The first episode of House of the Dragon Season 2 left viewers reeling after Aegon’s child was horrifically killed, thanks to the murderous duo of Blood and Cheese.
King’s Landing is now in chaos, and Aegon and the Hightowers will stop at nothing to find out who killed his heir. With only Rhaenyra Targaryen to blame, there’s no doubt that the battle for the Iron Throne will only get bloodier.
1. How does Episode 2 End?
House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 2 concludes with Arryk and Erryk dead, on one side or the other, of a plot to kill or protect Rhaenyra, and Alicent and Otto finding common ground.
Ultimately, Rhaenyra comes around and releases Mysaria. As Mysaria descends to one of the ships, she sees Arryk approaching Dragonstone.
Inside, Arryk sneaks to Rhaenyra’s room, narrowly avoiding his brother. Rhaenyra is preparing to sleep when he suddenly enters her room. At first she thinks it’s Erryk, until he comes running in and attacks his twin. Rhaenyra hides, yelling for her maid to fetch help.
The two twins battle it out, with Arryk frequently attempting to kill Rhaenyra. But Erryk is a formidable fighter, and he eventually gets the upper hand. One of the brothers is slain viciously, and for a moment, it’s unclear who is left standing.
But it seems as though it’s Erryk as he apologizes to his queen and puts his sword into his chest, killing himself from the guilt.
At King’s Landing, Alicent reassures Otto, who’s still reeling from his conflict with Aegon. She advises him to go to Highgarden so she can talk some sense into Aegon while he’s away. When she leaves Otto, she spots Aegon sobbing to himself.
When she reaches her room, Criston is waiting for her. She slaps him several times, attacking him until he grabs her, and they kiss.
2. How does Aegon Get His Revenge?
Alicent tells Helaena about their new duty. Helaena seems numb, still reeling from the murder of her child, and she knows one thing for sure, that she doesn’t want to do the procession.
When Alicent brings up what Helaena saw, her in bed with Criston, Helaena doesn’t even flinch.
Down in the dungeons, Larys Strong awaits, surrounded by various torture devices, waiting for Blood. It only takes one look at his tools before Blood starts confessing everything. He tells them that the ratcatcher was complicit, too. Enough for Larys not to torture him but not enough to save him from Aegon’s anger, who enters the room and beats him over the head.
Alicent and Helaena mount the procession to the streets of King’s Landing behind the young prince’s body while crowds weep and wail over the loss of their future king. They are turning on Rhaenyra, too.
The crowd begins to shout, and Helaena is unglued. Panicked, she clings onto Alicent, covering her ears to block out the din and hide from the stress. When the carriage carrying the coffin gets stuck in the mud, it is all the more traumatic.
3. What was Rhaenyra’s Reaction to Jaeherys’ Death?
The news of Jaehaerys’ murder shocks her. Much more than this, though, is her being accused of his murder. She wants to deny it all—all of it—with all her might and double the guard around Dragonstone.
Then, Rhaenys looks knowingly at Daemon, and soon after, so does Rhaenyra, the pieces falling into place.
Privately, Daemon tells Rhaenyra everything. She feels betrayed, angered that he will hurt her efforts for the throne. Furious, she confesses that she cannot trust him—nor has she ever been able to. As such, he storms off on his dragon to Harrenhal, and Rhaenyra instructs Baela to watch King’s Landing.
The atmosphere is about as cold as it can get. Ciston feels guilt at the attack happening while he was on watch, and it’s obvious enough that Alicent had to make sure he hadn’t told anyone about their affair.
Criston finds Ser Arryk Cargyll and has an idea of his own: that Arryk should pretend to be his twin brother Erryk, infiltrate Dragonstone, and kill Rhaenyra. Arryk tries obviously to refuse but can’t.
We also finally get a look into Aemond’s mindset after all this has happened, during a visit to a pleasure house, confessing that he feels regret over killing Lucerys and that it’s just something that happened because he lost his temper.
A blacksmith who asked Aegon for advance payment during court in Episode 1: Hugh Hammer, tends to a woman and her ailing daughter. She tells him that little food is left at the market, and people are starting to be afraid. He reassures her that the king does, indeed, have relief promised.
At the Gullet, Alyn finds his brother, who urges him to try to sail with Lord Corlys into battle. Meanwhile, Corlys lies in bed with Rhaenys as they ponder whether Daemon is a possible danger to Rhaenyra’s reign but ultimately decide to give him their trust.
4. What deal does Rhaenyra Agree to?
Rhaenyra goes to Mysaria to understand what Daemon may have been up to. Mysaria only says she gave him the two names in exchange for her life. According to her, to date, it has not been granted. Rhaenyra still can’t let her go, as the risks outweigh the benefits of freeing her.
In the walls of King’s Landing, Aegon took a bold action. Not knowing which rat-catcher betrayed them, he hath ordered the slaying of every rat-catcher who worked in the Red Keep and had them all hanged outside the castle where their families weep under their bodies.
When Otto finds out, he storms into Aegon’s room, calling him a fool. Criston and Aegon tell him in unison that Arryk is en route to Dragonstone to assassinate Rhaenyra.
Hearing this, Otto accuses Aegon of holding a false reign, and Aegon replies by relieving him of his Hand duties and appointing Criston in his place.
5. About House Of The Dragon
House of the Dragon is the prequel series to HBO’s blockbuster Game of Thrones based on George R. R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood.
Set three hundred years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon will show Westeros under the Targaryen family’s rule before the dragons went extinct. It will follow the Dance of the Dragons, the Targaryen civil war between siblings Aegon II and Rhaenyra, who fought for the throne after the death of their father, Viserys I.
Directed by Ryan Condall and Miguel Sapochnik, the show stars Paddy Considine as Viserys I Targaryen, Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen, Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen, Tom Glynn-Craney as Aegon II Targaryen, Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower, Steve Toussaint as Corlys Velaryon, Eve Best as Rhaenys Velaryon, Sonoya Mizuno as Mysaria, Fabien Frankel as Criston Cole, and Graham McTavish.
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