The Dragon Prince Rewatch 3.9, "The Final Battle"

Read the previous entry here.
Will there be another entry in this series?

It's no joke; the rewatch has caught up with the series at last.

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3.9, "The Final Battle"

Written by Aaron Ehasz and Justin Richmond
Directed by Villads Spangsberg

Synopsis

Maybe they'll work better as tattoos...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Callum marks himself with the characters for the spell Ibis uses to give himself wings, preparing to attempt the magic in advance of the coming battle. The attempt fails, and Rayla offers some gentle mockery before the two consider their situation and likely deaths. Soren interrupts to summon them to council, apologizing for his prior misdeeds towards Callum.

Viren's army passes the petrified remains of Avizandum, and Viren praises Claudia for her loyalty and her prowess. Aaravos offers to teach Viren how to drain Zym's power and enhance himself.

The council in the Stormspire progresses, with plan of battle laid out. Zym sorrows amid it, however, and Bait attempts to comfort him. Rayla offers to guard the two and is hailed as the last Dragonguard.

Not a face to see in a back alley...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Viren's army advances, approaching the Stormspire and its arrayed defenders in power and terror. The empowered Kasif rages forward without orders, followed swiftly by the rest of the army, and battle is joined. The use of magic by Claudia and Viren is a factor that further unbalances an already asymmetrical conflict; the arrival of a flight of dragons seems to even out matters initially, but the seeming soon reveals itself as such, as the dragons' fire strengthens the invading army.

Was this the plan all along?
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Battle continues, with the dragons coming under restraining fire. Several are brought down.

Within the Stormspire, Rayla accompanies Zym as the titular dragon prince calls upon his mother at last. Despite his clear entreaty, she does not respond, but continues to slumber deeply.

The invading army breaks through the first defensive line. Callum deploys his own magic to interdict the advance, meeting only limited success. He is saved by the arrival of other human forces, led Aanya of Duren; the onslaught helps to balance the conflict, and the newly reinforced defenders make progress against their attackers, finding victory on the field. Ezran calls for tending to the enemy wounded amid freeing the restrained dragons, though there is some resistance to the idea. Viren's absence is noted and the search for him begins.

Pursuing Claudia, Ezran encounters Viren; Soren defends Ezran, confirming that he has turned against his father utterly. It is also revealed that the Viren present is not the real one; the actual Viren is elsewhere, pursuing Zym, whom Rayla and Bait defend in vain. Zym flees but is taken at the pinnacle of the Stormspire despite the attempt to fly away, and Viren begins to drain power from him through Aaravos's ritual. Rayla again attempts to interdict Viren, pitching them both from the pinnacle. Callum leaps to her salvation, finally enacting the spell Ibis used, and saving her; they affirm their love.

A promise of more to come.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

After, the victorious forces confer, with amity among them in the offering as Ezran is recognized again as king. Zym's mother awakens, and the gathered forces present themselves to her as one. And Viren awakens, Claudia having restored his body and life at great cost to herself; Aaravos, however, is absent from him, having metamorphosed into a form that foretells something else...

Discussion

From the episode, in comparison to the films,
used for commentary...

It is clear that the battle scenes borrow from Jackson's Middle-earth films and their depictions of such battles as at Gorgoroth, of the Five Armies, at Helm's Deep, and at the Pelennor. That is not to be wondered at, given the outsize influence of the movies and their antecedent texts on popular culture, generally, and on the presumed secondary audience of the series--the parents of the children who would watch it, including me--more specifically. Such evocation does not make the episode particularly authentically medieval, but it does make it medievalist in the way Sturtevant describes as supplanting or replacing the medieval in common conception. That there are problems of coding in the episode--note the association of animalistic rage with dark-skinned characters on both sides of the conflict--is perhaps one with that, as might be inferred from applying Niels Werber across the similarity between works and looking at the long and amply attested association of medievalist work and racist impetus. Even without overtly racist intent, after all, a thing can reinforce racism, and appropriation by execrable ideologues happens, as is all too abundantly clear.

At a minimum, it is a fraught issue. But I think more than the minimum much of the time.

It should be noted that, while it is clear from the episode there is more story to tell, and press releases have noted that more of the series is to come, there is not more of it as of this writing. If and when more emerges--because renewals, even when announced, are not guaranteed--I will resume the re/watch; until then, though, I will turn to other projects after a bit of a break. I'll have new material on 15 April 2021; I hope you'll return to read it!

The Dragon Prince Rewatch 3.8, "Dragonguard"

Read the previous entry here.
Read the next entry here.

In the penultimate episode of the season, forces array against each other in advance of the clash to come.

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3.8, "Dragonguard"

Written by Devon Giehl and Iain Hendry
Directed by Villads Spangsberg

Synopsis

Impressive. Most impressive.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

At the towering Stormspire, Azymondias, Ezran, Rayla, Callum, and Bait learn more about the current situation of the Queen of Dragons from the mage, Ibis. She lives, but she is weak and withdrawn within herself, in something like a coma or deep meditation. Zym hesitates to approach her, and the rest proceed, leaving Bait with the young dragon. The immense form of the Queen of Dragons awes them, and Ezran attempts to reach her within herself--to no avail.

Rayla flees, and Callum pursues her, asking after her thoughts; she relates the unease at being where her parents fled and failed. He offers such comfort as he can.

No William Tell Overture here...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

A weary Soren rides across Xadia, reaching the Stormspire and beginning to ascend its many steps. He only gets so far up the slope before beginning to fatigue and suffer from the altitude, and he is confronted by the dragon he had attacked before. Ezran greets him, however, and secures his safe passage to Callum, who works the requisite magic to permit him to breathe at height. Soren is questioned regarding his purpose, and he reports the advance of Viren's multinational army and its magical enhancement.

Birds of a feather...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

After, Callum consults Ibis, who purposes to scout. There is some awkwardness in their interaction; Callum betrays unfamiliarity and asks questions he acknowledges may be rude. Ibis indulges his questions and demonstrates a powerful spell. Callum marvels and asks to be taught. Ibis demurs, and Callum demonstrates that he is capable of magic; Ibis suggests that he flee with Zym instead of facing the perils to come.

Callum reports the conversation to Rayla, who balks at the implication that she should flee as her parents did--though she sends Zym, Ezran, Callum, and Soren on. She asks Callum to remember her as she makes to redeem her family's failure, and he rails against her acceptance of her parents' fate; it is not a happy parting, but, in its wake, Callum realizes there is something to be done, recalling a working Lujanne had done. He follows up on the idea, repeating the working to reveal what had happened when Viren had ransacked the lair of the King and Queen of Dragons. Rayla's parents had not fled, but had been defeated defending their charge from Viren; when Callum reports his findings to her, with all their horror, she realizes her path is her own to follow, and she determines to keep her fate with theirs.

Howdy, boys!
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

That night, the group takes council regarding what to do. Soren reports the depths of his father's depravity and the extent of the threat he poses--and the peril of his seeming virtue in persuading others to follow what they have reason to believe is a righteous cause. Rayla is convinced of Soren's view, and they purpose to fight where they are. Ibis reports the proximity of Viren's army--and the unexpected arrival of Amaya, borne by Janai. The remaining forces of Lux Aurea are arrayed to defend the Stormspire. Preparations for a coming siege begin--on both sides.

Discussion

As the season--and what has been released of the series as of this writing--is drawing towards a close in the present episode, there is little enough of new medievalism to trace. Tropes already in place continue, as does recourse to Tolkien for medieval ideas; there is something of the Battle of Five Armies in the setup the present episode offers.

A few small notes present themselves, however. Soren's comment about not climbing the mountain in armor is one; it evokes conceptions of medieval armor as cumbersome, defying common-sense ideas that fighting equipment needs to allow movement for fighting. Admittedly, the additional weight would be a problem for any heavy activity, however articulated and distributed the weight might be, but earlier instances in the series of Soren undertaking heavy activity in armor do not show the change. Rather, they reflect things others have reported (here, for example), namely that it is remarkably easy to move in medieval armor--the more so for someone long trained to it, as Soren would evidently be. So there is that.

Another is that the series seems to have finally come down against the kind of Crusader mentality on display among the human armies. It might be wondered whether the assertion--which puts the putative crusaders clearly in the wrong--is a comment on real-life parallels, particularly the ongoing appropriation by white supremacist groups of medieval imagery and (outdated) medievalist understandings to support their execrable ideology. But surely no children's program would engage in such persuasion...

The Dragon Prince Rewatch 3.7, "Hearts of Cinder"

Read the previous entry here.
Read the next entry here.

Despair is kindled as the season approaches its end.

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3.7, "Hearts of Cinder"

Written by Neil Mukhopadhyay
Directed by Villads Spangsberg

Synopsis

It's a strange squee.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Claudia fawns over the Xadian wildlife as she takes samples of it and the united human armies march onwards. Soren tries to confer with his father about their objectives and goals, but Viren deflects the questions, angrily, and holds up Kasef as a counter-example. Viren privately consults Aaravos about the plan, finding only cryptic answers and a push towards conquest--and control of Azymondias. The nearby city of Lux Aurea, by report, contains materials that victory will require; Viren balks at the prospect of conflict and of his self-sacrifice.

Take the long way home...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

At the Stormspire, Zym, Ezran, Rayla, Callum, and Bait make for the dragon's lair at the mountain pinnacle. There are stairs in abundance, so all can ascend, and Callum mulls over his burgeoning romance with Rayla before they encounter a gate with forbidding writing upon it. They proceed despite the warning, their breathing becoming ragged and labored.

A face of some interest.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Meanwhile, Viren presents himself to the queen of the Sunfire Elves, Khessa, offering information about a fallen former queen. Under guard, he is pressed for the information, demanding passage for his army; Khessa bids him be put to trial, and he faces the light that had beset Amaya. It exposes the corruption of his magics, and Khessa comments that he "will be purified."

Dark tidings, indeed.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Janai calls on Amaya, conferring with her about the arrived Viren. Amaya warns her against him, and they rush to interrupt proceedings before he can work against them. They are too late to interdict him, however, and Viren, supported by the horrifically embodied Aaravos, wreaks ruin upon Lux Aurea and its ruler, corrupting the area's magic and turning it to his end.

As Zym, Ezran, Rayla, Callum, and Bait continue, the lack of air tells upon the humans and the elf. Help for them arrives in the form of the dragon they had aided before, who scratches out a magical symbol. Ezran copies the symbol for Callum, who enacts its spell, enabling them all to proceed together--and they reach the summit of the Stormspire, where they are greeted with dour news.

Viren returns to the armies, empowered, and calls for volunteers to undergo a transformative working. Soren refuses it, but Kasef accepts it and is corrupted as he is given strength and power; Soren flees. Claudia tries to keep him, and he tries to persuade her to come away with him they part in sadness. Viren works the ritual on the assembled armies, transforming them all.

Discussion

As I watch the episode again, I am struck less by the continued medievalism--the tropes already in place remain in place, after all, even if there is more of the overtly fantastic about the episode, but even that fantastic follows depictions of Tolkien by Jackson, Nasmith, and Howe and so touches back upon the medievalist underpinnings of the series--than I am by the postcolonialist critique that seems to be in play in the episode. The exchanges between Khessa and Viren smack of imperialistic powers still scorning the uprising former subalterns that have acquired new tools to use to overthrow the former oppressive power structures--and those tools are clearly evil, even as the innate powers of the elves cannot be said to be inherently or even necessarily good. "You are lesser beings" is hardly an enlightened attitude (despite what entirely too many people still think), and calls to "be content with what you are given" ring of the kind of dismissive attitude still all too prevalent in current and former colonial centers towards those who have been and still are oppressed.

Those who are still more fully engaged in academe than I may well have more to say about the matter, of course; I am not up on my readings anymore, some time having passed since I was even nominally a professor and longer since I could make a full-time effort of being so. But I can note that, yes, the Manichean allegory upon which so much colonialist discourse depends is frustrated (to some extent) in the present episode--although I will note that the worst acts are wrought by the palest-skinned present, which seems a neater inversion than might otherwise be the case. At root, though, there are few if any "good guys" in this--which is as it should be, even in a children's show.

The Dragon Prince Rewatch 3.6, "Thunderfall"

Read the previous entry here.
Read the next entry here.

Some of the background of the current conflicts becomes clear.

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3.6, "Thunderfall"

Written by Aaron Ehasz and Justin Richmond
Directed by Villads Spangsberg

Synopsis

Such drama. Much force. Wow.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Viren--accompanied by Soren, Claudia, Kasef, and a council member--rides at the head of a substantial army composed of forces from several nations. Soren contemplates the insectoid form of Aaravos on Viren's ear, with Viren attempting to deflect attention. The spectral form of Aaravos consults with Viren, asking how the former King of Dragons--"the Thunderer," Avizandum--died at Viren's hand.

Rare and wondrous and suggestive...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Viren begins to relate to Aaravos the story of Avizandum's death. After the death of Queen Sarai, King Harrow had been bitter, desirous of revenge against the dragon that slew her. Viren's research allowed for the creation of a spell to enchant a weapon to enact that revenge; he had captured her last breath, and he had recently acquired a unicorn's horn, thanks to Claudia. Harrow has some misgivings, but he is persuaded to contribute an emblem of his hatred to the work, and the spell is enacted.

Dealt he the death-blow, felling the dragon...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Kasef confers with Soren and Claudia along the way. The siblings confuse him somewhat, and the attention they call to Aaravos leaves him unsettled; he withdraws as Viren's story continues. Viren notes that he and Harrow rode out to find Avizandum, traveling for days to confront the dragon at the Stormspire, his lair and that of the Queen of Dragons. The dragon appears and bids them leave; Harrow refuses and slays Avizandum, Viren aiding him. The mage takes the chance to pilfer the dragons' lair--ostensibly to thwart a blood feud, gaining Harrow's reluctant agreement. Aaravos delights in the report of the dragon's death, glorying in the end of his captor, and more preparations to enter Xadia are begun.

Something of a deus ex machina, but...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Callum, Rayla, and Zym approach the edge of the Midnight Desert, Nyx waking them and giving them directions to the Stormspire. She remarks on the thinness of the air at altitude before she departs. Phoe-phoe carries Ezran and Bait towards the same destination, growing exhausted by the effort but persisting in it, nevertheless. The lot are reunited at the stone corpse of Avizandum, and Phoe-phoe dies and resurrects there. Callum wrestles with his emotions as he looks upon the stone dragon and the evidence of Harrow's involvement; Rayla offers some comfort and points out the nascent hope Zym and Ezran represent.

Discussion

Rewatching the episode brought to mind an earlier modernization of unicorns with which I've had some experience. It also brought to mind some of the medieval lore associated with unicorns, which receives some discussion, here, and which has come up in this webspace, here. In traditional European medieval depictions and those that follow after them, unicorns are associated with metaphors of sexual and other physical purities, such as the elimination of poisons. With that association in place and long-standing connections between celibacy and otherworldly power--whether priestly or sorcerous--there is a strong implication that Claudia is, herself, virginal, which would not normally be an issue except that 1) it aligns her to romantic interest tropes and 2) it juxtaposes powerfully with her involvement in dark magics with the tropes typically associated with the romantic-interest-virgin figure. So that much medievalism, both acting from the forms observed and pivoting away from them, is at work in the present episode.

The earlier-noted Crusading motif remains in place in the episode, as well, reinforced by the overt image of a multinational army marching on what seems unfortunately to fit the rubric of a holy war (although it is notable that there seems to be no baggage train, nor yet packs carried by the soldiers marching; it is a children's show, but even a child might wonder what they will eat on the move). So, too, does the earlier-noted commentary on incarceration, although Aaravos's prison is not so porous as that of Katolis. And there might be echoes of the pursuit of the Questing Beast in the ride against Avizandum--but those parallels are not as strong as others that might be found, adding only a little to the episode's medievalist bent.

Too, the episode confronts the emotionally fraught nature of vengeance openly and overtly. Harrow has to be persuaded to enact it, but he is persuaded. Callum laments its enactment, but he cannot decry it, nor yet can he deny that the tragedy has resulted in a hope for resolution of a longer-standing feud. Throop and Hyams's edited volume speaks to the issue more fully than I can here, of course, but it does even on a cursory investigation point towards the many-fold nature of vengeance; there is justification for it, even as its ends and means do not always or even often work well. Nor need it always be carried out, even when justified; Dream of the Rood makes much of the titular Rood yearning to crush those who had bidden it be lifted up, only to hold fast at the command of the one it would avenge. Yet it is often pursued and carried out, in medieval literature as elsewhere, so the episode confronting the complexity is a good thing to see and in keeping with its antecedents.

If only more medievalist work would confront complexity instead of trying to reduce it to simplistic pap...

The Dragon Prince Rewatch 3.5, "Heroes & Masterminds"

Read the previous entry here.
Read the next entry here.

This Sousa Day 2021 rewatch posting finds forces ready to march forth...

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3.5, "Heroes & Masterminds"

Written by Aaron Ehasz and Justin Richmond
Directed by Villads Spangsberg

Synopsis

Pity more people aren't sad for real children of color in cages.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Ezran languishes in the dungeons of Katolis. Bait visits, bringing him a slew of jelly tarts and squeezing into the cell with him.

At the oasis in the Midnight Desert, Callum and Rayla make to pursue Nyx, who has abducted Zym; their mounts are gone, loosed by Nyx as she absconded with Zym, although they have not wandered far. One of them, however, is trapped by soulfang serpents, and Rayla is unable to save it; she is only narrowly able to save Callum, and they are obliged to wait for dawn to proceed.

Yeah, this will go well.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

In Katolis, Viren crowns himself king, despite objections from Opeli and others. Those who oppose his accession are swiftly cast out, making to flee to a neighboring kingdom for aid. They are aided, surprisingly, by Soren, who also releases Ezran; he cites regard for the fallen Harrow as motivation for doing so. Somehow, Soren's efforts succeed in getting Ezran out of the castle and to Opeli, Corvus, and the cook; they spirit him and Bait to Lujanne en route to Xadia.

Yee haw, y'all.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

With the dawn, Rayla and Callum set off in pursuit of Nyx, some tension clear between them. The trail they must follow is clear, and they soon catch up to their quarry. Rayla and Callum ascend the towering ambler, confronting Nyx, who admits seeking reward before attempting to escape on the wing. Zym is not amused, however, and rebukes Nyx emphatically. In the fracas that follows, Rayla and Callum save Nyx from soulfang serpents at great peril--and the clear affection between Rayla and Callum emerges fully.

As Viren pores over documents, Claudia calls on him, beginning unknowingly to probe Aaravos. She asks after her father, comforting him; he avers his desire to rule in the best interest of his people and reaffirms their bond. Aaravos notes her utility, provoking a pointed rejection from Viren that seems to matter little to the spectral elf.

It is sometimes braver not to fight.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

That evening, Viren orates before an assembled army as Claudia and Kasef look on, releasing those few who do not wish to fight--but requiring them to bear a mark of shame and the opprobrium of their erstwhile fellows.

Discussion

It is difficult to watch the episode and not to consider the political situation contemporary to its release and presumed production. Nor should a work be studied without regard to its contexts of development and dissemination. But, while noting that there is a fair bit of commentary to be found within the episode--and that directed towards the presumed secondary audiences for the show, previously noted--the focus of discussion here has to be on how the series makes use of medieval/ist notions for its own storytelling.

Some of the earlier comments about medieval incarceration would seem still to apply to the present episode. The prison in which Ezran begins the episode is porous enough to let Bait squeeze in, and it is porous enough to allow an easy escape--with the right assistance. But this is not inconsistent with what is known about medieval jails and about the imprisonments of deposed monarchs--and Ezran, for all the trappings of abdication, is effectively deposed. That he is only imprisoned, rather than killed, speaks to some continued need for him (even within the context of a children's show; the series has had people die already, after all), bringing to mind the Wars of the Roses--a bit of late medieval English history that receives attention as prompting at least one major medievalist work.

Too, some of the Crusading mentality noted in the previous episode persists into the present one. The opprobrium heaped upon the "weakest links" as they take the offer of withdrawal--disingenuously presented as it is--hearkens back to matters Kostick discusses, for one thing. It must be noted, however, that the so-called cowardice for which Viren berates the "weakest links" is not regarded quite as dichotomously by the medievals from which the series borrows as might be thought--and the episode appears to take a similarly nuanced position. Lynch addresses the matter in Arthurian works, with particular resonance for the series, and Morillo notes that medieval battle-planners worked with expectations of cowardice and fear in mind, so Viren's comments regarding the "weakest links" as they leave make sense as a medievalism--even as they point to execrable behaviors and ideologies that are still all too commonly held and vociferously espoused.

The Dragon Prince Rewatch 3.4, "The Midnight Desert"

Read the previous entry here.
Read the next entry here.

If there's a theme in this episode, it's the danger of infighting.

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3.4, "The Midnight Desert"

Written by Aaron Ehasz and Justin Richmond
Directed by Villads Spangsberg

Synopsis

This message contains information intended only for the
use of the above-named company / party...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Ethari's message to the Queen of the Dragons speeds along until it is intercepted by a winged figure over a black-sand desert.

Meanwhile, Rayla, Callum, and Zym proceed through the forest, Callum finding difficulty with his mount as he tries to comfort Rayla. It does not work well; she resists the idea of talking about her emotional state.

This kind of thing never works out well.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

In Katolis, Ezran receives Kasef once again. The prince offers an ultimatum, demanding the military support of Katolis under threat of military invasion. Ezran refuses the demand and is told that Katolis will be besieged. And in the dungeons, Viren receives a strange gift from Aaravos, one for which he had not asked.

It ain't Honeycomb, but it's still big...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

As Callum, Rayla, and Zym proceed, they encounter Nyx, who claims to be an emissary of the Dragon Queen. Rayla is not pleased, while Callum takes the opportunity to perform foolishly. Nyx purposes to take Zym; Rayla refuses, and Nyx offers to conduct the lot of them across the titular Midnight Desert. Nyx lays out the problems of the Desert, its daytime heat and nighttime terror, and offers the solution of an "ambler," a large beast that can insulate the group from the hot sand as it crosses the hostile waste. They reluctantly accept.

He really is young, isn't he?
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Ezran watches the Neolandian delegation depart, and he confers with Opeli about next steps. She notes that the Katolis army is superior in training and support, but Ezran rails against the expectation of tens of thousands of casualties. He contemplates the cost of so many lives spent, and one of his courtiers proposes a solution.

As the ambler proceeds, Rayla contemplates events. Callum again offers some comfort, only to have it refused as the ambler encounters a problem. Nyx makes to clear the issue, something like a pothole occasioned by burrowing serpents (and a callback to earlier work from the writers and Callum's voice actor attracts attention). That done, the ambler proceeds to a magically shielded oasis where the group makes camp for the night. Callum explores as Rayla sees to the beasts and their own disposition as they settle in. It is an uneasy night, full of revelations--and the abduction of the Dragon Prince.

All according to plan...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Ezran stealthily enters the castle kitchens, where he confers with the cook over jelly tarts. He asks the cook to see to Bait; the cook agrees, of course, and takes the beast in hand. Sadly, he departs. That evening, Viren receives the awareness of his gift--magically enhanced vision. Ezran sets aside the crown, refusing to lead his people to war or to let them be destroyed by the other kingdoms, allowing himself to be imprisoned as Viren is released and takes power.

Discussion

While the conflict between the Pentarchy and Xadia has deep causes that are hinted at--the use of dark magic and long-time oppression--and the immediate conflict is based in (an inaccurate and soon to be addressed) blood feud and false flag attacks, there is something of a Crusader mentality among the human kingdoms that emerges in the episode. Given the Orientalism already established as present in the series (note here, here, here, and here), the overwhelming thirst for war against the eastern Others rings of "Deus vult"--all the more problematically so against the broader backdrop of white supremacist deployment of Crusader imagery to bolster their execrable positions. Since the Crusades often epitomize "the medieval" in popular conception, even their tacit invocation--because it is not called a crusade, as such, and the parallels are not entirely exact--does much to further the medievalism of the series--not that it was or has been in any doubt.

The Dragon Prince Rewatch 3.3, "Ghost"

Read the previous entry here.
Read the next entry here.

Punishment looms large as the third season presses ahead.

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3.3, "Ghost"

Written by Devon Giehl, Iain Hendry, Aaron Ehasz, and Justin Richmond
Directed by Villads Spangsberg

Synopsis

Ta-daa!
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Callum, Rayla, and Azymondias continue towards Rayla's home village, the elf growing concerned about her return. Callum tries to comfort her, and she brings up the issue of his human presence among the elves; he adopts a disguise, much as Rayla previously had. It is unconvincing, though it amuses.

In Katolis, King Ezran summons the Neolandian price, Kasef. Ezran tries to persuade Kasef to leave off war in favor of the survival of Azymondias; not all are pleased at the news, and Kasef refuses the call for peace, storming out--and finding sympathy among Ezran's courtiers.

Looks like a hot time.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Among the Sunfire Elves, in the city of Lux Aurea, Amaya is held captive; her captor, Janai, begins to question her, employing an interpreter to translate between speech and sign language. Her replies are decidedly impolite, and she is dragged before the local queen--Janai's sister, Khessa. There, she is examined and, after being found pure-hearted, allowed to remain in Janai's custody.

Steel never lies, some say...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

When Callum, Rayla, and Azymondias arrive at Rayla's home, she leads them through a ritual dance that dispels for them the illusion under which Rayla's home village is hidden. Callum is taken by the revelation, and Rayla makes to show him about; he notes the lack of faces on the others present in the village, and Rayla realizes that she has been made a "ghost"--magically outcast for her failure to complete her assassin's mission. They try to work around the issue by going to Rayla's adoptive father, Ethari, who had been Runaan's husband. Callum works to pierce the spell with regards to Ethari, and there is some success. Rayla realizes she is the only survivor of her mission, a magical indicator denoting it, as Rayla explains. Ethari works a brief pause in the ghosting ritual to confer with Rayla; she explains the change in mission, introducing Callum and Azymondias. Ethari notes the new urgency of their mission, remarking that the Queen of Dragons is ill, and offers logistical support before the pause ends. The mission to return the Dragon Prince to his mother resumes in earnest.

It's an interesting cage...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Viren languishes in the dungeons of Katolis, advised by Aaravos, and is visited by his children. They press him regarding his imprisonment, and he rails against them when he learns of Azymondias's survival. He attempts to reinforce to them the dire circumstances under which they operate, and Claudia challenges him regarding the ordered deaths of the princes. Viren, prompted by Aaravos, deflects the question, claiming to have been misunderstood; it works, and Soren and Claudia depart. They are replaced by a courtier and Kasef.

Discussion

Concerns of differing ability are prominent in the episode, and my own understanding of how what is currently called disability was addressed in the Middle Ages is limited. At present, the best thing I can think to do is to point to such resources as Prof. Kisha Tracy's work (including her commentary here) and some others readily available. I am sure I am missing some excellent work; I would welcome additions (and corrections!) in comments.

Something else that emerges in the episode is the porousness of Katolis's dungeon, which might also strike the mind oddly. Yet it is quite medieval in its thrust. My own dissertation research treats the issue as applicable to Malory; not only does incarceration factor heavily into Le Morte d'Arthur, Malory was himself a prisoner (69n11 and elsewhere), and his composition "is thus dependent for its existence upon the passage of materials from outside prison into it--it is indelibly marked by the permeability of prison confines" (72). At the end of the English-language medieval, things and people pass into and out of prison remarkably easily, something that continues into the neomedievalist early modern English period (Elizabethan and Jacobean, for reference); that the prison in Katolis is as open as it is is therefore in accord with the medievalism of which the series makes much.

The Dragon Prince Rewatch 3.2, "The Crown"

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Heavy is the head that wears it, and all the more so when it is a young head...

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3.2, "The Crown"

Written by Neil Mukhopadbyay
Directed by Villads Spangsberg

Synopsis

It's good to be the king.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Ezran wakes in the king's bed at Katolis. He takes a few moments to ascertain his situation, contemplating its significance as he takes up the crown his father had worn and looks out over his kingdom. He confers with Bait about Callum, Rayla, and Zym, and he muses on his unreadiness.

Callum, Rayla, and Zym proceed through Xadia, Callum marveling at all he sees. Rayla teases him about it good-naturedly and notes that she is bringing them to her home. Callum continues to marvel at the beauty of Xadia as they proceed, however, and Rayla indulges some of his delight.

Well, maybe not so good...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Ezran begins to test the limits of his governance, delighting in some things and despising others. The burden of rule quickly becomes evident to him, reinforced by the news that the monarchs of other human nations have been attacked. When Soren and Claudia are brought before him for judgment, Ezran balks; they confer in captivity, with Soren despairing of their situation. The arrival of another kingdom's representative complicates matters further; the representative, Prince Kasef of Neolandia, requests the martial assistance of Katolis. Ezran is confused by events, having not been advised about them, but he rejects calls for war. Opeli suggests that he name a regent to govern until he is ready to rule in his own right; he refuses the suggestion, orders Claudia and Soren released, and refuses again the call for war.

Discussion

Lean a little bit closer, see / Roses really smell like...

Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

I note with some amusement one of the ways in which Rayla teases the enthusiastic Callum: providing him with a flatulilly. It is a puerile thing, to be sure, but I readily admit to having a sense of humor that has not lost its juvenile thrust. I also note that the kind of joke on which the scene relies, the fart joke, is amply attested even in the "high" literature of the medieval period, including in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, as Valerie Allen explains in On Farting, and something of it comes up in medieval lyric (a popular topic, indeed). Certainly, the fart-joke is not original to the medieval; I recall reading something that the oldest attested joke, dating back some 3900 years from this writing, is, in fact, a fart joke, and I would not be surprised. But the fart-joke is a current one in medieval art and culture; emphasis on it within a medievalist property still serves to reaffirm that property's connection to the medieval from which it borrows.

I note, too, that the episode begins to deal with matters handled by another Netflix series, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. My comments about Glimmer's assumption of rule (beginning here) would seem to apply to Ezran, at least in part; I will not rehash them here, but will simply note that I am pleased to see the series grapple with the concerns of something so often idealized. More such could be meaningfully treated, and by many; perhaps if they were, the medieval would not be such a resource for the execrable who seek to employ it.

The Dragon Prince Rewatch 3.1, "Sol Regem"

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The third season of the series begins with a new set of challenges.

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3.1, "Sol Regem"

Written by Aaron Ehasz and Justin Richmond
Directed by Villads Spangsberg

Synopsis

That's a lot of dragon.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

In an expository scene from long before the main events of the series, the dragon Sol Regem flies to where a single human stands. The dragon confronts the human regarding dark magic; the human refuses to relinquish the power it offers, noting that surrendering the "gift" it provides would be rude. Sol Regem moves to waste the nearby city from which the human comes to compel his compliance, and the human works a ritual against him, blinding him even as he himself is slain in fire. The dragon flees.

The result of the meeting, long after...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Rayla, Callum, and Zym consider the maimed Sol Regem as they plot how to proceed into Xadia. Rayla relates the dragon's history and advances the idea of sneaking past him. Zym is fearful, and initial attempts to pass Sol Regem fail as the young dragon flees in panic.

Looks like she'll be having a blast.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Elsewhere, Amaya takes stock of her strategic situation; it is not good, as her position is understaffed and an attack from nearby Sunfire Elves is expected. A visitor arrives: Amaya's adjutant, Gren, whom she had left at the castle of Katolis and whom Viren had imprisoned. He reports on the lack of reinforcements and Viren's perfidy; Amaya proposes destroying the nearby access to Xadia and leads a party to place blasting charges to that end. The initial blasting attempt fails, interdicted by the Sunfire Elves, and Amaya personally ensures its success. After, she helps her defeated opponent, her mission completed.

Sol Regem is a bit caught up in the moment.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Rayla, Callum, and Zym consider how to make another attempt to penetrate into Xadia. Rayla approaches openly and pleads for passage; Sol Regem, after questioning the elf, allows her and Zym into Xadia, but he demands the death of Callum. They flee as the dragon rages and take stock of how they might proceed. Callum stumbles onto a plan to misdirect Sol Regem; Rayla adjusts it somewhat, and they proceed. Although done at great peril, their ingress into Xadia is successful.

Back at the castle of Katolis, Viren languishes, imprisoned. Aaravos offers him some small comfort and counsels patience. The council of Katolis considers executing Viren, their conference interrupted by the return of Ezran. The young king returns to what had been his father's throne.

Discussion

It is of interest at the beginning of the episode that the staff wielded by the human Sol Regem confronts is implied to be the focus of dark magical power--and the same staff wielded by Viren. There is a long-standing trope in medievalist fantasy of objects wrought by power of old having strange endurance and great might, one echoing the comments about "the work of giants" in early English verse (such as here). As with several other things, it is hardly unique, but it does help to reaffirm the medievalism of the series.

Someone else having a blast.
Gif of a scene from The Two Tower from Tenor.com, used for commentary

It is also of interest that the Katolis military appears to have access to gunpowder. Normally, such things are excluded from medievalist works; the introduction of explosives is generally seen as removing a work from the medievalist and placing it into mimicking the early modern, despite the existence of gunpowder in medieval Europe (note here and here, among others). Of course, Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films, which are a medievalist touchstone for a great many, do make use of the substance, although it admittedly takes a Wizard to get it started, and it is regarded as an unnatural evil. That Katolis uses it, then, is somewhat fraught within the contexts of the medievalism likely to be perceived by the presumed primary and secondary audiences of the series--pre-teen children and their parents who grew up with Jackson's films, as this rewatch series has asserted previously--but it still helps link the series to at least some understandings of the medieval.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Rewatch 3.6, "The Portal"

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In the final episode of the season, greater shifts begin to take place, and a wider world begins to beckon.

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3.6, "The Portal"

Written by Noelle Stevenson, Josie Campbell, Katherine Nolfi, and Laura Sreebny
Directed by Jen Bennett

Synopsis

It's a happy family.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

In Bright Moon, Glimmer exults in the company of her parents, Angella and Micah. They are interrupted by the apprehension of Adora trying to break into Glimmer's room.

Bow, scholarly, is met by Glimmer, who pushes to figure out who Adora is against her feeling of knowing her. Bow objects, but Glimmer overrides him, taking him to spy on the interrogation of Adora by Angella and Micah. Under the influence of a truth spell, she relates her situation and the current circumstances; she is still disbelieved. She tries to point out the disjunctions to Angella, but she is taken away.

That is not the rising sun...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

The fragmentation of reality continues, and Glimmer and Bow call upon the captive Adora. Glimmer accepts Adora's account, and Adora expands. Glimmer and Bow begin to recall how things are supposed to be, not entirely happily, as the advancing wave of non-existence approaches Bright Moon. They agree to aid Adora, and Bow realizes that Entrapta is key; they proceed thence as reality continues to fracture and Angella and Micah confront them.

At least she gets the chance this time...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

The three pass to Entrapta's demesne suddenly, and Angella says goodbye to her husband once again in favor of aiding their daughter. Entrapta notes her understanding of the current situation and offers information about how to close the portal that is destroying the world. It will require a personal sacrifice--and Adora's sword is the key to it all.

The three suddenly find themselves at the beacon where Light Hope resides, with stars shining in the sky where they do not belong. They see Mara as reality continues to fragment around them. Adora enters the breach, Glimmer refusing to allow her to do so alone before they fade away and the changed Catra confronts her, knocking her away from her objective and tormenting her with her own failures.

KO!
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Adora rejects the assertions and fights against Catra as she reasserts herself. Reality continues to fragment, however, and Adora herself begins to fade--until Angella arrives to save her. The queen confesses her own inadequacy to Adora before rising to remove the sword from where it stands amid the nexus of the unraveling world.

In the wake of Angella's sacrifice, Adora restores Etheria, and all are restored to the moments after Catra opened the portal. Said portal closes itself as She-Ra emerges in power, and those present flee. Adora and company return to Bright Moon, and the ensuing celebration is marred by the news of Angella's sacrifice. And, elsewhere, another threat presents itself...

Cliffhanger? Yeah.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Discussion

The present episode could be read as having a scene--Adora's conflict with the changed Catra--that moves towards Manichean allegory. Such is only tenuously medievalist, admittedly, at least in the common medievalism that looks to the western parts of Europe; a more global-minded medievalism might well make more of it. My own background and training reflects the narrower practice, however, and my life outside academe more or less ensures that I do not have time and space enough in which to do the work I would need to do to be able to comment more fully on the matter. Consequently, I would particularly welcome perspectives on the episode that take wider medievalisms more fully into account--or on any of the episodes of the series, really.

Perhaps an easier reading goes back to the Arthurian pastiche, with the present episode portraying Adora as more like Sir Palomides than the other Round Table knights. Consider, in addition to the color dynamics of Catra in the present episode, the commonalities of being outsiders from an (ostensibly) evil force who manage, through their valor and service, to become accepted parts of the (ostensibly) good and noble royal courts. Consider, too, how often the two do not slay their opponents. As ever, the parallel is not exact, but it is suggestive, furthering the medievalism of the science fantasy series.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Rewatch 3.5, "Remember"

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Despite claims, everything is not perfect as the third season of the series hastens towards its end.

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3.5, "Remember"

Written by Noelle Stevenson, Josie Campbell, Katherine Nolfi, and Laura Sreebny
Directed by Roy Burdine and Mandy Clotworthy

Synopsis

Quite the alarm clock, this.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary

Adora wakes from a dream to Catra's face in the Fright Zone. After startling, she begins to situate herself, with Catra affirming that all is well. Adora is not entirely convinced.

Adora continues to try to situate herself, finding herself in an exalted position in the Fright Zone due to her successes in battle. Her memories are not entirely stable, but her relationship with Catra seems to be repaired. The environment seems to be changing around her.

You'd flee, too.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Accolades for Adora continue, as do strange gaps in the surrounding environment and situation. Shadow Weaver even seems to be pleased. Adora is assigned a new mission, and when she reports for the briefing, Scorpia upbraids her. Adora's memories and the environment continue to shift around her, and Adora flees.

Catra rejoins Adora, slapping her to startle her. Adora continues to experience strange gaps, frightening her and prompting her to question her surroundings. She realizes that Scorpia seems immune to the oddities, confronting her. Scorpia initially rejects her ideas, but she relents when confronted with Catra's behavior.

It takes a bit, yes.
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

The two proceed to Hordak's sanctum somewhat awkwardly. The environment continues to change around them, and they press on for answers. Reaching the sanctum, they find it empty, and Adora realizes that Catra is to blame for the current situation. They are soon after forced to flee, and the degradation of reality proceeds, taking Scorpia and driving Adora onward in terror. She finds Razz, who prompts her to find her in the woods as everything continues to fall apart.

This is a pretty bad sign...
Image taken from the episode, used for commentary.

Adora makes to flee with Catra, but Catra refuses, her own memories shifting. Adora abducts her and flees from the Fright Zone as it vanishes. Catra wakes and fights, and their progress is halted. They debate, and the fight continues. Catra finally accepts the nihilistic implications of her actions, and Adora flees in tears, finding Razz, who counsels Adora that things can be repaired--as they had been before. She advises her about how to proceed and sends her on her way--to Bright Moon, Glimmer and Bow. But she is not the only one pressing onward...

Discussion

The refrain in the episode that "everything is perfect" attracts attention early on. Coupled with the obviously apocalyptic action of the main line of the episode, the refrain calls to mind once again the "Þæs ofereode; þisses swa mæg" of "Deor" that seems echoed in the similar Voltron: Legendary Defender, even if it serves an opposite function; while the Old English speaks to hope, the refrain that punctuates the present episode is itself the indicator that something is very, very wrong in Etheria.

Another bit of Old English is evoked, if perhaps less clearly, in the changes that afflict Catra after her nihilistic declaration--being happy to let all fall to waste if another can but be made to suffer is hardly the most affirming perspective. Nearly fifteen years ago, now, while I sat in a graduate Beowulf seminar, the late professor James E. Anderson commented that Scyld Scefing is, in effect, the dragon of the later portion of the poem. In that long-ago lecture, he cited their common possessions of a golden standard and their jealous possession of lucre, as well as linking the Danes of the poem to fratricide and Scyld as an ill predating either fratricide (linked to the "scion of Cain," Grendel) or its progenitor (Grendel's mother, whom we might well call "Aglæcwify McAglæcwifface" after an excellent Twitter thread)--hence the initial evil of Satan (often linked to dragons, symbolically). Catra's transformation is not unlike those of the earlier figures, and it bodes ill for those who must face her--even as it promises the hope of her defeat, even as the earlier figures were bested.