Dragons: The Nine Realms - Fault Ripper (S1E6)
Tom and the Riders try to save ICARIS when it's revealed to be in danger from a monstrous dragon.
| Runtime (min) | 23 |
|---|---|
| TMDB Rating | 9.0 (4 votes) |
| Air Date | 2021-12-23 |
| Genres | Animation, Action & Adventure |
| TV Rating | TV-Y7-FV |
| Network(s) | Hulu, Peacock |
Storyline
In this episode, Tom and his fellow Dragon Riders discover that ICARIS, the underground research station where they live and work, is under threat from a massive and aggressive dragon known as a Fault Ripper. This enormous creature burrows through the earth and causes dangerous seismic disturbances that put the entire facility at risk. The team must quickly devise a plan to protect ICARIS and everyone inside while also trying to understand why this dragon has targeted their location.
As the Fault Ripper's attacks intensify, Tom and the Riders face difficult choices about how to handle the situation. They must balance their mission to protect the station with their growing understanding that dragons are intelligent creatures deserving of respect. The episode explores themes of problem-solving under pressure and the importance of looking beyond immediate threats to understand root causes. The young heroes work together, combining their individual skills and their bonds with their own dragons to find a solution that addresses both the safety of ICARIS and the needs of this powerful underground dragon.
What kids learn
This episode teaches children about the importance of staying calm and thinking strategically when facing unexpected crises. Tom and the Riders demonstrate how panic can cloud judgment, while careful observation and teamwork lead to better outcomes. Young viewers see that even when something appears threatening, taking time to understand the situation fully can reveal solutions that benefit everyone involved.
The episode also reinforces lessons about environmental awareness and coexistence. The Fault Ripper's aggression stems from a reason connected to its natural behavior and habitat, showing children that creatures don't act destructively without cause. This encourages empathy and critical thinking about why conflicts arise, rather than simply reacting with fear or aggression. Kids learn that protecting their own space doesn't always mean eliminating a perceived threat.
Additionally, the story highlights the value of diverse perspectives in problem-solving. Each Rider contributes different ideas and skills, demonstrating that complex challenges often require collaborative effort. Children see that listening to teammates, respecting different approaches, and combining strengths leads to more creative and effective solutions than any one person could achieve alone.
Parents' top 5 questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Is the Fault Ripper dragon too scary for younger children? | The Fault Ripper is depicted as large and powerful, with its underground attacks creating tension through rumbling and structural damage to ICARIS. However, the episode focuses more on the strategic response than graphic violence. The dragon itself is shown as a force of nature rather than a malicious monster. Sensitive younger viewers might find the threat to the station stressful, but the tone remains adventure-focused rather than horror-oriented, and the Riders remain confident throughout. |
| What problem-solving skills do Tom and the Riders demonstrate? | The Riders model several important skills including gathering information before acting, brainstorming multiple solutions, and adapting their plan as new challenges emerge. They observe the Fault Ripper's behavior patterns to understand its motivations rather than simply reacting defensively. The episode shows the value of combining technical knowledge about dragons with creative thinking, and emphasizes that the best solutions often address underlying causes rather than just symptoms of a problem. |
| Does anyone get hurt during the Fault Ripper's attacks? | The episode maintains the show's family-friendly approach to action and danger. While ICARIS sustains damage and characters face perilous moments, the focus remains on the adventure and the team's efforts to protect the station. The tension comes from the threat to the facility and the challenge of finding a solution rather than from graphic consequences. The show keeps physical jeopardy age-appropriate for its intended audience. |
| What does this episode teach about dealing with dangerous animals? | The episode conveys that understanding animal behavior is crucial when facing wildlife conflicts. Rather than portraying the Fault Ripper as evil, the story suggests its actions have environmental or territorial causes. Tom and the Riders work to find a solution that respects the dragon's nature while protecting human safety. This teaches children that coexistence often requires understanding why animals behave as they do, though the episode balances this with acknowledging that safety must be maintained. |
| How does this episode develop the ongoing story of the series? | This episode raises the stakes by threatening ICARIS itself, the home base that has felt safe until now. It deepens the Riders' understanding that the Hidden World contains dragons of vastly different sizes and temperaments, some far more dangerous than others. The threat to the station also tests the team's commitment to their mission and to each other. The episode contributes to the season's larger arc about exploring this underground realm while managing the risks that come with discovery. |
Writing
Directing
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Moving to an exotic new home, an adventurous teenager meets a new group of kids and discovers a dragon in the fissure. |
| 1 | 2 | Tom forges a friendship with the dragon and discovers an entire world of dragons within the fissure. |
| 1 | 3 | Tom and Jun encounter unexpected dangers and are separated while exploring the Hidden Realm of dragons. Tom introduces Jun to the dragon world, and Jun bonds with a dragon of her own – Wu and Wei. |
| 1 | 4 | Tom and Jun take a risk in revealing the secret of the Hidden Realm to D’Angelo to aid an injured dragon, and D’Angelo bonds with Plowhorn. |
| 1 | 5 | Tom and the others debate how to keep the dragons a secret, even as a rambunctious young “cloaking” dragon gets loose in town and pursues a friendship with a Alex. |
| 1 | 6 | Tom and the Riders try to save ICARIS when it's revealed to be in danger from a monstrous dragon. |
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | Jun breaks the rules by sneaking a small, adorable dragon out of the Crystal Realm and bringing it home, but finds that her older brother, Eugene, has arrived and watches her every move. |
| 2 | 2 | Tom has to keep his mom, Olivia, distracted while Jun, Alex, and D’Angelo use a new dragon to close off a cave leading to the Crystal Realm, and prevent her from discovering the dragons. |
| 2 | 3 | When Feather is taken by a group of what appear to be zombie dragons, Alex finds her inner hero and rescues her friend. |
| 2 | 4 | Tom and Thunder train a new species of aggressive tidal dragons to help the other riders put out a forest fire threatening ICARIS. |
| 2 | 5 | Tom and D’Angelo must come together to help Alex and Jun escape the clutches of the Spiderwings. |
| 2 | 6 | Tom and the riders go in search of Thunder and must face a gauntlet of dangerous dragons to find their lost friend. Along the way, Tom reveals his big secret to D’Angelo and Alex. |
| 2 | 7 | Tom and the riders help Thunder, who is seeking revenge against the dragons that chased off his family. |
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1 | Tom hatches an unorthodox plan to use a Monstrous Nightmare to test Alex's new fire suit, endangering the secret of dragons. |
| 3 | 2 | After a fight with her mom, Jun joins Tom on an adventure into the Fire Realm, where her knowledge of myths saves the day. |
| 3 | 3 | When a tiny Fireworm dragon ends up at ICARIS, Alex must decide between her mom's excitement and keeping the dragon secret. |
| 3 | 4 | During an attempt to get displaced Fire Gronckles back to their native realm, D'Angelo accidentally feeds them Catastrophic Quaken eggs. |
| 3 | 5 | Eugene discovers the Lair and demands a dragon of his own. |
| 3 | 6 | The dragon riders must sneak a very sick Magma Breather into the ICARIS infirmary. |
| 3 | 7 | The Sky Torcher and Flame Throwers invade the Crystal Realm; Tom must conquer his demons and bond with the Fault Ripper to defeat the Sky Torcher. |
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1 | Tom and the riders discover the Ice Realm and find Buzzsaw inside. |
| 4 | 2 | Alex and Eugene find themselves at odds with Tom and their fellow dragon riders when Feathers and Webmaster go missing during a blizzard in the Ice Realm. |
| 4 | 3 | Jun struggles to convince Tom to trust her faith in myths over the Book of Dragons when they venture to a place that his book seems to say is extremely dangerous. |
| 4 | 4 | Tom’s leadership abilities come into question by Eugene when his decisions lead to failure while attempting to confront Buzzsaw. |
| 4 | 5 | Tom and Thunder discover a baby Nightlight and must bring him back to Thunder’s home realm. |
| 4 | 6 | When Thunder’s clan of fellow Nightlights is attacked by the Snow Wraith, Tom vows to rescue them. |
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1 | While punished, Tom must sneak out to rescue the Riders from Buzzsaw. |
| 5 | 2 | Tom orchestrates a “safe” tour of the realms to convince Olivia that the Hidden World is safe for them to explore. |
| 5 | 3 | A mischievous new breed of dragons called Vine Tails steal the Book of Dragons. |
| 5 | 4 | Tom and the riders must work together to rescue Eugene from a dragon’s nest. |
| 5 | 5 | Tom must rescue Olivia from the Hidden World when she winds up getting herself frozen by a pack of hungry Speed Stingers. |
| 5 | 6 | When a deep freeze puts the lives of everyone in Rakke Town in jeopardy, the riders must attempt to use the dragons to get the humans through the night without being seen. |
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 1 | Tom struggles under the pressure of being the new ‘Dragon Whisperer’ for Rakke Town; Thunder rises to the occasion to help him. |
| 6 | 2 | When the parents leave for the night and tell the riders not to bring the dragons to the surface while they’re gone, D’Angelo and Eugene get locked in the hangar (with the dragons!) after Eugene triggers a security lockdown. |
| 6 | 3 | Jun forms an unlikely connection with Sledkin. |
| 6 | 4 | Eugene’s bond with Webmaster is put to the test when Webmaster leaves the group for a pack of Deathgrippers. |
| 6 | 5 | Tom sets out to prove Sledkin caused an explosion that injured a dragon in the Hidden World. |
| 6 | 6 | When the dragons fall victim to Buzzsaw’s poison darts, D struggles to keep a cool head and find a cure while others panic. |
| 6 | 7 | Tom and the riders “borrow” the bathysphere to rescue a dragon from the depths of the Giant Realm Sea. |
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | When Phil threatens to shut down D’Angelo’s new dragon hospital and ban dragons from ICARIS, D’Angelo and a little Hobgobbler have to change his mind. |
| 7 | 2 | While Tom struggles with admitting his feelings for Jun, the pair find themselves trapped inside a giant tree with an anxious colony of Woodchipper dragons. |
| 7 | 3 | Thunder must wrangle and lead the Hero Dragons in a desperate attempt to save Tom and the riders from a dangerous new dragon, The Glass Caster. |
| 7 | 4 | When Jun does a Tarot reading for the team, she interprets its meaning to be that the riders will disband! In an effort to defy this fate, Jun forces the group to stick together as they search for a dragon that has breached the Rakke Town eel barrier. |
| 7 | 5 | With the dragon riders disbanded, Eugene attempts to start his own Dragon Club. |
| 7 | 6 | When Thunder accidentally fries Alex’s tablet, Alex goes off on her own and is captured by Buzzsaw. |
| 7 | 7 | Tom and the riders must finally overcome their differences and come together as a team to survive the Dark Realm. |
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | 1 | Tom attempts to defeat the World Serpent by emulating Hiccup. |
| 8 | 2 | Tom and the dragon riders foster displaced Hidden Realm dragons in Rakke Town but things get complicated when Mr. Rakke makes a surprise visit. |
| 8 | 3 | The Dragon riders enlist the aid of Carla and Hazel and their scientific knowledge to help them prepare for a mission to neutralize Jörmungandr so they can return him to his chamber and seal him back inside. |
| 8 | 4 | Tom and the riders must rescue Plowhorn from Sledkin when the villain abducts the dragon to help her find the Gods Realm and the Dragonsite jewel. |
| 8 | 5 | Tom’s overconfidence turns to frustration then despair as he struggles to procure the ingredients for Gronckle Iron in hopes of building a trap to stop the World Serpent. |
| 8 | 6 | After a major miscalculation by Tom in 225 leaves the fate of the Realms in jeopardy, Jun and the riders rally behind Tom and Thunder to face off against the World Serpent. |
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