House of the Dragon – Second of His Name

By: Kelly Kearney

After a two-year time jump we learn King Viserys and his new wife Alicent Hightower gave birth to a son, Aegon, with another child soon on the way. A son adds a new layer to this royal line of succession, as all eyes are on the King and whether or not he will change his mind and name Aegon his heir. With Daemon fighting the Crabfeeder in the Stepstones to prove himself, and Rhaenyra warming up to the idea of Queen, things are starting to look like a family war is likely for the highest position in the realm. 

Time Jumps and Crab Flambe 

The episode opens with a vicious battle in the Stepstones, as we see one of Lord Corlys’ (Steve Toussaint) ships burning in the distance. We hear screaming from presumably one of the ship’s soldiers as he gets nailed to a stake. He yells about House Velaryon coming for the Crabfeeder (Daniel Scott-Smith) and his crustacean minions but gets nothing but curses and cruel torture in return. Just as he’s about to be picked apart by a consortium of crab people, a dragon flies onto the scene breathing down fire as the brutalized captive cheers. Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) and his pet dragon, Caraxes, cooks dozens of the crabs on the beach and send the rest running for cover in the island’s caves. The poor guy nailed to the stake winds up a landing pad for Caraxes crushing two-ton feet. His cheers of freedom are quickly squashed with the rest of him. From the air Daemon mocks the Crabfeeder, who he refers to as Drahar, hoping to lure the killer into a battle but instead, he takes an unexpected arrow to the shoulder and Caraxes whisks him away to safety.  

Back at King’s Landing, we flash forward at least two and a half years as King Viserys (Paddy Considine) and his new and very pregnant wife, Alicent (Emily Carey), are celebrating their firstborn son’s name day. All of the King’s realm is celebrating baby Aegon’s big day with a hunt for an elusive animal, the White Hart, a beast that is thought to bring the baby Prince good fortune. The King’s happy mood takes a hit when the party is interrupted by a message sent from Lord Corlys’ brother, Ser Vaemond (Wil Johnson) about his brother, Daemon, losing ground in the Stepstones. The Crabfeeder is putting up a decent fight, with many wondering if now might be a good time for the crown to step in and offer the Prince some aid. All along Daemon has been questioning his brother’s leadership and Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans)–the King’s hand and father to the newly crowned Queen would question it too if Viserys swooped in now after letting things escalate for two years. It could reinforce Daemon’s claims that his brother, The King, is weak when faced with challenges, and that’s the last thing he needs if he wants to keep Westeros under his reign. Not that he cares one way or another about what Daemon thinks, The King is only interested in where his missing and often distant daughter, Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) is, during her brother Aegon’s celebration. A hunt is on and The King wants his heir to take part in it. He sends Alicent to find her and when she does, it’s immediately clear these two are no longer on good terms–regardless of the fact Alicent seems to miss their friendship. The King’s heir wants no part of Aegon’s big day. She would rather spend her time alone, and sitting under a tree with a good book. Too bad, the King has ruled, her presence is required. Besides, Viserys is tired of his daughter’s chilly demeanor that popped up when he started harping on her marital status–which should be a clue as to why she is less than enthused with him. Other than Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), whom Rhaenyra has a close relationship with, the rebel Princess shows no interest in marrying. This is made abundantly clear when Jason Lannister (Jefferson Hall)–full of flex and ego, introduces himself to the Princess as the man who could build her a dragon pit with all the wealth his family’s accrued. When she asks him why a guy known for lions–not dragons, would want one, he tries charming her with a proposal of, “doing anything for my Queen–or Lady wife.” Jason is a major turn off and Rhaenyra tracks down her father to accuse him of trying to set her up with him. His response is a familiar one–she has to marry and produce an heir. Rhaenyra just isn’t in the mood to hear it again, so she takes off from the Keep with Ser Criston Cole and ends up in Kingswood for a walk and a talk. Rhaenyra, the girl who would-be Queen, is beating herself up over not standing up to her father and his Kingdom’s expectations. Criston tries to make her feel better by thanking her for choosing him for the Knight’s Guard. It’s a reminder that she does make good decisions; even if she can’t recognize them at the moment. 

The Hunt 

Back at the hunt for the elusive White Hart and all of the Kingdom’s men are in competition to bag this beast on the Prince’s name day. The creature is supposed to grant greatness and good fortune to the child and that means whoever captures it will surely have the King’s favor. On cue, Jason Lannister gifts the King a special handmade Hart killing spear but the gift is just a way to ask Viserys if Aegon, his only son, will replace Rhaenyra as his heir. This infuriates Viserys who says he has no interest in changing his mind and to tell the rest of the realm that any assumption to the contrary will be seen as treason. A King is all-knowing, and to go back on his choices would seem weak and could destabilize his power, leaving an opening for mutiny. Overhearing his interaction with Jason, Otto steps up and offers his King a suggestion on how to make everyone happy. Force Rhaenyra to marry her two-year-old brother, Aegon. Why is incest always the best idea with these Iron Throners? Viserys laughs off Otto’s ridiculous idea because who are they, the Lannisters? Not in his Red Keep! He won’t be mixing familial bloodlines to keep a Targaryen on the throne. 

Speaking of the Princess, as night falls she is still in the woods with Criston–who has proven himself useful by building a fire. When the two hear the approaching squeals of an out-of-control boar, Criston flies into protective mode and tries to filet the pig. He isn’t able to finish it off and Rhaenyra, with tears in her eyes and fury in her strike, repeatedly stabs the boar until it’s dead. 

Back at camp, the King is drunk and crying when his wife finds him staring into the flames of a celebratory bonfire. He is worrying over his choice to make Rhaenyra his heir. That night he dreamt of the white hart and thought it was a sign that she was not only the chosen one, but her crowning could heal their wounds from the loss of Aemma. His drunken meltdown is interrupted by a blast of the horn alerting everyone at camp that the hart has been captured…or the next best thing. When Viserys staggers out to see he is greeted with excuses as to why a very large brown stag should be a good enough gift for Aegon. They never found the white hart and now Viserys is really questioning his dream and the decisions that came from it. Saving face, the drunk King is handed the Lannister spear as he cringes his way through the brutal slaying of the screaming animal. If a white hart can predict human greatness, then it is no surprise one approaches a blood-covered Rhaenyra in the woods while she’s avoiding her responsibilities. It’s a good sign that Viserys chose the right child to lead after his death, even if the Princess isn’t entirely convinced. When Criston draws his sword to kill the hart Rhaenyra stops him and allows the good fortune to run away. 

One Man Against An Army

Back at the Keep. Otto has a father/ Queen-daughter chat with Alicent over her son Aegon. He presses the issue of Rhaenyra ascending the throne, concerned his grandson should be the likely heir. Alicent reminds her father that their family backs the King’s decision to make Rhaenyra his Queen and she doesn’t seem too interested in making waves. Otto disregards this and tells her to try her best to convince the King into changing his mind–for the stability of the crown. She does her best to offer advice to Viserys, but not about heirs but the fighting in the Stepstones. The very hungover King is fretting over if he should send his brother some aid after receiving a letter from Lord Corlys’ brother requesting his help. The King doesn’t want to make things easier for Daemon but his Queen convinces him that his bruised pride might be better than allowing the Crabfeeder to win this battle. That would make the Kingdom weaker than stepping in to save his rebellious and disrespectful brother. He eventually chooses to send the aid and then meets with Rhaenyra to try and patch things up after that Lannister disaster. Rhaenyra admits she feels pushed aside since Aegon’s birth and wants no part of her father’s plans to marry her off now that he doesn’t know what to do with her. He agrees, that the Lannister situation wasn’t the right fit but reiterates he has no plans to strip her of her role as Queen-to-be. He then gives her the go-ahead to choose her own husband when she is ready, just like he did with her mother, Aemma. 

Finally, we head back to the Stepstones, where Corlys’ brother is blaming Daemon for the Crabfeeder winning the war. The argument is interrupted by a messenger delivering the news that King Viserys has sent a fleet of ships to aid in the battle. Daemon responds to this by pummeling the man in a fit of rage. 

When we next see Prince Targaryen, he is paddling a boat to the Crabfeeder’s island, while waving a white flag of surrender. It seems he would rather die than accept his brother’s help. When he lands on the shore he kneels before the King Crab’s men ready to die for his honor, or some would say ego but before the crab men can deal the Prince a deadly blow, Daemon pulls out a secret blade and starts hacking through the crowd! This is one man against an army in a fight we haven’t seen since Jon Snow headed into slaughter during the Battle of the Bastards. Daemon leaves dozens of bodies littering the water’s edge until a few archers manage to pierce his armor and slow his murderous roll. As the Crab Feeder’s men gather to finish him off, we see Lord Corlys leading the resistance, and clearing the path is his son, Laenor (Theo Nate), riding Caraxes! Along with the King’s aid, Corlys’ men storm the beaches while his son barbeques the crabs before they can take Daemon’s life. Without ever uttering a word, Daemon Targaryen proved he is not only a brave and risky warrior, but he has managed to earn the respect of his brother’s soldiers and their allies in the realm. With divided allegiances and an heir who has yet to embrace tradition, it is only a matter of time before there is mutiny for the Iron Throne King Viserys better watch his back!