July 24, 2024
Courtesy: HBO
In the sixth episode of House of the Dragon, Seasmoke chooses a rider; Rhaenyra and Mysaria find comfort, and Daemon's patience wears thin in "Smallfolk."
Daemon (Matt Smith) is still at Harrenhal having nightmares, and this arc with Daemon has overstayed its welcome. All Daemon does is argue with Ser Simon (Simon Russell Beale) and Alys (Gayle Rankin) while having weird dreams that amount to nothing. While his being at Harrenhal is vital since he needs to raise an army for Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy), it's starting to become tedious as he literally does nothing, and we almost forget why he's there in the first place.
This time, he has a dream about Viserys (Paddy Considine) being on the throne, banishing him to The Vale, and it's a replay of when Daemon mocked him in season 1. He thinks Ser Simon Strong is playing mind games with him and has him by the throat. Daemon is a lot of things, but stupid isn't one of them. Alys is a witch, so if anyone is playing mind games, it would be her, yet he still continues to intimately confide in her while accepting her food and drinks. With one bad dream too many, he decides to leave (finally!) and Caraxes agrees if its wailing is any indication; however, Alys tells him to do nothing after he asks for her help with the Riverlords. When she counsels him and tells him he needs House Tully to control the Riverlands, he tells her Tully is barely still alive. She cryptically leaves with her owl, presumably to finish him off, and Daemon still has no qualms that creepy Alys is responsible for his haunting dreams. Sigh!
Courtesy: HBO
Later, he has another dream, and this time, he's sincere when he apologizes to Viserys for not being there when he needed him the most. Both actors did a great job; hopefully, this is the last of Daemon's dreams. Ser Simon tells him that Lord Grover is dead, and Alys did all she could to save him. Uh-huh! Daemon smirks but ends up sincerely crying. Finally, something is going his way.
Aemond (Ewan Mitchel) is incensed when the Lannisters attempt to summon him "with haste" to meet them with Vhagar to protect the Lannister army when they march on Harrenhal. Aemond is furious because he is Prince Regent and expects to be treated as such. We know Aemond is a baddie, but Ewan Mitchell plays him with such complexity you cannot help but feel for him, so when he dismisses Alicent (Olivia Cooke) from the council and tells her she's better suited at "domestic pursuits," she asks him if the indignities of his childhood have yet not sufficiently been avenged, and he coldly pushes her away. Maybe a few more minutes, and maybe she would have found an opening to his steely heart, but we doubt it.
Courtesy: HBO
Aemond is fully intoxicated by the power of the crown, and he will destroy any feelings of sentimentality that get in the way of that. Aemond is easily one of the best characters on the show. He wants Tyland Lannister to ally with the Triarchy (the cities of Myr, Lys, and Tyrosh) to break the Velaryon blockade and orders Criston (Fabien Frankel) to march on Harrenhal. Criston reminds him that he no longer has the numbers to challenge Daemon having lost many men at Rook's Rest however Aemond confidently says he welcomes Daemon's challenge if he dares to face him. Mitchell's sinister delivery is spot on.
Speaking of Alicent, she can't win for trying, and again, it almost feels like karmic justice. Her sons do not respect her, and Criston Cole has chosen his duty over her (partly out of fear for Aemond). She has no one except her daughter, Helaena, but that relationship is also strained since Helaena saw her in bed with Criston.
In a later scene, she learns from her brother Gwayne Hightower (Freddie Fox) that her son Daeron, whom she sent to Old Town, is a kind person, unlike his brothers. We're positive his upbringing away from her influence had everything to do with it.
Aemond is no fool, so when Larys (Matthew Needham) starts greasing him for the position of Hand to the King, Aemond quickly and very coldly shoots him down and says he wants him to fetch Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans). Finally, he's thinking smart. He knows his grandfather's loyalty has never been in doubt; however, the old man is nowhere to be found, which is interesting since one would think he would be licking his wounds at Highgarden, chomping at the bits to return to King's Landing. Grand Maester Orwlye interrupts to report that Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) has regained consciousness, much to Aegon's chagrin. He pays him a visit and Aegon immediately starts panicking when he sees Aemond. When Aemond cooly asks what he remembers, Aegon lies and says he remembers nothing. Smart boy!
Layrs pays a visit to Aegon, and Layrs tells him he knows what it's like to not be seen due to his crippled disability, and Matthew is absolutely fantastic in this scene. Cue the waterworks. Layrs says people will underestimate him, which will be his advantage, and we know he's talking about himself. Aegon asks for his help, knowing Aemond wants him dead.
Courtesy: HBO
Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) and Jace (Harry Collett) test their theory and summon Ser Steffon Darklyn (Anthony Flanagan), who has Targaryen ancestry, to claim Seasmoke. But before she does, we get an incredibly quick scene of Corlys (Steve Toussaint) still silently being affected by Rhaenys' (Eve Best) death, and we wonder why more screen time isn't given to Corlys, who is such a dynamic character in his own right. We simply get a wordless nod of acknowledgment that he accepted the offer of Hand to the Queen as he sits at Rhaenyra's council table. Sigh!
After informing Ser Steffon that she believes he can be a dragon rider, Steffon nobly accepts and proclaims it will be his honor, much to the chagrin of her counsel. Steffon's sincerity in earnestly wanting to serve his Queen was really touching. They enter the dragons' pit and summon Seasmoke and the tension mounts. At first, it seems Seasmoke will accept Steffon, but he quickly incinerates him and returns to being unbothered. Seasmsoke was not impressed, which was unintentionally funny, much to the horror of Rhaenyra, Jace, and the rest of her council.
Ser Bartimos, the outspoken member of her council, has had enough and berates Rhaenyra, who promptly slaps him, telling him it is her fault he has forgotten to fear her. She does make an excellent point. Bartimos would have never taken such liberties if she were a man.
On Driftmark, Corlys wants Alyn (Abubakar Salim) to be his first mate, but Alyn does not want the position. He and his brother Addam (Clinton Liberty) discuss Corlys. Alyn wants nothing from Coryls but Addam is the opposite and wants his attention if not affection. While arguing, Alyn shaves his head so his blond hair will continue to go unnoticed. Later, Addam is at the beach when Seasmoke is spotted, and people, including Addam, start running for their lives; however, Seasmoke only has eyes for Addam and corners him through the trees. Seamsoke is inches from Addam, and it looks like he will be toast, but his terrified demeanor quickly changes. Seasmoke chooses Addam as his new rider!
Courtesy: HBO
Rhaenyra and Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) send a mole to Red's Keep spreading gossip that the Royal Greens are living lavishly and eating the absolute best at the expense of the small folk while they starve, continuing that under Rhaenyra's rule, it would never happen. Tired of eating scraps and fish (earlier, he saw sheep being taken to feed the dragons), Ulf (Tom Bennett) listens and gets even more frustrated at the poverty that has overtaken the city. Rhaenyra sends food by boatloads with her sigil to prove her point, instigating a riot. The people are fed up with their injustice and attack Alicent and Helaena, who barely get away.
Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell) finds burnt sheep's skeletal remains, which leads us to believe that the dragon Sheepstealer is out there and needs a rider. Who will be the dragon seed that claim it? We can only hope it's Rhaena who desperately needs love, but our money is on Hugh (Kieran Bew), who has gotten more characterization than more important characters. Why anyone isn't questioning his platinum blond hair remains a mystery.
Mysaria and Rhaenyra share an intimate conversation where Rhaenyra confides that she fears Daemon has turned against her and does not think she will win the war. Mysaria, in return, confides that her father sexually abused her as a child and she cannot bear children. She sincerely says that she believes Rhaenyra was meant to be Queen, and they share a hug that very quickly turns into a passionate kiss. We did not see this coming! What will Daemon think?! They are interrupted by a guard (aren't guards supposed to wait for permission before entering?) who tells her Seasmoke was seen flying with a rider. Rhaenyra assumes it's one of the Greens and promptly takes off on her dragon Syrax for a confrontation.
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Will the next episode focus on Mysaria and Rhaenyra's kiss? Will Daemon finally leave Harrenhal? How will Layrs protect Aegon?
Watch the preview of episode 7 below:
House of the Dragon airs on HBO and streams on Max Sundays at 9 EST.
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