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The Dragon Prince Season 3 Review

The third season of The Dragon Prince premiered on Netflix in 2019 and it consisted of nine episodes. It was the most epic season of the show up until that point.

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“It feels a lot better to be on the side that’s un-chaining things“

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When Ezran abdicates, Viren takes the throne and he leads an army into Xadia to fight the elves there. Eventually, the baby dragon is saved and Viren falls to his death, but is brought back to life by his daughter. The only problem with this season was the first half, in particular the first couple of episodes. They were too slow, somewhat tedious and far from engaging.

The momentum was only gained somewhere in the middle of the season when suddenly the series became a true spectacle. The final battle was truly epic and reminiscent of high fantasy book series of the past. Yes, this is still a kid-friendly take on the epic fantasy genre, but it works because it’s still spectacular and intense enough for adults to enjoy.

Callum continues his magic learning arc and he was quite memorable throughout this season. Rayla is just as likable and as fun as ever. The two start off a romance here and taking their relationship from friendly to romantic was actually smoothly realized and they do seem like a lovely, believable couple. All of their scenes together were quite charming.

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Ezran did not get much to do here and I did not like that he was king at first, but eventually when he abdicated he became his old self and his relationship with animals was used to great advantage in that final battle. Bait and Zym were just as adorable as ever while the elves were intriguing, though rather underutilized as a whole.

The highlights of the season were Claudia, Soren and Viren. Viren has by now become a full villain and that transition was so carefully developed and believable. Aaravos himself continues to be a very mysterious presence on the show and he will undoubtedly become more important later down the line. Viren was a badass villain when he gained full power from the elves and it was glorious to witness his rise to power.

But the rift in their family was the dramatic heft of the season. Soren being the one who turned to the good side was an interesting twist that fully worked. He is a goofy character for sure, but his heart is in the right place. Claudia herself chose the dark side and she might be the most evil and irredeemable character on the show as she is fully supportive of her father no matter the cost. What she did in this season by bringing him back to life will surely have huge consequences for her and others as well.

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The Dragon Prince continues to have cheap CGI animation, but at least during this season the visuals were slightly improved and a bit more polished and less rough around the edges. The score is still superb and the voice acting is fantastic across the board. My only issues are the dialogue and humor that are even more immature this time around, which stood in stark contrast with the season’s otherwise darker tone. The two tones did not clash well together at all, but the world building continues to improve and that ending on the cliff was instantly iconic.