#llannas dr recap

[llannasvsp]

Dragons Rising Season 2, Episode 1: The Blood Moon

RAS AT SHADOW DOJOOOOOO

Not Ras bashing the Imperians.

I love that his intentions with the Source Dragon power are taken care of at the beginning of the season.

New intro!

Ninjago TikTok is so funny to me.

Love that the Mechanic didn't learn his lesson from Crystalized.

YES GIVE ARIN ALL THE HEARTS

In this house, we are Intelligent George haters.

RIYU IS SO BIG.

Arin angst hurts sooo bad.

MENTAL HEALTH MENTIONED RAAAGHH LETS GOOOO.

I am the no. 1 Mr. Frohicky lover and defender.

Lloyd manages to make me cry 7 minutes into the episode.

The fact that Lloyd feels like he needs to lie about his lack of sleep just hurts me. Put yourself first, once, please.

ZANE AND KAI PLAYING VIDEO GAMES!!! I love.

Zombie Lloyd.

LLOYD PLEASE STOP LYING.

First blood moon vision. I'm trying to understand it, but much like Lloyd, I cannot. Firstly, Beatrix is definitely still alive. Thirdly, we only see Zane, Arin, and Sora in this vision. Interesting.

Lloyd waking up and immediately going into an attack is just... shattering. Poor guy.

"Uncle". Glad to see the show is addressing that again.

Arin and Lloyd are the trauma besties.

Spirit Wu! I guarantee he's dead.

CINDER FIRST APPEARANCE RAAAGHHH (all I could think of was how @nyaskitten might've reacted to this HAH).

Arin and his pies is so cute.

I kind of love Kreel.

ARIN'S LITTLE SMILE AAAH HE'S SO CUTE.

Soraaaa hiding things like this never ends up well. Please tell someone. It doesn't have to Lloyd. Just. Tell. Someone.

I'm gonna be so honest, I thought Skylor would be in this episode once Riyu ran to that noodle cart. Don't know why I got my hopes up.

Poor Arin :( I want to give him a hug SO badly.

Oh, Arin, your parents would be proud of you no matter what.

OKAY SAMMM that anxious gasping for air was SO good.

CINDERS VOICE??!??!?!??!?!?

Man, Cinder hates kids.

There goes Arin's spine.

Obsessed with how Lloyd enters the fight.

Sam Vincent is doing SO good with portraying anxiety. Lloyd sounds horrified at the reality of his visions.

GONNNNG

Very solid first episode. We get right into the action and it sets up Lloyd's visions and sleep deprivation really well. We learn just enough about Ras' intentions to keep us engaged, but not enough that we know exactly what he wants. I adore that Ninjago is addressing mental health not only with Lloyd but also with Arin. I also love that we see Arin and Sora longing for what the other has.

I still don't want Arin to get elemental powers, but instead realize that he is valuable, loved, and vital to the ninja. I want him to learn that he is not "broken" or "a burden" just because he doesn't have an elemental power. Arin is so important to me.

On to the next episode!

[llannasvsp]

Dragons Rising Season 2, Episode 5: The Spell at the Waterfall

HALFWAY POINT!!!

I love the plush. I want the plush. I need the plush.

"I do not experience heightened emotions." You LIAR.

Zane, those lanterns are not blocking the portal gate.

The orb is Wu and Wu just saved them all.

Not Bonzle casually lore dropping.

Zane is SO ADORABLE with his little plush.

Again, I do not like the elemental mechs.

Egalt, keep your ugly mouth shut.

I can't believe the fang ranking was a truth.

Glad Wyldfyre knows her element now.

I feel so bad for Bonzle. Her story is so sad.

ZANE CUDDLING WITH THE PLUSH?? GEO AND COLE HOLDING HANDS???

WU????????????

Awee poor Riyu.

Motion... like the source dragon that gave Lloyd the vision of Egalt.

"Little fire man." I love.

I NEED TO READ SPINJITZU BROTHERS SOME PLEASE TELL ME HOW YOU FIND IT.

I wonder when in the timeline Wu met Bonzle.

Ohhhh Wyldfyre... she's so silly. Waaaait is this the disguise Doc was talking about that was "worse" than Doyll Donmagar?

Egalt, don't you DARE make Arin feel bad.

I want to give Arin the biggest hug ever.

I've been talking about a rift between Arin and Lloyd. This is the scene where I can see it starting. Arin shoves Lloyd off when Lloyd suggests to run drills with him.

MORE COLE AND GEO HAND HOLDING.

THE HUGS OHHGHHHHHHH

"You are loved and needed." HHHHGHH COLEEEE.

It is hilarious to me that Ras is having Cinder training with literal vases like literally those would break under any sort of pressure.

WHERE IS RAS GOING??

Soooo Lloyd and Ras get eerily similar visions.

Human sacrifices! Cool!

Soooo this season continues to break my heart. But also, it makes me so so so happyyyyy!!! I love Cole and the Finders with my whole heart. This episode literally confirms Lost as canon. Let's be honest.

Arin's self doubt is being heightened. Poor guy. Egalt is too harsh on him.

I don't even know how to compile my thoughts because there are like eight thousand things happening up here.

Until next episode!

[llannasvsp]

Dragons Rising Season 2, Episode 3: Beyond the Phantasm Cave

We are baaaack!! Honestly, I like spreading out my rewatch because I binged all 10 in one sitting. Spreading out my rewatch makes the excitement last longer. Not that I'm running out of excitement. I will never get over this season and it's not even done AGH. ANYWAY. On to the episode!

So, Cinder is Link from Zelda?

You feel the gong what?

Jordana and Cinder beef so real.

Awh, Kai. Glad they didn't forget his anger issues.

Arin is definitely not okay.

LLOYD MEDITATED ALL DAY AGHHH POOR GUY.

Lloyd has every right to be upset and frustrated right now.

Little source dragons!

OH MY GOSH the Netflix subtitles tell us which source dragon symbols correspond with the element!???!?

LIFE SYMBNOL CLAIMS LLOYD EVEROYNE. LIFE SYMBOL. DID ANYONE KNOW THIS?!?! YHHELLO. THIS IS MY FIRST TIME LEARNING OF THIS SO THIS IS A GENUIINE REACTION OH. MYGOSH.

Soooo Strength is a hater.

"He is no ordinary mortal". Okayyy so are we going to talk about him literally having Dragon heritage???

LEVITATING LLOYD CLIP!

Once again, Sam is literally serving. He portrays anxiety so well.

KAI + WYLDFYRE CLIP!

I am literally obsessed with this moment between them. Wyldfyre doesn't want to be left out. Kai wants her to stay safe and be okay. He's so kind and gentle with her. I love them.

I gotta admit, I'm an elemental mech hater.

"Would Master Wu take us on a mission based off of half understood dreams?" Oh he absolutely would.

KAI ASKING FROHICKY TO WATCH OVER WYLDFYRE RAGH.

I don't know how I feel about the Cloud Kingdom having a motor buuuut okay.

They really decided that this was the episode to upload clips from.

I love this moment because it addresses that Lloyd is doubting himself, it acknowledges that Lloyd and Nya have been through way too much stuff, and it shows us that Lloyd does not want to put Arin and Sora through something horrific. He doesn't want them to experience "the horrors" too young like he did.

Kai being mad that Wyldfyre stowed away but not in like an angry way but in a "I don't want you getting hurt" way is just sooooo.

Sora is so right to be concerned. I would be too if I were her.

I get what Sora was trying to do with the grappling hooks, but I also feel like this isn't going to bode well for Arin. She made his thing something "cooler" because their elemental powers are involved.

EWWW TENTACLES.

AGHH Arin and Sora complete each other my hearrrt.

Okayyy so visions.

Arin: Fear of letting his parents down. Guilt that he "replaced" them with the ninja.

Sora: Something to do with Imperium?? I don't really understand hers I'm gonna be so honest.

Lloyd: Being an inadequate teacher. Leading everyone to their destruction. "You will never be good enough." Dang.

Nya: Jay not remembering her.

Wyldfyre: The wasting thing that's talked about later.

KAI: WE DON'T FREAKING GET TO SEE IT. LET US SEE IT.

I feel like we just need to remember all of their fears because it's absolutely going to be important to all of them later.

"I know the real Jay could never forget me." Oh, honey. Don't say that.

Egalt is ugly.

GRRR THIS EPISODE IS AMAZING.

I think we didn't see Kai's vision because they're going to bring it back later. I know some people are saying that it was of a corrupted version of himself, and honestly, I'd say that's a very likely assumption, given his history. He used to have a lust for power, and maybe he still does, it's just more subdued. If anything were to happen to him (pretend we haven't seen ep10 yet), he could likely succumb to that temptation for power.

ALSO I'm such a Lloyd "life" truther, so learning that it was the LIFE DRAGON who claimed him?!??!? Yes. I'm so excited to expand more on that.

[llannasvsp]

Dragons Rising Season 2, Episode 4: Force From the East

I have nothing to say before we start. Let's gooo!

Soooo Geo x Cole is totally canon.

Did anyone else notice that Geo remembers the moments slightly different than they were?

Cole? Chef? Interesting.

I love how excited Geo is for new stuff.

I also love how Geo glows when he uses his powers.

GRHH GEO MISSES COLE SO MUCH. HE BRINGS HIM UP IN EVERY SENTENCE.

Wyldfyre speaking dragon is giving Dory speaking whale.

Lloyd grabbing Arin away from danger is soooo (I'm not crying).

The ninja would be so good at basketball.

I love the usage of Spinjitzu in Dragons Rising. It doesn't make me cringe like it usually would. Like, it actually feels like a cool and powerful fighting technique and not just... a thing they do.

"I was going a secret third way." Arin, I love you.

Arin laughing at Egalt's insult to Lloyd is just sooo adorable.

The finders are so silly. "Sure. What do you want?"

"Oh no, you seem to be stuck!" I love him so much.

I would be reacting more to them taking Bonzle but of course I already know what's going on with her.

COLEEEE COMING BACK FOR HIS FAMILY GAHHHH.

Okay the thing I hate the most about this whole dragon discussion between the ninja, Rontu, and Egalt, is the debate on whether or not dragons can be ninja and whatever is that they don't bring up Lloyd's dragon heritage. He has dragon blood. WHY AREN'T THEY TALKING ABOUT THIS.

"This might sound wild." Lloyd talks like me. He is me.

I hate Egalt lowkey.

COLE AND GEO MAKE ME MELLLT.

THE LITTLE STOMP THAT COLE DOES TO MAKE A SEAT FOR GEO IS SO COOL. It's a creative way to use his powers.

Cole is always finding a way to touch Geo, have yall noticed?

Okay I'm still lost as to why Ras wants the Forbidden Five. Was that ever explained or did I just forget.

"Not funny, Wyldfyre." "Not joking, Sora." I love that interaction.

Rontu looks like a Zelda character. This season is NOT beating the Zelda allegations.

"They are not dragons." LLOYD IS LITERALLY PART DRAGON.

Hate Egalt, love Rontu.

How are the wolf masks breaking through when only Geo can un fuse something? Is it because of their shattered souls? I don't get it.

Zaneeee with the plush is soooo cute.

WOLF MASK JUMPSCARE.

Also, haven't mentioned this before, but the credits music is always so good.

ANOTHER EPISODE COMPLETE! I think what Iove most about this episode is that it literally just confirms how much Geo misses Cole and also that he is so down bad. Literally. Who stares at a picture of "just a friend" that much. He's in love.

This episode has the moment that I hate most because they ignore that Lloyd has dragon blood. I know he's not full dragon, but it's worth mentioning, right? Especially since Arin has very obvious Oni symbolism. Lloyd already had his Oni moment, but his dragon side has pretty much never been addressed. I need part 2 of this season to bring it up. Because the fact that it's being forgotten is annoying me, especially since the show has brought up past seasons before. (Morro, Tournament of Elements).

[llannasvsp]

Dragons Rising Season 2, Episode 2: Shattered Dreams

Before I start I just want to say that I don't know how long my little recap will take to finish because of my life schedule, but hopefully I'll get it done within a week. I share a TV with two other people so that puts a hold on my ability to rewatch.

Now lets begin!

Heyyy Cloud Kingdom!

Is the Master Writer destined to be a douche??

I also want bagels. ("Selecting a bagel." -Peter Parker; Into the Spider Verse, 2018).

I'm still so confused on how writing destiny works. Do they decide destiny? Do they not? I don't get it. Someone please help me.

EUPHRASIA YAAAAAAAS

Hey Imperium!

Percivallll I love youuuu yes you fix Imperium!

Euphrasia freaking dies.

"Then I wake up screaming." DO YOU WANT MY HEART TO FALL OUT??!

Lloyd is a braver man than I. I could never consume that tea.

Not Lloyd making a joke about his panic attack. Me too buddy.

I LOVE LLOYD. SO MUCH. YOU ALL WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND.

Still don't know what the deal with Fedulian is.

Awh, Arin. I love him so much.

PLATONIC "I LOVE YOU"'S.

Why are the so mean about Sora's cat? Poor Sora.

Lloyd getting floored by a cart. Nice.

NADAKHAN'S TEAPOT!! (/j)

Do we think that anyone in our team is going to get their soul shattered?

ARIN AND PERCIVAL RAAGGHHHHH

Oh ehm gee Cinder heyyy. (Guys I kind of get it).

OKAAYYYY EUPHRASIA SLAYYYY

I love Lloyd thinking Arin's grapple is cool.

Lloyd is just SO kind to Arin he's so gentle with him and is always reassuring him it AGHHHh I love.

So was it because of Ras that the ninja were attacked in season 1?

Isn't there a comic about the Forbidden Five? I want to read it.

AGHHHHAH LLOYD HAVING ANXIETY.

Not Sora still not remembering Jordana.

I want to know who is under the wolf masks GRRRR.

NYA GRABBING LLOYD'S HAND TO STEADY HIM AGHH.

More Arin getting tossed by the foot.

"You know I thrashed the last one, right?" Served.

First Shatterspin fight is pretty cool. I love how Wildbrain has really solidified that they have the superior action sequences.

Lloyd's sword toss move during the fight has me giggling he is so cool.

RIP Wyldfyre's leg.

LET CINDER MURDER.

Arin and Lloyd's jump looked a lil goofy tbh.

Lloyd havinnnnnng more doubt.

Oooohhhh yes the gong clashing + Cinder's snarky lil smirk. Peak television. I love.

GUYS I LOVE DRAGONS RISING SO MUCH. I don't think words can actually express the depth of my love for this series. This is it. After 13 years, I think Ninjago has finally hit it's own true potential. I have so many things I want to say but I think it will be at the end of my recap series.

Shatterspin is so cool and I love how Cinder owns them all. We see firstly that Cinder is a good fighter, but not good enough to defeat Kai without Shatterspin. Then, when he actually uses Shatterspin, the ninja don't stand a chance. It proves how powerful the technique really is.

I think I mentioned this in the last episodes post, but Lloyd having canon anxiety and panic attacks is just. Everything. Representation is fantastic. As someone who has had anxiety my whole life... if I had seen that as a child, maybe I would've learned about my anxiety way earlier. I'm so glad that this show is not afraid to talk about mental health.

I just. I love.

(this is the sword toss i was talking about)

[llannasvsp]

Okay so now that it's 3:47pm on Dragons Rising release day, I am going to rewatch all the episodes in order and write my thoughts as I'm watching. Technically not "initial" watch thoughts, but still, I haven't processed everything, definitely don't remember everything. Each episode will get it's own post. Hope you enjoy the miniseries HAHA.