'dwelling of the Dragon' Episode 2 consists of a stand-off for the Iron Throne : NPR


Bridge of fellows: Daemon (Matt Smith) cradles a dragon egg in dwelling of the Dragon.

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Bridge of fellows: Daemon (Matt Smith) cradles a dragon egg in dwelling of the Dragon.

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This recap of dwelling of the Dragon‘s second episode incorporates spoilers for…properly, for dwelling of the Dragon‘s second episode. that is almost what a recap is. Proceed accordingly.

if you are simply becoming a member of us, right here is a recap of episode one and right here is a glossary of people and areas you can have forgotten.

Welcome to the Stepstones, the Seven Kingdoms’ journey wonderland. on this photo voltaic-dappled archipelago stretching between Westeros and Essos, you may discover crystal blue waters, white sand seashores, screaming pirates staked to the underside so crabs can feast on their gentle bits, state-of-the-artwork spa services, balmy ocean breezes, the bleached, leering, picked-clear skulls of corsairs scattered throughout the sand, and satisfying memento retailers. The fantastic people of the Bloodstone vacationer Board invite you to “Step as a lot as a end result of the StepstonesTM“!

final week Corlys, chief of the King’s fleet, talked about to the Small Council that the Triarchy, an alliance of Free Cities, had tasked their navy’s admiral with cleansing this very important commerce route of pirates, incomes mentioned admiral the nickname “Crabfeeder” inside the approach.

if you thought this current was gonna simply sort of go away that actuality as a lot as our collective creativeness, you do not know this current. As should be clear by now, dwelling of the Dragon, as a primary rule, chooses violence.

on the Small Council, there’s, as normal, huge Exposition: The Triarchy have overstepped, and sunk 4 of Corlys’s ships; he desires to take out the Crabfeeder and seize the Stepstones, however to take movement can be an act of battle. We additionally study that it is half a yr since Daemon was gentle-exiled, and he is now taken up residence on Dragonstone with a army of Gold Cloaks.

quick aside with regard to the Targaryen Dynasty’s fetish for little tchotchkes and gewgaws: every member of the Small Council has a bit marble sphere they plunk proper into a receptacle on the desk in entrance of them. do not recall seeing that again in sport of Thrones. does not appear to have something to do with procedural votes or something, although I’ve misplaced my copy of Aegon’s guidelines of Order. maybe they’re simply like the cocktail napkin you place over glass of Sav Blanc if you head to the john? Or is it solely a needlessly difficult reply to say “current”?

equally, inside the subsequent scene, the place Rhaenyra chooses a mannequin new member of the King’s Guard, there’s this full enterprise with collectible figurines representing every dwelling that the numerous candidates are from. maintain on: There are a full bunch and a full bunch of properties talked about in George R.R. Martin’s books. Does every get its personal figurine? contemplate the logistics! contemplate the storage!

after which afterward, the King has acquired his scale-mannequin cities and dragons. Say what you may about Viserys’s reign, however a minimal of he is retaining Westeros’s artisan class thriving.

Anyway, yeah: Amid an excellent quantity of fetishistic folderol, Rhaenyra chooses Ser Criston Cole to serve on the King’s Guard, as he is the one thought-about one of many candidates with exact fight expertise. Otto Hightower argues for a extra overtly political different, however is rebuffed — and as quickly as as quickly as extra, his unctuous have an effect on is giving me Littlefinger/Iago vibes.


Alicent (Emily Carey) feigns curiosity whereas getting mansplained about outdated Valyrian infrastructure initiatives.

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Alicent (Emily Carey) feigns curiosity whereas getting mansplained about outdated Valyrian infrastructure initiatives.

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Alicent? Her purpose is true.

In King Viserys’ chambers, he displays youthful Alicent his intricately carved stone mannequin of outdated Valyria, the birthplace of each his ancestors and of dragons. He asks her how his daughter’s dealing with the demise of her mom, and Alicent — firmly, however with a healthful dollop of flattery — suggests he ought to communicate to her his personal rattling self. He then dwops thought-about one of his widdle stone dwagons; that ought to not be a sexual metaphor, besides it very a lot is.

In a sept that pre-dates the doomed good Sept of Baelor, Alicent prays, and asks Rhaenyra to affix her. it is not said explicitly, however the decide they’re praying to (extra work for the King’s touchdown artisans!) seems to characterize The mom, thought-about one of many Seven Gods of Westeros. (I base this on the exact confirmed actuality that they spend this scene talking pretty a bit about their ineffective mothers, and the exact confirmed actuality that the decide earlier than them is posed as if it is saying, “No, honey, do not really feel resembling you can have name to test on me, i am fantastic, I imply I simply gave start to you.”)

Rhaenyra tells Alicent she wants she may communicate to her father, and Alicent — firmly, however with a healthful dollop of flattery — suggests she ought to communicate to him her personal rattling self. Alicent would make a canny and worthwhile exact Housewife of King’s touchdown.

inside the gardens of the purple maintain, the King meets with Ser Corlys Velaryon and his spouse Rhaenys, the Queen Who Wasn’t. They inform him that the Iron Throne is trying weak: A woman is ready to inherit (Why, ‘pon my phrase! The devil you say! Splutter!)! Daemon has disobeyed the King and as one other of returning to the Vale, he has seized Dragonstone (the Targaryen ancestral dwelling)! And now the Triarchy have arrange a colony inside the Stepstones! (This man’s extra like Ser Corlys Exposishyon, amirite?)

Their fastidiously thought-about, completely selfless, no-agenda-in anyway reply? Have the King wed their daughter Laena, thereby uniting the outdated Valyrian bloodlines of Targaryen and Velaryon.

Later, the King makes an try to deal with his latest Iron-Throne ouchie by sticking his finger proper into a bowl of maggots. Which i can not assist however discover seems form of soothing, like a sort of models they promote at Spencer gadgets with steel pins that take an impression of your hand? solely gooier?

Otto Hightower at first objects to the idea of a marriage ceremony to Leana, however quickly relents. (Gonna save myself time and make an “Otto relents” macro, as a end result of it seems desire it is that man’s full, oleaginous deal.) The King is frightened about how Rhaenyra will really feel about all of it, and he should be.


“Have I acquired a woman for you! Wait till you meet her! Have I acquired a woman for you, boy! Hoo, boy!” Viserys (Paddy Considine), Rhaenys (Eve best) and Corlys (Steve Touissant).

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“Have I acquired a woman for you! Wait till you meet her! Have I acquired a woman for you, boy! Hoo, boy!” Viserys (Paddy Considine), Rhaenys (Eve best) and Corlys (Steve Touissant).

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“am i ready to steal you away from a minute? Disturbingly?”

inside the gardens, The King has a gross and awkward blind date with 7-yr-outdated (!) Laena. it is The Bachelor: Medieval, and neither of them desires to current, or get, a rose. They communicate about dragons, and the exact confirmed actuality that she will not ought to lie with him till she’s 14.

… yay?

Paddy Considine, bless him, finds the pitch-black humor in all this; he seems like a particular person who’s gotten his first glimpse of the true face of the patrilineal oppression he embodies, and suspects it may not be all that good.

As has been recognized by now, this is extra seemingly to be a current about conferences. after they’re merely repeating stuff we have already seen, these conferences — and dwelling of the Dragon itself is extra seemingly to be cold, officious, boring.

however when the meeting in question is a scene simply like the one between Eve best’s world-weary Rhaenys and Milly Alcock’s would-be-world-weary Rhaenyra? The episode pays for itself.

Rhaenyra makes a current of not caring if the Iron Thone is stolen out from beneath her, ought to the King lastly get the male inheritor he is on a daily basis longed for. Rheanys, who’s been there and purchased the t-shirt, sees by way of this smokescreen and impatiently waves it away. i actually simply like the interplay between best and Alcock, right here — these characters clearly dislike every fully different, however there is a grudging respect and understanding hovering between them as properly. The implacable, deeply entrenched strategies of the Seven Kingdoms are arrayed in opposition to them, and each know sufficient to make a public current of accepting it. Privately, however, they will share their impatience, their disappointment — and, guardedly, their rage.

that is as shut to a beating coronary heart as a end result of the sequence has managed to get hold of up to now. it is hinted at inside the e-book, however not given the room to breathe that it will get right here. right here is hoping we get extra of it, as a end result of dwelling of the Dragon, aka Many Mendacious Medieval conferences, may use it.

Alicent’s had the King’s damaged dragon mounted, and supplies it again to him. additionally not a sexual metaphor, in all probability.

How do you say “Leggo my Eggo” in outdated Valyrian?

We study that Aemon’s snuck into King’s touchdown and swiped a dragon egg from the Dragonpit. (we do not actually see this happen. This current being this current, we seemingly would have, had he hacked off a pair of dragonkeeper limbs and heads or disemboweled a hapless citizen or two inside the approach, however he did not, so we do not.) he is declared himself the rightful inheritor, and introduced that the dragon egg is extra seemingly to be positioned inside the crib of his little one, so as that the kid can bond with it inside the Targaryen method. he is additionally invited the King to attend his marriage ceremony to Mysaria on Dragonstone in two days’ time.

“Uch,” says the King, if he had been me. “A vacation spot marriage ceremony. See what i am saying? This man’s the worst.”

Upon studying that the egg in question was the one meant for the King’s late toddler son, Rhaenyra models her jaw.

Otto Hightower arrives on Dragonstone with a detachment of troopers, decided to take the egg again and ship Daemon scurrying.

Daemon, Mysaria and a hell of rather pretty a little bit of Gold Cloaks confront Otto et al. on the bridge to the fort. there’s the form of saber-rattling you’d anticipate — taunts and challenges and defiance, and so forth. Daemon’s dragon Caraxes crests a ridge behind him, and is all like, “‘Sup?”

Hightower is form of to cede the day when Rhaenyra arrives astride her dragon Syrax (“‘Sup, certainly?”) and approaches Daemon.

They alternate a pair of phrases in outdated Valyrian, and he or she challenges him to kill her, if that is actually what he wants. Daemon backs down, however not earlier than tossing her the egg like he is throwing a lateral in an NFC playoff.

Later, Mysaria presents Daemon a talking-to about mendacity that she’s with little one when she very a lot ought to not be, and usually using her in his foolish video games with the King. She reminds him — and us — that she’s the one in hazard, not him.

Guys i do not suppose issues are gonna show properly for Mysaria.


Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) senses one factor inside the inheritor.

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Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock) senses one factor inside the inheritor.

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a minimal of they will not ought to lease a Frozen princess for the marriage ceremony ceremony

The King will get extra suggestion — yep, Li’l Laena’s the one, the good different, the proper decide, the good bride, every part’s comin’ up Laena.

Rhaenyra returns from Dragonstone, and the King attire her down a bit for performing with out his permission, however has to simply settle for that she achieved what Otto may by no means and would by no means. They then lastly have the center-to-coronary heart they’ve been laying aside for months. Rhaenyra assures him that she’ll understand if he marries little Laena, the Playskool Princess, the Dollhouse Damsel, the woman of LEGO, the Fairest in all First Grade.

The Small Council meets to let the King announce his new bride. Lord Corlys is there, trying smug. So is Otto Hightower, however that is much less to do with something he is anticipating and extra to do collectively with his Resting Smug Face.

sport of Thrones delighted in what it believed had been sudden, stunning rug-pulls, like inside the episode whereby Littlefinger met his final destiny. dwelling of the Dragon additionally loves a pretend-out, it seems, so when the King broadcasts his decision to wed … Alicent Hightower, the one ones not gobsmacked by this twist are these of us who’ve been watching the episode.

Alicent seems shocked. Rhaenyra seems betrayed. Otto seems smug (should be Tuesday). And Ser Corlys seems outraged and storms out.

if you found your self feeling a stage of discount that we wouldn’t ought to watch a full-grown man wed a toddler, remind your self that we’ll as one other be watching a full-grown man wed a teenager. (All of that is difficult by the exact confirmed actuality that inside the e-book, Viserys is barely round 29 at this level in his reign. Paddy Considine is forty eight. So both the current is ramping up the age distinction to make it method extra unsettling, or all that extreme-altitude dragonriding performs hell on Targaryen skincare regimens.)

On Driftmark, dwelling to accommodate Velaryon, Ser Corlys makes an try to persuade his visitor, Daemon Targaryen (shocked gasp, ostensibly!) to show his worth to the King and everyone by going after the Crabfeeder inside the Stepstones.

minimize to: the Crabfeeder inside the Stepstones, carrying a creepy masks as he models about setting hordes of hungry crabs upon a bunch of pirates and slavers. it is like a purple Lobster seafood buffet in reverse.

Parting ideas:

  • The current’s recognized as dwelling of the Dragon. We’re instructed there are 10 royal dragons inside the Dragonpit. however we’re two episodes in and we have solely seen two of them — Syrax and Caraxes. That’d be like calling a current Gotham however by no means displaying Batman — what can be the function, precisely? however notion me, as quickly as battle breaks out (spoiler: battle will get away) the skies are gonna be awful with dragons.
  • i am lacking an earthy POV character who sees by way of the pomp and pompousness. On acquired, Tyrion, Davos, even Sandor — they helped orient the viewers. however dwelling of the Dragon is all aristocracy, on a daily basis, and everyone’s respiration the identical rarified air. Alicent seems too candy and doe-eyed to meet that POV function (for now; candy-seeming characters have a method of turning into schemers, in GRMM’s world). i would say that proper now, the characters who’re best to establish with are …
  • … Rhaenyra and Rhaenys. Granted, the factor they’re being denied — absolute vitality over the Seven Kingdoms — ought to not be notably relatable. however the exact confirmed actuality that they are being ignored, ignored, discounted and anticipated to fall in line? that is extra extra seemingly to resonate with viewers than, say, Daemon’s whines of “however my birthright!” privilege.

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