And Again, Harrenhal
Our stay at Harrenhal seems never-ending. We continue to watch Daemon confront his past through visions within the whispering walls. This time, Daemon sees his brother Viserys, thus completing his reunion with the entire family. Indeed, there’s no one else left for him to see, right? Perhaps Rhaenys might return for one last scolding.
The most significant part of the Harrenhal segment was Daemon’s conversation with Alys. Seeking “council” from Alys about the Riverlands, Daemon once again encounters the Tullys, whom he had dismissed two episodes ago. Alys, utilizing her witchcraft, informs Daemon that control over the Riverlands lies with the Tullys, and predicts that he will receive news in three days. Precisely three days later, the news arrives: Grover Tully has passed away. Now, the head of the house is the previously scorned Oscar Tully. To rally the support of houses like the Mallisters, Pipers, and Darrys, who had approached him in the last episode, Daemon will need to persuade Oscar Tully.
Riders Wanted for Dragons
Although I thought Rhaenyra and Jace had discovered the bastards by the end of the last episode, I was mistaken. They are still quite naive. They delved into old records to research names in their family line that might have ties to the Targaryens. The name they found was Steffon Darklyn, who serves as a guard for them. Upon hearing about the possibility of claiming a dragon, Ser Steffon eagerly cast aside his cloak.
One of the key points emphasized in Fire and Blood is that attempting to claim a dragon has a 50% chance of success. Either the dragon accepts you, or you die. There is no other outcome. Steffon Darklyn tried his luck with Seasmoke, but unfortunately, the result was his incineration. Rhaenyra, using a correct method but making the wrong choice, ended up causing the death of one of her essential and reliable allies.
After turning Steffon Darklyn to ashes, Seasmoke fled from Dragonstone and made an exciting move by deciding to choose its own rider. Seasmoke found Addam of Hull, whom it had been subtly flirting with since the beginning of the season, and after terrifying him, bowed before Addam, giving him the chance to change his life. A nobody, the bastard of Corlys, now has a dragon.
The show takes a different path from the book regarding bastards. The Blacks have not yet issued a call for rider candidates to come to Dragonstone. Addam should have been among those invitees, but the show chose a different direction. Last season, Aemond’s Vhagar moved on its own to kill Arrax, showing us that dragons have their own minds. Seasmoke, too, evidently feels the need to bow only to Velaryons. And it must be noted: dragons accept new riders only when their former ones have died. This suggests that Leanor might have died in Essos.
Alicent Is Now Disqualified
In the previous episode, Alicent realized she was losing control, but in this episode, she has completely lost her power and influence in the council. From Alicent’s perspective, this is a profoundly traumatic situation. While Rhaenyra remains a part of the war that the women initiated, Alicent has now been disqualified. Her greatest struggle since her youth has been her inability to be free like Rhaenyra, instead of being confined within walls. Although she briefly emerged from her prison with Aegon becoming king, she has now returned to her former position.
Having effectively lost Aegon and entirely lost Aemond, Alicent begins asking her brother Gweyn about Daeron, whom we will encounter in the third season and whom she hasn’t seen for many years. This can be interpreted in two ways. First, Daeron was not a child she raised herself, and as a result, he was brought up with kindness—something her sons raised with her largely lacked. Second, after losing two of her sons, she seeks solace in her third son. Alicent needs a sanctuary, and at present, that sanctuary is miles away from her.
Pushing the Limits of the People
The second season does an excellent job of establishing the common folk rebellion and the motivations of the bastards, which are only superficially covered in the book. Since the Greens took the throne, the people have been living in extreme misery. Tired of eating nothing but fish and moldy fruit, they are disgruntled by the luxurious lives inside the Red Keep and the daily sacrifices of sheep to the dragons. From Aemond’s words, we understand that he doesn’t care about them at all and can’t predict their reactions. He doesn’t even understand why they blame the Greens.
Mysaria told Rhaenyra, who felt inadequate because she couldn’t wield a sword, that a war could be won without swords. In this episode, we saw Mysaria’s plan in action. Sending food to the suffering people across the sea is a very clever move, showing them that they are cared for even from afar.
Being in the wrong place at the wrong time, the people who scrambled to gather the gifts sent by Rhaenyra decided to attack Queen Alicent and her daughter Helaena when they saw them amid the chaos. As you might remember, something similar happened in Game of Thrones, when the people attacked Joffrey. The problem is, as I mentioned in the previous episode, the members of the royal family lack the experience to gauge the reactions of the populace. When the King’s Guards resorted to their swords to intervene as the people attacked Alicent and Helaena, the situation escalated further.
The true significance of this episode lies in the man who lost his arm. This elderly man, who grabbed Alicent by the arm and paid for it with his own, will later reappear as the Shepherd, one of the leaders of the uprising. The key detail to note is this: while the book describes the people’s rebellion as an “opportunistic” event, the show is investing in Rhaenyra. Although the people seem to be on the side of the blacks for now, they will need a catalyst or a leader to push them toward neutrality in the future. While we got a glimpse of the Shepherd, I am curious to see what exactly will lay the foundation for the major uprising that is to come.
The War Continues to Spread
Although the show has yet to fully immerse us in the expanding war, we continue to receive updates on the unfolding events. As I mentioned in the previous episode, the significance of the sea will increase substantially from this point onward. Aemond believes that the way to lift Corlys’s naval blockade is through an agreement with the Triarchy. Although his council members do not fully agree with him, none dare to voice their opposition, so this plan will proceed. Aemond has also recalled Otto Hightower to King’s Landing. With Otto’s return, the story will usher in one of its most opulent segments, involving the Triarchy.
The Lannister army, having marched out of Casterly Rock, has begun advancing northeast towards Riverrun. Early in the episode, we learn about the vast size of the Lannister forces through Jason Lannister’s encounter with House Lefford. Along the way, they are incorporating smaller houses like the Leffords into their ranks.
Meanwhile, the Beesburys, the family of Lyman Beesbury, who was killed by Criston Cole at the council table, have declared war on the Hightowers to their immediate south. Honeyholt, having chosen the side of the blacks, is preventing the greens’ army from advancing northward.
The Winds Are Changing in the Vale
In the previous episode, we discussed Rhaena’s embarrassment in front of Jeyne Arryn. This episode brings several developments in Rhaena’s story. First, we see one of the three dragon eggs has hatched. It is unclear which dragon is playing with Aegon III. Given its proximity to Aegon, we might assume it to be Stormcloud, which he will ride in the future. However, it could also be Morning, which Rhaena is expected to ride later, making narrative sense. One certainty is that the dragons with Rhaena will play significant roles in the coming seasons.
The second development is Rhaena’s journey to Pentos, which begins in this episode. This trip is likely to be a significant plot point that will alter the course of the war for the blacks.
The third development is the news about Sheepstealer. During a walk, Rhaena encounters burnt sheep, realizing a dragon is roaming around the Vale. I previously noted the show’s significant alteration of the bastards’ storyline. This introduction of Sheepstealer suggests that Neetles might already be its rider. Could she, like Addam, have become a dragon rider outside of Dragonstone? This might explain why we have yet to see Neetles despite meeting all the other bastards.
However, bastards having dragons outside Dragonstone’s control changes the story’s trajectory. Ryan Condal and his team will need to carefully define why these bastards choose their sides.
Some Beautiful Details
In this episode, we see Alyn shaving his head. It might be a bit of a stretch, but he could be doing this to hide his white hair, which would reveal his Velaryon heritage. By covering his head and shaving his hair when the white roots appear, he conceals his status as a Velaryon bastard.
Larys Strong visits Aegon in bed, telling the crippled king, “They will underestimate you and this will be your advantage.” For those familiar with the story, this line is an excellent example of foreshadowing.
The kissing scene between Rhaenyra and Mysaria was not in the script. This improvised moment between Emma D’Arcy and Sonoya Mizuna was kept in the show at Emma D’Arcy’s request.
The song sung by the dragon keepers during Steffon Darklyn’s attempt to claim Seasmoke is the same song Daemon sang to Vermithor last season.
Drakari pykiros (Fire breather)
Tīkummo jemiros (Winged leader)
Yn lantyz bartossa (But two heads)
Saelot vāedis (To a third sing)
Hen ñuhā elēnī: (From my voice)
Perzyssy vestretis (The fires have spoken)
Se gēlȳn irūdaks (And the price has been paid)
Ānogrose (With blood magic)
Perzyro udrȳssi (With words of flame)
Ezīmptos laehossi (With clear eyes)
Hārossa letagon(To bind the three)
Aōt vāedan (To you I sing)
Hae mērot gierūli: (As one we gather)
Se hāros bartossi (And with three heads)
Prūmȳsa sōvīli (We shall fly as we were destined)
Gevī dāerī (Beautifully, freely)