Man, the Greens just are not on the same page anymore. While I don’t quite mind since I am Team Blacks, it is astonishing to see just how off kilter they are concerning one another’s wishes and desires.

I guess planning treason is easier than reaping the benefits of said treason, huh?

Read our House of the Dragon Season 1 Reviews

King Aegon the II Needs a Babysitter

I find it absolutely wild that not only is Ser Criston Cole breaking his vows again, but that good, sweet, holier than thou “pious” Queen Alicent is the one bedding him! The IRONY of Queen Alicent sleeping with Criston Cole when that same action is what fractured her relationship with Rhaenyra and got her father Otto dismissed as Hand of the King the first time around.

Otto knows too, by the way that Alicent and Criston are sleeping together. The White Worm may be away but you can spot their pointed glances at one another a mile away.

(Larys knows too, after all the Red Keep is a “rat’s nest”).

Despite her best efforts (or delusions), Alicent truly believes that her sons still love and respect her. And that Aegon can still be controlled a la a Joffrey and Lord Tywin 1.0 situation.  (We all know how that ended).

Meanwhile, Larys has gotten into Aegon’s head to be both ruthless and kind (in a ploy to completely replace the small council starting with the Hand of the King) – which Aegon mentions in his cups to his yes men – and Aemond openly calls his mother “Alicent” to Criston Cole and labels her a hypocrite.

We already knew since childhood that Helaena wasn’t particularly fond of her mother nor Alicent to her, so the final scene of the episode of Helaena walking in on Criston and Alicent and being completely unfazed doesn’t surprise me at all.

Blood and Cheese

Just as a quick note before I forget, it also isn’t surprising that Helaena “gave Aegon’s heir” up so easily.  From last season’s conversation during Viserys’ last supper about husbands “ignoring you” unless it’s time to do your duty, you could tell Helaena wasn’t really into marrying that particular sibling.

Again, incest aside – Aemond and Helaena really would have been a better match, as Aemond alluded to at Laena’s funeral all those years ago. Aemond is learned and into their Targaryen family’s histories as well, so I’m sure he would respect Helaena’s Dragon dreams and prophecies more than the babbling nonsense that Aegon takes them for.

(I also think Jacaerys Velaryon would have made a handsome match for Helaena had Alicent agreed to it when Rhaenyra proposed it years ago. It could have prevented the families a lot of heartache and may have even healed some of the rifts between them all.)

Daemon is Spiraling

Daemon is spiraling and it’s not doing anything to help the Black’s cause. Besides lashing out at Rhaenyra for taking time to grieve her son’s death (which to be fair, is not Daemon’s son so his callous attitude about the appearance of weakness on their house after the death of Lucerys makes sense; Daemon cares more about the glory of the Targaryen name than actually sustaining the Targaryen family unit (despite Rhaenyra’s three eldest sons being Strong bastards).

(Speaking of bastards, we were introduced to Alyn of Hull, who, along with Addam of Hull end up marrying Lord Corlys’ granddaughters and continuing on the Velaryon name after his true born son Laenor decided to run off to essos to swallow swords and eat oranges with his boyfriend at the end of last season.)

Not only does Daemon blame Rhaenys for not ending Aegon’s line when she had the chance (which I kind of agree with if I’m honest but I’ll go with her excuse of it not “being her place” to start the war), Daemon is also lashing out at Ser Erryk Cargyll and the White Worm Mysaria.

Honestly, I don’t blame Mysaria for what she did. As she ( and Erryk) tried to tell Daemon, they both had no real loyalty to Otto, it was all either transactional or simply oath-bound formalities at play. Mysaria even tells Daemon he’s speaking in terms of “high lord games”.

Daemon even brought Mysaria to Dragonstone as his whore to use in his “high lord games” in order to make Rhaenyra jealous and piss his brother Viserys off with his antics.

If Mysaria doesn’t have to sell her body anymore to make a living but rather just information, why wouldn’t she take the come up? It’s in the same vein as Varys centuries later – why make your life harder living as a prostitute or sex slave when you can make things easy by selling secrets of the trade?

Rhaenyra Grieves Lucerys

To end this review on a positive note,  I am glad Rhaenyra was able to to find some closure in Lucerys’ death, and grieve together with her remaining sons and their betrothed (although it doesn’t seem like Daemon was there. Was Lucerys’ funeral during the time Daemon threw the murder cloak on and snuck into King’s Landing to put a hit out on Aemond (or his rumored son in the books).

I am also glad that Rhaenys reminded Daemon that she also found out about the death of her child – Daemon’s former wife – Laena by raven.  The implications being that Daemon didn’t even have the decency to tell her himself, and that Rhaenys didn’t believe it was real until she witnessed the sorry state of her granddaughters after the whole affair.

In the books, I believe it is mentioned that pieces of Lucerys’ dragon wash up on shore near Storms Ens after the battle, but I don’t believe there was any mention of Lucerys’ oddly intact and well-preserved cloak if he and his dragon were completely eaten by Vhagar as we saw last season.

Either way, I’m glad House of the Dragon is back and look forward to watching episode 2 when it airs this Sunday.

But, tell me your thoughts – what do you think of the hypocrisy of Queen Alicent both concerning Criston Cole and blaming her son for starting the Dance of Dragons despite participating in the coup to steal Rhaenyra’s thrones?

Do you think Daemon is out of line with his war mongering actions and constant lashing out at allies this episode?

Let me know your thoughts, leave them in the comment section below! And follow us for more House of the Dragon Season 2 Reviews.

Until next time : ~

“This world is a shadow of the real one”.

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