After thatwrenchingly grimend to episode one , episode two , “ Rhaenyra the Cruel , ” is here to remind us that all actions have consequence — while also glorify the way catastrophe can be exploited in out of the blue positive ways . But of course , even the best - repose plans can go amiss on House of the Dragon .
In the wake of lil ’ Jahaerys ’ gruesome murder , the Red Keep is full of topsy-turvyness — and none more strong than King Aegon II expressing his grief by smash up the former King Viserys ’ prized modeling of King ’s landing place . “ I hold war ! ” he mewl .
The search extend for the assassins , and Hand of the King Otto Hightower assures his girl , Dowager Queen Alicent Hightower , “ They will pay for this . ” There ’s no question Rhaenyra loyalists are to blame , but Alicent thinks maybe the god are punish her side of the folk — and , given the fact that she was having veto sex with Ser Criston Cole when her grandson was killed , perhaps even punishing her specifically . But Otto ’s mentality is already miles down the runway . “ Some just may fare of this , ” he tells his daughter , and we ’ll see what he means presently enough .
Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) keeps an eye out.Photo: Ollie Upton/HBO
In an emergency brake Small Council get together , Aegon continues his fit ; when he asks Cole what he was doing when his boy was targeted ( rather than , um , his business of protecting the royals from affair like assassinations ) , we see Alicent flinch , her guilt ever more tangible . The big businessman is busily calling Rhaenyra “ the Bitch Queen of Bastards ” and “ the Smug Cunt of Dragonstone ” when Lord Larys Strong enters and calmly denote they ’ve trance a gold cloak stress to escape with a youngster ’s nous in tow . Aegon ’s in favour of vote down the man ASAP , but others counsel him to see what other information might be extracted first . Everyone get laid Team Black is behind this , but perhaps they had service from someone inside the Red Keep ?
Otto has another point in time to make , follow up on what he say to Alicent sooner : there ’s an opportunity for spin here . If they blame Rhaenyra instantly for the hideous killing of a child , and restrain a extremely public funeral procession so all the smallfolk can see the child ’s mangle corpse up close , they ’ll gain understanding for Team Green and Aegon ’s claim on the Iron Throne . “ I will not have him die in conceited , ” Otto says , but his true range of the situation is unmistakable : “ Jaehaerys will do more for us now than a thousand knights in battle . ”
And there ’s more : “ The kingdom must see the sorrowfulness of the jacket crown , ” Otto insists , meaning that Alicent ( who is loath ) and Queen Heleana ( who ’s repulsed by the theme ) must ride in the onward motion . ( When Alicent imparts this gild to her daughter , she tentatively convey up the fact that Heleana caught Alicent and Cole in bottom together – but Heleana ignores her . ) In the donjon , Larys and company are preparing to torture the Au cloak for selective information , but it ’s not necessary : “ Daemon hired me , ” he blurt out out , and sputters that an unnamed ratcatcher helped him . From the shadow , a seething Aegon steps into the electric cell to work out his ira .
King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) in a mood.Photo: Ollie Upton/HBO
Meanwhile , in the street of King ’s Landing , the gloomy advance commence ; “ Behold the work of Rhaenyra Targaryen , ” an announcer roar as the wagon rolls through . It ’s an assailable casket and you could see that Jahaerys ’s tiny head has been stitched back onto his consistence , Frankenstein - vogue . The smallfolk are aghast — and so is Rhaenyra herself , back on Dragonstone , when she learns what ’s happened . As a female parent who ’s recently lost her own son , she ’s sorry to pick up about the boy ’s death , sure , but the brewing public relations disaster is also a self-aggrandizing business organization . “ And they are accusing me of having a deal in this ? ” she wonders , while working out in her head what must have happened .
Later , when she ’s alone with Daemon , she asks him “ Did you send assassin to murder tyke in their beds ? ” He corrects her ; he sent “ the Queen ’s payback for her Logos , ” and his instructions were to kill Aemond , not Jaehaerys or anyone else . She then hail out with what she ’s really think . She does n’t trust him . He ’s selfish . He ’s always been selfish . And now , “ you ’ve used me as a creature with which to grasp at your own stolen hereditary pattern . ” He bites back as she questions his loyalty and need , and they do not part on salutary terms as he fly off to Harrenhal , task with helping raise an USA for Team Black . “ He must follow his own path , ” she says — ostensibly speaking to her stepdaughter , Baela , but also reminding herself in the same breath .
There ’s a melancholy entr’acte as we see handmaiden dismantling Jaehaerys ’ flyspeck bed in the Red Keep — while on Dragonstone , Rhaenyra plays with her own younger children , who are as blank - light-haired as Jaehaerys was . In the room access to her bedroom , Alicent asks Cole “ Have you told anyone ? ” ( obviously , he has n’t ) , and she shut the door on him before taking another musing bathing tub … this time sliding below the water line to hold her breath for a worrisome amount of clock time .
King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) in a mood.Photo: Ollie Upton/HBO
A ungratified Cole stem around the castling , looking for someone to absorb his frustration , and discover Ser Arryck dining after a long shift . Cole pick apart his underling ’s muddy cloak , then unleashes his real flaming : “ Where were you when Jaehaerys was murdered ? ” Arryck says he was guarding King Aemon in the throne way , actually , then asks “ Where were you , Lord Commander ? ” It gets snippier . Cole bring up Arryck ’s unpatriotic twin , bend the knife much like Daemon did to Ser Erryck in last week ’s episode . “ You have brought ignominy upon our ranks . And now you must restore it , ” Cole snaps , speak to himself as much as to Arryck . Then he rank him to go to Dragonstone , sneak in by pretending to be his superposable brother , and get payback by killing Rhaenyra .
In a King ’s Landing joy house , Aemond is having a mope about it with a harmonic sex worker he apparently bear to cradle him like a baby . “ Daemon place them to pop me , ” he worries , but he ’s also pleased by the approximation that he ’s threatening enough to be made a target . “ I do regret that clientele with Luke . I lost my temper that day , ” he admits to her , referring to what happened in the time of year one finish . She ’s an older woman who ’s clearly a regular service supplier for him , and she ’s comfy enough with him to impart an of import bit of truth : “ When princes lose their tempter , ‘ tis often others who suffer … the smallfolk , like me . ”
Whether this notion of guilt or those very wise words about gazing beyond one ’s own royal belly button make a difference of opinion or not is yet to be see , but House of the Dragon underlines its emerge theme about the struggles of the smallfolk by shifting scenes . We ’re in an unfamiliar location for Westeros : a peasant family ’s home , specifically Hugh , an iron actor we saw in last workweek ’s instalment petitioning King Aegon for his long - overdue pay . Hugh and his married woman have a sick child and develop worries about finding enough intellectual nourishment to eat up . He ’s still bright the king will make respectable , but she ’s truly afraid for the future .
Rheanyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Daemon (Matt Smith) have it out.Photo: Ollie Upton/HBO
Meanwhile , on Driftmark ’s sour grass , brothers reunite : Alyn of Hull , who we met last week , and the younger Addam . They divvy up a big hug and a speedy catch - up chat in which Addam encourages Alyn to lean into Lord Corlys ’ good graces ; the Sea Snake does owe him for saving his life story , after all . “ To serve well with the Sea Snake is to make your fortune , ” Addam enthuses , but Alyn ’s preoccupied with his fear about the upcoming war . A bit later , there ’s an interlude — forgetful , but worth note — where we see Addam on the beach , dig for crabs . of a sudden he look up as a flying dragon swoops overhead . On a show like House of the Dragon where every moment counts and every coup d’oeil is full of meaning , this surely feels like betoken .
In their castling nearby , Corlys and Rhaenys lie in bed discussing their worries about Daemon ’s behavior and whether or not they can confide him . “ We will not let the Queen hesitation , ” Rhaenys say , as we cut to Rhaenyra meeting with Mysaria , who ’s still imprisoned at Dragonstone . First , she grill her about what part she play in Jaehaerys ’ death ; much like she did with Daemon , Mysaria insist her liaison was only about getting paid — and it take a cadence before Rhaenyra commend receive her before . ( In time of year one , Daemon profess he was drop dead to take her as a 2nd married woman — and claimed she was significant with his child — without properly lease her in on the artifice . ) As the char share an unspoken instant filled with their mutual Daemon infliction , Mysaria explain that all she want is for Rhaenyra to honor Daemon ’s countersign and set her gratis . She has no ulterior motive . She ’s only interested in her own survival .
“ I was brought to Westeros with nothing , ” she begins , then excuse that she did what she had to do to earn a living — including see to be a very astute attender . “ For too long I made it my aim to be of consequence . But now I see that was the wish of a fry . Daemon , Otto Hightower — reach no difference . They will never live with me . I might as well have remained a whore , ” Misarya says . Though she comes from very different circumstances , Rhaenyra knows how it feels to not be accepted by sinewy men , and the speech make her pause .
Rhaenys (Eve Best) takes a seat during Rhaenyra’s Small Council meeting.Image: Theo Whitman/HBO
In King ’s Landing , we get another mo that illustrate the root of “ smallfolk are growing tired of being deal like garbage . ” Outside the Red Keep , there ’s an alarmingly large identification number of hanged man ; it seems all of the ratcatchers in the male monarch ’s employ were exterminate , to verify the one guy ( who we see among their numbers ) that aided in the young prince ’s death is accept out . A female parent looks up and wails : “ My son ! ” A son for a son … for a son . And so it goes in Westeros .
Up in the Red Keep , Otto is , yet again , very displeased with this presentation and confronts King Aegon about it . In fact , he hollo “ IDIOT ! ” at him . It ’s the episode ’s 2d PR catastrophe , this time on the other side of things : “ With your child ’s blood , we bought their approval . With your mother ’s tears we made a bitter sacrifice against the deprivations to come . And you ’ve thrown it out . ” Aegon , catty as ever , says “ I care to spill lineage ! ” He want to take action ! Cole take activeness ! It ’s here that Otto hear Cole resolve to send Ser Arryck to murder Rhaenyra . “ It ’s time the bitch queen paid a price , ” Cole adds unhelpfully .
Otto is apoplectic . “ rather of judgement , you display impetuousness and decrease us in the eye of our foe , ” he thunders , then unhappily realizes how much he lack King Viserys — who would never , ever have let something like “ Fuck dignity , I require retaliation ! ” slip from his lip . It ’s an ugly aspect , and it begin sorry when Aegon orders Otto to remove his badge and , seemingly spontaneously , decides that Ser Criston Cole , the only other person in the way , should become Hand of the King alternatively . “ You . Will . Regret . This , ” Otto hope , utter slowly so even an half-wit like his grandson can understand . And we believe him !
Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) skulks in the shadows.Photo: Ollie Upton/HBO
Back on Dragonstone , Rhaenyra cite Ser Erryck and severalize him Mysaria is free to go — she’ll just want someone to take her to the shore and put her on a departing ship , pronto . Rhaenyra does n’t require her hanging around stirring up any more trouble in Westeros . Mysaria is grateful , but as she ’s heading to the boat , she does a double take . There ’s a knight with an awfully familiar boldness — one she ’s just seen in the castle , in fact — head up the path from the sea . She tells her escort to hold up a moment .
Even with Mysaria spotting the invader , the artifice almost works . Arryck bluffs right smart through the castle and properly into Rhaenyra ’s chambers . Just like last week ’s House of the Dragon , we stick with an assassin creeping up on their aim and an awful expectation builds — but this time , affair end differently . Just as Rhaenyra ’s about to fit the wrong goal of a sword , Erryck fit in and there ’s an epical fight between the brothers . Nobody look on can say who ’s who , least of all us watcher at home , but it does n’t matter … because when one in conclusion dies , the other dramatically fall on his own sword in torment . Both twins are deadened .
Back in King ’s landing place , Otto is blowing off steam to Alicent . “ Aegon must be kept in handicap , ” Otto warns . Only , Grandpa ’s not the one to do it any longer . He ’s entrust King ’s Landing , bind for the Hightower stronghold of Oldtown , where Alicent ’s third son ( drink if you forgot there was another one ) sprightliness . Alicent involve him to go to Highgarden or else and convince the Tyrells to join their cause . She also recall Aegon will soon change his mind , and will finally want Otto back as Hand . It ’s not open what Otto ’s going to do , but he reassure Alicent he still believes peace is possible , “ as long as you and I concur fast . ”
He is an idiot.Photo: Ollie Upton/HBO
Alicent is itching to offload her bountiful secret , and whispers “ I have sinned . ” His response : “ I do not wish to learn of it . ” There ’ll be no easy absolution here ; no fatherly comfort beyond matters pertaining to the kingdom . When she leaves the room , she hear sob , and realise it ’s Aegon , sitting by himself , overcome with emotion . Because his boy is dead ? Because he fired his granddaddy ? Because he bonk what Otto say to him is truthful ? Because he understand he imbibe as king ? We do n’t know , because Alicent contract in the scenery , and turns and leaves without doing anything about it . Instead , she goes to her chamber … where Ser Criston Cole is expect . She slaps him , she squeeze him , and then … the sin recommences .
New sequence of House of the Dragon arrive Sundays on HBO and Max .
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