The Dragon Prince could be fantastic — if it got over the fart jokes

[Ed. note: This post contains light spoilers for season 4 of The Dragon Prince]

New season The Dragon PrinceWe are told straight away that the character who is new to us farts. He farts quite a bit. Terry, an Earthblood elf, is not only dark mage Claudia’s new boyfriend — he also farts when he’s nervous or laughing. And those farts smell like petrichor (a word that you might recognize from various ✨aesthetic✨ images on the internet, which means the smell of rain on dry soil). Claudia finds the smell of rain on dry soil endearing. Viren rolls his eyes, but Claudia giggles.

Viren experiences a panic attack right after one these fart-fests. He then has a second of reflection. He and Claudia only have 30 days to make his resurrection permanent — but what if he just spent those 30 days enjoying his life and spending time with his beloved daughter? Claudia immediately protests, as she has sacrificed so much for him and wants their family to stay together. The two navigate such a deep question with no right answer, and it’s a poignant moment that one can almost forget the fart joke that happened right before. Almost.

Image courtesy of Netflix

This whiplash isn’t new to The Dragon Prince, but in the fourth season of the show — which deals with the heaviest themes and deepest ramifications so far — it feels the most jarring. Two years have passed since the last episode, so the fourth season sees the characters deal with some very difficult issues.

Claudia has spent the last two years working to resurrect her father, and to make that revival permanent, she’ll need to free Aaravos, an ancient elf mastermind imprisoned hundreds of years ago for his crimes. While she’s off doing that, young King Ezran optimistically leads a new era of peace between the Human Kingdoms and the magical realm of Xadia, but must deal with the lingering tension that comes after centuries of feud. Meanwhile, Ezran’s half-brother Callum throws himself into his work as high mage in order to avoid the heartbreak of his girlfriend, the elf assassin Rayla, leaving without a word two years ago.

The show has never really shied away from tackling more mature storylines, and it’s pretty impressive to see Callum and Rayla’s painful reunion and 12-year-old Ezran acknowledging that the pains of years past won’t be fixed overnight with a pastry-filled celebration. The Dragon Prince isn’t just about young heroes saving the world from one great evil; it’s about young heroes saving a fractured world from centuries of division, bringing two sides together in hope of peace. The show has an enormous political reach. It features main characters who not only make a difference in their lives but also change the fates for the humans, elves and dragons across the country. Finally, there is peace, but it is precarious, and the show does a great job of addressing the fact that old wounds won’t just heal with one grand victory. The sillier tone shifts just stand out more because of this.

Image courtesy of Netflix

This isn’t to suggest that it doesn’t exist. The Dragon Prince shouldn’t have its lighthearted moments. The best animations for children of all ages are able to balance the more complex plot points with some lighter moments. This allows for the development of characters and their relationships through softer scenes. After all, we only learn so much about a character when they’re facing off against a great evil. It’s good to have scenes where guard Soren tries and fails to hide Callum’s surprise birthday party or Claudia awkwardly introduces her new boyfriend to her dad. Moments like those are still funny, but they don’t feel as glaringly weird. When the fate of the world is at stake, it’s important to remember the good things worth fighting for, be it jelly tarts or brotherly bonding.

Too often though, The Dragon PrinceThis tonal shift is sometimes missed or misplaced. Sometimes it seems like the show is trying to convince a younger audience by making too many pop culture references and the fart joke. But when it’s at its best, The Dragon Prince doesn’t pander to those viewers and instead treats them with the maturity they deserve. Because kids can handle these heavier topics and they don’t need dumb jokes to keep them interested. It’s one thing for the cute animal sidekicks or funnily named food items to provide a few chuckles here and there, but it’s another for emotional scenes to be buried under an avalanche of gags. Still, there’s enough substance that the show can dust off most of the cringey rubble.

The mystery of Aaravos and the Dragon PrinceNetflix now has it streaming.