A lot is going on in the latest episode of House of The Dragon, but everything comes full circle in one way or another. Case in point, interestingly, is also that the sixth episode of the series is directed by Andrij Parekh, the same director who was behind America Decides – one of the best episodes of another HBO show: Succession. Here, Andrij is summoned to tie up existing threads, recurring characters, even as alliances take shifts and more violence erupts. The result? Not as game-changing as one would have hoped. (Also read: House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 5 review: Who is in charge?)
Alicent doen’t have a say
Power has gone to the head of Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), who in his entitled ways presides over the council to show no diplomacy. Alicent (Olivia Cooke) has reached a position, where she can barely put in a word of reason on the front, and is treated with an icy detachment, when Aemond snatches away even that leftover position she had at the table. The reminder cuts deep in one single line: “Have the indignities of your childhood not yet sufficiently been avenged?”
A little sort of semblance is reserved for her later, when she receives news about her youngest son Dareon. He’s kind, she’s told. She nods and smiles, adding: “Kindness is a quality I’ve found lacking in his brothers.” As for Aegon, he is still covered in burns, and says he doesn’t remember what happened in the battle. If he is lying, then how can that secret help?
Rhaenyra chooses a dragonrider
Meanwhile, Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) is a bit too rattled with how viciously the council has moved ahead, and does her own test on the Dragons. On her behalf, the operation is taken by Ser Steffon (Anthony Flanagan) to try. It ends horribly, with Steffon engulfed in flames. What can she do now? With the help of Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno), she goes an extra mile to take the internal fissures in her stead.
But how long will it take for Daemon (Matt Smith) to return to his senses and be where he is needed? Another episode is over, and he is still playing nightmares in haunted house. His ramblings have now become unintentionally comical, whether he likes it or not. My patience is running out, but his hallucinations does not seem to end.
This is an episode packed with gestures and lies, rage and betrayal; one which tries to tie in a lot of loose threads ahead of the big battle. In the chaos, and constant turnabout of situations that Andrij Parekh and screenwriter Eileen Shim have to honour, the show tends to loose some of its power. Sure, there will be a different revelation that might change that perception next week. However, this particular episode is slightly spoiled by its own crowd, overburdened by the ramblings on both ends, even as the crisis deepens elsewhere, out of the frame.
When Rhaenyra learns of her son’s deeds, what will she do? Where will Daemon fit in? Alicent, who has now witnessed the public outrage, needs more cover, but where shall she find it? These questions bring us to the end of this episode, in a strong final sequence that is strategically cut short. It is as if the viewer is given the gift of anticipation, told that there is still time to take sides. But for the time being, it is best to follow where the dragon leads.
House of the Dragon Season 2 premieres a new episode every Monday morning on JioCinema.
