In a previous review, I pointed out how I was concerned that this season of House of the Dragon might be a scare. There definitely needs to be a balance between dialogue and action, and now that we’ve reached the penultimate episode, I want well-crafted dialogue scenes as they can become the heart of the narrative, providing emotional depth and insight into character motivations.
Tonight’s episode made my wish come true. Rhaenyra met with Adam, who declared his allegiance to her – prompting her to go ahead with her plan to recruit more dragonriders. Of course, with Lady Mythalia’s prompting, she decided to expand her search to include Targaryen bastards. I’m excited to see Jace finally confront his mother about his origins and what this plan means for him as her heir. Now that she has welcomed the illegitimate child to the court, will the silver-haired one decide to take the throne? Jess makes a good point.
 |
| “Red Seed” – “House of the Dragon”, pictured: Emma Darcy as Queen Rhaenyra. |
When Adam faced Lord Corliss, he showed the most fatherly attitude ever. Allow him to take time off and tell him “good job” before quickly leaving. I do wish they had more contact, but he should want to get to know his son, and not just because he’s a dragon knight now. Adam got what he wanted, but his brother may end up resenting him for it.
We quickly get a glimpse of Aegon, who looks more and more like his father as he recovers from his injuries. However, the more interesting green story this week is Allison, who decides to go on a spiritual retreat in the woods after being attacked by civilians. Maybe she’s seeking some kind of redemption. I’m not sure how a redemption arc will play out for her, but I’m interested to see where her story goes.
Back at Harrenhal, Damon is finally making some progress towards his goal – a goal that has been lost in translation this season. Oscar Tully agreed to let Daemon use the River Man, but forced Daemon to kill Blackwood who helped him. The young boy he fired put Damon in his place and we never saw him again for the rest of the episode. While it was great to see the character last season, I really enjoyed his storyline at Harrenhal.
 |
|
“Red Seed” – “House of the Dragon”, pictured: Archie Barnes as Oscar Tully. |
When we return to Dragonstone, Rhaenyra calls them through her maids, and a small army of bastard Targaryen men and women (including Ulf and Hugh) appears. The Phoenix, who cared about the dragons, told Rhaenyra that they would have no part in what she was doing. I love hearing them speak High Valyrian. When Rhaenyra summoned the dragon Vermithor, and after giving a rousing speech and calming Vermithor down and demonstrating her power, the bastards approached him and he ate as expected A feast. Hugh rises up against Vermithor and captures him, while the fleeing Ulf accidentally captures his dragon.
As Aemond rides his dragons to King’s Landing, follow him back to Dragonstone and see Rhaenyra standing with her dragons and the new dragonriders. Aemond escapes back to King’s Landing, and we see an angry and defiant Rhaenyra staring at him – finally ready for war.
 |
| “Red Seed” – “House of the Dragon”, pictured: Ivan Mitchell as Prince Aemon. |
Overall, I enjoyed this episode better than the last few episodes after Rhaenys died. I don’t blame Rhaenyra for the death of her lowly kin. She warned them of what might happen, and they knew the risks. However, it was foreseeable that Ulf and Hugh would eventually become dragonriders. Lord Jasper also knew that Seasmoke was seen with a rider but failed to tell him as Lord Larris advised and could come back to bite him. I’m disappointed we didn’t get a follow-up to Mythalia and Rhaenyra’s kiss last week, but I guess we don’t have time for romance.
What did you think of this episode? Leave a comment and remember to contact me at X @jereereviews for more discussion.
About the Author – Je-Ree Olenik
Je-Ree is the definition of a Jersey girl. A true nerd who loves her comics. When not watching TV, she works as a paralegal during the day. She enjoys writing, reading, watching all the latest shows, and spending time with her family. Twitter @jereereviews
