The Chapter of Harrenhal is Closed
After a few chapters that felt like torture, Daemon’s night walks in Harrenhal have officially come to an end. Daemon, who came to Harrenhal to gather an army for Rhaenyra, decided he wanted to be king and faced the spirits of almost his entire family one by one. By the end of the day, without doing anything, he succeeded in rallying the armies of the Riverlands to the blacks. With the news from Alys Rivers and the death of Grover Tully, the guardianship passed to the 15-year-old Oscar Tully. Oscar agreed to align the Riverlands’ armies with the blacks, but on one condition.
Daemon had to take the head of William Blackwood, whom he had provoked to draw the Brackens to his side. Although I appreciated Oscar Tully’s audacious statements and the reaction of the Riverland lords to Daemon, I must say that the downfall of House Bracken was poorly handled. The Bracken family is now extinct, but the series did not feel the need to emphasize this annihilation.
As I mentioned earlier, Oscar Tully will play an important role in the series in the coming seasons. HBO’s success in launching young stars is truly commendable. After Bella Ramsey’s portrayal of Lyanna Mormont, we now have Archie Barnes in our ranks. We have a brand new young star now.
Unhappy People in Different Corners
Although this episode primarily took place in Dragonstone, we encountered some unhappy characters in the interspersed scenes. One of them is, of course, Alicent Hightower. The war for the throne she started due to a misunderstanding has now spiraled out of her control. She is aware that she is not wanted in the council. Feeling unwanted, she spent the episode in King’s Wood by the lake, searching for her next purpose. Having spent her life behind walls bearing children for Viserys, Alicent has lost her sense of purpose upon learning that the war for the throne, to which she devoted her entire being, is built on a lie. In the book, Alicent is a vengeful character from start to finish, but the series seems to have concluded her story by this episode. Thus, I am curious to see how the show will depict her descent into madness.
Another unhappy character is Rhaena. Her journey to Pentos has begun. She still does not have a dragon and remains bound to Rhaenyra’s children. However, her mind is on Sheepstealer, who roams near the Vale. In the previous episode, I wrote about the possibility that Nettles could be Sheepstealer’s rider, with the addition of dragons having the ability to choose their own riders. If dragons indeed have such a choice, why shouldn’t Nettles be a dragon rider now? However, there is speculation that the series has removed Nettles. It is said that Rhaena will take Nettles’ story and become Sheepstealer’s rider. While I do not oppose this choice, we cannot ignore the fact that it would fundamentally alter the story. The absence of Nettles unfortunately means significant changes to the narrative. We will see in the final episode whether this speculation is true. I hope it isn’t, as it would leave substantial gaps to fill.
Another unhappy and equally broken character is Aegon II, who is being propped up by Larys’ manipulation. The suffering king is in a bad state. Larys’ hidden insistence is rooted in his fear for the throne to be Aemond’s. Everyone is aware of how dangerous Aemond is. So much so that Larys advises against informing Aemond of the new dragon rider who could change the course of the war. Although Lord Jasper and Grand Maester Orwyle do not understand Larys’ secretive stance, the underlying reason is the very destruction that will commence in the future.
From Scarcity to Abundance
One of the best aspects of Fire and Blood is the blacks’ efforts to find riders for the unclaimed dragons. However, as I have often repeated, Fire and Blood is a book of rumors. Many of the stories within it need further elaboration. Ryan Condal and his team have been masterfully providing this elaboration for two seasons. In the book, bastards are suddenly invited to Dragonstone, and four riders are found and included in the war. The series, however, has taken a completely different approach.
We have learned that dragons can choose their own riders. Although it is entirely contrary to the book that Seasmoke went to Addam of Hull after burning and fleeing from Steffon Darklyn, it must be said that it was impressive. Last season, we saw that dragons have their own thoughts and choose to obey of their own accord. In the previous episode, we understood that Laenor had died in a corner of Essos. Feeling this, Seasmoke felt the need to find a new rider and chose Addam of Hull.
The encounter between Rhaenyra and Addam was quite successful. While Rhaenyra learned that dragons can choose their own riders, Addam tried to explain that the situation he found himself in was not his choice. Addam kneeling in the end brought a trustworthy dragon rider to the blacks. However, despite Addam, Rhaenyra still did not fully understand the matter. As I mentioned in the previous episode, there is a significant gap between the nobility and the common people. While Rhaenyra compared old records and investigated nobles with blood ties to the Targaryens, it never occurred to her that the nobles she was researching might have had flings in brothels. For her, the existence of bastards was almost non-existent until Mysaria reminded her.
Although the series has been heavily investing in bastards for a few episodes, I must admit I was mistaken on this matter. Even when Addam stood before her, Rhaenyra could not conceive that riders could come from bastards. With Mysaria’s advice, however, they embarked on an unprecedented path: choosing dragon riders from among the bastards. The fact that this idea had not occurred to Rhaenyra was also explored through Jace and the dragon keepers. It seems that such a thought had not crossed anyone’s mind, and it is not something they were willing to accept. To some extent, they are right.
Invitation to Death
When reading the book, I imagined that those who came to the island would face the dragons one by one, like lining up at a bank, but the series has delivered something far more impressive than my dull imagination. A group of hopeful blondes, aspiring to possess a dragon, suddenly find themselves confronted by the wrath of Vermithor. The scene was so chaotic and terrifying that I watched the entire sequence with my mouth agape. The sight of Rhaenyra watching from above with fear-filled yet unsurprised eyes was equally impactful.
Speaking of Rhaenyra, one of the best aspects of the series is the bond between the Targaryens and their dragons. Despite being dragon owners, they still fear them. The scene where Rhaenyra calls Vermithor and tries to reach him is among the best scenes I’ve seen in two seasons. The moment when Vermithor emerges from the darkness like a devil and Rhaenyra gazes at him with tense eyes, only to establish a deep, spiritual connection with the dragon a few seconds later, might be the most powerful Targaryen-Dragon scene ever created.
The gods of Westeros have blessed us by allowing us to witness the magnificence of Emma D’Arcy. Emma D’Arcy might be the most captivating presence I’ve seen on screen in years. While we love and respect Daenerys as the Mother of Dragons, after Rhaenyra’s interaction with Vermithor, I must say that the true mother is Rhaenyra.
The Book may emphasize the importance of blood ties, but the series has once again shown that blood alone is not enough. Courage is also one of the ingredients in owning a dragon. One of the main reasons Aemond claimed Vhagar was his bravery. Hugh Hammer’s courage, shown by risking his life, managed to impress Vermithor. Dragons want strong characters on their backs. This might be exactly why Rhaena doesn’t have a dragon yet. And this is exactly why she will have one in the future, because she has nothing left to lose. Her fearless and somewhat desperate desire to own a dragon will eventually lead her to her dreams.
However, we cannot say the same for Ulf the White. Ulf’s encounter with Silverwing was purely coincidental. Despite the lack of any sign of courage, Silverwing accepted him due to bloodline requirements. The first thing Ulf did was to fulfill his promise to the city dwellers. Riding his new flying puppy, Ulf visited King’s Landing with an amateur flight to show off his success to everyone. Of course, the townsfolk did not know he was Ulf, but soon they all would.
The main reason for Ulf’s amateur flight over the city was to ensure Aemond would see it. The series gave us a splendid Hollywood finale. Seeing Silverwing flying over the city, Aemond rushed furiously to Vhagar, mounted his dragon, and started chasing him. However, in the end, he had to retreat after encountering Rhaenyra’s new dragons. In a scene reminiscent of Khaleesi’s three dragons, Rhaenyra, with Syrax, Vermithor, and Silverwing behind her, looked at Aemond and Vhagar and conveyed the message that the war had now reached a different level.
I want to dedicate the last paragraph to cinematography. Directed by Loni Peristere and with cinematography by Vanja Cernjul, who also did the previous episode, this episode boasts the best visuals of the season. There are more than a handful of frames that could be made into wallpapers. While House of the Dragon has many special episodes, I can say that the visual design in this episode was unparalleled.
