The Dance of the Dragons hasn’t even formally begun but, and already, lots of the important gamers are spiraling. Alicent simply realized she began a conflict over a miscommunication, Rhaenyra now is aware of she has no choices however to struggle if she needs to sooner or later sit upon the Iron Throne, Aegon is slowly studying he’s thought-about as a lot of a bumbling idiot as his Kingsguard, and Daemon is trapped inside a crumbling citadel, compelled to face each his previous and dim future each time he closes his eyes.
We enter episode 4 of this season of Home of the Dragon in one other considered one of Daemon’s desires. As soon as once more, he’s met with a younger Rhaenyra (performed by returnee Milly Alcock) in a scene that might have been plucked from the primary half of the present’s pilot season. Earlier than Rhaenyra could make a lot of a degree, nonetheless, Daemon beheads her in what’s turning into his signature. He then awakens and is straight away met with one other nightmare, an actual one. Simon Sturdy informs Daemon of Ser Criston Cole’s latest successes, of the homes which have fallen and raised banners for Aegon, becoming a member of Cole’s host because of this—and tripling the hand’s energy. Whereas Daemon makes an attempt to wheel and deal inside Harrenhal, he rapidly learns the Tullys haven’t any actual affect over the Riverlands, and if he needs to precise any precise change, he must be extra strategic.
Rhaenys, in the meantime, visits Coryls in Driftmark, the place he continues to prepared his ships for battle. It’s there she meets Alyn, the person who saved Corlys in the course of the battle within the Stepstones. She has an oddly intimate second with Alyn, after which chastises her husband for not mentioning Alyn’s particular function in Coryls’s rescue. “I do know who he’s, Coryls,” she says. However we nonetheless don’t! Although, in fact, one can assume Alyn is Alyn Waters, a bastard and sure the son of Corlys himself.
In King’s Touchdown, Alicent is taking precautions to keep away from Corly’s destiny, requesting particular tea from the grand maester. It appears the trope of constructing embarrassing requests within the identify of “a buddy” was alive and nicely in 100 AC, and Alicent places on airs that this particular tea just isn’t for her, no! After all, it doesn’t appear that anybody is shopping for her ruse. It has been a tough few days for Alicent, who not solely finds herself pregnant with, assumedly, Cole’s youngster, but in addition just lately realized she began a conflict over the misinterpreted ramblings of a dying man. She has taken to asking these round Viserys in the event that they imagine the late king wished Aegon to succeed him, although she already is aware of the reply. She drinks the tea, possible hoping it is not going to solely unburden her of a kid, but in addition this guilt that’s absolutely filling her each pore.
After all, Cole is aware of nothing of Alicent’s determination and can possible by no means study of it. He’s too busy slowly taking management of the Riverlands, utilizing the tree cowl and dusk to defend his actions from Crew Black’s dragons. We meet again up with him as he’s addressing Home Darklyn, which beforehand pledged loyalty to Rhaenyra. Those that bend the knee to Aegon and struggle in his identify towards “The Whore of Dragonstone” shall be spared. Those that refuse will die like their Lord Darklyn, who’s beheaded together with his honor intact and some jabs at Cole nonetheless floating by the air alongside together with his spit. Following his newest victory, Cole leads his military northeast, towards Rook’s Relaxation, ignoring their assumed goal of Harrenhal, which sits to the west.
We quickly study this was a plan devised by Criston and Aemond, who’ve been secretly scheming behind Aegon’s again. The king isn’t completely happy about Criston’s determination to move to Rook’s Relaxation as a substitute of Harrenhal, however he’s rapidly put into place by the latest member of his council, Larys, who informs the king that Harrenhal “is extra crippled than I’m.” Larys breaks down the state of affairs merely for Aegon: Daemon is broke, Rhaenyra is trapped, and Cole is succeeding, having gained the moniker “The Kingmaker,” which doesn’t appear to be sitting too nicely with the king. Then, Aemond steps in, clearly recovered from his humiliation from final episode and able to precise revenge on his brother. If his conflict planning with Criston wasn’t dangerous sufficient, Aemond hits at Aegon’s ego once more when he scolds his older brother in Excessive Valyrian, a language for which the king doesn’t have a robust grasp. Thus the choice is made: Rook’s Relaxation is the goal, and Aegon is solely a lame pet who should be put in his cage so the actual influences can get issues executed.
Absent from the assembly is Alicent, who’s in her chamber recovering from her tea and distracting herself by studying histories, possible making an attempt to know the ‘Track of Ice and Hearth’ and the story that stuffed Viserys’s final waking ideas. Larys, who visits the queen dowager to see about her lack of attendance on the council can sense a change in Alicent, and questions her conviction relating to Viserys’s alleged change of coronary heart. Her response: “The importance of Viserys’s intentions died with him.” What the late king wished, whether or not it was his son or daughter to succeed his throne, doesn’t matter. As Rhaenys mentioned final episode, historical past will erase the why, however the bloodshed, violence, and the ensuing victor are what is going to stand the check of time.
What is going to very possible additionally not be remembered are Aegon’s on a regular basis bumbles—like his incompetent Kingsguard or his lack of precise affect on his personal council. It’s the latter of which, in the meanwhile, that’s actually attending to the king, who feels ineffective as Cole good points glory on his personal whereas he sits in a citadel. However his mom is there to speak to Aegon and remind him that he’s proper, truly. He is utterly pointless, aside from the birthright for which they’re busy combating. Being king doesn’t make him wiser—it simply makes him king. After all, Alicent’s “hope” that Aegon can be a temperate king who listens to the extra realized minds round him falls flat once you keep in mind that she raised the feckless man we now see in entrance of us. For her to now inform him to “do nothing” is inviting a risky man like Aegon to do one thing completely reckless in direct opposition. However maybe that was Alicent’s plan all alongside—to goad her son into motion. She should have recognized how he would react to such a chat, proper?
Daemon, in the meantime, is struggling to sleep, contemplating each time he closes his eyes, he’s confronted with hyperrealistic reminders of his worst moments. So, he goes stalking by Harrenhal, the place he runs into Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin), the girl who knowledgeable him of his impending loss of life simply final episode. Alys may be very conscious of Daemon’s circumstances, each his present points with sleep and his extra summary struggles together with his declare to the throne. She affords Daemon a drink, one thing to assist him sleep, and for some purpose he takes it with out query, possibly as a result of he feels he has nothing to lose at this level. All of the sudden, he’s assembly with Willem Blackwood, who affords his military in change for justice upon the Brackens, although Daemon isn’t listening, too distracted with the cupbearer who appears to be his his late spouse, Laena Velaryon.
Justice for the Brackens must await a minute, nonetheless, as focus is presently on Rook’s Relaxation, the place Cole and his troops are readying a strike. Whereas Cole has all the time been an smug character, beforehand there was no justification for such pomposity. Now that he has had a string of successes within the Riverlands, nonetheless, the vanity has reached unprecedented heights. Cole is planning one thing for the assault on Rook’s Relaxation, however he’s preserving it near his chest, a lot to the chagrin of Ser Gwayne. The younger Hightower is nervous concerning the excessive likelihood of a dragon assault, contemplating they’re proper throughout the bay from Dragonstone. And he’s proper to be scared, as a result of following her absence from a lot of the episode, Rhaenyra has lastly returned residence, having didn’t cease the conflict earlier than its inception. The queen’s dialog with Alicent has lit a brand new fireplace below Rhaenyra, who’s now able to take motion, and simply in time. It’s determined {that a} dragon should be dispatched to Rook’s Relaxation, and Rhaenys and Meleys are the apparent alternative.
After all, sending a dragon into battle is not any delicate act. Rhaenyra was beforehand hesitant to begin a conflict between dragons, figuring out it could result in the demise of all. Her determination to ship out Rhaenys and Meleys, whereas possible essential, is each an act of conflict and all however a assure of nice destruction and loss of life. Rhaenyra, although, convinces herself it’s for the larger good, for Aegon I’s prophecy, for the ‘Track of Ice and Hearth.’ If Rhaenyra hadn’t made the primary transfer with a dragon, although, Aegon would have, with a lot much less honorable intentions. After holding again final episode, he’s lastly able to mount his beast, Sunfyre, and discover some glory of his personal. This time not even Larys—nor anybody else—can cease him.
Thus begins the primary true dance of the dragons of Home of the Dragon. It turns into clear rapidly that Cole’s plan was to set a entice for any dragons Rhaenyra would possibly ship into battle. He knew she would haven’t any alternative however to dispatch at the very least one, and he was ready, having Aemond lie in wait within the forest together with Vhagar. Sadly, a hitch within the plan comes from Aegon’s look on the battlefield. After all, Aemond doesn’t maintain his older brother too pricey, and appears to not thoughts if the king finally ends up as collateral harm. So, he enters the struggle, lights up the king in dragon fireplace, and plummets to the bottom. Rhaenys takes the infighting as a possibility to flee from Vhagar, however on the final minute, she instructions Meleys to show again. It’s an honorable however aggravating determination. Rhaenys has been such an awesome character within the Dragon universe, and one of many solely individuals Rhaneyra has to look as much as and speak in confidence to following Viserys’s loss of life. Rhaenys went to Rook’s Relaxation as a result of Crew Black couldn’t threat shedding Rhaenyra, however one may argue Rhaenys is nearly as indispensable.
However Rhaenys can’t assist herself, and with Aegon out of the image, it’s time for the 2 largest dragons within the Dragon universe to face off. After all, Aemond has the higher hand, contemplating Vhagar is far bigger than Meleys, and he additionally appears to lack any inhibitions or compassion—necessary traits for a high-functioning human being, much less necessary for an awesome warrior.
The ensuing wrestle between dragons is enjoyable, and the daytime battle makes for improved lighting following final season’s black gap. Rapidly, although, it will get a bit dizzying, and one could yearn for the extra conventional fights of Sport of Thrones, which felt extra rooted, possible as a result of they actually occurred on the bottom. The dragons tumble by the sky, clawing at one another as these beneath attempt to keep away from any fallout. Sadly, the beasts rapidly grow to be unavoidable, and Cole will get knocked off his horse and misses the terminus of the dragon battle. Rhaenys as soon as once more good points a possibility to get away after it turns into clear she is not going to defeat Vhagar at this time. However once more, she (and seemingly Meleys) simply can’t assist themselves, and with a collective NOOOOO from the viewers, she goes again for extra. At this level, her destiny is all however written within the stars. She had two probabilities to get away, she is not going to get a 3rd, and it looks like she is aware of that as nicely. Instantly, Vhagar grabs Meleys by the neck, clamps down, and lets go, thus unceremoniously ending the lifetime of the Queen Who By no means Was (and the various who died in Meleys explosive crash into the citadel).
With two of the three dragons lifeless or incapacitated, Crew Inexperienced continues on to breach the citadel, however Cole has different priorities—checking on his king, who’s mendacity unmoving within the body of Sunfyre. Cole drops to his knees in despair, whereas Aemond appears much less involved. May he have simply gained a battle and the crown in a single fell swoop? Or will Aegon show stronger than anticipated and rise from the dragon fireplace like a real Targaryen?
