Sunday's fourth episode of House of the Dragon concluded with an intense "Dance of the Dragons" involving three of Westeros's fire-breathing beasts and their riders, and by the time the smoke had cleared, the devastating Battle of Rook's Rest had claimed the life of one major character and severely injured (at the very least) another.
Riding Vhagar, the oldest and largest dragon alive, Aemond Targaryen managed to take out Rhaenys Targaryen's dragon Meleys, sending beast and rider plummeting to a fiery death.
King Aegon and Sunfye were engaged in battle with Rhaenys and Meleys when Vhagar attacked, and Aemond's first blast took down his own brother. Collateral damage, or was Aemond seizing an opportunity to gain revenge on his older sibling for consistently taunting and making fun of him as a child?
During an interview with Total Film, Aemond actor Ewan Mitchell indicated that his character knew exactly what he was doing, but his motives may not be as clear as you might think.
"That's what's so compelling about the character, you don't know what is going through his head," Mitchell says. "He could be looking at someone thinking about how he wants to cook them a nice meal and take them on a date, or he could be looking at someone thinking about how he wants to make them into a meal and take Vhagar on a date. You don't know what he is thinking, but you do know that he is thinking. He's not just that one dimensional, black hat character. He's not a mindless sociopath. There are cogs turning behind his eye."
HBO has released a teaser for this week's fifth episode, and it gives us some idea of what to expect from the aftermath of Rook's Rest, as poor Meleys' head is paraded through the streets of King's Landing. We also see Rhaenyra and her forces consider their options, and it sounds like the Black Queen may be about to take some drastic action in retaliation.
As for Aegon, we see his mother Alicent ask if he's alive, and the fact that he is being carried in some kind of litter as opposed to a casket may provide our answer.
Check out the promo below, and let us know what you think in the comments section.
"The prequel series finds the Targaryen dynasty at the absolute apex of its power, with more than 15 dragons under their yoke. Most empires—real and imagined—crumble from such heights. In the case of the Targaryens, their slow fall begins almost 193 years before the events of Game of Thrones, when King Viserys Targaryen breaks with a century of tradition by naming his daughter Rhaenyra heir to the Iron Throne. But when Viserys later fathers a son, the court is shocked when Rhaenyra retains her status as his heir, and seeds of division sow friction across the realm."
House of the Dragon season 2 sees Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Eve Best, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Ewan Mitchell, Tom Glynn-Carney, Sonoya Mizuno, and Rhys Ifans reprise their respective roles. Additional returning cast includes Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Phia Saban, Jefferson Hall, and Matthew Needham.
The directors for the new season are Alan Taylor (Episodes 1 & 4), Clare Kilner (Episodes 2 & 5), Geeta Patel (Episodes 3 & 8), Andrij Parekh (Episode 6), and Loni Peristere (Episode 7).