Greetings, reader!
The second season of The House of the Dragon, the popular spin-off series of A Game of Thrones, recently wrapped up. I never did a ranking of the first season's episodes, so here's a ranking of every episode so far, from both seasons!
18. The Princess and the Queen (Season 1 Episode 6)
I hate to rank this last, as I appreciate the episode's importance and consider it to be somewhat of a narrative pawn sacrifice. The time jumps were the best way to tell the story, as opposed the jumbling-events-from-the-source-material-closer-together route that most screenwriters would've taken. The episode after the show's biggest time jump, featuring changes in the cast and introductions to new narratives, can't help but feel a bit awkward.
The clunky nature of The Princess and the Queen is totally worth it, however, as it helps us get oriented into the ten-years-later time period while setting up big payoffs for the episodes to come. The episode isn't all that great, but in a taking-one-for-the-team sense, the whole of season 1 is better off for it.
17. Regent (Season 2 Episode 5)
The aftermath of the big battle at Rook's Rest dominates everything in this slow-paced season 2 episode. Regent, as well as the following episode (more on that later), were bombed with negative reviews online, truly showcasing how people don't have patience for slow-burning storytelling anymore, which really is a shame. Granted, Regent isn't one of the more memorable or eventful episodes (hence it being placed second-last), but it isn't bad television by any means, and it hurts me to see reviewers tearing it to pieces simply because it didn't match the high of the previous episode or contain any action or shocking moments.
Just ten years ago, Game of Thrones was doing the same exact thing with its early seasons, balancing out the big payoffs with slow-paced character-building episodes, and everyone was on board with that - not to be a 'social media is turning our brains into porridge' boomer, but it does make one think about the way in which our attention spans have changed. To me, demanding big events from every episode just seems ridiculous, because I've seen shows like that - and not only are they less good than House of the Dragon, they fall flat precisely because the 'big events every episode' formula leads to none of the events feelings like anything.
16. The Rogue Prince (Season 1 Episode 2)
The show's second episode is the archetypical second episode, which often is a necessary evil ranking-wise; plot-heavy shows with many characters need this slow-paced and exposition-heavy instalment in order to start building towards payoffs seen in greater episodes, with the cost being that this instalment isn't all that thrilling in itself.
Mind you, it's not bad, it's just not as good as most of the series. We're still getting to know the characters and conventions of the Targaryen era, and the writers' brilliant depiction of chaotic-neutral antihero Daemon (and Matt Smith's sledgehammer performance) definitely keeps the episode from being boring.
15. Smallfolk (Season 2 Episode 6)
And now for the second part of my rant on how unfairly online reviewers treated the show's second season. Smallfolk, a well-written, well-acted episode with gorgeous set design, beautiful music and thoughtful writing of characters and larger narratives, has a 6.2 on IMDB - from what I've gathered, there hasn't been presented any other reason that it is the second episode in a row where there are no large-scale action sequences or mega-shocking plot twists.
I just can't with these people. I don't want to sound like a gatekeeper, but really, if you don't care about dialogue and character development and the careful building of eventual payoffs, and rather just want the moment-to-moment rush of constant action, then why are you wasting your time watching a critically acclaimed fantasy series based on a long-ass book by a famously slow-burn-narrative-loving author? For anyone ranting online about how terrible House of the Dragon is because the boring scenes of people talking are weighing down all the big action, I have the happy news that there are like 17 Fast & Furious movies and multiple decades worth of Michael Bay films that you will surely enjoy - just please, PLEASE stop demanding that from quality television.
Anyways, Smallfolk is a clever episode, serving the show's narrative on all fronts from Rhaenyra's conflict concerning battle tactics and Daemon's escalation into Macbethian madness all the way to Mysaria's (Sonoya Mizuno) diabolical strategy of turning the smallfolk of King's Landing against Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) and the eyebrow-raising yet ultimately very sense-making kiss in the final scene.
14. King of the Narrow Sea (Season 1 Episode 4)
The fourth episode of the first season isn't all that eventful, nor does it need to be - it revels in the signature pace and vibe of the Song of Ice and Fire world, with gradual worldbuilding and character writing that will come in handy with the more fast-paced and eventful episodes later on.
King of the Narrow Sea is best remembered for how it fleshes out the relationship between Daemon Targaryen and Rhaenyra Targaryen (Milly Alcock) - whatever one might think of their romance, it is without a doubt one of the most important and complex character relationships in the show, and the chemistry between the actors is on full display in their exciting and dangerous scenes.
13. Rhaenyra the Cruel (Season 2 Episode 2)
While not all that much happens in the sophmore season's second episode, Rhaenyra the Cruel is a masterclass in making the show stick out from Game of Thrones (while being similar enough in just the right ways). First of all, I love how in this episode in particular, we have a political PR angle that was never really a thing in Game of Thrones; between the ruling styles of Cersei, Daenerys and others, the show's leadership styles were largely colored by Tywin Lannister's iconic quote: "The lion does not concern himself with the opinion of the sheep". Cool words, but interestingly enough, the opinions of the sheep are of much more interest to the characters in House of the Dragon. It is fascinating to follow Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) trying to win the opinion of the common folk to the Green side, in a world where political communication was very different (yet ultimately similar?) from that in our world.
Also, the complexity of the show's characters is on full display. Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) is like a slightly toned-down version of Joffrey or Ramsay, which is endlessly fascinating: he's still too much of a monster for the viewer to root for him, but when compared to similar but more caricature-like deep-end evil characters, there's just enough humanity and vulnerability in Aegon that you can still feel sorry for him. Characters like the morally conflicted Alicent (Olivia Cooke), the you-know-you-should-hate-him-but-you-can't-help-but-kinda-like-him Daemon and the emotionally tortured protagonist Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) also get some great moments here. The episode even ends with this show's version of Cleganebowl, as brothers Arryk (Luke Tittensor) and Erryk (Elliott Tittensor) go at it!
12. Second of His Name (Season 1 Episode 3)
The overall centralized narrative of House of the Dragon was a nice change to Game of Thrones, swapping the 'following a million storylines all over Westeros and surrounding lands' worldbuilding for a more concise and intimate view focusing on just a few families in a few locations. This allows for a more fleshed-out approach, which is inherent for the show's atmosphere.
That being said, the instances where House of the Dragon exits its comfort zone and explores the larger mythos of the ASOIAF universe are quite a treat, as George R.R. Martin's immaculately created world is certainly worth exploring. After two episodes of King's Landing and Dragonstone, it was a nice change of pace to take some of the action into the Stepstones, with the mysterious Crabfeeder (Daniel Scott-Smith) serving as a cool minor villain for Daemon Targaryen to go up against. The compelling geopolitics and strategies in the Stepstones storyline feel like classic Martin, and the climactic action sequence goes down in a neat fashion.
11. The Burning Mill (Season 2 Episode 3)
The third episode of the newest season wasn't to everyone's liking, but I'm all for it. The Burning Mill opens with a look at the border dispute between small houses Bracken and Blackwood, which is some of the most fascinating fictional geopolitics seen in the series; the way the brewing of a larger-scale conflict reflects onto ancient smaller-scale feuds is endlessly interesting, and something that happens in the real world in many shapes and forms as well.
Also, this episode gives us the ending where Rhaenyra sneaks into King's Landing to talk with Alicent. It's hellishly dramatic to see the two former-friends-turned-bitter-rivals discussing, both having hatred for each other yet still reluctantly sharing their interest in a peaceful solution. Instead of ending on a hopeful note, the final moments take this conversation to a tragic 'too far gone' place, leaving one in suspense about the horrors that are about to unfold.
10. The Heirs of the Dragon (Season 1 Episode 1)
The pilot episode isn't mind-blowingly epic or especially unforgettable, but it does an ace job in what a pilot of a spin-off (as well as a pilot in general) is supposed to do. The show's relation to the Game of Thrones timeline is established in a manner that is understandable for casual viewers without being annoyingly exposition-heavy for nerd viewers (a tough balance to strike), and the episode feels like it promises a certain balance of similarities to Game of Thrones as well as differences, which the rest of the series remains very loyal to.
It's the same world with many of the same locations and families, but it's almost two centuries before the events of GOT so the characters are completely different, there are different families in power, the dragons are still mainstream, the plot is more centralized on certain families and settings opposed to the wide-scale worldbuilding we're used to, et cetera. All in all, The Heirs of the Dragon is a very good pilot - not as groundbreaking as the Game of Thrones pilot (few are), but a solid promise of a solid spin-off.
9. The Queen Who Ever Was (Season 2 Episode 8)
The show's most recent episode, having aired just this Monday, ended up being a divisive one. I had mixed feelings myself, mind you, but the episode won me over by the end. Many are criticizing The Queen Who Ever Was for being nothing but setup after a whole season of setup, and I do see that - I defended the slower episodes earlier in the season by saying the series knows what it's doing, and the payoffs will come eventually, so not seeing much game-changing action as per a conventional season finale was a bit surprising. But, in those final moments, I checked my attitude and started to get on board - the series doesn't owe us big-moment season finales, they are telling the story how they want to tell it and choosing when to time their payoffs, and for me, the big thing in winning me over was how the atmosphere reminded me of Game of Thrones' classic season 6 finale The Winds of Winter.
Sure, one way to look at it is that a season finale filled with build-up feels like being cheated. But another equally valid viewpoint is that the endgame is set, that after two seasons of building the stakes we now arrive at a point where armies are marching on all fronts with multiple dragons and dragonriders ready go, and we leave things with the absolute promise that season 3 will be epic, full of big events. Instead of rushing itself, the show paces itself, ensuring a huge third season by devoting the season 2 finale to even more stake-raising calm-before-the-storm hype, and by that final montage, I was seriously getting hyped. Props to the soundtrack department for that arrangement of multiple familiar melodies interwoven into that scene's music at key places!
Also, while you can think what you will of the season 2 finale and I do hear why many were disappointed, I find it very hypocritical that many of the complaints are coming from the same people who trashed the final seasons of Game of Thrones for the exact opposite reason. Back then, it was all "Why are they rushing into big event after big event, why is the pace so fast, this feels like a Marvel movie, they should've made 3 more seasons with more episodes per season so that they actually play out the Game of Thrones instead of this rushed bullshit!", all over the internet. And now the same people are complaining that the spin-off is doing EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANTED, letting the meticulously built game play out instead of rushing things, and suddenly they want the series to be big dragon vs. dragon battles every week. I swear, there is no pleasing these people.
8. A Son for a Son (Season 2 Episode 1)
I appreciate how House of the Dragon doesn't coast off Game of Thrones' glory with unnecessary tie-ins and easter eggs; at the same time, however, I do very much appreciate the occasional natural connections and blasts of nostalgia. For the kind of fan I am, I was on the verge of tears when the second season opened with a visual of the North, with the familiar Winterfell theme from Game of Thrones playing. It felt like longing and home, and the intrigue of seeing Targaryen reign -era Starks is high.
The season premiere continues in a solid manner after that, serving mainly as an aftermath for the dramatic events in the season 1 finale. The episode ends in a thrilling and ultimately brutal fashion, when two rat catcher assassins infiltrate the Red Keep, killing a young prince in the process.
7. The Green Council (Season 1 Episode 9)
Hell yeah. After the kingdom-dividing courtroom drama of the first season's eighth episode, the focus for the last two episodes of the season are split in a fascinating narrative choice - episode 9 is all about the Green side of the conflict, leaving the season finale to explore the Black.
Aegon is crowned King, as all the characters from this side of the story have plenty of time to develop further and interact with one another, with the cast really bringing their A-game. The highlight of the episode is obviously the badass escape by Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best), which is everything that fans wanted from a dragon-era Game of Thrones spin-off condensed into one scene. It may be television, but it's absolute cinema.
6. The Red Sowing (Season 2 Episode 7)
"AWWWWW YISSSS, Avengers Assemble!"
-Me, watching the final moments of The Red Sowing
The second season's penultimate episode is nothing short of epic, especially in terms of how it sets up the table for the rest of the series. After dabbling in dragonlore, showing restraint on the dragons and teasing what a full-on dragon-fought conflict would look like for nearly two full seasons, this is the moment when shit truly hits the fan in terms of the show's titular beasts. Never before has it been so clear that the dragons are the true heroes and villains of the story, as they take center stage in jaw-dropping fashion.
The scene with the bastards trying to claim Vermithor is pure, expertly directed fright, with the visual effects truly doing justice to the scale and magnificence of the dragon. From thereon out, the fast-paced final minutes give us two dragons getting new dragon riders, Silverwing daringly flying over King's Landing, Aemond pursuing him on Vhagar - and then backing down, having seen not one, not two, but three dragons waiting for him on Dragonstone. That final shot of Rhaenyra in front of the three beasts? Hang it in the Louvre.
5. We Light the Way (Season 1 Episode 5)
The groundwork for the Green-Black conflict is laid in an expert manner, and it all starts to come to a head halfway through season 1. After four episodes of delightfully slow-paced character-and-world-building, things heat up in We Light the Way, an episode that is nothing short of masterful in how it makes the stakes higher and drama bigger than previous episodes, while still leaving plenty of room for things to escalate further.
The plot turns here will seem small from the perspective of a viewer used to the war councils and war crimes of season 2, but that's the beauty of gradually built dramatic storytelling (something George R. R. Martin is an expert at): we only get to such highs because of the smaller early highs that paved the way, and all of those feel huge to a first-time viewer when they happen, because nothing of that level has happened before, so it feels like a climactic high point until it gets surpassed again and again. As the first of many turning points, We Light the Way does a great job in building the foundation for tensions and conflicts that would eventually boil into a devastating war.
4. Driftmark (Season 1 Episode 7)
Here we have the next instance of gradually escalating high points, just two episodes after We Light the Way. The building of tensions into a point of delicious overboiling is carefully crafted here, with the mood switching from courtroom drama to bloodshed in a dramatic manner. There's still no war going on, but we're quickly getting there with the rift between sides getting deeper as the suspense is palpable. The altercation between Lucerys (Harvey Sadler) and Aemond (Leo Ashton) is a well-executed scene, and a plot point with consequences that would snowball into massive proportions in later episodes.
3. The Lord of the Tides (Season 1 Episode 8)
A major talking point after the first season, and rightfully so, was how the visual of a frail old man slowly limping across a hall towards a seat managed to be more enthralling than any large-scale action set piece from the debut season. Sometimes, less is more, drama prevails, and one realizes that it's not all about the action, and The Lord of the Tides is one of those times. The scene of King Viserys (Paddy Considine) making his way to the throne to defend Rhaenyra's honor is just peak television, with the emotional power of the intertwining character stories speaking volumes.
Considine's towering acting performance makes the episode unforgettable, as does the plot turn at the end: while the eventual war between the Green and Black sides was caused by a tragic combination of many things, the arguably biggest individual catalyst was the interpretation of the King's dying words. In hearing what she wanted to hear, Alicent Hightower believes he has changed his mind and endorsing Aegon to be his heir after all, misunderstanding what he meant to say about Aegon I's dream. This would go on to lead to a dramatic choosing of sides over various ulterior motives and false pretenses, while letting the rhetoric get more ugly and violent, ensuing in shocking twists and brutal tactics, in a manner reminiscent of similar dark fantasy epics like the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election.
2. The Black Queen (Season 1 Episode 10)
The season 1 finale is just such a perfect season 1 finale - it's not 'too big', leaving room for even larger-scale events to wow the audience in later seasons, but definitely big enough to act as a game-changing piece of the narrative. Some of The Black Queen is unapologetic groundwork-laying for the future of the series (the scene with Daemon encountering the dragon Vermithor is such a shivers-down-your-spine moment for lore-loving fantasy nerds like myself), while some is climactic for everything that the season had built up - after an escalating chain of events building tension between the Green and Black factions, with war not far away, this episode delivers what could be seen as the Franz Ferdinand moment of the ensuing war: the death of Lucerys Velaryion (Elliot Grihault).
Not only is the moment extremely impactful for the rest of the series, it is also arguably the best-executed scene in The House of the Dragon, with director Greg Yaitanes perfecting the suspenseful atmophere leading up to the brutal dragon encounter. I'm not exaggerating when I say that the shot where we first see the dragon Vhagar appearing in the background in the stormy night sky is one of the best shots I've seen in any series, and will go down in TV history as a truly heart-stopping moment.
1. The Red Dragon and the Gold (Season 2 Episode 4)
This was one of the quintessential moments from the Fire and Blood book that the series is based on, and the adaptation delivered. After a decent episode's worth of dialogue and build-up, The Red Dragon and the Gold treats us to an insane climax, with Alan Taylor's precise directing matching the intensity that Martin's story calls for. An already-brutal battle turns the chaos up a notch when a dragon enters the mix, which was truly something that fans were anticipating from this series - and when a second and then a third dragon appear, shit gets real.
All of the dragon/dragonrider combos are profoundly true to their characters - Rhaenys and Meleys enter the battlefield in a loyal, no-fucks-given fit of courage, Aegon and Sunfyre burst onto the scene in an ill-conceived attempt to be spontaneously heroic, and Aemond and Vhagar have the most ominous and carefully crafted approach. The strained relationship between the royal brothers feels downright Shakespearean, when Aegon's happiness of seeing his brother come to his rescue turns to a dreadful fright when Aemond utters 'Dracarys'.
The episode changes the game for the whole series - not just in the manner of the Greens winning the battle and taking the castle, but rather in the way the dragons are used and the ripple effect this would go on to have for the rest of the story, as well as game-changing character moments such as Rhaenys' cold-blooded death, Aegon's severe injuries and Aemond's showcasing of just how Macchiavellian he could be. Once again, absolute cinema.
Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for a post recommended by my Dad: the top 10 TV shows that jumped the shark.
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