June 25, 2024
Courtesy: HBO
(Spoilers Ahead)
Episode 2 of "Rhaenyra the Cruel" delves into the immediate aftermath of Jaehaerys' death. Aegon's thirst for vengeance, Ser Criston Cole's overwhelming guilt, and Rhaenyra and Daemon's harsh confrontations. It's brother against brother as we say goodbye to another character in the escalating war between the Houses.
One of the many things I love about this show is that even though it's based on George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series, and you know what will happen (more or less), it still manages to evoke genuine emotion. The stellar acting, direction, and cinematography make you gasp. If the last episode's theme was about revenge, episode 2 is about guilt.
Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) quickly loses any goodwill from the first episode as he petulantly declares war in a fit of rage, smashing Viserys' model of old Valyria. He then calls a council meeting and accuses the members of treachery. He demands that Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) tell him where he was when his son was murdered. Criston lies, claiming that he was asleep, knowing that he was having sex with Alicent (Olivia Cooke).
Lord Layrs interrupts his tirade and announces that they have caught one of the men fleeing with Jaehaerys's head. Layrs enters Blood's cell to torture him, and Blood immediately confesses that Daemon hired him.
Aegon believes Rhaenyra is responsible for Jaehaerys' death and wants her dead; however, Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) knows that Rhaenyra is not capable of killing innocent children. Ever the perpetual schemer, he wants the realm to believe that Rhaenyra is responsible and hatches a political plan to use Jaehaerys' death to gain public sympathy through a public procession.
Otto claims that by allowing the public to see Jaehaerys' corpse, they will perceive her as the monster that she is, and those who supported Rhaenyra will denounce her. It's a great plan as it actually works. The people are firmly behind "poor" King Aegon, witnessing the royal family's public display of grief as the child's corpse is paraded on top of a chariot through the streets for maximum effect. With the pallbearer screaming, "Behold the works of Rhaenyra Targaryen... Defiler of the innocent!" the crowd's sympathies quickly turn from sympathy to anger at Rhaenyra.
Courtesy: HBO
Otto's plan works, but only briefly, as Aegon shows everyone that he will not be made to look weak. In a show of tyranny, he orders every rat catcher to be publically hung, to the horror of everyone. Knowing this act of cruelty has set their plan backward, Otto confronts Aegon. In an act of petulant defiance, Aegon fires Otto, telling him he was his father's hand, not his, and promptly names Criston Cole as his new hand.
This was such a fantastic scene because Otto, at that moment, knew Aegon was unworthy of the throne and that all of his schemes were for nothing.
Alicent and Cole both feel guilty for having sex while Jaehaerys was being murdered. Alicent believes that God is punishing her for "sinning," and Criston projects his guilt onto Arryk Cargyll. He sends Arryk to infiltrate the castle by pretending to be his brother, Erryk Cargyll, to kill Rhaenyra. It's interesting how sympathetic Criston was in season 1 and how he has transformed into a scheming bastard.
Rhaenyra, with her council, learns that Jaehaerys was murdered. One of the council members questions her innocence, and she denies the allegation, but one look at Daemon's smirk and she knows he's guilty. Love or hate Daemon, he makes you smile even when you don't want to, as he makes no apologies and shows no remorse for his actions.
Alone with Rhaenyra, they get into a heated argument. She accuses him of weakening her claim to the throne and does not believe that he did not intend to harm Jaehaerys. He reminds her that he did it for her. Whether it was Aemond, Aegon, or any of their offspring who got killed, they got what they deserved, as far as Daemon is concerned. He does not say these words aloud, but he does not care. Rhaenyra throws the first punch and declares he is selfish. She does not trust him, just as she could not wholeheartedly trust him as a child, but she had accepted the challenge. Now, she has enough challenges of her own.
Courtesy: HBO
Emma D'Arcy and Matt Smith remain unselfish in their delivery. The scene works to perfection because neither character is entirely right or wrong. Daemon is selfish and a wild card. He is reactionary, and his actions are often impulsive and self-serving, even when he genuinely wants to help.
The tension builds as he insists that he has only served her, but she questions his motives. Daemon rushes toward Rhaenyra with a burst of physical anger; the moment lingers, but he shows restraint. He reminds her that he is raising an army in her name, but she counters again that he is using the situation to enact his revenge against the throne he secretly harbors. She asks if he accepts her as his Queen, but he does not answer and deflects her questions. Great stuff!
We get a really cool scene of Daemon upon Caraxes, leaving the cave to parts unknown with thundering ominous music playing.
Courtesy: HBO
Arryk successfully infiltrates the castle and Rhaenyra's bed chambers, and just when he's about to kill her, Erryk enters, and the two brothers begin fighting to the death. With Rhaenyra, Ser Lorent Marbrand (Max Wrottesley), and the viewers looking on, it's hard to tell who is who upping the stakes. "You parted us. But I still love you, brother," one says to the other. Erryk (presumably) gets the upper hand and kills Arryk but immediately takes his own life. Of course, not being able to tell them apart, the entire scene was tragically Shakespearean.
This episode placed a lot of emphasis on the commoners, highlighting that it's the people (civilians) who always suffer the most when there is a war between dueling nations. Astutely told to Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) by his brothel companion, "I would remind you that when princes lose their temper, it is often others who suffer. The small folk, like me."
Side notes:
It was great to see Rhaenys and Corlys; both deserve more screen time.
Does Daemon ever acknowledge his eldest daughters, Baela and Rhaena? They had no lines in episode 1 and Daemon promptly ignored Baela in episode 2. His daughters might as well be strangers, not Targaryens, for all it matters. I hope the show corrects this moving forward.
We get a few scenes with Alyn (Abubakar Salim) and his brother Addam (Clinton Liberty). The blacksmith Hugh Hammer's (Kieran Bew) daughter is very sick, so we now know why he requested money upfront in last week's episode.
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Watch the trailer below for next week's episode:
House of the Dragon airs on HBO and streams on MAX Sundays at 9 pm EST.
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