‘House of the Dragon’ Recap: Sword Fights, Scheming, and Politicking, Oh My!
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WITH THE TABLE now set, it’s time to eat. Season premieres, especially ones with as much narrative table-setting as House of the Dragon, are typically slower-paced affairs, but with the death of baby Jaehaerys, the show is officially off to the races. “I want war,” screams Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney). Well, bud, you’re about to get it!
This week’s episode is a turning of the dial closer to midnight. We’re on the edge of war, and every single action will only push the temperature up higher and higher, making that possibility a reality. The season's second episode dives deep into the natural result of such an invasive act by asking who you can trust and letting the chips fall where they may.
But as with all things in House of the Dragon, the answers of trust and loyalty are always shifting, cloaked in shades of grey instead of stark contrasts of black and white. And this week, in particular, everyone seems to have trust issues. Let’s break it all down.
Trust Issues for Rhaenyra and the Hightowers
The precipice of war isn’t the ideal time to question the loyalty of the soldiers around you. Trust issues come for both the Hightowers and Rhaneyra (Emma D’Arcy) this week. Episode 2 establishes those stakes early on, as the small council calls out the idea of snakes hiding amongst the bushes. The Greens, at first, seemingly know the source of their pain. The killing of baby Jaehaerys is immediately (and correctly) posited to be from the other side. But even if they assumed incorrectly, Otto’s shrewd and awful plan to parade around the body earns tremendous sympathy—at the cost of leveraging Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and Helaena (Phia Saban) as pieces on a chess board.
The way Larys (Matthew Needham) sowed seeds of doubt around Otto in last week’s episode felt like the Green’s master of secrets was scheming for his own benefit, but this week we see that it was effective, but didn't work out in his favor. The decision by Aegon to make Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) his hand is rushed, but ultimately, not the wrong one. Otto’s strength is his wisdom. But the wisdom (read: patience) to know when to keep one’s mouth shut erodes, especially when dealing with a young king obsessed with the “petty satisfaction of vengeance.”
Aegon wanted a more aggressive hand, especially after the death of his son, and his emotional choice is undoubtedly one that will continue to push the realm to war. Cole’s maneuvering to cover his ass (more on that shortly) has caused him to fail upwards. Will his skillset match up to his ability to dip, dive, and dart away from taking direct responsibility for being “abed” when the prince was killed?
Rhaenyra and Daemon’s relationship is one of the more exciting aspects of the show, but has suffered under the strain of recent events. She’s right to question his loyalty, even if he insists Jaehaerys’s death was an accident, especially in the wake of sending Blood and Cheese on their murderous journey. As with most things on this show, it’s all in shades of grey. Yes, Daemon probably will always want the throne, but I believe there is sincerity to his love for Rhaenyra. What kind of man does Daemon, the Rogue Prince, become when he’s truly alone?
The White Worm Makes for an Unlikely Ally
After having a more prominent role in the first half of last season, Lady Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) faded into the background before metaphorically losing her shirt after the Greens burned her house down. Now, as a captive of Rhaenyra, she finds a potential second life. After enduring herself to Daemon last week, she’s got to tame another dragon in the process. But where Daemon simply saw a past lover, Rhaenyra sees a potentially valuable asset in the war to come, so she effectively takes Mysaria off the board—only for Mysaria to put herself back in play when Ser Arryk arrives on his mission.
Mizuno (who has done great work with director Alex Garland in Devs, Ex Machina, and recently Civil War) is too magnetic of a performer to keep sidelined, and her interactions with Emma D’Arcy are too good to leave it there. Hopefully her sounding the alarm on Ser Arryk is enough to find a place within Rhaenyra’s circle. After all, the Greens have a secretkeeper of their own; it’s time to balance the scales.
Unbrotherly Love, Brought to You by Criston Cole
Well, Ser Criston’s tenure as Hand is certainly off to an auspicious start! Should we count the ways he goes Dicko Mode this week? The entire premise for Ser Arryk’s one-way trip to Dragonstone comes from the guilt that Cole was (once again) “abed” at the time of the murder.
What makes Cole a right bastard is the way he’s willing to weaponize his hypocrisy to absolve himself of any wrongdoing. Sure, there’s a level of secrecy at play here, as he can’t come out to anyone and mention he was with Alicent. So, instead, he wields his shame and self-loathing as a blade to cut through others. Sure, on the face of it, the plan with Ser Arryk is a decent one if you’re looking to stoke the flames further. It’s no wonder why Aegon loves it.
But the resulting battle between Arryk and Erryk wasn’t quite as earned as it could have been if we’d spent a little more time getting to know the brothers outside of their respective declarations. It does, however, serve as a bloody reminder of the kinds of in-fighting we’re going to see as this war progresses. It’s going to get personal at every stage, and the resulting turmoil is only going to swallow up more and more folks as it speeds along.
Odds & Ends
Man, we’re two for two on deeply disturbing endings happening! While the fight between Arryk and Erryk isn’t the final shot of the episode like Jaehaerys’s death was last week, it’s still close enough to the end to make it a downer. Welcome back to the world of Westeros, I guess!
Shoutouts to Clare Kilner, who returns to direct a script from writer Sara Hess. Kilner directed some of my favorite installments of last season in episodes 4 and 5. Her direction of the funeral procession is both gorgeous and haunting in equal measure.
Poor Otto, removed for the second time as hand after Viserys pushed him out last season. He’s like Doc Rivers, bouncing from job to job until he’s replaced by a new front office.
Aegon smashing up Viserys’s model of King’s Landing isn’t the most subtle of metaphors, but it’s effective nonetheless.
Not a ton for Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) to do this week, but he does mention that he’s sad about the business with Luke. Will he be able to keep himself in check during the next fight he wages?
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