Fridge / The Dragon Prince

Fridge Brilliance

General

• Dark magic needing its incantations said backwards makes sense when you realize it's the opposite of normal and natural magic. Dark magic is as deviant in it's manifestation as everything else about it.
• Racially diverse societies were an atypical sight before industrialization made travel much safer and faster (Ezran's Rayla's and Callum's journey showcases just how hard it is to travel in that world). But these human societies haven't had the luxury of settling where they choose; the elves all forced them out of their homelands and relocated them with no apparent concern for their cultural or ethnic background. Although the ethnic cleansing of the humans from Xadia was morally wrong, it also resulted in 21st century levels of diversity in an ostensibly medieval society.
• In Book 1 Opeli’s insistence that both princes be found and Viren’s command that both princes be killed seem a little strange at first since only Ezran is descended from King Harrow. When it is revealed in Book 3 that only orphans are eligible to establish a new royal line, Callum’s inclusion makes more sense. Callum was an orphan at the start of the series, closely connected to the military (through his aunt), part of the royal family (through is step-father and half-brother) and had been raised and educated as a prince. If anything happened to Ezran, Callum would have been the logical choice for a new king, hence Viren would have had to eliminate him as well as Ezran to have a clear path to the throne.
• It seems to be an odd choice in the promotional art for Sol Regem to be the one the heroes are facing, even though Ezran not only never meets him, but also that, while he did play a major role in the backstory, has an overall small part in the present story, appearing in only one episode as an antagonist. However, it makes sense once you face the idea that they are not facing against Sol Regem as a character, but a symbol. One of the biggest driving forces in the story is that there are many years of hatred and prejudice between dragons and elves vs. humans, which is the true antagonist of the story, rather than Viren, who, while somewhat embracing the prejudice, primarily uses that fear and prejudice to his advantage. Sol Regem is the true pinnacle of that sentiment, and thus, serves as a representative of the show's true antagonist force: prejudice.

Book One: Moon

• While it makes sense for Callum to be startled by the thunderstorm outside, thunder carries a heavier and more sinister connotation to humans. Namely the dragon King Avizandum, who the kingdoms nicknamed Thunder due to his ability to decimate armies.
• Once Rayla gets closer to the castle and comes across a rushing river, she seems to shudder at the sight of it before steeling herself and hopping across the rocks with ease. We find out later that she has a fear of water.
  • In Rayla's sketch of the Primal Sources, Moon and Ocean are arranged opposite each other. If, as this might imply, Moon and Ocean magic are opposed, then it makes sense that Rayla, born with the Moon Arcanum, would feel antipathy towards large bodies of water.
  • In Celtic mythology, some faeries (such as the Nuckelavee from the north Orkney Islands) hated streams of running water, and were thus unable to cross them.
• At first glance, having assassins wear binding bracelets that slowly kills them seems like a terrible idea. It's actually makes sense in the context of the situation; the mission matters more than the individual. Not only does it provide even more incentive to finish the job, but it prevents would be deserters from fighting effectively (if it doesn't kill them first). It also works as a Mark of Shame, since it means that the person failed in their mission and is easily visible.
• On the moment, the scene in which Rayla gets angry at Callum for lying to her about being Ezran and Callum asking her how that's worse than trying to kill someone is played for Black Comedy. However, by that point, Rayla has been established to be at the very least unable to take a life other than her target's and Runaan has been shown making a speech about not taking life lightly. If Rayla had killed Callum thinking he was Ezran, she would have effectively killed someone who was an innocent by her standards and still important enough to get her in trouble if caught. From her perspective, Callum's lie could have quite easily been blamed if such a scenario had occurred.
• Callum knowing more ASL than Ezran seems to make sense when you remember that he's the step-son of Harrow, and his mother remarried and later had Ezran. It's very likely that he was taught ASL when he was younger in order to communicate with his aunt.
  • Callum also proves to have a remarkable memory, able to perfectly mimic words and symbols he saw briefly during a tense situation, and sketching a perfect image of his room for Rayla in episode four. It's not a stretch to imagine him memorizing a new language in short order.
• Amaya fights primarily with a shield, and only carries a dagger for finishing off beaten or pinned opponents. As a general, she needs to be able to give commands at a moments notice. And since she only speaks in ASL, she needs a hand free in case she needs to say something while defending herself.
• Some viewers thought Ezran's ability to understand animals came out of nowhere, but there are a few early scenes that foreshadow it. The most obvious is when Rayla mentions the egg has a mother. Ezran immediately says that the unborn dragon wants his mother. Did Ezran find the egg in the first place because he heard the voice of the unhatched dragon prince calling out to her in its isolation?
  • He also talked to the horse in episode 7 and was able to tell that the horse was terrified even before the vet told him.
  • Ezran is frequently seen talking to Bait the same way many people talk to their pets. He could have easily been talking with Bait rather than to him all this time.
• In previous talks about magic the writers explained that before dark magic was discovered it often took years of dedication and study to practice magic under another mage, but one line provides extra context when Rayla is pretending to be a human in episode 7 she comments about having a sub-century life span, implying elves commonly live over 100 years in a medieval setting where human life expectancy on average is probably less than half of that at best, so the years of training to learn magic the long way were a lot more of a commitment relatively for a human mage in contrast to a elf which helps explain the temptation of humans taking a short cut for more power.
  • So, if learning magic is so hard for a human, why can Callum learn to trace the magic runes so fast after only seeing them once? Because he's an artist: his hands and his eyes are already trained for copying shapes. Also, Callum having a Photographic Memory helps.
• Why did Viren ask Soren to kill both Ezran and Callum? Only Ezran was able to inherit the throne, while Callum was not in the line of succession. However, we later learn in Season 3, that during an interregnum in which there is no eligible heir to the throne, Katolis law stipulates that an orphan shall be chosen by the council as King if the throne lies vacant. With both his mother and biological father being deceased by the time of the series, that makes him eligible to inherit the throne if it's vacant. While Callum might not be in the line of succession, his status as Prince and as the King's step-son may have given him a strong enough claim to throne if Ezran were killed. Events throughout the show seem to indicate he'd also have the support of Opeli, the leader of the High Council, and of his aunt Amaya, the highest general in the Katolis army, giving his claim very strong backing as well. If Viren had Ezran killed so he could succeed to the throne, Callum would pose a formidable challenge to his rule.
• In "Moonrise", when Rayla mentions the egg's mother, the princes immediately side with her, having lost their own. When Ezran tells Claudia that the Dragon Prince wants his mother, she immediately respond by ordering Ezran to bring the egg to her. We learned that her mother left the family which affected her greatly, probably to the point where her mother is dead to her so the word "mother" means nothing to her.
• Zym biting off Rayla's binding isn't an out-of-nowhere display of arbitrary dragon power, but valid release of her obligation under the rules of the bond by the obligee. The binding works similarly to a legal debt or contractual obligation, just magically enforced. It can be discharged in two ways: fulfillment and forgiveness. Fulfillment in this case means accomplishing the mission, that is, killing Ezran. Forgiveness — a discharge without fulfilling the obligation — can only be given by the one to whom the obligation is made; the one to whom it is owed. Since the bindings are an obligation to exact revenge for the harm done to the Dragon King and Dragon Prince, they are the obligees, and they have the power to forgive them and release the bindings at any time. Dead people can't forgive, so the right-hand binding could be released only by fulfilling the mission to kill Harrow, but Zym's being alive allowed the option of release through forgiveness that no one expected. This explains why Zym was able to do it so effortlessly; it doesn't require any magical ability whatsoever, Zym just needed to indicate that Rayla's obligation to him is forgiven and it instantly was.

Book Two: Sky

• It seems Viren's use of the True Sight spell on the mirror failed but it did work just not in the way he intended. Viren uses the spell to “strip away all illusions” and allow him to see the truth. He then sees his reflection in the mirror and rants that it (the mirror) is powerless and useless and that Viren thought it was going to be something special. His dialogue and actions makes it clear, however, he is really talking about himself. Specifically, he points at his reflection in the mirror and states he thought "you were going to be something special, something important!" Adding to this is his look of dejection immediately after his rant.
  • Viren was also looking at the wrong part of the mirror. The enchantment was in the frame (as evidenced by its purple glow under the true-sight serum) not the glass.
• A reason why Aaravos' mirror only revealed its true self after all the lights went out? Since Aaravos is a star-touch elf, stars only start to reveal themselves once it gets dark out.
• How can you tell something is off about Ezran and Callum when they all leave the Moon Nexus? Callum nor Ezran say a thing, hinting at them being an illusion.
• Viren remaining behind to fight Thunder is foolish because he was needed to perform the spell that was the only reason any of them were in danger, and results in Sarai's death. Her dying to save him emphasizes how vital his survival was to the kingdom, that on a mission with four monarchs, he was the only truly essential person. Fast forward several years and you see Harrow berating Viren for being willing to sacrifice Harrow's soldiers but not himself.
  • Also, this could give context as to why Harrow doesn't approve of dark magic anymore in the first season. Not only did Sarai object to it pointing out how nothing had shortcuts, but she also lost her life during the mission because of it. After something as traumatic as losing his wife due to them using dark magic, of course Harrow is going to disapprove of Viren using it for more "creative solutions".
  • Viren's decision to fight Thunder is also a perfect example of his fatal flaw; conviction without humility. He wants to help his kingdom and his people, but he's convinced that his way is the only way, and anyone who disagrees with him is either naive or a spiteful obstructionist. He latches onto the first creative solution he comes across and refuses to consider alternatives; he takes such a costly and pointless risk because it never occurs to him that just because he can help doesn't mean he should.
• Zym and Ezran mirroring each others movements in their sleep can give the viewers a hint at how strong their connection is. Strong enough that Ezran can connect to Zym from across Xadia and teach him to fly.
• When Callum is having his vision, the dark mage version of him never actually says it's his destiny to do dark magic. Only to do magic. Callum ends up rejecting him and the entire idea of destiny, but maybe he's wrong about the latter, there's just a Prophecy Twist he didn't see because of who was giving him the prophecy.
• At first glance, it seems inconsistent that Callum couldn't remember the safe path across the lava flow after the moon runes disappear, since he is shown to be able to exactly recreate anything he's seen even briefly. But we saw the limitations of this in season 1, when he gave Rayla a picture of what the game room looks like instead of a map to it. He's never seen a floor plan of the Banther Lodge and he can't translate his photographic memories of its appearance into a map. Similarly, he knows what the safe path looked like from where he was standing, but translating that into directions would have taken more time than they had.
• Why is Ellis the only one who's okay with eating the grubs, while Ezran and Callum seem completely grossed out? As princes, they're probably more used to eating like, well... princes. Eating worms is far from their usual diets.

Book Three: Sun

• At the end of the season, the deserters now have embraced the broken chain symbol that Viren forced on them. For Viren, that symbol means they are the weakest link in the chain, but for them it can also mean breaking The Chain of Harm, which is one of the main themes of the story.
• The Sunfire elves and humans quickly overcoming their Fantastic Racism towards each other at the end of the season. As both have a common enemy in Viren, from the elves point of view the humans fighting alongside them prove that where Dark Magic is concerned, Everyone Has Standards, while for the humans, seeing Viren as he truly is ultimately reveals that many of the atrocities the elves supposedly committed were actually his doing.
  • It's also a Stealth Pun - the Sunfire elves elemental powers is fire. During the season, they lose their leader and stronghold, and unite with humans. They become Fire-Forged Friends.
• When Claudia and Soren are arrested on suspicion of assisting Viren in his treason and forced to kneel before the High Council, Claudia defiantly stands back up while Soren remains on his knees, foreshadowing the sides they will take in the coming conflict. Soren knows their father is plotting against Katolis and is ashamed of his role in helping him, while Claudia still has faith in Viren and remains loyal to him.
• In spite of his threats in episode 4, Prince Kasif never had any intention of attacking Ezran's kingdom. He was about to go to war with all of Xadia, a nation teaming with magic users, badass warriors, and dragons; unless he was a total idiot, he would have realized that opening a two-front war with the two most powerful nations in the world would be suicide. Ezran had the home field advantage and the best army in all five human kingdoms; even if he had lost, his forces would still have made it a pyrrhic victory, and Kasif would not have had the strength to take on Xadia after that. It was all an empty bluff meant to bully Ezran into granting him support he wasn't in any position to demand... and it worked perfectly.
• Callum describes to Nyx how Rayla is a hero, listing all the amazing things she does (no doubt the reason he fell in love with her to begin with)...and Callum proceeds to do almost all those things by the end of the season when he jumps off the cliff to save her. Rayla is certainly a hero, and she's inspired Callum to become one too.
• Rayla kissing Callum when she did makes a certain degree of sense. Rayla is sulking in her perceived failure and saying that she deserved to be rejected, and Callum comes in telling her she's amazing and too good to be so down on herself. Given how cut-throat and unforgiving her people have been built up to be, she's probably used to being kicked while she's down and told to do better next time; being comforted and praised in such a time is probably very new to her and she might have become overwhelmed with emotion. Note, she kissed him because he was 'saying all those things'.
• For the royal families portrait, painter actually changes the families poses than what the original ones they had. Harrow was the one holding a baby Ezran while Queen Sarai had a hand on Callum's shoulder. Harrow might have decided to hold Ezran to not tire Sarai out, but what the painter has inverts it so Harrow seems like what a king should be while Sarai is what a queen should be.
• Callum's most iconic item is his sketchbook; he's hardly ever seen without it. Usually, rather than getting into the action, he's seen sketching instead. As a result, Callum is standing on the sidelines, and when he uses his magic, he often does so from a safe distance. The sketchbook symbolizes Callum's life as a sheltered prince from Katolis. But then we see him place the sketchbook down right before he leaps to save Rayla, growing wings that let him catch her. The sketchbook is not seen again after this moment, symbolizing how Callum is no longer the sheltered boy he used to be.
• One may wonder how Viren's army managed to get so far into Xadia without being challenged. It could be in part to crossing the breach so quickly, but you'd think Xadia would have some standing army to repel invasions. But from what we see of Xadian settlements and culture, the elves have almost no cultural diversity among their communities. Rayla's village is exclusive to Moonshadow elves alone (even having a charm to bar intruders) and Lux Auroria is a thriving city where only Sunfire elves can be seen. For all it's faults in this setting, humanity is far more united and inclusive (among other humans at least) and the elves simply cannot form an into a single cohesive force in spite of the danger.
  • On top of this, Viren already knew the way since he had already been there. And, the Sunfire elves would have been their biggest obstacle, but Aarivos and Viren were able to get rid of them.
• Soren proving himself an able guardian of Ezran and a much better version of The Big Guy for the heroes than he ever was as The Brute for his father makes perfect sense considering his training and Viren’s rather myopic view of his family. Soren is a highly skilled warrior who is not innocent of bloodshed... but he’s a knight and military bodyguard, not an assassin. Dirty work and deceit simply aren’t his strengths at all, while coordination with others in martial conflict is.
• Callum gaining the ability to fly is not only incredible in its own right, but is also a triumph of Primal Magic over Dark Magic. Viren comes to the Storm Spire explicitly to drain Zym of his magic to "transcend his human form." By the end, Viren fails and is unable to surpass his human limitations...but Callum does. And he does so without taking any shortcuts or coming at the expense of another life, and entirely to save Rayla and not to increase his own power. In short, Callum definitively proves that his way of learning magic is better and more moral than Dark Magic.
  • Also, he learns the spell when he jumps off the cliff. He learned it on the fly.
• The scene in episode 7 where Viren gets annoyed by being continually asked what his plan was once they got into Xadia (it's very heavily implied that he never actually had one), as well as Aaravos needing to constantly pester him to get him to admit that his actual goal is to conquer Xadia for humanity after initially denying so, show that for all the pride he likes to put in his intellect, Viren has an unfortunate tendency to not think things all the way through... he may be more like his son than he'd ever want to admit.
• Of all the monarchs against whom Viren sent shadow-assassins at the end of Book Two, Aanya was the only one to come out completely unharmed, because for her, it was just one of the many assassination attempts she has had to endure as a child-queen. Viren had underestimated her again.
  • Ahling being wounded rather than killed may have been the result of him being only one willing to listen to Aanya, who would have shared her doubts on Viren’s possible plot against him to prepare only hampered by his demeanor and age.
• It makes perfect sense that the last power Callum learns this season is flight—he spent a good deal of the series bemoaning the fact that he's not as strong as he thinks he should be (or being mocked for being "smaller and weaker"), only to learn from his stepfather that true strength comes from, among other things, love. And in those moments after he told Rayla he loved her, it gave him the focus he needed to achieve flight, the one thing a human being cannot physically achieve. Callum, in other words, became stronger because of his love.

Through the Moon

• It may seem a little odd that clumsy-footed Callum, who was shown barely able to keep his footing when doing the Silvergrove dance, manages to dance perfectly well at the Moonhenge and open the portal. But in a way it makes sense—Callum managed to succeed because he had the opportunity to sketch out the steps! He likely had two weeks to map out the dance, practice it and build his muscle memory and motor control. Demonstrating once again how Callum's artistic ability is the key to finding his place in the world (literally, in this case).

Book Four: Earth

• At one point Rayla calls Callum the "destiny is a book you write yourself" guy. But as far as we know, Callum only said that once, in his dream in Season 2, Episode 8. So why could Rayla hear Callum say it? Because, as established in Season 1, Episode 6, Callum talks in his sleep.

Book Five: Ocean

• The Mushroom Mage seems to be using some type of magical fungus to clear the dark magic infecting the Dragon Queen. How do you clear up a magical infection? With magical penicillin.

Fridge Horror

General

• When was the exact point that Viren turned evil? He was loyal to a fault, willing to sacrifice his life, and buried deep in his research to help his king. Was it when Harrow made him kneel, or when Callum shouted that the Dragon Prince as alive? Or maybe earlier, when he took the egg with the intent to destroy it?
  • Pretty much during Harrow's breaking speech. He came to realize that Harrow wouldn't "do what must be done" and he'd be throwing away his life saving him for nothing. It was at that point he realized that it would all ultimately fall to him to do what must be done. He hadn't completely fallen down the slope yet, but it was the point where he tripped.
• Viren's obsession with the dragon egg, and later the baby that hatches from it. As Callum, Rayla, and Ezran point out, there is no reason to keep Zym separated from his mother. In fact, it would slow down the war if not stop it because while the queen has stopped fighting, the other magical creatures are just as vengeful and unreasonable. Why does Viren care so much about one egg?
  • Power. When it all comes down to it, what Viren really wants, what he will do or give anything to acquire, is power. That was the only thing that dissuaded him from destroying the egg.
• The two times Callum connected with a Primal arcanum, it was always shortly after using dark magic. Coincidence, or something far more sinister?

Book One: Moon

• Harrow is a Death Seeker, believing that the elves have the right to kill him because he slaughtered Thunder and let Viren kill a baby dragon, to avenge a queen who believed magical creatures were sapient. Is it because he realized his revenge didn't bring Sarai back, or that his sons will bear the burden of a war he perpetuated? Or, that taking a life in hate destroyed him?
• Soren is afraid of what his dad will do to him if he fails. This has some horrible implications of how Viren punishes his children. Not to mention Soren is talking only about himself and Claudia doesn't seem afraid at all. Yeah, Soren probably doesn't have the best family life.
  • More fridge horror: At the end of episode 1, Soren did fail to find the elves. And we have no idea how Viren punished him for that failure...
• Ellis took the puppy Ava up the Cursed Caldera by herself. Even though there was never any real danger, the townsfolk and everyone else believed the place was inhabited by monsters. There was probably an extended period of time where Ellis' parents had no idea where she was, and there's no telling what kind of anxiety she must have produced when she returned home and told them.
• Though it's debatable if the curse of Rayla's binding bracelet that caused her Wound That Will Not Heal was purely magical, Rayla was extremely lucky not to have permanent damage. Acute Limb Ischaemia (loss of blood flow to a limb) can cause major problems, due to the fact that the cells can't get oxygen. Within hours it can cause nerve damage and gangrene. Even taking off the bracelet can be dangerous, since it can cause blood clots and damaged cells to escape into the bloodstream, leading to other potential problems. Since it's also her hand, the wound could have led to Volkmann's Contracture leading to permanent paralysis.
• A combination of both Fridge Brilliance and Fridge Horror that occurred to this troper just a couple of hours after watching the end of episode 9: Rayla's parents and the other guards of the egg "ran away" and apparently disappeared when the egg went missing. Viren must have been the one to physically take the egg, otherwise, it would have never wound up in his possession while even King Harrow believes it was smashed. Viren can bind people into those coins of his with his dark magic. Runaan needed to stare at the coins for a few seconds before he reacted with horror and said that Viren was a monster. After binding Runaan to the coin, Viren comments on how the expression of the person bound is always the same. Put it all together and what do you get? Viren did the same binding a person into a coin thing to Rayla's parents and possibly the rest of the guards who were protecting the egg.
  • On a lighter note, this could mean that they're not dead and could be brought back in a future episode, allowing Rayla to reconcile with them and assure them that she's returning Zym home.

Book Two: Sky

• Another reason for Amaya being incredibly protective of her nephews? She was on the mission to help harvest the molten titan's heart, which lead to the Dragon King killing the queens of Duren and Sarai. Knowing that she was injured during that time and couldn't be there to protect her elder sister likely left her feeling somewhat guilty. It also gives her speech to her sister's statue another meaning, she had failed to save her, and now, she had failed to keep her sons safe.
• Gren was chained up with no bedding, food, or bathroom breaks for a week (or at least not a regular supply since Viren only came down there occasionally), which definitely qualifies as torture even if he's not in a stress position like in the first book. He probably has a lot of very painful infections from the lack of hygiene and sleep.

Book Three: Sun

• Nearly every fantasy tradition ever written condemns the killing of a unicorn as an act of monstrous, unforgivable evil. A unicorn horn is the key ingredient in Viren's dragonslaying spell, which Claudia acquired for him somehow. This means that either Claudia committed this monstrous act herself, or she knows someone who did. Neither possibility is particularly comforting to think about.
• As Harrow threw the dark magic infused spear at Avizandum, it sounds like the spear itself is screaming, very faintly. Viren had imbued it with Queen Sarai's last breath before she died. It almost sounds like Sarai herself is screaming, trying to warn Harrow to stop because of the dire consequences that will follow.
  • Viren gloats to an incapacitated Rayla that when he absorbs Zym's life force, he will add her to his coin collection. Then he jingles the bag, causing her to go Oh, Crap!. How many elves has Viren trapped in gold?
• In "The Final Battle," there’s a shot that follows the flight of a crow that soars over the battlefield. In all likelihood, that crow wasn’t just passing through; it was probably among many such birds that flocked to the battlefield in anticipation of the bounty of fresh kills to scavenge flesh from. A shot from the crow’s perspective from after the battle would likely have shown it feasting on the dead elves, Durenians, and horses!
• Claudia had to kill a deer to get the life energy necessary to cure Soren's paralysis; how much more life energy did she use to resurrect Viren, and where did she get it? In the background of the scene, behind a rock outcropping, you can see a soldier's boot...

Book Four: Earth

• Soren flinches back in shock when he runs into Callum while doing his workout on the castle ramparts. Callum is dressed very similarly to Soren's (presumably) deceased father Viren when he was High Mage. For a moment Soren probably thought he was seeing Viren's ghost. He was probably also experiencing flashbacks to the last time he spoke with with his father on these ramparts, when Viren ordered him to kill Callum and Ezran.
• It seems weird that the Architect would be so strict on not allowing fires in the camp. Perhaps she experienced a disaster in the past... and maybe this included the tent city the sunfire elves have had to live in.