Season 7, Episode 1, titled “Death Alive,” directed by George Samilski and written by Aaron Ehasz and Justin Richmond, continues the Netflix series The Dragon Prince. This episode picks up from the events of Book 6: Stars, focusing on the release of Aaravos from his imprisonment and the aftermath of Katolis’s destruction.
The central theme of this episode revolves around loss, as seen through Aaravos, Claudia, Ezran, and Runaan. Aaravos and Claudia’s losses—Leola and Viren, respectively—have driven them down paths of darkness and destruction. Ezran grapples with the devastation of Katolis and the reappearance of Runaan, his father’s assassin, which serves as the last straw. Ezran feels he has failed to protect his kingdom from Sol Regem, and seeing Runaan only deepens his pain. Meanwhile, Runaan resurrected, desires to reunite with his husband Ethari to fill the void left by years of conflict. However, he must confront his past with Ezran first. These intertwined stories of loss and longing make this episode particularly heart-wrenching to watch.
Aaravos Tempts Claudia
Aaravos (Erik Dellums) declares his plan to Claudia (Racquel Belmonte) and Terry (Benjamin Callins): to break the barrier between the mortal plane and the In-Between—a realm where souls who died with great trauma and unfinished business reside. Claudia is tempted, believing her father, Viren, may be in the In-Between. As a result, she re-aligns with Aaravos, dragging Terry along.
Aaravos explains that while creating a portal to the In-Between is straightforward, extracting a lost spirit like Viren requires a rare moon primal stone. To create one, they must obtain an exceedingly rare ingredient found only in the Garden of Innocents, a realm once inhabited by unicorns. Claudia recalls visiting the Garden as a child, detailed in The Dragon Prince: The Puzzle House graphic novel. Their next destination is the Puzzle House, where the map to the Garden is kept.
To divert attention from the Archdragons, whose teeth can destroy his mortal vessel, Aaravos shapeshifts into a small island to hide his real body while controlling an illusionary human dark mage from a distance. Before doing so, Aaravos briefly disguises himself as elves from various races. His human form resembles a younger, male version of the Evil Queen’s old hag disguise in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Katolis in Ruins
At the Moon Nexus, Lujanne (Ellie King) and Rayla (Paula Burrows) help Runaan (Jonathan Holmes) recover from his resurrection, while Callum (Jack DeSena) returns to Katolis. Callum finds his home in ruins and reunites with Ezran (Sasha Rojen), Soren (Jesse Inocalla), Azymondias, Queen Aanya (Zelda Ehasz) of Durin, and Corvus (Omari Newton). Team Zym tracks Sol Regem to the Valley of Graves, where they find the former Archdragon of the Sun’s corpse.
Callum and Corvus encounter a dark mage, secretly Aaravos in disguise, who attempts to poison Callum with an apple but fails. Aaravos retreats to rejoin his group. Callum and Corvus return to Team Zym, who begin planning their relocation to the Banther Lodge. Rayla arrives with Runaan, whose presence infuriates Ezran, as he still hasn’t forgiven the Moonshadow elf for his father’s death. In an emotional moment, Ezran orders Soren to arrest Runaan, leaving everyone else confused.
Astrid Leaves the Celestial Elves
At the Star Scraper, Kosmo (Ethan Farrell) shares his vision of Aaravos’s return and his intent to bridge the realms of the living and the dead. The Elder (Mark Gibbon) and Kosmo refuse to act, adhering to their duties as Celestial Elves to observe but not interfere. This inaction stems from their belief that the Startouch Elves granted them Star magic to remain neutral.
However, Astrid (Boone Williams) defies their rules and leaves to warn Team Zym. She removes her blindfold, seeing sunlight for the first time. Among Celestial Elves, removing one’s blindfold to see any light other than starlight is taboo, leading to Astrid’s expulsion. Despite this, Kosmo provides her with insights into Aaravos’s plans for the future.