Dragons: The Nine Realms - Rise of Jörmungandr (S7E7)
Tom and the riders must finally overcome their differences and come together as a team to survive the Dark Realm.
| Runtime (min) | 23 |
|---|---|
| Air Date | 2023-09-14 |
| Genres | Animation, Action & Adventure |
| TV Rating | TV-Y7-FV |
| Network(s) | Hulu, Peacock |
Storyline
In this climactic episode of Dragons: The Nine Realms, Tom and his fellow dragon riders find themselves trapped in the dangerous Dark Realm, where survival depends on their ability to work together. The team has been fractured by disagreements and personal conflicts throughout their journey, but the hostile environment and mounting threats force them to confront their differences head-on. As the episode title suggests, the legendary Jörmungandr—a massive, serpent-like dragon from Norse mythology—rises as a formidable challenge that no single rider can face alone.
The riders must pool their unique skills, trust one another's judgment, and coordinate their dragons' abilities to navigate the treacherous terrain and overcome the dangers that lurk in the Dark Realm. The episode emphasizes the importance of unity and collaboration as the team learns that their individual strengths only become truly powerful when combined. Through facing this ultimate test together, Tom and his friends discover what it truly means to function as a cohesive team rather than a collection of individuals.
What kids learn
This episode teaches children the essential value of teamwork and the importance of setting aside personal differences when facing shared challenges. Young viewers see that disagreements and conflicts within a group are natural, but overcoming them requires communication, compromise, and a willingness to prioritize the group's success over individual pride. Tom and the riders demonstrate that everyone brings unique strengths to a team, and recognizing the value in others' contributions makes the entire group stronger.
Children also learn about trust and interdependence through the riders' experiences in the Dark Realm. The episode shows that relying on others isn't a weakness but a necessary part of achieving difficult goals. When the team members support one another and coordinate their efforts, they accomplish what would be impossible alone. This reinforces the idea that collaboration often leads to better outcomes than solo efforts.
Additionally, the episode explores perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds. The riders don't give up when confronted with danger; instead, they adapt, regroup, and find creative solutions together. This teaches children resilience and the importance of maintaining hope and determination even when situations seem dire.
Parents' top 5 questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Is this episode too scary for younger children? | The Dark Realm setting creates a tense, ominous atmosphere with shadowy visuals and the appearance of Jörmungandr, a massive serpent-like dragon that serves as a formidable threat. While the episode maintains the series' adventure tone without graphic violence, the darker environment and high-stakes survival scenario may be intense for sensitive younger viewers. Parents know their children best and might consider watching together to provide reassurance during suspenseful moments. |
| What conflicts do the riders need to overcome? | The episode addresses interpersonal conflicts and disagreements that have been building among the team members throughout their adventures. While specific disputes vary, the riders must confront issues of trust, differing opinions on strategy, and personal pride that have prevented them from working effectively together. The resolution focuses on communication and mutual respect rather than one person being right or wrong, modeling healthy conflict resolution for young viewers. |
| Does the episode have positive messages about friendship? | Yes, the core message centers on the strength found in unity and the importance of valuing each team member's contributions. The riders learn that true friendship means supporting one another through difficulties and recognizing that working together makes everyone stronger. The episode demonstrates that overcoming differences and building trust creates deeper, more meaningful relationships than simply avoiding conflict altogether. |
| Is Jörmungandr portrayed as purely evil? | The episode presents Jörmungandr as a dangerous creature native to the Dark Realm rather than a villain with malicious intent. Consistent with the series' approach to dragons, the creature represents a natural threat within its environment rather than embodying pure evil. This distinction helps children understand that danger and conflict don't always stem from malice, and that respecting powerful forces in nature is important. |
| What makes this episode different from earlier team challenges? | This episode represents a turning point where the riders cannot succeed through individual heroics or temporary cooperation—they must genuinely unite as a cohesive team. The Dark Realm's dangers and Jörmungandr's threat are specifically designed to require coordinated effort, making this a more significant test of their relationships and abilities. The stakes are higher, and the lesson about teamwork is more profound than in previous episodes where conflicts were more easily resolved. |
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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