The final season of Netflix’s popular animated title, The Dragon Prince, is almost here and it’s beyond enjoyable. The Dragon Prince: Mystery of Aaravos has been an exciting ride I didn’t want to end. Fortunately, fans will be able to feel a sense of closure and relief with how the series concludes. Aside from key elements in the first episode, the rest of the review is spoiler-free.
The Startouch elf Aaravos is free and ready to wreak havoc on Xadia. It will be up to our fabled heroes; Callum, Rayla, Ezran, and the gang, to stop Aaravos at all costs, not just for each other or Katolis, but for all of Xadia.
The first episode, “Death Alive”, is both a message of danger and a nod towards the revival of a specific few. Claudia is still determined to bring back her father. Aaravos entertains the thought by using it as a way to further his influence over her. Once she learns about the “In-Between”, a place where souls go who have unfinished business, she shifts her focus to gathering everything needed to cast a spell to get things rolling. As the series continues, Claudia finds trouble navigating the waters of dark magic and it begins affecting her relationships. Struggling with identity, it becomes apparent that she doesn’t function well when alone; an incentive for her to find her father and restore him.
Last season ended with the dragon Sol Regem destroying Katolis. It was one of the pivotal moments in the last season that will act as a bookmark in the series. When people think back to The Hobbit trilogy, nobody can forget when the dragon Smaug attacked Laketown, setting ablaze a town that hovered just above water. In the last season of Game of Thrones, one of the most popular series in television history, Daenerys Targaryen rode Drogon as he destroyed (by fire) every inch of King’s Landing and the castle that resided within its walls. In the same manner, in an unforgettable episode, Sol Regem laid waste to Katolis.
So now that you have that imagery, imagine having no clue any of that happened and seeing smoke fill the air from Katolis’ direction. When Callum took notice, he flew there immediately (with his go-to spell that turns his arms into wings). When he arrived, he was devasted by what he saw. Callum, brought to tears and utter sadness, collapses on the ground in pure heartbreak. As one of the last people seen when Katolis fell, Soren shows up and attempts to explain what happened. Their shared sadness led to a memorable embrace that will be the highlight of the season’s opening episode.
Understandably angry, Ezran has another layer added to his complexity. The stress of having to lead and make good decisions for his people was heavy enough for a child who lost both parents and constantly didn’t know who to trust. Now, he’s swelling with anger after seeing his kingdom destroyed and, similar to Aaravos and a few choice dragons, seeks sweet revenge. Thankfully, Ezran’s friends are present to quell his anger when it begins to surface. When it comes to friends, it’s not just Queen Aanya, Callum, and Soren, but also his trusty dragon Zym, and glow toads Bait and Sneezles.
The writers did a good job with Aaravos as the season progressed. There was just enough insight and dialogue to make you feel “something” for the villain. There was some serious build-up in his character and his reputation as a master manipulator is on full display with Claudia and Terry. As the series begins to lean into his backstory and reasoning for revenge, you almost feel bad for him (keyword “almost”). We learned from past seasons how his daughter was punished and how it affected him, but this season, audiences will get a closer look at the toll it took on him. As he monologues and weaves in and out of manipulative tricks, we start to see more humanlike emotions from Aaravos. Aside from anger, we see happiness, joy, and for a fraction of time, even love. The quality of the writing comes into play when Aaravos is humanized just enough to empathize but not remit punishment. This is not a T’Challa vs. Killmonger scenario where both sides are right with a stark difference in resolve. You might agree that the gods were ruthless with their punishment of Aaravos’s daughter but can disagree that Xadia needs to be destroyed because of it.
It was refreshing to see Terry more engaged this season since he usually exists as a minor character (and that’s putting it kindly). His feelings for Claudia have been in flux ever since she fully embraced dark magic, but this season, things come to a head. Appearing passive to a fault, Terry finally conjures up enough courage to speak his mind to both Aaravos and Claudia, clearing the way for an unforgettable season.
Reality is finally setting in for Queen Janai as she realizes there’s no hope for her brother. While showing leniency to those who betrayed her, she would not be so kind to Karim who sought to dethrone her. I had hope for him after his upending in Season 6, but he refuses to humble himself. A living embodiment of the term “glutton for punishment”, he simply can’t get over his disdain for his sister, even with the love of his life pleading for another outcome. Queen Amaya will attempt to intercede to avoid violence but fails to anticipate the outcomes that would follow.
The epic soundtrack continues to impress. Aside from the most dramatic series introduction in modern animation, the score continues to stamp itself as distinct as each episode offers something different. Whether it’s a tense exchange between Amaya and Karim or Aaravos describing a world of grim and woe, the soundtrack will for sure be a collector’s item after the series concludes.
The main cast for Season 7 includes Jack De Sena (Callum), Paula Burrows (Rayla), Sasha Rojen (Ezran), Jesse Inocalla (Soren), Zelda Ehasz (Queen Aanya), Racquel Belmonte (Claudia), Jason Simpson (Viren), Erik Dellums (Aaravos), Luc Roderique (Karim), Benjamin Callins (Terry), Sheila Ferguson (Amaya), and Rena Anakwe (Janai).
Dragon Prince: Mystery of Aaravos Season 7 gets a 9.5 out of 10. Some of the spells and explanations by Aaravos were flimsy and didn’t make much sense. A few of the episodes could’ve been longer, going into more depth with certain relationships. There was a lot of talking on Aaravos’ part during this last season. I would’ve liked to see more battles and a longer presence of darkness and evil only because it had been built up for so many seasons. There was less talk of blood sacrifices and more of good over evil, which is a good thing. Finally, while they say the series is over, I could see how a spinoff would work if they chose to go that route.
Dragon Prince Season 7 premieres globally on Dec. 19 on Netflix.
-Jon Jones
Photos: Courtesy of Netflix
Genre: Animation, Fantasy
Rating: TV-Y7
Runtime: Nine Episodes; 28 mins.
Trailer: Watch
U.S. Release Date: Globally on Dec. 19, 2024.