Season 6, Episode 3 of the Netflix series The Dragon Prince, titled “The Frozen Ship,” is directed by George Samilski and penned by the show creators, Aaron Ehasz and Justin Richmond. This episode is essentially a homage to Rayllum (Callum & Rayla) shippers, as well as those who support the relationship between Terry (Benjamin Callins) and Claudia (Racquel Belmonte). In other words, the focus of this episode is on the romantic relationships between these two pairs of protagonists, highlighting how frozen and rocky they still are—hence the title “The Frozen Ship.”

The Ray of Illumination

Callum (Jack DeSena) and Rayla (Paula Burrows) arrive in the north at The Frozen Sea. However, they must leave behind their Shadowpaw mount, which heads back home to the Silvergrove, to Ethari. The two continue on foot to the Starscraper, where they discover a shipwreck frozen in ice. Rayla enters the ship to scout for supplies while Callum records their current adventure in his journal.

The ship’s name, the Ray of Illumination, serves as an allegory for Rayllum, symbolizing how frozen the romantic relationship between Callum and Rayla has become. Callum’s description of the literal and unknowingly romantic ship is telling: “It’s sad that this ship is stuck. I mean, look at it. This ship is going nowhere. Think about when this ship first became a thing, people were so excited about this ship. It was probably some people’s favorite ship. They probably dreamed and imagined this ship would go to amazing places. Exactly. It’s not moving at all. The frozen ship. So sad.”

How sad indeed. This quote was likely crafted by the show’s creators and writers as an apology to The Dragon Prince fans for how poorly the romantic relationship between Callum and Rayla was handled in Seasons 4 and 5. If the relationship had been well-written, this episode might not have been necessary. It’s a strange world we live in. Although Through The Moon was an excellent comic book that depicts events between Seasons 3 and 4, Rayla leaving Callum might have been too significant a moment to confine to a comic, given that many show-only viewers might not have read it. Alternatively, these events should have been mentioned in Season 4 to give the audience context on why their love became frozen in time, only to gradually warm up again from Season 4 to this season.

The Diary of Captain Esmerelda Skall

As Rayla scouts the ship, she discovers a diary belonging to the Ray of Illumination’s long-deceased human captain, Captain Esmerelda Skall. The final journal entries detail Skall’s last days as she freezes to death in her frozen ship at The Frozen Sea. These entries are both chilling and disturbing. Skall’s final thoughts reveal that her deepest desire was not for treasures, adventures, glory, or even duty—but for the love of her dear Conrad. She expresses regret for pursuing adventure, duty, and glory over staying behind to spend her days with Conrad. However, it’s too late, and Skall is left alone, dying with no hope of returning or amending her mistake. These entries sadden Rayla, likely because they make her realize how her own desire to find her parents and end Viren separated her from her true love, Callum, for two years.

Callum hears Rayla crying and enters the ship, initially frustrated that Rayla has been reading instead of continuing their journey, which wasted some of their time. Despite this, they decide to spend the night on the frozen ship before resuming their journey to the Starscraper.

Fate of the Startouch Elves?

Callum paraphrases an intriguing poem he once heard and read regarding the stars: “They say the stars outlast us all. Eternal sentinels on high. But I have sought their silver hearts. And wonder if, perhaps, they die. Perhaps they gasp the cold of dawn. A final breath of living night. Then newborn sparks born of the dark. Breathe in the dusk. And breathe out light.”

This could foreshadow the fate of the Startouch Elves, as Aaravos, who refers to himself as the Startouch Elves’ dark brother, seeks their downfall. In other words, it could suggest that in Season 7 (Book 7: Dark), Aaravos might succeed in bringing about the demise of the Startouch Elves, signaling the end of an era and the beginning of something entirely new and potentially darker. The imagery of stars dying and being reborn as new sparks aligns with the theme of destruction leading to transformation, which Aaravos might be orchestrating to reshape the world according to his vision.

Back to the scene: it turns out that the poem was written by Callum’s biological father, Damien, who was a writer and poet. Despite living with a terrible breathing illness his whole life, Damien endured, appreciating every breath and moment before his death. Callum’s mother, Queen Sarai, said that he was the strongest person she ever knew—perhaps even stronger than King Harrow. It is sad that there is not a single scene with Damien yet. 

Callum + Rayla = Rayllum

Another Rayllum moment occurs when Stella and Sneezles, Callum and Rayla’s small animal companions, seemingly represent the Rayllum fans. They prompt the two “frozen” lovebirds to embrace each other in their sleep, which shocks them as they find themselves almost together in an intimate setting. However, this moment is interrupted when Callum admits to Rayla that he used dark magic to free himself and save her from the now deceased evil Tidebound Elf Pirate, Captain Finnegrin, in Season 5.

Rayla is upset, as dark magic is a horrifying taboo, no matter the circumstance. The argument leads to their lamp breaking, which starts a fire that begins to burn down the frozen ship. Callum and Rayla, along with Stella and Sneezles, manage to escape, but they are forced to continue their journey with barely any sleep. The ship burns down and sinks. Is this a bad omen for Rayllum? Who knows. This situation worsens when Callum makes Rayla promise to kill him if Aaravos ever tries to possess or corrupt him again. Callum’s request, first made in Season 4, is terrifying, and it’s possible that it might come to pass in the final season—but perhaps not in the way we expect.

Terry + Claudia = Terridia

A dirty and tired Claudia returns to Terry, who has been crafting a magical wooden leg prosthetic for her. It turns out that leaving Terry and heading out alone in the wilderness with only one leg was a bad idea. However, this shows that Claudia doesn’t want to be alone, and that her previous behavior was due to being momentarily corrupted by dark magic, making her vulnerable to her dark impulses.

Terry helps clean Claudia, cuts her long hair, and attaches the magical wooden prosthetic to her leg stump. Claudia, now refreshed and relieved with her new leg, realizes that she loves Terry even more and that she needs him more than she needs her own family and dark magic at this point. The scene ends with the two embracing their romantic relationship.

Ezran Confronts Viren

The episode concludes with Viren (Jason Simpson) returning to Katolis, where he is confronted by Ezran (Sasha Rojen) and Opeli (Paula Burrows). Viren wants to turn himself in for the crimes he committed in Seasons 1-3, as well as for being an accomplice in the attempt to free Aaravos in Seasons 4-5. Ezran asks if Viren seeks forgiveness. Viren says he does not. The King of Katolis then coldly and rightly tells the former dark mage that he does not deserve forgiveness because of the crimes he committed. Viren’s biggest crime is mass murder, as his actions led to the deaths of many innocents—humans and elves alike: fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, and friends. All of them were killed, harmed, hurt, or probably orphaned due to Viren’s actions. Viren is then taken away by Katolis’ guards to be imprisoned forever.

Rating: 9/10