After the events of "We Are Family," Stoick has grounded all the dragon riders, and Hiccup trains his friends to withstand interrogation. Alvin goes on the offensive with a new strategy. Hiccup decides to resume academy training subversively, under the night cover's Dragon Flight Club.
Tropes
- Awesome, but Impractical: Hiccup's initial prototype of his shield. It's too heavy to wield in battle, and while the grappling hook works, Hiccup's too light to use it to capture someone. Although when Gobber uses it he is able to pull Stoick to him instead.
- Catch and Return: Stoick does this with a boulder when the Outcasts attack.
- Call-Back:
- Stoick has grounded the riders because of Hiccup getting kidnapped last episode.
- Mildew has implemented the rudimentary dragon knowledge that Hiccup taught him, as a means of destroying Berk.
- Stoick tries to interrogate Fishlegs since Fishlegs is a Bad Liar. This time, however, he is less successful.
- Calling the Old Man Out: Stoick gets called by both Hiccup and Gobber for implementing the dragon ban, the former for making Berk defenceless from Dragon assaults, and the latter for Stoick excluding himself from the ban. Hiccup even points this out to him when Stoick attempts to have a go at him for disobeying him.
- Chekhov's Boomerang: Whispering Deaths. The Outcasts plant Whispering Death eggs under Berk to destroy it from the inside out.
- Chekhov's Gun: The interrogation training that the riders give each other allow Fishlegs to withstand questioning from Stoick.
- Comically Missing the Point: The twins don't understand the first rule of "Dragon Flight Club" that there is no Dragon Flight Club.
- Distinction Without a Difference: Stoick and Hiccup arguing over the flight ban:Stoick: Are you calling your father ridiculous?Hiccup: Of course not, I would never call my father ridiculous... I'm calling my chief ridiculous.
- Hypocrisy Nod: Gobber and Hiccup separately call out Stoick for the "no dragon flying police except the chief," except Stoick could justify it under the grounds of being the chief and needing to protect the island.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Stoick may be correct in grounding Hiccup, since the latter was impulsive and defied direct orders that nearly got him captured. Grounding the rest of the riders seems to be a tad out of line, though.
- Logical Weakness: Hiccup's shield is too heavy for proper use, being made out of thick wood and metal.
- Mass "Oh, Crap!": The riders when Stoick catches them out of bed.
- Screw the Rules, I Make Them!: Stoick decides the ban on flying doesn't apply to him and continues to ride Thornado. Regardless of how legal this is under Berkian law, no one is happy when they learn how their chief is applying the rule.
- Shout-Out: A tiny bit of Ferris Bueller's Day Off is referenced when the riders try to get home before Stoick catches them out of bed.
- The "Dragon Flight Club" is a shout-out to Fight Club, with the first rule even being "There is no Dragon Flight Club".
- You Are Grounded!: Not just Hiccup, who defied orders and who would need grounding for last episode's shenanigans, but also all the other riders. Stoick undoes this by the end of the episode.
