Could the title of this episode be a reference to Disney's latest classic, Frozen? Does it have any bearing on the episode or this review/recap at all? No, no it does not.
Berk appears to be in a snowstorm that must be colder than a snowman's balls. A trio of Terrors huddle together for warmth at the entrance to the Academy. Hiccup is holding a class inside one of the dragon cages. While he's trying to explain the complex anatomy of wing control, some punk ass bitch who think's he's funny shoots a fire bolt at Hiccup while he rambles. The punk ass bitch who thinks he's funny being none other than Snotlout of course.
Hiccup tries to relate to his students, they're bored as shit and would rather be lobotomised with a mace than be there. Astrid points out they've been stuck in that damn cage for over a week, they're past of the point of rather being lobotomised with a Mace. Some of them are going clinically insane, Fishlegs is giving personalities to Meatlug's toes and Tuffnut is chasing his invisible tail that Ruffnut told him he had. I can relate alas, boredom does that to you.
Stoick comes into the Academy from the storm outside, that's so powerful he almost can't close the doors. Stoick is awestruck at this record setting shitty weather, he almost can't believe it. I felt the same way when it snowed in the middle of fucking May. Stoick then tells Hiccup that Trader Johann hasn't reported in and that he might be trapped on the sea. Hiccup immediately volunteers him and Toothless for the mission of finding Johann, Toothless is as eager as he is.
 |
| Oh please, Oh please, Oh please let me go on ze mission! |
Stoick accepts Hiccup and Toothless' offer, because only a soulless cretin would refuse THAT!! And besides, they get some distance away from the wack-jobs they'd otherwise be stuck with. So it's off across the vast expanses of sea to find Trader Johann. It doesn't take long before they find something, but what they find is a large bridge of ice as the sea freezes over. It also appears that a large herd of dragons is travelling across the bridge, but they're mostly covered by fog so Hiccup doesn't really pay it much mind.
Toothless does his bat tracking thing-a-ma-jig and appears to have found Trader Johann. They follow the ice bridge to Trader Johann's ship, which is completely trapped by ice. Johann thanks Hiccup and on the way back to Berk tells him that he's never seen a freeze like this in his lifetime and that he's lucky that Hiccup found him before he did something crazy like travel on foot on an ice bridge he has no idea which way it goes. Hiccup reassures him and tells him to enjoy the ride. Johann decides to pass the time by telling some boring ass stories about his boring ass life. Or that's what Toothless and Hiccup think of his stories anyway, I think they're interesting.
By the time they reach Berk, Johann is telling Hiccup a story about a king's daughter he met that he thought was a Yak and who was named Yakmene, and this somehow made the king of Inuden name him an honorary member of his royal something (couldn't catch the word). Before he can get into more detail, Hiccup announces that they've reached Berk and thanks the gods for it.
 |
| Oh merciful Thor, thank you for this gift! |
The trio lands in the middle of town, but nobody is there to receive them. Johann is used to people running at him begging for a trade, but nobody gives him that curtousy here. Hiccup however realises that the village is completely empty. It's become a ghost town. Hiccup and Johann check everywhere, even the academy, but the town is completely devoid of any life, save for a few Terrible Terrors. It makes for some unusual atmosphere in the show.
Hiccup rendezvous' with Johann after they split, neither can find anyone or anything in the village. Neither of them like this one bit. Johann is about to tell Hiccup about the Trader he dealt with claimed he was a warlock, but Hiccup sees something in one of the houses and tells Johann to shut the fuck up. He goes in to check it out, and gets jumped by Fishlegs. When he wakes up, Toothless is staring at him, then Fishlegs creepily slides into the frame in a super creepy way with a really creepy face.
Fishlegs is releieved to see Hiccup and then goes on some mad rambling about super speed and paralysing stings. Hiccup asks Hiccup what he's talking about, Fishlegs explains to Hiccup what happened to the village. Speed Stingers came in the night, they were faster than any dragon alive. They came out of nowhere and paralysed man and Dragon alike.
 |
| Hey! It's the Punk Ass Nadder ! I guess he decided to settle in Berk to catch a break for once. |
 |
| Oooooohh |
Townsfolk and Dragons tried to flee, but they were all paralysed by the Speed Stingers . . . stingers. By the time Stoick ordered everyone to get the hell out of dodge, the town was completely overrun, and Stoick was alone with an entire pack of Stingers.
Hiccup asks where the Speed Stingers are, Fishlegs says they disappeared when the sun came up. But he assures Hiccup that they'll be back, they always come out at night. Hiccup wants to know why Fishlegs stayed behind in the village. We cut to Meatlug paralysed on the roof of the house. Fishlegs thinks she looks so majestic up there, all Hiccup can think is how he managed to miss her, a sentiment Johann shares.
Fishlegs and Johann try to get Meatlug's fat ass off the roof. Johann asks what Meatlug eats, Fishlegs tells him she eats rocks. Johann feels that explains quite a lot. Meatlug then farts in his face, which causes him to collapse and fall off the roof. Fishlegs takes this as a sign that the paralysis is only temporary. With Johann incapacitated, Hiccup and Toothless have to help get Meatlug off the roof. Hiccup informs Fishlegs of the Ice bridge, which explains how the Speed Stingers managed to get to Berk. Hiccup decides to head for the cove. They shove Meatlug onto Johann and drag her to the Cove in a wheelbarrow.
What they find in the cove looks like a Viking Museum with paralysed Vikings as the displays, Stoick among them. Thornado is by Stoick's side and Gobber tells Hiccup Stoick gave it all he got, it took six of those damned dirty Stingers to take him down. Stoick mumbles some gibberish and Gobber responds but doesn't have a clue what he's saying.
Astrid gives Hiccup a hug, Hiccup asks her if everyone else is alright. She says they're fine, except for Snotlout.
 |
| Stop hitting yourself! Stop hitting yourself! |
Astrid thinks it's not so bad though, it's probably one of the funniest moments in the show.
The sun is setting and soon the Speed Stingers will be back for the rest of their food, people want to know what they're going to do about it. Hiccup tells Astrid to gather the other Dragon Riders. Hiccup tells them that they need to find the Speed Stingers nest before sundown or . . . though the others would rather not think about the 'or'.
But before they can leave, Snotlout yells out that they ain't goin' nowhere without him. He can only move his neck and move in a creepy way, so the others tell him to stay behind. Snotlout refuses to be left behind, so he gets Gustav to move his arms and legs for him like a puppet. Astrid tells Hiccup to just go with it since they could always use more manpower.
Hiccup the explains the plan to everybody, they have to find the Speed Stingers' pack leader, throw his ass in the brig and use him to lead the other Stingers away. So they all head off to find the Stinger nest. Most of these attempts end in failure, with Ruff and Tuff goofing around and Snotlout landing headfirst into the sand during a miscommunication.
Back at the village, Hiccup asks for After Action Reports from everyone. Nobody found anything, Tuffnut claims he was stung and Snotlout claims that he didn't fall off his dragon then he and Gustav didn't spend hours getting him out of the sand. Gustav confirms that Snotlout fell off his dragon then they spent hours getting him out of the sand.
 |
| Gustav! Make me punch the shit out of you! |
 |
| He he, that never gets old. |
Since Snotlout and Gustav never got a chance to check the caves they were supposed to check, Hiccup knows where they need to look. They head to the unchecked caves and bring a large metal cage along for the Speed Stinger Big Shot. They land outside the mouth of one cave, Hiccup tells Gustav to stay with Snotlout. Snotlout gives Hiccup a thumb up, and is amazed that he did it himself.
Hiccup and Fishlegs decides to move into the cave to apprehend the Speed Stinger Big Shot, he says that if they can get that bastard out of there, the pack will be useless. They manage to do just that rather easily. Hiccup uses a bola from his shield to restrain the Big Shot and Toothless retrieves him and brings him to Hiccup, all without waiting him or any of the other Stingers.
Leaving with the Big Shot doesn't go so well however. The Big Shot wakes up and gets himself untied in a split second. The Big Shot strikes at Hiccup but Toothless blasts him and forces him into a one-on-one confrontation. Snotlout manages to coral the rest of the pack into the cave, then praises himself with his "Snotlout, Snotlout, Oi Oi Oi!". The Big Shot ain't having none of that shit.
 |
| Shut yo punk ass up bitch! |
 |
| You've got to be shitting me! |
With Snotlout shut up, The Big Shot turns his attention back to Hiccup and Toothless. Fishlegs thinks that the Big Shot is too damn fast, Hiccup tells him it ain't too fast for a Night Fury. Toothless sure as hell gives the Big Shot a run for his money, so the Big Shot thinks he's tough enough to take Hiccup on. He knocks Hiccup's shield out of his arm but Toothless catches it mid-air and throws it back to Hiccup like a frisby. This would be cool if it wasn't so ridiculous.
As Toothless continues to be evenly matched by the Big Shot, the rest of the pack get past Snotlout and Hookfang, egged on by the Big Shot himself. Hiccup decides it's time to up their game, him and Astrid corral the Big Shot into the cage and manage to trap him inside. The rest of the pack is not so keen on leaving their leader behind and they swarm around the teens like pissed off Killer Bees. Astrid needlessly points out that they are too many of them and that they are surrounded. Thanks Astrid, we could clearly see that for ourselves.
However, Stoick makes the scene with Thornado and rains some thunder on the Stingers, completely dispersing them. Hiccup's glad Stoick is alright, Stoick's all like, "Pah! I couldn't let you have all the fun, now could I?". Then he gives the Big Shot the death stare.
 |
| - Remember me, motherfucker! - I remember when I shoved my stinger up yo ass old man! |
Stoick decides he's had enough of the Big Shot's slander and tells Hiccup to get him the fuck off his Island. Hiccup and Astrid oblige him, and drag the cage with the Stinger Swarm behind them every step of the way. Astrid manages to get as far as the Ice bridge, but a Stinger manages to grab on the cage and sting Stormfly. Stormfly drops the cage and crash lands.
Hiccup and Toothless grab the cage while the Twins cover Astrid. The Stingers try desperately to free their Big Shot, but either get knocked out by Hiccup's shield or sting the metal parts by accident. One does manage to stab Toothless' leather tail, bring him down and breaking the Big Shot's tail. Toothless is out of fire and Hiccup is out of Bolas, The Big Shot stares them down with his entire pack behind him. He knows he has the upper hand, he knows Toothless and Hiccup are completely helpless, he knows he could kick their ass in a millisecond, but he just savours the moment till he finally does the deed.
But Hookfang and Snotlout manage to appear and cut the Ice Bridge in half before the Big Shot can finish Hiccup and Toothless off. Deciding this shit ain't worth the effort, the Big Shot and his pack book it. Hiccup congratulates Snotlout on a job well done, until Gustav pushes Snotlout's ass off Hookfang. Snotlout threatens repercussions.
Back at Berk, everything is back to normal. The Twins and Gustav are fucking around with a paralysed Snotlout and Hiccup brings Johann back to his ship. Johann gives Hiccup a bottle of ink from a colossal squid that he owed Hiccup from Dragon Flower. Hiccup decides to get the hell out of Dodge when Johann tries to tell him a story about that ink.
Summary
This episode would have been another 10'er if it wasn't for some things at the end. This was another perfectly paced and executed episode with a very entertaining plot. Trader Johann was awesome and the Speed Stinger is a very cool dragon. The music is especially great this episode, the music set this really eerie, atmospheric tone during a lot of scenes in the episode. As a matter of fact, this was the only episode that managed to be atmospheric to some degree.
The gag with paralysed Snotlout was one of the best gags in the entire show. No matter how many times they used this gag and all the ways they used it, it just never got old. And the ending fight scene with the Speed Stinger pack leader was awesome, although there was a couple things here that stopped this episode from getting a 10 score. That one moment when Toothless threw Hiccup's shield back at him was just ridiculous and there was some more of that pesky exposition that was completely unnecessary.
They're minor points and did stop this episode from getting a 10, but it's still a damn fine episode.
9.5/10
No comments:
Post a Comment