House of the Dragon: The Queen Who Ever Was   Show Only 
August 5, 2024 5:24 AM - Season 2, Episode 8 - Subscribe

As Aemond becomes more volatile, Larys plots an escape, while Rhaenyra looks to press her advantage.

"War is like the horizon on House of the Dragon, receding no matter how (and how many times) you approach it...This series’ most persistent flaw is that it is forever pulling back when it should run headlong, saving “story” for some imaginary later, taking for granted that we’ll keep tuning in. It’s so afraid of running out of gas that it never dares to floor it, which is especially damning for a show that insists its protagonists are reckless, twitchy, dangerous."—from Amanda Whiting's 3-star recap for Vulture

"It even followed Thrones’ general tradition of following up spectacle-laden penultimate episodes with more muted finales...But in Dragon’s case, that quieter finale proved to be more of a letdown than a compelling capstone. Episode 8 didn’t take away from the season’s earlier splendor, but Dragon Season 2 ends with a whimper, not a bang."—from Zach Kram's recap for The Ringer
posted by bcwinters (14 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
I thought this was a "meh" episode -- it became increasingly clear as it progressed that it wouldn't be able to fit in a whole new battle, which is fine, but there was a lot of filler which took up space that could have been used to develop some of the many, many interesting but underused new and not so new characters.

Things I didn't like:

* The GOT vision. I really didn't want to be reminded of GOT, thanks.
* Alicent and Rhaenyra secretly meeting again. I get that someone thought it would be a good idea to underline that it really wouldn't matter and wouldn't stop the war if Rhaenyra and Alicent just had a chat and agreed that this was all a big misunderstanding, but it really wasn't necessary to literally show this on screen, and especially not twice. It also highlights the absurdity of how easily everyone and their cousin can get in and out of King's Landing undetected when it is supposedly locked down.
* Ulf. Ulf is just insufferable.

Things I liked:

* Alyn finally having it out with his dad.
* Tyland's adventures in Essos. I know this was very silly, but it was a fun bit of comic relief (unlike Ulf!), and as a long-time Abigail Thorn fan I liked seeing her appear in another major franchise.
* Sheepstealer, although it would have been nice if Rhaena hadn't spent the entire episode just looking for him. I'm also perplexed that she ran off to roam the countryside without proper provisions, and nobody in her retinue appeared to notice or care or look for her. She may not be directly in line to the throne, but she's a member of the royal family!
posted by confluency at 6:54 AM on August 5 [6 favorites]


Ulf has too much dip on his chip, and frankly, Jace does too. A little humility would go a long way!

The "Rhaena wandering about the misty moors of the Vale" scenes are actually a pretty good indicator that you can feel an incredible compulsion to bond with the dragon that's destined to be yours, if that's what is indeed happening in the show.

I do feel like this is a piece of lore the show has a chance to expound on, and which would be welcomed by viewers:

- Do you feel a "tug" towards the dragon you're going to bond with? I assume that's what is going on with Rhaena. We didn't see that with Addam, but he eventually turned around to face Seasmoke and just did the damn thing.
- Is it, like, a psychic connection or more of an "I'm gonna pet that dog even if it kills me" feeling? Because we sure didn't see that with Hugh the Hammer and Vermithor.
- Okay but does that also mean you can tell when a dragon wants you to fuck off and leave it alone, even if you're another dragon's rider? Or are all dragons more tolerant of dragonriders in general than the general populace? We all saw Rhae Rhae petting up and loving on Vermithor, even though he clearly wasn't "that into" her because she's already paired with Syrax.

I have sooooo many questions about dragonriding, and I was hoping to get more info from the show in this regard. I mean, if they aren't going to be outright warring in an ep, how about a little more non-human backstory?

Last thought: HELL YES HELAENA THE DREAMER! Aemond is officially shook now with that "It wouldn't make any difference" scene.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 7:05 AM on August 5 [3 favorites]


I'm also perplexed that she ran off to roam the countryside without proper provisions, and nobody in her retinue appeared to notice or care or look for her.

I know, right? Seems like they would have noticed that she is missing by now...

In the ending montage, was that Otto Hightower waking up in a cell somewhere? If I'm remembering correctly, Otto left KL after being replaced as Hand, and we haven't heard from him since then -- so obviously he stepped in some shit somewhere. Or was there word of his imprisonment that I'm just forgetting?

There's a lot of things about dragons that the show just handwaves away. Like, when Vermithor and SeaSmoke and SilverWing were all chilling under Dragonstone, are they still being regularly fed by the dragontenders? Are they in hibernation? Are they going out to feed on their own? It's a little unclear.

Also, which dragon was that riding with the Hightower army in the final montage? Didn't look anywhere big enough to be Vhagar.
posted by Saxon Kane at 11:26 AM on August 5 [1 favorite]


Oh, and I also didn't like Daemon's vision. I know they needed something to get him back on Team Rhae Rhae, but it didn't need to connect to GoT and Danaerys and the White Walkers. It could have been a vision of the blood and horror that would happen if he tried to stake his own claim, or something like that. The Long Winter is so far off that it seems a bit silly to try to connect the outcome of this particular war with all the shit that goes on later. And generally speaking, I don't like the "everything had to be just this way because of prophecy" device because it makes all the characters' choices seem pointless and all the drama and trauma just collateral damage for an ending that was always predetermined; it is exactly that "all this has happened before/all this will happen again" bullshit that ruined the Battlestar Galactica reboot.
posted by Saxon Kane at 11:31 AM on August 5 [2 favorites]


I think after this Abigail Thorn just needs to tick the post-apocalyptic vampire cowboy box to complete the set and reset all fictional fandom to factory settings.
posted by Molesome at 11:40 AM on August 5 [2 favorites]


Also, which dragon was that riding with the Hightower army in the final montage? Didn't look anywhere big enough to be Vhagar.

Pretty sure that was supposed to be Alicent’s heretofore unseen youngest son Daeron (who was referenced in a conversation between Gwayne and Alicent in a recent episode) on Tessarion.
posted by bcwinters at 11:44 AM on August 5 [2 favorites]


well I do hope Ulf goes out hard. what a twat.
posted by supermedusa at 9:11 AM on August 6 [3 favorites]


Yeah, Ulf is a dipshit, but I had to laugh when he was trying to bond with Jacaerys: "Who says we don't have Targaryen blood, eh?" I am surprised Jakey didn't skewer him right then and there.
posted by Saxon Kane at 11:29 AM on August 6 [1 favorite]


yeah, Jace showed impressive reserve there.
posted by supermedusa at 12:51 PM on August 6


Ulf will definitely not be the Randy Quaid character from Independence Day.
posted by whuppy at 5:54 PM on August 6 [1 favorite]


Ulf is more likely to be the Randy Quaid character from real life.
posted by Saxon Kane at 6:37 PM on August 6 [7 favorites]


In behind-the-scenes footage, the actor who plays Ulf seems delightful, so I feel slightly bad about throwing so much shade at Ulf. But he's doing a great job of making him really annoying!
posted by confluency at 3:17 PM on August 7 [3 favorites]


He's a great foil for Jacey. For Ulf, being a bastard is a step up. For Jace, it's a step-down. For Jace, the one thing not in doubt is that he's at least part Targaryen, but having an unknown father is enough to cast everything about him in doubt, to himself and others; for Ulf it's a story he only half-believed himself, and now he's literally fallen into being a dragon-rider.
posted by Saxon Kane at 10:00 PM on August 10 [1 favorite]


What a dud! It's like they decided they will do a third season already, but also wanted to save $ on this season. It's both weird that there are only a dozen comments about this season finale and weird that no one is really talking about how it is pretty weak. I guess maybe I am a traditionalist in believing that the point of lining up all the pieces is to have some sort of action/conflict take place. Hmmm.
posted by snofoam at 5:20 PM on August 26


« Older Movie: Harold and the Purple C...   |  Movie: Impetigore... Newer »

You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments

poster