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House Of The Dragon Season 2, Episode 4 Recap: Who Has The Better Dragon?
Once again, it is time to delve into a new episode of House of the Dragon (“HOTD”), and not just any but the highest-rated so far! ‘The Red Dragon and the Gold’, which aired on Sunday, 7th July, has an astonishing 9.6/10 rating on IMDB! So, without further ado, let’s get into the most awe-inspiring episode of the season to date.
WARNING: Spoilers and heavy themes discussed below.
HOTD: You Reap What You Sow
After what we can all agree was a slower and more build-up-focused third episode, the payoff for audiences’ patience is finally here. The episode starts with Daemon (Matt Smith) dreaming of a younger Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock). Rhaenyra haunts him with the words ‘You created me, Daemon’ before he beheads her, perhaps out of resentment and jealousy for the love she enjoyed from her father Viserys (Paddy Considine), his brother, or perhaps the guilt he feels as a result of the role he has played in her life. What this means for the future of their relationship is anyone’s guess, but I would venture that a reconciliation is not forthcoming.
Next, we witness an encounter between Rhaenys (Eve Best) and Alyn of Hull (Abubakar Salim), Corly’s (Steve Toussaint) saviour from season one, who is confirmed to be the product of his past infidelity. Showing a remarkable strength of character, she doesn’t blame Alyn but rather suggests he be rewarded for his services. With him and his brother Addam (Clinton Liberty) being set up as players going forward, it may be worth keeping an eye on these brothers while considering this revelation regarding their paternity.
HOTD: Back to King’s Landing
In King’s Landing, Alicent (Olivia Cooke) struggles to find a role in the chaos her actions and animosity towards Rhaenyra have fostered. Taking a contraceptive ‘tea’ from Grand Maester Orwyle (Kurt Egyiawan) (no doubt expecting unwanted repercussions from her misalliance with Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel)), she quizzes him on Viserys’ intentions regarding Aegon’s succession. In keeping with her character to this point, Alicent seeks to justify her actions with honourable and righteous intention, seemingly still clinging to the hope that there is a grain of legitimacy behind her misguided actions.
House of the Dragon: A House Divided
The inherent tensions simmering below the surface of the Greens are exposed in yet another council meeting, demonstrating how unready Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) is to rule. Petulantly demanding they take Harrenhal from Daemon, he is undermined by the news that his brother Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) and Criston have been planning a war strategy behind his back. This is exacerbated by Aemond’s decision to humiliate his brother in front of the council by exposing his poor grasp of their ancestral language, High Valyrian. The masterful acting between Tom and Ewan carries this scene, as the faltering and insecure Aegon clashes with his cold, calculating brother, a monster he himself had a hand in creating.
Later in the episode, we meet Daemon again suffering a life-like vision, this time of himself as none other than his nephew, Aemond, one-eye. This mirroring of the two most reckless and unpredictable figures on either side of the show’s conflict conveys the unravelling of any real control or inhibition as both sides drift further towards the wanton violence so feared by Alicent and Rhaenyra.
Alys, the strange dark-haired servant of Harrenhal, possesses an unnerving ability to read Daemon and adds a touch of the eccentric to an otherwise bleak plotline.
I have no doubt we can expect great things from her character moving forward. Is it her doing that he immediately proceeds to see his late wife, Laena (Nanna Blondell)? To what end does she taunt Daemon?
HOTD: The Women Take The Lead
Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) returns from her failed attempt to reason with Alicent with a renewed sense of purpose. Suggesting she herself take an active part against Criston on Syrax, she is overruled by her son Jacaerys (“Jace” played by Harry Collett), who points out that her death would endanger their entire cause. Rhaenys, perhaps out of lingering guilt for not finishing the Greens when she had the chance, volunteers to fly herself to meet Criston. In a welcome development, two female characters, who have now carried out their prescribed gender role of maintaining peace and guiding the men around them, are finally able to exercise their agency and do so as soon as the chance arises.
We then get our heartstrings pulled by a scene of Rhaenys and Meleys preparing for battle, mirrored by Aegon and Sunfyre (our first proper look at this gorgeous gold dragon), as Rhaenyra finally decides to tell Jace of that all-important prophecy: The Song of Ice and Fire. The implication here is that this prophecy, passed down to Rhaenyra by her father, brings her a sense of comfort and duty in embracing the violence of war; she is not merely serving her own ends but those of the realm.
HOTD: The Dying of the Dragons
Finally, we come to what can only be described as the series’ most momentous and memorable action sequence so far. If Aemond bemoaned the perpetuation of a ‘war of ravens’ in the season’s premiere, we are well and truly into the ‘dance of the dragons’ now.
Spurred on by one of the worst pep talks ever delivered, courtesy of his mother Alicent, Aegon decides to take matters into his own hands and flies swiftly to the castle of Rook’s Rest.
Unbeknownst to him, Criston and Aemond have hatched a devious plot to lure out one of Rhaenyra’s dragons from Dragonstone and ambush them with Vhagar. His arrival frustrates Aemond and seemingly stirs something else within him. He promptly stands Vhagar down from the fight, only to arrive later and unleash Vhagar’s fury against his brother and Rhaenys.
HOTD: Two Dragons vs One
Rhaenys, for her part, shows remarkable courage and daring in the face of adversity. She orders Meleys, her impressive red and copper beast, to attack Aegon and Sunfyre before returning to face off against the ancient Vhagar. What may seem initially to be a foolhardy suicide mission is nothing of the sort.
As is made clear in the book but mentioned only briefly in the show, Rhaenys is fully aware that Meleys is the biggest dragon at Team Black’s disposal and the only one potentially capable of defeating Vhagar and living to tell the tale. Indeed, her superior riding experience, as well as Meleys’ speed and agility, initially granted her the upper hand. She engages Aemond and Vhagar in a death spiral that proves her ferocity and downs the lumbering behemoth.
Alas, it was not to be. Employing the same surprise tactic he used to devastating effect against Arrax and Lucerys in the finale of season one, Aemond has Vhagar kill Meleys with a lethal bite to the neck. Leaving dragon and rider to gaze one last time into each other’s eyes, it was a beautifully shot moment that will no doubt stay with viewers for some time before both crash to the ground in a cataclysmic impact, reminiscent of the death of Aegon the Conqueror’s sister Rhaenys and her dragon Meraxes over a century earlier.
House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 4
Rest in peace, Rhaenys; whatever your past mistakes, the loss of your wisdom and moderation, not to speak of your dragon, will be keenly felt by Rhaenyra and her adherents.
Looking towards next week, with Rhaenys dead and Aegon in an unknown condition, and Aemond’s motivations and schemes more dubious than ever, the stage is set for a power struggle that will leave no one unharmed.
Episode five airs in the US on Sunday, 14th July, and in the early hours of Monday, 15th July, for UK audiences.
