The Dragon Prince Rewatch 3.8, "Dragonguard"

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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 She lives, but she is weak and withdrawn within herself, in something like a coma or deep meditation.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...