Game of Thrones had a tradition of delivering amazing penultimate episodes, for most of its run anyway. This was a pretty amazing penultimate episode for House of the Dragon.
True, its scope is a bit limited. It’s mostly about Rhaenyra finding new dragon-riders, but there’s a brief yet fairly big development on Daemon’s end too.
The greens, however, are in a perpetually sad and unappealing place. The workplace environment has hit a new low with Aemond in charge. All the Red Keep characters are trying to avoid or work around the volatile Prince Regent.
Larys Strong is plotting to restore King Aegon to power in some way, though it’s not going well. He wants to get Aegon mobile again while his major injuries are still fairly fresh. Not sure how that’s going to help the poor son of a bitch.
Meanwhile, the ever depressed Alicent enlists a Kingsguard knight for an excursion into the Kingswood. Later on, she goes for a swim, with lots of longing-to-escape symbolism. Now she's channeling Ophelia, in addition to Lady Macbeth.
So things are basically the same on the green side.
Rhaenyra and Daemon’s plots do make the rest of the episode much stronger, though. I’m really not sure which blew me away more: the intense political knot Daemon got himself into with the Riverlanders or Rhaenyra’s catastrophically successful plan to have a bunch of lowborn Targaryen bastards audition for a choosy dragon.
Again, I love the contrasts between Rhaenyra and Daemon. How she is boldly attempting to turn her weaknesses into strengths. How he’s recognizing that all of his strength is undermined by his weaknesses.
Just when it looks like he’s finally getting some respite, with the Riverlands’ united armies finally coming together, Daemon is blindsided. The young new Lord of Riverrun, Oscar Tully, who Daemon so blithely dismissed earlier, turns out to be way more assertive and cunning than he initially appeared. This untested teenager is able to turn the Rogue Prince’s big win into a humiliating and humbling personal defeat, exploiting his need for the River lords’ support to force him to execute Willem Blackwood for the atrocities he committed on Daemon’s behalf. Daemon gets his army, but at the cost of his only real ally among the Riverlanders. And maybe his pride as well.
This all appears to be building up to Daemon losing his lifelong lust for power. Harrenhal curse or not, he just doesn't know how to handle the pressures and demands of the position he so covets.
Rhaenyra appears to handle it better, but her habit of damning tradition or embracing taboo is a double-edged sword. Not to mention, her belief in omens and prophecy. It complicates her problems as much as it accelerates any solutions. Her choice to give her family's unacknowledged and illegitimate offspring a shot at taming dragons is looked down upon by most of her followers; the order of dragon keepers do a walk-out. But she takes Seasmoke inexplicably bonding with Addam of Hull as a sign.
Still, this is yet another shining example of Rhaenyra's growing willingness to coldly sacrifice others in her name. Giving those poor people hope and then trapping them in a big cave with a fire-breathing monster. And without ever really acknowledging any one of them as her kin.
Luckily, it ends up working out for her… after many a fiery and gruesome death. She gets not one, but two new dragon-riders.
They’d been building up Hugh Hammer and Ulf the White in the background for awhile this season, just like Addam and Alyn of Hull. Now we see why.
The scene of Hugh bonding with Vermithor, facing down his own death and earning the respect of a giant magical beast, may be one of the show’s most captivating moments so far; hell of a one-shot sequence, too. Likewise, Ulf stumbling upon Silverwing and taking her for a ride was great spectacle. Some of the best dragon scenes I’ve seen, in this series or any other.
And while the final shot of Rhaenyra posing with all the dragons as Aemond flees is a little too on the nose, it is a good conclusion to the episode. It makes it clear the status quo has changed between the blacks and the greens.
Blacks and greens:
* The opening confrontation between Rhaenyra and Addam was very cool. Very high-fantasy feeling.
* Another appearance from the Red Keep rats.
* Aegon’s new Kingsguard stooges are sent to the Wall for stupidly inciting a riot in the previous episode. Those guys rose high and fell far this season.
* This also marks our second appearance from men of the Night’s Watch. I should note, we see at least four or five Night’s Watchmen there to escort the imprisoned knights, whereas in Game of Thrones there’s only one tasked with bringing back recruits. Shows you that the Watch had more robust numbers in this time period.
* Loved to see Corlys give Addam the attaboy. He’s clearly got a harder road with Alyn, on the other hand.
* Probably my least favorite part of the episode is Rhaena's sudden decision to ditch the group escorting Rhaenyra and Daemon's sons to go searching for the wild dragon in the Vale. I get they've made note of Rhaena's attempts to bond with dragons over the years, but it just felt really contrived. Especially her finding the dragon's trail within seconds of venturing offroad.
* You can read a lot into the image of Daemon seeing the horned goat in the shadows after he killed Willem Blackwood.
* So harsh cutting away from Daemon’s vision of Viserys in his decayed pre-death state to the scene where Aegon attempts physical therapy with Orwyle. Despite only being in his twenties, Aegon is already as horribly disfigured as his father was at the end. The crown gives them nothing but pain and suffering.
* A lot of viewers weren't happy with the scene where Jace calls out his mother for her plan. I thought it was interesting. His concerns are valid, even if it comes off as whiny to some people; loved the look Rhaenyra gives him when he calls the illegitimate Targaryens “mongrels.” But Jace is a lot like young Rhaenyra now, forced to live under dire circumstances by a parent who believes their decisions are ultimately the will of the gods.
* The scenes of Hugh and Ulf bonding with dragons echo Aemond bonding with Vhagar from the previous season.
* Aemond struggles to control Vhagar before getting her to back down. He’s still playing with fire. But then, so is Rhaenyra.
Quotes:
Rhaenyra I: “You kneel quickly for a man so suddenly elevated.”
Addam of Hull: "This dragon came to me, not I to him.”
Alicent Hightower: “Nothing is clean here.”
Out damned spot.
Larys Strong: “Perhaps this is a whisper best left to the wind.”
Rhaenyra: "Well then, let us raise an army of bastards."
Daemon Targaryen: “I was told they would come to heel when House Tully declared its allegiance.”
Lord Oscar Tully: “That may be the case, though it is yet to be seen that they will heed my authority, as young as it is. And there is another problem. They all hate you.”
Daemon: “Your Lord Oscar is bold. But he is perhaps not wrong. I may have been a touch enthusiastic in pursuing my aims. But don’t allow my failings to… keep you from supporting an upright man.”
Ser Willem Blackwood: “Don’t fuckin’ do this.”
Shame. He was a nice kid once. I believe Willem's the only person Daemon personally kills this season, and he does not feel good about it.
Head Dragonkeeper: "The dragons are sacred; they are the last magic of Old Valyria in this sad world. They are not playthings for the games of men.”
This is the season’s best episode, without a doubt. Five out of five dragon riding challenges.
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