Netflix’s latest season of The Dragon Prince undeniably differentiated itself from the present’s earlier three. The consequence was a divisive season. Some followers love the brand new really feel, whereas others have been sad that it wasn’t the present they remembered. However like it or hate it, followers appear to have bother figuring out what it’s that units Season 4 aside. A number of components play into the excellence, however they primarily come from one artistic choice: the time soar. The selection to skip two years between Seasons 3 and 4 is controversial at greatest. It met the controversy for a lot taking place to the characters offscreen. And the truth that it made such a distinction within the present’s dynamic shocked the viewers, to say the least. However, the reality is, the time soar is what the present wanted.
The New Season Will get a New Plot
Season 4 serves virtually as a comfortable reboot, with the present receiving an addition to the title to develop into The Dragon Prince: The Thriller of Aaravos. It was at all times alleged to be totally different from what got here earlier than. The primary three seasons instructed one steady story. A battle between Xadia and Katolis is imminent after the demise of the dragon king and the theft of the dragon prince’s egg. Elven assassins are after King Harrow (Luc Roderique) and his son Ezran (Sasha Rojen). With a view to finish the battle, Ezran and his stepbrother, Callum (Jack De Sena), determine to run away whereas making an attempt to return the dragon prince, Zym, to his mom. Alongside the way in which, they get the assistance of the Elven assassin-turned-ally, Rayla (Paula Burrows). The three heroes needed to carry peace to a world on the point of battle, which they in the end did by stopping Viren’s (Jason Simpson) plan simply in time. Season 3 ends with a peaceable world and Viren’s demise (and secret resurrection). Aside from a number of unfastened ends, it felt completed. Although, the present is way from over.
The conclusion of the unique plot arc meant that issues wanted to vary for Season 4. There was no have to battle for a peace that was already achieved. So the sequence had two choices: both undo the conclusion of Season 3 or discover a new aim for the characters. Moderately than destroying the hard-won peace between Katolis and Xadia, the creators opted to make the characters face a brand new risk. However for this to work, it needed to be greater than an all-out battle between the people and Xadia. They raised the stakes by bringing in Aaravos (Erik Todd Dellums). Season 3 arrange Aaravos, nevertheless it revealed little or no about him. Within the new season (and past), he’s the middle of the plot. The heroes develop into conscious of Claudia (Racquel Belmonte) and Viren’s try and free Aaravos from the place the place the dragon king imprisoned him centuries earlier than. Now, with the assistance of the dragon queen, Zubeia (Nicole Oliver), they journey to seek out Aaravos’ jail earlier than their enemies and stop his rescue, or else Aaravos will carry destruction, making the peace they fought for nugatory.
The Characters Develop Off-Display
To ensure that the brand new risk to rise, the dominion wanted to really feel safe, which explains the time soar. Two years of peace and no signal of Viren or Claudia provides the characters a false sense of safety. However the two years additionally change the character dynamic. Ezran continues to be a toddler king, however with a number of years of ruling below his belt, he is not fairly as misplaced as earlier than. Callum’s powers have grown considerably, so he’s now not the inexperienced mage the viewers was conversant in. Soren (Jesse Inocalla) is doing higher than ever after two years of separation from his household. Rayla spent the time soar looking for Viren and located nothing, however the time away drove a wedge between her and Callum, placing a cease to their relationship proper because it began. With the 2 leads seemingly beginning over, the season resets the sequence, not ignoring the earlier seasons, however the connection is much less direct.
The Present Begins Over
The brand new story, coupled with the 2 years of off-screen development for the characters, made the present really feel totally totally different. The time soar pressured Season 4 to undergo all of the painstaking exposition of a premiere season. After two years, the world’s local weather should be defined once more. To not point out that the characters are slowly reintroduced with their new improvement. Regardless of three seasons of historical past, a brand new viewer might decide up with Season 4 with out a lot confusion. With the primary plot arc accomplished, the sequence needed to introduce a brand-new story, making the season itself really feel like nothing however the set-up. It is not essentially dangerous, however tedious.
Now with older characters and seemingly increased stakes, the present struggled to unite the child humor and the harmful plot. Many followers complained concerning the fart jokes in Season 4, however that wasn’t new. The fact is that the present is getting darker, and the humor of the primary three seasons stands out extra. It was a season of rising pains for The Dragon Prince. The mature plot is tougher to reconcile with the tone of the present because it had been. Season 4 needed to function a transition of types, which did it a disservice.
Because the Aaravos plot continues, the sequence ought to fall again right into a extra pure tempo. The stage has been set so the story can take off. The sequence has been renewed for 3 extra seasons, so that is removed from the top. Season 4 is a mid-point, the place the present went by way of a midlife disaster of types. However that does not imply it should proceed like that. The time soar successfully modified the story, and that is a very good factor. The sequence wanted a brand new breath of life to final till its seventh season. Although a reset was surprising, it raised the stakes and allowed for older characters and a extra mature story. Now that the exposition is in place, the plot ought to get again on monitor, returning to the present that followers anticipate. Adore it or hate it, Season 4 offered the expansion that the sequence wanted to final.