"Second episode of 'House of the Dragon' Season 2 - Petty Revenge Unleashed: Tread Carefully"
Undeniably, King Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) is in turmoil after the loss of his heir. In no uncertain terms, he screams out, "This is war! I declare war!"
Believing this treacherous act to be the doing of Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy), Aegon seeks vengeance and grows eager to "dracarys" Team Black. However, Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) attempts to calm down Aegon's grandson, suggesting that some good might emerge from this tragedy.
Otto proposes a scheme to pin the blame on Rhaenyra by arranging a grand funeral procession through the streets of King’s Landing. Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and Helaena (Phia Saban) ride in the wagon behind Jaehaerys’ coffin while a King’s Guardsman angrily calls out, “Witness the deeds of Rhaenyra Targaryen, the false claimant to the throne, the King's murderer!”
Rumors quickly spread from King's Landing to Dragonstone, where Rhaenyra learns of the death of Jaehaerys and the accusations against her. Still grieving the loss of her child, she is shocked and outraged that someone would think she was responsible for this.
It isn't until she looks at Daemon (Matt Smith) that she sees a smug smile on his face, quickly realizing that he had a part in this.
This revelation sparks a bitter argument between the two. Daemon denies having ordered the assassination of Jaehaerys, claiming that the whole thing was just a misunderstanding, while Rhaenyra refuses to believe him.
Daemon argues that he only hired assassins to kill Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) and insists that he sought revenge solely against Aemond for her father choosing her as his heir instead of him.
"It was a mistake," Daemon says.
"You're a pathetic fool," Rhaenyra retorts.
The heated argument ends with Daemon flying out of Dragonstone on Caraxes.
Although Otto controlled the situation at first, he eventually loses control by the end of the episode. He confronts King Aegon over his reckless decision to publicly execute every single ratcatcher in King’s Landing, telling him that it was a reckless decision and that, unlike his late father, he has no dignity.
"F--k dignity. I want revenge," Aegon responds.
This confrontation results in King Aegon firing Otto as his Hand and replacing him with Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), who Aegon believes has proven himself to be "worth more than a hundred old men" because of his plan to send Arryk Cargyll (Luke Tittensor) to Dragonstone, posing as his twin brother Erryk (Elliott Tittensor), to assassinate Rhaenyra.
Across the realms of Westeros
- Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) tells Rhaenyra that she holds no loyalties to anyone and has no interest in betraying her if she is set free. Rhaenyra remains skeptical of Mysaria but still decides to free her.
- Mysaria proves herself to be trustworthy when she informs Rhaenyra of Arryk's approach to Dragonstone, allowing Erryk to arrive just in time to prevent the assassination attempt. The two brothers then engage in a deadly fight, with one brother killing the other, and then the surviving brother committing suicide. It's tragic, but... perhaps a bit romantic?
- Rat guy’s accomplice confides in Larys (Matthew Needham) that Daemon hired him, only to be brutally beaten by King Aegon. Rat guy is then hanged in town alongside the other ratcatchers.
- Aemond is upset. He expresses remorse over the death of Lucerys while in the arms of a woman in a brothel. "I let my anger get the better of me that day," he says. "I apologize for it. They made fun of me."
- Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty) reunites with his brother Alyn (Abubakar Salim), who saved Corlys Velaryon’s (Steven Toussaint) life. Addam, who was called to aid Team Black in Driftmark, reminds Alyn that Corlys is in his debt.
- Alicent tries to share her secret affair with Criston (Fabien Frankel) with both Otto and Helaena, but neither one is interested in hearing about it. Let's hope King Aegon stays unaware.
Otto's words ring true: "These people are not peacocks, rather they're all squawking and feathers." Truer words were never spoken.
"House of the Dragon" airs on Sunday evenings on Max, which, like CNN, is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery.
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After the heated argument, Rhaenyra and Daemon's relationship is strained, leading to a tense Entertainment scene where they both attend a royal feast.
Otto's loss of control over King Aegon extends beyond just the execution of ratcatchers, as Aegon also orders the imprisonment of all known supporters of House Targaryen, disrupting Entertainment events and gatherings across the realms of Westeros.
