House of the Dragon Puts Tragedy Through the Political Spin Cycle

After that wrenchingly grim end to occurrence one, occurrence two, “Rhaenyra the Cruel,” is present to punctual america that each actions person consequences—while besides extolling the ways calamity tin beryllium exploited successful unexpectedly affirmative ways. But of course, adjacent the best-laid plans tin spell awry connected House of the Dragon.

In the aftermath of lil’ Jahaerys’ gruesome murder, the Red Keep is afloat of chaos—and nary much potent than King Aegon II expressing his grief by smashing up the precocious King Viserys’ prized exemplary of King’s Landing. “I state war!” helium wails.

The hunt continues for the assassins, and Hand of the King Otto Hightower assures his daughter, Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower, “They volition wage for this.” There’s nary question Rhaenyra loyalists are to blame, but Alicent thinks possibly the gods are punishing her broadside of the family—and, fixed the information that she was having forbidden enactment with Ser Criston Cole erstwhile her grandson was killed, possibly adjacent punishing her specifically. But Otto’s encephalon is already miles down the track. “Some bully whitethorn travel of this,” helium tells his daughter, and we’ll spot what helium means soon enough.

In an exigency Small Council meeting, Aegon continues his tantrum; erstwhile helium asks Cole what he was doing erstwhile his lad was targeted (rather than, um, his occupation of protecting the royals from things similar assassinations), we spot Alicent flinch, her guilt ever much palpable. The king is busily calling Rhaenyra “the Bitch Queen of Bastards” and “the Smug Cunt of Dragonstone” erstwhile Lord Larys Strong enters and calmly announces they’ve captured a golden cloak trying to flight with a child’s caput successful tow. Aegon’s successful favour of sidesplitting the antheral ASAP, but others counsel him to spot what different accusation mightiness beryllium extracted first. Everyone knows Team Black is down this, but possibly they had assistance from idiosyncratic wrong the Red Keep?

King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) successful a mood.Photo: Ollie Upton/HBO

Otto has different constituent to make, pursuing up connected what helium said to Alicent earlier: there’s an accidental for rotation here. If they blasted Rhaenyra outright for the hideous sidesplitting of a child, and clasp a highly nationalist ceremonial procession truthful each the smallfolk tin spot the child’s mangled corpse up close, they’ll summation sympathy for Team Green and Aegon’s assertion connected the Iron Throne. “I volition not person him dice successful vain,” Otto says, but his existent grasp of the concern is unmistakable: “Jaehaerys volition bash much for america present than a 1000 knights successful battle.”

And there’s more: “The realm indispensable spot the sorrow of the crown,” Otto insists, meaning that Alicent (who is reluctant) and Queen Heleana (who’s repulsed by the idea) indispensable thrust successful the procession. (When Alicent imparts this bid to her daughter, she tentatively brings up the information that Heleana caught Alicent and Cole successful furniture together–but Heleana ignores her.) In the dungeon, Larys and institution are preparing to torture the golden cloak for information, but it’s not necessary: “Daemon hired me,” helium blurts out, and sputters that an unnamed ratcatcher helped him. From the shadows, a seething Aegon steps into the compartment to enactment retired his anger.

Meanwhile, successful the streets of King’s Landing, the gloomy procession begins; “Behold the enactment of Rhaenyra Targaryen,” an announcer bellows arsenic the wagon rolls through. It’s an unfastened coffin and you tin spot that Jahaerys’s tiny caput has been stitched backmost onto his body, Frankenstein-style. The smallfolk are aghast—and truthful is Rhaenyra herself, backmost connected Dragonstone, erstwhile she learns what’s happened. As a parent who’s precocious mislaid her ain son, she’s atrocious to perceive astir the boy’s death, sure, but the brewing PR catastrophe is besides a large concern. “And they are accusing me of having a manus successful this?” she wonders, portion moving retired successful her caput what indispensable person happened.

Later, erstwhile she’s unsocial with Daemon, she asks him “Did you nonstop assassins to execution children successful their beds?” He corrects her; helium sent “the Queen’s vengeance for her son,” and his instructions were to termination Aemond, not Jaehaerys oregon anyone else. She past comes retired with what she’s truly thinking. She doesn’t spot him. He’s selfish. He’s ever been selfish. And now, “you’ve utilized maine arsenic a instrumentality with which to grasp astatine your ain stolen inheritance.” He bites backmost arsenic she questions his loyalty and motivations, and they bash not part connected bully presumption arsenic helium flies disconnected to Harrenhal, tasked with helping rise an service for Team Black. “He indispensable travel his ain path,” she says—ostensibly speaking to her stepdaughter, Baela, but besides reminding herself successful the aforesaid breath.

Rheanyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Daemon (Matt Smith) person it out.Photo: Ollie Upton/HBO

There’s a melancholy interlude arsenic we spot servants dismantling Jaehaerys’ tiny furniture successful the Red Keep—while connected Dragonstone, Rhaenyra plays with her ain younger children, who are arsenic white-blonde arsenic Jaehaerys was. In the doorway to her bedroom, Alicent asks Cole “Have you told anyone?” (obviously, helium hasn’t), and she shuts the doorway connected him earlier taking different contemplative bath… this clip sliding beneath the waterline to clasp her enactment for a worrisome magnitude of time.

A restless Cole stalks astir the castle, looking for idiosyncratic to sorb his frustration, and finds Ser Arryck eating aft a agelong shift. Cole criticizes his subordinate’s muddy cloak, past unleashes his existent fire: “Where were you erstwhile Jaehaerys was murdered?” Arryck says helium was guarding King Aemon successful the throne room, actually, past asks “Where were you, Lord Commander?” It gets snippier. Cole brings up Arryck’s disloyal twin, twisting the weapon overmuch similar Daemon did to Ser Erryck successful past week’s episode. “You person brought disgrace upon our ranks. And present you indispensable reconstruct it,” Cole snaps, speaking to himself arsenic overmuch arsenic to Arryck. Then helium orders him to spell to Dragonstone, sneak successful by pretending to beryllium his identical brother, and get payback by sidesplitting Rhaenyra.

In a King’s Landing pleasance house, Aemond is having a mope astir it with a sympathetic enactment idiosyncratic helium seemingly pays to cradle him similar a baby. “Daemon sent them to termination me,” helium worries, but he’s besides pleased by the thought that he’s threatening capable to beryllium made a target. “I bash regret that concern with Luke. I mislaid my temper that day,” helium admits to her, referring to what happened successful the play 1 finale. She’s an older pistillate who’s intelligibly a regular work supplier for him, and she’s comfy capable with him to impart an important spot of truth: “When princes suffer their tempter, ‘tis often others who suffer… the smallfolk, similar me.”

Whether this feeling of guilt oregon those precise omniscient words astir gazing beyond one’s ain royal navel marque a quality oregon not is yet to beryllium seen, but House of the Dragon underlines its emerging taxable astir the struggles of the smallfolk by shifting scenes. We’re successful an unfamiliar determination for Westeros: a peasant family’s home, specifically Hugh, an robust idiosyncratic we saw successful past week’s occurrence petitioning King Aegon for his long-overdue pay. Hugh and his woman person a sick kid and increasing worries astir uncovering capable nutrient to eat. He’s inactive hopeful the king volition marque good, but she’s rightfully acrophobic for the future.

Rhaenys (Eve Best) takes a spot during Rhaenyra’s Small Council meeting.Image: Theo Whitman/HBO

Meanwhile, connected Driftmark’s docks, brothers reunite: Alyn of Hull, who we met past week, and the younger Addam. They stock a large hug and a speedy catch-up chat successful which Addam encourages Alyn to thin into Lord Corlys’ bully graces; the Sea Snake does beryllium him for redeeming his life, aft all. “To service with the Sea Snake is to marque your fortune,” Addam enthuses, but Alyn’s preoccupied with his concerns astir the upcoming war. A spot later, there’s an interlude—short, but worthy noting—where we spot Addam connected the beach, digging for crabs. Suddenly helium looks up arsenic a dragon swoops overhead. On a amusement similar House of the Dragon where each infinitesimal counts and each glimpse is afloat of meaning, this definite feels similar foreshadowing.

In their castle nearby, Corlys and Rhaenys prevarication successful furniture discussing their worries astir Daemon’s behaviour and whether oregon not they tin spot him. “We volition not fto the Queen falter,” Rhaenys says, arsenic we chopped to Rhaenyra gathering with Mysaria, who’s inactive imprisoned astatine Dragonstone. First, she grills her astir what relation she played successful Jaehaerys’ death; overmuch similar she did with Daemon, Mysaria insists her engagement was lone astir getting paid—and it takes a bushed earlier Rhaenyra remembers gathering her before. (In play one, Daemon pretended helium was going to instrumentality her arsenic a 2nd wife—and claimed she was large with his child—without decently letting her successful connected the ruse.) As the pistillate stock an unspoken infinitesimal filled with their communal Daemon annoyance, Mysaria explains that each she wants is for Rhaenyra to grant Daemon’s connection and acceptable her free. She has nary ulterior motives. She’s lone funny successful her ain survival.

Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) skulks successful the shadows.Photo: Ollie Upton/HBO

“I was brought to Westeros with nothing,” she begins, past explains that she did what she had to bash to gain a living—including learning to beryllium a precise astute listener. “For excessively agelong I made it my purpose to beryllium of consequence. But present I spot that was the privation of a child. Daemon, Otto Hightower—makes nary difference. They volition ne'er judge me. I mightiness arsenic good person remained a whore,” Misarya says. Though she comes from precise antithetic circumstances, Rhaenyra knows however it feels to not beryllium accepted by almighty men, and the code gives her pause.

In King’s Landing, we get different infinitesimal that illustrates the taxable of “smallfolk are increasing bushed of being treated similar garbage.” Outside the Red Keep, there’s an alarmingly ample fig of hanged men; it seems all of the ratcatchers successful the king’s employment were exterminated, to marque definite the one feline (who we spot among their numbers) that aided successful the young prince’s decease is taken out. A parent looks up and wails: “My son!” A lad for a son… for a son. And truthful it goes successful Westeros.

Up successful the Red Keep, Otto is, yet again, precise displeased with this show and confronts King Aegon astir it. In fact, helium screams “IDIOT!” astatine him. It’s the episode’s 2nd PR disaster, this clip connected the different broadside of things: “With your child’s blood, we bought their approval. With your mother’s tears we made a bitter sacrifice against the deprivations to come. And you’ve thrown it away.” Aegon, bitchy arsenic ever, says “I privation to spill blood!” He wants to instrumentality action! Cole takes action! It’s present that Otto learns Cole decided to nonstop Ser Arryck to execution Rhaenyra. “It’s clip the bitch queen paid a price,” Cole adds unhelpfully.

Otto is apoplectic. “Instead of judgment, you show impetuousness and diminish america successful the eyes of our enemy,” helium thunders, past sadly realizes however overmuch helium misses King Viserys—who would never, ever person fto thing similar “Fuck dignity, I privation revenge!” gaffe from his lips. It’s an disfigured scene, and it gets worse erstwhile Aegon orders Otto to region his badge and, seemingly spontaneously, decides that Ser Criston Cole, the lone different idiosyncratic successful the room, should go Hand of the King instead. “You. Will. Regret. This,” Otto promises, speaking dilatory truthful adjacent an idiot similar his grandson tin understand. And we judge him!

He is an idiot.Photo: Ollie Upton/HBO

Back connected Dragonstone, Rhaenyra summons Ser Erryck and tells him Mysaria is escaped to go—she’ll conscionable request idiosyncratic to instrumentality her to the enactment and enactment her connected a departing ship, pronto. Rhaenyra doesn’t privation her hanging astir stirring up immoderate much occupation successful Westeros. Mysaria is grateful, but arsenic she’s heading to the boat, she does a treble take. There’s a knight with an awfully acquainted face—one she’s just seen successful the castle, successful fact—heading up the way from the sea. She tells her escort to clasp up a moment.

Even with Mysaria spotting the invader, the ruse almost works. Arryck bluffs mode done the castle and close into Rhaenyra’s chambers. Just similar past week’s House of the Dragon, we travel an assassin creeping up connected their people and an atrocious anticipation builds—but this time, things extremity differently. Just arsenic Rhaenyra’s astir to conscionable the incorrect extremity of a sword, Erryck bursts successful and there’s an epic combat betwixt the brothers. Nobody watching tin archer who’s who, slightest of each america viewers astatine home, but it doesn’t matter… due to the fact that erstwhile 1 yet dies, the different dramatically falls connected his ain sword successful anguish. Both twins are dead.

Back successful King’s Landing, Otto is blowing disconnected steam to Alicent. “Aegon indispensable beryllium kept successful check,” Otto warns. Only, Grandpa’s not the 1 to bash it anymore. He’s leaving King’s Landing, bound for the Hightower stronghold of Oldtown, wherever Alicent’s 3rd lad (drink if you forgot determination was different one) lives. Alicent asks him to spell to Highgarden alternatively and person the Tyrells to articulation their cause. She besides thinks Aegon volition soon alteration his mind, and volition yet privation Otto backmost arsenic Hand. It’s not wide what Otto’s going to do, but helium reassures Alicent helium inactive believes bid is possible, “as agelong arsenic you and I clasp fast.”

Alicent is itching to offload her large secret, and whispers “I person sinned.” His response: “I bash not privation to perceive of it.” There’ll beryllium nary casual absolution here; nary fatherly comfortableness beyond matters pertaining to the realm. When she leaves the room, she hears sobbing, and realizes it’s Aegon, sitting by himself, flooded with emotion. Because his lad is dead? Because helium fired his grandfather? Because helium knows what Otto said to him is true? Because helium realizes helium sucks arsenic king? We don’t know, due to the fact that Alicent takes successful the scene, and turns and leaves without doing thing astir it. Instead, she goes to her bedroom… wherever Ser Criston Cole is waiting. She slaps him, she shoves him, and then… the sinning recommences.

New episodes of House of the Dragon get Sundays connected HBO and Max.

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