TV Review: ‘House Of The Dragon’ Finally Lives Up To Its Name In Season 2, Episode 7
by Frank Martin
It seems as if after multiple episodes of dealing strictly with politics, House Of The Dragon has finally realized what its namesake is. One of the show’s strongest and most interesting elements is the mythology and dogma around the dragons. There is a lot of structure and backstory to them that has barely even been touched upon. The latest episode delves into that structure more so than anything else this season, and it shows. It may not have had the action fans are craving, but it certainly set the stage for that action in spectacular fashion.
This episode picks up where the previous one left off as Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty), a lowborn, was discovered riding a dragon. This brought about the revelation that Rhaenyra’s (Emma D’Arcy) plan might actually work. She may actually discover other riders for her dragons. At Mysaria’s (Sonoya Mizuno) consult, she decided to put the offer out for all lowborn to have a chance to ride their own dragon. The thought behind this is that for generations, Targaryen men spread their seed in brothels across the lands. Unfortunately, a lot of people died during the process, but it appears as if Hugh Hammer (Kieran Bew) will get his chance.
There were obviously other plot lines that developed, too. Daemon (Matt Smith) continues to be haunted as he seeks power for himself while Alicent (Olivia Cooke) continues to struggle for power in the house she created. But Rhaenyra’s search for more dragon riders is probably the most interesting out of all of them and the main storyline driving the plot forward at this point. It’s such a compelling narrative that it’s a shame the show didn’t focus on it earlier and make it a more prominent aspect of this season from the very beginning.
House Of The Dragon streams Sundays on Max.
