PLOT A: Mildew’s Latest Scheme
After his failed attempt to get rid of the
dragons in “How to Start a Dragon Academy” Mildew has concocted another scheme
to falsely blame the dragons for vandalism around Berk.
As I mentioned in my review of “How to
Start a Dragon Academy” not only do I love Mildew’s role on Berk, but I just
all around love his character. He’s sick, he’s twisted, and he’s got this deep
hate for dragons for whatever reason. At first he just seemed like a grumpy old
guy who said “curses” at the end of his failed schemes, but after this episode
he definitely seems like a worthy adversary towards Hiccup and more than just a
fuel for his angst.
His time off from being a main player
the past 3 episodes has obviously been spent making dragon boots and fake
claws. I’ve got to hand it to the old guy for putting together a seamless
scheme and then promptly getting rid of the evidence. I also feel a little
sorry for Hiccup, now. He’s the only one who saw the evidence that Mildew did
it, but he no longer has any proof towards it—unless he goes deep sea swimming.
I’m interested to see how Mildew’s
scheme ties into the next episode’s “Alvin” plot. Is Mildew working for Alvin
or is Hiccup just gonna have multiple problems on his plate?
Either way, this plot was amazingly
crafted and step up for “villainous intentions” for this show. Some people can
complain that they’re tired of “dragons are wrongly treated” plot but in my
case this definitely redeems it. It’s a great continuity from episode one’s
plot and still manages to be a little different. In episode 1 it was about
getting along with them, but now the village is faced with trying to figure out
what to do now that the dragons they trust are vandalizing the village. I liked
how they had none of the villagers cheering when Stoick announced that the
dragons were leaving. If this was episode 1, they probably would’ve been
happier.
PLOT B: CSI Berk
Trying to counter Mildew’s false claims
against the dragons the teens form the “Dragon United Monitoring Brigade”
(D.U.M.B) in the hopes of being able to clear the dragon’s name.
The first and second act to this
episode (especially everyone around the “crime scene in the Great Hall) felt
like an episode of CSI Miami! The DUMB patrol was kind of short lived, but at
least they tried.
It’s still nice to see all the teens
willingly taking direction from Hiccup again, but ultimately the DUMB Patrol
just turned out being a lost cause. They tried, they failed, and now that the
dragons are gone they’ve got nothing left to patrol.
As for the dragon crimes, they were interestingly
well done. We’ve got missing boots, vandalizing the Great Hall, and burning
down the armory. All important factors to the Vikings for work, for sentimental
values, and ultimately for defense.
When the armory was burned down and Stoick
mentioned not having any defenses, that really is just setting up for the next
episode with Alvin, obviously. But it’s perfectly set up in that fact. And it
further alludes to Mildew perhaps being in cahoots with Alvin. Why else would
he leave his home defenseless just to get the dragons to leave? And if he’s not
in some kind of pact with Alvin, then Mildew’s just more messed up than I
thought.
My only complaint about this part of
the plot is the DUMB Patrol. I liked that idea, it was just a little too short
lived, plus we never saw the “founding” of it. Who named it “D.U.M.B”? Why were
only Astrid and Snotlout wearing sashes? A short scene before they started
patrolling would’ve cleared that up, but it hardly ruined the episode either
way.
PLOT C: All Eyes on Hiccup and Stoick
Because of the constant screw ups of the
dragons, Stoick struggles with doing what’s best for his son and what’s best
for Berk.
Yet another well done Hiccup/Stoick
plot line. These two seem to constantly butt heads no matter what, but I always
love how despite this the show never makes them take a step back from the
progress they made in the movie. This episode is no different.
Stoick’s speech to Hiccup at the
beginning of the episode about the dragons might’ve sounded/seemed harsh, but
it was a reality to the situation. What the dragons do reflects on Hiccup since
he’s in charge of them, and what Hiccup does reflects on Stoick because that’s
his son…and the future chief. That’s the plight of being in a position of power
and ultimately that’s something Hiccup has to learn.
Still, I like how when the dragons are
banished, Hiccup tells the teens that he’ll
fix it. I really feel like Hiccup still needs to realize that he has more
help than he realizes and that he can’t handle everything himself. But it shows
him taking the total weight on his shoulders, a good but sometimes unnecessary trait,
yet a good character arc for him.
It pains me to know that Stoick can’t
really believe what Hiccup says without proof even though he wants to believe
his son, and even in the next episode if Hiccup comes up and tells Stoick what
he found out about Mildew…Stoick can’t believe him because, once again, no
proof.
Power vs. Parenting is always well
done in this show, but this episode makes it shine above the rest.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
This was, without a doubt, the best
episode so far. It was well done, got to the point, and for once didn’t feel
rushed.
I feel like cliffhangers are going to
be this show’s saving grace because most of this series’ issues come from attempting
to rush through the plot in one episode. In this one, the plot slows down,
brings up old conflicts from the first episode, and then leaves us with an enticing
cliffhanger while still grabbing our attention the entire episode. Well
utilized and well done.
Plus, it gives that real, honest to
goodness emotion we were used to in the movie. This is especially utilized with
the teens and their dragons when they’re all saying good bye. That scene really
shines light on the teens’ individual relationships with their dragon, and of
course Hiccup and Toothless stole the show. Hopefully they’re reunited in the
next episode so Toothless can fly again!
And I loved how they still had the
hole in wall on Dragon Island where the Green/Red death broke out from the
movie. Little details like that are always appreciated by a fan like me!
Also, and more ironically, the best
episode up until this one in terms of conflict, pacing, and writing—Viking for
Hire—was written and directed by the same team of people who did this episode. Writing
by Art Brown and Douglas Sloan and directing by John Sanford seems to agree
with this show, because they do the best work so far!
Congrats to the first A+ episode!
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