A View to a Skrill, Part 1

A View to a Skrill, Part 1 is the tenth episode of Dragons: Defenders of Berk. The episodes both aired on December 5th, 2013.

Overview
When the dragon riders discover a frozen Skrill, a lightning-powered dragon revered by the Berserkers, they scramble to get it off Berk. But when the Skrill is thawed and unleashed, Hiccup and Toothless are faced with a battle between both the Skrill and Dagur the Deranged's Berserker armada, which could prove to be more than Hiccup and his Night Fury can handle.

Major Events

 * The Skrill makes its debut.
 * Alvin and Savage capture the Skrill, with Ruffnut and Tuffnut following.

Plot
Hiccup, Snotlout, and Astrid are in a mission to find Bucket and Mulch since they are two days overdue of being gone in a fishing trip. They locate them near an iceberg, and also sees that they are in trouble, as a Beserker ship attempts to commandeer their ship in the name of Dagur. Bucket and Mulch fought many of them off swiftly but are stopped when the Beserkers aim their crossbows at them, luckily Hiccup, Snotlout, and Astrid manages to fight them back and forcing them to retreat.

Mulch explains to Hiccup that they were only trying to help the Beserkers because they thought they hit an iceberg, only to be attacked because they saw what made them come to the iceberg in the first place. Mulch points out a 'dragon' encased in a massive block of ice, and the Beserkers were attempting to dig it out. Astrid wonders what do they want with it, Hiccup has no clue but decides to find out by digging out the encased dragon themselves as they head back to Berk with it and Bucket and Mulch follows them also.

At the Academy, Snotlout and the twins suggests they blow it up but Hiccup denies that, he asks Fishlegs to let Meatlug partially melt the block of ice to get a better view of the dragon, the pair both realize that this dragon is not just any type of dragon and decides to look into the Book of Dragons just to be assure of their claim, Astrid joins them, leaving Snotlout and the Twins to guard it with Hiccup telling them not to do anything with the ice while they're gone.

At the Great Hall, tensions rise from the villagers after the incident of Bucket and Mulch with the Beserkers, though Stoick tries to plead only for peace and not jump to conclusions with the prior attack, but Gobber is convinced and shouts that the attack was a threat to Berk. Fortunately, Hiccup arrives to explain the reason why the Beserkers' attacked, because they confirmed that the dragon trap in ice is a Skrill, which Astrid then points to that the Skrill is the symbol of the Beserkers.

Meanwhile, Dagur announces after centuries, the people of the Beserker Tribe has finally found a Skrill, all thanks to Captain Vorg which he congratulates him of finding it and painfully forgives him of his failed attempt to capture it. He then announces the Skrill's superiority and dominance of being its symbol, and is prepared to take it back from Hiccup and his Night Fury.

Back on Berk, Gobber, Fishlegs, and Hiccup discusses the Skrill's incredible abilities of redirecting lightning and also storing it, Stoick just wants to take it far away from here because it's Dagur's only excuse of declaring war on Berk. Gobber suggests that they give it to him, as he claims it's only a frozen dragon carcass, but Fishlegs explains the Skrill may still be alive due to it's body temperature.

Stoick recalls the Skrill may still be alive and that Hiccup put the Twins and Snotlout to gaurd it, Hiccup begins to doubt his decision but is still sure that it's still safe and sound in the block of ice. Suddenly, a huge explosion is seen from the Academy and Toothless rushes towards it. It is revealed that the Twins and Snotlout have disobeyed Hiccup and freed the Skrill. The dragons, Twins, and Snotlout surrounds the Skrill in attempt to prevent it from breaking free, unfortunately it charges towards the exit despite Stormfly blocking it, and the Skrill flees in freedom. Hiccup, Stoick, Gobber, Fishlegs, and Astrid arrive too late, and Snotlout blames the Twins, and the Twins even try to come up with ridiculous excuses. Hiccup hears his dad worrying and wonders, Stoick explains that when he was a boy his grandfather told him tales that the Beserkers were able to tame a Skrill and use it to any of whom is in opposition, but now it seems that it's likely a probability that they can tame one after his belief is shattered of no one can ever ride a Night Fury.

Hiccup promises his dad to find the Skrill before the Beserkers do. The next day, the gang have been flying in search for the Skrill for hours with no progress, Hiccup discusses that once they capture it, they'll tame and train it, but Astrid sees that to be hardly possible but Meatlug points out weaknesses that the Skrill cannot redirect any lightning from the water. Snotlout complains that he is starving, it then gives Hiccup an idea that the Skrill might be eating due to being trapped in the ice for years.

They come across, to a sheep farm where the Skrill has just recently left, an apparently mute sheep rancher, Silent Sven explains that he drove it off by using it's head, Astrid asks if he knew where it went, they then figure out it's just high above the thunderstorm clouds. Hiccup tells the gang to stay put, as he confronts the Skrill himself and Toothless, the Skrill charges but goes toward it's side and sprints across the other Riders. Hiccup fails to try and tame the dragon, and the Skrill prepares to charge itself with lightning and aims at the Riders, barely managing to dodge the burst of lightning.

Hiccup plots to go up to the cloud and force the Skrill to retreat below, and the Rider's position below to also force it going down and into the water. The early stages of Hiccup's plan is becoming successful and is able to push it back into lower airspace, as the Twins attempt to harass it with gas, a sudden catapult strike ignites it and blows them up. The plan fails and the situation becomes difficult as Beserker ships and Dagur approaches towards them, they begin to fire at them and forces them to retreat back due to heavy fire.

They rally near a small island, and the Riders notice Snotlout's head is smoking, after he got struck by lightning in the head by the Skrill, causing him to be unable to speak appropriate language, luckily Tuffnut is able to translate his post-lightning language. Hiccup devises another plan and orders Astrid, Snotlout, and Fishlegs to attack the Beserkes to prevent them from interfering while HIccup takes the Twins with him to confront the Skrill again.

Snotlout, Astrid and Fishlegs manages to harass the Beserkers and keep them at bay as Hiccup and the Twins go towards the Skrill. In order for it to come out, the Twins create a huge trail of gas and once sparked, a huge burst of explosion is triggered forcing the Skrill to be exposed. Hiccup pursues the Skrill, and once Toothless fires a plasma ball, the Skrill counters it with lightning and explodes as a stalemate. The result causes Hiccup and Toothless caught off guard and now they fall back as the recharged Skrill is in pursuit. Dagur also sees this and learns that they have no trouble even if they interfere, and he press on the attack against Snotlout, Astrid, and Fishlegs.

Hiccup is almost pursued by the Skrill, but luckily the Twins buy them some time to escape, as they try to do it again, Barf and Belch have reach their firing limits and is unable to counter. Now, the Twins are pursued by the Skrill, and they foolishly grab all the metal they can while falling back. The Skrill has a clear shot and fires, but Hiccup and Toothless reaches them and fires a plasma blast at the lightning causing it to explode again, the range of the impact devastatingly affects the Skrill, Hiccup, and the Twins altogether. Hiccup and Toothless lands on Dagur's ship and rushes to fly away. The Riders regroup and did not acknowledge the Skrill's whereabouts after the shockwave, including the Twins.

Meanwhile, the Twins crashes on a small cliff and they are heavily disoriented. From there, they spot, at first though was a Beserker ship, but turns out to be an Outcast ship. Alvin and his men are seen taking the damaged Skrill, the Twins wonders why would Alvin want a Skrill, to find out, they decide to follow the ship although with no solid plan whatsoever. The episode ends, with the Skrill being taken to Outcast Island and Alvin the Treacherous telling it that he has big plans for the Skrill.

Transcript
The transcript for this episode is here

Trivia

 * Because this Skrill was frozen it was shown to have the hidden ability to survive decades by his internal body temperature.
 * It has been revealed that Snotlout has been struck by lightning twelve times.
 * Tuffnut knows how to speak "post-lightning Snotlout" which is gibberish that Snotlout consistently speaks after being struck by lightning and is the only Viking to know how to speak it.
 * Hookfang is able to warm Snotlout's seat while in cold areas.
 * Pun to "View To A Kill," a James Bond film. It could also be from "View to a Thrill."
 * The Berserker harold's name is revealed to be Captain Vorg.
 * There is another Viking named Sven living on Berk known as "Silent Sven". He appears to be a mute like Gothi.
 * He is the third Hooligan to be named Sven.
 * This is the third two part episode in the series after The Heather Report and We Are Family.
 * Technically Astrid wears a bit more metal than Hiccup.
 * The Berserkers were trying to dig out the Skrill with an axe head.
 * Bucket doesn't want a Skrill.
 * The Skrill is the tribal crest of the Berserker Tribe.
 * Silent Sven claims to have fought off the Skrill with his head.
 * Or at least that's how the Riders interpret it.
 * Snotlout admits to stealing sheep from Silent Sven.
 * The spines Stormfly shoots at Dagur disappear later on.