The Riders think they’ve seen the last of Gruffnut, but he pretends to be Tuff and takes his dragon.  But Chicken knows the difference and warns the dragons.  Tuff manages to escape from being tied up by his cousin and goes with Hiccup to rescue Barf and Belch (Gruff is also now stuck with Ruffnut).  Tuff even makes use of Hiccup’s Dragon Fly suit and fights Gruff.  Gruff is sent packing and Ruff and Tuff continue to happily annoy everyone else on the island.

 Midnight Scrum is one of my favorite episodes; I oddly love my heroes in a bit of peril.  The episode opens with Hiccup running from bounty hunters.  Turns out, Viggo has put a price on his head.  But Hiccup doesn’t want to tell his father right away, partly due to the fact that a big anniversary celebration is coming up on Berk.  He doesn’t want to distract the chief.  Astrid urges Hiccup to share the burden.  That idea gets knocked on its head when Stoick tells Hiccup upon their arrival on Berk that the “needs of the many outweigh the need of the few.”  [Yes, Dragons is now quoting Star Trek.]

During the celebration, Gobber praises the youth as “some of the youngest Berkians had the guts to step up and take a stand.  The time has come to look towards the future, Hiccup and the Dragon Riders!”  They then put on a dragon show, but the stress of the bounty starts getting to Hiccup and he overreacts to some strangers.  Astrid advises him again to tell Stoick, yes he’s the chief, but he’s also your dad.

The next morning Stoick goes looking for Hiccup and cannot find him.  That’s because during the night a few bounty hunters were lucky enough to catch Hiccup unawares, knock him out, and get him on a boat.  Those two indeed got lucky, because otherwise, they’re incompetent.  Hiccup makes a break for it, but does not find his friends above deck.  Instead, it’s Savage, Alvin’s old second in command.  He’ll be glad to deliver Hiccup to Viggo.  Hiccup fights smart against Savage, but he’s saved when Throk arrives.

In the meantime, Stoick has gathered the Riders and is riding Toothless, searching for his son.  Astrid talks to him about the bounty.  Why would Hiccup not share this information with Stoick?  “He’s Hiccup.  Sometimes, his pride’s bigger than his brain.”

Throk is overpowered by a mystery cloaked man who chains Hiccup up to take him to Viggo.  But they find Ryker instead and the sack of gold is actually a sack of rocks.  The mystery man won’t release Hiccup for that.  The man must now fight the Hunters and Hiccup gets a chance to escape and use his flaming sword.  The man and Hiccup get knocked off a cliff and the man clings to Hiccup’s leg.  Hiccup is able to knock his prosthetic leg off and the man goes tumbling.  But when Hiccup slips, he’s saved…by Ryker.  “Viggo wants to kill you himself”.  [Getting a bit grim for a children’s show, though this may be geared more for teenagers and young adults.]  Stoick and Toothless have been tracking Hiccup and find him just in time.  Stoick faces off against Ryker; “you put a bounty on one of us, you get all of us.”  He knocks out Ryker, but the man wakes up in time to throw a knife at a retreating Hiccup (helped by Astrid.)  It doesn’t land because he’s knocked out by Hiccup’s leg, thrown by the mystery man, who then jumps off the cliff to remain mysterious.

On their way back to Berk, Stoick counsels his son; they are allies, peers.  The people of Berk depend on them to keep them safe.  To do that, they cannot keep secrets.

Snotlout has his own issues with his father’s teachings in Not Lout.  Snotlout is desperate to prove himself to his father, maybe not overtake Hiccup (though I’m sure Spitelout would enjoy that), but be a stand-out second.  He messes up an attack, but still tells Hiccup he wants to lead the Dragon Riders when Stoick makes Hiccup chief.  The teens are indeed looking to the future and making their own plans.  Hiccup warns Snotlout that he cannot force his way into a leadership position; everyone has their own strengths.  Snotlout should look for his.

Hiccup also shows his strength as a leader and gives Snotlout the lead on a practice mission.  He still messes up and decides to ground himself.  However, when he’s on the ground, he realizes that the mission the rest of the Riders are flying into is a trap and takes off after them.  He swoops in, messing up their plan, but revealing the trap.  Snotlout then takes charge and they accomplish a better mission.  Afterwards, Hiccup tells Snotlout that he’s proud of him and asks what Snotlout wants to do.  Snotlout decides he doesn’t want to be exactly like his dad.  But that makes him not so different after all.

The Riders return to the Defenders of the Wing island in Saving Shattermaster.  They find out that Mala and Throk were saved from Hunters by a mysterious figure.  On a fun note, it’s time for Snotlout to face a serious of trials to become Mala’s king, after he saved her life earlier.  Snotlout is not pleased with the trials, but Hiccup leaves most of the Riders there with him to keep him safe, and takes Heather to investigate whoever saved Mala and Throk.

That new mysterious man is actually Dagur (note: not the same mysterious man who kidnapped Hiccup; he had been at Viggo’s auction, so definitely not a friend).  Dagur also does not initially appear to be a friend; he seems to be with the Hunters.  Heather attacks him, and Dagur has to reveal that he’s trying to work with the Hunters because he’s trying to save his dragon, Shattermaster.  Thus, Hiccup has to remark to Heather at one point: “shall we rescue our brother?”  Heather’s not so keen.  “I’m going to kill him,” is her response.  She ends up saving him and makes her big brother be the distraction so they can get his dragon.  He tells Heather that once everything has settled, he will return and answer any of her questions.

Dire Straits is another of my favorite episodes.  The trade routes are getting disrupted to Berk, a giant whirlpool is claiming ships.  Berk needs trade in order to survive, especially since they lost their stockpile of gold to Viggo at the dragon auction.  Stoick has the Riders investigate.  It’s a Submaripper dragon, very large, and very territorial.  Hiccup makes use of his Deathsong amber goggles to investigate under the water.  There are dragon-proof chains holding the Submaripper dragon in place.  But Hiccup can’t hold his breath long enough to free him.  They have to come up with another solution.

He makes a diving cauldron and uses Deathsong amber as a lens.  Hiccup takes the risk himself, though Fishlegs is on standby.  When they make their final attempt, Viggo starts an attack to rile the Submaripper up.  The Riders don’t want to hurt the dragon, since it’s not it’s fault.  Under the water, Hiccup manages to free the dragon, but the winch to bring up the diving cauldron is damaged in the attack.  Toothless dives down to save his rider.  Hiccup tries to send Toothless away, but his friend refuses.  Hiccup admits he’d do the same.

The Submaripper helps out the one who helped him, and brings the cauldron to the surface.  Hiccup is eerily still for a minute once they get him out, but he eventually coughs up the water.  He’s weakened and can’t fly after Viggo, but the other Riders are more than pleased to do it for him.  Except they’re foiled again, because Ryker is using Seashocker dragons to escape.

Trade does return to Berk and the village is saved, thanks to Hiccup.  He still feels at fault, since it was his plan that lost Berk it’s gold and it’s his enemy who is doing this to Berk.  Stoick gives wise words to his son.  Viggo has shown his true colors now; “only a coward endangers innocent women and children as a means of intimidation.”  Bravery will triumph over cowardice.

We get a bit of a breather with The Longest Day.  It’s the time of the Midnight Sun, when Berk experiences two weeks full of days of sunlight [it is an actual phenomenon that that part of the world experiences, which, kudos to the team for putting that detail in].  Stoick is pleased because Berkians become very productive.  But that long of a time awake, makes people a little loopy, being so sleep deprived. 

Hiccup gave his Riders a very easy task for the day: wash their dragons.  Well, Fishlegs ends up paranoid, Snotlout has mood swings, Ruffnut and Tuffnut hallucinate, Heather can’t balance, and Astrid is giddy.  Hiccup, meanwhile, is on Berk with Stoick, discussing plans to deal with Viggo.  Hiccup’s first plan is “wipe the psychopath off the map, kaboom!”  Eh, kaboom is not exactly a full plan.  Okay, he wants revenge.  He wants the Dragon Eye back.  Stoick insists that Hiccup needs a plan.

The teen does manage to find a new dragon, well, one large dragon that has a squadron of smaller dragons that cling to its wings to provide firepower [reminds me a bit of guns on a warplane].  He ends up quoting Dagur while he figures out how to deal with the dragons: “trappers trap can trap the trapper.”  That’s when he knows he’s losing it.  When he returns to the Edge, he finds that the dragons have dumped their riders into a hole to get some sleep.  Toothless follows suit.

Hiccup starts trying new moves with Toothless during Gold Rush, telling himself he’ll rest when Viggo’s gone.  His plans are derailed when Dagur returns, searching for his father.  The tales that Dagur killed his father to take over the Berserker tribe were lies.  Oswald had gone on a trip and never returned.  Dagur wants his sister to join the search, and he has news for his “brother,” Dagur knows where Viggo hides his gold.  It will be the perfect strike against Viggo.

Hiccup, Astrid, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Snotlout end up captured and discover that Viggo’s new ships are metal underneath the wood, essentially making them dragon-proof.  Until Shattermaster shows up (to the theme played on bagpipes, very cool).  The Riders get free, Hiccup quickly jumping on Toothless.

Later, he realizes that the gold was hidden in Viking ruins on the island.  The hint had been there were no ruins on the map.  Heather decides to accompany Dagur on his trip to find their father, but manages to give Fishlegs a kiss before they leave.

Mala returns again in Out of the Frying Pan; the Eruptadon has laid an egg, but it needs transported to its ancient hatching site inside the volcano.  But the Eruptadon is very old and spent a lot of energy bringing about the egg.  So Hiccup volunteers to help Mala with the egg.  As does Fishlegs.  But the two, who usually work on the same wavelength, are now disagreeing.  Time is running out.  Mala tries to run off with the egg, dodging small dragons that attack her.  Fishlegs and Hiccup realize that the smaller dragons are actually guardians of the eggs and are meant to take the egg to its site.

Throk and Astrid descend into the volcano as the lava rises, hoping to rescue Mala, Hiccup, and Fishlegs.  But Meatlug can’t carry them all.  Luckily, the Eruptadon comes to their rescue.

It starts with a broken Macey in Twintuition.  Hiccup won’t fix her/it in the middle of the night.  But Tuffnut doesn’t want to fly all the way back to Berk either.  Instead, Tuff and Ruff head to the Northern Markets and encounter lots of Hunters.  And decide it’s a good idea to claim they took out Hiccup.  Through their escapades, Macey gets stolen, the twins find Viggo and discover he’s working on a Project Shellfire.  Then Viggo sees Macey and is smart enough to recognize the Gronkle Iron mace and knows that the twins are on his island.  Tuff is actually brave and goes for the project plans instead of his mace, but he gets Macey back in the end (after Viggo tries to drown the Riders.)

The Triple Stryke dragon returns in Blindsided, with Hiccup now trying to train Sleuther.  Their training is interrupted by storms rolling in (not that it was going well to begin with).  Astrid checks on the dragon pens and lightning strikes, causing a fire.  She’s knocked out in the commotion and the dragons fly off.  Hiccup rescues Astrid and they find out when Astrid wakes up that she is blinded.  Hiccup promises to stay with Astrid.  But, Astrid being Astrid, she wants to help find Stormfly and the other dragons and will not take ‘no’ as an answer.  “I’m putting my foot down,” Hiccup tells Astrid.  Two seconds later, they are both on Toothless.

Hiccup is also desperate to protect Astrid, particularly since she is vulnerable without sight at the moment.  “Of course she’s not going to hide, what was I thinking, she’s Astrid,” he grumbles.  At one point, he does get Astrid behind a rock because the Triple Stryke is all riled up now.  “You, stay,” he orders.  Astrid obeys, for now.  Then she catches on to a sound Sleuther makes before making a strike.  She uses that sound to distract Sleuther and they get all the dragons calmed down…and back with their proper owners.  Now, they have a way to train the Triple Stryke and Astrid does get her sight back.  She gives Hiccup a hug and they go sit together.

Earlier, Hiccup assured Astrid “you have me.  Okay, whatever that mean, whatever you want it mean.  I am with you.  There will always be a Hiccup and Astrid.  Always.”  And Hiccup had been ready to kiss Astrid, but it wasn’t quite the right time.  Astrid brings it up as they sit, watching the sunset.  Hiccup wanted it to be the perfect moment.  Well, now seems pretty perfect.  Indeed it does, and the two young adults share a kiss.  (So romantic!)

The two-parters Shell Shocked finishes the season.  The Riders are on Berk, preparing for Hiccup’s plan to attack the Hunters.  They’re joined by Berk’s A-Team as well as Heather and Dagur.  Hiccup and Astrid share a secret kiss; they haven’t told their friends yet.  All the dragon riders carry out Hiccup’s plan, but find the Hunters’ camp destroyed and Viggo in a hole, happy to see Hiccup.  Stoick would rather punch the man who has threatened his people and his son, but Hiccup holds him back.  Viggo says that Ryker has turned on him and betrayed him.  He plans to wipe out the Riders and their allies using Project Shellfire.  Viggo offers to give Hiccup more information if they will help him take out Ryker.

Hiccup has to act.  He brings Viggo with him and sends others to check on their allies.  Fishlegs gets to see the hatched Eruptadon baby and knows to keep the baby safe.  Viggo then manages to escape during an attack at the Edge.  Hiccup and Astrid have to learn how to balance their care for each other and being in danger.  Ryker runs up a white flag and talks to Hiccup, spinning the same story as his brother, that Viggo betrayed him.  Ryker is willing to give Hiccup the Dragon Eye in exchange for Viggo.  Now Hiccup is a bit confused on who to believe.

Meanwhile, the twins and Snotlout realize something is going on between Hiccup and Astrid.  The twins believe Hiccup is dying, but Snotlout thinks he has a gambling problem…so no one correctly guesses.  They do find out what Project Shellfire is.  It’s a ship on a dragon.  And Hiccup of course, goes after it, but it swims too fast and dives too deep.

Viggo shows back up, with the Dragon Eye, and Hiccup happily locks the man up.  Ryker uses the Shellfire to attack the Edge’s volcano, again.  Fishlegs brings the baby Eruptadon to help eat the lava.  Hiccup is a noble hero and won’t let Viggo die in a fire, hoping he’s not making the biggest mistake of his life.  Viggo, trying to be Hiccup’s friend and advisor, notes the conundrum Hiccup is in, to be in love with a girl who is his partner in battle.  It looks like Viggo is going to stab Hiccup, but the knife is dropped in the water to bring up the Submaripper, who attacks the Shellfire.  The two dragons are natural enemies.  Viggo continues to sweettalk Hiccup: “we may be adversaries, but my respect for you is beyond what I can put into words.”  [And I kind of respect Viggo, as a villain, for respecting Hiccup as a worthy adversary, for not simply dismissing him as a young kid with no brains.]

Dagur now bonds with the Triple Stryke, and Hiccup continues to call the crazy man his brother [a bit sweet.]  Ryker goes down with the ship and for a moment, we think all is well.  Until Viggo shows up with a captured Astrid, demanding Hiccup return the Dragon Eye.  Is the young man willing to “sacrifice your future, all the wonderful years ahead” for the Dragon Eye?  Hiccup throws the Eye into the volcano.  Viggo falls and Hiccup is ready to grab him, but it’s too late.  Now, it’s over.  Finally.  Definitely.

Hiccup and Astrid share a sweet moment, and then a kiss, witnessed by everyone.  Fishlegs remarks, “this changes everything,” (which is the catchphrase of the show, used in the opening).

And nope.  Not over.  The volcano erupts.  End of season.

Another season full of adventures, and the storyline is getting tighter.  There are still side excursions, but the focus is on the battle going on between Viggo and Hiccup.  Hiccup is gaining allies.  Dagur is firmly on his side, as is Heather, even if we don’t see them every episode.  There are now the Defenders of the Wing and we learn a lot about them this season.

I like how Stoick is dealing with Hiccup now.  Hiccup and Stoick are both leaders; Hiccup has proven himself as a leader of the Dragon Riders, is keeping an outpost going.  Has made allies of his own, as well as enemies.  But he’s holding those enemies at bay.  However, Hiccup is still young and needs to learn when to depend upon all his allies and recognize that he can go to his father for advice, as a leader, not simply father and son.  And Hiccup is shaping up to be a worthy heir to the chiefdom of Berk.  While he lives away from the main island, he is still worried about the people.

Viggo is ramping up his actions against Hiccup because Hiccup keeps thwarting him.  Again, he takes Hiccup as a serious threat.  Not like Alvin the first time; oh, Hiccup is small and skinny, he’s such a disappointment.  No.  Hiccup was brave enough to face a dragon and befriend it.  Hiccup has grown as a character and his opponents grow as well.  Viggo tends to come off as classy; he has multi-faceted plans, he treats this as a game of Maces and Talons (kind of like chess), and he tries to teach Hiccup lessons.  Now those lessons have bigger consequences.  Hiccup has a bounty put on him, Viggo goes after Berk.  Stoick is now involved in this fight.

Not surprised that Ryker and Viggo seem to turn on each other.  There has always been a power struggle between the two.  Ryker is the older brother, but Viggo is the one in charge, supposedly brains versus brawn.  But both want Hiccup dead.  Ryker was fine with taking Hiccup from the mysterious man because Viggo wanted to kill him.  When their plans no longer align, Ryker still attacks the Edge.

The twins still have their moments of brilliance.  Snotlout is maturing, a bit, but really just trying to figure out what his role is in the Riders.  Fishlegs becomes sweet with Heather and it’s reciprocated.  And Astrid and Hiccup finally, officially get together!

Next Time:  I have a schedule I’m going to try to keep this year, to finish the How to Train Your Dragon section by the end of the year.  But I’m also going to try to work on completely a full draft of two major stories I’m working on (all to feed into the larger fantasy series I have planned).  Hopefully, a schedule will work.  After Dragons, there will be Chronicles of Narnia, and then finish it off with Lord of the Rings.  I do actually have some further plans after that, but we will see how everything works out.

Thank you again, for hanging with this blog series, it has grown larger than I first imagined and I am simply grateful for every view I get.

“How did you get Magnus to let Jace leave?” “Traded him for Alec.”

Random Fandom – Shadowhunters:

This must be the year I distract myself, because it keeps happening; but considering it is a fandom, I will share what takes over my brain.  I swear, I am about halfway through the next season of Race to the Edge, but I decided one evening to put on The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones movie and remembered, hey, I like this movie.  I should re-read the book series.  Oh yeah, I remember liking these books.  Then telling myself, you’re not getting into the show.  I remember when the show premiered and had told myself then I was not watching it, which I did not.  But seeing enough things about the show on Pinterest, I decide to give it a whirl…slightly bad idea because I’ve gotten completely distracted. 

It is a bit odd to be reading the books while watching the show, which does not fully follow the books, but integrates a lot of the books in different ways.  I love sassy Jace from the books, yet Jame Campbell Bower perfectly portrays Jace in the movie, yet, Dominic Sherwood brings his own spin to the character in the show that I also love (and want to wrap into a hug…he gets a sad look on his face and I want to give him all the love).  And my brain which has not given up on developing essays and academia wants to write a paper comparing how both actors bring elements of the character to life; maybe the same aspect, but in different ways, yet they work.  And I utterly adore how Matthew Daddario and Henry Shum Jr portray Alec and Magnus; there were times I was watching simply to watch Malec (the pairing of their characters and completely canon).  I also have another set of brothers to add to my future project of brother relationships in different fandoms (Francis and Bash were also recently added…this project is going to end up being a book, lol).  And there are some wonderful videos about the two, just like Francis and Bash, often using some of the same music (oh my heart).

I will admit, it was a bit odd to see so many familiar faces in the movie that I did not know when the movie came out.  Well, I knew Aidan Turner as Luke since he’s Kili in The Hobbit and Mitchell in Being Human (the BBC version; I think an American version came out later).  And I will always see Henry VIII from Tudors when I watch Jonathan Rhys Meyers, who plays Valentine.  But Lena Headey is Jocelyn, but we know her as Cersei Lannister from Game of Thrones.  Jamie Campbell Bower is Young Grindelwald in Harry Potter [opposite Toby Regbo as Young Dumbledore…we just saw him as Francis in Reign], Caius in the Twilight Saga, and King Arthur in a short-run Camelot series (that show was a bit odd and dark).   We know Jared Harris, who plays Hodge, as King George VI from The Crown and as Moriarty from Game of Shadows with Robert Downey Jr.  Dorothea is played by CCH Pounder; I’ve seen her as Loretta Wade in NCIS: New Orleans.  And we’ve seen Kevin Durand in Robin Hood with Russell Crowe.  It was further strange to see Alan Van Sprang in the show as Valentine after just watching him as Henry de Valois in Reign; he wasn’t a great father in either show.

I honestly like all three; the books, the movie, and the show.  Each has their pros and cons.  The relationship development of Magnus and Alec is wonderful in the show.  I did really enjoy Jace in the movie and Clary wasn’t quite as annoying as she gets in the books and the show.  Jace was also wonderful in the show and well developed, particularly his emotional storyline in season 3.  And I now want to get my own copies of the books and get the other series Cassandra Clare has written in the universe.  Which, a thanks to my cousin for lending me the books, and I guess I should apologize for getting you back into the series *wink. 

The show has inspired some more writing; it doesn’t quite fit into my series as well as elements of Reign.  But it is helping me develop another character.  And since it features the Seelie Court and Queen, it makes me stop and think about how similar or different my Faerie Realm will be from traditional version of the Seelie.  And how I’m going to have to properly work in a Library/Archives type institution.

I should stop saying what is Up Next, because anymore, my brain says no, let’s go on a side quest.

“No, it’s about your good heart.”

So, I have finished Reign, which has kept me from several other projects (such as Season Four of Race to the Edge), but mainly because it’s lead me to writing my longest story yet and the greatest interest I’ve had in writing something in years.

So here are some of my thoughts and reactions to the show:

First, what many people argue and what kept me from watching it for several years (the show is older than I originally thought; but I wasn’t really watching CW as a channel when it was on), is the historical inaccuracy.  They’re right.  A great many liberties are taken.  There’s an age lift (though they might be portraying them at the correct age, but since the actors are older, I tend to read it as the characters are older…and considering some of the scenes shown, the network should believe the characters are older).  I’m personally fine with the age lift. 

The costumes…I tried watching the show once about a year ago and couldn’t get past the first episode because the dresses were so wrong.  I’ve since read that the budget was tight the first season, so they literally used prom dresses…we can tell.  The men’s costumes are fairly typical for a historical series, lots of leather, but female viewers tend to like that (guilty).  Costumes did get better as the series went.  I do rather like some of Lola’s dresses.  Catherine has some gorgeous dresses and Mary’s get better in season four.

In addition to historical inaccuracy, they forget about geography some times.  They never actually name what castle the French court is residing in; I think the fandom has named it Fontainebleau.  It’s often commented to be about two or three days from Paris.  Fine.  Then, in season four, the writers claim that men can make it from Edinburgh in Scotland to London in England in a single night.  Even more, they can get there, kidnap someone, and return to Edinburgh by morning.  Then return him the same day.  Nope.  Not possible.  (And we are expected it’s supposed to be a single night because Elizabeth is not more concerned, nor sent search parties after the man.)

As for characters, Francis and Sebastian quickly became my favorite.  I quickly loved their brotherly relationship; they’re close despite one being legitimate and the other illegitimate (they will certainly make it into my brothers in fiction essay).  And Bash never truly wants to usurp Francis’s place.  (As noted below, I disliked the love triangles.)  They’re best when they’re working together and supporting each other.  That hug at the end of Season 1!  Loved by all! 

I have mixed feelings about Catherine.  The actress did a superb job, because you root for her, even though she does absolutely terrible things.  Her love for her children triumphs over all.  As with many other relationships in this show; I like it when the characters work together.  She’s a nicer character when she supports Mary.  Still does horrible things because she thinks it’s helping, but they often come back to bite her.

Clarissa is not my favorite character and it’s more the working in the shadows.  I’m not sure how she’s motivated; I don’t think you can trust her.  Mary seems to, but that’s not a smart idea; don’t trust someone you don’t know or can’t see.  Of course, she tries to hurt her younger brothers after gaining their trust.  I also don’t always trust Nostradamus.  He has good intentions, but relying so heavily on visions and prophecies brings chaos.  I certainly don’t trust Diane, especially when she’s trying to get Bash legitimized. 

There are times I like Mary; she’s a strong queen and someone who doesn’t take what is thrown at her lying down.  However, she also makes some dumb choices.  I am not fond of any of the love triangles that pop up throughout this show.  Mary can’t seem to make up her mind on whom she wants to love.  She and Francis work well together, when they actually decide to work together.  I would have been happy to watch just their love story; and once Francis was crowned, there’s plenty of political drama that they did not need to add personal drama.  King and queen can disagree about how they want things done and that’s suspense.

An argument I have between Mary and Francis; Mary doesn’t like that Francis wants to put the needs of France first.  However, she does the same thing for Scotland.  Honey, you can’t have it both ways.  You’re each the sovereign of a different country, so your priorities are going to differ.  As with Bash, Francis makes a great team with Mary when they settle down, but the show is determined to throw hurdles in their way constantly.  The scene in the field where Francis proposes is utterly romantic.  Several of their scenes get hot and heavy.  And then it all goes to pot shortly after that.

The plotline with Lola and Francis comes out of nowhere and is a monumentally dumb idea.  They both know things are out of whack at the moment, but let’s do this thing that has potential consequences.  And now they have to deal with those consequences.

The first episode feels off from the rest of the show at times.  They had Bash give odd looks to the camera that made one wonder if he was plotting something as well.  That luckily went away.  I was utterly taken by the show by the fourth episode, when Bash came back wounded (don’t ask).  I was intrigued by the pagan plotline and think they could have done more with it, but the show had too many storylines they were trying to juggle.  (However, gives me lots of ideas for stories of my own.)

Henry going mad was an interesting plotline because it brings added danger to everyone.  He tries to kill Bash, more than once.  He oddly ends up working well with Catherine, which is nice, but still odd because we don’t know what’s going on.  And there are dead girls to contend with.  He’s so consumed with glory and gaining control of England.  Then he wants to kill Francis, his heir, and marry Mary.  So Catherine and Mary want to put an end to him.  Franics argues, until he realizes how dangerous his father is and takes the responsibility himself and rides against his father.

I have mixed feelings about the pairing of Bash and Kenna.  They seem good for each other, because Bash comes to care for her, even though he’s also focused on defeating the Darkness.  Some of their scenes are steamy.  And Kenna encourages Bash that he is enough, just himself; he doesn’t always have to prove himself.  Having Pascal around humanizes her, because she’s typically selfish.  Then…that plotline gets destroyed in the second season.

I never trust Narcisse, even when he tries to do something good.  I almost want the relationship between him and Lola to work out, because maybe she’ll bring the good out in him.  Nope.  Still is a complete jerk.  Yet, he oddly pairs with Catherine well.  Except they can’t trust each other enough to go far.

The triangle with Louis of Conde was unneeded.  A love triangle almost destroyed Francis and Mary before, so what do they do?  Bring in another one.  I mean, at first, I thought he was a nice guy, helping out his cousin.  But then I want to hit him as the season goes on.

The rape scene and plotline in the second season was unnecessary.  Yes, it brings drama, but all it does it throw Mary towards Louis.  She already has the mindset that if Francis won’t do what she wants, she’ll go to Louis to get it.  Not a good idea.  The only decent thing out of that scene was Catherine’s support of Mary.  I don’t know if it could have been avoided if Francis had told Mary the truth about his father’s death earlier; he was on the cusp of it at the end of season one when Mary sent him to Lola.  And he was on the cusp of it when he broke her heart by telling her he was upset she wasn’t pregnant.

I expected Mary’s pregnancy to Francis to last longer than one episode. Even though I knew, historically, Mary and Francis never had children, I was still happy that Mary was pregnant. And to have her miscarry so suddenly and so soon after it’s introduced was a bit heartbreaking. Catherine’s response was a bit funny, barging into their room with things for Mary.

Claude was genuinely affectionate with Francis and I wish we saw more of that.  And not the weird previous relationship between her and Bash.  However, her storyline with her mother was interesting, and played into the ghosts Catherine started seeing, same as Henry.  Once Claude settled down from trying to make Bash uncomfortable, they worked well together uncovering the truth of her sisters’ death.  And Diane’s back, and still making a mess of things.  Am I surprised that Catherine took the opportunity to kill her?  No.  I do like that we start seeing Bash and Catherine work together and be nice to each other.  (Diane’s death will surely become a problem later.)

Louis has a brother Antoine, who also needs hit.  The whole issue with their oldest brother being killed, they think by Bash, is never fully solved.  They think it’s Bash.  Bash admits it may have been him, but I’m not wholly convinced.  Antoine also tries to break up Bash’s marriage.  So it’s not wholly Kenna’s fault, but she’s still fairly selfish and is more concerned with nice things.  She also did not trust Bash enough at the end to be honest with him and instead tries to trick him.  Like, she had to have known it wouldn’t work well.  I had wanted the marriage to go well for Bash, for his sake.  For something happy and good in his life.

Which leaves the door open for Delphine.  Who I also don’t trust.  I am grateful for her powers when she saves Bash; which that scene was a total shock and I just sat silently for a few minutes when it went to commercial (and wished my mother would stop talking.  I have not recovered emotionally yet, leave me be).  But she strongly claims she is not a witch.  Honey, you can mystically heal people; yes it has a price, but magic often does.  You have visions.  You can bind yourself to someone, which was just a bit creepy.  I have no problem with you being a witch, just, admit it.  Don’t be frightened of it, but take advantage of the power.  You can’t have it both ways.  Is she a better match for Bash than Kenna?  Maybe.  That plotline needed better developed just the two of them.  But Bash is so often investigating things for Francis.

Odd as it sounds, Catherine kidnapping Lola and John and making Francis think John is dead goes a long way in bringing Mary and Francis back together.  Mary doesn’t attempt to take to Louis’ side and is instantly by her husband’s side and quite willing to help in whatever way she can.  Thankfully, John is safe, and Narcisse finds Lola and her child.  Though I do think the reveal that Franics is still not wholly well goes far in Francis’s desire to easily reconcile with Mary.  And a pairing between Catherine and Elizabeth I is not for anyone.

Catherine gets her comeuppance for that in the beginning of season three, easily getting captured and taken back to France to be thrown in the dungeon.  But Francis’s lingering illness makes that beginning of the season heartbreaking.  Charles has certainly grown up in the few intervening years and then grows up with the events of the season.  Hurrah for Narcisse doing the decent thing and helping Charles and Claude.  Now he has Francis’s permission to pursue Lola.

I like that England began to play more of a role in the politics and drama of the series.  There are still some historical inaccuracies, but Elizabeth I did have a very well-known affair with Robert Dudley.  (I don’t think it resulted in a child, miscarried or not.)

That dance in episode three is utterly beautiful and utterly heartbreaking.  The tune is Stay with Me, which suits the mood, and is so pretty played on violin.  The choreography is perfection.  I wish we had more scenes like that throughout the show.

Delphine saving Francis, even at the possible expense of Marie de Guise, gives us a spot of hope.  We’re happy; Bash has a love interest, Francis and Mary can plan a future.  Even Greer is happy with her new career, and having favor at court again.  Francis plans to whisk Mary away to Paris for a romantic getaway, then they stop to be a happy couple.  And it’s utterly ruined by the attack.  Even though I knew it was coming, I cried when Francis died.  The heartbreak that everyone plays; gosh, look at Bash’s face, and having to carry his brother away.  Placing the sword and crown on his casket.  Mary kissing the casket farewell, after her screams.  Not a dry eye at the end of that episode.  Then a few episodes later for Catherine and Bash to bring his casket back in order to clear Catherine’s name.  The audience knows that Catherine would never kill Francis.  And Catherine telling Mary not to look.  We’re not so happy with Narcisse after that.

Now Mary has to marry again, for the sake of her crown and country.  Most of the French court is still nice to her, even Catherine.  A pox on Narcisse for trying to force her out.  Don Carlos is kind for a moment, then manipulative.  I didn’t initially trust Gideon Blackburn, but he turns out so kind, and Mary is so sweet to his daughter.  Mary even saves Elizabeth’s life from a Vatican plot and gives Robert Dudley back to Elizabeth, even at the expense of sending Gideon.  Mary just needs a hug at the end.

It’s a tangled mess when Catherine takes a lover who turns out to be a killer, but being blackmailed into nonaction.  Her actions against Claude are terrible, but at least Charles is behind Claude (and Claude using what she learned from Leith was great).  Christophe was creepy from the moment he came on screen.  He attacks Delphine and later kills her.  I may not have trusted Delphine, but I didn’t want her dead; poor Bash.  Then he has to confront her killer.  And then confront Catherine.  Gosh, the heartbreak for him.  He’s already confessed he still has feelings for Mary, and will follow her to Scotland to continue to be in her service and protect her.

They’re shipwrecked on the shores of Scotland and Narcisse is not impressed and leaves Mary as soon as he honorably can.  Bash is almost killed, but we get to meet the Druids.  (Though that bit with the snakes was…gross and a bit weird.)  And find out that Bash may have a connection to them as well.  Mary gets revenge for Francis by killing the clan leader (John Barrowman, who is Scottish and is Captain Jack Harkness in Doctor Who).  Except, now she has to deal with John Knox, who dislikes female monarchs (not something I knew about the man) and even tries to get James to disband the monarchy.

James Stuart is probably portrayed nicer than he was in life.  I was fine that; I’m familiar with the actor from Good Witch and several other Hallmark movies where he tends to play royalty.  Actually, the number of Hallmark men who are in this show is just shy of absurd.  Torrance Coombs (Bash) is in Royally Ever After, Jonathan Keltz (Leith) is in Once Upon a Prince.  Will Kemp (Darnley) is in three movies with Lacey Chabert: Love, Romance, & Chocolate, The Christmas Waltz, and The Dancing Detective: A Deadly Tango, amongst others.  Steven Lund (Luc Narcisse) is in three of the Heart Around the Table movies [fairly new, and Torrance Coombs is the male lead in the fourth] and at least three other Hallmark Christmas movies.

It’s Knox who arranges word to get to Lola that Mary wants Elizabeth assassinated.  Mary gave no such word, but Knox doesn’t care; he just wants both women off their thrones and Protestant men put in their places.  Lola is caught and her friendship with the queen does not save her from being executed.  Narcisse was there, hoping to rescue his wife, and is forced to watch her beheading.  Mary is devastated.  Her only companion left is Greer, who returns to Scotland after Lola’s death.  She brings her young daughter (from a fling with a privateer.  Her husband is rescued from prison, but ultimately finds other companionship.)

I was terribly sad when Bash left.  I understand the actor left to pursue another show, but story wise it seems so odd for him to travel all the way to Scotland to be by Mary’s side, then leave her.  I mean, at least, they try to explain it with him pursuing his own supernatural talents.  Then, he’s mentioned in the fourth season that he’s had a vision, which he passes on to David Rizzio that Mary may have love, or an heir that will unite Scotland and England, but not both.  David oddly comments that it’s Bash’s spirit that leads him to Mary.  Uh, does that mean Bash is already dead?

This news just affirms that Mary will marry Darnley, who has a claim to the English throne himself.  Elizabeth fears this and even allows Gideon to return to Mary and propose marriage.  Again, they’re so sweet together and happy.  But Mary is afraid that the match will make her a prisoner in England.  So she breaks Gideon’s heart.  In England, Gideon ends up close to Elizabeth and the queen is kind to his daughter, particularly her last few days before she passes. 

I want to smack Darnley on a constant basis.  He’s arrogant and flippant and a jerk.  He’s only concerned with his position and not helping Mary as the current monarch.  He has a few charming moments, which is how Mary is able to conceive a child, but then the man goes along with a plot to rid the court of Bothwell, whom Mary has grown close to (admittedly, the man is handsome, and a right spot kinder than Darnley).  When the council can’t get their hands on Bothwell, they stab Rizzio in front of a pregnant Mary (that is historically accurate).  Mary does help Darnley escape the castle because she figures the other members won’t stand behind him long.  Then, the man, after several pledges to protect her, leaves his pregnant wife in the woods, alone. 

Meanwhile, in France, Catherine’s eldest daughter, Leeza (actually Elizabeth, but goes by a nickname so as not to be confused with Elizabeth Tudor) visits from Spain.  Yet, she wants Spain to have more influence in France and since Charles has been traumatized by an attack from the Red Knights, he’s not a strong king.  He gets better, with a bit of help from Claude’s new husband, Luc Narcisse.  Luc is actually a decent guy, unlike his father.  He tries to be understanding of Claude’s state of mind after Leith was killed.  Though, Leith returns, briefly.  He survived, but can’t stand that Claude is now married, so he leaves, hoping they all might find new happiness.  (Nothing can be straightforward, can it?)

Catherine is not happy that Leeza is home, or what changes she tries to make.  Catherine is trying to keep hold of the regency, though that too slips from her grasp.  Leeza eventually leaves, but also has instructions that Charles’ younger brother, Henry (who oddly looks older than Charles now), should take the throne.  That pits the two brothers against each other.  Further complicated by Charles’ female companion, Nicole.  Nicole is fairly kind, but wants more out of life than her humble beginnings.  She pursues Narcisse, who goes along with the affair so she’ll help control Charles.  Then, Henry arrives and is interested in Nicole, who is interested in return.  Then…Charles wants to marry her.

Catherine arranges for her death so the boys will unite against Spain.  Which involves making a deal with a witch…you know, for someone who spouts that France must remain Catholic, Cathreine sure makes use of magic a lot.  That whole deal, and Narcisse’s involvement just becomes last episode weirdness.  We finally see Catherine’s other daughter, Margot.  They almost seemed to be setting up another season, but the show definitely ended.

Narcisse briefly returns to Scotland to exact his revenge on those responsible for Lola’s death.  He castrates Knox, especially angry that Mary is not able to legally capture him for his wrongdoing.  He also arranges for Gideon Blackburn to die in Elizabeth’s arms, so the queen will know the loss of love.  Elizabeth is still not keen on marrying, so she makes use of Francis Drake (that is partially historically accurate; they mess with timelines again).  Then she has to prepare for the Spanish Armada.

Mary continues to have problems in Scotland; she almost dies in childbirth, but Bothwell calls her back.  That tender scene with Bothwell, Mary, and her newborn son is sweet.  And interrupted by Darnley doing something stupid.  A little later, what do we expect from the man who abandoned his pregnant wife in the woods?  He leaves his newborn son in the woods, on the word of the vision of his dead lover.  Darnley was killed and history points to Bothwell, possibly with Mary’s knowledge.  Just, not only a few days after her son’s birth.  Hurrah for seeing her brother again, for about ten minutes.  Mary asks for Elizabeth’s help and the time skip of two decades shows that that did not end well.  Yes, Mary was prisoner in England for many years before she was ultimately executed.

I do love the final scene, reuniting Mary and Francis.  Since this show portrays their love story, as up and down as they wrote it, I was happy to see Francis again.  Maybe their time in the afterlife will be better.  There’s a montage of bits through the seasons while Mary smiles to be back with her love.

In general, I liked the show.  I have to suspend my knowledge of history for a bit.  But the characters are compelling.  And I wanted to know how the twists and turns worked out.  I agree with a comment I read that the show might have done better if they had tossed the historical connection out and just placed it all in a fantasy universe.  Will I watch it again?  Yes.

There are some YouTube mixes that I keep going back to, that mainly deal with the brotherly relationship between Bash and Francis; they do tend to be a bit bittersweet, considering how their stories end.

Say Something by Ariana moreau

See You Again by LongMayYouReign

Brother (Kodaline) by Julia Defávari is wonderful.  The music has been used in other videos for other brotherly relationships [which leads to more videos and all influence the essay I will someday write]

Hey Brother by Dragon Wishes is also in that category.  [Side note: there’s an excellent version of this song done by D’Artagnan]

Some of the fanfiction stories I keep going back to:

The Favourite Son by Beserk

I really like It takes a boy to live but it takes a man to pretend he was there by lorarawr

I’ve Got You, Brother by MarieBloom is rather nice

My Brother’s Keeper by OUATLovr is good as well, there are more chapters in the version on fanfiction.net.  The author has several other stories for Reign as well.

I have read several of MissWhitneyBex’s stories, which are modern takes and they’ve honestly given me ideas for modern takes on my story, but I usually end up wanting to hit her characters for being making consistently stupid choices.

I Daresay the Best Live Action Adaptation

So, the new live-action How to Train Your Dragon is out.  I have seen it and I have thoughts.  It probably doesn’t need to be said, but I shall anyway: SPOILERS AHEAD!!

I tried to go in open minded, telling myself to give it an honest chance and not go in planning to hate it.  In fact, by the time I sat down in the theatre, I was excited for it.  And I feel it is an excellent adaptation.  I will say not quite as spectacular as the original animated, but much better than most live-action adaptations.  I won’t go into a lot of detail, since this was my first viewing, just the first thoughts I have.  It doesn’t have quite the humor that the animated has.  But the actors make it their own.  I enjoyed Mason Thames as Hiccup; not quite as quippy as his animated counterpart, but very real. I loved the emotions he showed and I was still impresses with Hiccup as a character while watching him; like, why does his village doubt him so much because he does these awesome things. 

They’ve changed Astrid’s character a bit, but she still stands beside Hiccup and I like that.  Gerard Butler reprised Stoick well. I liked the emotion he showed when he asks about Hiccup when he returns from looking for the dragons’ nest; “he’s gone?” and he clearly shows that Stoick is now fearful that Hiccup has died. We definitely inferred it in the animated, but I like it being shown clearer.  Nick Frost was good as Gobber; again, not as quippy and sarcastic as he is as voiced by Craig Ferguson, but we can clearly see that Gobber cares for Hiccup.  Heck, they even brought in some of the father-son dynamic from the show to Spitelout and Snotlout, which is rather impressive.  And Fishlegs’ cards make an appearance.  Valka is mentioned, by name, even, but not too much to deviate from the original, just, laying the groundwork more for the other movies.  And I will admit, I am excited to see them brought to live action now.  Please finish the trilogy.

The animatronic, lifelike Toothless is very good, though we miss some of the cute facial expressions from the animated.  Still not as fond of how the other dragons appear on screen, but they had to nail Toothless and they did.  The music is wonderful, of course.  And since I have internalized this soundtrack over the years (it is part of my soul now), I can tell there were a few additions and I swear, some themes from later films peaked in.  And they added words to the ending theme!  I will be purchasing the soundtrack.

They nailed the Test Drive scene.  It’s so iconic and loved from the original.  I was sitting straight up in my seat, watching the scene and loving every single second of it.  I wanted to cheer at the end.  Hiccup also said my favorite line: “Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile.”  (It’s my notification alert on my phone; has been for years).  Again, I wanted to cheer out loud.  The final battle was well done and they brought more emotion to Hiccup waking up and discovering his prosthetic foot, even though they didn’t add much to the actual shot.

I still have some issues with costuming choices.  The one outfit Hiccup wears definitely looks like a hoodie.  Actually, I think all of his tunics have hoods.  Which were not in the original and not period.  But they get better through the movie.  And I think his outfit overall was the best adaptation.

Overall, I give this movie two thumbs up and I encourage everyone to go see it!  I already want to see it again.  And own it.

I have also seen clips from the new Isle of Berk theme park at Universal and yes, I definitely want to go.  I want to hug Toothless!!

On the topic of Dragons, I swear, I will complete Race to the Edge.  The story inspired by Reign has grown and I want to complete it (or at least a full rough draft) before I switch back.  There will probably be a wrap-up blog of that show (once I’ve seen the last two episodes).  Then back to Dragons.  And there’s more to come with that, and a few more movies beyond.

“Hi, I’m looking for a one-legged Viking and a Night Fury. Tell me where they are!”

As promised, the actual posting:

Season Three: Race to the Edge

Enemy of My Enemy starts with Astrid catching Hiccup and Toothless sneaking out, intending to go on a recon flight alone.  She tells Hiccup it’s far too risky and points out it’s been months since the Viggo episode (bit of fourth-wall leaning there, love it).  Hiccup appears to agree and let Astrid come, but as soon as she goes to get Stormfly, he and Toothless fly off alone.  Hiccup is eager to test out Toothless’ new tail and really enjoys the flight, until they come across a ship with seemingly unconscious men.  More like a trap.  Toothless gets hit with an arrow, but Hiccup manages to get them to an island.  He has to hide his dragon and keep him safe.  Hmm, maybe Astrid had a point.

Someone is secretly helping Hiccup.  And to everyone’s surprise, it’s Dagur.  Who swears he is not there to hurt Hiccup.  We’re all a bit skeptical.  Hiccup remains calm, though weirded out and wonders if he’s in an alternate archipelago.  Turns out, Dagur went through a major learning experience, discovering he was dispensable to Viggo, then getting stranded on the island for months alone.  All that alone time has given him time to think, though he’s still got his crazy laugh.  Dagur is calmer for the most part and also wants to do right by his sister.  Heather is blood, which makes her closer to Dagur than even Hiccup (still weird).  Dagur continues to be helpful to Hiccup, with knowledge of the antidote to Dragon Root.

It’s Dagur who counsels Hiccup on seeking revenge and obsession.  It’s a dark road to go down.  Paranoia is a terrible existence, the older boy tells his ‘brother,’ and it’s not Hiccup.  However, the guards discover the young men.  Dagur protects Hiccup and Hiccup even defends himself with a mace, lifting it with ease (remember back at the beginning of the first movie and he could barely lift an axe?).  But Hiccup is still mistrustful of Dagur and when it appears that the antidote may not be working, Hiccup attacks Dagur.  They fall in front of guards again and again, Dagur tries to protect Hiccup, especially when it looks like the Hunters will brand the younger man.  Dagur manages to get free and has to leave Hiccup.  The younger man shouts after his adversary “I hate you!”

But Dagur holds to his word to help Hiccup and comes to the rescue on Toothless.  And now he understands the crazy stunts the two pull and is impressed, and queasy.  The two shake hands and go to destroy the Hunters’ ship.  They’re separated and Dagur sails off alone, eager to find Viggo himself and rid the archipelago of the man.

The Fireworm Queen arrives on the Edge, looking for Hookfang in Crash Course.  She persuades the dragons to come to Fireworm Island.  But it’s not a hunter threat, it’s a creepy new dragon that’s eager to destroy her nest.  Fishlegs pulls out his dragon cards to figure out what the new dragon is (similar to fantasy cards…I guess.  Not quite into that), calling is a Cavern Crasher.  This thing oozes mucus out of its body to allow it to squeeze through impossibly tight cracks; it’s also wicked fast.  All accurately pointed out by the twins; they do have their moments.  Hookfang and Snotlout stand with the Fireworm Queen to defend her nest while the other riders try to figure out how to get rid of the new dragon.  They dry out its mucus and it runs off.  Hiccup even praises Snotlout for his actions, this after he encourages the twins.  He’s becoming a good leader.

This gets tested a bit in Follow the Leader by Fishlegs, who was put in charge of the twins and Snotlout.  But they walk over him and he doesn’t put up much resistance, instead daydreaming (in a different animation style) of being renowned by Berk and Hiccup and named the next leader of the Dragon Riders when Hiccup starts training to be chief (by a more Scottish sounding Hiccup).  When Astrid and Hiccup return to the Edge and find things on fire due to the rambunctious riders, Hiccup expresses his disappointment in Fishlegs.  This sort of thing can’t happen out here; they’re on their own and Viggo is certainly a threat. 

So Fishlegs wanders off and discovers a new cave with some interesting finds, such as a sword and writing on the wall.  He also discovers albino Night Terrors, who seem to make him their new leader when he closes an opening that was letting too much light into a big cavern.  They like him so much they don’t want him to leave.  Meanwhile, Hiccup is feeling guilty, that maybe he was too hard on Fishlegs.  Meatlug alerts the other riders to Fishlegs’ plight.  Fishlegs helps all of them get out of the cavern, with a little help from his favorite Terror, Darkvarg.  They close up the hole, so the Night Terrors can’t get out.  Then Fishlegs and Hiccup both apologize.  Fishlegs points out that Hiccup leads by example, not fear.  Hiccup also admits he struggles with containing the twins and Snotlout as well.  The friends then eagerly geek out over Fishlegs’ discoveries.

Hiccup is working on his ‘Dragon Fly Two’ in Turn and Burn.  Toothless is not amused, even when Hiccup talks about the precarious situations that it gets his rider into that he also has to rescue him from.  Snotlout and Hookfang want to help their leader, but end up lighting Hiccup’s hut on fire.  Before Snotlout and Hiccup can truly get into an argument, Stoick arrives, to speak to Snotlout.  Spitelout is driving the chief nuts, now wanting to improve everything.  Stoick feels they are out of Spitelout’s place in the tribe, or station in life.  His relationship with Spitelout is very similar to Hiccup’s relationship with Snotlout [a lot of the fandom hold that Snotlout and Hiccup are cousins, which is inspired from the books, from what I’ve heard].  Spitelout’s main idea is an off-Berk secret cache.  Now that man hasn’t been seen in a month.  Stoick has come to get Snotlout to help look for his father.  Hiccup joins them.

The men find Spitelout’s building and dragon traps, but not Spitelout immediately.  They do discover a new dragon, a Singetail, which Spitelout appears to save them from.  Stoick and Spitelout argue and Stoick appears to have a double standard.  “Stoick is allowed to take whatever ridiculous chances he likes.  It’s the rest of us who have to stay in line.”  Hiccup tries to get everyone back on track; they can work together to drive the Singetail off and save the storehouse.  His suggestion, since it is an unconventional dragon, is to fight it unconventionally.  They soon discover the dragon can also fire from its belly.

Fed up, the chief lays down the law and both sons hesitate to follow their fathers.  Hiccup talks to his father, pointing out that Snotlout and Spitelout both just want to prove themselves to the Haddocks.  They fly back to the storehouse to find more Singetails.  Hiccup realizes that the fires the one has been setting have been a call for back up.  Spitelout agrees to give up the structure, though Stoick does save the ‘S.’

In Buffalord Solider, Astrid is checking the perimeter and comes across an abandoned ship.  It’s filled with bodies, mostly dead.  One that still has a bit of life in it scratches her arm.  She and Stormfly quickly fly back to the Edge.  Her description of the bodies reveals that they died from the Scourge of Odin, a deadly plague that “swept through the archipelago centuries ago, wiping out entire Viking villages.”  Tuffnut’s solution is moldy bread [which is technically how penicillin was discovered.]  Astrid doesn’t mention the scratch.  It’s Stormfly who gets Hiccup in the middle of the night when her rider becomes very sick.  Astrid still protests there’s anything wrong with her, until she faints into Hiccup’s arms (we love Hiccstrid!)

Everyone works together, Snotlout having flown to Berk and back with Gothi’s notes.  There is a cure for the Scourge, a solution made from the saliva of a Buffalord dragon.  Except, those were hunted to extinction during the last plague.  The twins start seeing a pattern in Dragon’s Eye notes and help discover a map to the Buffalord.  The team sets out to find the dragon, Hiccup using Flightmare Algae for tracking and Deathsong amber glasses he was working on to see in the bright sunrise.  There’s one dragon left.  Pretty calm, but when the riders try to fly him back to the Edge, it freaks out and puffs up.  Very well, they’ll get the solution and take it back.  But it evaporates too quickly.  Thanks to the twins, they also figure out that the saliva must be mixed with the herbs that the Buffalord eats.  Snotlout retrieves Astrid.

She falls into Hiccup’s arms (and we hear a quiet, slow version of Romantic Flight) and he pleads with her to hold on.  “I can’t imagine a world without you in it.”  Hiccup is prevented from getting the cure for Astrid by the arrival of Viggo, Ryker, and other Hunters.  This was all part of Viggo’s plan, to create supply and demand; Astrid just stumbled onto his test ship.  Hiccup at first refuses to let them take the Buffalord dragon, until Viggo and Ryker are willing to kill it.  Hiccup then begs for enough of the cure to save Astrid, “that’s a loss I’m not willing to take.”

Hiccup is able to cure Astrid and keeps his word that Viggo may take the dragon.  But Hiccup also knew that the dragon would not travel with Viggo.  The Hunters are forced to release the dragon, who flies back to his island and peacefully eats his herbs.  The riders give the boat a proper funeral [which echoes a scene that comes up in How to Train Your Dragon 2, so if you’ve seen that movie first (which came out before the show), this is a very poignant scene].  Astrid then tells Hiccup, “I can’t imagine a world without you either.”  The couple is well on its way to becoming an official couple.

The riders work together in A Grim Retreat to produce Gronkle Iron.  They have a production line going.  Except, they keep at it all day, which drains everyone.  Most of the riders want a vacation.   Hiccup is more concerned about having the iron for weapons and defense against Viggo.  Even Astrid counsels Hiccup that they need rest in order to perform better.  She and Fishlegs find a nice island that they can visit and pick up more sandstone even.  Stoick and Gobber arrive to keep an eye on the Edge, and babysit Tuffnutt’s pet ‘Chicken.’

The teens enjoy an afternoon of swimming.  At night however, the dragons turn feral, except Toothless.  They all have to hide from their dragons; Snotlout at one point annoying Astrid so much she tells him “if you don’t shut your piehole, I’m going to leap out and plead with them to eat us both.”  Hiccup eventually figures out there’s something in the water that’s affecting the dragons.  Tuff throws salt when he runs out of weapons against their attacking dragons, which actually causes the dragon to stop.  Tiny bugs leap out of the dragon; grimora.  They are parasites that affect dragons.  Salt drives them out, so they have to find a saltwater source.  Toothless gets infected for a second time and traps Hiccup on top of a cliff.  They both fall off, into the water, but there is a plasma blast.  Could Toothless have fired on Hiccup?  A minute later, the grimora fly out and Toothless and Hiccup burst out of the water.  Hiccup now agrees that they will take breaks as they need so he doesn’t work them too hard and have to repeat the incident.

When arriving back on the Edge, the teens find out that Stoick and Gobber both think that Chicken was eaten by the other and have found replacement chickens.  Chicken is of course fine.

Everyone is suspicious of the notes that Fishlegs keeps receiving in To Heather or Not to Heather.  They find out they’re from Heather and urge Fishlegs to have her stop at the Edge.  Everyone also wants to ask Heather to join the dragon riders permanently.  But Heather worries she has the Berserker insanity in her.  Hiccup is quick to assure her she is nothing like Dagur.  Heather also spends time with Astrid as two warrior women.  Until Heather brings up the subject of Hiccup; she feels that the two are perfect for each other and they should stop wasting time and express their feelings.

Heather and Fishlegs are rather cozy; Heather was more open in her letters to Fishlegs and readily agrees to take a tour with the young man, much to Snotlout’s dismay.  Their mood is ruined once Meathlug and Windshear start fighting.  Windshear is not used to spending so much time around other dragons, or other people being so near her rider.  Hiccup is willing to work with Heather and her dragon, again, in the hope that Heather will stay with the riders.

There is a skirmish between Hunters and Riders; Fishlegs and Heather end up switching dragons and that seems to work.  Windshear will still protect Heather, but not attack the riders’ dragons.  Heather decides to stay.  The mood is ruined when Hiccup receives a letter from Dagur, asking for his help to find his sister.  Hiccup promises that Dagur won’t find Heather.

Styke Out centers on dragon fights run by Ryker and other Hunters.  The matches have low attendance since one champion outperforms the other.  When Snotlout and Hiccup go to rescue dragons, Hiccup is trapped by a knock-out gas and ultimately taken to the dragon fights, where Toothless as a Night Fury will be a new star and drum up business.  Hiccup is also chained alongside the dragons.

Hiccup ordered Snotlout to go get help and Snotlout is very keen to get Hiccup back.  The twins decide to become Thorston and Thorston, Sleuths Extraordinaire.  What works better is using Heather’s knowledge of the Hunter organization.

Hiccup watches Toothless’ match against a Razorwhip and urges his dragon not to kill.  After winning that match, the Night Fury will face the Triple Stryke champion dragon.  Ryker finds out about the match and warns his underling, who won’t call it off, that if the Night Fury dies, he faces an unhappy Ryker and Viggo.  Ryker also wants Hiccup.  Said Viking the meantime, befriends the other dragons, though very carefully.  “Call my old fashioned but I prefer not to lose another limb.”  (Yay, the lad has some self-preservation.)  Again, Hiccup urges Toothless not to kill the Triple Stryke, though the dragons are evenly matched, and is freed by Astrid shortly afterwards.  Toothless shows the other dragon mercy and the rest of the dragons are set free.  Ryker is forced back and the other riders chase the crowd away.

The Triple Stryke, which Tuffnutt suggest be named ‘Sleuther,’ follows them back to the Edge.  All the riders are happy Hiccup is back, though Fishlegs points out that “Astrid would have killed you (Snotlout) if we hadn’t found Hiccup.”

I like that this episode focuses more on Toothless as a strategist and a glimpse what a Night Fury might be like in the wild.  Hiccup still uses his brains to help dragons, but this wasn’t a problem to be solved from the air.  It’s also a bit sweet that the riders all care so much about Hiccup that they get very angry when trying to find him.

The riders rescue a dragon egg in Tone Death.  It’s a very cute dragon when it hatches.  Until it starts screaming, and spitting amber.  It’s a baby Deathsong.  Hiccup still wants to train it.  Heather figures out the way to calm the baby, named Garff now, is to sing to it.  Commence all the different riders singing their lessons; it’s rather hilarious.  But they decide it’s best to take the baby to be with its own kind.  Things are a bit tense, hoping that the adult Deathsong will bond with a baby not its own.  Garff has to echo that dragon’s song back and forget what the riders taught it.

Hiccup is also working on a new gadget; a flaming sword using Nightmare gel he calls Inferno.  [Spoiler, this is a prototype to one he carries in the second movie.]  It’s inspired by figuring out that a lit dagger will cut through Deathsong amber.  He excitedly talks about modifications with Astrid, who comments “that will be the last we see of him for a week.”

Between a Rock and a Hard Place has the riders tracking a convoy of marble blocks.  Turns out that the Hunters are using Catastrophic Quakens to mine the marble.  Viggo is using it to create an impenetrable roof for his hide out.  But the mining has made the island unstable.  Hiccup does get to show off his different tails for Toothless, but Fishlegs is a big help.  They free the Quakens, then use them to tear down Viggo’s roof (you can hear a bit of the battle theme in the background).  Viggo is extremely displeased with Hiccup after that stunt.

When the riders return from a practice run at taking out a fleet, they find Dagur at Dragon’s Edge in Family on the Edge.  He’s come in person to ask Hiccup for a dragon so he can find Heather.  Hiccup and Toothless owe him; he saved their lives.  Hiccup points out that Dagur also tried to kill them.  Well, maybe deep inside, Dagur didn’t actually want to kill them.  Hiccup eventually relents, mainly so Dagur doesn’t go wandering around.  Dagur hugs his “brother,” and calls him “small and cuddly.”  We agree with Hiccup, that Dagur should never say that again.

Hiccup on the side has to get Heather to leave so the siblings don’t see each other.  He picks a sturdy and safe dragon for Dagur, a Gronkle.  Also not terribly dangerous and less of a threat to the riders.  Dagur still names the Gronkle ‘Shattermaster.’  Dagur is an enthusiastic student, but tries to do too much too fast.  He ends up barreling into Hiccup and breaking his prosthetic leg.  Hiccup takes Shattermaster to get a spare.  While they’re gone, the other riders find Dagur with Toothless and fear he’s done something to Hiccup.  Hiccup shows up to set them straight and admits he didn’t tell them about Dagur saving his life because he honestly doesn’t know how he feels about it.

There is still their plan attack on Viggo’s shipyard.  Astrid finds it very strange that Dagur shows up right when they’re getting ready to strike.  And unfortunately, Heather returns early and finds Dagur on the Edge.  She is not happy.  She calls Dagur a spy.  Points out that he set her adrift as a child and killed their father.  Dagur pleads that he is trying to change.  He decides to leave since the riders don’t trust him.  But he comes across Hiccup’s plans.  He guesses what Hiccup’s attack plan will be and calls the young Viking gullible.  Astrid sees them and Dagur agrees to be locked up, though he warns Hiccup that if anything happens to Heather on the mission, he’ll hold Hiccup personally responsible.

Dagur then escapes and heads out for the shipyard.  Heather races after him, intent on killing him.  Dagur starts the attack and reveals that it was indeed a trap.  He flies alone into an ashy cloud where explosions go off.  The rest of the riders have to hang back.  Hiccup wants to go save him, but Astrid stops him.  It’s too late.  Hiccup is genuinely upset that Dagur is dead.  On the Edge, Heather finds a letter her brother left for her.  He has her “tell our little brother” (that is kind of sweet) to hit Viggo’s auction and release all those dragons.  He also wants to set the record straight; he never killed their father.  He just used his disappearance so the tribe would think he was tough enough to be chief.  It starts to rain, but the letter gets wet from Heather’s tears.  All accompanied by bagpipes and mournful music.  I wanted to shed a few tears myself.

They take Dagur’s advice in Last Auction Heroes and have Trader Johan steal a map for them to the next location.  Hiccup goes to his father to ask for Berk’s cache of gold to get Snotlout into the auction.  He tells his father, “Viggo Grimborn is the most ruthless Viking we have come in contact with…. No dragon will be safe and eventually, he will set his eyes on Berk.”  Snotlout is the only rider that Viggo hasn’t seen.  He’ll still go in disguise and Gobber will go to keep an eye on the gold.  Snotlout enjoys his assignment of being a rich businessman a bit too much; he’s gleeful to order other people around.  The riders sneak in in the belly of Johan’s ship, with their dragons as the bait.

Eventually, the riders are caught, though Heather and Astrid make a kickass double team.  Viggo intends to sell Toothless, as the only Night Fury in existence.  There is a stranger at the auction, keen to buy the rare dragon.  Viggo brings Hiccup out so he can watch.  Gobber comes to the rescue, with his new dragon, Grump.  He fights Ryker to protect Hiccup.  Astrid is the one to saves him, but Viggo still gets away with their gold.  Hiccup thought they had a chance to get it back, but Viggo switched the chests.  The other riders tell Hiccup to look on the bright side, they saved the dragons.

The season ends with the first of a two-parter Defenders of the Wing.  The riders continue to rescue dragons.  But now, Viggo wants to meet.  All of the riders, even Hiccup, is aware that this can be a trap.  He lets Heather and Astrid come to the meeting spot with him, which is full of blue oleander, which is poisonous to dragons.  Viggo calls Hiccup a worthy opponent and wants to offer a truce.  They divide the map.  Everything north of the line, the Hunters will have free rein, the riders may stay to the south, and neither side will cross the line.  Viggo even signs his name to the map.  He has no desire to rule the world, unlike some [big old hint drop].  He’s a business man and all this fighting is bad for business.

After the meeting, Hiccup notices that there is an island he doesn’t recognize as Viking or Hunter just inside the line on Viggo’s side.  Hiccup is trying to work out what Viggo is thinking.  So, they need to investigate this island.  At first, all seems fine, though there is a large statue of a dragon.  Then, the riders start disappearing and getting drugged.  They eventually meet Mala, Queen of Defender of the Wing Island and her right-hand man, Throk.  (Ironically, Mala is voiced by Adelaide Kane, who plays Mary Stuart in Reign, along with Ivy Belfrey/Drizella in the last season of Once Upon a Time.)  Mala thinks that Viggo sent the riders to their island, that they are Hunters.  They’re enslaving their dragons.

But when her Defenders try to release the dragons, they don’t fly away.  Instead, Mala holds a trial and asks Hiccup questions.  Tuffnutt does not help matters when he points out things that Hiccup has done, like shooting down Toothless and crippling him.  Hiccup tries to argue that they could be allies against Viggo.  He is willing to earn their trust.  But Mala feels that the map Hiccup carries makes him guilty.  Hiccup again will do anything to save his friends and their dragons.  He bets their lives he can train a dragon in front of Mala.  Of course, there are three Speed Stingers, but Toothless comes to his rescue.  Mala trusts the dragon and releases the riders.

She explains that their island is home to a volcano and their Great Protector.  An Eruptadon eats the lava and keeps them safe.  But they find the Great Protector gone, with evidence that Hunters had attacked.  Now Mala is angry that Hiccup has led the Hunters right to their home and taken their treasured dragon.  Mala vows to kill Hiccup. 

And that is how the season ends!

I like how the storyline is advancing.  There are new challenges for the characters.  They learn to work together and everyone has a skill to bring to the group.  I of course like that Hiccup and Astrid are growing closer.  Astrid still is the voice of reason in their friendship and continues to act as his right hand.  Snotlout, while still reckless, is tempering it a bit.  He wants to be helpful.  He listens to Hiccup more.  The twins are crazy, but do we expect any different.  Stoick listens to his son as a leader and again, as the future chief.

As I commented in Season 2, Viggo is a smart opponent.  Hiccup has his victories, but he can’t easily outsmart this man.  Viggo has to work harder to counteract Hiccup.  I like that Dagur is now on Hiccup’s side.  Honestly, the boy doesn’t need that many enemies, and a Berserker is a good weapon in the arsenal; he’s got crazy ideas and enough guts to back it up.  As showcased by taking the suicide mission.

The Defenders of the Wing will be a great group to keep an eye on.

Up Next: Season Four

A Continuing Historical Fandom Update

First, another apology for the delay in posting Season Three of Race to the Edge. It will actually be posted imminently. However, as stated in the last Random Fandom Update, I’ve been distracted by Reign. About halfway through the series at this point (I’m aware of most of the highlights.) However, it sparked a massive amount of inspiration and creativity with certain elements. Love several of the characters and some of the fantasy elements play well with ideas in my head. And thus is born the longest piece of fiction I have ever written (actually, longest anything I’ve written). At the time of this posting it is 37,000 words. Making it officially novella length. And it’s not complete. It’s shaping up to be the sequel to the book that I should be working on, which itself is the fourth in a series. – I cannot explain how my brain works, I just go with it. It’s a continuing saga.

A Historical Random Fandom

Just a brief update. I have gotten back to the third season of Race to the Edge and will work on that post. As usual, life has its own ideas. I decided to start reading some historical fiction that I’ve had on my shelves for years, mainly dealing with Tudor England including a series by Laura Anderson that takes on “what if Anne Boleyn gave birth to a son who lived and eventually became king.” I’ve also started watching “Reign,” a CW show from 2013. Yes, I’m late to that party.

Honestly, I tried to watch it once before since it deals with Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, but I could barely make it past the first episode because the girls’ costumers are grossly historically inaccurate and it was distracting. Now that I know they are incredibly inaccurate, I try to ignore them and pay attention to the story line (that yes, plays fast and loose with history). One comment I read said that they should have just set it in a fantasy realm and it would be just as good, and that’s honestly correct.

I’m only one season in, but I’ve done some other reading and if you know history, there are some foregone conclusions. I like it, for the most part. The leads are believable (and yes, Torrance Coombs [he’s been in some Hallmark movies, The Tudors, and an episode of Supernatural] as Sebastian and Toby Regbo [grown up Jack Blackfriars in Discovery of Witches and young Dumbledore in Crimes of Grindelwald and Deathly Hallows] as Francis are cute) and I care about what happens to them. Megan Follows as Catherine is amazing; you don’t want to root for her character sometimes, but she pulls it off and has some of the best dialogue.

For those of you who have not watched the show, it follows Mary, Queen of Scots (played by Adelaide Kane, who voices a character in Race to the Edge and is in the final season of Once Upon a Time) in her life at French Court, engaged to the heir to the French throne (given the title dauphin), Francis. She has ladies in waiting (including one played by Anna Popplewell, who was Susan in Chronicles of Narnia) who get into their own drama. It’s a royal court, so there’s always intrigue and secret plans going on. But there is a wonderful love story between Mary and Francis, that has its own ups and downs.

It’s also given me some ideas for my series (another generation of characters that yes, exist, but didn’t need a story yet). I’m also continuing to work on other writing projects. But I promise I will be back to the Dragons blog. And yes, I still have mixed feelings about the upcoming live action movie.

“Don’t laugh Toothless. You’re above that.”

First, since the teaser trailer for the live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon has released, I do have some thoughts.  They’re a mixed bag.  On the one hand, as was commented to me, “more How to Train Your Dragons is good.”  And it’s good that they have the original director at the helm and the original composer (my comment to the last was if they didn’t hire John Powell back, it was a sin.)

On the other hand, the trailer itself is almost shot for shot from the first movie.  And if it’s simply a shot for shot remake, then what is the point?  The characters look a bit weird; Hiccup and Astrid look very real, but the other are caricatures.  The oversized Viking helmets work in animation, not real life.  Gerad Butler doesn’t look like Stoick; it’s easy to see that the actor playing Fishlegs is wearing a puffy suit.  And that can be done realistically, as evidence by the Hobbit.  And Hiccup is wearing a sweatshirt – you can tell by the seaming.  I’m not convinced that Toothless is cute and cuddly.  Will I take a look at material as it becomes available?  Yes, because I am curious.  Will I pay money to see this in theatre?  Most likely, unless something occurs that convinces me it’s a bad idea.

If they’re going to do a live-action movie, then run with it.  Don’t just rehash the beloved animated version.  Keep to the general storyline, but really dig into these are human Vikings.  Still make it colorful and fun; no need to go gritty and dark.  But, have some respect for the feelings of the people who love this series

Enough of that; let’s continue with something funnier, Season Two of Race to the Edge:

Hiccup and Astrid are patrolling at the beginning of Team Astrid, and have words to say to the twins about playing with the Night Terrors.  The small dragons are an integral part of the security of Dragon’s Edge; they’re a warning system in case Dagur or anyone else lands.  So far, Dagur does not know where the Edge is, but there’s no guarantee it will stay that way.  Hiccup receives Terror Mail from Berk; there’s been an attack.  The gang finds out it was a hit and run attack, just a single ship, most likely done by Dagur.  Hiccup gives orders for members to go searching for Dagur.  Astird’s house was hit, but her parents are okay.  The riders collectively agree to sleep at the academy with Astrid (and look how Hiccup sleeps on Toothless).  Astrid can’t sleep and eventually goes patrolling.  She meets up with Stoick.  He understands what she’s feeling; they’re both warriors.

Come morning, Astrid tells the other riders she’s staying on Berk; she won’t leave the island defenseless.  She will also train a set of auxiliary riders for just such attacks.  Hiccup figures he’ll fight her decision later and sends the other riders out searching again.  They miss the ships and we see that this was all part of Dagur’s plan in order to work out where Dragon’s Edge is located.  Hiccup watches Astrid train several of the secondary characters we have seen, including Spitelout, Snotlout’s father, and Gustav.  Hiccup is impressed with some of the crazy stunts, but Astrid keeps pushing the auxiliary team.  He eventually talks to her; she wants them to fail, because then she will have to stay on Berk.  (They also both enjoy seeing Spitelout do some pushups simply because he’s Snotlout’s dad.) 

Hiccup then has to check on the rest of the riders and comes to the Edge to find Dagur attacking.  Not aided by the fact that the Night Terror were not at their post to give advance warning.  He gives the other teens a rousing speech on holding their new home.  He quickly sends a message back to Berk.  Astrid joins Stoick and orders the auxiliary riders to remain at Berk; they’re not ready.  But the auxiliary riders come to the rescue while the others attack Dagur.  Dagur shouts that they’re cheaters, but he’s sent sailing away.  Astrid has also come to a new decision; she will remain at the Edge with the other riders.  She leaves Gustav in charge of the auxiliary since he has the most experience (it finally pays off!).  Hiccup calls them the A-Team; Astrid’s team.

Astrid then enjoys her early morning flight in the first part of Night of the Hunters.  She then goes to investigate when she hears a dragon in distress.  She comes across a group of men with colors she doesn’t recognize, but she does recognize the insignia from The Reaper; these are Dragon Hunters.  The Hunters are led by a big guy named Ryker.  Astrid sets off to warn Hiccup, but Stormfly is hit by an arrow and is taken down and captured.  Astrid ends up in the ocean and left behind by the Ryker and the Hunters.

Hiccup is worried when Astrid doesn’t return by dusk.  As he tells Fishlegs, she’s never been gone all day.  And there is a storm coming in.  He gathers everyone to go searching.  Snotlout is disappointed that Hiccup won’t let him take south, since that is Astrid’s favorite direction to fly.  We see Astrid hold on all day, but eventually falls beneath the surface of the water and starts to sink.  But a shape dives in after her, Hiccup.  Toothless pulls both of them out and they return to Dragon’s Edge.

When she wakes, Astrid insists they go after the Hunters and retrieve Stormfly.  She rides with Hiccup back to where Stormfly was shot.  Fishlegs (in a totally dumb move) licks an arrow and determines it is refined dragon root, which will disorient a dragon so they can’t fly.  So the riders head back to The Reaper to find clues about these Hunters.  They come across another Dragon Eye lens and it’s Tuffnut who figures out they need a Changewing to see through it.  And it’s Tuff who manages to capture one on Changewing Island, though its acid ends up in Snotlout’s helmet.  They get a map and figure out a plan.  Fishlegs and Meatlug allow themselves to be caught, though the attack reveals that they have a Night Fury, which catches Ryker’s attention.  Astrid falls during the attack and is captured, but she frees Stormfly.  The other riders end up hit as well, except Toothless.  He catches Hookfang and Snotlout and they retreat.  The parting shot reveals that Dagur and Heather have reunited and are working with the Hunters.

The second part of Night of the Hunters starts with Heather taking Astrid to speak to Ryker.  When Astrid returns, she mentions that she told Ryker that the Dragon Eye is back at the Edge with the rest of the Riders.  That was just a ploy in order to buy time to figure out an escape.  Ryker also shows the riders how their dragons are being treated; Stormfly is being harvested for her spines, Barf and Belch are being fattened up in order to sell their hide, and Meatlug is being forced to belch up Gronkle Iron.  All of this is dependent upon how the riders cooperate with Ryker.

Meanwhile, Hookfang, Snotlout, Toothless, and Hiccup try to come up with a new plan.  Hiccup decides to head to Whispering Death Island and use the scales to make armor.  They come face to face with the Screaming Death, who doesn’t quite remember they were the ones to reunite it with its mother, but the mother remembers and the boys are able to complete their task.  And it’s actually Snotlout who is the better stitcher.

It’s Ruffnut who is the one to help everyone escape, despite being ignored.  She snuck a key off a guard while pleading for her dragon’s life.  The riders break out, though the twins set off a trap.  Astrid faces off with Heather, though we don’t actually see the fight.  We also learn that there is another Hunter in play, named Viggo.  Fishlegs manages to get the recipe for Gronkle Iron while escaping.  When Toothless and Hookfang swoop in, the rest are able to escape, though Astrid faces off with Heather again.  Ryker admits, as they fly away, that he may have underestimated the riders, despite Dagur’s warning.  Though they’re one step closer to the Dragon Eye and will report such to Viggo.  The riders are also aware that this is not the last they have seen of the Hunters.

Tuff gets a strange bite on his arm in Bad Moon Rising; a more light-hearted episode after the up in ante in the previous two episodes.  Gobber happens to be at the Edge and decides to share the legend of the Lycanwing, where at the full moon, a bitten human will transform into a dragon with a thirst for blood.  Snotlout eggs on the symptoms listed and Tuff starts to believe he will transform into a Lycanwing.  He locks himself in a cage with Chicken, despite everyone now trying to talk him out of it.  Tuff even nominates Hiccup to be Ruffnut’s new twin brother.  Ruffnut is mad at Snotlout, so she drags him across the island to determine what actually bit Tuff.  Her brother is the most important thing in the world to her.  Not everything agrees with Snotlout, but Ruff is not sympathetic.

Hiccup comes across a new lens for the Dragon Eye, which in the moonlight, shows the image of a human/dragon creature.  So he and Fishlegs head out to find out more.  There is the image of a Lycanwing in a cave, but the eyes are actually Dragon Eye lenses and the myth was created to protect them.  They arrive back at the Edge to talk Tuff out of jumping off a cliff in order to fly.  When he falls, Toothless grabs him.  Snotlout finally shows up with what actually bit Tuffnut, a wolf.  That then escapes.

Spitelout visits the Edge with news that there is to be a union between House Jorgensen and House Hofferson.  Snotlout is bring the ceremonial axe.  Astrid is also to attend, as is Hiccup.  While they’re gone, Fishlegs decides to educate the twins on Viking marriage ceremonies.

Snotlout manages to drop the axe, where an Armorwing finds it.  To get it back, Snotlout lures Smothering Smokebreaths to grab the metal.  However, depriving the Armorwing of metal leaves the dragon defenseless since it has no scales.  So the trio have to drive the Smothering Smokebreaths away and leaves some metal for the dragon.  Snotlout retrieves the axe, but when they reach the site, there is no wedding.  He admits his fault to his father, but the wedding was called off before after a brawl broke out at the rehearsal.  Spitelout tells Snotlout “nice work, I knew I could count on you.”

Back at the Edge, while doing a practice marriage ceremony, Tuffnut reveals that he trained with the village officiator.  So Ruffnut and Fishlegs are now married.  When the trio return, they point out that Tuffnut didn’t finish the course, so he can’t actually marry anyone.  Thus making the union between Ruff and Fishlegs dissolved.

The riders are working on a new watchtower to guard the norther waterway in The Zippleback Experience.  Snotlout has a different idea, but Hiccup retorts “since when do we go blasting people into oblivion?”  The twins start an avalanche.  Hiccup and Toothless save Barf and Belch and end up with the Zippleback following Hiccup around.  The initial rescue broke Hiccup’s metal leg, but he carries a spare.  When Barf and Belch kidnap Hiccup, he breaks the spare, but he has another one.  Tuff remarks that their fearless leader is on his last leg.  Hiccup is not amused.  Gobber stops by to help and also explain that the Zippleback is carrying out a life debt.  This just encourages the twins to try to put Hiccup’s life in danger so Barf and Belch will rescue him and go back to the twins. 

Meanwhile, without the watchtower in place, there have been scouts landing.  They intend to kidnap Hiccup, once he’s away from two protective dragons.

The twins eventually get Snotlout involved.  He gleefully punches and calls Hiccup a coward in order to antagonize the young man.  Hiccup warns Snotlout, but ends up punching the heavier teen and knocks him down [it’s grand!]  Hiccup calls a stop to the shenanigans and goes to think by himself.  This is when he gets grabbed by the Hunters, though he thinks it’s Barf and Belch.  Ryker and Dagur intend to extract dragon knowledge from the Hooligan tribe heir.  Barf and Belch witnessed the kidnapping, so they go to save Hiccup.  He even uses an axe handily against some of the guards.  The other riders also fly in.  When the twins come in on Toothless, they crash, causing Barf and Belch to fall into the water.  The twins also fall and help their dragon escape a net.  Toothless catches his rider and helps blow up the Hunter ship.

Toothless and Hiccup are working on a practice run against “hunters” (the other riders with some paint), wearing meatal armor in Snow Way Out.  It starts breaking off, so Hiccup recommends to Fishlegs they go thinner, which should make it lighter and more flexible.  Hiccup wants to be prepared.  Astrid comes with news from Johann that the Hunters are gathering cold weather gear.  Hiccup figures they’re going after a Snowwraith, to get a tooth key to use on the Dragon Eye.  Snotlout points out as they land that they are protecting a dragon that tried to kill them from Hunters who also try to kill them whenever possible.

Astrid and Heather go to face off again, but hug instead and sneak away.  They’ve been working together; Heather is on the Dragon Riders’ side.  Meaning, when the screen faded to black during their first fight, they weren’t actually fighting, they were planning.  Ryker doesn’t trust anyone and Dagur is paranoid.  The girls’ plan is to have Hiccup search for the Snowwraith and keep Ryker away.  Astrid wants to tell Hiccup the truth, but Heather figures it’s better to try to take the Hunters out from the inside.  Besides, Hiccup cares too much and that will keep Heather from getting to Viggo.  Ryker obviously has his own thoughts, so the riders have to hurry.  The Hunters corner the Riders and Hiccup agrees to talk to Ryker: “if there’s one chance to settle this without bloodshed, I have to try.”

When the two finally face each other, Ryker tells the riders’ leader, “Dagur was right, you don’t look like much.”  Hiccup quips back, “Astrid was right, you look like a psycho.”  [Not the best way to get these guys on your side, but we love him for being sarcastic.]  Ryker wants to barter for the Dragon Eye.  Hiccup refuses and warns the bigger guy “leave now and your men won’t have to find out what burning flesh smells like.”  [Hiccup’s not afraid to play dirty.]  Heather has to reveal the trap to save Hiccup, then defends her actions to Ryker that Hiccup is more valuable to them alive.  Ryker orders the cave closed in.  The riders then have to drive the Snowwraiths out so they hopefully escape.

Except Ryker was waiting for them and captures the dragons.  The riders chase after the Hunters and Astrid has to tell Hiccup the truth about Heather before he blasts her.  He’s disgruntled, because he’s supposed to be a team with Astrid.  The parting words are from Dagur, warning Heather that everyone is scared of Viggo Grimborn, even his older brother, Ryker.  The leader of the Dragon Hunters lives in the shadows.

The storyline picks up in the two-part Edge of Disaster episodes.  Astrid is annoyed by the dummies the twins have placed at the watchtower.  Hiccup doesn’t let it phase him: “because then there would be two crazy people in this conversation and we probably wouldn’t resolve anything.”  Their debate is interrupted by news that Johann is being attacked by Dragon Hunters.  Fishlegs and Snotlout accompany Hiccup; Hookfang and Toothless are the only two dragons with armor and Meatlug is immune to the dragon root arrows.  That leaves Astrid with the twins to defend the Edge.  Astrid is not happy with the arrangements and makes it known to the twins.  Ruffnut calls out Astrid for her attitude; she has no respect for anyone but Hiccup and is never kind.  Admittedly, the twins do spout knowledge from time to time, but they are also very chaotic.

Later in the day, Chicken brings word that Ruffnut has been captured by Hunters, who are right off the coast.  Astrid sends for help, but knows it’s down to her and Tuffnut to defend the Edge.  Tuff wants to trick the Hunters into thinking there are more of them.  Astrid prefers strategic thinking.  She lets Tuff carry on with his ideas by himself.

Ryker orders his men to destroy all in their path on the way to the Dragon Eye.  Dagur is secretly planning on getting rid of Ryker once they have the Dragon Eye.  Ryker ominously tells his younger partner “You feel the air?  That’s fear.  Soon, it’ll be death.”  [A little grim for a show that’s geared towards kids and teens.]

The attack starts in the second part.  Astrid still refuses to listen to Tuffnut, but he goes along with her ideas.  Ruffnut is able to knock out Heather and take Windshear, with some help from Heather, and takes off in the opposite direction.

While all of this is going on the three other riders are trapped by a herd of wild dragons that don’t trust humans after their interaction with hunters.  Hiccup eventually uses his flight suit to show the dragons he has wings in order for them to trust him.

Once Astrid’s plans run out, Tuffnut gets to show her what he’s though of.  The dummies will make the Hunters think there are more riders on the Edge.  Some are filled with Zippleback gas that they set off.  The spread Nightmare gel down ropes in order to stop Hunters from climbing.  Dagur eventually figures out that Hiccup is not on the island by the absence of the Night Fury.  Ryker is able to hit the lead Night Terror, Smidvarg, but Stormly scatters the rest of the Night Terrors.  Astrid takes on Dagur and Tuffnut attempts to fight Ryker.  The calvary arrives (to epic theme music!) with Ruffnutt, Hiccup, Snotlout, and Fishlegs, along with the other wild dragons.  They wreak havoc on the Hunters.  Heather keeps her cover and all Hiccup can do is glare at Ryker.  In the aftermath, Astrid admits to the teamwork between herself and Tuffnut and apologizes to the twins.

We get a lighter episode with Shock and Awe. The twins are busy pranking the other riders for Loki Day.  Fishlegs ends up blocking in a new creature to the bay.  They figure out it’s a Seashocker dragon.  But they do best out in deep water, so they have to set it free.  Except they’ve attracted the attention of Scauldrons, who are the natural enemies of Seashockers.  Hiccup makes the twins be the distraction and lure in a Giant Zapping Eel (admittedly, they were supposed to get small ones), and give the Seashocker a chance to escape.  Fishlegs also jumps in the water to save the new dragon at the last minute.  He gets shocked again for his trouble, but it works.  Other Seashockers come to help and they return to their normal habitat.  The other riders also get the twins back for their pranks, culminating in Astrid picking their hut up and leaving it on a sea stack.

An earthquake and lightning storm wakes the Skrill at the beginning of A Time to Skrill.  The Riders investigate and find the Outcasts run off their island and familiar scorch marks.  Berk is in the direction of the storm.  They rush back and find the auxiliary riders out and Toothless goes after the Skrill.  Hiccup gets to use his flight suit again and lands with his father this time.  Spitelout takes a bolt and Snotlout has to translate for his father (and of course, it’s not entirely accurate).  They find out that the chief’s house was the only one hit.  This was a targeted attack [and proves that dragons are not stupid]; the Skrill is looking for Hiccup.  Hiccup is confident that they can handle the situation; they’ve done it before, they can do it again.  Spitelout wants revenge.

The riders make a deeper tunnel, but when Toothless leads the Skrill, it won’t go in, instead trying to capture the Night Fury and his rider instead.  They escape, but Toothless’s tail is damaged.  The duo lands on one of the graveyard ships and uses the sail to repair the tail.  His new plan is to lead the Skrill to the Hunters, allow them to bring it down, but rescue it to keep it out of Dagur’s hands.  Dagur is thrilled and they do bring down the Skrill.  Hiccup’s sword is shot out of his hand and he can’t rescue the Skrill.

He admits his mistakes to the other riders and Astrid takes charge saying that they will all work together to figure out a new plan.  She encourages their leader, that everything he’s done is to protect the riders and to protect dragons in general.  They go to rescue the Skrill, but get surrounded.  Hiccup’s new plan goes along the line of “the enemy of my enemy might be able to help.”  He tips the cage back to get the Skrill out of the water so it can direct lightning at the Hunters.  He even stands in front of an arrow aimed at the Skrill, which Toothless saves him from.  Once the Hunters are taken care of, Spitelout shoots the Skrill for revenge.

When the riders go to put the Skrill back in ice, Hiccup stops them and frees the Skrill.  The Skrill saved them and risked itself to do so.  If they trap it again, they’re no better than the Hunters.  The Skrill bows to Hiccup and Toothless, and they lower their heads in return.  A shot from the Skrill brings Spitelout’s speech back and Snotlout better run.

Another two-part episode ends the season, Maces and Talons.  The Riders are battling the Hunters and freeing the dragons.  Dagur is mad that Ryker keeps underestimating the riders.  Ryker figures there has to be a traitor in their midst, feeding the riders information.  Astrid takes down Heather to keep her cover.  Orders come from Viggo for the Hunters to meet him. 

On funnier terms, Snotlout and Tuffnut bond over helping each other out in the battle and name each other “official best friends.”  Astrid talks to Hiccup about getting Heather out of the Hunters.  Hiccup wanted to do so weeks ago since it’s always been too dangerous, but Astrid talked him into leaving well enough alone.  He also trusts Heather to take care of herself, and Windshear will look after her rider.

Heather and Dagur meet Viggo, who speaks of a Viking game ‘Maces and Talons’ [no, it’s not a real Viking game, but it’s very similar to chess].  In the game, and echoed in life, the line between good and evil is unclear.  He takes Heather on a walk and asks for her help in finding the traitor in their midst.  Perhaps it’s Ryker, unhappy with the status quo, being ruled by his younger brother.  Perhaps it’s Dagur who’s a bit of a loose cannon.

Heather meets with Astrid and Hiccup and tells them about her success with Viggo.  They will be searching for the Flightmare, which Heather can lead Viggo to.  So the riders will need to ambush them.  However, Viggo is at least one step ahead of our heroes and it’s actually an ambush for the riders.  Heather is captured by Viggo, but when Hiccup lands, Viggo is gone.  When the riders retreat, Hiccup admits that they are going to have to outthink and outsmart Viggo.

In the second part, the riders return to Dragon’s Edge to find it raided.  The Hunters were searching for the Dragon Eye.  Luckily, the twins had hid it from it’s original hiding spot.  They all try to come up with a plan and Hiccup shoots down their typical “go in dragons’ blazing” routine.  He admits they are a smart group.  “We’re fast, we’re fearless, and we ride dragons.”  But Viggo was able to manipulate them; they have to be careful or Heather will be killed.

They find Viggo’s base, but only find a Maces and Talons board left behind.  Viggo is taunting Hiccup.  This will force Hiccup’s hand to save Heather.  Dagur is upset with Heather for the betrayal; the siblings still don’t fully trust each other.  But the wheels start turning in Dagur’s head when Viggo remarks that everyone is expendable, using Maces and Talons as an example.  A leader must be willing to sacrifice all their pieces.  Dagur asks Ryker later why the big guy doesn’t take out his younger brother.  Ryker admits his younger brother annoys him and he could easily be rid of him, but he won’t because they’re brothers.  Besides, Dagur is just to follow orders.

Viggo uses Typhomerangs to guard his base.  Hiccup has the crazy idea to go straight through the fire, a move the twins have actually accomplished.  This way they don’t go around and play into Viggo’s hands.  But when Hiccup thinks he’s found Heather, he instead is frozen by the Flightmare.  This allows Viggo to grab the Dragon Eye from Hiccup’s pouch.  Viggo later uses the Flightmare to burn the Dragon Eye; its glow bypasses the need for a Snowwraith key.  The Night Fury symbol is illuminated as we leave the Hunters.  Dagur sets Heather free and Hiccup screams in frustration.

Again, this season shows the characters continuing to grow up.  Hiccup again demonstrates his skills as a leader.  He gives orders to the riders in front of his father, since he knows the best tasks to set them to.  It was nice to see Astrid have to work with the twins.  And the twins get their chances to shine.  Heck, Hiccup even acknowledges that the twins sometimes have good ideas.  Snotlout gets to shine a bit as well, showing off his skills at sewing and even tries to come up with ideas when Hiccup’s out.  Though when he tells Hiccup “you should listen to me more often,” Hiccup just says “nah.”  That’s because his ideas are not always best. 

But Hiccup is now shown to be fallible.  We have a new antagonist to contend with.  I love Viggo as a villain.  He’s a smart villain.  He respects an intelligent opponent.  He’s all about the worthy opponent and wants to extract the best out of Hiccup.  He’s bored by predictability, but also very used to being the smartest person in the room.

I think we’re glad that Heather is not actually a villain, but she still differs from the riders.  She doesn’t trust Hiccup the way that Astrid does and is still determined to do things herself.  We also seem the friendship between Hiccup and Astrid develop.  He’s very worried when Astrid goes missing and places himself as the one to find her.  He comments that they work as a team and Astrid is the one to bolster his confidence when Hiccup makes a mistake.  Astrid still wants to prove herself as a warrior, and has a specific mindset on how that is accomplished, as showcased by her training of the A-Team.  Hiccup allows more creativity.

Up Next: A bit of a break for the holidays, then on to Season Three