Wonderstorm’s Netflix series The Dragon Prince, Season 5 Episode 3, called “Nightmares and Revelations,” continues the primary mission of Team Zym to stop Claudia (Racquel Belmonte), Terry (Benjamin Callins), and Viren (Jason Simpson) from releasing Archmage Aaravos (Erik Dellums), a powerful Startouch Elf, from his secret prison. The episode begins with Ezran (Sasha Rojen) and Zubeia (Nicole Oliver) summoning and requesting most of the dragons of Xadia find Viren and Claudia before they reach Aaravos’ prison. The dragons accepted the request and began their search for the two dark mages.
At the Sunfire Elf camp, Sunfire Queen Janai (Rena Anakwe) dreams of her sister, former Sunfire Queen Khessa, being murdered at the hand of Aaravos during the fall of Lux Aurea some years ago. However, Janai could not decipher what Aaravos told Khessa before he murdered her with an unknown sun spell. Sometime later, Callum (Jack DeSena), Rayla (Paula Burrows), Bait, and Stella arrive at the Sunfire camp to request to enter Lux Aurea’s Great Bookery to gather information on the Startouch Elves and how to kill one. Janai refuses the request because Lux Aurea is crawling with Dark Magic monstrosities, living beings infected and turned savage by Dark Magic. Janai would later change her mind after being convinced by Amaya after realizing the threat Aaravos poses to the world after constantly having nightmares of the Startouch Elf killing Khessa. Janai blesses Amaya, Callum, Rayla, Bait, and Stella, and the group begins their trip to Lux Aurea’s Great Bookery. In addition, Sunfire Elf scholar Kazi (Ashleica Edmond) joins the group because they know the Great Bookery and its contents well.
Former Sunfire Prince Karim (Luc Roderique) continues his exile in the desert but is followed by what seems to be a Sunfire assassin. However, the person following Karim was former Sunfire High Priest Pharos (Deven Mack). Pharos tells Karim that he wants to follow Karim as he disagrees with Janai’s rule and desires the fallen prince to lead the Sunfire Elves back into glory.
In the Drakewood Forest River, Claudia’s group continues their journey to the Sea of the Castout. During their travel, Viren his comatose dream journey. It begins with Viren using Dark Magic to save the young Soren from death. However, the spell Viren used to revive Soren twisted and corrupted his physical form, much to the young Soren’s horror. The following dream is Viren heading to an ocean covered in darkness and encountering a vision of Claudia becoming corrupted and twisted by Dark Magic physically, mentally, and spiritually. Claudia’s transformation in the dream horrifies Viren because he realizes his past actions transformed his innocent daughter into a twisted monster who would do anything to achieve her goals: “whatever it takes. However dangerous, however vile.” The episode ends with Viren meeting a reflection of his young, innocent self who tells his older self that he always had a choice to commit terrible acts for selfish reasons. Realizing his selfishness, pride, and ego had destroyed his life, Viren accepts that he was wrong to use Dark Magic and commit evil acts. Viren’s acceptance allows him to awake from his comatose state, though he enters a catatonic state.
The Two Virens (Light & Dark)
In Season 5 of The Dragon Prince, the third episode did show a lot of nightmares and revelations, as the episode’s title provided. Viren and Janai faced their nightmares. Viren’s comatose dream journey could be considered a nightmare of him fearing how his evil actions with Dark Magic destroyed his friends and family’s lives. For example, Claudia was an innocent girl and a good friend before she gradually became a manipulative and somewhat villainous Dark Mage under Viren’s wing. On the other hand, Janai had many nightmares of Aaravos killing her older sister Khessa. Janai believes her nightmares are warnings. In other words, Janai believes her dreams that Aaravos must be defeated or else the world will suffer in the long run.
The revelations are mostly the danger Aaravos pose to the world. If freed by the dark mages, Aaravos threatens all dragonkind and the Sunfire Elves, the most influential Xadian military, via Ezran’s warning. The thought that all of Xadia, including the dragons, must be warned of Aaravos’ attempt to escape from his prison is terrifying since it took the power and skills of all dragons, elves, and humans to imprison Aaravos centuries before the present day. Another revelation revealed in the episode is Viren’s acknowledgment that everything he did was wrong in the past and that he should’ve never used humanity and his family as justifications to hurt and destroy Xadia, resulting in many elves and humans dying and suffering: The Stealing of the Dragon Egg, King Harrow’s Death, Aaravos’ Return, The Death of Past Human Monarchs, The Fall of Lux Aurea, and the Battle of the Storm Spire.
Rating: 9/10