House of the Dragon Series 2 Episode 7: The Red Sowing

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House of the Dragon Series 2 Episode 7: The Red Sowing

How does one sum up an episode with as much happening as this one? Episode 7 shows new dragonriders, more deaths than can be counted, Deamon’s reputation taking further beating and Alicent abandoning King’s Landing. As the threat of war becomes more apparent, each house begins to understand who their true allies are.

A new army… of bastards?

As Syrax and Seasmoke face one another, Rhaenyra (Emma D’arcy) finds herself facing Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty); the unexpected dragonrider who was sought out and chosen by his dragon. Contrary to the morals and beliefs held by Targaryen’s, low-borns and those of even just half Targaryen blood could become dragonriders.

The revelation that Rhaenyra’s plan could actually work brought her back to the company of Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) – a companion that Rhaenyra has grown fond of in more ways than one – who supports her in the madness that is raising an army of low-borns and bastards of Targaryen descent.

Mysaria, unsurprisingly and with her overflowing list of connections in King’s Landing, forges a plan to spread the word. After some well thought out gossip was planted by certain members of the smallfolk, Rhaenyra’s options of potential dragonriders were anything but limited. Anyone of Targaryen descent began to make their way to Dragonstone, with some surprising additions to the flocking crowds...

Daemon and Lord Oscar – an alliance or an enemy?

After the death of his Grandfather, Lord Oscar (Archie Barnes) now bears the title of Lord Paramount, Head of House Tully and of the Riverlands. Daemon’s (Matt Smith) last interaction with the young Lord made for tension with this new meeting – his attitude towards Oscar’s lack of decision making meant their relationship had already taken a rather negative turn.

Despite his dislike of the self-declared King, Oscar promises his loyalty to Rhaenyra out of respect for his Grandfather’s wishes – the previous Lord swore to stand by King Viserys’ chosen heir. However, this loyalty came at a price, as Oscar, loud and proud, announced his dislike for Daemon. He told the Riverlords of his belief that Daemon is not fit to rule, nor does he support his recent acts of cruelty and so, if Daemon should like the support of the Riverlands, he must slay his accomplice in the recent horrors. After a showing of pride from both parties, Daemon, against all fibre of his being and morale, backs down and obeys the young Lord.

We also see Daemon’s newest haunting, King Viserys (Paddy Considine), ill and holding the crown. The dying King speaks of how he never wanted the crown, but he knew Daemon always did; a theme that has caused so much conflict throughout the series and somehow the conversation in this instance has Daemon and Viserys sharing a moment of peace. The former King asks if Daemon still wants the crown, a question that is left unanswered and, for once, Daemon’s response is not one that can be predicted.

Disarray in King’s Landing

In the aftermath of Rhaenyra’s cunning plan to win back the favor of the smallfolk, we saw Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and Heleana (Phia Saban) whisked away to avoid them being further pummeled by various vegetables and violently chased after by the people of the town. Due to the fact she is very obviously unwelcome within her home, Alicent decides she would like to get away, and takes to the woods in the company of Ser Riccard. This spontaneous trip finds her telling her companion on the journey that she should like to stay, and may not return to King’s Landing – have Aemond’s (Ewan Mitchell) harsh actions pushed her too far? Or has she simply decided she no longer wants to play a part in this war?

While Alicent basks in the serenity of the woods, her first-born son, Aegon (Tom Glynne-Carney), is having anything but a peaceful day. With the help of Grand Maester Orwyle and Larys Strong (Matthew Needham), he takes what looks like an excruciatingly painful walk around his room, before being told by Larys that he must work harder if he is to take back the crown.

With the land’s previous leaders either coming back from the brink of death, or taking rather random clothed dips in lakes, King’s Landing is left with only Aemond and the small council as rulers. This is all while an ample number of smallfolk flee to help Rhaenyra build her army in the hopes of seeing her return to the Iron Throne – could the ensuing chaos lead to the fall of the Green house?

The Blacks… and a few newbies

After the talk of his heritage and potential Targaryen blood, Ulf the White (Tom Bennett) set on his way to Dragonstone. The crowd of low-borns and bastards was joined by an unexpected face, Hugh Hammer (Kieran Bew), who revealed that his mother was of Targaryen blood. Hugh also spoke of the death of his child, and told his wife that he must go as, if his fate was to be a dragonrider, they would never again have to face their recent hardships.

Having given an inspirational, albeit a bit scary, speech about her own beliefs being wrong, the horrors of war and the horrors that may follow her very words in the dragon keep, Rhaenyra introduced them to the dragon they had come to claim, Vermithor. Calming the dragon herself (others were too disgusted at the thought of anyone of lower status claiming a dragon and left), and giving viewers a rather beautiful view of the bond she has with them, she left to watch from afar.

What followed was a terrifying glimpse into the damage that could be done by the beasts; within seconds the huge number volunteers were being, for lack of a better word, chargrilled by Vermithor. With only a few left standing, Hugh, in an attempt to save others, took to screaming and standing in front of the dragon – much to the joy of Hugh, and to viewers who have bonded with him, he did not die, but instead found himself the newest dragonrider in the Black house.

Ulf the White, after fleeing from the massacre, found himself in the next dragon keep, coming face-to-face with Silverwing, the last unclaimed dragon for the Blacks. Surprising himself (and all of us), his claims to have Targaryen blood in his veins turned out to be true as the dragon calmed and thus chose him to be the next dragonrider.

Another potential dragon for the Black’s rising army could stem from Rhaena’s discovery of a dragon within Lady Jeyne Arryn’s (Amanda Collin) land, but this is yet to be elaborated on – could Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell) finally claim a dragon and join the fight?

The final say

For his first ride on a dragon, Ulf really made an impression – flying over King’s Landing and causing quite the panic, he drove Aemond to hasten to Vhagar. Following the dragon and its new rider, Aemond’s confusion and anger sat evident in his expression. Upon reaching Dragonstone he quickly turned, having caught sight of the other two beasts awaiting his arrival. Rhaenyra, with a look of pride, and a rather smug smirk, watched Aemond (and the biggest dragon of all) flee, knowing that she could now be seen as a force to be reckoned with.