House of the Dragon season two wastes no time re-establishing its stakes. While the show gained a fascinating reputation for massive time jumps between episodes, the year and eight months between seasons comprised a matter of in-universe hours. The first season drew its curtains on the tragic death of Rhaenyra’s son, an event that will shadow the rest of the series. As the Greens and Blacks gear up for war, every personal decision turns the Seven Kingdoms on their head.
Alan Taylor directs the ominously-named season premiere, “A Son for a Son.” Taylor didn’t work on House of the Dragon, but he directed several episodes of Game of Thrones. He helmed the original show’s season one finale as well as the beginning and end of season two. He stepped away from the series until the penultimate episode of season seven. Taylor’s directorial vision is strong, and he has incredible experience in TV work. He’ll be back in a few weeks for episode four.
House of the Dragon returns as the Dance of the Dragon heats up
|
Title |
“A Son for a Son” |
|---|---|
|
Director |
Alan Taylor |
|
Writer |
Ryan Condal |
|
Release Date |
June 16, 2024 |
“A Son for a Son” opens with Rhaenyra’s son, Jacaerys, completing his quest to win loyalty to the Blacks’ banner. He meets with young Cregan Stark, who brings the much-missed influence of the North to the show for the first time. His exploration of duty and House Stark’s commitment to it bring back happy memories of Eddard and Robb. Cregan promises Jace 2,000 soldiers, but he’ll be keeping his best and brightest to guard against the horrors of the oncoming winter. To Cregan, the squabbling of royals simply can’t compete with the apocalyptic threats beyond the Wall. It’s a wonderful glimpse of a world aside from the Dance of the Dragons and its participants.
Meanwhile, Daemon challenges Rhaenys’s loyalty while she demands he give his niece/wife some time to mourn. This will be thematic for Daemon, who spends the lion’s share of this episode chastising others for failing to kill Aegon sooner. Rhaenys could have burned the throne room and ended the Greens in one fell swoop. Ser Erryk could have cut Aegon down on his way out. The White Worm could have kept the spying on the right side of Daemon’s preferences. The former Rogue Prince wants everyone to know how disappointing he finds them before he takes action.
Rhaenyra has only one thing on her mind this time. Luke’s death broke her. She takes time to quietly seek out her son’s ruined body before returning to Dragonstone with a one-sentence command. She wants Aemond’s head, and her genuine demand for bloody vengeance sends Daemon into action. The Blacks have a few things going for them. The North and the Vale have declared for Rhaenyra, despite the Greens expecting letters from them any day now. The Velaryon fleet has imposed a blockade on critical shipping routes, wounding supply lines. However, each of these victories came with strings attached. Rhaenyra leads Luke’s funeral before returning to war planning. Her next move will, sadly, be made for her.
How is Aegon II doing on the throne?
While the Blacks mourn, the Green team watches Aegon’s questionable performance on his favorite pointy chair. The young leader brings his young son to a meeting, disrupting the proceedings and making a mockery of his work. He attempts to hear petitions, but his responses are shockingly kind. Otto Hightower, the Hand of the King again, counsels him against undue generosity, but Aegon cares about his image above all else. He’s convinced he and his one dragon could win the war in an hour, so optics are the only thing on his mind. Larys Strong starts to poison him against his Hightower relatives, though Aegon still spends most of his time hanging out with his friends.
Meanwhile, Allicent continues her illicit relationship with Criston Cole. It’s hard to call Ser Cole the worst person in this series, but he’s certainly one of the pettiest. Allicent chews out Otto for undermining her, trying to maintain her ill-gotten control over the son she placed on the throne. Cole’s other hobby seems to be discussing more aggressive battle plans with Aemond, perhaps the only person not aware of Cole’s secret trysts with his mom. Neither the Blacks nor the Greens seem to have a handle on the situation, but each brings overwhelming confidence to the table. Rats are a central theme, seemingly tying almost every major player to the skittering pests in the castle walls.
How did House of the Dragon change Blood and Cheese?
Yes, the season two premiere includes the long-awaited Blood and Cheese scene as the final beat. It’s a bit different. Daemon Targaryen takes Rhaenyra’s request for Aemond’s death as a mandate. He partners briefly with the White Worm, offering her freedom in exchange for the use of her spies in the Red Keep. This allows him to travel to King’s Landing, recruit the world’s worst low-level henchmen, and send them into the Red Keep to assassinate Aemond. He tags Blood, a former Kingsguard, and Cheese, a professional rat-catcher with knowledge of hidden tunnels. Fans may recall that Blood and Cheese had a different target in the books, but they find their way to the right (wrong) bed eventually.
Daemon’s new hires slip into the castle, stroll right past Aegon, and start looking for silver-haired kids. They heard Daemon say “silver hair and one eye,” but they seem fine subbing in any son they can get their hands on. So, when Cheese stumbles into Queen Helaena Targaryen’s chambers, they demand she point out her son. It’s a reinterpretation of the book’s haunting depiction of a mother forced to choose which of her children must die, swapping some of the horror for something more tragic. Blood and Cheese decapitate young Jaehaerys, King Aegon II’s heir, off-screen. Helaena flees and bursts into Allicent’s chambers, where she finds her mid-coitus with Cole again. Allicent’s secret is out, Aegon’s heir is dead, and there’s no doubt that Blood and Cheese will point fingers.
“A Son for a Son” is as grim as its name would suggest. It’s an episode about sensible people spinning their wheels while a handful of monsters work to make things worse. The ongoing competition for the Iron Throne runs concurrently with the long-running war for the coveted “Worst Person in Westeros” trophy. The war is still on the horizon. The Dance of the Dragons has hardly begun.
Leave a Reply