Except for the battle of Rook’s Rest, the second season of “House of the Dragon” has suffered from painstakingly slow pacing, which barely allows the narrative to move forward as a whole. It seems like a repetitive pattern is padding up the majority of the episodes, with sudden, sparse shifts in the plotline, and the sixth one, titled “Smallfolk,” is no exception. As seen previously, Daemon is still being haunted by nightmares, finding it ever more challenging to unite the Riverlands to side with the Blacks. With Aegon recovering from his grievous injuries, Aemond seizes control as King Regent. Small councils on both sides of the political divide—Blacks and Greens—continue undermining their female leaders while making war strategies. The only interesting development was Mysaria promising Rhaenyra she’d use her still existing connections in King’s Landing to strengthen the Blacks’ hold in the capital of the realm, and Jacaerys putting the idea of dragonseeds in his mother’s mind. In the latest episode, these two aspects are the only major highlights as well, as they set the stage for major upcoming events in the future.
Spoilers Ahead
Alicent’s Loses Her Seat in Green Council
Tyland Lannister had promised Aegon his brother Jason’s assistance in taking Harrenhall. However, as the episode begins, Jason Lannister converses with Lord Humphrey in the Westerlands and lets him know that he seeks the presence of King Regent, Aemond, and his steed Vhagar to continue leading his men to Harrenhall. It is a wise decision in hindsight, as unbeknownst to them, Daemon and Caraxes are already present there, and without a dragon, the Lannister army stands no chance. Aemond, remaining true to his egotistical self, refuses to entertain such a request and sends Criston Cole to Harrenhall instead, while warning Tyland that his brother will face consequences if he doesn’t comply with his command. Additionally, Aemond plans to ally with the Triarchy to disperse the Velaryon fleet and end the blockade, much to the dismay of Alicent and Cole, as the duo warns them against inviting former foreign enemies to the shores of King’s Landing. Although we still don’t really understand why the supplies cannot arrive from the landlocked region of the east, which could effectively turn the blockade ineffective, surely the showrunners had something in mind. After the meeting, Aemond promptly removes Alicent from the Small Council. Alicent takes a dig at her younger son, mentioning that the incidents of his younger days continue to cloud his judgment and fuel his arrogance to this day.
Otto Is Called Back For Duty
Later on, Aemond instructs Clubfoot to send a raven for Otto Hightower, as Aemond wishes to reinstate his grandfather to his former position as Hand of the King. Aemond pays a visit to his elder brother, Aegon, the king in recovery, and makes passive aggressive gestures to ensure Aegon remains in check, or else Aemond will end what he started and will not hesitate to become a kinslayer. Alicent checks up on her elder son, and later, while speaking with her brother Gwayne, who will be assisting Cole in their march to Harrenhall, she asks about the whereabouts of her son Daeron. The boy was seemingly raised right in the Hightower family seat in Oldtown, away from the political filth and conspiracies of King’s Landing, although Alicent holds the opinion his decent upbringing was possible due to being distanced from his mother – herself. The growing feeling of remorse and guilt, while her family remains more divided than ever, will tear Alicent apart gradually.
Rhaenyra’s First Attempt to Find Dragonseed Fails
As discussed with Jacaerys, Rhaenyra proceeds with the Dragonseed plan and tries to find a new rider for Seasmoke in Ser Steffon Darklyn, as he presumably has dragonrider Targaryen blood thanks to their shared ancestry. However, this plan backfires massively, as overconfidence costs Steffon his life as Seasmoke burns him down to ashes and flees from the dragonpit. With her circle of trust starting to cast doubt on her ability as queen, Daemon’s loyalty in question, a lack of forces on land, and the scarcity of dragonriders in Dragonstone, it is understandable why Rhaenyra is agitated after recent failure and why she slaps Ser Alfred across the face when he continued his nagging irritably instead of counseling her properly. Later, Jace questions her about the incident, and it seems he too isn’t too pleased with his mother’s recent disposition.
White Worm Strengthens Her Claim in the Capital
Mysaria has done her job of feeding misinformation to the smallfolk of King’s Landing quite well. The news of daily feasts being organized in the Red Keep while the masses remain affected by a food shortage is enough to rile up the people of the capital. To strengthen Rhaenyra’s claim in the capital, Mysaria sends supplies to the starved smallfolk under the banner of the Blacks, a gesture that shows that, in their direst hour, their rightful queen still remembers them. This leads to a chaotic situation in King’s Landing as the masses begin to rush to get a hold of the supplies; coincidentally, Alicent and Helaena were returning from the Sept of Baelor at the same time, and they get caught in the ruckus. Smallfolk round them up, and the worst almost happens, but the duo somehow manages to escape with their lives. The tides are turning in King’s Landing, and Mysaria’s schemes are slowly taking hold over the minds of the smallfolk. It will eventually earn Rhaenyra her much-needed acceptance and willful allegiance of the masses, something that no army or dragon could ever ensure.
Lord Grover Is Finally Dead
Daemon’s hallucinations and visions have already turned into boring repetition, and like the viewers, he too is seemingly fed up with the nonsense and packs his bag to leave Harrenhall for good. However, Alys Rivers stops him in his tracks, reminding him that without the support of Tully, he won’t be able to unify the Riverlands, and shares a prophetic message about fate changing its course soon enough. As a result, Daemon has to stay and endure another haunting vision, this time in the form of his guilt for leaving Viserys alone when he mourned the death of his wife, Lady Aemma Arryn. However, the stay turns out to be fruitful, as news of frail old Lord Grover Tully’s death reaches Daemon a day later, clearing the only hindrance in his way to take the Riverlands for the Blacks, as Daemon had already negotiated with the successor, Oscar Tully. Alys Rivers might or might not have ensured the swift release of old Grover from his mortal coil, but what is certain is that viewers won’t have to tolerate another episode of Daemon in the haunted castle anymore.
Rhaena Finds Some Clues In Vale
During her stay in the Vale, Rhaena learns that a large, wild, unclaimed dragon is roaming about the vicinity, and mention of it was made previously in this episode by Tyland Lannister as well. Among the three wild dragons roaming in Westeros, Cannibal likely didn’t leave Dragonstone, leaving Grey Ghost and Sheepstealer the only possible candidates, and our bet is on the last one. On the other hand, at Driftmark, Addam shares his disappointment with her brother, Alyn, for not utilizing his birthright to gain favor from Sea Snake, aka Corlys Velaryon, despite both of them sharing a familial connection with him. Addam laments that unlike Alyn, he was never in the good graces of the Lord of Driftmark, but later on, that situation is hinted to be changing soon enough, as an escaped Seasmoke chases Addam Velaryon and corners him at long last.
Who is Seasmoke’s new rider?
At Dragonstone, Mysaria comforts a troubled Rhaenyra as she shares her sordid account of being sexually exploited by her own father in childhood, a traumatic incident that hardcoded the ability to assess people in general within her. Mysaria reassures Rhaenyra that she trusts her as her queen due to the fact that she has treated her as equal. At a time when her family and allies are losing their trust in her, these words of assurance and comfort calm Rhaenyra’s mind as she embraces Mysaria. Gradually, that embrace takes a romantic turn, and the duo are suddenly interrupted with the news that Seasmoke has been seen flying over Spicetown and seemingly has a new rider. Without the identity of the rider being ascertained, it could be someone from the Greens as well, which could result in dire consequences in the future. Aemond had taken Laera’s steed, Vhagar, in a most troubling time, which exacted a heavy toll later on, and Rhaenyra isn’t willing to let the same happen to her husband, Laenor’s steed. Fed up with her counselors always hindering her, Rhaenyra decides to fly off with Syrax to assess the situation herself, and the episode ends on a cliffhanger. With Addam Velaryon being the first to be recognized as Dragonseed, Rhaenyra and Jacaerys’ idea has already started being manifested on its own, and the full implications will be highlighted in the upcoming episodes.
