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Ok who else thought Aaravos was actually a girl before he spoke. Come on raise your hands. Or leave a like.

To me, Soren's legs being fixed was because it wasn't a character arc for him, it was an example of dark magic being terrible and great at the same time. So it was supposed to show more of the duality and morality for dark magic instead of a problem for Soren.

I almost cried when King Harrow went to tell Callum about his mother's death, and he says the exact same thing that Callum says when he first tried to tell Ezrin about their father.... Not only was it an emotional scene on its own, but it also gives more nuance to their relationship as father and adopted son.

I agree with you about Calum and his panic attacks but that's the price to pay for 10 episode seasons instead of 22 episode seasons.

With the part with Soren’s paralysis. I think the focus is meant to be Claudia, as it begin with forcing her to make a choice between her brother & the Dragon. We then see her panic as she can’t heal him, & the extent she goes to to find a cure for him. And I think it’s also an important motif that dark magic is “a short cut” just as Callum’s Mum said. And we’ll see the consequences of it.

That "is it wrong" / "yes" / "is it, though?" / "yes!" scene was one of the few points in the entire series that I literally laughed out loud. Certainly not a nuanced debate, but I still absolutely love that scene.

"Calum's chrarcter arc is him feeling useless." So he really IS Sokka!

What if Soren’s “recovery” is only for a limited time, i.e. Claudia has to repeatedly renew the spell from time to time? From that could conflict grow with Soren seeing the after-effects to Claudia and wanting her to not heal him so that she doesn’t worsen and Claudia’s reaction to that. Also haven’t we already seen that dark magic is bad for you in the long run with Veran and the butterflies?

The show does a good job with the two primary uses of magic. 1. Magic in world building, which adds a deep sense of mystery and awe. 2. Magic as a tool to solve problems.

I thin that with Souren and Claudia Souren welcomed the paralysis because I finally got him out from under his father, as he said. Now Claudia has forced him back not only under his father's path of killing the princes, stolen the future he was planning for himself, but did it all without asking him if he wanted. She forced the magical cure on him and while she did it out of love it will be interesting to see how their relationship is going to change after they now know what their father wanted and that Claudia's use of the magic is affecting her.

Most emotional scene (for me): when Callum goes he understands why Rayla kept Harrow’s death. That hit me hard.

The thing that got me was when Sorin was paralyzed and Claudia just didn't know what to do, and I actually liked that whole arc including how Claudia healed him cause I'm interested to see what kind of consequences come out of it.

I liked Season 2. It was all about the characters. There was no highly choreographed fights or giant kaiju battles, but it didn't need it. Im happy with the way the show is going.

I think the "just breath" thing was more about how he has to stop trying to over think, because sky is about letting go or because arcanums in general are intuitive. I did feel like every time they talked about arcanums it seemed less like they "couldn't be taught" and more like none of the characters were articulate enough to explain it - but that might have been an intentional exploration of elven pride.

I think Paula Burrows's charisma, aka Rayla, carries the show.

At 9:50 I feel like the sentiment that Claudia has whatever she needs for any situation is the point. Dark magic is easy... Too easy. You can solve anything without understanding the complexity that actually causes the problem in the first place. You just kill an animal, chip away at your soul and abra kadabra problem solved. Calum's mission will be to force her to think about her action and not always take the easy way out so that magical creatures can live in harmony with humans again.

I have to disagree on the Soren’s paralysis part.. the whole point of dark magic is it’s a quick fix-it’s the illusion that, that which has been done can be undone without further consequences.. so it only makes sense that Soren’s sister in trying to help him would use dark magic in this way.. and if it didn’t fully work or it took a long time to do we wouldn’t get the sense of why it’s so appealing, why it’s so powerful. I’m glad you can see where they might be going with Claudia.. I think we are about to see how playing with dark magic slowly changes the user and twists them, and the real reason why dark magic caused humans and elves to be devided.. we saw in Callum’s internal struggle the pull of dark magic after one use, like a hard drug that creates an addiction.. it weakens the resolve and poisons the soul.. it doesn’t seem Claudia understands the forces she’s contending with as she casually uses dark magic.. she’s naive.. up until this point she’s been using parts of dead creatures .. it doesn’t appear that she’s ever drawn the life essence directly from a still living creature like this.. her choice to sacrifice the baby deer is symbolic of how she is sacrificing her own innocence and going down a dark path, one perfectly juxtaposed by Callum’s rejection of it.. Dark magic is absolute power, and as the phrase goes.. absolute power corrupts absolutely.

I actually think Soren's arc is not finished yet,Claudia might have make him walk again but he barely could take a few steps and even with Claudia's help,i dont think he will be able to fight again,and while not figting is not as bad as beeing paralized,it's still gonna have some consequences

Saddest moment (with both Callum and Ezran, and Callum and Harrow): "I want to talk to you about life, and growing up- and how sometimes there are changes you don't expect."

Aaravos is everyone’s sexuality

I also would not be surprised if we learn the Elf in the mirror, whose name I cannot remember how to spell, was the one who actually created Dark Magic and taught to humans and that the elves trapped him somewhere and banished the humans to keep it from happening again.

The dragon prince is good but the story feel too often rushed. Some foreshadowing would make it much, much better. And allowing event to sink in could raise it to Avatar level

Oh my lord you need to do season 3. Let’s just say you’ll be happy and sad from what you’ve said in this vid

Here after season 3 and can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

I really am impressed with Dragon Prince

I feel like a lot of what is going on with this series is a slow burn, and that they're going for big reveals instead of compounding huge plot and character developments. Not only that, but Netflix chopping up something into 2 seasons when it should be 1 is typical for them, and it seems like it would equate to the fall finale and then spring premiere in traditional television. I'm also not sure if comparing DP to GoT is fair, haha. I mean, they're not in the same wheelhouse at their core. I honestly think that they are building up for a big reveal w/the consequences of dark magic and perhaps the consequences of the human race's distance of the nature and magic... like cutting off an essential part of ourselves that has been there all along. I feel as though there's going to be a serious 'Soylent Green is people' thing going on, or even Full Metal Alchemist where souls power the alchemy. Life force obviously powers dark magic, so Claudia exchanged some of her life to heal Soren. It could lend to even more of the commentary that I feel runs deeply in this show: what are we willing to give up for convenience and power over nature and one another?

Deep philosophical question, "what is Ned Stark without his head?"

The dark magic is supposed to be a easy fix. It is a easy way out of everything. That is part of the reason why elves fear it. With dark magic, you have unlimited spells and unlimited power. It isn't just about the moral dilemma of killing innocent creatures, it is also about the fact that using dark magic is a shortcut to power you should only be able to get if you are experienced and powerful. There is no way a sky elf of Claudia's age could use a spell so powerful it could reboot bodies. But i think old and powerful mages would be able to do it. I think most of the dark spells are spells from primal sources, but because you can take the magic from creatures, you don't have to sacrifice time to practice.

My biggest problem is with Soren and Claudia. They work much better as antagonists than protagonists, but the show seems to want to give them a redemption arc that they don't believe in

I cried a lot when Callum found out about his father's death and when he read his father's note. Then again I'm a VERY emotional person. I'm quite the empath.

23:10 Soren's paralysis is meant to be a midpoint in his story, he no longer has to suffer under the burden of his orders to kill the princes, which allows him to admit to himself he really doesn't want to. And then when Claudia brings him back he still remembers that he really doesn't want to do this.

23:00 I think the only problem is if they were to try and explore this as a concept is that full paralysis in a medevil setting is basically the same as death. Perhaps if they only made him lose and arm or his legs it could have worked but not full paralysis.

I think when Rayla pleads for Callum not to go and Callum’s whole psyche was pretty emotional

If you remember there was a build up to him discovering his magic by him going through his first use of dark magic use and him falling terribly sick but once he comes to and understands his place does he discover his magic

Claudia begging for forgiveness felt really harsh and tragic. She honestly felt like she regretted what she had to do.

I think Soren's pain isn't over. I think it was rushed by necessity to split the party. And also to end the season on some heavy choices. But I'm not ready to be too critical YET, because there's a ton of foreshadowing as you've mentioned that Dark Magic is not perfect and obviously still has long term consequences for a short term relief. Claudia, Viren, and especially Aaravos have a lot of secrets to discover/reveal about Dark Magic.

Soren's paralysis was the biggest ish I had with the season. I did love that all of like 10 minutes after realizing he was paralyzed he just happily states he's going to start doing poetry now, I actually said aloud "I love him" what that happened hahaha It felt very in character too, he's got that dense, blind optimism about his own actions and decisions that him suddenly deciding to become an intellectual was so pure and wonderful, like yes dear child, do poetry, whatever your heart desires. Him getting cured right away took away all the potential consequences that could have come about from his relationship with his father. I understand the angle about dark magic having a negative effect on Claudia, but even when she barged in determined to cure him (without asking what Soren wanted, but that's a separate thought), I was honestly expecting it to only partially work. I wonder if the cure will start to wear off in the future, and we'll gradually see Soren's physical capabilities deteriorate as he simultaneously comes to terms with his conflicting feelings about pleasing his father. That would make the insta-cure more satisfying for me, and it would also play back to Claudia's arc and force her to reexamine the cost of using dark magic. But as it stands now, I was disappointed with that story beat. It was an opportunity for both Soren and Claudia to have a conflict of character moment, but it feels like Claudia got more fodder for her character arc than Soren. Soren still stands as best boy for me though, let our lovingly dense jock write poetry, I will support him unconditionally.

The entire sequence of Callum grappling with his dad's death and how to tell Ezran was just so moving for me.

I would recommend you look into Irish mythology, specifically the Elven Star. It seems that the elements of the magic system is loosely based off it, which leads me to some ideas about what they may do later down the line. Essentially, I think that "Dark magic" is actually "Spirit magic", but when the immoral element of taking is put in, it becomes Dark magic. I think that they may set it up that the Spirit Acanum is to incorporate empathy, to a level that one can resonate and replicate what they need from their own spirit energy. But the draw back is that you have to use your own spirit energy. So if you push too hard before you're ready, you risk something along the lines of comatose or death. In terms of story, it's obvious how they set up Colom to go and try to attain all the primal Arcanum, but I think that it's going to be Claudia who finds the Spirit Arcanum via a process including what you mentioned of her not having the components she needs but remembering what it felt like to wield those components. (I'd love to hear your thoughts, but I'm a broke college student, so I can't go on patreon to get access to the discord. Sorry. :( But maybe you'll see this. I doubt it, but who knows.)

I'd be a lot more happy with this show if people weren't trying so desperately to unfavorably compare it to Avatar. Just let the show exist on its own merits, ffs

I think it's possible that Soren's healing is temporary, but his paralysis is permanent. Claudia's dark magic can restore his vitality for a time, but since that magic comes from quashing the vitality of a _young_ creature and because youth itself is fleeting and impermanent, that vitality will eventually fade and leave Soren paralyzed again. This could set up an arc that simultaneously explores Claudia's grappling with the limitations and ethics of dark magic _and_ Soren's journey through the process of coming to accept his disability. As Claudia sacrifices more of her humanity and more innocent life to keep her brother in fighting shape, it could take an emotional toll on Soren that causes him to question whether his own happiness is worth the price of his sister's health and/or sanity.

Really hoping a season 3 review is in the pipeline! Love this channel and your analysis; it's definitely helping me stay sane during this pandemic

I never thought the Sky Arcanum was "just breathe". His mother's words are the spark that helped him realize that the sky exists within and without. The Sky Arcanum is Dragon Prince's version of a very old philosophical/occult idea: as above, so below. He realizes that the whole world is a primal stone that he's inside of and, when he beathes, it is inside him. The Arcanum is the idea that we exist in microcosmic layers. This is a mind expanding revelation on par with the Moon Arcanum: that all we can ever know are our own malleable perceptions. Both ideas are old and well-tempered yet still difficult for many RL humans to grasp, which makes sense why Dragon Prince humans fail to internalise them. I'm super excited to learn more about these teachings.

Is... is that your book in the back?? Also, you are amazingly well-spoken, and you’re ability to analyze and process stories is spectacular. Love your videos!!!

Ned was never the same again without his head.

Been waiting for this. Wooo!

Of course it's good, the question should be "is it Great".

2:52 I knew I recognized his voice from somewhere! Thank you! That was going to bug me for an eternity.

You help to keep me writing my man, great vid. I have the patience’s so take your time.

Really looking forward to your season 3 analysis/review. I really share your views on the series and it's fun to watch.

I would argue that we haven't seen the full consequences of Claudia's spell yet, and that might make for a better arc than exploring Soren dealing with paralysis.

9:50 She spends an entire episode of last season looking for stuff for her tracking spell.

Honestly I love how right before Rayla goes for the power of love he wakes up.

the part that have always been the most emotional for me until now have been the adults' story arcs. I got very quickly and strongly attached to King Harald, Runaan, Queen Saraï. I hurt when they hurt while I feel more detached about the kids' struggles. I don't know why. 🤷🏾‍♀️

The part of the season that hit me the hardest, is when Callum learned that his father died/Callum trying to find a way to tell Ezrin that their father died. As an older brother, I put myself in Callum’s shoes and it brought me to near tears. Although I was watching it at night, and am kinda in an emotional 15 year old “phase”, but I still really liked the dilemma.

Honestly what you see as Sorin's character arc I saw more as Claudia's arc with seeing how far she would go for someone or something she cares about....

The most emotional moment for me... well, I really felt it when Callum read the letter.

This channel deserves so much more recognition , you're an excellent creator 😊👏👏👏

Lol I just finished watching both seasons yesterday and then you release this, thank you. Its amaizing by the way..

Excited for the S3 video

Fun fact: Caelum means air/sky/storm in latin, or so says the mighty google translate gods.

Been waiting for this since the season premiered, thank you sir

with soren's paralysis and him being healed i have a feeling that the spell claudia used will only be temporary. i feel like it is going to keep wearing off and claudia is going to have to continue using dark magic to help her brother whilst damaging herself. if that were to happen i think that a scene where soren tells her to stop what she's doing and accept himself being paralysed to save her would be a very powerful thing.

Honestly the thing that got me most in the feels is how Callum and Ezran come to discover the death of their father and how they coped with it. This hit me real hard as a brother of a decent sized family because I could feel the pain and conflict in Callum to tell Ezran about his fathers death and how he tries tooffer up words of comfort passed down to him by his dad when his mom died. And the thing that almost had me in tears was how Ezran took Callum's words to heart after he discovered his father was dead and was talking to Claudia. I may not have actually lost anyone this closely but I could totally see myself doing exactly what each of the characters did in the show.

Thank god finally but you are also amazing

17:00 I'm going to say right now, I think that moral quandary of the extent of using dark magic might be something they're saving for Claudia later. Calum is younger, more optimistic, the idea of dark magic is going to be harder for him to accept at any level at this point, especially given his exposure and knowledge of it at this point. He doesn't really know that much about it other than what he's seen Claudia do (mostly bad, though not all), and what his heavily biased elven companion says and thinks. Claudia is going to be the mirror of Zuko, the fallen hero, or she's going to get right to the very edge, or she's going to cross the edge and come back.

FINALLY!! I've been waiting for this for so long

AARAVOS IS MY SEXUALITY

I actually liked the Backstory, "Kinda" exploring the good part of dark magic, and showing Viren Isnt Generic BAD guy. loved the transition of Sarai into the Statue

I hope you plan on a season 3 review! Every season has been better than the last and I really like your analysis!

I assume there will be a darker consequence for Claudia than Soren being paralyzed.

I feel the same way about the paralysis. I somewhat expect that the dark magic fix isn't permanent. You get them trying to find a long term fix, and claudia finding out that dark magic is not as powerful as she expects. Then both can have growth in a single issue

Viren: You played me like a damn fiddle! Aaravos: No no, a fiddle requires effort. I played you like a Dollar Store slide whistle.

They could still have Soren's time being paralyzed affect him in the future, in the form of PTSD. He could develop a reluctance to take the chances that lead to the paralysis. His arrogance, and the youthful sense that there is nothing he couldn't do. Next time he has a need to be bold, he could remember the price he almost paid of being trapped in a bed for the rest of his life, and restrain himself as a result.

Stuff I can’t wait for (Spoilers) - - - - Can’t wait for Ezran to find his Bird dad Really curious if Calum is gonna be a magic avatar, or just be stuck with the sky element Would be very interesting character development is calum found his mother’s remains And I cannot wait to see the brothers meet again after the development they will get from being apart

26:48 Canada, Scotland, 'Merica, Australia. Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony...

I’ve been waiting! For 2 months! 2 months! That’s too long!

I really felt touched by some moments throughout these two seasons. I really liked the episode in which Callum tries to tell Ezran about their father. It felt very real to me. I also felt a lot when Soren got paralytic, and was very stunned by the idea of the story carrying on like that. I agree that being cured in the same episode felt a little cheap, but I felt a lot of relief too when that happened, mostly by relating to Claudia's own relief when she saw her spell had worked. But the moment that most impacted me even now was when King Harrow destroyed his friendship with Viren. Once, I had a very bad argument with a very close friend, and by the time I watched that scene I was still very mad at him. Seeing Harrow treat his friend like that, I saw myself when I trashed my friend. I actually think that scene might have helped me understand my mistake and make up with my friend.

Yes finally I've been waiting for this review

The buildup to Calum's revelation how to use sky magic was every moment he was on screen for the second half of the season. The episode on the boat is him gaining a physical understanding of the sky through the way the wind affects the boat, him being out in the storm gives him an intellectual understanding of the sky in that it isn't just about the lightning but the way everything in the sky interacts, and then a spiritual understanding in his fever dream at the end of the series as he realises that he doesn't need a primal stone because the sky itself is all around him all the time, and because he understands it physically, intellectually, and spiritually he can now use the magic of the sky. That's quite different from the way everything else uses magic because they don't have the understanding that they're always connected with everything, they can only use the arcanum they're born with. (Except Aaravos, who uses all six arcana despite being a Star Elf). I think there's more of a price for healing Soren than you're anticipating. We see with Viren that dark magic has warped him to the point he needs to continue using it and killing butterflies to even maintain a human appearance.

Season 3, it's been more than a year

so i watched this season just after my mum passed away. naturally, the episodes with calum's letter and talking through his mother and step-fathers death really had me, i could really resonate with how he felt and they did such a good job encompassing how that grief feels imo. cant wait for s3!

I do think Callum’s realisation didn’t just stem from the “just breath” but rather the fact that his mother tells him to truly understand something you must understand it with all parts of yourself rather than just your mind and overthinking things

Maybe not quite as good as avatar, but it’s definitely getting there. This season fleshed put the characters more and the plot. The animation is also much better.

Really love this series, I wonder what season 3 has in store.

"Just breathe" wasn't the revelation that unlocked the sky arcanum, it allowed him to calm down enough to actually unlock the sky arcanum

Love listening to you man, so passionate and stimulating! Wish my dates were like this ha

Agreed on Soren's lost opportunity there. I saw that episode more as foreshadowing: their consequences will only get worse over time; this is their solution, and it now shows a sort of price. I'm fully expecting Soren to die, and Claudia losing herself to bring him back.

You know, I _would_ tell you the part that I felt was the most emotionally resonant, but this is coming out so far after I watched season 2 that I barely remember any of the details. Also: “One does not simply walk into Xadia”

OH MY GOD YOU ARE SO RIGHT ABOUT SOREN'S PARALYSIS. I haven't realized that i need that conflit until you said it. I'm devastated now...

I've been looking forward to this. -Count Dooku

I was right there with Callum, drowning, not being able to get to the surface and I am still underwater. When he woke up and just could breathe, it gave me hope.

For me the hardest hitting emotional moment was Ezran's realization that he had to grow up so early

Just got done binging this show and I need an analysis of season 3!!

I really liked the complexity of Claudia in this season. She’s got a lot of elements that are balanced precariously. She wants to do well by her father, she uses dark magic with few reservations, she is protective of her brother, she is attracted to Callum, and she maintains all these motivations while keeping a cute dorky personality. I am very curious how the consequences of healing Sorin will affect her

Calumnies not the first human to use an arcane but he is the first to find how use it in his own

When are you going to do a review of season 3? 😊 I thought it expanded character arcs and we learned more back story. Side note: ezran and callum are half brothers, not step brothers.

Soren's paralysis and Claudia's usage of Dark Magic actually works better in hindsight because of how events unfolded in Season 3. (Major SPOILERS from here on) Soren would eventually see the error in his ways, and would end up actually fighting with Callum and the other by the Final Battle, after seeing his father and sister go down a path he couldn't follow. This is where his character arc fully realizes up until this point. We see now that Soren getting paralyzed wasn't necessarily for _his_ character development, but it was actually for _Claudia's_ character development. and not necessarily in a good way. Up until this point in the series, We've never seen Claudia be so willing throw caution to the wind and straight up go on a mini deer killing spree in order to save Soren. This, coupled with her actions in saving Viren by the end of Season 3, served to plant the seeds of Claudia, presumably, eventually becoming more and more of a villainess at worst, and maybe an anti-hero at best. Soren getting paralyzed and Claudia immediately fixing him is an amazing story element in that it served as the exact turning point of when Claudia would turn dark, no pun intended, and at the same time, the exact starting point of when Soren would eventually turn good. What's ironic here though is that, had Claudia not healed Soren right away, if things had played out, then Soren might never have turned sides at all. and that alone would have in all likelihood changed the outcome of the Final Battle. This further nails home the idea that while Dark Magic is great, amazing, and powerful, it is oftentimes a short-cut that ends with you being worse off than you initially started.

So after seeing Callum in this season, I actually developed two ideas that I really hope could be used, if not one: the first would be a dark master subplot between him and Aaravos. Aaravos could discover Callum through his connection with the key or from Viren and somehow makes contact with Callum in his dreams and offers to train him in order to persuade him to release him. My second hope is that Claudia learns Earth magic as, in my opinion, it is the direct opposite of dark magic and Claudia having to connect and understand the creatures she’s sacrificed to use magic would be pretty interesting to watch