We open with a shot of a field from the viewpoint of a windmill. This field is the meeting of the boundaries between The Blackwoods and The Brackens. The Blackwoods are loyal to House Black Targaryen and House Green Targaryen. A juvenile dispute between young guards nearly escalates into violence. A transitional shot of deceased Blackwood and Bracken soldiers, reveals that the verbal insults have escalated to widespread violence. The now-damaged windmill turns in the background. We later learn that the battle was given the title “The Battle of the Burning Mill.” This brilliant scene indicates the intense but slow pace we have experienced this season. Although it is easy to want to “get on already” with the great war between the houses, this build-up is not simple filler. We are seeing the strategies that will certainly lead to electrifying tactics on the battlefield(s) as the season progresses.
At House Black, Rhaenyra contemplates peace as she buries Erryk and Arryk. Rhaenyra forgives the latter for the assassination attempt; she understands that Arryk was being loyal to his King. At House Green, Sir Criston sits in his first meeting as the King’s Hand with the King’s council. He acknowledges the failure of the plot to assassinate Rhaenyra, yet he and King Aegon II argue that the attempt sets a precedent that war is inevitable. Criston convinces King Aegon and Aemon to keep the dragons at the castle to protect the throne. The King’s Hand devises a bold plan to conquer a castle known as Harrenhal, but Daemon arrives first. One meager guard hesitantly engages Daemon and is quickly dispatched. Daemon is surprised that the castle is not properly guarded and is further astonished that Harrenhal’s council immediately pledges allegiance to House Black. Daemon’s conversation with the council yields one of my favorite lines of dialogue from the series. When asked what the “throne” is exactly, he responds “It is a big chair made of swords.”
While on a reconnaissance mission, Sir Criston realizes they are exposed. Moments later, Daemon’s daughter Baela arrives on the dragon Moondancer. Criston and his entourage take cover in the forest. Baela obeys Rhaenyra’s previous orders to not engage in combat and reports the sighting to Rhaenyra. Mysaria, who had warned Rhaenyra about Arryk, is now an adviser. Mysaria informs Rhaenyra of a way to meet with Alicent. The point of the meeting is to avoid a war with dragons. I appreciate how this series treats dragons as weapons of mass destruction, similar to how the East and the West treated nuclear warfare during the Cold War.
Sneaking into the Green Side as a septa (akin to a nun), Rhaenyra confronts Alicent. Rhaenyra asks Alicent what King Viserys said to her before dying. When Alicent replies, Rhaenyra realizes that Viserys was citing a story about Aegon the Conqueror’s dream. Alicent mistakenly thought her late husband was referring to Aegon II. Both ladies realize that the mistake cannot be reversed. War is imminent.
Rhaenyra will certainly go on the offensive, for no one will believe her or Alicent if they reveal that she was meant to take the throne. As with GAME OF THRONES, the current occupier of the throne is initially presented as the more “evil” of the sides claiming the throne. However, the route taken to reclaim the throne leaves such a path of destruction that such a victory is often a pyrrhic one.
HOUSE OF THE DRAGON returns on July 7, 2024, at 9:00 PM ET on HBO.