Defenders of Berk: Ep. 7-12

Episode 7 is one of those not-so-Hiccup-centric episodes and kind of focuses on much lesser known rivalries like Snotlout and Fishlegs’. I found it quite interesting that their disputes were settled through a terrible terror training contest with hilarious results. Also I like the fact that they also integrated this dragon training in the rescuing of Meatlug from the outcasts which from a continuity standpoint is really great and shows a little depth in terms of writing. Something underrated in this episode is the capacity of the twins for some wisdom. Ruffnut exclaimed that “competition is the very essence of life, itself” while arguing that the dragon training IS a competition to which I definitely concur. Whether or not that was intentional, I thought it was a sign of the twins’ hidden, I mean really hidden intellect. Another thing about this episode is that there is some sort of consensus that Hiccup is the best dragon trainer among them and that the other riders are raring to prove themselves as superior maybe except the twins since their too busy being free, ignorant spirits to worry about superiority. Lastly, competition itself is expressed here as something that can be friendly as seen from Hiccup’s standpoint and something that can show supremacy among peers as seen from the rest’s competitive behavior. Given the target audience of the show, this is a great concept to be explored for developing young children in terms of their social skills.

Episode 8  is where the Screaming Death finally makes it return, but bigger and badder. Another intense episode filled with high octane dragon on dragon action. Much of the dragon training skills are expressed here by the riders with the new air mail system and in the defense against the SD. Sexuality is also touched on in this episode as Astrid kissing guys is a thought that was discussed in the earlier parts of the epi. For young boys and girls to see these types of interactions no matter how small between male and female members of the show is helpful in again the development of their social skills especially towards the opposite sex. In terms of the narrative this episode is great in showing the depth of the dragon world with their respective island behaviors.

I really liked episode 9 because its a twin-centric episode. Ruff and Tuffnut get to showcase their simpleton nature to the fullest all while Tuff trains a wild typhoomerang which turns out to be Torch, a baby typhoomerang they saw in a previous episode. This is a nice toast to continuity as past events especially the minor ones don’t really get a follow up or a continuation in subsequent episodes. The worldbuilding also gets a nod here with the whole heat wave season aspect of Berk. I firmly believe that the worldbuilding in this show is functionalist in nature in the sense that most of the exposition and world expanding details serve some sort of purpose to advance the plot. In comparison to my favorite show, Samurai Champloo (SC), SC is filled with exposition that isn’t necessarily important to the plot or doesn’t advance anything but the entertainment of the show. For example, much of the historical exposition in the show whether factual or not does not really advance the plot in any meaningful way. It only makes the whole world of SC richer and much more vibrant. One of the biggest differences of the shows is in that regard.

Episode 10 and 11 showcase my ultimate favorite dragon in the series thus far, the Skrill. Purple, lightning-riding, ferocious, the Skrill is so badass! Apparently, the berserkers agree with that sentiment since it is revealed that the Skrill is the dragon that is printed on their crests. There is much to say about these episodes because it showcases many things that make the show really good. Crazy badass dragon, check. Intense, high octane dragon fighting, check. Great humor and many brilliant twin moments, check. Crazy visuals, check. Hiccup and co, trumping the Berserks and Outcasts in one fell swoop??? Super big check. This 2 part episode is a culmination of the ever growing Outcast/Berserker problem with higher stakes than ever. The fact that Dagur was able to control the Skrill in a very oppressive, unnatural manner made it even more intense and is a reference to their old berserker tradition which earned them renown across the isles. It also shows the evolution of the dragon-man dynamic through time that culminated in the clash of old versus new in Dagur/Skrill vs Hiccup/Toothless. Intense episode indeed that ended with the good on top (AS USUAL). Oh and the twins really got to shine again in this episode, especially Tuffnut. His whole infiltration of the Outcast-Berserker meeting was brilliantly done with the songs executed to perfection.

Episode 12 is an episode that mostly revolves around Snotlout and the development-lacking Gustav. Gustav is a character that sort of craves more development from a narrative standpoint since he is a part of some episodes, often playing a factor in them and yet not much is really known about him.  Another thing I like about this episode is that it showcases a nice little nuance in their viking culture. The belief in the “five signposts of Valhalla” is quite an interesting exposition in that it deepens their belief in an afterlife to the extent that they actually believe in physical signs of individual, impending doom. The viewership target of this show probably wouldn’t care about the religious underpinnings of such a concept mainly because kids are not interested in religion (I think), and death is merely a harmless television thing to them. I personally think that it’s great that these themes are being explored in a children’s show, no matter how small or harmless it is because it is a way for children to become conscious of realities in the real world. In terms of narrative and plot, I think it’s refreshing to see a new potential dragon rider in Gustav and this episode is somewhat of a set-up for more adventures that could feature him. Snotlout is still the annoying douche, Dagur is still trying to capture toothless and defeat Hiccup (unsuccessfully, mind you), so nothing new in those regards.

The quality of this season is now undisputable. Watching these episodes finally matched my initial expectation of the series as a whole. Many more themes and subjects are getting expressed and the characters are getting their share of the attention and development. I expect the rest of the season to match if not better what I have seen so far.

Defenders of Berk: Episodes 4-12

As I viewed season 2, I initially thought it would be harder to write about the episodes because the voiceover from the main character was gone. In the previous season, the voiceover at the introduction and ending would almost always narrate the episode’s lesson learned. As I pondered on the 8 episodes for this blogpost, I realized that there is more to say about the character and plot development. Season 2 episodes showed novel sides of the previous characters, and had more stories to tell about other characters or dragons that were never really focused on before. I also noted that there was greater continuity and cohesion between episodes.

The “Tunnel Vision” episode starts out by showing the classic character of Snotlaut, portrayed as a selfish person who thinks the world of himself. As water was disappearing from the well, he wanted to charge people for the valued commodity. When Hiccup descends the well to find weird things like hatched eggs, I wondered who was responsible for these. Then, a new dragon, Screaming Dead, appeared, who was destroying the land. This new threat was different because of its disorienting scream. Hiccup, once more, saves the day as he notices the dragon’s weakness: it is attracted to the light. I gladly saw that Hiccup’s role was to find solutions for everyday, yet sudden and unforeseen problems, which makes him so endearing. When Screaming Death gets hurt, it called upon smaller dragons from his family, the Whispering Deaths, for help. I wonder when they will make their next appearance.

The “Race to Fireworm Island” episode is, again, another Snotlaut episode. I find it interesting how the shows focuses so much on him, because from the movie, “How to Train you Dragon,” I thought of him as just some extra friend. In this episode, I feel like Snotlaut was faced with a real problem that allowed him to show new facets of his persona. Something similar happened in the “Thawfest” episode, where he had to show himself to be an aggressive, strong and determined fellow, which is what he already is. When Hookfang became ill and couldn’t flame up, Snotlaut insisted that it the problem was that Hookfang was being stubborn, because the dragon really is a warrior and is indestructible. As Snotlaut said these about Hookfang, I felt that the former was exhibiting some transference, because those same adjectives, stubbornness, warrior-like and indestructibility, where characteristics that Snotlaut felt that he possessed. When Snotlaut’s father comes into the picture, the latter manifests how their clan puts much importance on physical strength, when he says that rest is for the weak; he commands Snotlaut to get rid of Hookfang, if the weakened dragon is no longer useful with his diminished power. Here, Snotlout reveals a new side of him: in one scene, he breaks into tears, but tries to hide it. He encourages Hookfang to keep on fighting, even as it looks like Hookfang is really dying. In the last scene, when the ailing Hookfang protects Snotlaut from the Fire Dragon, Hiccup says that Hookfang is doing just what his rider would do for him. The episode shows Snotlout great affection and loyalty towards his dragon. In the end, as Snotlaut says that his father knows nothing about dragons, he manifests that he is not one to blindly follow his clan’s rules and beliefs: he will gladly break stereotypes and rules, and be a caring friend to the things that matter to him.

The “Fright of Passage” episode is finally one about Astrid. I had been waiting for her to come forward for so long, because I always thought that she is an important character, but, alas, her character was never really developed previously. In this episode, we learn that her family was ruined by a glowing dragon. Astrid subsequently searches for this dragon, as she hears that it is nearing Berk. Hiccup wants to go and fight with the dragon by himself, but Astrid, of course, doesn’t listen, and proceeds with her own plans. As a character, I thought that Astrid was smart and full of good ideas. The problem was, when she did have these reasonable ideas, she didn’t care if people agreed with her or not; she would just go it on her own. As she does finally face the glowing dragon, to defend Berk and her family’s honor, she froze and became paralyzed in fear.  Hiccup found out that what the dragon really wanted was to eat the glowing algae in the water. The episode ends with the people and the dragons eventually droving the marauding dragon away. Astrid realizes that her uncle was truly fearless, and she is just like him in this sense.

In the “Worst In Death” episode, one character says, “Competition is the best essence of life iteself,” with which, everyone agreed, except for Hiccup. The people felt this was because they were Vikings, and, now, dragon riders; all their lives, they grew up believing that life was always a competition, and their job was to win. Hiccup had a different view; he saw his townmates as members of a team, with everyone having a role, with no one being more important than the other. Nevertheless, I thought that the other characters probably probably thought that they each of them was the  best in each’s own eyes, which manifests when Fishlegs and Snotlaut argue. The two have completely different characters: Fishlegs is a reader, while Snotlaut is a doer. To prove who was the better between them, they decided to both train the young dragon, Terrible Terrors. The episode illustrates a different side of Fishlegs: he shows a strong desire to best Snotlaut, which is not how his character usually is like. Previously, he was portrayed as being a weak-willed scaredy-cat, incapable of aggressive actions, preferring to run from a contest than facing a formidable foe. Here, Fishlegs puts his best foot forward, as he attempts to prove himself a better trainer than Snotlaut, in the process, completely ignoring his dragon, Meatlug. Meatlug eventually gets jealous of all the attention that Fishlegs is giving Iggy, his Terrible Terror. When Meatlug encounters Alvin and Mildew, gets captured and is placed in danger, it is only then that Fishlegs realizes that he has been ignoring his dragon the whole time.

In the “Title” episode, the Screaming Death returns. Hiccup and his friends realize that this big, ferocious dragon is destroying the homes of the other dragons, and they try to organize the dragons by color. The Screaming Death is making the homes collapse upon themselves, as the former goes underground a lot. Eventually, teamwork prevails, as the friends work together to defend Berk, and are able to save the other dragons’ homes. In the end, Fishlegs saves Dragon Island by making Meatlug spray out gronckle lava. For the first time ever, Fishlegs actually saves people during an actual battle, and I so enjoyed that.

The “Zippleback Down” episode was another one about the twins, which I welcomed, as I find the two very entertaining. This type of humor is perfect for a show like this, which like to focus on moral issues. In the episode, Tuffnut says that he is “totally useless” when they send him to Dragon Island to look for hidden traps. He eventually finds a baby Typhoonerang dragon that Hiccup took in during the last season. Torch, the Typhoonerang, grows up, and forms a connection with Tuffnut when the latter gets stuck in a tree trap. This episode appears to be indicating that the twins still have some growing up to do. As much is said when Gobber says that the two have to get out of the trap on their own, as they got themselves in it in the first place.

In the “A View to A Skrill Part 1 and 2” episodes, Hiccup found the frozen dragon and assigned Snotlaut and the twins to watch over it for a while. With this act, I knew that they would find a way to let that dragon out, based on their eagerness and curiosity. Apparently, this dragon was somehow connected to Dagur and his clan, so that they eventually entered into the picture. Dagur’s people wanted to control the Skrill, in order to destroy everything in their power. However, Hiccup wanted to train this dragon, like he does with most dragons, so that he may learn from them. As Dagur has no love lost for Hiccup, he thinks that the Skrill will be the best solution to destroy Hiccup. Alvin and Mildew enter the story, end up with the Skrill, and desire to take it to Outcast Island. Alvin makes a treaty with Dagur, but Dagur eventually turns his back on him. I think that even though Alvin seems horrible, he keeps his word as he puts up with Mildew, as they had committed to help each other, unlike Dagur, who clearly only cares for himself. Alvin also only cares for himself, but I think he has his one goal, and he knows what he needs to do to achieve it.  Dagur is shown to be impulsive in this episode, doing whatever he thinks will work. In the end, the Skrill is frozen again, and Dagur hates Hiccup and his dragon all the more.

In “The Flight Stuff” episode, Gustav’s character is further developed, which I was happy with. In the previous solitary episode he was in, he was just misplaced, and hisrole was not explained adequately. In this episode, Snotlaut trains young Gustav, as the former thinks that he is going to die. Even though Gustav trains everyday, he still is obviously not ready to join the Dragon Academy. Snotlaut’s eagerness to train this boy shows how much importance Snotlaut gives to his family’s traditions; even as Snotlaut doesn’t have a son of his own, he somehow felt that training Gustav to take his place in case he does die, would be like preparing his own son to replace him someday. The episode shows that a rider and his dragon need to experience each other together to form a bond; dragon riding as not just about learning to fly – it is as much a process of developing a friendship between man and creature. Hookfang does not take to Gustav, so the latter gets his own dragon, Fanghook. When conflict arose with Dagur, Gustav is able to step up and help as a dragon rider. In the end, Gustav sets Fanghook free, but Fanghook returns to Gustav, which shows that Gustav successfully created a relationship with a dragon, which is the first step to  becoming a dragon trainer.

DreamWorks Dragons: Riders of Berk (S02E01-12): Off To An Exciting Start

Season two opens in chaos as Berk’s main rival, Alvin the Treacherous and the outcasts have learned how to train dragons. The island of Berk is in panic and Stoick the Vast has just ordered that no one shall be allowed to fly dragons. Season two starts strong and audiences can rest assured that this season much like the last will be full of fun and tough adventures while getting a lesson or two across!

Doing what is right

In the first episode, Hiccup and his friends are put in a tough spot. There is imminent danger headed their direction and instead of training with their dragons, they are prohibited from flying. Although Hiccup tries to obey his father at the start, he cannot help but feel like Berk should be preparing for whatever comes their way. Still in theme of trying to be an obedient son while doing what is right, Hiccup starts the secret Flight Club, where he and his friends train at night to prepare themselves for the dangers ahead. Hiccup later discovers that his father had difficulty following the rule himself, and that training was what Berk needed.

Always have your friend’s back

Through the experience of the characters, season two reminds audiences how important friends are and that good friends must always have each other’s backs. In episode two “The Iron Gronckle,” Fishlegs is asked to sit out a mission, as he seems to be slowing the team down. This makes Fishlegs want to be recognized some other way and by the accidental discovery of Gronckle iron, he finds his new niche or at least he thinks he does. Fishlegs and the rest of the team later realize that every member has a role to play in completing a mission and one cannot be left behind.

A similar theme appears in “Race to Fireworm Island,” when Hookfang loses his flame and Snotlout’s father tells him to replace his broken dragon. Although Hookfang and Snotlout are always getting at each other, it is clear in this episode how much they actually care of each other, being able to give up each other’s lives for the other. In the end, Hookfang is healed but in the process Snotlout learns that his father was wrong, a friend like Hookfang cannot be replaced.

I particularly liked the start of this season because of episode six “Fright of Passage,” where the focus was placed on Astrid. In this episode, we learn that Astrid’s family name has been dragged through the dirt ever since her uncle froze before the Flightmare dragon. She has made it her goal to bring honor back to her family by defeating the beast. However, she tries to do this alone and that is where she goes wrong. Hiccup and Fishlegs come to her aid and together they find a way to save Berk from the Flightmare. Meatlug and Fishlegs are the stand out heroes of this episode. Through this experience, Astrid realizes that it is not always a competition and that she can rely on her friends to have her back. Astrid is able to save Berk with her friends and bring honor back to her family’s name.

Friendship becomes the theme for episode nine when the twins find themselves trapped with a forest fire approaching. The episode starts with Gobber teaching a class and the twins not listening as always. This leads Hiccup to question their dragon training abilities, which makes them angry and they fly away. Once getting to the forest, Tuffnut finds himself trapped in one of the dragon traps and unable to get out. While there, the forest later catches fire and the twins struggle to escape. Hiccup searches for them and finds them but by this time the fire it too big and is heading towards Berk. It seems all hope is lost but an old friend comes back to help them. In this episode, Tuffnut is able to prove that he did learn something from the dragon-training academy and Hiccup realizes that he needs to have more faith in his friends.

New Enemies 

Moving forward, it wasn’t only Hiccup and his friends who grew but so did their enemies. Alvin and the Outcasts, with Mildew’s help, prove to be getting smarter. Instead of attacking Berk head on, they secretly plant whispering death eggs underneath Berk knowing these will eventually hatch and destroy Berk. This becomes an even bigger problem for Hiccup and his friends when one of the eggs happens to be a stronger version of a whispering death – a screaming death that always seems to come back.

In episode three “The Night and the Fury,” Hiccup and his friends meet Dagur the Deranged once again. Throughout the episode, Hiccup tries to keep the peace with Dagur by keeping him away from Toothless. But eventually Dagur finds Toothless and attempts to kill him. In that moment, Hiccup has to choose between keeping the peace by letting Dagur have Toothless or protecting his friend and creating an enemy. In the end, Hiccup chooses the latter and Dagur becomes the new enemy of Berk.

In the two-part episode of “A View to the Skrill,” Hiccup and his friends find the very rare Skrill in an iceberg, a dragon so feared for its ability to harness lightning and the symbol of the Berserkers. In his pursuit of the Skrill, Dagur goes to war with Hiccup and even forms an alliance with Alvin the Treacherous only to take his fleet at the end. It is clear by the end of episode twelve that Dagur the Deranged is now the main enemy of Berk.

Season two starts off strong with better-developed characters and the introduction of smarter and stronger enemies for Hiccup and his friends to defeat. The series is able to captivate its audience with the interesting story lines while maintaining its educational value. Audiences learn important values like doing what is right and always being there for your friends while remaining entertained with surprising plot twists and cliffhanger endings. I cannot wait to see what the rest of the season has in store!

Defenders of Berk: Episodes 4-12

Before watching episode 4, I was actually curious what happened to the hatched eggs of Whispering Deaths and I was especially excited to see what the bigger Whispering Death looked like. I wasn’t disappointed when I saw the Screaming Death, he really screams death, that’s for sure. For a hatchling, he was larger and stronger than others. I don’t know about the kids who watched this episode but I found the Screaming Death frightening. It’s the scariest- looking dragon I’ve seen, I know it’s a children’s series and I’m sure that some youngsters probably loved the Screaming Death but I was horrified when I saw it’s red eyes and abnormally large size.

In the next episode, I couldn’t help but express my annoyance with Snotlout’s behavior. He always wants to the best of the best. Sometimes his ego gets in the way thus, clouds his judgments. He’s so prideful that oftentimes he doesn’t listen to what others have to say. Hence, this leads to his best friend, Hookfang to fall ill because of his selfish desire to be the best. I appreciate how the directors decided to show the sensitive side of Snotlout, despite that arrogant facade is just a worried boy who cares deeply for his dragon and does have the ability to feel remorse for his actions. Regardless of what his dad said about indirectly telling him to get rid of his dragon since he is of no use to him, Snotlout decides to fight for his pet and I really like how the producers showed us a different side to him.

The Fright of Passage episode intrigued me at the mention of Astrid’s family owing to the fact that I never heard anything about the Hofferson clan. I didn’t even know Astrid had a family since there was no mention of it either until in the 6th episode. I think this was the only episode where not all of Hiccup’s friends were present to ward off a dragon. The twins seemed preoccupied with their new “business” and Snotlout was well, with the twins. I enjoyed the episode, however, I found the scenes with the twins and Snotlout boring.

I was taken aback by Meatlug’s personality in the 7th episode. He was a totally different person here. Not only he made degrading comments about the other riders’ training skills but he ignored the most important thing in his life all because he was too caught up in beating Snotlout. “ You don’t know what you had until it’s gone” is an understatement but I believe Meatlug knew what he had, he just thought he’d never lose it. Sometimes we’re so focused on getting something that we neglect the those who matter to us. What’s the point of winning when we lose someone at the expense of it? Now that’s the real loser.

Episode 8 really frustrated me knowing that they didn’t really defeat the Screaming Death rather they just temporarily got rid of him. I believe that the Screaming Death is one of the characters that would reappear at the end of the series.

Hands down! The next episode is my favorite episode so far. I really love how they brought back Typhoomerang, who was introduced in season 1. Senti and corny as it sounds it felt like I was there when he grew up and that I was a part of Typhoomerang’s life. I could feel that sense of integration between the different episodes. Moreover, another reason why I enjoyed this episode was that of Ruffnut and Tuffnut. Although they are portrayed as “idiots” they are always able to make it out alive and unharmed. No matter how dangerous and pressing the situation is, they always manage to survive and oftentimes they are the unsung heroes.

I loved the plot of this 2 part episode “View To A Skrill” for the reason that we see two rivals of Berk meet. I have always wondered what would happen if Alvin the Treacherous and Dagur the Deranged would unite forces or cross paths. It seemed like a recipe for disaster especially for Berk, it was a formula for the end of the world for the people of Berk. in all honesty, Alvin as a villain doesn’t really bother me but when I see Dagur, that guy just sends shivers down my core. That guy is insane and really will stop at nothing just to get what he wants. He’s not afraid to kill, he even got rid of his own father, who does that? Maybe psychos like Dagur and for him to acquire the Skrill is the end of the world, imagine a lethal dragon and a maniac trainer is war. Thus, Hiccup tries to contain the frozen Skrill inside the block of ice, what could possibly go wrong? Maybe leaving Snotlout and the twins to guard it, I couldn’t help but get frustrated because Hiccup knows better than to leave it to the troublemaking trio. You don’t just leave a dangerous dragon at their hands.

Episode 11 was particularly interesting because we see the “end” of Alvin the Treacherous, the death of another character. I’m not too sure if the producers really eradicated Alvin but it’s a children’s show no one dies, well not like this anyways. I believe that he really isn’t dead and this “death” will only escalate to a bigger conflict. My theory is that Alvin will side with Berk to defeat Dagur.

The 12th episode was simply a filler, it had nothing to do with the entirety of the series. Although I did notice that every time Gustav would appear in a certain episode he would always seem to be tied to Snotlout.

I did notice that the episodes weren’t so Hiccup-centric anymore, some episodes were dedicated to the other characters. More characters from previous episodes start to appear as well such as Alvin, Dagur, Mulch, and Bucket. Seeing that they are given more episodes there is more depth to these characters, we get to see the other side or another personality of these characters. I like it this way because it’s something new and refreshing, hence provides good insights and a variety of perspective.

Defenders of Berk: Episode 9-12

When the title of episode 9, Zippleback Down, showed onscreen, I became really excited. I knew from there that the episode would focus on the twins. I prepared myself to laugh and I wasn’t disappointed. I really enjoy watching the twins since their constant bickering reminds me of all the times me and my 3 siblings bicker. The love-hate relationship the twins have with each other is very relatable, and it’s refreshing to see a fight in an outsider’s point of view for once. Aside from the twins’ banter and weirdness, I liked Zippleback Down because it reopened a story. A continuity element was presented as viewers encountered Torch again, who was now an adult. It was a surprise to see Torch again since the “problem” in the episode wherein he made his debut was solved in the end. Add to the fact that his character is not as important as Alvin or Mildew, I thought it was unlikely for Torch to return. I’m glad the creators were able to bring his character back even though it was just for an episode.

A View to a Skrill had two parts wherein all the villains we encountered so far, Alvin, Mildew, and Dagur, reappeared. In these episodes, Dagur became one of my favorite characters because of his eccentricity and unstable nature. He’s different from Mildew and Alvin because of his unpredictability. He also looks about the same age as Hiccup, so the fights between him and Hiccup look more or less fair. What I found a little strange in A View to a Skrill was the Skrill itself. Since I started following the franchise, I have always thought of the Night Fury to be the most powerful and feared of all dragons. However, while watching the two episodes, I found the Skrill to be scarier and more unique. This is because it still posed a real challenge to Hiccup and Toothless even though they had many experiences fighting with dragons. Furthermore, it also has the unique ability to redirect lightning, which is why I think it is more fitting for it to be named the “unholy offspring of lightning and death” itself instead of the Night Fury.  So in the end, the two episodes made me question the power of the Night Fury and I definitely lowered the pedestal I initially set Toothless on.

Episode 12 centered on Snotlout once again, and I believe this was a filler episode since it did little to contribute to the world-building when compared to the other episodes I have seen so far. Hiccup and Toothless were almost captured by Dagur which either shows that Dagur is getting smarter or Hiccup is getting more careless. Dagur’s character is now depicted as someone who might be insane, but can be cunning which was seen when he built a trap for Hiccup to fall for.

Ultimately, I was a little disappointed with this episode because I don’t think it added substantial information to the plot. Here’s to hoping that the next episodes will be better!

Defenders of Berk: Episodes 4-8

In Tunnel Vision, Hiccup and his friends meet a Screaming Death, a dragon that falls under the same species as the Whispering Death. From its name, people already know that it is bigger, stronger, and deadlier than any Whispering Death. This is proven in episode 8, when it caused the disappearances of many islands due to its insatiable appetite. I think this is the strongest dragon I have ever encountered so far when watching the tv series, and I must say that the creators have done a good job in “upgrading” the dragons. There is also a dragon called Flighmare, which paralyzes people before attacking. I personally enjoyed this episode because I was able to get a glimpse of Astrid’s story. The last time an episode was Astrid-centered was in Heather Report back in season 1. While Heather Report illustrated Astrid’s personality, Fright of Passage showed viewers a bit of Astrid’s history. Ever since she was a child, she was brave and bold. The episode also mentions her uncle, Fearless Finn Hofferson, who ruined their family name. I also liked this episode because this time, Astrid had a goal in mind. In class, we discussed that Astrid’s character was a little unclear because she lacked purpose or a goal. In Fright of Passage, however, I noticed that Astrid had a goal, and it was to clear her family name from shame. It may be a short-term goal, but it’s a goal nonetheless. I’m really hoping that the creators have set a long-term goal for her in the coming episodes.

On the other hand, episode 5 centers on Snotlout who overworks his dragon to the point that Hookfang loses his fire. The lesson here is obvious: too much of something is bad. Even activities that are considered “good” such as exercising or studying can be harmful to an individual. We should not push ourselves too much and instead, find a balance in the things we do. I also noticed in this episode that the dynamic of Snotlout and his dragon was different compared to all the times they interacted. Usually, Hookfang does whatever he pleases, even if that means disobeying his rider. However in Race to Fireworm Island, Hookfang follows Snotlout’s wishes, which implies that Snotlout has improved the training of his dragon. In the coming episodes, i can’t wait to see if this this kind of dynamic to continue or if Hookfang goes back to being as hot-headed and stubborn as his rider. I vote on the latter.

In Worst in Show, Alvin the Treacherous and Mildew make another appearance. While both are villains, it is evident that Alvin is more powerful than Mildew as he often threatens Mildew of taking his life. Looking at all the episodes of season 2 so far, I noticed that the story and the atmosphere are more serious compared to season 1. The first season had problems such as Gobber needing a new profession and the animals being afraid of the dragons. However in season 2, the villains constantly make an appearance and more dragons have been introduced. The stakes are definitely higher which shows that the audience the creators have targeted are older children. I find the events that occur in season 2 more interesting, and I really hope the levels of suspense and conflict do not die down as the series progresses.

Defenders of Berk Episodes 4-12

I just realized that I never got to include the first three episodes of season 2 in my previous blog post. I thought it would be part of this so I shall briefly talk about episodes 1-3 of Defenders of Berk first, then proceed to discussing 4-12.

Given the turn of events in season 1, Riders of Berk, I had higher hopes for this next one. Season 2 opened with Live and Let Fly with the story continuing from the possible threats and problems brought about by the first season’s finale. This episode was so promising for me because I knew there would be much more action, problems, and continuity in Defenders of Berk. This, in turn, means it would be easier for me to want to watch the show because the plot gets more interesting as it layers per episode. Episode 2, The Iron Gronckle, was a stand-alone episode that focused on Meatlug and Fishlegs. These two characters are my favorite dragon-rider tandem in the series, which is why I truly enjoyed this episode. It was the right amount of funny yet sad at the same time, and still was able to pickup a lesson or two from it: one, that each person (or dragon) has their own unique strengths; and two, everyone in a team has a role to play or something to contribute. Episode 3, The Night and the Fury, at first seemed like it was episodic but when Dagur showed up wanting to hunt and kill the Night Fury, it was obvious that he’d reappear in the near future also posing as a threat to Hiccup and Berk.

Judging from these first three episodes, we can already see how it’s still very similar to Riders of Berk, yet know how different it will also be. Unlike the episodes from the previous season, those of Defenders of Berk no longer have the narration in the beginning and the end. This allows for more screen time for events or scenes to happen. Therefore, we do not only get less corny episodes, but in a way too, more substantial and eventful ones.

The same can be said with the rest of the episodes we’d seen. I was absent in class when they watched 9-12, but I had the chance to watch them on my own at home. While season 2 still follows a pattern of switching between episodic and continuous episodes, the overall flow of the show seems much better now.

Episodic Episodes: Race to Fireworm Island, Fright of Passage, Appetite for Destruction, Zippleback Down, The Flight Stuff

 While there are other episodes from 4-12 that seem like they’re episodic at the beginning, these are the only ones that do not mention anything about Alvin or Dagur. Most of these unlike in season 1 where the stories revolve around random things happening in Berk, focus more on the dragons and the characters themselves.

Race to Fireworm Island did not only give the audience added knowledge about the makings of a Monstrous Nightmares, but also a visually-stunning episode with all the fireworms in the cave. I also like how they made their nest like that of a beehive’s. It is consistent with the How To Train Your Dragon movie where the Red Death and the rest of the dragons behaved in a way similar to a queen bee and her worker bees.

Episode 6, Fright of Passage, is perhaps my most favorite in the series so far. Like Race to Fireworm Island, Fright of Passage also showed very beautiful scenes. The Northern Lights have always been special to me ever since I had learned about them when I was young. To see it in the show with a dragon just as beautiful gave me chills (haha, get it? Because the dragon literally chills people). This episode also made me appreciate Astrid more. Sure, we already know that she’s this headstrong over-achiever, but here she has her motivations. We see a different and vengeful instead of competitive side of Astrid which made me really cheer and root for her. I was disappointed when Hiccup had to go save her because I thought we would finally be able to have a girl power episode, but I guess the creators wanted to to focus more on teamwork.

When the characters in Appetite for Destruction were wondering why the islands started to disappear, I thought in my head that it was obviously because of the changing of the tides. Maybe Hiccup and his friends just weren’t aware that the ocean rises and falls at certain times of the day. It turns out that that wasn’t the case, but that the Screaming Death was destroying islands one by one, making his way to Berk. This was a rather action-packed episode. Though the riders at first struggled with driving the Screaming Death away, they were able to apply the knowledge they’ve learned about the dragons from previous episodes and use it to their advantage to “control” the wild dragons in the islands. Again, the show is being very consistent and continuous even if it’s episodic. They make references to things that’ve happened in the past and bring back imminent threats such as the Screaming Death.

Zippleback Down was really entertaining for me. Having another Ruffnut-and-Tuffnut-centric episode always feels like a refresher in the series because their characters are so distinct, yet they themselves can be very unpredictable. We usually know them as the dumb and stupid ones and they still stay true to that here, but they (especially Tuffnut in this episode) are not as helpless as they usually are.

The Flight Stuff also felt satisfying to me. In the previous season, Gustav had been introduced as a minor character in the story. Here, he is finally given a “big role” and rides a dragon. It’s good to see the show including characters such as Gustav and having him interact more with the leads and not just Snotlout.

Continuous Episodes: Tunnel Vision, Worst in Show, A View to a Skrill Parts 1 and 2, and The Flight Stuff

These are all episodes that in one way or another, contribute to the larger problems that Hiccup and the riders face such as Alvin the Treacherous and Dagur the Deranged. I feel like there isn’t so much a need to go into detail with each one because they are all part of one streamlined plot. These are the episodes that make the show titled Defenders of Berk.

I must be honest though. I never imagined Dagur the Deranged to be a threat. I thought he would only make an appearance once in season one but after having seen The Night and the Fury, I realized that he could be much more dangerous than Alvin. Similar to what Mildew did in Riders of Berk, Dagur and Alvin also teamed up to destroy Berk. Things, however, as we know it, did not go as planned. In their case, the passage “The enemy of my enemy is my friend” cannot be applied anymore.

What makes the show more interesting is because there is more than just one villain in season 2. We don’t just have Alvin and Mildew, but we also have Dagur, the Whispering Deaths, the Screaming Death, and now the Skrill (but no longer when he was frozen). Overall, things are just going better in Defenders of Berk and I hope this keeps up with the remaining episodes.

Relatable Rhetoric: Defenders of Berk Ep. 5-12

Let’s continue with the thought sharing.

For the next episode entitled Race To Fireworm Island, I immediately thought of something most of us, millennial or not, experience nowadays is getting burned out. When we push ourselves to the limit, even though we say that we can still go further, it starts to get toxic for you at some point. You lose your drive, your body gets weak, the people around you notice it but you don’t. I don’t know if it has to do with the current situation in your workplace, school, or at home, but as much as possible try to give yourself a break sometimes. Detach from all of the stress of everyday life and unwind once in a while. Gather your thoughts and treat your body like your best buddy. When you do that, life’s gonna be good.

As for Fright Of Passage, I can relate to that “freezing” whenever I speak in front of people. I guess I’m just not good at public speaking. I hate having oral presentations in front of my professor so much, what more when it’s in front of 50-ish students? My friends, especially my Philosophy professor (Hi Ms. Paclibar!) always tell me that the only way to get over my “freezing” is to conquer it, by actually doing the very thing that makes me freeze, as many times as possible. Familiarity over fear. I haven’t made any progress regarding that, but I hope to achieve so in the future.

In the seventh episode entitled Worst In Show, when Ruffnut said that competition is the very essence of life, I instantly remembered one of my lessons in Philosophy, where Thomas Hobbes’ idea of Leviathan stood out from the very dark places of my mind. In his theory, people compete for natural resources because it’s in their nature. In order to avoid this competition that could lead to violence and/or death, Hobbes proposed that the ‘Leviathan’ should be constructed through the social contract, which basically means you submit yourself to a higher being in the hopes that that higher being will protect you from harm. Remembering my failures in this subject last semester just broke me down, again. ☹

For the next episode entitled Appetite For Destruction, whenever I think of a big entity that destroys the homes of those who live in that area and drive them away, in Philippine context, I think of the big companies that abuse their power (hello SM). Especially with what they did in Baguio, where they uprooted the pine trees during the visit of Pope Francis here back in 2015. That memory was so fresh in my mind, as I was still an Environmental Science student back then. I really hated them so much because they did that WHILE the Pope was here. The title of an article published by Rappler, ‘Like a thief in the night’, perfectly describes the conglomerate’s course of action. Such a shame. I hope the big companies here learn more about how not to mess with Mother Nature. #angryreactsonly

In the episode Zippleback Down, I’m not sure whether to focus on the harm that forest fires bring or the good that meeting an old friend can. Why not both? Let’s start with the bad first. Nowadays, due to global warming, some of our forests don’t receive much rainfall, which in turn dries up the leaves that make them easy to attract fire. But, it doesn’t end there. Forest fires won’t start without a fire, right? Where could that come from? Or, who? 😊 Thought so too. Anyways, meeting an old friend will always be a good thing, unless that person only wants to ask money from you. Besides that, it’s always nice to see a face from the past.

Let’s take a short break. Stretch a little bit. Check Twitter for class suspensions or drama. Scroll your news feed on Facebook for recent memes.

Okay, going back.

For the tenth and eleventh episodes of the series entitled A View To A Skrill Parts 1 and 2, respectively, I think it’s like discovering some dirty stuff that should have remained in the past. You managed to bring it back up, and now it brought you so much trouble that from a single person being drawn to it, now there’s like a hundred. Like a secret that only two people should know but because someone ratted it out, everyone knew about it. Now, you tried to put out the fire before it spreads out but it didn’t turn out to be that easy that it took two episodes for it to be resolved. Some secrets are just better left undisturbed, because with them resurfacing, it brings more harm than good. Take it from the dragon riders of Berk.

Finally, in The Flight Stuff, I can easily relate to this because I know people who still believe in “signs” and because of these “signs”, they revolve their actions either towards them or away from them. I just find it crazy how people think that a series of random events could somehow explain certain things. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I really don’t buy that idea. It somehow neglects the belief that you cannot do anything in order to get things done; just leave it out to a falling star or lucky coin toss to decide on something. I’m a firm believer that good things come to those who wait, but better things come to those who make it happen. And by waiting for these “signs” to happen just means that you completely let go of the ability to change your so called ‘destiny’. That’s deep.

 

DreamWorks Dragons (S2 Ep 9-12): Character frustration

As I watched season two’s episodes 9 to 12, I realized that what remains constant among the episodes from the first season to the next is the fact that the characters neither admit to their mistakes nor apologize for them. No one gets blamed either. It is as if it is okay to commit mistakes without willingly making up for them. This is what I find really frustrating especially when the characters commit something really wrong that they already created the problem of the whole episode’s plot; and usually, it is out of pride.

Despite the characters’ pride and carelessness, we still end up loving them in the end. The show somehow uses their mistakes as a source of medium in illustrating their strength when it comes to tackling the problems they have caused. Without those mistakes, we wouldn’t really know what they are capable of doing to help ease the situation even if it was usually Hiccup who pushes and leads them to fix them.

Surprisingly, the twins are the stars of the show in the recent episodes I’ve watched. They have been given more emphasis in terms of character development as their strengths were shown in tackling the problems that they themselves have caused. On the 9^th episode entitled, Zippleback Down, Ruffnut and Tuffnut wanted to prove Hiccup wrong. They left training and went to the forest on their own. Unfortunately, Tuffnut got trapped by a dragon net made of steel. This lead to him causing a forest fire as he angered Torch. On the 10^th and 11^th episodes entitled “A View to a Skrill Part 1” and “A View to a skrill Part 2” respectively, they, along with Snotlout, were the ones who melted the ice, which set the Skrill free. If they followed Hiccup’s order of not doing anything to the frozen Skrill, none of the episode’s plot would have happened. They would have probably been able to train it if they did it all together in the Dragon Academy arena. However, the twins were able to somehow redeem themselves without having to apologize nor intentionally making up for the problems they have caused. They just randomly decided to train Torch and follow the Skrill to outcast Island on the spot, without being sure that these were the right actions to do to solve everything. On the 12^th episode entitled “The Fight Stuff”, they were the ones responsible for Snotlout’s five signs of Valhalla. They made him believe that he was dying. This led to Snotlout heightening Gustav’s interest into replacing him, which then led to Gustav worsening the problem as he started the “fight” in Outcast Island. When the twins got caught in the end, they didn’t do anything this time to make up for their foolishness.

I find this very more frustrating than impressed with the characters’ newfound strengths. I don’t think this is a good character development strategy since they just end up as troublemakers for me. Without their hardheadedness and lack of brain usage, these problems wouldn’t have arose. It would have been better for the show to have them lead a fight against Alvin and the Berserkers than fool around, which would cause them more problems.

DreamWork Dragons (S2 Ep 4-8): Grasping the audience’s interest

I love how the show tries to provide variations through its characters to keep majority of its audience, who are children, interested.

We all know that children tend to get bored easily if you present them with the same character, such as Hiccup, repeatedly. Thus, DreamWorks Dragons tries to emphasize on a specific character, or characters in the case of the twins, on each episode by showing his or her strengths and capabilities. This will somehow boost their relevance in the show given that they have something to contribute, may it be in terms of humor or solving whatever problem presented. However, what makes this different from what I’ve mentioned on my blog for the first season is that this emphasis contributes to the overall plot of the show, which in itself seems bigger and more apparent to its viewers. Unlike the first season, which overall plot is apparent with the appearances of Alvin and the Outcasts, it is apparent through other events that occur without needing them on screen. It can be as simple as the characters either preparing for their fight against them or discovering a plan prepared by Alvin for Berk’s destruction.

On the 5^th episode entitled, “Race to Fireworm Island”, Snotlout’s capability to care was illustrated. We all thought he was a prideful man, who has no one in mind but himself. However, he risked his life with Hiccup just to save Hookfang from losing all of its energy from training exhaustion. He even shed tears, which he tried hiding, until Astrid told him that it’s okay to cry since it shows that he cares. On the 6^th episode entitled, “Fright of Passage”, the passion that Astrid had to fight was emphasized as she was determined to kill the Flightmare. She even thought of going alone to face it herself just to clear her family’s name of a scaredy-cat. On the 8^th episode entitled, “Appetite for Destruction”, Fishlegs knowledge on dragons were applied physically until he was able to save the whole Dragon Island from being destroyed by the Screaming Death. Therefore, the strength of the mind and the capabilities to love contributed to their development as characters of the show, as fit heroes of Berk.

Aside from the character emphasis, we would also observe that any random event that happens also contributes to the plot.

On the 4^th episode entitled, “Tunnel Vision”, the characters are trying to get Gobber to take a bath. What we once thought was unfortunate soon turned to be a blessing in disguise. The well ran out of water! However, this led to the discovery of the Whispering Death eggs, which the outcasts planted on an earlier episode. It’s one of Alvin’s plans to destroy Berk. On the 7^th episode entitled, “Worst in Show”, Meatlug smelled something different and decided to follow the scent until everyone found Alvin and the outcasts. Unfortunately, Meatlug was captured but got eventually released with the help of Hiccup and friends.

Thus, character development and the events definitely enriched the overall plot of the show, which not only keep the children interested but also adults like me binge-watch as much episodes that I could willingly.