I LOVE IT when a plot comes together. After weeks of seemingly disparate threads lingering and looming around the edges of House of the Dragon, this week’s episode kicked up the dragonfire—literally and metaphorically—to set the stage for the final few episodes of season 2.
This week’s episode, credited to writer Eileen Shim and directed by Andrij Parekh (he of Succession’s “Boar on the Floor” episode), has a bit of an interesting inversion of structure. This week, the Greens and the Blacks take a bit of a back seat, still left reeling in the wake of the repercussions of the battle of Rook’s Rest. Instead, it’s Addam (Clinton Liberty), Alyn (Abubakar Salim), the smallfolk, and Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) who take a center stage. Turns out the supporting cast is a lot less supporting when pushed to the edge.
But if that’s not enough, we have a spicy kiss, another massive cameo, plenty of burninating, and even some riots for good measure. Just another good ole day in the Dance of the Dragons! Let’s get into this week’s episode.
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How to Tame a Dragon
Call Hiccup cause it’s time to train a dragon! In the wake of their plan to find new dragon riders, Jace (Harry Collett) and Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) comb through the scrolls to see that Ser Steffon Darklyn (Anthony Flanagan), a steadfast and loyal Kingsguard to their case, might have enough Targaryen in his bloodline to claim Seasmoke. A claiming test, not unlike the ones we witnessed in the first season, is set up. At first, it appears to be going quite well!
Then it goes quite poorly.
The attempt to find another dragon rider is, as Mysaria points out later in the episode, is a good one. Rhaenyra needs more resources to fight against the army amassing against her and a dragon, which, as we’ve seen, is a pretty good tool to have on your side! But the thing about dragons is that, like the gods, they have a mind of their own and look to make their own fate.
After weeks of teasing, we finally get the direct implication that both Alyn and Addam are of Valyrian descent in some form or another. While Addam doesn’t show it in quite the way Alyn does—he’s gotta shave his head to hide his silver hair—he does seem to have claimed the dragon by episode’s end. This development’s been coming for a long time, as evidenced by Addam longingly looking out into the horizon at Seasmoke in previous episodes.
What becomes interesting now is Alyn and Addam’s potential claims to the Driftmark throne. While the jury is still out on Alyn’s ability to ghost ride the whip ride a dragon, there’s a chance both men will want something in return. Granted, Alyn seems more content to be a humble servant, and Addam seems to yearn for more. Would a dragon be a bold enough prize to quench his thronely thirst?
King’s Landing in Chaos
Mysaria’s public relations campaign seems to take a lot from the Joker’s playbook. Sometimes all you really do need is a little push. What’s so great—from a storytelling perspective at least, to be clear, it’s very bad to intentionally rile up people by making them fight for food!—about how the writers have played this moment is that it’s been steadily building for weeks. There’s enough of a broad understanding about what the smallfolk are enduring that you don’t blame them for breaking bad and going crazy when the food ships arrive. That, combined with the immediate intensity of getting Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and Helaena (Phia Saban) out of the Sept, makes for a real standout sequence from Parekh; the frantic placement of the camera helps to further add to that.
If Rhaenyra can add a dragon or two to her midst and get the smallfolk to push back enough, might that be enough pressure to make an assault on King’s Landing? Particularly if Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) is distracted elsewhere? If so, that loss in the Riverlands may turn into something of a Pawn Sacrifice in favor of a much bigger and better prize.
The Return of the King
As I noted last week, Daemon’s (Matt Smith) Harrenhal Haunted House routine is starting to get a little stale—but fortunately improves this week thanks to a (much needed) clearing of the air between Daemon and Alys (Gayle Rankin) and another cameo in the form of Paddy Considine’s Viserys.
What’s particularly interesting about the visions/dreams/nightmares Daemon has is that they could be viewed as a pseudo-flashback, too. We don’t know the context of either of those events and their reactions to them behind closed doors, so it’s fun to interpret these as such. Is this actually what happened between them? Are they an entirely Alys-induced figment of Daemon’s imagine? Both? Neither? It’s fun to pull on that thread, even if it ultimately doesn’t matter that much. The point of the matter is that Viserys’s reappearance is enough for Daemon to take a beat and realize that he’s approaching the situation in the wrong way. As to whether or not he’s shifted away from his own fledgling claim to actually supporting Rhaenyra, well, that verdict is still out. But the curated cry of relief he emits after hearing of Lord Tully’s death is enough to keep him going for now. Even if there’s maybe a hint of fear about what Alys is capable of doing.
Odds & Ends
- Man, the scene between Larys (Matthew Needham) and Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) is both a wonderful standout scene for both performances—especially nice for Needham to play something other than foot fetishist for a second — but also harkens back to one of the best moments in Game of Thrones: Cripples, bastards, and broken things.
- Few things I love more in a fantasy story than a discussion of power and who seeks or doesn’t seek it. We get two of those this week—Daemon and Alys as well as Addam and Alyn.
- I’ve gotta say, I really love the work Olivia Cooke’s doing over these last few weeks. She gets a lot of self-reflection this week as she understands the role she’s played, willing and unwillingly, to render her nearly powerless.
- We also get a mention of her youngest son, Daeron! While we haven’t seen him, it does sound like he’s an otherwise well-adjusted lad.
- Oh, and yeah, we got a very interesting character development between Mysaria and Rhaenyra. Who doesn’t love a little library smooch! It’s my understanding that Mysaria is a pretty thin character in Fire & Blood, and Mizuno is such a good performer that she deserves to have a larger and more interesting role. Gotta say, this is a pretty juicy story!
