r/TheDragonPrince • u/MrBKainXTR Soren • Nov 22 '19

Discussion The Dragon Prince : S3E9 - Discussion Thread

Season 3 Episode 9

No spoilers for episodes beyond the relevant discussion thread!

Previous| Hub | Next (full season discussion)

Watch The Dragon Prince on Netflix

264 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

1.1k comments sorted by

View all comments

355

u/Xneose Nov 22 '19

Anyone else think that Rayla’s parents aren’t dead, but turned into coins? He jingled his bag of coins which had the assassin in it and we never actually saw her parents die. This, along with the flower in the pond being only half sunk, might mean a case of “mostly dead is still somewhat alive”

244

u/Pandapartypc Nov 22 '19

I definitely saw him saying he had a "Collection" as a clear hint that her parents are alive

24

u/BloatedBaryonyx Nov 27 '19

It makes sense with his character; since he can only draw power from a living being, it makes sense to trap them instead of killing them. When else is he going to get the opportunity to harvest all the magic of a whole moon elf?

8

u/InstitutionalizedOat Nov 22 '19

But that wouldn’t make sense, would it? I thought they knew her parents were alive because their flowers didn’t sink. Runaan’s did and he’s trapped in a coin.

81

u/Hamntor Hay is the best Nov 22 '19

They didn't have their own flowers, they were acting as guards, not assassins.

18

u/Wolf6120 Am I your little bug pal? Nov 23 '19

They might not even have flowers at all, right? They said the flowers are only for assassins who have to head outside of Xadia for missions, as a way for the other elves to keep track of them.

6

u/InstitutionalizedOat Nov 22 '19

Yeah, I realize that now. Got a bit mixed up because Rayla was drawing parallels to her flower and how her parents ran away. I’m just unsure how she and all the other elves assumed her parents were alive otherwise.

29

u/desover Nov 22 '19

They were sworn to defend the dragons but no bodies were found so the assumption is that they fled like the other elves.

2

u/InstitutionalizedOat Nov 22 '19

But elves can apparently just be turned to dust with magic. Or humans could have taken their bodies since they’re magical.

8

u/desover Nov 22 '19

Honestly I don't remember if we've seen an elf be used for dark magic but typically the bodies are still left behind after the dark magic is cast. If the dust you're talking about was the sun queen I don't think that was her being used in a spell, just killed. I think it's just a simpler conclusion to come to. No bodies were found, other elves fled so they likely fled.

3

u/InstitutionalizedOat Nov 22 '19

Yeah, I meant like the sun queen. If that’s possible to do to elves, why are they still assumed alive? Especially if they found the other deserters and her parents weren’t with them.

5

u/desover Nov 22 '19

We've seen it happen once and elves seem to be constantly surprised by what dark magic can do. I don't think it's natural to assume that they were vaporized. And I doubt the deserters would all just be hanging out. The one we saw fleeing could fly so they definitely wouldn't have been traveling together.

→ More replies (0)

2

u/Karl666Smith Nov 22 '19

Then why did xadians thought that the egg was destroyed?

6

u/desover Nov 22 '19

An egg can't run away so it was definitely taken by the humans. No ultimatum was received by the elves and dragons for the prince to be returned. The egg was taken and hidden not shown to the public. Natural assumption would be it was destroyed.

5

u/PlusUltraK Nov 24 '19

Especially after you arrive and see the Deagon King shatter and petrified

3

u/sohaibmm7 Nov 23 '19

To be fair, Other elves also escaped and if Xadia knows about even one elf that escaped, and they confess "yea WE ran from the dark mage strong enough to kill our king", it's a safe assumption that anyone who is missing might just be hiding out of fear or shame. So you may as well Ghost them. if they died, then oh well. if they didn't, then I guess they would want to make sure they were punished.

2

u/InstitutionalizedOat Nov 23 '19

Oh well? What about all the shame their daughter feels and how she can’t move on from it? If they are dead, she would need closure for that, too. It seems really disrespectful to just assume when they were never seen from again.

3

u/sohaibmm7 Nov 24 '19

When the Dragon King was killed, it left a body. A stone body. So as far as their perception of dark magic is concerned, this mage turns his victims to stone. No elven statues found at the scene? Other elves they KNOW ran away? It all fits.

As for disrespect, they did the same to Rayla didn't they, so yeah you could say the Moonshadow elves are way too quick to jump the gun. They saw one was alive and rather than assume that she had been captured, they figured betrayal. We don't know enough of their society, so I guess they are the type to judge harshly, Even one of the people who raised her (Runaan's husband whose name slipped my mind) Ghosted her as opposed to wait for her. Sure, he talked to her AFTER but he still participated like the rest. Safe to say, that these guys aren't the "innocent until proven guilty" types.

2

u/PlusUltraK Nov 24 '19

No dead bodies were found, so the only explanation after that is they turned tail and ran shortly after everyone else. And assumed their actions were the same as the fleeing dragon guard

28

u/Pandapartypc Nov 22 '19

What i saw was that Runaan's flower had only half sunk, and when Viren says he has a collection of moonshadow elves that implies more than just runaan. But other than rayla's parents what other moonshadow elves would he have had the chance to encounter?

14

u/bismuth12a Human Rayla Nov 23 '19

Plus it adds a more personal dimension to Viren showing Runaan his collection. Runaan recognized Rayla's parents and that's what really horrified him.

4

u/InstitutionalizedOat Nov 22 '19

I don’t disagree that they’re hinting at it. But it wouldn’t make sense. The moonshadow elves think Runaan is dead but not Rayla’s parents.

23

u/mr_arm Nov 22 '19

I’m fairly certain only the assassin squad got the floaty flower gems, as a way of knowing of they lived while they were far away on a dangerous mission in human lands. Rayla’s parents were dragonguard, not assassins, so no flowers for them. So I think Viren’s bag of coins includes Rayla’s parents, and Runaan; the other assassins were killed.

(I also like to think that the King is in one of those coins too, and that despite Viren’s evil tendencies and ruthlessness, he couldn’t outright kill his best friend)

3

u/Simonaro Earth Nov 23 '19

I don't think Harrow is in a coin.

​

The assassins wrist bindings and the floating flowers are probably the same or similar spells. Why would Rayla's binding for Harrow fall off, while Runaan's flower still glows?

5

u/teacuplion8 Nov 23 '19

a part of me was still hoping Harrow is the pet parrot that escaped

1

u/swismiself Nov 25 '19

That's the current hypothesis at my house

2

u/InstitutionalizedOat Nov 22 '19

Yeah, I guess I missed the “assassin” part and just assumed it was all moonshadow elves sent on important missions. I still think it’s a bit shaky that Rayla and the other elves were so sure her parents were alive and ran away when it could just as easily been that they were killed and either their bodies were collected or they turned to dust like Janai’s sister.

14

u/mr_arm Nov 22 '19

I think “coining” a person does away with their physical body somehow; we never see Runaan’s corpse (or the King’s corpse, for that matter).

And Viren was on some next-level dark magic shit when he dusted the sunfire queen; I doubt “oh they were prob just turned to ash by that dark mage” was a common assumption in Xadia

3

u/bismuth12a Human Rayla Nov 23 '19

We see Runaan's cell repeatedly in season 2. There was no body. It was empty but for the mirror, chair, and Viren's other crap.

2

u/InstitutionalizedOat Nov 22 '19

I would agree with you on that if it weren’t for the fact that they’d just killed the king of dragons so obviously it was a very powerful mage.

2

u/mr_arm Nov 22 '19

Fair point

1

u/swismiself Nov 25 '19

All the other assassin s?

1

u/BootstrapsRiley Dec 02 '19

3 is a small collection of coins, but a large collection of people

1

u/Jonagoldzz Nov 22 '19

It could also have been Runaan's flower that didn't sink

4

u/InstitutionalizedOat Nov 22 '19

The one on the surface is Rayla’s flower. The one that is below the surface of the water but still glowing is Runaan’s

78

u/IStoneI42 Sun Nov 22 '19 edited Nov 22 '19

maybe theyre dead now. i wonder what claudia sacrificed to revive viren.

it must have at least been a human life.

76

u/1banana6bananaz Nov 22 '19

It’s not what but who. Watch the background behind her.

52

u/[deleted] Nov 22 '19 edited Feb 07 '20

[deleted]

19

u/TL10 Nov 24 '19

Oh.

Yikes.

5

u/utred-77 Nov 24 '19

I am very much so, disturbed.

But I'm loving it.

3

u/Chanze3 Nov 28 '19

any idea whose boots those could be

2

u/NikkitheChocoholic Nov 27 '19

I did not catch that before you mentioned it...

17

u/TheDisfavored Callum Nov 22 '19

Jesus dude don't ruin my heart like that.

I never considered that option.

Hopefully she doesn't know.

31

u/SlamminSammy50 Sky Nov 22 '19

If you check the background of the final scene, when Claudia moves to be closer to Viren..... You’ll see the cost it took to bring him back.

6

u/TheDisfavored Callum Nov 22 '19

I checked it over but didn't see anything except the staff.

What am I missing?

16

u/SlamminSammy50 Sky Nov 22 '19

When she moves, look what was behind her, and turn the brightness up to help you see.

17

u/InstitutionalizedOat Nov 22 '19

Oh my god that’s actually really unsettling.

3

u/VirenXEdge Viren Nov 22 '19

what was the cost?

32

u/InstitutionalizedOat Nov 22 '19

There’s a boot poking out from behind the rock when Claudia moves

43

u/theo3333 Nov 23 '19

That bitch sacrificed a perfectly good pair of boots!

→ More replies (0)

8

u/bismuth12a Human Rayla Nov 23 '19

Just one? I was picturing it taking at least a couple people

→ More replies (0)

9

u/JustSomeMartian Nov 22 '19

It's a foot that's what!

5

u/TheDarkWolfGirl Moon Nov 22 '19

"Whose foot was that!?!"

"I don't know!"

10

u/Alexnader- Nov 23 '19

Hooooly shiiit dude you've got good eyes. Claudia's gone pretty far towards evil

31

u/primalfox_Reynardo Nov 22 '19

Well he did say ‘reward’ in a dark way. So I definitely think he turned them into coins. He is probably gonna pacify Rayla when they throw down again by holding the safety of the coins over her head. And Callum probably doesn’t want to hurt his future parents in law.

2

u/KakoiKagakusha Nov 25 '19

Also, if Viren had killed Rayla's parents there, some evidence would have been left behind such that the "they ran away" assumption never would have been possible.

3

u/primalfox_Reynardo Nov 25 '19

Yea I think the ‘run away’ idea was only assumed because the other elves ran too. Like that pansy ass sky wing elf

1

u/Intelligent-donkey Mutinous seagulls!! Nov 26 '19

For now he has no way of knowing that they were Rayla's parents, but yeah it's definitely going to become relevant at some point and I'm sure Viren will find a way to use them as leverage.

23

u/T_F_Bredera Nov 22 '19

i just thought he meant the elves from season 1 episode 1. but man Raylas parents can also be in that collection *mind blown*

40

u/IStoneI42 Sun Nov 22 '19 edited Nov 22 '19

that part is pretty obvious. theyre coins, if claudia didnt just burn them up to revive her father.

i fear even destroying a single coin wouldnt have counted as a full human life, and enough power to bring him back. she might have used up all of them. they didnt show anything else around that would give her enough power.

correction. she could have probably burnt up the caterpillar, but obviously didnt.

13

u/niNja_ma Nov 22 '19

I don't think she's off the deep end yet, getting close to it though. She's in Xadia, she probably just sacrificed some woodland creatures.

32

u/IStoneI42 Sun Nov 22 '19 edited Nov 22 '19

i dont think bringing a person back to life is done with some woodland critters.

dark magic so far has shown to require a sacrifice of equal measure depending on the spell youre trying to perform, and in most tropes its one of the things that even magic shouldnt be able to do.

bringing a person back to life has to require much much more. probably a human life or a live dragon. her character development this season sets a pretty clear direction, that shes indeed off the deep end.

from her perspective her brother leaving her, and breaking up their family even more, kindof sealed it.

17

u/1banana6bananaz Nov 22 '19

I feel like you’re right look on the ground behind her.

9

u/AlternateRisk Nov 23 '19

dark magic so far has shown to require a sacrifice of equal measure

Or to put it in another way:

Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange.

7

u/mcpain9 Nov 22 '19

Just in case you didn’t see all the other comments look on the ground behind Claudia in that scene. I definitely think they are building her up to be a bigger villain than Viren. He didn’t even seem to think necromancy was possible.

I think Aaravos will come back by taking over the body of his “vessel” Viren and Claudia will be so far gone by then she will just go along with him for powers sake.

4

u/Jahoan Nov 23 '19

Claudia is the Azula to Soren's Zuko, in almost every way.

6

u/Jannaeus Nov 23 '19

Azula wanted love, but was a monster.

Claudia wants love, and is being made into a monster.

It's so heartbreaking.

1

u/mcpain9 Nov 23 '19

For sure. I’m definitely looking forward to her breaking point like Azulas fight with Katara and Zuko. I rarely get to talk about this stuff so what do you think about them making a live action avatar? I just don’t think they can capture the feel of the show but I’m excited to see more.

2

u/Grafical_One Dec 08 '19

Old comment, but I seriously doubt they can recapture the charm in live action. I would rather an entirely new plot/characters if live action was a must. Preferably a few hundred or so years ago.

1

u/mcpain9 Dec 08 '19

Yeah I totally agree but from what I’ve read it is basically going to be retelling of Aang’s story. I don’t have high hopes.

2

u/IStoneI42 Sun Nov 23 '19

i think when he said "vessel", he meant the caterpillar and not viren. though it was ambiguous enough for either to be the case.

2

u/Wolf6120 Am I your little bug pal? Nov 23 '19

He only put one elf - Runaan - in the coins from Season 1, the rest of the assassination squad just got killed during the attempt on Harrow's life. But he already had coins in the bag when he turned Runaan into one, and I doubt he keeps his regular money with his "trapped elves" money. Plus it wouldn't be much of a collection if he only had one thus far.

1

u/Stormfly Thanks, man. Hay is the best. Nov 24 '19

Also, somebody else pointed out that it really explains his horror if he sees Rayla's parents.

It's not just "I'm going to be a coin", it's "Rayla's parents might not have abandoned their duty, and they might be still alive, but I won't be able to tell her, but also my friends are trapped in some sort of stasis hell"

2

u/Robohawk314 Star Nov 22 '19

As soon as I saw Runaan's flower floating midway down the pool, this was basically confirmed in my mind.

1

u/Skeletickles Nov 22 '19

Glad I'm not the only one who thought so. I had a feeling Viren turned them into coins when they turned away from the fight instead of showing us what happened.

1

u/CalamackW Human Rayla Nov 22 '19

I'm almost 100% certain of it. It would explain why Rayla's parents were thought to have fled because they were never found alive or dead.

1

u/TheNightAngel Nov 23 '19

Why would the other elves think they had fled? Because there were no bodies!!!

1

u/TL10 Nov 24 '19

I hope that this isn't the writers trying to cop out and overtly suggest they're dead a la Jet in TLA.

If so, they should just own it and definitively tell us they're dead instead of leading us on. If they feel confident in showing two different same gendered couples showing public displays of affection (which would never have happened in a cartoon during my childhood days), it shouldn't be too much to ask to give some sort of sign they're dead instead of beating the bush.

1

u/matthieuC Human Rayla Nov 24 '19

They guy has her parents and her adopted father in his purse.

1

u/Tift Nov 25 '19

yeah i've thought this too.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 28 '19

Also the Blacksmiths husband was turned into a coin and his lily in the pond is half sunk. I think they’re all coins.

1

u/falconfetus8 Dec 01 '19

Oh, he absolutely coined them. He said he would "repay" them, and was vague about their fate.

1

u/sax87ton Dec 08 '19

100% accurate