While Avatar: The Last Airbender critically and commercially carved out its place as one of the best TV series of the 21st century, giving it a worthy follow-up proved to be a Herculean task.
The Legend of Korra was an uneven collection of ideas thrown at a mixed bag of characters with almost no real sense of direction. It briefly reached Airbender levels of greatness in its third season, but failed to either recognize or replicate that which made it special in its concluding episodes. Despite having more of the Avatar world to chew on, Korra failed to fill the hole Aang left in our hearts for an intelligent and original fantasy epic with vibrant world building and complex, dynamic characters.
The surprise is not that the successor to Avatar’s throne has been found thanks to The Dragon Prince, nor is it that it comes from Airbender’s head writer, Aaron Ehasz. The bizarre thing is how small a ripple The Dragon Prince made when it was dropped into Netfix’s ever-growing pool of content. In an age in which animation enjoys a verifiable renaissance between the phenomenons of Rick & Morty, Big Mouth, BoJack Horseman, Steven Universe and more, it is an injustice that The Dragon Prince has yet to hit the mainstream the way Avatar did.
The series centers around Princes Ezran and Callum of the human country of Katolis as it waits on the brink of all out war with its magical neighbor, Xadia. After the death of their father and discovering the thought-destroyed egg of the dragon prince, heir to the throne of Xadia, Cal, Ezran and Rayla, an elvish former-assassin, embark on a journey to return the egg to Xadia and stop the war. Meanwhile Viren, the king’s former royal advisor and dark magic-wielder, sends his children, Soren and Claudia, after them and attempts to balance the domestic political unrest with the growing threat he perceives from Xadia.
If that sounds similar to Avatar, it is because it is. Between its episode structure, traveling companions, expressive animal sidekicks, complex politics, inspired culture-building and grown-up concepts for a TV-Y7 rating, Ehasz’s Avatar roots and influences are palpable. It even has Jack de Sena (Sokka) as the voice of Callum and other Avatar voices make appearances as well. But rather than straying down the path of derivation and mimicry, The Dragon Prince, having aired its second season in February, definitively constructs its world and stakes in a wholly different dynamic. And in doing so cleanly evades the trap of comparison.
The Dragon Prince’s story world and narrative have all the makings of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign brought to visual medium, but are elevated by the layered themes and ideas it never shies away from and the rich characters into which it makes our access point. It more often than not fuses exposition with character building, and constructs its world and our characters’ place in it with a strong sense of humbleness and scope.
The Dragon Prince accomplishes character beats better than almost any show I’ve seen. It takes its time building each principal character from the ground up and their relationship to the others. It ensures we have a concrete understanding of their drives and motivations before forcing them into difficult situations and decisions. So that by the time they are forced to make it, we are able to understand their exact rationale. Even (and especially) when we do not agree with a character’s choice, we can clearly see their reason for doing so. Those defining moments then feed into the continued development of their overall character arc and factor into the next choices they make.
The series primarily grapples with the crucial period between childhood naivety and adult responsibility. Its five central young characters are all made to reassess their view of the world and for the princes their role in shaping it. Callum discovers he is a mage and strives to protect his brother from a truth that will hurt him, Rayla sees the good in humans for the first time, Soren and Claudia are caught weighing their sense of duty against their own morals and Ezran’s hopeful optimism in the world is continuously challenged by external and internal forces threatening to take his childhood away from him. The threats and problems on their journey pit all of their immaturity and inexperience against a sudden obligation to grow up, and as a result their maturation and ethical line-drawing feels gradual and organic.
Every character in the series is three-dimensional and complex, and like any great story there is a level of empathy to even its darkest figures. The primary antagonist (so far) is a shining example, and one of the best-written villains in years.
Viren is a monster, but one who is not driven by greed or ambition. The simple fact that he has children proves that he was not always as cruel or opportunistic as he is now. As a result we get the impression that he is who he has become as a product of his tampering with dark magic and the tenuous present political situation in which he finds himself in the middle of. The adversarial relationship with Xadia makes him both wicked and paranoid, and his risk-free use of dark magic as a problem-solving tool increases his hunger for expedient and conclusive solutions. One he passed down to his daughter. But despite his proximity to power and his role in shaping Katolis’ future, Viren never takes the opportunity to seize it for himself. His only wish is to protect his country, by any means necessary.
What makes the series special is in its handling of complex topics and the ease with which it tackles them. In the highlight of the series, a two-part episode in the middle of its second season, The Dragon Prince flexes its intelligence in some of the wisest political philosophy I’ve ever heard, or at least heard from a children’s show. It waxes philosophical without ever preaching and it all informs the characters of consequence. The series never takes the easy way out when it comes to the difficult questions it poses. It never explains away its large-scale conflict with digestible lessons about friendship and respect. It explores topics like neutrality, isolationism, xenophobia and more with an adult lens of both nuance and humor. It takes a more pessimistic view of humanity and history than most would expect, and no gain ever comes without sacrifice.
But where The Dragon Prince holds its actual currency of relevance is in its representation. Ehasz and Justin Richmond introduce atypical character types and relationships with unprecedented nonchalance that it becomes something of a two-parts blueprint one-part scolding of other children’s entertainment for failing to be so inclusive and empowering. Not only does The Dragon Prince effortlessly include so many unexpected heroes, it elevates them in positions of power and authority.
Callum and Ezran are stepbrothers in a biracial marriage between a black king and a white queen. Katolis’ most respected general is completely deaf and communicates through sign language. One of the less important side-characters is missing a leg, another is completely blind. A neighboring queen is only a child and is the daughter of a biracial lesbian couple who are also gifted warriors. No one is ever a victim of their disability because they find new ways to overpower it. It even briefly addresses racism and stereotypes both with sensitivity and in ways its child audience can understand.
All of this and more manages to fit into two seasons of nine 20-minute episodes with much more still to come. It fuses a unique art style with a phenomenal score by Frederik Wiedmann and spectacular action sequences that give its biggest moments their weight. It is a show about growing up, tragedy, ends justifying means, and above all, sacrifice. It is full of complex stakes and nuance, but also humor and heart between characters with fully formed personalities. It is not afraid to have its characters be wrong and reap the consequences of their decisions to fuel their growth.
Much remains to be revealed as to where the story will go after its latest earth-shattering development, and the writers have indicated some surprises are in store. The Dragon Prince’s second season just released on Netflix and its fan base is active, but it still seems to be lacking the social status it deserves. Maybe Netflix doesn’t market it as strongly as it markets its other original content. Or maybe the fantasy well has run dry and public interest lies predominately elsewhere. Whatever the reason, The Dragon Prince is currently one of Netflix TV’s best hidden gems, and hopefully has a full future in front of it.
