The Dragon Prince’ Season 4’s Controversial Time Jump Actually Works.

Let's do the time warp again!

Netflix's newest season of The Dragon Prince undeniably differentiated itself from the show's previous three. The result was a divisive season. Some fans love the new feel, while others were unhappy that it wasn't the show they remembered. But love it or hate it, fans seem to have trouble identifying what it is that sets Season 4 apart. Several factors play into the distinction, but they primarily come from one creative decision: the time jump. The choice to skip two years between Seasons 3 and 4 is controversial at best. It met the controversy for so much happening to the characters offscreen. And the fact that it made such a difference in the show's dynamic surprised the audience, to say the least. But, the truth is, the time jump is what the show needed.

The Show Starts Over

The new story, coupled with the two years of off-screen growth for the characters, made the show feel entirely different. The time jump forced Season 4 to go through all the painstaking exposition of a premiere season. After two years, the world's climate must be explained again. Not to mention that the characters are slowly reintroduced with their new development. Despite three seasons of history, a new viewer could pick up with Season 4 without much confusion. With the first plot arc completed, the series had to introduce a brand-new story, making the season itself feel like nothing but the set-up. It's not necessarily bad, but tedious.

The New Season Gets a New Plot

Season 4 serves almost as a soft reboot, with the show receiving an addition to the title to become The Dragon Prince: The Mystery of Aaravos. It was always supposed to be different from what came before. The first three seasons told one continuous story. A war between Xadia and Katolis is imminent after the death of the dragon king and the theft of the dragon prince's egg. Elven assassins are after King Harrow (Luc Roderique) and his son Ezran (Sasha Rojen). In order to end the war, Ezran and his stepbrother, Callum (Jack De Sena), decide to run away while attempting to return the dragon prince, Zym, to his mother. Along the way, they get the help of the Elven assassin-turned-ally, Rayla (Paula Burrows). The three heroes wanted to bring peace to a world on the brink of war, which they ultimately did by stopping Viren's (Jason Simpson) plan just in time. Season 3 ends with a peaceful world and Viren's death (and secret resurrection). Except for a few loose ends, it felt finished. Though, the show is far from over.

Season 4

The conclusion of the original plot arc meant that things needed to change for Season 4. There was no need to fight for a peace that was already achieved. So the series had two options: either undo the conclusion of Season 3 or find a new goal for the characters. Rather than destroying the hard-won peace between Katolis and Xadia, the creators opted to make the characters face a new threat. But for this to work, it had to be bigger than an all-out war between the humans and Xadia. They raised the stakes by bringing in Aaravos (Erik Todd Dellums). Season 3 set up Aaravos, but it revealed very little about him. In the new season (and beyond), he is the center of the plot. The heroes become aware of Claudia (Racquel Belmonte) and Viren's attempt to free Aaravos from the place where the dragon king imprisoned him centuries before. Now, with the help of the dragon queen, Zubeia (Nicole Oliver), they journey to find Aaravos' prison before their enemies and prevent his rescue, or else Aaravos will bring destruction, making the peace they fought for worthless.

a few years of ruling under his belt, he isn't quite as lost as before. Callum's powers have grown significantly, so he is no longer the inexperienced mage the audience was familiar with. Soren (Jesse Inocalla) is doing better than ever after two years of separation from his family. Rayla spent the time jump searching for Viren and found nothing, but the time away drove a wedge between her and Callum, putting a stop to their relationship right as it started. With the two leads seemingly starting over, the season resets the series, not ignoring the previous seasons, but the connection is less direct.

Now with older characters and seemingly higher stakes, the show struggled to unite the kid humor and the dangerous plot. Many fans complained about the fart jokes in Season 4, but that wasn't new. The reality is that the show is getting darker, and the humor of the first three seasons stands out more. It was a season of growing pains for The Dragon Prince. The mature plot is harder to reconcile with the tone of the show as it had been. Season 4 had to serve as a transition of sorts, which did it a disservice.

As the Aaravos plot continues, the series should fall back into a more natural pace. The stage has been set so the story can take off. The series has been renewed for three more seasons, so this is far from the end. Season 4 is a mid-point, where the show went through a midlife crisis of sorts. But that doesn't mean it will continue like that. The time jump effectively changed the story, and that's a good thing. The series needed a new breath of life to last until its seventh season. Though a reset was unexpected, it raised the stakes and allowed for older characters and a more mature story. Now that the exposition is in place, the plot should get back on track, returning to the show that fans expect. Love it or hate it, Season 4 provided the growth that the series needed to last.