From Daenerys' cameo to Alicent-Rhaenyra's pact, 9 highlights of the otherwise dull House Of The Dragon S2
If you felt that the second season of House Of The Dragon felt like a long trailer of the upcoming Dance of the Dragons then you are not alone. For almost two months, the fans waited in anticipation for blood and gore. It wasn¡¯t like the showmakers didn¡¯t serve some. We had the whole Blood and Cheese¡¯s horrifying sequence, battle of the Rook¡¯s Rest and onboarding of three new dragon riders among other events. Now that the show has finally concluded, in hindsight, it feels like an underwhelming build up which never took off. The curtains closed on this season with all the armies of the Blacks and the Greens gearing up and heading to war.?
Without getting into detailed spoilers, the conclusion of season two can drawn in major pointers which are:
- King consort Daemon remains by his queen¡¯s side and fight for her cause of ruling the seven kingdoms as the rightful heir
- The Greens - Aemond, Aegon and Helaena are all on different paths and the love lost between them is pretty evident.
- Alicent is ready for the rightful heir (read Rhaenyra) to take the throne as she knows that her children aren¡¯t suited to rule the kingdoms. She has even agreed to ¡®a boy for a boy¡¯ if that is the price to be paid for peace and freedom to prevail.
- The sibling revelry between Aegon and Aemond has reached its peak with both brothers vying for the throne.
- The most loathed character Christian Cole is aware that the end is near for most of them with dragons taking over the war and turning mankind to mush.?
- The new dragon seeds are slimey and won¡¯t be as helpful as Rhaenyra would hope.
In what can be deemed as a long wait, we will only get to see the Dance of the Dragons in the next couple of years. In anticipation of it, let¡¯s take a look at 8 majors highs that the recently concluded season offered:
1. Aegon II wasn¡¯t as cruel as Joffrey Baratheon of Game Of Thrones
In the first episode, we saw a glimpse of how Aegon did possess a decent bone and wasn¡¯t as tyrannical as expected. He actually wanted to do good for his subjects, much to the dismay of his then hand and grandfather Otto Hightower. In court, he heard the pleas of his people and tried to be generous. Few episodes later, he again takes his evil avatar when his son and heir Jaehaeyrs is assassinated.
2. Blood and Cheese massacre
While the first season ended with Rhaenyra¡¯s son Lucerys¡¯ demise at the hands of Aemond Targaryen, the second began with a cause of vengeance. Daemon¡¯s plan of getting Aemond killed felt like the ultimate deed to get back at the Greens. He hired two assassins Blood and Cheese to carry out the task. However, it failed as when Aemond couldn¡¯t be found, the killers ambushed Queen Helaena¡¯s room and cut off the head of her little son Jaehaerys - ¡°a son for a son¡±.
3. The lethal duel between twin brother Ser Arryk and Erryk Cargyll
While most of us were still recovering from the assassination, the Greens had blood on their mind. In the second episode, King Aegon and Ser Criston Cole send Arryk Cargyll to infiltrate Rhaenyra¡¯s forces and assassinate her while posing as his twin brother Erryk, who swore fealty to her.
He successfully reaches Rhaenyra¡¯s room but in the nick of time, his twin Erryk reaches the spot and thus, begins the war between two brothers which goes south in no time. The twins ultimately embrace as they stab each other, with one saying, ¡°I love you, brother.¡±?
After successfully killing the ¡®enemy¡¯, Erryk asks for forgiveness of his queen and ends his life by fatally stabbing himself. This reminded many of Cleganebowl but the major difference was that the twins loved each other and were bound by duty not hatred.?
4. Rhaenyra sneakily visit¡¯s King¡¯s Landing to meet up with Alicent
In her attempt to put a stop to the upcoming war, Rhaenyra dresses up as the nun and heads to King¡¯s Landing to plead Alicent to help avoid bloodshed. In the Sept, she shocks Alicent with her presence and the conversation then throws light on the last words of King Viserys I which were heard by his wife Alicent. In a pretty dramatic revelation, it turns out that he was discussing ¡°the prince that was promised¡± and the Song of Ice and Fire and not Aegon, his son. Even though Allicent seems shaken, she announces that it¡¯s too late. War is inevitable and there¡¯s nothing she can or will do about it.
¡°It¡¯s too late, Rhaenyra,¡± she says and walks away from the possibility of peaceful negotiations.
5. The battle of Rook¡¯s Rest and demise of ¡®The Queen Who Never Was¡¯
Rhaenys proved that she was a true queen even though she never got the title. Riding like a true warrior on her dragon Meleys, she took on Aegon and his dragon Sunfyre. The clash of the dragons and the riders were nothing short of a wonder.?
Meleys bruised Sunfyre and just when it feels that Aegon is on the verge of losing the bout, Vhagar appears with Aemond. While the King breathes a sigh of relief, he gets the biggest betrayal of his life as Aemond orders his dragon to breathe fire on both Meleys and Sunfyre.?Both Sunfyre and Meleys are consumed by flames, but the golden dragon endures the greatest force. Dragon and rider plummet from the sky, crashing violently into the ground below. Rhaenys flies away, but turns back to the fight once again, commanding her dragon to attack.?
No match for the great beast Vhagar, Meleys tries her best but soon falls from the sky taking her rider Rhaenys with her.
6.? Alicent¡¯s conversation with her brother Gwayne Hightower reveals that her third son is doing well in Old Town
In episode 6, as the Green army prepares for their march to Harrenhal, Alicent engages in a conversation with her brother, Ser Gwayne Hightower. She inquires about her third son, Daeron, revealing that their relationship has grown distant over time. Ser Gwayne reassures her that Daeron is both clever and kind. This exchange subtly foreshadows that Daeron will make a significant appearance when the Targaryen rule is in jeopardy, hinting at his crucial role in the unfolding events.
7. Dragonseeds taking over the unclaimed dragons
After Addam of Hull gets chased down by dragon Seasmoke, Rhaenyra sends a howler to the Targaryen bastards in King¡¯s Landing to come and claim the remaining dragons. These smallfolk coming face-to-face with the beasts made for goosebumps inducing scenes. Hugh Hammer¡¯s bravado of facing the second largest dragon in the kingdom Vermithor gets him brownie points while Ulf¡¯s antics amuse Silverwing into choosing him her rider.
Once that is done, the three riders and their dragons come out in the open at Dragonstone to announce their participation in the upcoming war. The scene where Rhaenyra looks in the direction of King¡¯s Landing with the three dragons behind her made for a great frame.
8.? Daemon¡¯s visions feature the white walkers and Daenerys
Throughout this season, Daemon¡¯s storyline has been dominated by his eerie visions and hallucinations at Harrenhal. In the final episode, the witch Alys leads Daemon to the ancient Weirwood tree, urging him to discover his true purpose. As Daemon gazes upon the tree, he witnesses a vivid montage of significant events, including the White Walkers and the birth of Daenerys¡¯ three dragons: Drogon, Viserion, and Rhaegal. It is in this moment that Daemon realizes he was never destined for the throne and that Rhaenyra is the true "Prince that was Promised." This revelation strengthens his resolve to fulfill his role, accepting that the future has already been set and that he must act accordingly.
9. Alicent Rhaenyra's pact - a son for a son
In a rare moment of unity, the finale of HOTD S2 saw the two queens come to a dramatic agreement: Rhaenyra will advance on King's Landing. Alicent will open the gates for Rhaenyra without resistance while her son Aemond will be en route to the Riverlands. Alicent also consents to sacrifice her firstborn son, Aegon, whom Rhaenyra must eliminate to secure her claim to the throne. In return, Alicent will be permitted to take her daughter Helaena and granddaughter Jaehaera away from King's Landing to live in safety and peace.
All the episodes of House Of The Dragon Season 2 are available for streaming on JioCinema.?
