No Going Back Now: A Recap of HotD’s Episode 7

We’re almost to the finish line! Read on for a recap and analysis of House of the Dragon’s thrilling penultimate episode.

Elizabeth Beaver –
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Three people standing in front of a stone barrier, looking at something below. There are graphics of fire and a dragon surrounding the woman with blonde hair and a red dress in the middle of the image.

Spoiler Alert: Read at your own risk!

Welcome to the penultimate episode recap! This season of House of the Dragon has been a total success, banging out complex plots, compelling characters, and a lot of dragons! I will admit that the new episode occasionally stalled in those aspects; it was clear that the showrunners were just focused on building up the plot in preparation for the climactic final episode and honestly I think it worked. This episode has made me more excited than ever for the finale because I am actually going insane trying to figure out what happens. Be warned: there are spoilers for Episode 7 of HotD ahead!

Seasmoke’s New Rider

The episode begins with an intimidating scene between Rhaenyra and Addam of Hull, who has recently acquired the dragon Seasmoke. As you might recall, the last episode ended as Rhaenyra flew off to confront Addam, believing he had stolen the dragon. In this episode, the audience collectively holds their breath as Rhaenyra threatens Addam, demanding to know what he is doing with Seasmoke. Luckily for everyone, Addam seems apologetic, explaining how he was approached by the dragon, not the other way around. He wants to serve Rhaenyra and learn the ways of the Dragonriders. Phew. In the last episode he seemed overly ambitious, so let’s hope this strokes his ego enough and he doesn’t do something crazy.

A wide shot of a beach where two dragons are far away from each other, facing each other. There is a person standing in front of each dragon, facing each other in the same manner. The scene is shown from extremely far away.
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Next, we transition to King’s Landing, where Larys Strong is talking with Lord Wylde, better known as “Ironrod,” apparently. (I learned this from the captions, I swear I have never heard this guy’s name before.) This Ironrod guy tells Larys about Seasmoke’s new rider and how he heard it in a “friend of a friend of a friend” way. Larys seemingly doesn’t believe him, advising him to keep that information to himself. I’m sure that won’t come back to bite him (perhaps literally).

The small council in Dragonstone, argumentative as ever, is discussing this same matter. They think they should take Addam prisoner, not do as he wants, and teach him to be a Dragonrider. Luckily Corlys comes to the rescue, telling everyone to wait for the Queen before passing any more judgment. A lesson they would wisely remember in all situations, honestly.

A man (Corlys) wears blue clothing and stands near a table with candles. We can only see his torso up, and he is looking slightly below the camera.
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An Army of Bastards

Rhaenyra, however, does not appear in that small council meeting; the first thing she does when she returns from her encounter with Addam is seeking Mysaria’s aid. I’m hoping for more of their relationship in the next episode, I think they work well together! After discussing how Addam got his dragon they conclude that dozens of other lowborn people of Targaryen descent are willing to claim dragons. All Rhaenyra has to do is seek them out.

During this scene, the issue of “legitimacy” is brought up — whether it’s counterintuitive that the Targaryens, a house that prides itself on the purity of its bloodlines, will seek out bastards to fight for them. Mysaria tells Rhaenyra, “A common shipwright vows to serve you while your brothers seek to destroy you. The order of things has changed, your Grace.” Rhaenyra acquiesces, saying, “For twenty years the lords of this realm levied insults at my sons behind my back… Let us raise an army of bastards.” Oh, how the tables are turning!!

Two women (Rhaenyra, left and Mysaria, right) face each other in a large room. Rhaenyra sits at a desk covered in books, cups, and dried flowers. Mysaria stands in front of the table, and it is really dark.
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Oscar the Grouch

Back to the psychopath we know and love, Daemon is chatting with the young Oscar Tully, head of House Tully after his grandfather’s recent death. Oscar maintains that Daemon is a terrible person and no one likes him but admits that it would be smart to default back to his grandfather’s position; he had sworn allegiance to Viserys, and in turn, Rhaenyra. Therefore, Oscar convinces the other Riverlords to swear allegiance to Daemon. That’s a win for Oscar, but he also convinces Daemon to kill Willem Blackwood in a sick and twisted form of justice so I’m not sure what’s in store for this little tyrant in the making.

A man (Daemon) with blonde hair is facing a boy (Oscar) with curly brown hair. Oscar is wearing leather armor and Daemon is wearing black.
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Two Kings

Daemon finishes that ugly business and retreats to his chamber, where he has another vision of the late King Viserys. This version of the King is old and withered, his body rotting away from time and infection. He tells Daemon that he never wanted the crown and that it crushes whoever wears it. He faces Daemon head-on and says, hauntingly, “Do you want it, still?” The scene ends there, but I think we’re all hoping Daemon said no. He is not even remotely fit to be King. Maybe this is Daemon’s curse; while Viserys physically deteriorated from the crown’s influence, Daemon’s affliction is more mental.

An old and withered man (Viserys) holding a crown and looking at another man (Daemon) who has blonde hair. They are both sitting on a bed in a dark room.
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Aegon is Not Doing Well…

Back to Aegon, who I’m astonished is still alive, we see a glimpse of his recovery routine with the Grand Maester. It seems to consist of him walking a teeny, tiny bit — and then being in immeasurable pain and having to lay down and rest. Larys Strong is (for some unknown reason) not a fan of Aegon resting, and he tells Aegon to just… try harder? Thanks, Larys, I don’t know why he didn’t try that before.

… and Neither is Alicent

Alicent has now “abandoned ship,” so to say, and is just chilling in the Kingswood with a member of the royal guard. She does not want to leave; she wanders and floats in the lake, avoiding responsibility. Bro, I know how you feel. Meanwhile Rhaena, along with Rhaenyra’s kids, depart for Pentos, but Rhaena abandons the party and goes off to search for the Vale’s elusive wild dragon.

A woman (Alicent) with brown hair and a white dress floats in a body of water. We see her in a top-down view.
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Anyone Can Claim a Dragon

In Dragonstone, Jacaerys and Rhaenyra are having a heated conversation that quickly turns into a fight. While Rhaenyra has embraced her “army of bastards,” Jace is not keen on the idea. He calls the lowborn “mongrels” and tells Rhaenyra that, while he knows he is a bastard, his claim to the throne would always be legitimate because of his dragon. Now he says even that won’t matter if any “mongrel” descendant can claim one.

A woman with blonde hair (Rhaenyra) looks sternly at a boy with curly black hair (Jacaerys). We can only see from their chests up.
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Speaking of descendants, we find that Hugh Hammer, who we’ve seen before in bits and pieces of scenes, will attempt to claim a dragon and join the fight. As it turns out, Hugh’s mother worked in a pleasure house but was one of King Jaehaerys’s children, aunt to Viserys and Daemon. So how on earth did she end up a sex worker? We’ll find out later (if at all) because now it’s time for dragons!

After a quick pep talk from Rhaenyra, the smallfolk she gathered make their way into the dragon Vermithor’s den. As somewhat expected, Vermithor rejects the smallfolk and decimates the entire chamber. Luckily, Hugh manages to survive, along with very few others. With some newfound courage, he saves a woman’s life by sacrificing himself to Vermithor, who chooses him as his rider instead of eating him. I don’t know about you guys, but I saw that coming; there was no way they were killing off Hugh just yet. Or maybe Vermithor was just full?

A large and dark chamber littered with fire, that has a man in it. He is facing a giant dragon, whose head is the only thing we can see.
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We can’t forget about the other dragon! Silverwing also needs to be claimed, which happens accidentally as this guy Ulf stumbles into her chamber. This scene was the very definition of the “she’s right behind me isn’t she” trope; it was hilarious watching Ulf slowly stand up as he hears Silverwing breathe behind him.

A man with light hair holds a torch and looks with panic off to the right. The angle is from the bottom up, and we can only see from his chest and above.
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A Force To Be Reckoned With

To show King’s Landing that the Blacks are not to be messed with, Ulf parades Silverwing around King’s Landing, circling the city and then flying off towards Dragonstone. Aemond, the king of confrontation, immediately hops onto Vhagar and follows them, hoping to take Silverwing and Ulf out before they cause more trouble. Unfortunately, he soon realizes he is completely outmatched and calls for Vhagar to turn around. The camera zooms in on Rhaenyra standing in front of not one, not two, but three enormous dragons in one of the most epic shots of the show. Fade to black. Nice.

A woman with blonde hair (Rhaenyra) is wearing an ornate red dress and standing in front of a castle. There are three dragons behind her, one on the castle and two on the hill in front of the castle.
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Honestly, that last scene hit the spot. Rhaenyra being a badass with her army of dragons and Aemond running away from a fight (for probably the first time)? Yes, please! This episode may have been mostly filler in preparation for the season finale but it was not without its epic moments, especially with Rhaenyra. I am so pumped to see her showing off her dragons and decimating anyone who gets in her way. Hopefully, this war will stop dead in its tracks before it gets to any bloodshed but if we must have an epic battle I’m about 99% sure the Blacks would win. What are you hoping to see in the final episode? Let us know on Instagram, Facebook, or X.

You can check out our recap of the last episode, too!

Need more content like House of the Dragon while waiting for the finale? Then you’ll love our fantasy novels bookshelf.

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