The Dragon Prince: The 10 best moments from season 3
The Dragon Prince’s third season recently dropped on Netflix, and it had some major developments in store for the series. What were some of the new season’s biggest moments?
Netflix’s The Dragon Prince has slowly but surely developed a cult following, a group of dedicated fans who can’t wait to learn more about Katolis, Xadia, and all the other kingdoms in Netflix’s animated world. And the third season, which hit the streaming platform on November 22, delivered when it came to giving fans more depth — diving further into the history, setting, characters, and storylines of this fantastical world.
This season also had some major developments and revelations for the overall plot of the series, bringing storylines that have been building since the first episode together and making sense of them all. It was a satisfying addition to the show for that reason alone, and it makes fans wonder where the writers will take The Dragon Prince next.
So, what were some of the biggest and best moments from season 3 anyway?
The boomerang reference
OK, so this is necessarily one of the season’s biggest moments, but it’s one of the best. Fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender will know that, in addition to being created by the same people behind that series, The Dragon Prince also features Sokka’s voice actor, Jack DeSena, as the voice of Callum. Given all the overlap, the writers gave a nod to the other series by having Callum reference Sokka’s weapon of choice: his boomerang.
Commenting that a new weapon looks “strangely familiar,” Callum pauses a moment before wondering, “Boomerang?” It’s a quick Easter Egg, but it’s one that The Last Airebender fans are bound to appreciate.
Rayla and Callum’s first kiss
Rayla and Callum spend the first half of the season journeying through Xadia — and, to be honest, it’s one of the duller storylines when pitted against Ezran’s attempts to rule Katolis or Viren’s strides toward eliminating the “threat” of Xadia. Still, Rayla and Callum’s romp through Xadia does give us loads more world building, shedding insight into the other, more magical side of their world.
And their adventure also gives fans some of the romance the story has been building up to since its first season. It’s clear that Rayla and Callum have feelings for one another, but the series could easily have dragged out that tension for all of its seasons. Instead, the third season finally shows them admitting how they feel. And their first kiss is full of feelings, awkwardness, and comedy — everything we could ask for in a romance subplot, really!
Soren’s redemption
Soren isn’t the brighest character on The Dragon Prince by any means, but it’s nice to see him thinking for himself during season three. After nearly dying — and temporarily becoming paralyzed — last season to fulfill his father’s command to kill the princes, Soren is told that he misunderstood Lord Viren’s wishes. Of course, Lord Viren only says this to gain his freedom and Claudia’s trust. But that they both believe Soren so easily pushed aside is a blow to his character.
Thankfully, he realizes something is up with his father and winds up releasing Ezran from his imprisonment. He also refuses his father’s attempt to turn him into a fiery monster, leaving his family behind in order to do the right thing. Soren’s entire redemption arc is incredibly satisfying and deserved, so much so that it’s hard to narrow it down to one best moment. (Although, if we had to choose, we’d say him stabbing his own father to save Ezran is pretty fantastic.)
Thunder’s backstory
The third season of The Dragon Prince returns to the story of the dragon that killed Callum and Ezran’s mother, this time showing us the aftermath of that decision. Although King Harrow is initially hesitant to seek revenge against the dragon, Viren manipulates him into doing so.
Viewers get to watch this backstory unfold, witnessing the action and dark magic involved and coming to understand exactly how the Dragon Prince’s egg wound up in Katolis in the first place. Not only does this offer new details about Katolis’ and Xadia’s history, but it provides some extra action for fans to enjoy. And who doesn’t love action that involves dragons?
Viren’s attack on the Sunfire Elves
The Sunfire Elves play a bigger role in The Dragon Prince‘s third season, especially after they take General Amaya captive. Her willingness to save Janai, even knowing she’s lost the fight, though, makes for a touching moment — and it leads to a blossoming romance between the two women, which is another subplot we just loved from this season.
When Viren arrives and tricks the elves into showing him “the light,” however, the Sunfire Elves face an unexpected attack — and while it’s one of the darker moments from the season, it shows just how cruel Viren is, especially when it comes to those who aren’t human. It’s a turning point, heralding all the action that follows, and it’s also an opportunity for the Sunfire Elves to team up with the humans.
The group’s reunion!
We’re suckers for reunions, and even though Callum and Ezran aren’t separated for all that long, it’s nice seeing them meet up again toward the end of the season — and witnessing Ezran and Bait’s reactions to the new developments in Callum’s relationship with Rayla.
Of course, watching Soren pop up to tell them they’re all doomed is equally as fun. The Dragon Prince‘s strength is in its characters, and seeing them all together always makes for better content than when they’re all off on different paths.
The final battle
For the first two seasons of The Dragon Prince, most of the action takes place on a fairly small scale. Individual characters fight one another, or small groups face off against a dragon or elves. But the end of the third season is the first time fans got to see an epic, large-scale battle unfold — and it was surprisingly well done.
There are so many amazing moments from the big finale that it’s impossible to pin them all down. But Viren and Claudia’s ruthlessness were high points, along with getting to see Ezran rally Xadia’s dragons. The Sunfire Elves also demonstrate some serious
Callum’s flight
Given how long it took Callum to master the sky arcanum, most viewers weren’t expecting him to pick up any other tricks during season 3. That’s why it came as such a shock to see him sprout wings in order to save Rayla in the last episode.
This twist is a bit unexpected, at least until Callum begins asking questions about mastering that sort of magic. But leading up to the final battle, it seems that he won’t be able to do it. And watching Rayla dive off of a cliff to save Zym is a heart-stopping moment until fans realize that, yes, Callum can actually fly. The whole scene unfolds really well.
The Dragon Queen wakes
We’ve spent three seasons waiting for the gang to return Zym to his mother, and it almost seemed that wouldn’t happen. During the third season, we find out that the Dragon Queen has been asleep for some time, and that most of the characters believe she won’t wake again. It’s a blow for poor Zym, who spends a few episodes sadly attempting to rouse his mother.
Luckily, the Dragon Queen does wake when the battle is won — and she seems happy to see her son and the humans and elves who returned him to her. Perhaps the group will be able to strike some sort of peace with Xadia after all.
The last scene
After the huge battle is over, it almost seems that The Dragon Prince‘s third season will end on a high note. But, of course, the final scene shows that Lord Viren isn’t actually dead after all. Despite his fall, Claudia brought him back to life — earning herself another change in hair color and potentially putting herself beyond redemption.
Not only do Viren and Claudia’s appearances suggest that there’s more story to come, but Claudia informs Viren that his “catepillar friend” — aka Aaravos — has turned himself into a cocoon. We don’t know what the Startouch Elf is transforming into, but it can’t be anything good.
Next. Here is everything coming to Netflix this December. dark