This last episode, though pretty good, really didn't have enough stuff in it to make me want to handle it the same way I handled the posts for The Night and The Fury. Believe it or not, I didn't really feel like there was all that much in this episode that was notable. It was enjoyable, it had some good action scenes, but the themes felt a little repeated, and we didn't get any great character moments. Pretty much this last episode was a nonstop Whispering Death battle. Fun enough to watch, but not exactly thought (or post) provoking. I think I'll cover most of what the stuck out to me in this episode in this post.
First off, FINALLY! We get to see a titan wing dragon! I was pretty excited to hear Fishlegs actually categorize it as such. We've known that titan wings exist ever since the Book of Dragons short, but we've never seen one, and I honestly wondered whether we ever would. Thankfully, now we have. Apparently the Screaming Death is an albino, titan-wing Whispering Death. It is clearly mutated (being albino and much, much larger), but it is still a Whispering Death, and I think that was pretty cool.
I think what I may have appreciated more than finally seeing a titan-wing was the throw back to the film in that dragons are disoriented by noise. That played a role in the main movie. An entire Dragon Training class was used to show that dragons can be confused by noise, so I am happy to see that factor play back into plots. I did like how Toothless was able to focus enough to aim and shoot even when the Screaming Death was roaring. That felt nice to see Toothless overcoming a weakness that crippled most of the other dragons. Typical Toothless!
We also had the Screaming Death down Hiccup and Toothless... twice! I think once would have been plenty, but it did show us that Hiccup and Toothless, though by far the best rider and dragon, are not invincible. I like that about them... they are heroes, but they are not super heroes. They still have weaknesses, and, quite frankly, a single well place arrow could kill either of them. It gives them a much stronger feeling of realism, unlike, say, Kung Fu Panda where by the end Po pretty much feels invincible. Hiccup and Toothless live in a harsh, violent world, and they must constantly be looking out for each other because both of them know that they are vulnerable.
And a good strategy is a good strategy! Hiccup and Toothless don't have to go and mess around with new fangled tactics. Using a dragon's size against it worked with the Red Death, it worked with the Typhoomerang, and now it worked with a titan-wing, albino Whispering Death. These big dragons have a bad, bad habit of getting angry, cocky, and single-minded. They chase after Toothless, a Night Fury of all dragons, and they expect to outfly him!? Good luck with that. I do like to see patterns and throw backs in the series, and the Screaming Death was definitely a throw back to the Red Death in more than one way. Interesting episode, but again... it was pretty much just a non stop dragon battle, and I would have liked a bit more character and a bit less senseless villainy. Nuanced bad guys (like Dagur or even Toothless's rival Whispering Death) are far more interesting, realistic, and intimidating than even the Screaming Death. Well, at least in my opinion!
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