← Back to show
Dragons: The Nine Realms - Empty Fireworm Nest (S3E3)
When a tiny Fireworm dragon ends up at ICARIS, Alex must decide between her mom's excitement and keeping the dragon secret.
| Runtime (min) | 23 |
|---|---|
| Air Date | 2022-08-18 |
| Genres | Animation, Action & Adventure |
| TV Rating | TV-Y7-FV |
| Network(s) | Hulu, Peacock |
Storyline
When a tiny Fireworm dragon unexpectedly arrives at the ICARIS research station, Alex finds herself caught between two worlds. Her mother, a scientist at the facility, is thrilled by the discovery and eager to study this rare specimen. Meanwhile, Alex knows that revealing the dragon's presence could expose the secret realm and put all the dragons at risk.
Alex must navigate the difficult choice between her loyalty to her mother and her commitment to protecting the dragons. The episode explores the tension between scientific curiosity and the need for secrecy, as Alex weighs her mother's professional excitement against the potential consequences of discovery. The Fireworm's small size and vulnerable state add urgency to Alex's decision, forcing her to act quickly before the situation spirals beyond her control.
What kids learn
This episode teaches children about the complexity of loyalty and the reality that doing the right thing sometimes means disappointing people we love. Alex's dilemma illustrates that ethical choices are not always clear-cut, especially when family relationships are involved. Young viewers learn that protecting vulnerable creatures and keeping important promises can require difficult sacrifices, even when it means withholding information from a parent.
The story also explores the value of scientific curiosity while demonstrating that knowledge-seeking must be balanced with responsibility and care for living beings. Children see that excitement about discovery should not override concern for the well-being of others. Alex's situation models how to think critically about consequences before acting, considering not just immediate outcomes but longer-term impacts on entire communities.
Additionally, the episode reinforces themes of trust and the weight of keeping secrets for good reasons. Children learn that some secrets protect others rather than deceive, and that discernment is required to know when confidentiality serves a greater good.
Parents' top 5 questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How should I talk to my child about Alex lying to her mother? | Focus on the distinction between deceptive lies and protective secrets. Alex is not lying for personal gain but to protect vulnerable dragons from potential harm. Discuss with your child how her dilemma shows that some situations require weighing competing values, and that protecting others can sometimes mean withholding information. Emphasize that this is an exceptional fictional scenario, and in real life, children should generally be honest with parents about important matters. |
| What age is appropriate for understanding Alex's moral dilemma? | Children around seven and older can begin to grasp that Alex faces competing loyalties rather than a simple right-or-wrong choice. Younger viewers may need help understanding why Alex cannot simply tell her mother everything. Use the episode as a springboard to discuss how sometimes good people have different priorities, and that making hard choices is part of growing up and taking responsibility for commitments we have made to others. |
| Does Alex's mother find out about the dragons in this episode? | The episode centers on Alex's struggle to keep the Fireworm hidden from her mother's scientific interest. Without revealing specific plot outcomes, the tension between secrecy and discovery drives the story. The episode provides an opportunity to discuss with your child how Alex handles pressure and makes decisions when facing difficult circumstances that test her ability to maintain important secrets while respecting her parent. |
| What does this episode teach about respecting wildlife? | The Fireworm's vulnerability highlights the importance of prioritizing a creature's well-being over human curiosity or scientific ambition. Alex's protective instinct demonstrates that discovery and study must be balanced with care and respect for living beings. Children learn that excitement about encountering wildlife should include consideration of the animal's needs, safety, and natural habitat, rather than viewing creatures primarily as objects of research or entertainment. |
| How can I use this episode to discuss family relationships? | Alex's situation shows that loving family members can have different values and priorities, and that children sometimes face choices their parents would not understand or approve of. Discuss how Alex respects her mother while also honoring her own commitments. Emphasize that while the episode presents an extraordinary fictional scenario, open communication with parents is important in real life, and that trust between family members is built through honesty and mutual respect over time. |
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. |
This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.