House of the Dragon has already brought its share of drama, but the latest episode was on a whole other scale that left me in a state of shock, reminiscent of my reaction to the legendary Red Wedding in Game of Thrones.
Over the past few episodes, we’ve been building toward the Targaryen Civil War, with characters plotting revenge and forging alliances across Westeros. Now, all of these events have come to a head in fire and blood.
Major spoilers for the House of the Dragon season 2 finale below
The dragon dances have finally begun
The Battle of Rook’s Rest saw the first clash between not just two, but three dragons – something fans of this prequel have been waiting for, and an event we’ve never seen in Game of Thrones.
Princess Rhaenys Targaryen and her longtime partner Meleys fought to represent Team Black. She volunteered to ride the dragon when Rhaenyra suggested she go herself, as she had the largest and most experienced dragon in the group and could not risk the Black Queen’s life in battle.
Olly Upton/HBO
Olly Upton/HBO
Olly Upton/HBO
The plan was to burn the army led by Ser Cristen Cole. Unbeknownst to him, King Aegon II flew to the fight from King’s Landing on Sunfyre, wanting his chance to be a true warrior and pettily prove something to his mother Alicent, who suggested he stay where things are safe and leave the fighting to the true warriors.
On top of this, Cole made a secret deal with the king’s brother, Aemond, who was hiding nearby on his dragon, the giant Vhagar. The duo burst into battle when the king seemed in trouble. But rather than come to his aid, Aemond ordered his dragon to burn the dragons and their riders, sending Aegon and Sunfyre crashing to the ground.
Rhaenys and Meleys survived the assault and continued to fight Aemond and Vhagar. As the two beasts clashed in mid-air, an incredible shot nearly recreated the symbol of the Targaryen banner, but with visceral violence and horror.
The symbolism reminded me of the House Lannister theme, The Rains of Castamere, played ominously at Rob Stark’s wedding, just before he and his family were brutally slaughtered by Walder Frey’s army in the name of the crown.
In the end, the larger dragon won the sky battle, ripping Meleys’ head off with its jaws, sending the princess to the ground along with her beast’s body. The duo landed with an explosion, taking not only the first major player on the board, but also the first dragon.
But is that really the case? The end of the episode shows Cole discovering Aemond with his sword, ready to strike the bodies of Sunfyre and Aegon. The dragon appears gravely wounded, while the king lies motionless, burned and bloodied from the battle. The screen cuts to black before we can learn more about their fate.
Good guys rarely survive in the Game of Thrones universe
This is the episode I was waiting for from this series. While many fans thought the Red Wedding equivalent would be the Blood and Cheese moment of Episode 1, there wasn’t enough of a connection with Queen Helaena and the audience to really feel the weight of what happened – even if it was still horrific.
But the deaths of Rhaenys and Meleys? It was painful, as was the loss of Robb and Catelyn Stark. The princess was one of the few assistants on Team Black who had truly cared for Rhaenyra throughout her life, both as a strategist and as a woman of power. She could command people with a single icy stare and had one of the few romantic relationships in the series.
Olly Upton/HBO
Olly Upton/HBO
Olly Upton/HBO
The Queen Who Never Was channeled her anger at losing the throne and her children into trying to hand the crown to the man we now know as the rightful heir, as Viserys had wanted. She was far from perfect—her “girl-boss” rebellion with Melyse during Aegon’s coronation almost certainly got many civilians killed—but she was one of the few remaining respected characters in a very morally grey cast that I could get behind.
I wonder who I’m going to support now. Just like I did after the Red Wedding. I’m also completely confused, wondering how the war will continue to play out with the King gravely injured, with one of his closest allies (and brother, no less) ready to strike him down.
While the setting of the battle may not be as shocking as the sickening events of Game of Thrones – particularly the desecration of Robb’s body afterwards – this episode ultimately proved to me that House of the Dragon has the legs to be as good as Game of Thrones at its best.
Besides, this is only the first dragon dance we’ve seen. There will certainly be more, and I believe they will have equally disastrous consequences.
