Just when you thought we couldn’t get any more dragon lore, that’s precisely what’s served up in the penultimate episode of House of the Dragon, Season 2, "The Red Sowing". Along with an exploration of the division that structures the Westerosi societal fabric – the difference between the highborn and low.
Shot of the episode!
Let’s start from the start this week – what an opening shot! Two dragons and their riders, one experienced and highborn, one lowborn and barely carrying a dragon rider’s learner’s permit, meet on an isolated beach and discuss the amazing phenomenon of a dragon choosing his rider. Rhaenyra is suspicious, yet believes Addam who protests, “I didn’t steal him, honest.” That may not be a direct quote, but probably should have been, with a London docker’s patter, rather than the high elocutionary intonations we get from Addam of Hull whose accent differs little from Rhaenyra’s. Thus, in my mere opinion, their class disparity isn’t as visceral as it might have been. But, I nitpick.
This opening scene deftly shows the shock of such a thing, as well as Rhaenyra’s adjustment to negotiating with someone so far beneath her. She may as well have been meeting an alien from another planet, so great was that gap between the queen and Addam of Hull. In the end, Rhaenyra accepts Addam’s quick allegiance and dedication to her cause and declares she is, “glad of it.”
Rhaenyra holds some influence over all dragons
The opening scene does more than demonstrate the huge chasm (which Rhaenyra decides to cross when she steps tentatively toward Addam) that exists between the nobility and the common in Westeros, and it achieves more than showing utter astonishment when a dragon pursues his very own human. It also reveals more about dragons and their relationships with their humans. It occurs to me that not once in Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon do we see a dragon turn nasty on its bonded human. Dragons may burn humans, and even consider them snack food – as we see later when Vermithor dines on smoked smallfolk in the dragon pit. But the bond between dragon and rider is a very special one, and even though Syrax and Seasmoke know each other and are probably related, and Seasmoke would most certainly know Rhaenyra, who (later) proves her power over all dragons, including the huge Vermithor, yet on that beach the two dragons stare at each other like sworn enemies and stand protectively over their riders.
This connection between a dragon and their rider is reinforced later in the episode when Aedon pursues Silverwing on Vhagar. Vhagar might have a penchant for killing her own kin now, having done it twice already and grievously injuring a third – Sunfire. Vhagar is one huge mother of a monstrosity yet she obeys Aedon instantly, and when he orders her to retreat she does so, without even a questioning flick of her mammoth tail. It’s common in art and literature to ascribe feline characteristics to dragons. You only have to enter the search “dragons are like cats” to return a plethora of articles, blogs, and Reddit threads on the subject. But the kind of loyalty we see between Valyrian dragons and their humans is more akin to that of the most loyal dog you’ve ever owned (and before you cat ladies hate on me, please know I’m one of you).
This opening, as satisfying as it is, is only the beginning of our dragon lessons. Addam of Hull has opened a door for Rhaenyra which, being stuck in the heady heights of her noble house, she has overlooked. Not only do lowborn people exist (shock!) they are her relatives. Indeed, Hugh (my favourite dragonseed) reveals his mother was aunt to Viserys and Daemon, making Hugh Rhaenyra’s cousin, and unlike poor Ser Steffon Darklyn, not too far removed. Rhaenyra’s cunning plan to invite lowborn relos to try bonding with a dragon shows how desperate she is, but also reveals some comprehension of their plight. “Some of you may welcome the prospect of change, even death, given the alternatives,” she tells them, before many of them face just that.
So the dragon pit massacre plays out in the gruesome detail we have come to both admire and abhor in this series. Like watching a train wreck, we cannot look away as Vermithor enjoys some toasted dragonseeds for breakfast. That precise method in which the bonding occurs unfolds twice more. We saw it with Addam and Seasmoke, and this episode we see it with Hugh and Vermithor, and Ulf and Silverwing – a sudden recognition between human and dragon, and the long-enduring eye contact.
Simon Strong and Daemon provide a fair bit of the humour this episode
On a lighter note, this episode has more humour than the entire season combined (especially with those sideways glances between Simon Strong and Daemon in Harrenhal) and Ulf’s first ride on Silverwing provides some extra chuckles. The almost cartoon way Silverwing gambols over King’s Landing with Ulf screaming, cackling and hanging on for dear life provided a stark contrast to the dignified grace we’re so used to from those uppity highborn Targaryens. Ulf rides more like, well, us. Like taking the wildest rollercoaster ride at the theme park, Ulf pretty much mirrors how we normies would do it. It’s incongruent, jarring even, but fits the main message of the episode: the social divide.
It is that divide which sits most uncomfortably with Jace, who begs his mother not to allow these bastards to claim their dragons. In perfectly underwritten dialogue Jace reveals his full knowledge of the fact he is a bastard. And if he, the most famous bastard of them all, can claim the throne, what’s to stop others doing the same? Some of them may have more legitimacy than him. Rhaenyra, however, has little choice, and being giddy now with the fact she has the dragon advantage, all she can do is allow Jace his little tantrum and leave him to sulk. She will indeed “raise an army of bastards” if she has to.
While the show consistently demonstrates the difficulties of life as a lowborn peasant, it also explores the challenges for those of high birth. And the higher one climbs the harder the fall – a lesson Daemon endures this episode. Oscar Tully may be young, but he already knows a thing or two about leadership. He is now the Lord Paramount of the Riverlands and his Riverlords congregate in the Harrenhal Godswood to declare their allegiance to Oscar, who Daemon believes will do whatever Daemon tells him. The Godswood has not been kind to Daemon during his stay at Harrenhal, delivering him hard truths and prophecies, and with this scene, those truths keep coming. Oscar proves himself loyal to his role as Lord of the Riverlands first and foremost, and proves he is wise and just despite his youth. His vassals demand justice and it is justice he delivers by forcing Daemon’s hand. It was Daemon who employed Lord Willem Blackwood as his bully boy, to force the Brackens to heel using dishonourable and bloody methods, and it is Daemon Oscar means to humble by snaring him in a trap: deal with the consequences of his own making. “Off with his head,” I uttered before Daemon did just that, relieving his most loyal lord of his noggin.
The lessons don't stop there. Having secured the loyalty of the Riverlands, Daemon experiences one more Harrenhal vision. Once again he is visited by his dead brother. Viserys in his decrepitude manages a tenuous grip on his crown and tells Daemon he never wanted it. “Do you still want it?” he asks Daemon. The look on the king consort’s face is no longer as belligerent as it once was. Perhaps he is beginning to heed his brother’s wisdom, and learn some of the lessons these visions have tried to show him? Perhaps he will now prefer to be called ‘consort’, rather than ‘king’, and settle for supporting Rhaenyra. I hope so.
My favourite dragonseed, Hugh the Hammer
Other thoughts:
- Best line. It’s worth repeating!: “Let us raise an army of bastards!”
- The dragonkeepers go out on strike! The queen herself may be willing to mix with lowborns, but these glorified pet trainers will have none of it. I wonder if there are consequences we don’t yet realize. I suppose, if any idiot gets their hands on a weapon of mass destruction, it does raise some cause for concern – but is idiocy exempt from nobility? Of course not! It flourishes there too.
- Alicent’s storyline has become a tack-on, like those dragonseed scenes used to be. Off on a nice camping trip. Doing lady of the lake impressions – bathing in nature, because “nothing is clean” in the castle? We are as befuddled as her sole guard, Ser Rickard. Has anyone noticed her missing?
- That transition of scenes between Harrenhal and King’s Landing was not an accident. One moment we’re watching the decrepit form of Viserys. The next we’re looking at his newly decrepit son. Aegon is being pushed to a quick recovery by Larys. But I’m not fooled by his show of empathy. Sheer self-interest is at play. Larys’s only path to power now is through the king. And he will need that path if Aemond learns of his disregard for those whisperings about Seasmoke.
- I feel we have one more dragon bonding scene to come before the end of Season two and I suspect it will mean Rhaena won’t make it to Pentos. But will she make it to the end of the show?
One more episode to go for this season. What do you want to see? High on my wishlist includes:
- Meeting Daeron and his dragon.
- The return of Otto Hightower.
- Watching Hugh fly the skies on Vermithor.
- Getting Daemon out of Harrenhal, finally.
- Seeing Rhaena bond with that wild dragon – I have a sneaking feeling it won’t go well though, I hope I’m wrong.
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