It was in all probability an excessive amount of to hope that the battles of “The Red Dragon and the Gold” would clear the best way for a brand new period of action-packed Westerosi drama. This week, with what appears like budgetary inevitability, House of the Dragon sees all sides course of the losses they incurred in the course of the siege of Rook’s Rest and discuss issues out at nice size. The excellent news is that they take a while out of their busy fretting schedule to plot some future strikes, and to make clear some character motivations shifting ahead. It’s not all thrilling, however it a minimum of nonetheless appears like momentum.
We open with essentially the most heartbroken character of the lot, Corlys Velaryon (Steven Toussaint), who has misplaced his spouse Rhaenys. Did he spend years of their marriage at sea? Yes. Was he 100% trustworthy? No. But does that imply he didn’t care? Also no. His granddaughter Baela (Bethany Antonia) suggests later that Corlys solely sailed his many voyages and introduced again a lot plunder to impress his spouse, and he doesn’t demur. He’s clearly pondering loss of life now, after the lack of his spouse and twin youngsters, and provides Baela the prospect to be his inheritor. She says nonetheless that she is “blood and fireplace; Driftmark should move to salt and sea.” Cute solution to practically point out the identify of the supply materials, Baela – and a call that leaves the best way open to Alyn (Abubakar Salim), who we’re practically sure is Corlys’ illegitimate son after final episode. Corlys, in the meantime, should resolve whether or not to take the place he’s provided as Rhaenyra’s (Emma D’Arcy) Hand. He’s the apparent selection, and about her greatest likelihood of getting her squabbling council so as.
In reality, squabbling councils are a function this episode, with Rhaenyra’s lords more-or-less ignoring her to bicker amongst themselves and Alicent (Olivia Cooke) out-maneuvered amongst her personal aspect. In each circumstances, the lords are involved {that a} girl can’t be a robust chief in wartime. Rhaenyra even factors out that they’ve all lived their lives in a time of peace, in order that the boys don’t have any extra expertise than her, however in personal she bemoans her lack of combat coaching. Still, two succesful ladies are left sidelined and fuming. The present has lastly remembered among the commentary on gender roles from Season 1.
How they every reply is instructive. Rhaenyra, who has been coping with this for some time now, works round her council by enlisting Mysaria’s (Sonoya Mizuno) assist to undermine her rival Greens, after which sends troublemaker Ser Alfred Broome (Jamie Kenna) to Harrenhal to seek out out precisely what her errant husband Daemon (Matt Smith) is planning. She is apprehensive – and eventually admitting brazenly – that Daemon is likely to be elevating a military for himself reasonably than her. Judging by Daemon’s personal conversations this episode, she’s spot on.
Meanwhile Alicent welcomes her son, King Aegon II (Tom Glynn Carney) dwelling. He’s on the verge of loss of life and insensible, so a minimum of a regent if not a successor have to be appointed. Alicent senses that his youthful brother Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) had some involvement in Aegon’s plight primarily based on the latter’s air of self-satisfaction, which is a minimum of partly why she fights for the regency. But her council are half fearful of the youthful man and half reluctant to belief her, so now we now have a psycho simply half a step from the Iron Throne. Same because it ever was, maybe. Even Ser Criston (Fabian Frankel), who has a reasonably stable hunch that Aemond was a minimum of interested by killing Aegon, can’t resist the attract of placing Vhagar’s rider within the sizzling seat. But it’s tremendous, there’s certainly no approach that may come again and chunk anybody within the rear – figuratively or actually.
Elsewhere, issues are getting messy. Jacaerys (Harry Collett), wanting extra Paul Atreides by the day, flies to the Twins to parlay with the Freys, who’re as venal as ever. They will assist Rhaenyra if she guarantees them Harrenhal, which she and Jacaerys are pleased with. The present holder of Harrenhal, Daemon, will not be fairly so eager. He’s making an attempt to conjure up that promised military, threatening the Brackens with draconic destruction in the event that they don’t bend the knee; when that fails, he means that their outdated enemies the Blackwoods persuade them. “There are issues the Crown can’t be seen to do. Show them your worst.”
Once once more, Daemon is suggesting the homicide of kids to realize his ends, and as soon as once more it backfires. The entire Riverland is appalled by the ensuing slaughter and the very lords he needed to win over refuse to barter with him. “Dragon or no, we will not elevate our banners for a tyrant.” It’s unusual that he may be so clear-eyed one minute – refusing to punish the Brackens for his or her defiance as a result of he desires that strength of mind – and so totally blind to consequence the subsequent.
He additionally tells Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin) outright that he is working for himself now, and desires to be addressed as “My king”. “She can’t succeed, Alys,” he says, referring to Rhaenyra. “Even if I willed it to be so, the individuals who assist her is not going to be led by her; they give the impression of being to a person for power.” Meanwhile he’s having desires not solely of his late first spouse, Laena (Nanna Blondell), but in addition of literal motherfucking. So his way of thinking appears totally wholesome.
Back in King’s Landing, there may be nearly no edible meals due to Corlys’ blockade, and the brand new regent has closed the gates to cease phrase from getting out. This additionally stops our outdated good friend Hugh the smith (Kieran Bew) fleeing the town together with his significantly sick daughter and anxious spouse. That’s a recipe for civil unrest. Even the triumphal procession again into the town in the beginning of the episode, with Meleys’ head the centrepiece, was met with basic horror. Some noticed it as a foul omen {that a} dragon died; others took be aware {that a} dragon might be slain, which could undermine the very foundation of Targaryen rule. It was removed from the triumph that Ser Criston and Ser Gwayne (Freddie Fox) hoped for.
So: shifting allegiances, redrawn battle strains and some new appointments. It’s additionally an excellent episode for lighting, with the present more-or-less having defeated Game of Thrones’ tendency to spend a complete hour at the hours of darkness. Look on the firelight in Rhaenyra’s chambers as she takes Jac’s report, or the scenes the place Alicent (briefly) holds her injured son’s hand. It’s a really unhealthy episode for Daemon, whose place appears extra precarious than ever, at the same time as he shores up Harrenhal’s partitions. Poor castellan Ser Simon Strong (Simon Russell Beale) stays diffident, however he’s more and more appalled by Daemon’s unreliability.
There’s little to no comedy to this episode, however it does finish on a optimistic be aware. Rhaenyra and Jac notice that there is likely to be folks with Targaryen blood who had by no means tried to trip a dragon: folks exterior the royal line. If so, that will enable them to place into play riderless dragons like Silverwing and Vermithor (each massive sufficient to problem Vhagar) and maybe Seasmoke, deserted by Laenor Velaryon (John MacMillan) final season. So possibly there might be extra dragon enjoyable subsequent time, and this reset could have proved worthwhile.
