Recap / Dragons Riders Of Berk S 2 E 19 Cast Out Part 1

After Snotlout accidentally puts Astrid in a near-death situation, Hiccup suspends him from the academy for disobeying the rules one time too many. However, after he and Hookfang are ambushed by the Screaming Death, he is rescued by Alvin the Treacherous, who is still alive, claiming he is there to make amends with the Vikings. Although nobody trusts him, Alvin's warnings allow them to defeat Dagur's invasion, but before they can destroy Dagur he captures Stoick. Dagur flees back to Outcast Island with his captive, demanding Hiccup and Toothless in exchange for Stoick's life.

Tropes

• And There Was Much Rejoicing: The entire population of Berk cheered when they thought Snotlout was dead, and immediately became disappointed when they realized he was still alive.
• Armor-Piercing Question:
  • While the twins gives Hiccup a minor calling out (in their own way) after suspending Snotlout, they ask him this question that puts him in a tough position. Even Astrid points out that they actually make a good point.
  Tuffnut: Well, what choice do you have after his flagrant disregard for your leadership? I mean, he deserves to... have his pen merged with another pen!
  Ruffnut: Yeah, the only remaining choice is total expulsion, or you run the risk of losing the respect of the other riders.
  Astrid: Wow, they actually have a point.
  • After explaining the situation about Snotlout to Stoick, Hiccup asked his father how can he be someone's leader and friend at the same time because while Hiccup doesn't want one person to keep disobeying orders, he doesn't want to lose respect for the other riders, a thing that the twins pointed out earlier.
• Armor-Piercing Response: To answer Hiccup's question, Stoick tells him that he can't always be someone's leader and friend at the same time, and that when Hiccup becomes chief, the decisions he'll have to make are for everyone on Berk, not just for himself or his friends.
  Stoick: You can't. Not always. Son, someday you will be chief. And when that day comes, you'll have to make choices, not for your friends or for yourself, but all of Berk.
• Back from the Dead: Dagur appeared to have killed Alvin after betraying him in "A View to a Skrill Part II", but this episode reveals that Alvin survived.
• Badass in Distress / Distressed Dude: Stoick by the end of the episode.
• The Bad Guy Wins / Downer Ending: As per usual with the Part 1 episode of a two-parter. The episode ends with Dagur kidnapping and escaping with Stoick to use as a hostage against Hiccup.
• Big Damn Heroes: Several in this episode:
  • Alvin saving Snotlout from the Screaming Death
  • Stoick, Gobber, and other Berk Vikings showing up to fight the Berserkers, right before Hiccup is forced into an impossible Sadistic Choice
  • Alvin saving Stoick from Savage's attack from above
• Brainwashed and Crazy: Stormfly, Hookfang, and Barf & Belch, as a result of getting too close to the Dragonroot.
• The Bus Came Back: After being absent for quite a few episodes, the Screaming Death finally returns for this episode.
• Call-Back: The Dragon Root, first seen in "A Tale of Two Dragons":
  • Just as before, Hookfang, Stormfly, and Barf & Belch are all affected by the Dragon Root once they get too close to it, and try to attack their riders. Hiccup and Toothless avoid getting too close because then Toothless would be affected, as well.
  • Once again, Meatlug is shown to be immune to the root's effects, leaving Hiccup to assign her and Fishlegs the job of retrieving the root and removing it from the arena.
  • Hiccup stands over the same cliff face where he watched Stoick's armada sail to the Red Death's island in the first movie.
• The Chains of Commanding: Hiccup starts to feel these after suspending Snotlout. He knows it needed to be done, since Snotlout almost killed Astrid in his carelessness, and is hard to count on during an actual battle, especially since he doesn't want to lose the other riders' respect. Still, he feels guilty and asks Stoick how he can be both a good leader and a good friend. Stoick replies that, sometimes, you can't have it both ways.
  Hiccup: Tough day, Dad?
  Stoick: Aye.
  Hiccup: Some days it's not so easy being a leader.
  Stoick: Oh, tell me about it.
  Hiccup: I think I may have a little situation with Snotlout.
  Stoick: (grunts) And what's he done now?
  Hiccup: He disobeyed a direct order, so I grounded him, and now he's refusing to obey that order! I-I don't know what to do. Do I expel him from the academy for good?
  Stoick: Is that what you really want?
  Hiccup: No. But I also don't want to put the other riders at risk.
  Stoick: Hmm, tough one. Decisions like this, never easy. I've made more than a few in my day.
  Hiccup: Then, how do you do it? How can you be someone's leader and still be their friend?
  Stoick: You can't. Not always. Son, someday you will be chief. And when that day comes, you'll have to make choices, not for your friends or for yourself, but all of Berk.
• Deadpan Snarker: Hiccup as usual, but especially noteworthy is almost his entire conversation with Alvin while the latter's in prison.
  Alvin: I have a proposal for you, Hiccup.
  Hiccup: Well, this should be good.
  Alvin: Now, this Dagur... he's a bit of a loose catapult, wouldn't you say?
  Hiccup: That's one way of putting it.
  Alvin: Well, he forced me off me own island, and I want it back.
  Hiccup: Why, so you can get back to business of destroying our island?
  Alvin: Aww, Hiccup, I was upset.
  Hiccup: For 20 years.
  Alvin: (Beat) Very upset....
• Death from Above: Savage tries to take down Stoick this way during the battle. Luckily, Alvin saves him.
• Death Glare:
  • Everyone gives one to Snotlout for his recklessness and nearly endangering Astrid
  • Hiccup delivers several to Dagur.
• Department of Redundancy Department: Alvin's charges.
  Gobber: Alvin the Treacherous, you are hereby charged with the following crimes: treachery, attempted treachery, premeditated treachery, conspiracy to commit treachery, and...well, you get the idea!
  • Even more ironic in that they don't mention anything about kidnapping or attempted murder, both of which he's committed many times.
• Determinator: A villainous example. Dagur refuses to give up and leave Berk without something to show for it...leading to him kidnapping Stoick.
• Enemy Mine: Alvin wants Outcast Island back and wants to screw over Dagur the Deranged as revenge for betraying him, and is willing to team up with the people of Berk as a result.
• Evil Laugh / Laughing Mad: Dagur gets several really chilling laughs this episode.
• Fly-at-the-Camera Ending: The Screaming Death at the end.
• Hostage For Living MacGuffin: Dagur invokes this twice, with Toothless as the Living MacGuffin:
  • First, he has his men close the gates to the arena, locking all of the teens (sans Hiccup) in with their dragons, who are going on a rampage and attacking everything in sight thanks to the influence of the Dragonroot. Dagur's men will only open the gates to let them out if Hiccup hands over Toothless.
  • When the above method fails thanks to the Big Damn Heroes attack from Berk, Dagur and Savage instead kidnap Stoick. They don't directly spell out that they want Toothless in exchange for him, but Alvin implies it.
• If I Wanted You Dead...: Along with pointing out their similar unappreciatedness, Alvin adds that he could have left Snotlout to be eaten by the Screaming Death with freedom and no lethal consequence to himself. The other reason he saved Snotlout was as an appeal for help to reclaim Outcast Island.

• I Have Your Father: After Dagur attempts to use Hiccup's friends as hostages in exchange for Toothless fails, he invokes this trope by kidnapping Stoick instead.

• Jerkass Has a Point: After Stoick is captured, Hiccup starts making a plan to ambush Dagur and his ships, but Alvin points out that, if Hiccup backs Dagur into a corner, he is likely to (metaphorically) start shooting. Alvin also adds that Dagur won't hurt Stoick for the time being, since Stoick isn't what he wants. Lampshaded by Gobber:
  Hiccup: You want me to trust him?!
  Gobber: If there's one thing Alvin knows, Hiccup, it's treachery.

• Leeroy Jenkins: Snotlout charging the catapults during the training lesson, rather than retreating as Hiccup ordered.
• Never My Fault: Snotlout refuses to take responsibility for his actions of disobeying orders and for nearly endangering Astrid. He brushes it off by saying that Astrid is fine, to which Astrid says "No thanks to you."

• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: While escaping from the arena with the Dragonroot, Fishlegs and Meatlug accidentally knock Stoick over; this disorients him enough to allow Dagur and Savage to kidnap him.

• Not Now, Kiddo: When the teens are gathered near the arena while their dragons are out of control, Snotlout tries twice to tell Hiccup something important (presumably the fact that he set Alvin free), but Hiccup brushes him off in order to explain his plan to calm the dragons down.

• "Not So Different" Remark: Alvin outright says this regarding the feeling of being unappreciated to a visiting Snotlout; this is partially to empathize with him, but mainly to convince him to let him out.

• An Offer You Can't Refuse:
  • Hiccup is certainly no fan of Alvin, thanks to the events of the past two seasons, and clearly doesn't trust him. However, when Hiccup asks what Berk has to gain by releasing Alvin, Alvin says that Berk would get rid of the Berserkers and have the Outcasts as allies. Hiccup is clearly tempted by this offer.
  • Later, Alvin offers to help Berk fight the Berserkers if Snotlout sets him free; Snotlout ends up doing so.

• Offhand Backhand: Alvin does this to a Berserker after joining the fight.

• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Hiccup normally puts up with Snotlout's antics with exasperation and annoyance; however, Snotlout goes too far after his actions almost kill Astrid. Hiccup is furious with Snotlout and suspends him from Dragon Training on the spot, surprising even the other riders, which causes the twins to give him a minor What the Hell, Hero? speech by saying that a suspension like that won't do him any favors, especially when it comes to battles with the enemy.

• Papa Wolf: As usual, Stoick plays this straight in regards to Hiccup, as seen when Stoick and the other Vikings show up to save him. However, Hiccup also inverts; at the end of the episode, he resolves to do whatever it takes to get his dad back from Dagur.

• Sadistic Choice: An especially sadistic example. Dagur has his men lock all five of Hiccup's friends in the arena with their out-of-control dragons who could easily kill them by accident and then tries to force Hiccup into an impossible choice between his friends and Toothless. Luckily, Stoick and the others show up before Hiccup is forced to make the choice.

• Selective Obliviousness: Implied with Snotlout after he disobeys Hiccup's order to retreat during the catapult training. This time, Hiccup isn't having it and neither is Astrid, who was about to attack him for endangering her.

• Stock Scream: One of the Berserkers gets a Wilhelm Scream as he's knocked off the docks.

• Take a Third Option: Stoick's response to Dagur's Sadistic Choice for Hiccup. Doubles as a Badass Boast.
  Dagur: So, what's your answer, Hiccup?
  Stoick: The answer is... we run you through and open the gates ourselves!

• Tranquil Fury: Hiccup initially reacts a bit more openly when he points out to Snotlout that he almost killed Astrid with his rogue trick shot, but is much more calm when declaring he's suspended from the academy.
• Villainous Rescue: Alvin saving Snotlout from the Screaming Death.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Hiccup and Astrid chews out Snotlout hard for disobeying the former's order to retreat, especially since it nearly got Astrid killed.
  • The twins give Hiccup a minor one, in their own way, pointing out that lenient suspension, as opposed to expulsion, won't do a lot for him to earn respect as a teacher and it will cause the team to become weaker in battle. For once, they turned out to be right.