Season 7, Episode 6, titled “Inversion,” directed by George Samilski and written by Aaron Ehasz and Justin Richmond, continues the Netflix series The Dragon Prince. This episode focuses on Callum confronting his inner darkness and Team Zym’s efforts to prevent Aaravos and Claudia from inverting the Moon Nexus to release the dead into the mortal plane.

The central theme of this episode revolves around darkness. Darkness exists within us all as we face life’s challenges and witness the world’s cruelties. This theme is embodied by Callum, Claudia, and Aaravos. Aaravos and Claudia have succumbed to darkness due to personal traumas, transforming them from victims into monsters. Callum, however, confronts the same temptation of power that led the antagonists astray. Unlike them, he resists his inner darkness, finding a way to keep the evil within him at bay and avoid a path of no return.

Aaravos and Claudia

Aaravos (Erik Dellums) feels genuine affection for Claudia (Racquel Belmonte), treating her as a surrogate daughter in place of Leola. Despite this, he experiences a pang of remorse for manipulating her and decides to share his personal belief that Viren may not be among the spirits in the In-Between. Claudia assures Aaravos that she already suspects her father has moved on in peace, which leaves the Startouch Elf puzzled about her motives for inverting the Moon Nexus.

Claudia explains that her reasoning is complicated. Deep down, she wants to aid Aaravos in his quest to dismantle the cosmic order created by the elves and dragons—the same order responsible for Leola’s death. Seeing Aaravos as a father figure after Viren’s death, Claudia remains unwaveringly loyal to him, determined to repay his efforts to keep her father alive in Seasons 4 and 5.

Claudia Falls to Darkness

Aaravos and Claudia reach the Moon Nexus, where they are confronted by Terry (Benjamin Callins), Soren (Jesse Inocalla), and Lujanne (Ellie King), who is disguised as Soren and Claudia’s mother, Lisa. Their attempt to talk Claudia down fails when she sees through the illusion. Claudia stabs Lujanne and uses chronomancy to freeze Terry, Soren, Corvus (Omari Newton), Allen (Sam Vincent), and Queen Aanya (Zelda Ehasz) in place.

With Team Zym incapacitated, Aaravos and Claudia successfully invert the Moon Nexus, releasing the spirits of the In-Between under Aaravos’s control. Aaravos summons the dark mage Ziard to lead the mission to resurrect Avizandum as a pawn. He entrusts Ziard with his moon staff to carry out the task. Meanwhile, Claudia departs to assassinate Archmage Akiyu of the Tidebound Elves to prevent the creation of another prison for Aaravos. Before leaving, Aaravos activates Claudia’s disciple’s necklace—the last scale of Shiruakh—to protect her.

Aaravos’s Capture

The episode culminates with Queen Aanya killing Aaravos’s human visage, prompting the Fallen Star to manifest in his titanic true form in Katolis. At the Valley of Graves, King Ezran and his army deploy Duren’s fire ruby ballistas to subdue Aaravos, resulting in his temporary capture. However, his imprisonment is unlikely to last.

The manner of Aaravos’s defeat raises intriguing questions. Despite being struck by the fire ruby ballistas’ large explosive arrows and restrained by simple chains, Aaravos’s apparent vulnerability suggests he may not be the formidable fighter many fans anticipated. Alternatively, it is possible that his defeat was intentional, serving as part of a greater scheme to manipulate King Ezran and others.

The Startouch Elves, of which Aaravos is one, are known to have gifted the Celestial Elves the power of foresight, allowing them to perceive future possibilities. This ability implies that Aaravos foresaw his defeat and allowed it to happen to further his long-term goals. By orchestrating his capture, Aaravos could be setting the stage for a larger, more insidious plan, using the illusion of vulnerability to deceive his enemies and secure ultimate victory.

Callum’s Inner Conflict

Astrid (Boone Williams) reveals to Callum (Jack DeSena) and Rayla (Paula Burrows) that the Pearl they delivered to the Star Scraper was merely a ball of candy. The real Pearl, which was in Katolis all along, became the catalyst for Aaravos’s release. Overwhelmed with guilt, Callum flees into the Moonshadow Forest, where he confronts his inner darkness—a remnant of his mind journey to connect with the sky primal in Season 2.

Callum’s Inner Darkness (Jack DeSena) tempts him to embrace dark magic as a means to defeat Aaravos. Despite the allure, Callum rejects the idea, recognizing that dark magic has corrupted good people like Ziard, Kpp’Ar, Viren, and Claudia, stripping them of their innocence. Callum knows that succumbing to such power would lead to a loss of self, rendering him another pawn of Aaravos.

However, his Inner Darkness speaks a profound truth: it is an intrinsic part of him that he must accept. By reconciling with his darkness, Callum finds balance, allowing both his innocence and inner darkness to coexist in peace.

Rating: 9/10