My previous reviews of House of the Dragon’s second season have complained that the balance between talky scenes and action seemed off compared to Game of Thrones. It’s a different show, of course, with less traipsing about the countryside on average and far more dragons. Still, Episode 6 feels like it finally nails the balance between talking, plotting, and moments of small action and big spectacle. Throw in some well composed dialogue scenes that work emotionally as well as narratively to open up characters and give us more insight into what’s going on, and it just hits different, and better, than most of what’s gone before.
Think about it: We open on marching troops (with caged lions for that extra kick of danger) and later see a flaming dragon, a dragon attack, and a rioting mob that threatens two queens. That’s a decent amount of action in just over an hour. There’s plotting in Aemond’s (Ewan Mitchell) council; between Larys (Matthew Needham) and the still fragile Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney); between Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno); and between Daemon (Matt Smith) and Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin). And there are genuinely emotional scenes for Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and her brother Gwayne (Freddie Fox); for Rhaenyra and Mysaria; and for Daemon and the ghost of Viserys (a returning Paddy Considine, always a welcome sight). That’s a lot of elements to mix, but the show does so exceptionally well here.
Rhaenyra has completed her research in the archives, and identified the loyal Ser Steffon Darklyn (Anthony Flanagan), who accompanied her to King’s Landing recently, as a potential dragon rider. Seasmoke, unfortunately, disagrees. Fervently. So much for Steffon’s pleas of “Dohaerās” (that’s High Valyrian for “serve”, dragon fans). Even Jacaerys (Harry Collett) questions his mother – something that feels a little out of character after their harmonious interactions last week – which sends Rhaenyra into a spiral of self-doubt. Maybe that’s why Mysaria’s support is so important: Together, she and the queen execute a plan to send food to the starving smallfolk of King’s Landing and win public support. After Mysaria shares her tragic origin story (one that’s genuinely upsetting), Rhaenyra impulsively hugs her, but the embrace turns into something else. Theirs is a romance we didn’t see coming, but shows how times have changed: This show seems more queer-friendly than Thrones.
Daemon is still tripping out at Harrenhal, and increasingly tormented by his visions. He plays out his worst moments with Viserys again, though he seems to take control of one vision and be a better brother this time. He threatens poor Ser Simon Strong (Simon Russell Beale) once more, because he suspects the castellan of poisoning him. Yet he trusts Alys Rivers to give him advice and counsel – despite the episode saying almost outright that she poisoned old Grover Tully and removed the dying Lord Paramount of the Riverlands to clear the way for Daemon.
Meanwhile, Alicent has a very bad time. She’s kicked off the Small Council by Aemond, who’s flexing his muscles all over the place. And while Alicent and Helaena (Phia Saban) are visiting the Sept, they’re attacked by a hungry mob. Our smallfolk representatives Ulf (Tom Bennett) and Hugh (Kieran Bew) are in the thick of the action, one sowing discord and the other trying to secure food for his ailing family. The only bright spot for Alicent is a genuinely warm heart-to-heart with her brother Gwayne, which includes a clear-eyed assessment of her older sons’ failings, and worries about her own shortcomings as a mother. It’s a rare thing to see Alicent with her guard down, and Cooke plays it well.
Aemond also orders Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) off to Harrenhal to meet Daemon and execute a pincer attack with Lord Jason Lannister (Jefferson Hall; he’s the guy with the lions), though it’s by no means clear that the latter will march without Aemond himself and Vhagar in support. Aegon has regained consciousness but – wisely – tells his brother he doesn’t remember anything about the attack, immediately sensing that Aemond could straight-up murder him for the throne while he lies unconscious.
We see Alyn (Abubakar Salim) again, too: Corlys Velaryon (Steven Toussaint) has asked him to serve as first mate on his newly refurbished ship. When he tries to object, Corlys makes it an order. Alyn later states what his issue is: He resents that Corlys will never acknowledge him or his brother Addam (Clinton Liberty) as his sons – and given that he’s shaving his tell-tale white hair as he says it, this is explicit confirmation of what we’d already guessed. But that position may not stick.
Soon after, Addam is chased by a frustrated Seasmoke. The salt-crystalline dragon, clearly disgusted with the rider who was offered to him, comes back to visit the guy who had caught his eye during one of his lonely flights. The dragon, who needs some lessons in the meaning of free and enthusiastic consent, corners Addam and basically seems to offer him a choice between flight and death. Given that someone is seen riding the dragon soon after, we assume he chose wisely.
This episode just hits different, and better, than most of what’s gone before.
This episode teases big things for the future. That is surely Addam on Seasmoke’s back, which means that his parentage will inevitably come out and open the way for other Targaryen and Velaryon (the two families are, after all, heavily interlinked) bastards to become dragon riders – which would explain Ulf’s prominence, given his purported roots. There’s a mysterious dragon in the Vale and it’s not clear what that means yet, but Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell) seems to be obsessed with it. And, let us not forget, there are armies on the move: the Lannisters and their Western allies, Ser Criston Cole and his remaining men, and perhaps the Riverlords now that Grover Tully is gone and Daemon can – potentially – mobilize them.
In Thrones, the big action climax often came in the penultimate episode of the season, so we might see a battle next time, or it might come the following episode; remember that Season 1 of this show peaked when Vhagar and Aemond took flight and took down Lucerys. But either way, it won’t come out of nowhere. There’s a palpable sense that events are building to a confrontation now, not just treading water. Rhaenyra is still on the ropes, but there’s a glimmer of hope in that mysterious dragon rider (surely!) and her rising public support. Alicent is increasingly isolated, but her father is out there somewhere and (surely!) plotting some way to help. And Daemon may have lost half his wits, but he still has a dragon, a fortress, and a potential stockpile of manpower. It’s all still to play for.
