Fault Ripper
Episode 6 of Dragons: The Nine Realms begins with the most intense earthquake Project Icarus has seen to date. With stakes as high as ever, Tom, Jun, D’Angelo, and Alex must come up with a plan to protect their dragon friends while their parents unknowingly threaten to encroach on the dragons’ lair.
What is the plan to stop the earthquakes?
Olivia discovers that another big earthquake could send the entire research facility into the ravine. She has an idea to prevent this, but it’s risky. If they send explosives into the rift, it may stabilize the structure.
Who is Dr. Sledkin?
When Olivia pitches her idea to everyone, an unknown person pops up out of nowhere. It’s Dr. Sledkin, who is apparently Olivia’s former rival.
She works for Rakke Corporation too and has been sent to keep an eye on the facility. While she doesn’t like Olivia’s plan, everyone still opts for it as the only viable option. They decide to drop a probe at dawn.
How does the Dragon Club prevent the explosions?
Although Tom trusts his mom, he and his friends worry about what will happen to the dragons if the explosives collapse any caves in the fissure.
They decide it would be safest to bring the dragons back to the hidden world. Unfortunately, if the caves do collapse the dragons will be permanently separated from the kids.
What has been causing the earthquakes?
After they bring the dragons back safely to the hidden world, the kids return home. Before they get back, however, a huge dragon erupts from the earth. The kids deem it the “Fault Ripper.” This beast is a burrowing dragon that’s been behind all the quakes that have erupted from the fissure.
Tom still wants to keep the dragons a secret, so he hatches a plan. If they return to retrieve their dragons, they can chase off the Fault Ripper. Stopping the earthquakes would mean no explosions needed. Their problems would be solved.
How do Tom and Jun get back to the dragons?
Utilizing Alex’s hacking skills, the kids are able to get past security and steal one of Rakke Corp’s probes. D’Angelo operates it, plunging Tom and Jun into the ravine.
Once down there, they see the Fault Ripper. Fortunately, he can’t see them—but he can hear them.
When D’Angelo runs out of cable, Tom and Jun have to make a jump for the cave. Just as they do, Phil brings the probe back up, and D’Angelo narrowly escapes being caught.
Tom and Jun are now stranded. Not only that: the cave that leads to the hidden world has collapsed.
Luckily, the dragons are able to break free from the inside. But they still have the Fault Ripper to deal with.
Does Oliva see Tom riding Thunder?
Olivia and Phil take the probe down at dawn, as planned. They set off a couple of explosions, which attracts the Fault Ripper. The dragon runs into the probe, causing them to fall unconscious.
She wakes up briefly and sees Tom riding past on his dragon, Thunder. But she quickly falls unconscious again.
What happens to the Fault Ripper?
D’Angelo joins Tom and Jun to help fight off the Fault Ripper. Meanwhile, Alex stays on land, too scared to fight.
Eventually, their dragons all run out of firepower, and the Fault Ripper backs them into a corner. Just then, Alex comes riding in on Feathers.
Feathers’ special power involves letting out a powerful shriek, which has an incredible effect on the Fault Ripper.
The burrowing dragon falls, but it takes Tom and Thunder with it. The rest of the crew assume they must all be dead. After a few moments, however, Tom and Thunder rush up towards them, leading everyone to cheer.
Alex asks what happened to the Fault Ripper, and Tom simply responds, “I don’t know. But I hope he’s okay.”
How does Dragons: The Nine Realms Season 1 end?
Olivia and Phil are eventually pulled out of the rift. Everyone celebrates Olivia’s success now that the fault appears to have stabilized. Olivia says all she remembers are the explosions, but she can vaguely picture something flying in her memory.
Back at the hidden world, Tom, Jun, D’Angelo, and Alex all mark their handprints on a stone. They pledge to continue to be the protectors of dragons.
Thunder leaves his own mark on the stone. Curiously, it matches the dragon mark on one of Tom’s possessions: a Viking hat that connects him to his ancestors.
The Episode Review
The Dragons: The Nine Realms season finale leaves off fairly open-ended, obviously setting the show up for a second season.
The character-driven plots and team-building efforts from the prior episodes culminate here in one emotionally-rendered final fight. The finale does well to drive home the show’s central themes of friendship and of bonding together to protect the weak.
The episode does drop the ball in some respects however. Dr. Sledkin’s character pops up out of nowhere. She doesn’t have any significance to this season except to hint at future conflict.
There’s also the questionable outcome for the Fault Ripper. The protagonists are bright, astute kids. They should know that if the Fault Ripper isn’t dead, the earthquakes will not stop. So season 1 concludes with the possibility that absolutely no problems have been solved—not exactly a note you want to end on!
All in all, Dreamworks’ new Dragon series delivers a fair last episode, on par with the rest of the series. Let us know what you thought of the season finale!
Thanks for reading our Ending Explained article! So what did you think of the ending? Let us know in the comments below!
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Episode Rating
(2.5)