House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 1 Recap: A Son for a Son

House of the Dragon episode 1 is not waiting to catch up with viewers. The story moves at a breakneck pace and immediately enters one of the most violent and infamous storylines in the Fire and Blood book.

If you want to break down what you just saw in Son for a Son, or if you’re just curious, you can check out our rundown of all the key plot points you need to know.

Spoilers for House of the Dragon season 2, episode 1 below. Want to stay spoiler-free? Read our review of episodes 1 and 2.

A brutal return

The episode opens with a sight familiar to Game of Thrones fans: Winterfell. We have narration from a new character for season 2, Cregan Stark (Tom Taylor). That’s right, one of the most popular houses in the GOT franchise is officially back.

Cregan is known as the Wolf of the North in the books and is currently serving his watch at the Wall. He is the son of Rickon Stark, who swore allegiance to the late King Viserys and his then-appointed heir, Princess Rhaenyra.

Olly Upton/HBO

This time, it is the blacks who seek allegiance. Rhaenyra’s son, Jacaerys Velaryon (Harry Collett), has been sent to mobilize support for his claim to the Iron Throne. Jace fails to convince Cregan to leave his posts. After all, winter is coming. However, the Starks promise thousands of Graybeards to fight.

Their debates are interrupted by news of a crow who will turn the lives of black people upside down.

“I want Aemond Targaryen”

Back at Dragonstone, Rhaenys (Eve Best) and Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) discuss the absence of the Dark Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy), who was searching for proof that her son had been killed.

At the end of season 1, Lucerys lost his life leaving Storms End when he and his dragon were chased by Viserys and Alicent’s son, Aemond Targarayen (Ewan Mitchell). He rode the largest living dragon in the series, Vhagar, and sought revenge after Luke looked the other way when they were children.

However, both riders lost control of their dragons and Vhagar reduced Lucerys and Arrax to pieces. The last time we saw them, they were falling from the sky.

Ollie Upton/HBO

Rhaenyra, silent and distressed, appears to be searching for the couple. She finally finds a dragon’s wing washed up on a shore and quickly chases away the onlookers with her dragon, Syrax. When she searches the remains, she finds a cloak of Lucerys and collapses.

She finally returns to Dragonstone, where everyone updates her on the progress of the war. However, she only has one simple request: she wants Aemond Targaryen.

It’s his only line in the episode and it will end up having huge ramifications. The family holds a cremation for Luke, and we see that his memory is even honored by the enemy – as Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) lights a candle in King’s Landing in his memory.

The Greens continue their march

Back at the Red Donjon, the atmosphere is more business as usual. King Aegon III (Tom Glynn-Carney) strategizes with his council on the next steps to conquer the great houses. The Hand of the King, Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), warns against caution and patience – which does not work well with the King’s temperament.

This friction continues when Aegon the “Magnanimous” attempts to appease the inhabitants by making unrealistic promises. Otto repeatedly reminds him of the limited resources, but ends up being rebuffed by the king and reminded of his place.

Ollie Upton/HBO

Alicent is frustrated at being put down by her father in front of her sons and emphasizes the importance of them all remaining united after Viserys’ death. However, behind closed doors, she appears to have begun a secret affair with none other than Ser Cristen Cole (Fabien Frankel) of the Kingsguard.

The only feeling of concern in the castle comes from Queen Helaena (Phia Saban), wife and sister of King Aegon. She expresses fear of “rats”, but is quickly dismissed as strange.

However, his concerns are more prophetic than absurd: if you pay attention to a scene set in the castle, you will see a figure with a dog lurking in the shadows, a promise of the terror to come.

Blood and cheese

Fans of George RR Martin’s book knew this was coming, and the fact that it’s in the first episode tells us we’re in for a wild ride this season.

Rhaenyra’s guards discover a stowaway on a ship, who happens to be Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno), Daemon Targaryen’s former mistress who eventually became a spy for the Hightowers.

Following the news of Lucerys’ death, Daemon keeps her captive in Dragonstone. Eventually, he manages to negotiate with her to show her a way to access the Red Keep, so that he can take revenge on Aemond.

Under the cover of night – and in a cloak that doesn’t cover his distinctive blonde locks – he heads towards King’s Landing. He then gives money to a guard named Blood (Sam C. Wilson) and a rat catcher named Cheese (Mark Stobbart) to complete the dungeon’s undercover work and fulfill the promise of a “son for a son “.

The mercenaries ask what happens if they don’t find Aemond, and we don’t hear Daemon’s response directly, but we’ll soon find out what it is.

Blood and Cheese sneak into the castle through side passages, known to the latter due to his work exterminating vermin in the building. After some confusion about where to go, the two go upstairs and attempt to set traps to maintain their appearance.

Olly Upton/HBO

Eventually, they encounter the queen and threaten to slit her throat. Blood points out that she’s not a son, but Cheese gestures to the sleeping children in the room, Jaehaerys and Jaehaera. The assassins demand to know who the son is, because the twins look alike and they want to kill the heir.

Helaena shows off a child and the couple quickly gets to work cutting off the infant’s head as proof of payment. The queen quickly grabs her daughter and rushes out of the room, looking for safety. She bursts into Alice’s room, who is once again having sex with Cristen Cole.

She doesn’t seem to care, as she is in complete shock that her son, Jaehaerys, was just brutally murdered in front of her. From there, the episode cuts to black.

This is undoubtedly the most violent part of the episode, and is slightly toned down compared to the book. However, this will have a huge impact on the coming war.

Easter eggs

We have a new opening sequence! This appears to tell the story of the Targaryens and hints at what is to come in the Dance of the Dragons.
The haunting theme of House Stark reappears in the opening
We are introduced to Alyn of Hull (Abubakar Salim), a sailor from Velaryon who is said to have saved Lord Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint).
Tyland Lannister (Jefferson Hall) is humiliated by Aegon during small council – will it come back to haunt him?

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