This piece contains spoilers for House of the Dragon.
Death and destruction have been center stage in Season 2 of House of the Dragon as the HBO adaptation of George R. R. Martin's Fire & Blood continues down its gory and gruesome path. Episode 4 does nothing to change that as both sides suffer brutal losses and a new horrifically powerful player emerges in the cursed chambers of Harrenhal. So if after the devastating events of this week you're wondering how the events of the newest episode are going to affect the series going forward and the fates of your faves, we're here to answer all your burning questions.
Who is Alys Rivers?
In one of the most exciting developments from this week's episode, we see Daemon (Matt Smith) slowly losing his mind in the rotting carcass of Harrenhal. Taking the building may have seemed like a smart gambit for the ambitious King Consort, but he should have probably questioned why its former inhabitants were so quick to give it up. Could it be the curse that has been rumored to have haunted the halls since Aegon the Conqueror burnt it to a crisp? Episode 4 suggests another option: that the curse goes back far further than the Targaryen King and is instead connected to a new character teased in last week’s episode..
Daemon encounters Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin) on a sleepless night in his new home after following an apparition of himself wearing an eyepatch. The young woman introduces herself as a "sort of Maester" after the last one left for vague but unsettling reasons. It quickly becomes clear that Alys knows more than she's letting on and is likely playing a part in Daemon's current ego-death that Harrenhal is putting him through.
As book readers already know, Alys has a massive part to play that, to get too deep into it, would definitely constitute spoilers. But what we can say is that Daemon is definitely right, she is a witch. Her magic is deeply powerful and connected to the Weirwoods and the Heart Trees that you'll know from Game of Thrones. As Alys explains to Daemon, the real reason Harrenhal is cursed is because the person who built it wiped out the Weirwoods and the bed that he sleeps in is made of a Heart Tree. Could that be why he's having grim visions of his wife as the child bride she was when the first wed? Or could that just be a very, very guilty conscience after causing so many problems for his beloved? The other option, of course, is the strange potion that Alys feeds him which impacts his ability to stay awake or keep track of time. He should probably avoid those in the future!
What Does Rhaenys' Death Mean for Rhaenyra?
The episode ends in epic dragon battle that sees Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) and Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) put a nefarious and dangerous plan into action. Luring Rhaenys (Eve Best) out on the Black faction's biggest dragon, Maelys, in broad daylight to protect a small castle named Rook's Rest. It's a scheme that leads to the death of Rhaenys as she and her beloved dragon are taken down by Aemond and Vhagar.
It's a huge loss for Rhaenyra and the Black faction of the war, as Rhaenys has been the only true ally that the Queen has had at her side. Thoughtful, smart, kind, and always rational, Rhaenys has kept the most Targaryen instincts at bay as she's counseled her niece to try and find peace rather than committing more bloodshed in the name of her crown. With Rhaenys gone, we will likely see Rhaenyra's violent tendencies come to the forefront, especially when her Council and son, Jace (Harry Collett), are all already baying for blood and war. There'll also likely be a huge fallout for Rhaenys' beloved Corlys (Steve Toussaint) and their family. We recently met his bastard son, Alyn (Abubakar Salim), who has a large part to play in the coming war. Now that Rhaenys is dead we can expect to see much more of him.
RIP to Rhaenys, the Queen Who Never Was, but she wasn't the only one who took a tumble this episode. We also saw Aemond make the most of the choas to toast up his brother along with Rhaenys, in order to get him out of the way, and his fate is still up in the air which leads us to the biggest question of all.
Is Aegon Actually Dead?
This is the most pressing query going into episode 5. If Aegon did survive being burnt to a crisp by his ambitious and conniving brother — who has also been his victim since childhood — then he's going to have a long road to recovery. And it's unlikely he'll ever be able to actually rule as King. It's ironic that this will lead to exactly what Aegon feared: that his mother and brother would rule in his stead. Of course, if Aegon is dead — which seems pretty likely — then surely people will ask whether or not the Green's claim still stands. If they're to believe Alicent, then Viserys wanted Aegon to be his heir. But if Aegon is dead, surely Viserys would be happier to see his original and true pick for heir, Rhaenyra, take her place on the Iron Throne. It's likely going to add to the medieval messiness that we've come to expect from House of the Dragon either way.
Rosie Knight is a contributing freelancer for IGN covering everything from anime to comic books to kaiju to kids movies to horror flicks. She has over half a decade of experience in entertainment journalism with bylines at Nerdist, Den of Geek, Polygon, and more.
