Previously: Rhaenyra meets her first non-Targaryen dragonrider, Addam of Hull, and he turns out to be a parfit gentyl knyght (as I said on Heart of the Dragon, he is what Criston Cole ought to have been this whole time). This prompts her to look for more of these ‘dragonseeds’, proceeding against the advice of her council, her son Jace, and basically everyone around her except for Mysaria, who suggests she stop looking for nobles and start seeking out Targaryen bastards instead. Using Mysaria’s proletarian intelligence network, and with some help from Corlys and Alyn of Hull, word goes out about the search for Targaryen bastards willing to risk their lives for a chance at glory. Both Hugh and Ulf join the crowd, and—unsurprisingly perhaps for the two characters we’ve been following all this tie—end up claiming, respectively, Vermithor and Silverwing. But not before the titular ‘Red Sowing’, where Vermithor kills most if not all of the other unfortunate dragonseeds. Watching all of it from (literally) on high, Rhaenyra gets her new dragonriders and, perhaps ominously, finds a new sense of purpose. In King’s Landing, in the meantime, Aemond has scared his entire small council such that they are unwilling to give him important information, such as the fact that Seasmoke has acquired a new rider. Thus, when a rogue dragon appears over the city, and Aemond launches himself onto Vhagar to deal with the problem, he instead follows the newcomer to Dragonstone and realizes Rhaenyra now has four full-grown dragons on her side. Alicent touches grass (literally). Oscar Tully returns to Harrenhal and gives Daemon a magnificent public dressing-down, that would make his great-something-granddaughter Catelyn so proud, before pledging fealty to Rhaenyra’s cause and bringing all the Riverlords with him. The pieces are lining up; it’s now a question of where they’re going.

***

That was…an episode that made me wish we had two more episodes.

To their credit, they managed to fit a lot into an hour and 25 minutes. So much foreshadowing. Helaena, my poor love. I’m sad we didn’t get Dreamfyre, but I loved each and every one of her appearances. Aegon and Larys road trip comedy! Tessarion is so pretty. Where in the world is Otto Hightower? …locked in a cell? Possibly even a Black Cell?! PIRATES HAPPEN TO TYLAND LANNISTER and it is great. Alyn read his bio dad the riot act and Corlys shockingly took it in stride. Baela called Jace out for pouting and Jace appears to have taken it in stride. (Also, everyone who was watching with me agreed that Jace is the book version of Jon Snow.) Criston Cole’s shame kink has outlasted both of his relationships but Gwayne refuses to put him out of his misery. Aemond is mad. So mad. And that makes Vhagar want to burn things. Rhaena chases a wild dragon, and finds one. Daemon’s dark night of the soul has, according to Alys, taught him what he needs to know, and so she inflicts on him a combination of Bran’s first flying dream and Daenerys’ visit to the House of the Undying, both of which we were denied on Game of Thrones. And it is good, everyone. It is really good. As for Rhaenyra, she already has doubts about her choice to give dragons to random people. Ulf is certainly not inspiring her confidence. After conferring with both her Hand and her unofficial Mistress of Whisperers, she has only just resigned herself to choosing violence when an unexpected Alicent appears! And she offers the city of King’s Landing, and full surrender. Everyone is moving into place and…credits!

MAX, I know you aren’t listening, but at least ten episodes per season. You can afford it. This is the dragon in the dragon money.

Overall, I did not find this to be one of the stronger episodes in the season, but that had less to do with content and more to do with structure and pacing. It felt, to me, that the climax of the episode was the reunion between Daemon and Rhaenyra at Harrenhal, and that having the scene with Alicent afterward blunted the impact of both. I don’t have a problem with the meeting itself—I don’t mind that they’re adding multiple scenes between Rhaenyra and Alicent that are, strictly speaking, not in the book—only that it felt out of place and killed some of the tension they were clearly working to build.

All that being said, what a gorgeous episode. They have raised the bar, especially when it comes to low-light cinematography, which is such a relief after those frustrating scenes mid-Season 1. And that last montage reminded me so much of the end of Game of Thrones Season 6, which I admit I loved despite the presence of Teleporting Varys, because it was just so damn stirring, and Ramin Djawadi was clearly working overtime. But I have far more faith in Ryan Condal & co to stick the landing.

So, tl;dr is I liked it overall but there were pacing and structural issues, all of which could have been solved if MAX had given them two more episodes. The long version is beneath the cut.

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Previously: Rhaenyra and Jace test out their plan to have non-Targaryens attempt to claim dragons by having Kingsguard knight Ser Steffon Darklyn (whose great-grandmother was a Targaryen) attempt to claim the lonely Seasmoke. It…does not go well. RIP Ser Steffon Darklyn and one dragonkeeper. A frustrated Rhaenyra confides in Mysaria, which goes far better (all aboard the good ship Rhaesariya!), at least until they’re interrupted. Meanwhile in King’s Landing, Aemond is growing annoyed with the fact that being regent means everyone is demanding things of him. Most recently, Lord Jason Lannister wants Vhagar protecting his army as it marches east, but being a Lannister, he chose to command rather than ask. Aemond is disinclined to acquiesce to his request. He also refuses to join Criston on his (new) march north toward Harrenhal, saying he’ll join them when he’s ready. Then he dismisses Alicent from the Small Council. She enquires about her absent fourth son Daeron, who has been fostered in Oldtown, and Gwayne assures her he’s nothing like his brothers. Alicent then attempts to visit the sept with Helaena, only for the two queens to find themselves in the middle of a food riot! Caused by Mysaria, with an assist from Rhaenyra! Who broke her own blockade to send bundles of food into the city on unmanned boats, but of course there isn’t enough, and therefore riot. The queens escape, but at least one of the Aegoons is down. The fates of the two remaining ones is unknown. Meanwhile, in Harrenhal, Daemon’s psychological journey reaches its zenith (or its nadir, depending on one’s perspective) and he finds himself face-to-face with Viserys. (Oh hi, Paddy Considine, nice to see you again!) We get an almost but not quite rehash of the ‘heir for a day’ scene from 1.01, only this time Viserys is more sorrowful and Daemon’s regret is palpable. He comes to, attempts to murder Simon Strong for definitely being responsible for his whole situation, and then decides he’s going to get the hell out. (Caraxes vehemently agrees.) Only Alys intercepts him and convinces him to stick around. (Caraxes vehemently disagrees.) And then, in a complete coincidence, Daemon has a good dream for a change, where he’s with Viserys to help him grieve for Aemma and Baelon. The following day, in another complete coincidence, they receive word that Lord Grover Tully has finally shuffled off this mortal coil. The fact that Alys was there to ‘help’ him, again, a total coincidence. Finally, on Driftmark, Alyn is told by his admiral (and dad) that he has to report as first mate on the Sea Snake. And Seasmoke, disappointed by Steffon Darklyn, decides to take matters into his own claws and notifies Addam of Hull that he just became a dragonrider. Rhaenyra, hearing of this, immediately takes off on Syrax to confront him.

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Previously: The many and varied consequences of the battle at Rook’s Rest become clear. Criston’s attempt to turn the battle into a Roman-style triumph fails miserably, but he does succeed in sneaking the barbecued King Aegon back into the Red Keep without the population of King’s Landing figuring it out (for now). Alicent is suspicious of the role her younger son played in all of this, but while she’s unable to find concrete proof, everything Aemond does in this episode justifies her concerns. Including—and perhaps especially—when the Small Council bypasses Alicent to name Aemond Regent and confirm his status as heir to the throne (though points to Grand Maester Orwyle for supporting Alicent). Rhaenyra, reeling from the loss of one of her best allies and her most experienced dragonrider, reaches out to Rhaenys’ widowed husband Corlys Velaryon to offer him the position of Hand of the King. She sends this message via his granddaughter Baela, who takes the opportunity to read her grandfather the riot act. Jace disobeys his mother exactly the same way Rhaenyra disobeyed her father in 1.02 by sneaking off on his dragon to make an alliance with the Freys of the Crossing so Cregan Stark’s Northmen will be able to march south for war. Finally, Rhaenyra and Jace come up with a bold plan to increase the number of dragonriders on their side by calling on anybody with even the smallest bit of Targaryen ancestry. This idea comes courtesy of Jace, who is both a dragonrider and extremely conscious of how much he doesn’t fit the image of a Targaryen prince. Rhaenyra calls it a ‘mad thought’, but is clearly listening.

***

Well, that is all very interesting.

(And not just because the good ship Rhaenyra/Mysaria is officially afloat.)

Fanart by jellolegos.

Not only do I love the composition, the fact that it’s based on a promo photograph from a 2009 production of Twelfth Night, and Rhaenyra is in the Viola/Cesario position gives me many feelings, given how much emphasis House of the Dragon is placing on her complicated relationship with her own gender. Ugh, love it so much.

(Also, this unrelated but beautiful piece by Amuelia juxtaposing Aemond and Daemon. The HotD fandom is on fire with amazing fanart.)

Anyway, moving on to the actual episode. Another quieter offering, lots of plotlines moving around, characters shifting into place. A few introductions (Daeron!), but also some farewells (we hardly knew ye, Grover Tully). But if last episode was taking the time to process Rhaenys’ death, this one is looking forward in dread to the next dragon battle.

Everyone is asking about the dragons, specifically Vhagar. Lady Jeyne Arryn pointed out in the last episode that even the impregnable Eyrie doesn’t stand a chance against Vhagar. Which she would know, given that the story of how the Vale surrendered to Visenya Targaryen involved a visit from Vhagar. Lord Jason Lannister surprises nobody by being overly arrogant and demanding that Aemond support his army on their march eastward using Vhagar. Criston finds himself disappointed when Aemond orders him to march north, adding only that he and Vhagar will join them ‘in due course’. And the search for new dragonriders on Dragonstone is based almost entirely on the fact that without Caraxes, none of their dragons would survive Vhagar.

I suspect Vhagar herself is having a well-deserved nap after all those war crimes, and that Aemond probably couldn’t wake her up even if he wanted to. But of course he’s going to claim it’s masculine pride or some such.

Aemond continues to push Alicent out of power, this time removing her from the Small Council altogether. He also pays a visit to Aegon to ‘remind’ him of which version of events he’s supposed to be remembering. And I’ll be curious to see how he reacts to the food riots erupting in King’s Landing.

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Previously: In the wake of Rhaenyra and Alicent’s secret meeting in the sept, Alicent is reeling from the loss of her best justification for Aegon’s usurpation. In classic Hightower fashion, she takes it out on Aegon. Aegon wants to kill things and his council won’t let him; then his brother starts nerding it up in High Valyrian, revealing Aegon’s very poor grasp of the language used to command dragons. In the meantime, Criston Cole and his army march northward, picking up men from Rosby, Stokeworth, and Duskendale—that last, after beheading Lord Darklyn for his loyalty to Rhaenyra. Instead of heading for Harrenhal (currently occupied by Daemon undergoing important psychological trauma thanks to some angry weirwoods), Criston and his army besiege the small fortress of Rook’s Rest, whose only significance is that it is the closest mainland castle to Dragonstone, and Lord Staunton is on Rhaenyra’s council. Having resolved that peace is no longer an option, Rhaenyra decides that the time has come to unleash the dragons—or at least one dragon. She offers to go on Syrax, but everyone immediately objects. Jace is too inexperienced, as is Baela. Then Rhaenys steps forward, the obvious and final choice. She and Meleys fly to the aid of Rook’s Rest, barbecuing a swathe of Cole’s forces before a surprise Aegon appears! (Having responded to his brother’s taunting and his mother’s disdain with the decision to drunk-drive a dragon into battle.) Aemond, who has been hiding out in a nearby forest while Vhagar (everybody’s favourite basset hound) enjoys Important Dragon Naptimes, sees his brother, and bails on the plan he and Criston put together so he can watch Aegon crash and burn (literally). Aegon’s dragon Sunfyre (a golden retriever and goodest boi) clashes with Meleys (the beautiful Red Queen), who immediately takes the advantage. Aemond finally manages to wake Vhagar up, and Aegon has a brief moment of hope before Vhagar flames both Sunfyre and Meleys. Sunfyre falls, gravely wounded, as is Aegon. Meleys almost escapes, but after a brief conference with her rider, turns back toward Rook’s Rest and Vhagar. Alas for us all, Vhagar does her patented chomp, Rhaenys says farewell to her best girl, and both of them plunge to a fiery doom. Meanwhile, on the ground, Criston gets knocked out (yay!) but gets back up again (boo!) and tracks down Sunfyre’s body to try to save Aegon. But when he reaches the clearing, he sees Aemond walking toward his brother with his sword drawn. As soon as Aemond sees Criston, he retreats. Cue credits.

***

Everyone (myself included) is reeling from Rhaenys’ fiery death in the last episode, but also from the not-quite-as-fiery and not-quite-as-fatal plunge taken by one King Aegon II. RIP Meleys the Red Queen, who deserved better. RIP(??) Sunfyre the golden retriever. [I will note that Criston mentioned leaving a contingent behind to guard the dragon, which seems a moot point if said dragon were dead, so I’m going to assume that our goodest boi is still alive, if not very happy.]

In both cases, we have a new power vacuum. Rhaenys was Rhaenyra’s most trusted advisor, and the most experienced dragonrider for Team Dragonstone. In King’s Landing, Aegon is still the king, even though he’s in a coma. I guess Alicent got her wish from last episode…?

That is not fair, I know. But that is clearly what Alicent is thinking as she looks at her crispified son. Her last words to him were that the best thing for him to do as king was nothing. He did the opposite, but ended up as the very definition of a figurehead monarch. And while Alicent has already proven herself more than capable of ruling as regent—which, lest we forget, she did for Viserys—that doesn’t matter. Otto was Hand of the King, yes, but Alicent was Regent. These were two separate roles. Unfortunately for Alicent, the council never saw it that way. They just assumed she was Otto’s puppet, and are therefore happy to turn to Aemond for guidance, just as Aegon was happy to name a ‘steel fist’ his hand. Criston himself tells Alicent that Aemond is the only logical choice because ‘we have given the war to the dragons’.

But have they, really? Or is Criston giving the wheel to the Seven, so to speak, and abdicating responsibility yet again? This week’s recap will feature an excess of Niccolò Machiavelli, which seems only appropriate given the events of Episode 2.05 ‘Regent’.

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Previously: Fighting breaks out in the Riverlands between everybody’s favourite feuding families, the Blackwoods and the Brackens. As the Velaryon blockade tightens, food grows scarce in King’s Landing. Lord Commander of the Kingsguard and newly named Hand of the King Criston Cole (damn, that man fails upward) leads an army north to take control of the Riverlands, unaware that Daemon and Caraxes have already seized Harrenhal in Rhaenyra’s name in a gorgeously shot sequence during a thunderstorm. While the castle’s few remaining inhabitants offer a quick surrender, Harrenhal’s connections to various magical phenomena prove a bit more challenging. In King’s Landing, Aegon appoints his friends to the Kingsguard and tries to enjoy being king, but instead he just feels like a fraud and takes it out on Aemond after a chance encounter in a brothel. Alicent is forced to reckon with her father’s absence (again) and her sons’ unwillingness to heed her counsel; at least Helaena is on her side, for now. On Dragonstone, Rhaenyra sends her three youngest children (Joffrey, Aegon, and Viserys) away for their safety, entrusting them to her stepdaughter Rhaena, along with all three of the boys’ very small dragons and several eggs. Rhaena is understandably resentful, but nonetheless obeys her queen. Her sister Baela, in the meantime, is taking on increasing responsibilities as a dragonrider, at one point spotting but not engaging with Criston Cole and his army moving north. This prompts Rhaenyra to one, last-ditch attempt to prevent the full-scale destruction of a dragon-on-dragon combat. With Mysaria’s assistance, she disguises herself as a septa and sneaks into King’s Landing on a fishing boat with the intention of speaking to Alicent face-to-face. Although she succeeds, what she learns is that it is far too late, and the war has already begun.

***

Then the storm broke, and the dragons danced.

I honestly had no idea how I was going to feel about the dragon combat but damn. I think that really was everything I wanted. Well, except for the fix-it fic ending, which of course we did not get. But what we got—and what absolutely broke my heart—was some real glimpses at the bonds between dragons and riders, and the dragons’ own personalities. How is it that CGI fire-breathing monsters can give me all the pet feels? Well, they do.

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