Wonderstorm’s Netflix series The Dragon Prince, Season 5 Episode 1, called “Domina Profundis,” continues the primary mission of Team Zym: Moonshadow Assassin Rayla (Paula Burrows), High Mage Callum of Katolis (Jack DeSena), King Ezran of Katolis (Sasha Rojen), Dragon Prince Azymondias, Crownsguard Soren of Katolis (Jesse Inocalla), and magical creatures companions glow toad Bait and cuddlemonkey Stella. The primary mission is to stop the release of Archmage Aaravos (Erik Dellums), a powerful Startouch Elf, from his secret prison. Aaravos is dangerous because he is directly responsible for many conflicts between humans, elves, and dragons before his imprisonment during the Era of Avizandum, thanks to his acute manipulation skills and powerful use of the Arcanum (Magic). His manipulation skills helped him ally with Dark Mage Viren (Jason Simpson) and Dark Mage Claudia (Racquel Belmonte). The two dark mages also get assistance and aid from Claudia’s boyfriend, Earthblood Elf Terry (Benjamin Callins), and Aaravos’ creation, Sir Sparklepuff. Claudia is trying to free Aaravos so the latter can save her dying father from death. In other words, Claudia’s fear of losing her father drives her to free Aaravos in exchange for her father’s salvation.
The episode begins with Ezran, Azymondias, Dragon Queen and Archdragon of the Sky Zubeia (Nicole Oliver), Soren, and Corvus (Omari Newton) summoning Archdragon of the Ocean Domina Profundis (Jennifer Hale) with the Siren Stone. Domina Profundis answers the summon but is initially furious and annoyed by the summoning. Before talking with Ezran, Domina arrogantly hits Ezran, Soren, and Corvus with a light sea wave and asks her friend Zubeia who Ezran is. Angered at the disrespectful behavior Domina had toward Ezran, Zubeia tells Domina that Ezran is a king. Domina acknowledges her friend’s reply and begins treating Ezran with more respect and courtesy. Ezran tells her how Aaravos will be freed by Dark Mages and they need Domina’s help for information on Aaravos’ prison. Domina tells Ezran that she does not know where the prison is but knows its true nature.
In Katolis, Rayla struggles with the knowledge that her parents and her mentor Runaan’s souls are trapped in three separate coins by Viren in the past. She has the coins but wants to know how to release them from their coin imprisonment. With the knowledge that Viren was the one who imprisoned her parents, Rayla, with Stella’s help, breaks into Viren’s former dark laboratory and attempts to find out how she can release her parents. Instead, she discovers a coin with a trapped Kpp’ar and Runaan’s bow. The sight of Runaan’s bow made Rayla deeply shocked and sad. Holding the bow, Rayla vows she will find a way to free Runaan and her parents but will first prioritize saving the world from Aaravos and his possible release back into Xadia. She leaves the laboratory only to be captured by High Council Cleric Opeli of Katolis (Paula Burrows) and several Katolian guards. Despite her capture, Callum later helps release her from captivity and continues their mission to stop Aaravos.
With Rayla’s advice, Callum attempts to learn more about Aaravos and how to kill him if the Archmage is freed from his prison. However, he has difficulty finding knowledge about Aaravos because every book and text on the Startouch Elf becomes shrouded in darkness when he attempts to read them. An example is a text, written in Danish, by the human author, explaining how Aaravos would help humanity be equal to elves and dragons in strength and power. Since he cannot find any information on Aaravos, he asks Rayla for another piece of advice and she advises him to find texts on The First Elves, an ancient legendary term for the Startouch Elves. Since Aaravos is a Startouch Elf, it is plausible to find information on how to hurt or kill a Startouch Elf.
Hours later, Callum tells Rayla that the information on the First Elves is located in the Scrolls of the First Elves. Rayla responds by saying that the scrolls are located in the Great Bookery of Lux Aurea. With the information at hand, Callum and Rayla plan to head to Lux Aurea to get the Scrolls of the First Elves.
Somewhere in the Drakewood Forest, Claudia and Terry tend to Viren who is in a coma after using Dark Magic for the first time since his resurrection. Viren’s situation frustrates his daughter Claudia as she is desperate to reach the Sea of the Castout, the location of Aaravos’ prison, to have the Startouch Elf save her father from dying. Due to Claudia’s stress and anxiety, Terry helps her calm her anxiety by giving her several fun plants to smell and play with along with a giant adora-purr to hug and be comforted with.
In Lux Aurea, Sunfire Queen Janai (Rena Anakwe) banishes her brother Sunfire Prince Karim (Luc Roderique) for starting a coup d’é· tat against her. Karim originally wanted to overthrow his older sister from the position of Queen of the Sunfire Elves because he believes her sister is abandoning Sunfire culture and traditions in favor of peaceful coexistence between humans and elves. Following the failed coup, Karim is banished with nothing but a bottle of water to drink in his exile.
Rayla and Stella in Viren’s Dark Laboratory
In Season 5 of The Dragon Prince, the first episode had a good opening with a lot of mystery and tension. The first episode introduced Rayla going through her grief of losing her parents and her mentor Runaan when Viren trapped them in three separate coins. In addition, the story added mystery to how powerful Aaravos is considering how Callum had difficulty in finding information on what can hurt or kill Aaravos. Therefore, both characters head out to find the information in the Great Bookery of Lux Aurea’s Scrolls of the First Elves.
The episode is also when Archdragon of Ocean Domina Profundis is introduced. Before the beginning of the first scene, the short story The Dragon Prince: Reflections “Deep Below” explores Ezran looking for the Siren Stone, a blue crystal-like stone used to summon Domina Profundis if one needs an important audience with her. During the search, Ezran found a broken Shadowhawk, a bird-shaped arrow that transforms into smoky, illuminated hawks when enchanted and fired. It was the same Shadowhawk Runaan used after assassinating King Harrow, Ezran’s father, and Callum’s stepfather. Ezran was distraught by seeing the Shadowhawk but did not allow his past pain of losing his father to stop his mission to deter Aaravos’ release.
The short story also added background information about Domina Profundis. She was Zubeia’s greatest friend until the tragedy of Domina losing her closest leviathan friend, the Empress of the Deep. The Empress of the Deep was killed by greedy humans and elves, angering Domina. Domina destroys the human and elvish fleet that killed the Empress and proclaimed that the sea will be her domain and that she will only leave the depths of the sea if Zubeia calls her with the Siren Stone. The event affected Zubeia as she did not want her closest friend to estrange herself from everyone else to commit herself to her duty as protector of the ocean and its depths.
Rating: 9/10