Chris Connor reviews the fourth episode of House of the Dragon season 2…
House of the Dragon’s second season has steadily built momentum as the forces of the Greens and Blacks have looked to find an advantage ahead of an all out conflict. As the series hits its midway point we are treated to one of the most action-packed instalments yet. Ser Gwayne Hightower and Criston Cole at the centre of an all-out brawl, as with Game of Thrones before it, there is the sense that no one is safe at this point giving it a greater sense of stakes.
The episode opens with Daemon haunted by his past, expanding on the previous episode. This makes for uneasy and often disquieting viewing, as the ghosts of his past actions finally catch-up to him. Matt Smith conveys these moments convincingly. There is an almost Macbeth-esque quality to these sequences especially the iconic dagger sequence from Shakespeare’s play. While dealing with his visions, Daemon seeks to rally troops to his cause as we continue to hurtle towards an all-out conflict.
There is a lingering sense of doubt over Viserys’ wishes following Rhaenyra and Alicent’s meeting in the previous episode. This doubt reframes the nature of their conflict and how the audience respond to both sides and their actions.
The double act of Freddie Fox and Fabien Frankel proves a particular highlight. This brings a sense of fun into what could otherwise be an overly bleak proposition, especially in an episode as action-filled as this. Eve Best is afforded some of her best work to date as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen at the heart of many of the episode’s best moments from debates about strategy to the battle line itself.
At its midway point House of the Dragon’s second season, builds on the work of the first season, offering tantalising glimpses at what is to come and with more than enough political intrigue to satisfy both hardcore A Song of Ice and Fire fans and more casual viewers alike. This episode offers the perfect balance between all-out action and manoeuvring, in many ways the scenes of both sides planning their next course as thrilling as the battlefield action, pay off for the series’ patience to this point. The explosive finale sets up some intriguing questions for the second half of the series as an all out war across the seven kingdoms comes ever closer into view.
Chris Connor
