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Dragons: The Nine Realms - Follow the Lightning (1) (S2E6)
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.
| Runtime (min) | 23 |
|---|---|
| TMDB Rating | 9.0 (2 votes) |
| Air Date | 2022-05-05 |
| Genres | Animation, Action & Adventure |
| TV Rating | TV-Y7-FV |
| Network(s) | Hulu, Peacock |
Storyline
When Thunder goes missing, Tom rallies the Dragon Riders to mount a rescue mission deep into uncharted territory. The search takes them through a gauntlet of hostile dragon species and treacherous terrain, testing both their flying skills and their ability to work as a team under pressure. Each obstacle brings them closer to Thunder's location but also raises the stakes as they venture farther from the safety of their established routes.
During the dangerous journey, Tom makes a pivotal decision to reveal his closely guarded secret to D'Angelo and Alex. This disclosure marks a significant turning point in the group's dynamic, as Tom trusts his friends with information he has been protecting throughout their adventures together. The revelation comes at a critical moment when honesty and trust become essential to their mission's success, deepening the bonds between the riders as they continue their search for Thunder.
What kids learn
This episode demonstrates the importance of trust and vulnerability within friendships. Tom's decision to share his secret with D'Angelo and Alex shows children that opening up to trusted friends, even when it feels risky, can strengthen relationships and create deeper connections. The episode illustrates that keeping secrets can become a burden, and that choosing the right moment to be honest requires both courage and judgment.
The rescue mission itself teaches persistence and loyalty. Tom and the riders refuse to abandon Thunder despite the mounting dangers they face, modeling how true friendship means showing up for others even when circumstances are difficult. Children see that caring for friends sometimes requires personal sacrifice and stepping outside comfort zones.
The episode also explores teamwork under stress. As the riders navigate dangerous dragon encounters, they must communicate effectively, trust each other's abilities, and support one another through fear and uncertainty. Young viewers learn that working together through challenges, rather than facing them alone, increases the chances of success and makes difficult experiences more manageable.
Parents' top 5 questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is the secret Tom reveals to his friends? | Tom shares a significant piece of information he has been keeping from D'Angelo and Alex throughout their adventures together. The revelation happens during their dangerous mission to find Thunder, at a moment when honesty becomes crucial to their success. The secret relates to Tom's personal connection to the dragons and the hidden realm, and his decision to finally share it marks an important development in his character growth and his trust in his fellow riders. |
| How dangerous are the dragon encounters in this episode? | The episode features multiple confrontations with hostile dragon species as the riders navigate unfamiliar territory. These encounters are presented as genuine threats that require the team to use their skills and work together strategically. While the action is exciting and creates tension, the show maintains its typical adventure tone without graphic violence. The dragons are portrayed as territorial or defensive rather than purely aggressive, and the riders focus on evasion and problem-solving rather than combat. |
| Is Thunder hurt or in serious danger? | Thunder's disappearance drives the entire rescue mission, and the episode builds suspense around his unknown condition and location. The riders face increasingly difficult obstacles as they search, suggesting Thunder is in a precarious situation. However, as the first part of a two-part story, the episode ends before Thunder's fate is fully resolved, leaving his ultimate condition to be revealed in the conclusion of this arc. |
| How do D'Angelo and Alex react to Tom's secret? | The episode portrays D'Angelo and Alex processing Tom's revelation during an already stressful situation. Their reactions reflect the weight of what Tom shares and how it affects their understanding of their friend and their mission. The disclosure happens at a critical juncture in the rescue attempt, meaning the friends must navigate both the emotional impact of the secret and the immediate dangers they face, testing their friendship and their ability to stay focused under pressure. |
| Does this episode resolve or end on a cliffhanger? | As the first part of a two-part story arc, this episode ends without fully resolving the search for Thunder. The cliffhanger structure means families should be prepared to watch the second part to see how the rescue mission concludes and what happens after Tom's revelation. The episode builds tension and raises stakes throughout, setting up the resolution that comes in the following installment rather than providing closure within this single episode. |
Writing
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Directing
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| 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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