Courtesy of HBO
Last week's episode of House of the Dragon showed there is no stopping the war from happening. Alicent declared that it was too late for her mistakes to be fixed after Rhaenyra was begging for peace. This episode showed the true horror of what this war will be like between Team Green and Team Black. But before we get to that, let's recap the whole episode.
We first see Daemon in Harrenhal as he is having another hallucination. This time he sees Young Rhaenyra sitting on the iron throne. He immediately chops her head off with a sword. Daemon is looking to break free from Rhaenyra. He is planning on taking the throne from Rhaenyra and ruling the seven kingdoms.
Aegon's rule as King of Westeros has been unfulfilling for Aegon. He is worried that people see him as weak. He is also worried that he has no power. His constant need to prove his power has only made his family and council see him as a little child. This is shown in this episode when they hold a meeting with the council and Aemond one ups him. Aemond speaks Valyrian to Aegon and in comparison Aegon can barely get two words of Valyrian out of his mouth. In this meeting, Aegon finds out everything is being planned behind his back and he has no say at all. The scene truly shows the person that should be running things for Team Green. It was clear from day one that Aemond was the more dominant person between him and his brother. Don't forget last episode when Aegon humiliated Aemond in the only place he can be vulnerable so throughout this episode you know Aemond has revenge on his mind.
Another part in this is Alicent. Last episode she told Rhaenyra it was too late for the war to stop. Alicent is conflicted with all of this happening. You can tell she never meant for this to go this far. With all of her transgressions the past weeks, her vices might be catching up to her. Lord Larys seems to be the Littlefinger of this show with his manipulative and slimy tactics. He knows everything that Alicent has been doing and wants her to admit her sins but in true Thrones fashion Alicent plays coy. This is taking a toll on Alicent but she still shows strength when she needs to. She tells Aegon that he should do nothing and let the adults figure it out. This only angers and frustrates Aegon's need to prove his power and worth to the family.
On the other side, Rhaenyra has been missing for a couple days. Daemon hasn't sent any messages back to Dragonstone. Rhaenyra's council knows they need to act as they find out Criston is on his way to Harrenhal. Rhaenys takes on the acting role of queen while Rhaenyra has been gone. Rhaenyra finally comes back and finally accepts that this war is inevitable. She sets a plan where Rhaenys will take Meleys and find Criston and his men and kill them. Rhaenys gladly accepts the mission and is ready to go.
Needing approval from his family, Aegon decides to take matters into his own hands. He takes his own dragon Sunfyre to where Criston and his men will be. Aemond spots this with his dragon Vhagar and immediatelty calls him an idiot. The battle starts and Meleys is doing immediately damage killing men on Team Green. Aegon shows up with his dragon and we have our first dragon battle of the season. Meleys is doing a good job holding Sunfyre and even damaging her a little bit. Suddenly, Vhagar comes and changes the whole game. The size of Vhagar is no comparison to both dragons. It's like Shaquille O'Neal was posted up against Muggsy Bogues, it's just unfair. Vhagar immediately starts wrecking havoc and Aemond decides to take out his brother. He calls for fire on Sunfyre and Sunfyre and Aegon both go down. Rhaenys tries to escape but Vhagar and Aemond have her in their sights. Vhagar starts choking Meleys and looks like she is going to rip its head off. Vhagar gets the best of Meleys and Rhaenys as they both fall to their death.
Aemond then checks on Aegon and Sunfyre. Aemond sees Aegon is still alive and pulls out his sword to finish the job but Criston sees him and Aemond stops. Criston sees both Sunfyre and Aegon are burnt to a crisp and that is where the episode ends.
This was the best episode of House of the Dragon. The dragons fighting added an element this show was missing. The epic battle sequence added to the rising stakes of what this war is. It also showed Aemond's brutal side and how you can not mess with him. Aemond does not care who you are. If you mess with him, there will be consequences. It also changed the landscape of the war. If Aemond is now in power, things got a whole lot better for Team Green. Aemond is more cunning and calculated than both Aegon and Rhaenyra. This should give Team Green an advantage in the war. The aftermath of this episode will be must watch next week.
Grade: A
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