June 20, 2024
Courtesy: HBO
House of the Dragon, the prequel to Game of Thrones, has returned with its first episode of season 2, "A Son for a Son." After nearly two years since its last episode, the season 2 debut on June 15 immediately set the tone for revenge. Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) seeks revenge against Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), while Daemon (Matt Smith) takes matters into his own hands and initiates a plan that will have devastating consequences for everyone.
The last ten minutes of Episode 1 were intense. Watching the scenes, it was clear that something terrible was about to happen and that Daemon's plan would go wrong. Since we knew that neither Aemond nor Aegon (Ewan Mitchell and Tom Glynn-Carney) would die, the question was, who would?
The episode begins with Jacaerys Velaryon (Harry Collette) touring The Wall in Winterfell with Lord Cregan Stark (played by Tom Taylor). He reaffirms his loyalty to Rhaenyra but cannot spare his soldiers so close to winter, as he also needs to fight against "Death".
Rhaenyra, still mourning the loss of Lucerys (Elliot Grihault), flies to Storm's End to see the remains of Lucerys and his dragon, Arrax. Syraxx joins in her grief by roaring, as it has also lost a child in Arrax. Emma D'Arcy continues to be excellent, showcasing Rhaenyra's pain in grieving her son. She returns to Dragonstone and tells Daemon she wants revenge against Aemond. Later, she shares a tender moment with Jacaerys, who tells her Cregan promises to spare 2000 of his men for the upcoming war.
Courtesy: HBO
Daemon complies with Rhaenyra's wish, as he wants nothing more than to go to war. He tried to enlist Rhaenys' (Eve Best) help, but she refused Daemon's command to help him kill Aemond and Vhagar. The million-dollar question remains: why didn't Rhaenys kill them all when she rode in on a blaze of glory on Meleys (her dragon) last season? Eve Best continues to shine and deserves more screen time. She's superb and watching this series reminds me that the show was superbly cast.
We first see glimpses of Aegon in his role as king. As expected, he struggles with the responsibilities and seems more interested in having his young heir, Jaehaerys, interrupt the council meeting on updates about the Velaryons' Gullet blockade. Receiving several unanswered letters of apologies for Lucerys' death, they presume that war is inevitable, and rightfully so.
Courtesy: HBO
Aegon is not a bad king; he's very generous but misguided. He oversimplifies his decisions when commoners come to him with their petitions. He readily complies when one petition asks for upfront payment for services. When another complains about too many of his sheep being taken, Aegon promises to return all of them, only for Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) to quickly object and educate him that the flock is taken by agreement that one-tenth tithe of livestock will be taken to sustain the dragons. Aegon insists on returning all the sheep, stating that the man "came all this way" to make his petition. He genuinely wants to be a good king, but as Otto reminds him, if Aegon does it for one, he has to do it for all.
It would have been great to see Alicent's (Olivia Cooke) initial reaction to Lucerys' death, but that was quickly glossed over at the council when Aemond interrupted as they continued to discuss strategy. Otto advised Aegon to exhibit patience as other realm members would soon follow and support his throne.
Lord Layrs (Matthew Needham) continues to be creepy. After Alicient instructed her staff to let him know she was unavailable, Layrs, not too subtly, said he killed all those who betrayed her and chose her new staff personally, increasing the creepy meter to a solid 10. She should confide in Ser Criston (Fabien Frankel) about Larys as their sexual relationship is revealed. Layrs will definitely be a problem for Alicient when she spurns his advances.
Alicent questions Otto's motivations as she shares her frustrations with her definition of victory, which involves Rhaenyra on a bent knee. She mentions that Aegon is eager to prove himself, and Aemond is angry. She warns that if Otto continues undermining her, her sons will no longer listen to her. Otto insists that the path to victory is through violence, and she must accept it. He is definitely a snake, but Otto genuinely loves his daughter and has no problem being treacherous in achieving his lofty goals. We all love a multi-layered villain.
Otto later interrupts Aemond and Ser Criston as they scheme. Clearly, Ser Criston still hates Rhaenyra for not running away with him earlier in their relationship. He is resentful that she did not choose him, which is fueling his anger. Otto cautions Aemond that he needs to control his impulses and assures him that he will have his vengeance in due time.
Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) is leading the naval blockade to protect Dragonstone and Driftmark. He is still recovering from his battle that happened off-screen for most of season 1. He was rescued by Alyn (Abubakar Salim), one of Corlys' crew members, who hands him a sword hilt meant for Lucerys before his death since Lucerys was named heir of Driftmark in Season 1. Corlys is the commander of the royal fleet and former Master of Ships; he's an essential and vital component in the upcoming war, so hopefully, we will see more of him as the season progresses.
Courtesy: HBO
Daemon's former mistress, Mysaria, also known as "The White Worm" (Sonoya Mizuno), is captured and brought to Dragonstone, where she is arrested for treason. Daemon becomes furious when he discovers that she has been selling their secrets to Otto and blames her for Aegon stealing the throne from Rhaenyra. She denies any knowledge of Otto's plans and insists that her arrangement with him was purely transactional. Daemon initially orders her to be kept in a cell and treated as a traitor to the crown, but he later offers her freedom in exchange for revealing everything she knows.
Daemon sneaks into King's Landing and hires two assassins, Cheese (a rat catcher) and Blood (a disgraced City Watch guard), to kill Aemond. Cheese asks Daemon what they should do if they cannot find Aemond, but Daemon does not answer, leading to the most intense moments in episode 1. The assassins enter through the castle's sewer and underground to search for Aemond. As they split up, Cheese is found by one of the maids, whom he convinces he is a rat catcher. Meanwhile, the tension intensifies as he goes through the upper chambers and comes upon Blood holding a knife to Queen Helaena's (Phia Saban) throat in her chambers.
Courtesy: HBO
Her children are sleeping a few feet away, and they demand that Helaena tell them which one is the son. Helaena offers her necklace, but Cheese snatches it from her neck and insists that she identify the son. She points to Jaehaerys, but he doesn't believe her, as he doesn't think she would give up the king's heir that easily. Blood believes she's telling the truth and they kill Jaehaerys by beheading him. Helaena quickly grabs Jaehaera and runs to Alicent's chambers, where she finds Alicent having sex with Ser Criston Cole. She tells a shocked Alicent that "they" killed the boy.
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Killing Jaehaerys will definitely escalate the war between the Houses. While Daemon will likely not be affected by Jaehaerys's death, Rhaenyra will undoubtedly feel guilty and responsible, which would create tension between them, as the previews suggest. This adds to the long list of heirs who have died, building up to the bloodbath we can expect in season 2.
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House of The Dragon airs on HBO and streams on Max Sundays at 9 pm EST.
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