House of the Dragon Asks: Who Wants to Go for a Ride?

We’ve arrived astatine the seventh occurrence of play two, “The Red Sowing,” and House of the Dragon is intelligibly gearing up for a raging play finale. But first, Team Black volition request to address  its “too galore dragons, not capable riders” problem.

We prime up instantly wherever past week’s occurrence ended. Rhaenyra confronts Addam of Hull connected the beach, successful a beauteous opening changeable showing 2 tiny humans and 2 hulking, screeching dragons facing each different from a harmless distance. Addam calms Rhaenyra’s choler rapidly by bending the genu and saying he’s loyal to his queen—he’s not Team Green aft all, she realizes—and that helium didn’t bargain Seasmoke. Seasmoke chased aft him. What’s more, “If the gods telephone maine to greater things, who americium I to garbage them?”

While it takes a infinitesimal for it each to descend in—that Addam is some a) a lowborn cipher (he cautiously lies to her, not admitting that he’s the bastard lad of Lord Corlys), and b) susceptible of taming a dragon—Rhaenyra soon realizes the upshot. A dragon doesn’t attraction if you’re noble oregon not; it conscionable cares if you person the close humor type, and possibly a small other magic mojo that lone it tin consciousness erstwhile deciding who tin thrust it. Addam has fixed her caller hope, and she really smiles!

In King’s Landing, a melancholy Alicent is having her arm—sliced successful past week’s riot—tended by the Grand Maester. “All my beingness I person endeavored to service some my location and the realm, and someway nary of it matters,” she says ruefully. There’s a treble meaning successful what the Grand Maester says adjacent arsenic helium examines her injury: “You volition person a scar, but it volition beryllium easy hidden.”

She finds Ser Rickard, her Kingsguard bodyguard present that Ser Criston Cole is disconnected fighting, and tells him she wants to thrust retired into the Kingswood. No entourage, conscionable a small camping trip. Outside, Lord Larys and Lord Jasper are watching Aemond nonstop 2 different Kingsguard members—both of whom were progressive successful the riot—to the Wall, a destiny perchance worse than death, but besides perchance a measurement up from Aegon’s mode of conscionable hanging everyone. They besides sermon a spot of accusation Lord Jasper has travel across, astir Seasmoke being seen with a rider. 

The sourcing—a agelong concatenation of rumors—is sketchy, and portion it’s wide Jasper truly wants to fto Aemond cognize astir it, helium doesn’t privation to archer him and beryllium wrong. Larys seems to consciousness the same. Neither antheral wants to walk connected mendacious accusation to their hot-tempered ruler; arsenic Larys puts it, “Perhaps this is 1 of those whispers champion near to the wind.”

At Dragonstone, a pouty Jace watches arsenic 2 dragons, some with riders, swoop successful for a landing. In the Black Council meeting, everyone’s relieved that the caller rider is not a foe, but is shocked to larn he’s a commoner. How tin this be? “We volition await the queen’s accounting before passing judgment,” Lord Corlys cautions.

She’s inactive getting her ain caput together, it turns out, with Mysaria’s ever-valuable help. When Rhaenyra starts paging done her past scrolls to look for much imaginable Targaryen-adjacent heirs, Mysaria chuckles and suggests she “look nether the sheets and successful the woodpiles.” The Targaryens person a ton of bastards moving around, she says.

When Rhaenyra protests that Westeros’ highborn houses person an past consciousness of honor, arsenic if that’s what makes them amended than everybody else, Mysaria points retired that the highborn Aemond and Aegon are remarkably debased connected honor, actually. “The bid of things has changed, Your Grace. Why not clasp it?” Mysaria asks. Rhaenyra, who has immoderate idiosyncratic acquisition with bastard children, realizes she agrees: “Let america rise an service of bastards.”

There’s a brief, awkward enactment betwixt Addam and Lord Corlys; successful bid to bid arsenic a dragonrider, Addam needs to beryllium released from his duties arsenic a shipwright. Corlys grants it, looks similar he’s going to accidental thing else, but ends things with “Well done.” So far, astatine least, Addam’s not going to beryllium getting the designation from Corlys that helium truthful desperately craves.

© Ollie Upton/HBO

At Harrenhal, the recently elevated Lord Oscar Tully, who is maybe 15 oregon 16, meets with Daemon. It’s tense; contempt his age, the region’s caller Lord Paramount is acold little intimidated by Daemon than helium was astatine their archetypal meeting. Also, a batch has happened since Daemon came to Harrenhal; arsenic Oscar puts it, “you’ve made alternatively a messiness here, countenancing barbarities successful the queen’s name.” But arsenic overmuch arsenic helium loathes Daemon, he’s good alert that House Tully swore an oath to King Viserys, truthful there’ll beryllium nary switching sides.

They instrumentality their speech outside, wherever the riverlords (who hatred Daemon arsenic overmuch arsenic Lord Oscar does) person each gathered. While they’re reluctant to instrumentality orders from a kid, and they’re adjacent much reluctant to bash thing Daemon wants them to do, they perceive erstwhile Oscar reminds them, erstwhile again, of the oath his gramps swore to King Viserys erstwhile Rhaenyra was named heir.

But there’s conscionable 1 thing: successful the Riverlands, they travel the aged ways, and the aged ways are each astir justice. In this context, that means punishing Lord Willem Blackwood, who plotted unimaginable cruelty against House Bracken to get them connected Team Black’s side. Cruelty that was, lest we forget, each Daemon’s idea. “There is lone 1 reply for the crimes you visited upon your neighbors,” Oscar says, and though Willem protests helium was conscionable pursuing orders, Oscar says, “You did it due to the fact that you wanted to.” The lone solution is… for Daemon to amusement however atrocious helium is for issuing those orders, and lop disconnected Ser Willem’s head! (Ser Simon’s “Oh, dear” is cleanable here.)

In the aftermath, Daemon walks into his country astatine Harrenhal, and is greeted by different ghost. This time, it’s Viserys, withered and ill, holding his crown similar it’s a dormant animal. “I ne'er wanted it. I was close not to. All that symptom it caused. It crushes whoever wears it. You ever wanted it, Daemon. Do you privation it, still?”

Speaking of characters who are adjacent death, we adjacent spot King Aegon, who really seems somewhat improved since the past episode. He’s not lone conscious but is hobbling astir his room—screaming successful symptom the full time—with the assistance of the Grand Maester. Lord Larys barges successful to cheque connected things, and we larn he’s the crushed Aegon’s connected specified an utmost carnal therapy regime. “You indispensable enactment harder,” helium tells Aegon. More ominously, “It volition beryllium agelong earlier helium whitethorn remainder again,” helium tells the Maester.

Meanwhile, Lord Corlys finds Alyn and tells him the queen needs sportfishing vessels and an important connection to beryllium sent to King’s Landing—another mysterious mission, though we person an inkling of what it mightiness mean this clip around. Corlys besides tells Alyn that Addam is present a dragonrider—and uses cautious connection to suggest that maybe, possibly Alyn mightiness besides person the familial qualifications? But Addam isn’t having it: “I americium of brackish and sea. I yearn for thing else.”

In a little interlude successful the Vale, Rhaena—who we’ve been reminded, yet again, is simply a failed dragonrider—is trailing down the procession bound for Pentos. As the gates adjacent down her, she scampers off, excitedly noting the scorch marks connected the tract adjacent to the road. She is 100 percent going to way down that chaotic dragon, isn’t she?

© Theo Whiteman/HBO

In the woods, Alicent returns to her campsite and Ser Rickard wonders erstwhile they mightiness beryllium heading backmost to the city. Not immoderate clip soon, and possibly never, is her response.

At Dragonstone, a sneering Jace asks his parent if it was Mysaria’s thought to fto lowborn radical go dragonriders. But there’s much astatine play present than specified snobbery (though let’s beryllium honest, that’s decidedly portion of it; helium uses the connection “mongrels”). When Rhaenyra explains “with these riders, we tin extremity a needless war,” and that she’ll beryllium capable to instrumentality her rightful spot connected the Iron Throne, helium worries astir his ain assertion arsenic her heir. He knows he’s a bastard (his acheronian hairsbreadth is simply a dormant giveaway, of course). “I whitethorn reason my legitimacy to win you due to the fact that I person a dragon, and present you accidental you’ll portion that from maine too,” helium says. Being a small selfish, Jace!

We spot that it is so Mysaria who’s moving the mysterious ngo to King’s Landing, handing Alyn a connection to instrumentality implicit with those boats. Its contents, of course, are to dispersed the connection that Team Black is looking for anyone with Targaryen humor to travel to Dragonstone and spot if they’ve got what it takes to beryllium a dragonrider. There’s a poignant country betwixt Hugh and his wife, who doesn’t privation him to go, though it’s wide they person fewer different options; we larn their daughter, who was suffering from a agelong illness, has died. But there’s besides a comic country successful which Ulf’s drinking buddies telephone his bluff erstwhile helium hesitates astir the opportunity. If he’s specified a concealed Targaryen, arsenic he’s ever bragged astir being—well, he’s gotta spell springiness dragonriding a try!

We past spot astir 15 oregon 20 people—many of them conspicuously white-blonde—getting connected tiny boats to question to Dragonstone. It’s a somber moment, but 1 afloat of excitement. Also a somber moment, but without immoderate of the underlying excitement, is the adjacent scene; we spot Alicent walking done the woods, stripping disconnected her gown, and taking a aquatics successful her slip. As she floats connected her back, staring up astatine the clouds, the euphony is peaceful, but it’s hard to work the temper here. Is Alicent symbolically (and literally) washing herself cleanable arsenic she faces her uncertain future?

We’re near to ponder arsenic House of the Dragon switches backmost to Dragonstone, and spot the recruits are heading consecutive to the dragonpit. All assembled ticker arsenic the dragonkeepers—who talk to Rhaenyra successful High Valyrian—refuse to enactment successful the “blasphemy” of allowing non-dragonlords to effort to go dragonriders. After they stomp out, Rhaenyra gives a tremendous code to her tense guests. “Each of you has near down a beingness to reply this call. A beingness to which you mightiness ne'er return. If you survive, you volition beryllium transformed… immoderate of you whitethorn invited the imaginable of change, adjacent death, fixed the alternatives: privation, starvation, war. This is our purpose. To extremity those hardships for you. For your kin. For each the realm. With these 2 dragons added to our number, the force volition person nary prime but to springiness way. And bid volition beryllium restored. Suffering volition beryllium ended. And without bloodshed, gods willing.”

Then she gives a small primer connected Vermithor—he’s astir arsenic large arsenic Vhagar, astir apt much fierce, and has the cheery nickname “the Bronze Fury.” Everyone’s tense arsenic they shuffle into the monolithic interior chamber. Rhaenyra calls for Vermithor, and helium dilatory snarls and snorts his mode retired of the shadows, conscionable arsenic terrifying arsenic advertised. Rhaenyra barks commands and touches his scaly head, and we spot the reverence she feels for these massively almighty beasts. You tin besides consciousness her benignant of asking Vermithor to delight assistance her out.

© Ollie Upton/HBO

But this is simply a dragon we’re talking about—and erstwhile 1 precise blonde antheral musters the courageousness to attack Vermithor, Rhaenyra says he’s connected his own: “It indispensable beryllium the dragon who speaks.” After a fewer precise tense moments, we’re treated to a near-recreation of Ser Steffon Darklyn’s gruesome demise, but overmuch worse due to the fact that it rapidly turns into a wide barbecue of screaming Targaryen bastards, respective of whom besides get devoured live successful the process. A changeable of Rhaenyra reveals an look torn betwixt regret and despair.

But arsenic we’ve been reminded, Team Black lone has 2 riderless dragons—and it conscionable truthful happens the 2 characters we’ve travel to cognize extremity up being the chosen ones. Hugh someway escapes being torched by Vermithor, who approves of this gangly antheral who dares to outcry “Come on!” successful a dragon’s face; Rhaenyra sees this, and her look astir permits a smile. Meanwhile, Ulf—who managed to tumble into the pit successful each the mayhem—shares a astonishment bonding infinitesimal with Silverwing.

Any different week, the occurrence might’ve ended there. But the finale is connected the horizon, truthful we chopped backmost to King’s Landing, wherever the show of a dragon who is not expected to person a rider being ridden crossed the entity causes instant panic. (Lord Larys looks precise sick arsenic helium realizes that accusation was bully aft all.) Aemond rushes to get Vhagar into the air. But erstwhile helium chases the intruders (it’s a comically ungraceful Ulf and Silverwing) backmost to Dragonstone, helium pulls up abbreviated erstwhile helium sees Dragonstone has a trio of intimidating dragons waiting to greet him.

The past changeable is different priceless Rhaenyra expression, and there’s nary enigma astatine each astir what she’s thinking: “Come and get it, motherfucker!”

Next week is the finale—burning up your Sunday nighttime connected HBO and Max.

Want much io9 news? Check retired erstwhile to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s adjacent for the DC Universe connected movie and TV, and everything you request to cognize astir the aboriginal of Doctor Who.