Theo Whiteman / HBO
Warning : This clause take major pamperer forHouse of the Dragonseason 2 , installment 4 .
HBO‘sHouse of the Dragonhas take its time getting to the substantial , flame - breathing drama at the center of its story . TheGame of Thronesprequel ’s first time of year was mostly a preamble — one that conclude with the disgraceful death of a character whose importance to the show ’s ostensible lead , Rhaenyra Targaryen ( Emma D’Arcy ) , was larger than it was to the audience . In the episode since then , House of the Dragonhas similarly aver cheerio — in sometimes horrifyingly brute fashion — to several of its supporting characters . All the while , it ’s done its beneficial to make spectator feel the slow burn of a growing ardour that has taken almost 14 full hours of telecasting to irrupt .
Theo Whiteman / HBO
House of the Dragonhas remained a consistently entertaining , often awe - inspiringly well - present production throughout this clip , but a slow - paced dramatic play set mostly in the same two castles ( i.e. , the Red Keep of King ’s Landing and Dragonstone ) is n’t necessarily whatGame of Thronesfans signed up for when they originally tuned in . The series was sold as an explosive , tartar - versus - dragon prequel that would dramatize precisely howthe Targaryen dynastyburned down from within . Up to this period , it has n’t been nearly as split - roaring as that . It has alternatively been much more mannered and allow , at least by its enfranchisement ’s standard , than many people might have auspicate before its debut .
Fortunately , with this past Sunday ’s episode , House of the Dragonhas finally become its most cutthroat and entertain self .
A dance of dragons
The quaternary instalment ofHouse of the Dragonseason 2 , titledThe Red Dragon and the Gold , ends with the show ’s biggest and most of import struggle yet . The battle , hump amongFire & Bloodreaders as the Battle at Rook ’s Rest , follows Ser Criston Cole ( Fabien Frankel ) as he andAemond Targaryen(Ewan Mitchell ) action an attack on the castling of one of Rhaenyra ’s closest allies . In reception , Rhaenys ( Eve well ) voluntary to burn down Cole and his USA with her dragon , Meleys . When she arrives at Rook ’s relaxation , however , she ’s surprised to be run into not only by Aemond and his horrific Draco , Vhagar , but also King Aegon II ( Tom Glynn - Carney ) , who arrives unannounced atop his mount , Sunfyre .
The battle in the end claims the animation of both Rhaenys and Meleys , while Aegon and Sunfyre each suffer what seem to be , at the very least , fateful injuries from not only Meleys , but also Aemond , the latter of whom knowingly command Vhagar to launch a baneful dragonfire attack on his brother . The episode conclude with Aegon ’s fate up in the tune ( Fire & Bloodreaders know what ’s to come with him ) and one of Rhaenyra ’s most powerful dragons and dragonriders dead .
It ’s a sequence of astonishing scope and baron , brilliantly direct by veteranGame of Thronesdirector Alan Taylor . It also marks the import whenHouse of the Dragon‘s core conflict , a Targaryen civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons , at last feels as severe as it should .
A shocking death, and a new turning point
It seemed ab initio like that turning full stop had get along in theHouse of the Dragonseason 1 finale , which ends with the death of Rhaenyra ’s boy , Luke ( Elliot Grihault ) , at the hands of Aemond and Vhagar and a final shot of Rhaenyra as her heartbroken verbal expression hardens into one of terrifying madness . The HBO series opted not to follow through on the minacious implication of that instalment ’s completion moment , though . By filling the first three installments ofits 2nd seasonwith moment of filler , insignificant violence , and table - setting , House of the Dragoncost its primal war the emotional weightiness and fucking sharpness that Luke ’s death had provide it . The Battle at Rook ’s Rest gives the show both of those elements again , and it does so in a far more at once ruinous , gut - punching manner than Luke and Aemond ’s lethal row .
Like many of the biggest deaths inGame of Thrones , Rhaenys ’ demise and Aegon ’s scorched downfall inHouse of the Dragonseason 2 have completely upended the landscape painting of the show . With one of Rhaenyra ’s close advisers now extend and Aegon , at the very least , incapable of sitting on the Iron Throne , those border them will have to right away accommodate and update their programme . fibre like Aemond and Rhaenys ’ married man , Corlys Velaryon ( Steve Toussaint ) , have the chance to step even further into the public eye now , while Rhaenyra and Alicent ( Olivia Cooke ) will need to witness young paths forward for themselves and their friend .
We ’ll have to wait to see how everyone within the serial chooses to respond to the events of the Battle at Rook ’s repose , which has given theGame of Thronesprequel the briary , ruthless sense of peril that it antecedently lacked . But no matter how it chooses to navigate the radioactive dust ofThe Red Dragon and the Gold , it ’s exciting to seeHouse of the Dragongrow into the show that it was theorize to be all along .
young episode ofHouse of the Dragonseason 2 premiere Sunday night on HBO and Max .
