At Long Last: ‘House of the Dragon’ S2, E7 Is Pure Dragon Nirvana
HBO must have heard me last season. In just about every House of the Dragon recap, I loudly proclaimed, “Where are the dragons?!?” Fast-forward two years and we have dragons crawling out of the woodwork in season 2. Literally. This week’s episode features the winged beasts finally emerging from their hiding spots—and clearly ready for their close-ups. If there were a dragon bell, season 2 would be ringing loud and clear.
But who is riding these massive harbingers of death? Take a wild guess. If I asked you for four characters who would have the privilege of riding the unclaimed dragons around Westeros in season 2, it would take you a million names before you gave me this lineup: Addam, Rhaena, Hugh, and Ulf. WHO?!? You’re exactly right—most of these people just showed up! You may not even remember some of their names when they appear here. Well, it’s hard to forget them now.
An Army of Bastards
After Addam (Clinton Liberty) claims Seasmoke, Rhaenyra’s (Emma D’Arcy) hope is restored that the “lowborn” can tame the wild dragons around Dragonstone. She was a bit dejected after Vermithor burned Ser Steffon Darklyn (Anthony Flanagan) last week, but maybe Seasmoke is less violent. “Let us raise an army of bastards,” Rhaenyra declares. When she returns to her scrolls, Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) reminds her that looking for more names here is a pointless task. I’ve been trying to say this ever since Jace (Harry Collett) proposed the idea, but it wasn’t a bad thought initially. More dragon riders would help them win the war. You’re just not going to find a book of bastards written down like a printed Game of Thrones Wiki page.
So Rhaenyra’s handmaidens post flyers all over King’s Landing that basically read, “Targaryen bastards for hire. No previous dragon-riding experience necessary.” Many answer the call, including the blacksmith, Hugh Hammer (Kieran Bew), and the drunken Ulf (Tom Bennett). In episode 3, the latter townsperson claimed that he was a descendant of Baelon Targaryen, as well as Daemon’s (Matt Smith) and Viserys’s (Paddy Considine) half-brother. Despite Ulf’s complaints about his “bad knee,” the bar convinces him to test his parentage for real. Same goes for Hugh, who reveals to his wife that he’s also Daemon’s bastard half-brother. Small world!
Speaking of Daemon…
It’s almost time for Daemon to finish his lengthy time at Harrenhal. The King Consort has been losing his mind in the haunted castle for seven episodes now. Only one of two things can bring an end to this storyline: death or...the natural conclusion of a season finale next week. It seems like we’ll see the latter. The young lord Oscar Tully (Archie Barnes) is tasked with reuniting the river lords after Daemon bunked it all up, and he returns feistier than ever. No longer the naive boy from before, Oscar has changed overnight.
“He has dishonored himself and the crown,” he tells the river lords about Daemon. Still, his family made a promise to King Viserys to honor Rhaenyra as their queen. They will fight for her, even if they all hate Daemon. Oscar then reprimands Lord Blackwood (Jack Parry-Jones) for his actions against House Bracken. Blackwood claims that he was only working under Daemon’s orders, so Oscar seeks to make peace with one simple action: He orders Daemon to behead Blackwood. The river lords will get their justice, Oscar will establish himself as top dog around here, and Daemon will pay for his mistakes by becoming an executioner for a day. It’s a power move—and a surprisingly respectable one coming from Oscar.
Dinner Time!
Back at Dragonstone, Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) is still struggling to recognize his bastard children as his own flesh and blood. “Well done,” he tells Addam. That’s it. He can barely even look him in the eye. Same goes for Alyn (Abubakar Salim), whom he just promoted to first mate last episode. Still, he suggests that Alyn may have a chance to claim a dragon as well. Instead, Alyn claims that he has no need for one. “I am of salt and sea,” he says. Hmm…where have I heard that phrase before? I can’t give you all the answers.
When all the bastards arrive, Rhaenyra gives a big speech. It’s not bad. All the talk of glory and taming a God would get me amped up, too. Almost enough to forget the whole “you might all die” aspect of this undertaking—which Rhaenyra also undersells. But naturally, after they march down into the caves to greet Vermithor, the second-largest dragon in Westeros gobbles and inflames nearly every bastard there. Dinner time, Vermy! Here are your vittles.
I kid, but the Vermithor scene is undoubtedly the coolest setpiece we’ve seen on House of the Dragon yet. This is an on-the-ground POV of a dragon attack, stomping around like Godzilla and racking up demonic carnage. After episode 4’s dragon battle in the sky, we’re finally getting everything we ever wanted from the Dance of the Dragons.
Among the panicked bastards is Hugh Hammer. He’s here against the wishes of his wife and after the death of his child to hunger and disease. He truly has nothing left to live for when he stares down Vermithor’s flame-laced jaws and screams. Matching his fury, Vermithor seems to respect the anger and aggression. Hugh Hammer, the lowly blacksmith, claims the late King Jaehearys’s dragon. Expect big things from this man moving forward. And don’t forget Ulf! The bastard escapes into the caves, only to find himself facedown in the muck of another dragon, Silverwing.
Aemond Must Be Freaking Out, Right?
Big-time. I don’t know what he’s been planning ever since he took over his brother’s duties, but the scales have been tipping toward Team Black for the past three weeks. King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) can barely walk without screaming in pain—and he’s turning to Larys (Matthew Needham), of all people, for help. I quite like this turn for Larys’s character as Aegon II’s new mentor, but I’ll never trust that little weasel.
Meanwhile, Alicent (Olivia Cooke) must have taken advantage of Prime Day and ordered some Hokas, because she’s going camping this week. She doesn’t have a spot on the council anymore, so I guess she’s free to go reconnect with nature. There are only so many days you can spend cooped up inside that rat-infested castle. I’m just thankful that my suspicions that something awful would happen to her out here were wrong.
But when Ulf accidentally rides Silverwing right over King’s Landing, all hell breaks loose. Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) rushes to Vhagar to pursue the new dragon rider, chasing him all the way back to the edges of Dragonstone’s waters. He turns around from there, as Rhaenrya watches. Her crew is now loaded with more dragons, with another beast possibly on the way. If I were Team Green, I’d be shaking in my boots heading into next week’s season finale.
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