How to Pick Your Dragon


 * "Here on Berk we've always done things one way: the Viking way. Since the dragons came the Viking way has become, well.. the hard way. Unfortunately some people like my father still refuse to change." - Hiccup.

How to Pick Your Dragon is the name of the seventh episode in the TV Series. This episode air on October 3, 2012.

Plot
''Here on Berk we've always done things one way: the viking way. Since the dragons came the viking way has become, well, the hard way. Unfortunately some people, like my father, still refuse to change.''

The episode starts with Gobber and Stoick hauling in a fishing boat that is severely damaged by a rogue dragon stealing the fish upon it, among the many boats having been attacked by the same rogue dragon stealing food. Hiccup tries to convince Stoick to ride dragons, attempting to appeal to him through their current problems. However, Gobber appeals to him the most and finally convinces him to get a dragon. Stoick turns to Hiccup to ask where he may find one, but first Hiccup decides to teach him how to fly.

Outside the Dragon Academy, Hiccup introduces the specific techniques to fly Toothless to his father; having designed an add-on stirrup to accommodate Stoick's left foot, he notes how riding and getting along with a dragon is all about trust. He demonstrates this by letting him lay his hand on Toothless. However, Stoick remains reluctant about all this. After a unsuccessful attempt at riding (finally crashing down by a beach backgrounded by a large cliff), Stoick gives up, but is, yet again, faced with the problem of getting up over the cliff, which forces him to ask Hiccup for assistance.

With Hiccup at the reins, they fly over and around Berk (taking the "Scenic route", as stated by Hiccup). Hiccup tries to appeal to him again of how much easier his daily duties would be on a dragon. Stoick protests that he prefers to be on the ground, but then spots a problem from their vantage point: a field filled with fallen yaks (a yak tipping joke by Ruffnut and Tuffnut). After Toothless obliterates the twin's obvious hiding spot Stoick orders them to put the yaks back on their feet, and they fly onward. They spot some pesky wild boars helping themselves to a growing vegetable field and Hiccup orders a plasma blast to scare them off; Stoick wants him to do it again only because he likes the sound it makes. Hiccup now goes above the clouds to see the isle from above. Stoick is awestruck by its beauty, undergoing a revelation of how much he's been missing even with his thorough explorations of the island throughout his life. Hiccup at first assumes that Stoick is simply talking about the view, but his father explains that he also sees the village from the eyes of a chieftain. He directs his heir's eyes over the village, saying that he can see all his people, and that everyone is safe; he concludes that seeing this leaves him with a good feeling inside. Stoick is finally convinced on how using a dragon can aid in his position as chief.

The next morning, Hiccup wakes to find Toothless missing. When he steps outside, he, Astrid and Fishlegs witness the rather disturbing sight of Stoick not quite successfully riding Toothless. They land, explaining that he's been all over Berk with Toothless' help (who is obviously VERY tired) and that he only came home to get his hatchet to help Spitelout Jorgenson break down a fence. Hiccup tries to point out that he should not be doing so on Toothless, but Stoick takes it to mean that Toothless can do the job easily with a plasma bolt. Before he takes off again, Hiccup assures Toothless that he'll figure out a solution. Stoick is later shown to have gotten the hang of stirrup control, herding boars as Hiccup did in How to Start a Dragon Academy, retrieving run-away barrels and helping with fishing, receiving the thanks of many of the villagers. However at the end of the day, he thanks Toothless and intends to take him out tomorrow too. Toothless' exhausted body language causes Hiccup to tell Astrid "You see that? That's what it looks like to be ridden all day by a 400 pound man." Astrid says that at least he got his father on a dragon, to which he says that now he has to get him off one. Astrid advises him to compliment him and then give him the bad news (a technique called "Honey and the Hatchet").

The next morning, Stoick looks for Toothless, but can't find him... because Toothless, unable to simply refuse Stoick riding him, has opted to hide instead. Hiccup talks to his dad, first complimenting him, yet Stoick immediately acknowledges the strategy and asks him to directly give him "the hatchet". Defeated, Hiccup finally complains how Toothless is his dragon and he should find a different one of his own. Stoick concedes this to be fair, and asks Hiccup to find him one.

That day in the Dragon Academy, he looks at all the dragons (with the exception of Terrible Terrors, of course). Snotlout tries to appeal to him using an advertising-like tone, but only plans to mess with Stoick by having him sit on him and telling Hookfang to set himself ablaze. As a result, Stoick's backside is set on fire, causing him to jump into the water trough. He then looks at the Deadly Nadder hoping to find something, but, as a result of giving her a too hard thump on the nose, is almost impaled by a several flying tail spikes. He concludes that he has no interest in them because he's looking for a dragon "as good as Toothless".

All of a sudden, they are informed by Gobber that the rogue dragon is attacking yet another ship. At once, Hiccup and Stoick set out with Toothless to deal with the scenario. They find out that the rogue dragon is a Thunder Drum, described to be one of the most powerful dragons. Mulch and Bucket only have their oars to defend their catch, and after taking down the mast the Thunder Drum manages to snatch it anyway. Impressed with the dragon's fighting spirit and spunk when it forces him into a fight, Stoick captures it with a fishing net and says 'all you need to do is train it for me.' Looking at the obviously wild Thunder Drum, Hiccup, Bucket, Mulch and Toothless are lost for words.

Nonetheless, they take it back to the Dragon Training Academy, restricted by a muzzle so it can't use its sonic roar (of which Hiccup apologizes for and comments to it that now they just need one for Stoick). Hiccup tries to get them to trust each other, but they are both too stubborn. Stoick doesn't take no for an answer and flies him, against his will, anyway.

Later, Stoick returns to Hiccup and tells him that his Thunder Drum has escaped after throwing him off. All the teens fly off in different directions, trying to find it. Stoick and Hiccup (both on the back of Toothless) find him in front of a small cave. When Stoick approaches with a small mace in hand to rumble with his wild dragon once again, he sees a purple Thunder Drum with an injured wing. Stoick quickly realizes that this is why his dragon was stealing their catch, as the injured dragon could not feed or fend for itself. Stoick orders Hiccup retrieve the other trainers and stays with his Thunder Drum to investigate the problem. Wild boars have picked up the scent of the injured Thunder Drum and begin to move in, but Stoick fights them alongside his Thunder Drum, developing trust between the two and defeating the wild boars together. In this process, Stoick tears off the Thunder Drum's muzzle and it allows him to get on it's back. As one, they wait for just the right moment, then Stoick signals the dragon to roar, which blows away all the boars.

Stoick and his dragon now trust each other and have a good understanding, while the purple Thunder Drum is brought back to Berk to be healed by Gobber. After Stoick helps to tow two ships out of the harbour from the air, father and son fly out over the waters of Berk together, Stoick's dragon roaring and Toothless answering back.

''My dad still does things the viking way. Fortunately Toothless and I showed him the viking way can also be the dragon way.''

Transcript The full transcript can be found here