House of the Dragon Season 2 Recap: Episode 6 - Smallfolk

Ash Walker • 22 Jul 2024 Features

“The enemy without may be fought with swords. The enemy within is more insidious”

SPOILERS AHEAD!

Last week, we watched with grim satisfaction as Allicent (Olivia Cooke) came to the realisation that she had no real influence over the crown. That, surprise, surprise, the Greens, the team that railed against the idea of a female ruler, had no time for her ideas.

Now, her son Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), ruling as Prince Regent, makes it all official by dismissing her from the Small Council. It’s brutal and patronising and exactly the kind of thing Allicent should have seen coming. I mean, does she not know her own kids?

Over on Dragonstone, the search for new dragon riders begins in earnest. After rooting through the family records, Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) has discovered that Ser Steffon Darklyn (Anthony Flanagan) has some Targaryen blood in him (albeit very watered down), and suggests that he have a go at bonding with the currently riderless Seasmoke. What could possibly go wrong?

Bravely/foolishly, Ser Steffon agrees to the plan. And it almost seems to be working, until Seasmoke decides that he’s bored now and crispy-fries Darklyn, along with a bunch of unfortunate dragon keepers. So it’s back to the drawing board for the Blacks.

Meanwhile, in Harrenhal, Daemon (Matt Smith) is still lost in his creepy dreams and hallucinations. This time he’s seeing his late brother, Viserys (a much-missed Paddy Considine), and we get a little insight into Daemon’s motivations.

Turns out it’s not blind ambition that drives him. Well, not only that: Daemon just wants the love and respect of his beloved older brother. Bless him.

The hallucinations seem to have done their job, though, as his encounter with Alys (Gayle Rankin) finds him in a much more vulnerable, much more receptive state of mind than usual: he actually asks for her help in dealing with the Riverlords. And, later on, he gets it, as Daemon learns that the old, useless Lord Grover Tully - a major blocker in Daemon’s plan to bring the Riverlords to heel - has conveniently carked it. Despite all of Alys’s ‘best efforts’.

Back in King’s Landing, the peasants’ revolt begins to heat up and, with a little help from Mysaria’s spies, bubbles over into a full-on riot. But Aemond is unconcerned - more pressing is the fact that his brother, the actual king, has finally woken up.

You - and Aemond - might have expected a confrontation, accusations of treason and attempted patricide, or at the very least some extremely inconsiderate dragon riding, but instead, Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) has had a bit of fear burned into him. And some sense, too. He sneakily tells Aemond that he remembers nothing of the battle at Rook’s Rest.

He’s weak and vulnerable, and Aemond has already shown that he’s prepared to do anything to lead. As Larys (Matthew Needham) confirms later on, Aegon is in mortal danger, and Aegon knows it.

Death Count: Only one of note - Ser Steffon Darklyn, who clearly didn’t watch How to Train Your Dragon.

Shout-Outs:

• The Lannister army is marching with a bunch of caged lions. Are these going to be used in battle, or are they just some kind of ostentatious mascot? Kinda hoping for the former.
• The scene between Larys and a charred, fearful Aegon was surprisingly powerful. We got to see a new side to the usually tight-lipped, elliptical Master of Whisperers, and some rare vulnerability from the petulant king.
• At the end of the episode it’s strongly suggested that Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty) - one of Corlys Velaryon’s bastards - has successfully bonded with Seasmoke. Rhaenyra’s mad plan was right on the money, only she was looking in the wrong place. Dragons only seem to care about blood, not legitimacy, and there are a few more Targaryen bastards still out there…

Verdict: Another strong episode that seemed to zip by, and set up some epic battles and fun confrontations down the line.

House of the Dragon airs every Monday at 9pm on Sky Atlantic, and can be streamed from 2am the same day.