Line #15 Recap/TheDragonPrinceS3E4TheMidnightDesert


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tdp_s03e04.png]]
2
3	->''"The night... is even worse."''
4	-->-- '''Nyx''', about the desert
5
6	Leaving the Silvergrove, Rayla and Callum are forced to trust a strange Skywing elf named Nyx to guide them through the dangerous Midnight Desert.
7
8	Meanwhile, Ezran is faced with an ultimatum when Prince Kasef reveals he has prepared a siege on Katolis and will attack if they do not join him in a war against Xadia.
9
10	!!Tropes
11
12	* ActorAllusion: Callum finds the set of boomerangs on the tip of Nyx's staff to be familiar, a clear and clever reference to his voice actor Jack De Sena's previous role as [[BattleBoomerang Sokka]] on the show's SpiritualPredecessor ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''. The end credits even have a sketch of Callum with Sokka's boomerang.
13	* TheBigBoard: Ezran has strategic sessions with his staff using a big board.
14	* {{Cliffhanger}}: Rayla and Callum are stranded in the oasis, their relationship in limbo, and Nyx has kidnapped Zym. Ezran is arrested and sent to prison after abdicating, and Viren is the new ruler.
15	* CrossingTheDesert: Our heroes have to cross the vast and dangerous Midnight Desert in order to get to their destination. By day, the black sands of the desert soak up the sun's rays, subjecting travelers to terrible, terrible heat. But the night, Soulfang Serpents emerge from below to suck the soul from anyone foolish enough to stray from the safety of the central oasis.
16	* EyeScream: Aaravos gives Viren the power to see him as a ghost, but he does it by having the caterpillar spin silk over his eye. This doesn't appear to ''hurt'' so much as really squick Viren out.
17	* {{Facepalm}}: Callum does so over how poorly he mishandled Rayla kissing him, accidentally making her think she just made a fool of herself in his fluster.
18	* ImpededMessenger: Nyx intercepts Ethari's message to the Dragon Queen and reads it, allowing her to set up her gambit to steal Zym.
19	* InsecureLoveInterest: It's implied that the reason Rayla is so reluctant to admit how tormented she really is over "being ghosted" to Callum was because of her feelings for him; she didn't want someone she cares for to see her in such a vulnerable state. Given this is [[NiceGuy Callum]] though, she needn't have worried.
20	-->'''Rayla:''' Please leave me alone. I don't want you to see me like this.
21	-->'''Callum:''' I don't care if you're crying, I'm here with you.
22	* {{Kaiju}}: Nyx has an ambler, a gigantic quadrupedal mammal built like a Dreadnoughtosaurus, to cross the Midnight Desert. Apparently, the soulfang serpents don't bother the amblers.
23	* KickTheDog:
24	-->'''Viren:''' I'm sorry it had to come to this.\
25	'''Ezran:''' No, you're not.\
26	'''Viren:''' ''({{beat}})'' [[BrutallyHonest No, I'm not.]]
27	* LetUsNeverSpeakOfThisAgain: Rayla declares this after kissing Callum on impulse leads to an awkward moment between them. Furthermore, she proclaims ThatDidntHappen.
28	* LongLastLook: When Ezran leaves Bait with the baker, he has a long last look back at him before exiting into the AirVentPassageway.
29	* AMillionIsAStatistic: Defied. The prospect of tens of thousands of deaths shocks Ezran to the core.
30	-->'''Ezran:''' 500 men and women. Some are moms and dads and have kids waiting for them at home. All of these are sons and daughters. Sisters, brothers, friends. They're real people, Bait.
31	* MistakenForFlirting: Rayla kisses Callum on the lips after he finishes telling her YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre, misreading it as a romantic gesture. While all past indicators suggest he is attracted to her, in ''that'' moment, he was honestly just trying to be there for her during an emotional low point.
32	* PostKissCatatonia: Rayla briefly induces this in Callum since he was not expecting such an intimate gesture from her.
33	* PyrrhicVictory: Discussed. When Ezran learns from Opeli that Katolis' victory over the other kingdoms will probably cost the lives of tens of thousands, he replies that it won't be a triumph.
34	* SceneryPorn: The Midnight Desert is a beautiful landscape. A desert of black sand with large white rocks.
35	* ShesNotMyGirlfriend: Nyx asks Callum and Rayla if they would like to share a sleeping bag, before both scream that they need two.
36	* ShipTease: Rayla kisses Callum after he says a litany of praises to her. Though she says they are not to speak about it again when Callum is caught off-guard.
37	* TransformationSequence: Parodied when Callum reveals himself as a human to Nyx in an elaborate animation sequence.
38	* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: When Rayla is overcome by self-deprecation at the central oasis, Callum's reaction is this, nearly verbatim:
39	-->'''Callum:''' You're too good to feel this bad about yourself. I know that, and you should know that.

Context Recap / TheDragonPrinceS3E4TheMidnightDesert