Trigger Warning: There is a reference to sexual assault/CSA in this article which may be triggering to some readers. Please exercise caution when reading!
Spoiler Warning! Read at your own risk!
This season of House of the Dragon involves some of the most insane storylines that you will ever see, including major character deaths and injuries, lesbians, children out of wedlock, incest, betrayals, and epic dragons (as well as some very upsetting haircuts). This episode pretty much exemplified them all, without a moment of downtime in between scenes. Keep reading to find out what happened this week — including something we are all talking about right now.
Aemond’s Constant Betrayals
The episode begins as House Lannister, whom we know and (somewhat) love, approaches The Golden Tooth, home of House Lefford. Rude and stuck up as always, they make their home there as they prepare to attack the Riverlands and Harrenhal — for which they believe they need Aemond and his dragon. Aemond, however, suffers from the same holier-than-thou syndrome that his brother had and refuses to aid their fight himself.
After Alicent speaks multiple times during the small council, Aemond’s ego strikes again and he deems her unfit to hold a position, firing her. This elicits a quote we’ve heard from the trailer: “Have the indignities of your childhood not been sufficiently avenged?” Unfortunately, I did see this betrayal coming; the Greens’ claim to the throne is almost entirely based on sexism. It still stings, though.
Ser Steffon’s Noble Death
Back at Dragonstone, Corlys accepts his position as Hand and the Targaryens’ small council begins. Rhaenyra has come through on her plan to find riders for the remaining dragons at Dragonstone, and a man named Ser Steffon Darklyn is summoned to the council. Ser Steffon gladly accepts the challenge; unfortunately, he is burned to a crisp before he even mounts.
Daemon’s Past is Catching Up With Him
It’s time for our weekly dose of creepy Daemon dreams! Yes, my friends, Daemon is still trudging through his continuous downward spiral with little to no chance of clawing his way back up into sanity. This week, we get an appearance from none other than the beloved Paddy Considine, reprising his role as the late King Viserys. This dream is different from the others; Viserys angrily shouts at Daemon for his betrayal, calling him selfish and even bringing him to tears! It’s clear Daemon harbors some guilt for his insatiable ambition and all the cruelty he has committed in its name.
After being awoken from his dream by Simon Strong, Daemon appears incredibly paranoid. Matt Smith puts on a stunning performance as Daemon thrusts his knife at Strong’s throat, demanding he tell him what is going on. Daemon begins to unravel, accusing Strong and his council of plotting against him and betraying him before stalking out of the room with angry tears glistening in his eyes.
In the courtyard, he encounters Alys, the only one who seems to understand what he is going through. He calls BS on her supernatural explanation, saying there is no such thing as ghosts, or magic, or curses. Alys retorts, “There are older things in this world than you or I or living memory. You are not the player, but a piece on the board.” She then gives him an ominous message of good fortune and leaves him to his solitude. I don’t know about you, but I was immediately won over by Alys’s “old magic” explanation of Daemon’s dreams. I love the politics and violence of House of the Dragon, but a subplot with pseudo-magic and a haunted castle? Yes, please!! Especially when it causes Daemon pain — I have had enough of that guy.
Rhaenyra’s Power Grows
In the Red Keep, the smallfolk are continuously growing restless. Day after day, they starve and work themselves to the bone while the royals have feasts aplenty. It is clear that the Greens’ extravagant approach to the crown is only working in Rhaenyra’s favor, attracting more and more smallfolk to her side.
Do you hate the rampant entitlement and sexism of Rhaenyra’s small council members? Well, you’ll actually like this next scene! Ser Bartimos, a small council member, follows Rhaenyra down the corridor to tell her that her tactics have not worked and that there are many alternate routes — suggested by him and other old white men — that they should have taken instead. Yep, that’s right; he’s not suggesting another course of action. He’s literally telling her what she did wrong and that he could have done better. Furious, Rhaenyra finally snaps, turning to Bartimos and slapping him straight across the face. Of course, that comment earned a slap! I wanted to slap him myself. Rhaenyra follows the slap with a stern reprimand. “It is my fault, I think, that you have forgotten to fear me,” she says. Finally!
The unrest in the town only grows stronger as an entire cartful of sheep is brought for the castle’s dragons, leaving none for the angry smallfolk. Word of this finds its way to Mysaria, who discusses the importance of their support with Rhaenyra. “They are hungry and need someone to blame,” she says, suggesting they provoke the smallfolk’s dissatisfaction and send aid from the Blacks. At this point, the Blacks could do anything, and they would have the support of King’s Landing’s people. It’s not like the smallfolk are chomping at the bit to support someone who has done nothing for them.
“You Toad”
In another rare moment of humor, Larys Strong gets roasted by Aemond at their small council meeting. Aemond is remarking to Larys on his need for a new Hand, to which he proudly says he would be glad to serve. Not you, Aemond says, “you toad.” I had to pause this scene to cackle like a lunatic and the air conditioning guy who had just walked into my kitchen was clearly frightened for my sanity. Anyway, Aemond had actually intended for Otto Hightower to resume his place as Hand, which Larys clearly did not see coming. I’m okay with that. Larys is super weird (at best).
After the meeting, Aemond visits Aegon, who may actually live. He seems to be recovering somewhat swiftly, even regaining consciousness every couple of hours. Aemond doesn’t seem to want his brother to recover, though. He’s clearly enjoying his time as King and reveling in Aegon’s pain. As Aemond departs from his brother’s side, he leaves in Aegon’s hands the stone orb used in small council meetings. The meaning of this action is never explicitly stated, but to me, it seems clear. Aemond has removed Aegon’s seat at the council, implying that he intends to replace him permanently. If that wasn’t already clear from the fact that Aemond tried to burn him alive, then I don’t know how else to say it.
Rhaena Finds a Dragon
Moving on, it turns out that the Vale does indeed possess a large (wild) dragon, the very thing that Lady Arryn was trying to attain from the Targaryens. Because Rhaena — who is currently residing in the Vale with Rhaenyra’s young children — doesn’t have a dragon and desires to be of more use to the war effort, we may see her attempting to tame this one later in the season.
Addam and Alyn of Hull: Overlooked Royals
Speaking of children, Corlys’s two illegitimate sons get more screen time in this episode; Alyn of Hull is offered a job as Corlys’s first mate, which he begrudgingly accepts. Upon learning this, Alyn’s brother Addam expresses his desire to be named heir to Driftmark and claim what is rightfully theirs instead of squandering away in a port town. Addam claims that if Alyn does his job well, then Corlys will be open to the idea.
The Smallfolk Riot
Remember earlier when Rhaenyra and Mysaria talked about winning over the smallfolk? Well, that “winning over” has finally begun. Flying the Targaryen Black flag, boats come into the King’s Landing harbor, boasting meats, vegetables, fruits, and bread. A riot begins throughout the city, with people racing to the boats and fighting each other for food. Not only are they fighting each other, but they also become riled up enough to go after Alicent and Helaena, who are out on the town. The folk storm their carriage, shouting, “Long live Rhaenyra!” and banging on the sides. Not sure how the crown is gonna win these guys back over… it seems like a lost cause at this point, doesn’t it?
Alicent Raised Monsters
In another startling development, we find out that Alicent has another son back home. His name is Daeron, and he is the youngest of her children, yet he remains in Oldtown with the rest of Alicent’s Hightower family. It’s heartbreaking but fitting when she finds out that he is a very kind boy; the only one of her sons to be kind was the one who she didn’t raise.
Daemon’s Really Going Through It
In an emotionally confusing scene, Daemon has another dream of his late brother. In this one, Viserys is sobbing over Aemma, the wife who died in childbirth at the very beginning of the show. Daemon shows a rare moment of kindness as he holds Viserys in his arms, saying, “You needed me. I’m here now.” After he wakes up, Simon Strong tells him that Grover Tully has finally died, even after their own Alys Rivers tried to cure him of his long-suffering ailment. Daemon has the audacity to smile at this news, likely believing that Alys has somehow poisoned the man. After Strong leaves the room, Daemon breaks down in tears. Someone get this guy a therapist; that was like three different emotions in as many minutes.
In the meantime, Seasmoke (the dragon who rejected Steffon Darklyn earlier in the episode) has escaped from the dragon pit. He pays a little visit to Addam of Hull, giving the implication that his new rider will not be anyone of Rhaenyra’s choosing; instead, he will choose his rider himself. And he seems to have selected Addam.
The Moment We’ve All Been Waiting For
Back to the best gal pals, Rhaenyra and Mysaria, Rhaenyra confides a simple truth that they have all been avoiding: that it is not likely that she will win this war. She summarizes what the audience has known for a while now: that Daemon has always wanted the throne and will likely turn against her if he hasn’t already. Rhaenyra is growing restless sitting in Dragonstone, describing how she would rather be like Daemon, a cunning and dangerous fighter. She is losing faith in herself and in her strengths, but this is where Mysaria comes in. A loyal supporter of Rhaenyra, she talks her down from the metaphorical ledge she has found herself on.
Mysaria confides in her a memory from her childhood of the CSA she has endured at the hands of her father. She tells Rhaenyra that because of this trauma, she has sworn never to trust another. “This world is cold and cruel,” she says, “and there are few in it who are steadfast. You, I think, are steadfast… I believe you are meant to be queen.” As this is probably the nicest thing someone has said to her in a long time, Rhaenyra pulls Mysaria in her arms for a hug.
In what is a surprising but not altogether unexpected turn of events, the two’s embrace turns into something a little bit more sexually charged. In the script, actually, the two were just meant to hug, but the actors decided it would make more sense for the moment to become more than that. Kissing someone who actually treats you kindly? Unheard of in House of the Dragon. This scene had us all going, “Wow, there’s a lot of sexual tension in this scene… wait, are they KISSING? I knew it.”
Unfortunately for them, a servant bursts in and tells Rhaenyra that someone has claimed Seasmoke. He thinks it is one of the Greens, and the confidence that Mysaria seems to have imbued in Rhaenyra takes hold, and she flies off on her own dragon to confront them.
That episode, in my opinion, was the best yet. We got screen time for almost every single character and were left on a stunning cliffhanger. It seems that every storyline is on the precipice of its climax, with Seasmoke getting a rider, Rhaenyra off to (potential) battle, the town rioting, Aegon half-dead, Daemon at his wit’s end, and Alicent being booted off the council. Also, who else was glad about the lack of Criston Cole content in this episode?
You can read our recap and analysis of the last episode, too!
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