By the old gods and the new, if âThe Red Dragon and the Goldâ didnât have you on the edge of your chairâespecially during its final 20 minutesâyou may want to check your surroundings and make sure youâre not lurking just outside of reality alongside Daemon at Harrenhal. Episode four of House of the Dragon gave us rulers making decisions both snap and deeply considered; it gave us characters both regretful and not considering the consequences of their actions; and it gave us dragons doing dragon things. So many dragons!
We open in the gloomy environs of Harrenhal, where Daemon is still doing a lot more âwandering in my mind palaceâ than âraising an army for my wife.â His latest dream of the young Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock, back again) sees her rising from the Iron Throne and walking toward him, saying âYou created me, Daemon, yet you are now set on destroying me, all because your brother loved me more than he did youâ in Valyrian. He slices off her head, and her crown goes clattering to the side, but she keeps talking: âThis is what you always wanted, is it not?â When he startles awake, Ser Simon Strong tells him a raven has arrived. It carries news of Aegonâs army, which is on the march and has easily gained the support of multiple noble houses along the way (âthat sad business with the usurpurâs sonâ was a key reason why, Ser Simon says; of course, he doesnât know that mess was Daemonâs doing). As a result, Ser Criston Coleâs host has grown considerably, and Ser Simon thinks itâs unlikely Daemon will be able to raise enough men to face them if they attack Harrenhal.
âLetâs see what your Lord Paramount is made of,â Daemon replies as they head into a meeting with the nervously stuttering Ser Oscar Tully, teen grandson of the sickly Lord Grover Tully, Lord of Riverrun and the highest-ranking noble in the Riverlands. Daemonâs in no mood to deal with this powerless emissary, and tells him everyone would be better off if Ser Oscar would hasten his inheritance by hastening his grandfatherâs death. A feather pillow would do quite nicely, Daemon suggests. The kid is aghast at the very idea of even considering this, and Daemonâwho seems like heâs finally ready to start on that whole army-raising thingâstalks off in disgust.
![Eve Best Steve Toussaint 2](https://cdn.statically.io/img/gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2024/07/eve-best-steve-toussaint-2.jpg)
On the docks at Driftmark, Rhaenys seeks out Alyn of Hull. She knows heâs the sailor who saved Lord Corlysâ life, but as she touches his face she comments on how âcomelyâ he is. âYour mother must have been very beautiful,â she says with more than a hint of sadness. When Corlys walks up, Alyn scampers off, grateful the awkward interaction can end; itâs clear thereâs more going on here than Rhaenys wanting to meet the man who rescued her husband. âI know who he is, Corlys,â she says, and adds âAlynâs past is no fault of his,â noting that thereâs no reason to keep him hidden. Corlysâ response is testy, but Rhaenys isnât there to give him a hard time about his relationship with Alyn (and Alynâs mother). Sheâs been summoned to Dragonstone, where the Small Council is growing extremely restless in Rhaenyraâs absence; only Rhaenys (and the audience, of course), know the queen was off making one last attempt at peace by sneaking into Kingâs Landing to meet Alicent.
Speaking of, we see Alicent in her chambers, nervously turning a dragon figure over in her hands before accidentally breaking itâa callback to the moment early in her relationship with Viserys when she had a broken dragon repaired to soften his heart toward her. It might even be the same figure. The Grand Maester enters, carrying a special brew we all recognize as the tea women in Westeros take to prevent or end an unwanted pregnancy. (Alicent pretends itâs for someone else, but we know the truth.) Before the Grand Maester leaves, she asks himâsince he was there as her husbandâs health rapidly declined at the endâif he thinks Viserys wanted Aegon to succeed him. Clearly, her clandestine chat with Rhaenyra is weighing heavily on her mind. But if the religious man has any opinion on the matter, heâs not going to share it, and simply tells her he doesnât know. After he leaves, she grimaces and gulps the medicine.
On Dragonstone, the Small Council is indeed in disarray; the intel on Coleâs movements is thin, Daemon is MIA, the old men are snippy and sarcastic, and Jace and Baela are sarcastic right back. It falls to Rhaenys to be the calming voice of reason, but the council doesnât respect her either. At that moment, Lord Corlys enters and heâs clearly the most commanding leader of the bunch, but nobody can act without Rhaenyra present.
In the Crownlands, we get an up-close look at what Cole and company have been up to: stomping their way around, menacing smaller houses into bending the knee to King Aegon IIâand beheading any lords who support âthe whore of Dragonstone.â When Cole receives a missive from Kingâs Landing, then tells Ser Gwayne Hightower theyâre heading for the coast, Ser Gwayne snootily tells him thatâs not the right direction to reach Harrenhal. Twist! Theyâre not going to Harrenhal after all. Thereâs a new plan afootâand we learn all about it when we shift to Kingâs Landing, where another dysfunctional Small Council is meeting. Aegon is losing his mind screaming at everyone, but Lord Larys calmly tells him their situation is just fine, even without controlling Harrenhal. âI need to be informed of these things,â Aegon bitches. Then Aemond pipes in to tell his brother that Ser Criston is marching on Rookâs Rest, and everyone whoâs read Fire & Blood leans in a little closer.
![Ewan Mitchell 3](https://cdn.statically.io/img/gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2024/07/ewan-mitchell-3.jpg)
For the benefit of everyone in the room (and the audience), Aemond explains the situation: Rookâs Rest might be a small castle, but its ruler, Lord Staunton, is on Rhaenyraâs Small Councilâand more importantly, itâs just across the water from Dragonstone. If Cole takes Rookâs Rest, Dragonstone will be cut off by land. Thereâs an uncomfortable moment as Aegon realizes Aemond and Cole have been strategizing behind his back, while the rest of the Small Council vigorously averts their eyes from the brothers. Aemond switches into High Valyrian to insult him (âimbecilic lickspittlesâ is certainly a turn of phrase), then goads him into coming up with a better plan. Aegon canât, of courseâas the subtitles hilariously reveal, he can barely speak High Valyrian; Aemondâs bemused, dismissive âhmmâ in response to this blatant ineptitude is also hilariousâso Rookâs Rest it is.
Upstairs, Alicent is feeling the effects of her anti-pregnancy potion, so of course this is the moment that Lord Larysâwho notes the empty tea vessel brought in by the Grand Maester, and immediately clocks whatâs going on hereâstops by to see why she wasnât at the Small Council meeting. He updates her on what transpired but also pokes her about how worried she must be for Ser Criston Coleâs safety. âSer Criston is the Hand of the King,â she says stiffly. âWe should all pray for his victory and safe return.â He also notices with interest that sheâs reading one of Viserysâ books of Westeros history (looking up the Prince That Was Promised, perhaps?). When Larys asks if she thinks âthe voice of historyâ is why he changed his mind, and whether she now doubts her late husbandâs intentions, Alicent can only say âthe significance of Viserysâ intentions died with him.â
At haunted Harrenhal, a restless Daemon roams the halls, spotting an illusion of Aemond before bursting into room occupied by a character weâve seen previously, but have yet to actually meet: Alys Rivers. The name means sheâs a bastard (âOnce you get to know me youâll find Iâm not so bad,â she shrugs), and sheâs something of a healer, mixing up potions with an easygoing manner as she launches into a lesson about Harrenhalâs dark history. When Daemon says sheâs a strange woman, she says âIâm not a woman at all. Iâm a barn owl, cursed to live in human form. He almost smiles! But when she starts probing into his reason for being at the castle (sheâs onto his resentment about Rhaenyra being the boss instead of him), he calls her a witch. But he drinks the concoction she hands him to help him get some much-needed sleep⊠and comes back to his senses at a table with Ser Simon and other men, including Ser Willem Blackwood, whoâs there to lend support to Daemonâs army but is visibly confused by his demeanor, which is both hostile and loopy. At one point, Daemon looks at the woman serving wine and thinks he sees Laena, his late second wife.
![Matt Smith Gayle Rankin](https://cdn.statically.io/img/gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2024/07/matt-smith-gayle-rankin.jpg)
We cut back to another meeting of men, this time Aegonâs Small Council, who are nattering on about how the dragons are devouring a lot of livestock, the money supply is dwindling, and Team Blackâs blockade has restricted imports, but at least Coleâs efforts have been admirable so far. âYou bore me,â Aegon huffs. âYou all bore me.â Then he flounces out of the room.
Back upstairs, he finds Alicent shuffling through his cabinets. Sheâs looking for more of Viserysâ history books; Aegon, whoâs definitely not big on reading, says he had them removed. She can tell her son is in a tizzy, and asks whatâs wrong, more out of obligation than concern. âThey donât care what I think,â he whines. âWhat thoughts would you have?â she replies, before reminding him that wearing a crown doesnât immediately mean he has any wisdom to back it up. At this point, she canât hold back her weary amusement that this petulant idiot that she spent her entire life trying to maneuver into power turned out to be such a fuck-up. âIt was my hope that, once enthroned,â she chuckles, âyou would honor the burden of your new duties: be silent, and strive to learn from the more studied minds around you, in the hope that you might be half the king your father was.â When he asks her what she wants him to do, she simply tells him ânothing.â Doing nothing is the best he can do. And sheâs right, of course. Will he listen? WellâŠ
With 20 minutes left to go in the episode, Coleâs army arrives at the seaside castle of Rookâs Rest and prepares for battle. Why yes, Ser Gwayne, theyâre going to attack during the daytime! Heâs just as surprised, albeit far less delighted, than the legions of House of the Dragon viewers who were Game of Thrones fans and suffered frustration and eye strain thanks to that showâs deep, abiding love of extremely dark battles.
But before the fighting breaks out, thereâs a brawl of a (slightly) more polite nature to get through: Rhaenyra has returned to Dragonstone, and everyone, especially her son Jace, is cranky about her mysterious absenceâespecially since they keep receiving worrisome news about how massive Aegonâs army has become. Jace gets even angrier when he learns she went to Kingâs Landing to meet with Alicent. âI inherited 80 years of peace from my father,â she snaps back. âBefore I was to end it, I needed to know that there was no other path. And now I do.â The path is this: âEither I win my claim, or I die,â followed not long after by âthere are those who have mistaken my caution for weakness. Let that be their undoing.â While sheâs eager to ride her own dragon to Rookâs Rest, the Small Council talks her out of it; instead, Rhaenys volunteers (nay, insists) to ride out on Meleys.
![Tom Glynn Carney Olivia Cooke](https://cdn.statically.io/img/gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2024/07/tom-glynn-carney-olivia-cooke.jpg)
In Kingâs Landing, a petulant Aegon storms aroundâoh, that canât be goodâand House of the Dragon ramps up its battle anticipation by intercutting between different scenes: Rhaenys getting ready to leave, Aegon donning his armor and going to his dragon, Coleâs army approaching the castle at Rookâs Rest, and Rhaenyra explaining to Jace, whoâs still in a salty mood, about the Song of Ice and Fire. The Targaryen sitting the Iron Throne isnât just a ruler, she tells himâtheyâre a protector, destined to unite and lead the people of Westeros against a common foe (weâve seen âem: Game of Thronesâ White Walkers). This war is not just about a crown. Itâs about saving the future.
Then, the battle begins. And itâs worth reiterating: IT IS DAYLIGHT. WE CAN SEE EVERYTHING. As arrows begin to fly and cannons move into position, Rhaenys and Meleys come into view, high in the clouds. Cole has anticipated this and we hear him give the order: âMake the signal!â A chain of horn blasts begin to sound as Meleys starts setting fire to Aegonâs army; deep in the trees we see⊠yep, that can only be the extremely large outline of Vhagar, with Aemond a tiny figure on his back. But wait! Wait wait wait? Whoâs that flying overhead? Why, itâs Aegon, riding Sunfyre, barging right into Cole and Aemondâs battle plan. âIdiot,â Aemond mutters in High Valyrian, and tells an eager Vhagar to wait. Just as annoyed as his rider, Vhagar flops his humongous head down to the forest floor and snorts in disgust, air billowing out of his outrageously oversized nostrils. On the ground, Cole is similarly furious, especially when Ser Gwayne shrieks in his face about what a dumb plan this is. Itâs not the plan. But it is most certainly whatâs happening, so Cole rides out and rallies his men for battle, acting like Aegonâs arrival was prearranged, rather than the annoying intrusion it actually is.
While Rhaenys/Meleys and Aegon/Sunfyre do battle in the skyâusing fire, teeth, claws, wings, and everything else a dragon has at its disposalâthe men on the ground slowly realize the biggest dragon anyone alive has ever seen, Vhagar, is rising up from behind the tree line. Everyone looks scared out of their minds except Cole, who is very clearly thinking to himself âThank the gods!â In fact, thatâs exactly what Aegon says when he realizes his brother has come to join the fight⊠but his look of relief turns to horror when Aemond gives Vhagar the unmistakable order: âDracarys!â
A shrieking Sunfyre plunges to the ground in the woods beyond the battlefield; it happens at a distance, but you have to imagine Aegon is shrieking almost as loudly. Meleys and Rhaenys are flying in the other direction when Rhaenys looks back and decides itâs time to go again. From the POV of the men on the ground, you can see just how much of a size difference there is between the two dragons, and the two beasts become a swirling ball of flames and scaly body parts high above the battlefield that then briefly thunders to the Earth, squishing whoever is unfortunate enough to be in the damage path. We see Cole go down, then the screen fades to black before returning for some slo-mo battle violence. In the air, Rhaenys and Meleys share a glance before making one last pass over the smoldering field. Theyâre flying over the castle when suddenly Vhagar swoops up from behind the cliff face, clamps his huge-ass jaws around Meleysâ neck until sheâs dead, then drops her body from a great height. Rhaenys gazes upward as she falls, sadly but peacefully accepting her fate. Aemond gazes down, a look of satisfaction crossing his haughty face, and we fade to black again.
![Fabien Frankel 2](https://cdn.statically.io/img/gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2024/07/fabien-frankel-2.jpg)
But thereâs one more sentence we need to punctuate before episode four can end: whereâs Aegon? Cole flickers back to consciousness and takes in the scalded wasteland that now surrounds him. Soldiers have been reduced to piles of ash inside their armor; a dead dragon is conspicuously draped across the castle in the distance. Also conspicuous: a giant plume of smoke emanating from the trees. Thatâs where Cole staggers in search of the fallen king. And heâs not the first one there: Aemond, his sword ready to plunge intoâŠsomething⊠is moving through the burning trees ahead of him. When he calls out, Aemond stops doing whatever he was about to doâsomething that comes into focus when Cole sees that His Grace is lying motionless on the ground next to a gurgling Sunfyre. Cole falls to his knees as Aemond stalks away. Is Aegon alive or dead? Itâll be next week until we find out.
New House of the Dragon episodes arrive Sundays on HBO and Max.
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