House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 6 Recap and Thoughts

Honest question: Are we willing to call House of the Dragon season 2 a disappointment? Maybe I’m in the minority, but every time the credits roll on the final episode, my enthusiasm plummets a notch or two. House of the Dragon season 2 episode 6 did nothing to rekindle my enthusiasm, instead offering up another slow-moving melodrama with little progression. A few promising storylines tease greater things to come, but much like the good people of King’s Landing, I’m increasingly annoyed by the royal bickering.

What happened in House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 6?

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I’m starting to think this part of the article should be labeled “Aemond”, since Alicent has become more or less a glorified supporting player without much to do. All the intrigue lies with her scheming son, Aemond, who is busy (and effectively) screwing over everyone who screwed him over the years. During a particularly testy war council, the one-eyed dragon dismisses his mother and sends Ser Criston to attack Daemon at Harrenhal.

“My uncle is a challenge I’m happy to take on,” he growls.

Later, Aemond unleashes hell on Larys Strong, even going so far as to call the warped weasel a toad during a testy exchange revolving around the appointment of the next Hand. Aemond sees through Larys’ deception—how could you miss it?—but he may be overstepping his bounds. hand here. Like Littlefinger, Larys knows how to play the shadow game and can quickly dispatch his enemies without lifting a sword. We see the machinations at work here, especially when Larys visits an ailing Aegon and warns him of his brother’s scheming ways. At this point, Aegon is on his best behavior, and now he must ensure that the young king survives his injuries.

It’s either that or round 3 of Otto Hightower.

The Greens don’t play a huge role in the episode. Alicent takes her daughter whats-her-face to pray for Aegon in the Sceptor and comes face to face with a crowd of angry, starving commoners, a terrifying confrontation with death that she barely survives.

Of all the storylines in HOD, the rebellion hits the hardest, especially given the current political climate. The people of King’s Landing can apparently deal with a 70-year-old woman murdering hundreds of their friends while escaping on a dragon, but they won’t tolerate life without meat. Naturally, Rhaenyra and the White Worm fan the flames from afar, using small birds to spread poisonous lies about the opposition in order to incite the common folk. Then, in a masterstroke, Rhaenyra sends ships carrying her weapon loaded with food to the shores of King’s Landing to win them over.

Not bad.

Otherwise Alicent enjoys a quiet conversation with her brother (he’s toast!), Ser Criston gives the cold shoulder and spends her remaining screen time sulking in the castle, dressed in the same green dress she’s worn for ten years.

Demon

Ugh, Daemon. Once the most interesting character on the show, Prince, er, King Daemon, has become a pathetic shadow of his former self. His limited screen time has resulted in an argument with Rhaenyra in which she calls him pathetic, and a series of bizarre dream sequences that typically end with him waking up in some strange location, screaming at Lord Strong and then collapsing into a pathetic, weeping heap.

I suppose these dream sequences will pay off in the future. Still, one or two would suffice. We get the point. Daemon feels remorse for treating his brother so horribly. How many times do we have to see this scene?

Daemon’s entire story arc boils down to stubborn pride. Who blinks first, him or Rhaenyra? Gosh, I wonder.

Rhaenyra

Once again, our beloved Queen Rhaenyra stands before her High Council of foolish men, and once again she accomplishes nothing. Instead, she complains about not being allowed to fight, insults her advisors for daring to treat her like a woman, and even strikes a follower for speaking too boldly.

Remember, if Aemond treats his High Council horribly, he’s an asshole. If Rhaenyra does it, it’s because they’re assholes.

Either way, at least Rhaenyra has the common sense to come up with a plan at this last meeting. Rhaenyra, following on from last week’s discussion with Jace, is looking for more dragon riders. The problem is That Only Targaryen blood can control the beasts, and finding a Targaryen on Dragonstone is about as likely as finding a secret agent standing on a sloping roof. She taps a potential suitor for the dragon Seasmoke, Ser Steffon, but things go predictably and hilariously wrong.

During the ceremony, Seasmoke burns Ser Steffon, who stops, falls, and rolls, but to no avail. Now, there are only two outcomes to this scenario: A) Ser Steffon bonds with Seasmoke and rides off screaming like a Na’vi, or B) Seasmoke burns the man to a crisp – and you’re telling me no one thought to bring a bucket of water?

Her plan backfired, Rhaenyra does the smart thing and kisses the White Worm. What the hell? Where did that come from? She barely knows this strange humanoid—hell, we barely know her—and suddenly she’s ready for some steamy girl-on-girl action while war rages across the Seven Kingdoms? Damn, this is why your High Council hates you, Rhaenyra.

As an aside, I hope there’s more to this White Worm than meets the eye, because otherwise she’s just a less interesting version of Shae the Whore—and that’s saying something. Her scene with Rhaenyra almost exactly mirrors an earlier bit with Larys and Aegon. Are we supposed to make a connection between the two? Or are we supposed to believe that the White Worm, who used cunning deception to rise through the ranks and become a successful brothel keeper, is now a saintly soul with no need for power?

And let’s be honest: her suggestions are the only thing that helps Rhaenyra’s campaign. You even wonder why the queen doesn’t fire her staff and rely entirely on the White Worm.

Anyway, a guard enters just before the real work begins and tells Rhaenyra that Seasmoke has returned with a new rider. Alicent runs to her dragon and leaves Dragonstone rather quickly, probably wondering if Daemon will welcome the White Worm into their bedroom.

Who could this be?

Earlier, we saw Alyn and Addam van Hull hanging around that cursed ship that probably won’t be ready to sail until Episode 8. During a bathroom break, the two indiscreetly drop an important announcement: they are Corlys’ illegitimate sons. That’s why Alyn always shaves his head and has no desire to serve under Corlys in the upcoming campaign.

Later, Addam is wandering around a beach, sees Seasmoke, and heads for the trees. The giant beast chases and drives Addam around in a scene ripped straight from How to Train Your Dragon. Before he can say “hiccup,” Seasmoke pauses and looks at Addam the way men look at Sydney Sweeney. We don’t see him riding the dragon, but it’s obvious: Addam and Alyn have the energy, and they’re going to fight for House Black on the back of a dragon. Good times.

House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 6 thoughts

• There are at least two hundred Targaryen bastards roaming King’s Landing. Will they join Rhaenyra’s cause and fly dragons, or attempt to take the throne?? Or maybe they lead a quick rebellion and die in obscurity. The show focuses heavily on these wayward souls, so they have to be on screen at some point.
• If things are so hard for women in Westeros, why does it seem like every kingdom has a woman in charge?
• I am actively cheering for Aemond. The guy was bullied as a child, lost his eye, had the balls to ride Vhagar, and is the only character who seems to understand that he is in a Game of Thrones spin-off. He also seems cool.
• Please give Alicent something to do. She went from acting like a petty child to a boring side character with nothing interesting to say or do. That may be the intention, but cutting her scenes wouldn’t change the show.
• Ser Criston has faded into the background since Rook’s Rest. Has he given up his mission to destroy Rhaenyra after seeing the price of victory?
• There is a huge dragon living near the Eyrie. Interesting.

House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 6 gave a few details that might be worth noting. Too bad they’re stuck in a poorly paced character drama with bland characters and uninteresting drama. For a war story, House of the Dragon spends an odd amount of time not focusing on the war. We hear a few battle tactics early on, but the majority of each episode is more about misogyny than the actual art of war.

Hot opinion: Rhaenyra’s advice is entirely correct in her distaste. For starters, she has yet to prove herself a capable leader. From their vantage point, she is indecisivereckless and bad at delegating. I’m assuming the angry Rhaenyra we saw at the end of Season 1 will show up again at some point, probably alongside Dameon, but we’ve still got eight episodes to go, people! We have to stretch this thing as long as you can.

There are two more episodes left. Will House Green and House Black finally go to war? Or will we get another teaser for season 3? I honestly don’t care anymore. I’m in this for the long haul, good or bad. I might be bored, but I can’t pass up the chance to watch dragons fight.