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The Dragon Prince Season 5 Review

The fifth season of The Dragon Prince premiered on Netflix in 2023. It was an improvement over the previous season.

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“All the action you can handle, at the library!“

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The fourth season of this show started the Mystery of Aaravos arc, but because this arc is going to have three or possibly even four seasons, the end result was a season that was too slow and filled with filler material. The fifth season has its dragged moments as well, but at least it was a more engaging season of television with heightened stakes and a powerful finale.

Season 5 truly did end on a high note. The ambiguous ending definitely made me excited for more and I do hope that they deliver on that promise. Viren continues to be my favorite of all Dragon Prince characters. His dilemma poised in the finale was fantastic and it was hilariously disturbing how they’ve given him a baby that he somehow had with Aaravos. This season showed a lot of humanity from his character through those dream scenes that were effective albeit overly on the nose with its highly unsubtle dialogue.

Aaravos is still very much a mystery and it has become quite frustrating waiting for his arrival for so many seasons now. The show’s glacial pacing is especially problematic when you consider its nine-episode count, which was too small for each season. The series always starts and ends up strong with each new installment, but the middle batches drag quite a bit.

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Rayla and Callum were once again sidelined and it was frustrating to witness the creators abandoning these main characters once again. Ezran is also forgettable here, but the critters continue to shine with the highlight once again being the hilarious and adorable Bait. The dragon queen was also very memorable and so well voiced.

Soren and Claudia were the standouts of the season. Soren’s humor is still quite cringe-worthy to me, but there is so much anguish and dignity inside his personality that was compelling to explore. His turn to the good side is one of the best things that happened to his character. As for Claudia, she has by now become a full villain and the finale that saw her in octopus form was phenomenal and thrilling. I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next with her.

So yes, this season was pretty much setup for an explosive next season, but at least they set it up well and in an intriguing fashion. The animation has improved by now and the score is lovely. The dialogue and humor are a huge mixed bag, but the characterization is wonderful and the adventurous elements excellent. The whole pirate subplot, though a detour, was actually so well done and very entertaining.

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