The Dragon Prince Netflix review: It’s not Avatar, but it’s not bad
Photo Credit: Netflix
Viren
Though we don’t see him die, King Harrow’s demise is implied at the end of episode three. We see one of Runaan’s bindings release. He sends off a special arrow to alert the elves of Xandia that mission succeeded before he is captured.
What we as the audience don’t know is whether Viren actually killed Harrow. He is the last person seen with Harrow, and he immediately tries to appoint himself Lord Protector of the Realm after Harrow’s death, claiming the princes were also killed.
His plan goes awry when General Amaya, Harrow’s sister-in-law, reveals that the princes are, in fact, alive. But he has a plan B. He sends his children, Claudia and Soren (Jesse Inocalla), off on a mission. He tasks Claudia with recovering the egg and Soren with killing the princes.
Viren makes a decent villain. He’s certainly sociopathic and goes to extremes that propel the plot, but he can be predictable.
Claudia and Soren
Sadly, neither of them is Zuko (Dante Basco) and neither of them is Azula (Grey DeLisle), by any stretch. Yes, they should be their own characters, but they are much more boring. Soren is a stereotypical jock, except he seems to have a conscience. He isn’t forced to wrestle with it very much, though, at least in season one.
Claudia is much more her father’s daughter as a fellow mage with a screwed-up moral compass. I was worried she would just be Callum’s crush, but she definitely has a storyline of her own. It’s just not that interesting. Without the wit and edge that made Azula so weirdly lovable, Claudia falls flat.
General Amaya
Amaya is rather a minor character, only appearing in two episodes, but she is immediately she through Viren, so props to her. She is also deaf, which is incredibly rare to see on television and so important.
Like Toph (Jessie Flower), while Amaya is differently-abled, she is quite powerful. She serves as the commander at the border with Xadia. She uses sign language and can read lips. One of her soldiers, Gren (Adrian Petigrew), serves as her translator since most people can’t read signs.
Unfortunately, Amaya is quite prejudiced toward elves, but hopefully, she will come to see the error of her ways in time.