Following the events of the last episode, Gobber convinces Stoick to learn how to ride dragons, and Hiccup starts giving his dad lessons. Meanwhile, a rogue dragon is plundering Berk's fishing ships.
Tropes
- Call-Back:
- Gobber points out that dragons can help protect Berk from invaders like Alvin.
- Likewise, the blacksmith is still the dragon dentist on the island.
- Hiccup reiterates that bonding with a dragon requires trust. Stoick finally gets it by the end of the episode.
- During the Terrible Interviewees Montage, Hookfang burns Stoick's trousers the way he's burned Snotlout before. It puts Stoick off wanting a Monstrous Nightmare.
- Chekhov's Skill: Gobber's dentistry and dragon doctoring allows him to help the Thunderdrum's friend.
- Continuity Snarl: Apparently when Hiccup asks Stoick how he and Gobber met, Stoick answers that it was after Gobber had said something disrespectful to his wife and Stoick fought him. However, in both the first and second films, it’s stated that Gobber and Stoick knew each other at least since they were teenagers.
Word of God also states that the two had known each other their entire lives. Although given that Stoick wasn’t really listening to Hiccup it is likely he made this up. - Defeat Means Friendship: Stoick operates on this principle, as shown when he recreates for Hiccup how the chief of Berk and Gobber became friends.
- Drives Like Crazy: Stoick with Toothless, because he has powerful movements with the pedal without Hiccup's finesse.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Stoick and the Thunderdrum finally bond to protect the Thunderdrum's injured friend from a pack of boars.
- Full-Boar Action: Stoick and the Thunderdrum fight a pack of vicious boars, who are drawn there by the smell of the blood of the Thunderdrum's friend.
- Glad I Thought of It: Stoick word for word quotes the myth about Thunderdrums that Hiccup said to him earlier. Hiccup remarks "So I've heard."
- Gone Horribly Right: Stoick realizes how useful dragons are to help with his chiefing, and takes Toothless regularly to do his chiefing. Hiccup is worried because the chief is to heavy for Toothless to ride, and it leaves Hiccup without his dragon.
- Logical Weakness: Stoick is too large for Toothless, leaving the dragon exhausted with repeated ridings. Toothless also doesn't have the energy to buck off the chief, and resorts to hiding from him in the hut rafters.
- Meaningful Echo: Stoick repeating Hiccup's lesson about trust at the end of the episode, showing that he was listening.
- Running Gag: It seems that Stoick doesn't listen to Hiccup, and no one else does when the chief is present.
- Steel Ear Drums: Thunderdrums roar with a deafening force, yet Thornado roaring straight at Bucket and Mulch does nothing to their ears.
- Terrible Interviewees Montage: The other teens showing their dragons off as potential mounts for Stoick.
