HBO's House of the Dragon season two, episode six, Smallfolk, opens with the Lannister soldiers in their red and golden lion robes led by Ser Jason Lannister (Jefferson Hall) marching to meet a group in royal blue cloaks.
“The Golden Tooth is honored to receive you, my Lord Lannister. I have 500 fighting men, armed and full of spirit,” a knight from House Lefford, a Lannister vassal whose stronghold is the Golden Tooth greets him.
The stronghold is near the River Road, close to the borders of both the Westerlands and the Riverlands.
For some reason, Ser Jason doesn't hear this as an offer but an excuse to flex.
“I bring a thousand knights of my own and seven times as many archers and men-at-arms. By the time we are finished with the Riverland scum, the Red Fork will have earned its name,” he tells the knight.
“We are ready to march at your command, my lord. I suppose you will make for Harrenhal at once,” he responds, unperturbed with Jason's strange comeback.
Jason orders him to send a raven to King's Landing, that they are ready to march as soon as Prince Aemond joins them with Vhagar. In the meantime, he and his men will enjoy the Leffords' hospitality. Well, the Lannisters and their actual, honest-to-goodness lion.
Back at King's Landing, Prince Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) is aghast at Ser Jason's “summons.”
“He dares to summon me! With haste! Are the Lannisters so diminished that they cannot march from the Tooth to Harrenhal without an escort?” he asks the assembled small council.
Ser Jason's younger twin, Ser Tyland Lannister (also played by Hall) reminds Aemond, “There is a large dragon in the Riverlands, Your Grace. My brother's army is strong, but it does seem —”
“I am the prince regent, not a dog to be called to heel,” Aemond has his own reminder.
“Tell your brother that if he does not deliver his host to Harrenhal ‘with haste,' Daemon's dragon will become the least of his worries,” he continues.
Alicent (Olivia Cooke) tries to diffuse her son's anger, “Your irritations are justified, Aemond, but it does seem —”
But he pretends not to hear her by giving Ser Tyland a task. Not only did Aemond cut Alicent off, he just completely ignored her — in front of the entire small council.
He tells his Master of Coin that they will make an alliance with the Triarchy to end the blockade. Tyland objects because “the captain of their ships are dangerous mercenaries, little more than pirates.”
The Greens consider an alliance with the Triarchy
However, desperate times call for desperate measures. The Triarchy's ships are nearer, while the Lannister and Hightower ships will take months to arrive. Aemond reminds the council that the “Triarchy will delight in the chance to terrorize the Sea Snake again. Let them weaken his blockade while our true allies make their long journey east.”
If you remember, both Lord Corlys Velaryon the Sea Snake (Steve Toussaint) and Prince Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) fought the Triarchy. Daemon prevails and crowns himself King of the Narrow Sea.
Alicent tries to give her son advice, “The Triarchy may play at accepting terms, but they are not to be trusted. Your father knew this.”
She turns to Maester Orwyle (Kurt Egyiawan) about the letters sent to the Greyjoys. He responds that “they have been to no avail.”
Lord Jasper Wylde (Paul Kennedy) says, “The Red Kraken awaits, seeking his best advantage.”
He's referring to Dalton Greyjoy, Lord of the Iron Islands.
Lord Jasper has a suggestion, “Though we may draw him in with honey, if it comes to it. An offer of marriage, perhaps, to the dowager queen?”
She immediately vetoes it, “Out of the question.”
Lord Jasper only says, “Alas,” while smugly cutting a glance at Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), who has been largely quiet this entire time.
He finally speaks and backs Alicent up, “The dowager queen speaks wisely, Your Grace. Even if the blockade could be broken, are we to invite these alien raiders into our waters so close to King's Landing?”
But Aemond isn't having it. He orders Cole to go to Harrenhal instead.
Which Cole is reluctant to do. He tells the prince regent, “Your Grace, if Daemon prevails in the Riverlands I no longer have the numbers to challenge him. We lost much at Rook's Rest, as you well know.”
Aemond in insistent. He says that the longer they wait, the more Daemon has a chance to prevail. His strategy is to have the Lannister army march from the west, while Cole will force Daemon and his Riverlord to fight on two fronts.
Lord Larys Strong (Matthew Needham) agrees with Aemond. Cole is digging his heels in, until he could do so no longer and just asks where Aemond is in all this.
He replies, “I will fly out to meet you when the time is ripe. My uncle is a challenge I welcome if he dares face me.”
Aemond sure is confident for someone who has only seen one combat. He and Vhagar may have killed Princess Rhaenys (Eve Best) and Meleys, but that was only after they were gravely injured after surviving a fight with Aegon and Sunfyre.
You may be my mother but I can still fire you. – Aemond, certainly
After the council is dismissed, Cole and Alicent try to leave together, but Aemond calls for his mother. Alicent tries to counsel her son, but he's having none of it. She reminds him that she represented his father when he was ill, which Aemond acknowledges. However…
“That need is ended. You are no longer obliged,” he tells her.
I'm not sure if Alicent can't read the room or she can but just chooses to try to bulldoze over Aemond. She tells him that it wasn't about obligation, but the council's need of a tempering voice — specifically, hers.
But the prince regent has decided. He tells the queen dowager, “I release you of your seat… such as it was. I'm sure you'll be much pleased to return to more… domestic pursuits.”
Alicent knows she can't change his mind, but there's no way she can let him have the last word as well. She touches the side of Aemond's face… the one with the eyepatch, and asks, “Have the indignities of your childhood not yet sufficiently been avenged?”
This is her way of telling him that she sees her ousting as his way of punishing her. Maybe for not being able to avenge him when he lost his eye.
Aemond holds her hand for a beat before letting go of it and walking away. He is his mother's child and so he quips, “You have the gratitude of the crown.”
Knowing she's beaten, Alicent just scoffs.
Lord Corlys Velaryon, Hand of the Queen
In Dragonstone, Lord Corlys goes to the candle-lit table. He looks over the battle plans before he pins the badge of the Hand on his chest. Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) and the rest of the council arrive. Ser Steffon Darklyn (Anthony Flanagan) is called to the table.
Rhaenyra shares her plans to proceed as if she stands alone. She tells the council what she and Jace (Harry Collett) talked about in the previous episode.
“I need more dragonriders for Vermithor and Silverwing and for Seasmoke who I believe misses his bond,” she tells Ser Steffon.
He reminds her that there are no more Targaryens left to ride at least three dragons. Her younger sons are too young. There's Rhaena, but as Corlys said, the dragons there would not take her as a rider.
Who then, Ser Steffon asks.
“You. You are of noble birth. And I had always heard, as you know, that the Darklyns and the Targaryens had some common blood. I looked into the history, and indeed it is true. Your grandmother's grandmother, Aeriana, was born a Targaryen princess. And I have been thinking, could it be possible?” she tells him.
Lord Bartimos Celtigar (Nicholas Jones) protests that this is too risky.
However, Ser Steffon is already approaching Rhaenyra, telling her that he's just a man and the dragons are gods. He's honored. As I think Rhaenyra wanted him to feel.
She approaches her guard, Ser Steffon still on his knees, and asks, “You understand your peril, Ser Steffon? I do not compel you to do this. It has never been attempted before. To claim a dragon, you must also be prepared to die.”
He agrees.
The Rogue Prince at Harrenhal… still
We're back at Harrenhal and Daemon again.
I'm getting annoyed with this storyline, to be honest. And I'm still trying to purge the images of that Oedipal encounter in the previous episode. While I understand the point the writers were trying to make — Daemon's issues stemming from never having spent time with his mother as Viserys had or this was all Alys Rivers' doing — I'm sure there were better ways to portray that on screen. It was just so unnecessary.
Again, it's not that it was incestuous — and it still is — because they are Targaryens. They wed sister and brother; uncle and niece… The whole scene was just unnecessary. I stand by that.
But back to Daemon and his issues. (sighs) This time around, his hallucinations have him back in the throne room with his brother Viserys (Paddy Considine) seated on the Iron Throne.
He's reliving the moment Viserys finally disinherits him when the king asks if Daemon said it. The “it” being “king for a day,” referring to Viserys' son who died with his wife Aemma. Daemon can't believe that even in his dreams, his brother is still angry about the incident.
He lets the scene play out as he remembers it until the part where Viserys officially removes him from being heir and banishes him from court.
Daemon is in tears as he walks away from Viserys' apparition. He tries to leave the throne room, but the doors are locked. He looks back and sees his brother removing the crown from his head.
As with pretty much all of Daemon's dreams/hallucinations, it's Ser Simon Strong (Simon Russell Beale) who inadvertently gets Daemon out of his head again. However, he becomes a little hysterical and decides to leave. He bumps into Alys (Gayle Rankin) at the courtyard.
He tells her that there's something wrong with him (YES!) and he thinks he's been poisoned.
Alys just thinks he's assigning blame when the truth is, he's just doing what he always does: runs when things don't go his way.
“Dragonstone, the Stepstones, Pentos, Harrenhal,” she enumerates for him.
Still Daemon insists that Rhaenyra never wanted the crown. As if he's trying to convince himself that the entire time he's trying to claim the throne himself, this is why: because the wife and queen for whom he's trying to raise an army spared no thought of wanting the crown.
Alys wonders aloud that maybe that's why Viserys made Rhaenyra his heir — that “those who strive for it are the least suited to wear it.”
Daemon finally remembers he's a prince and shouldn't be subjected to lectures from those below in social standing. But this doesn't stop Alys.
“Viserys never wanted it himself, if you recall. It came to him, and he did his best. It's not a prize to be won, but a burden to bear,” she insists.
Daemon's never been one not to use the gifts of the people around him so he asks instead for counsel in order to deal with the Riverlords.
Alys can't help but dig into him a little by asking if he's asking for help. He corrects her and says he's asking for counsel, not help.
She gives it to him anyway, “House Tully is not the largest house in the Riverlands nor is it the richest, but it is the most stable. The Tullys' wisdom has kept the river houses in line for centuries. They would kill each other to the last man if it were not for their liege lord.”
The head of house Tully is old and sick, though, so Daemon decides he's of no use to them.
Maybe so, but as Alys reminds him, “Grover Tully is their Lord Paramount. Without him, they will never raise their banners as one. Rivermen are made of mud. They would rather die stuck in it than yield one inch to one another.”
“Then I can do nothing,” Daemon acknowledges.
After he finally admits to Alys that he does need help, she tells him to “do nothing now. In three days' time, the winds will shift.”
Maybe you really do have to be from the House of the Dragon
At the dragon pit in Dragonstone, we see Seasmoke after he'd been called by the singing. Ser Steffon is in front of him, only able to say, “Gods.” The dragon moved to bend his neck as if to allow a rider on his back. However, Ser Steffon's diluted Targaryen blood wasn't able to save him from Seasmoke's fire.
Back at Driftmark, Corlys offers Alyn (Abubakar Salim) the position of first mate. He refuses. However, Corlys wouldn't be deterred. I think he's trying to make good on what Rhaenys had told him, to raise him up instead of hiding him.
“You distinguished yourself in the Stepstones and you have the respect of the crew. You are a fine choice for this post,” he tells Alyn.
Back at King's Landing, as part of the propaganda campaign Mysaria had suggested to Rhaenyra, a Black operative starts to spread gossip at the tavern about the palace spending money for food, while the rest of them are consigned to fish. The woman regales just the serving girl at first, but it's clear she's saying this to everyone present. She lists the delicious food served at the palace to celebrate Aemond's rise to regency.
Back at Dragonstone, Lord Bartimos is lecturing Rhaenyra for what happened to Ser Steffon. She reaches her limit and just slaps him in full view of the staff and tells him, “It is my fault, I think, that you have forgotten to fear me.”
She goes to her rooms. Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) arrives and updates Rhaenyra about their plan to sow dissension among the smallfolk. Rhaenyra is doubtful whether it's effective.
If she knew what Lord Larys was telling Aemond, then she'd know that answer. Aemond is told that the smallfolk are complaining about the lack of food. He's wondering why they're being blamed when it's Rhaenyra who closed the gullet and caused the blockade. However, he's reminded that he's still responsible for his people's well-being.
The only thing that could tear down the house of the dragon was itself.
The conversation about who his Hand should be is interrupted by the Maester to update them that Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) regained consciousness, if only for a little bit.
Aemond visits his brother who's conscious. He knows what his priorities are when he immediately asks what Aegon remembers.
He responds, “Nothing.”
I'm not sure if he really doesn't remember due to how badly he's injured or if he's somehow aware that this is the least he can do to protect himself.
Aemond is suspicious and presses both of their hands against Aegon's chest wound.
He tells Aegon, “You challenged Meleys. It was foolish.”
And still Aegon insists, “I remember nothing.”
Aemond leaves the stone ball used at the small council. Maybe this is a warning to Aegon?
Can it be… The Cannibal?
At the Vale, Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell) and Joffrey (Oscar Eskinazi) are taking a walk. It seems Rhaena is explaining to her half-brother that she's decided not to fret about being sent away. That not everyone is called to do great deeds. That some can serve in smaller ways, even if that's not what they want for themselves.
They continue walking until they come upon a burned patch of land, as well as animals in various stages of decomposition.
Back at the Eyrie, Lady Jeyne (Amanda Collin) tells Rhaena that Prince Reggio has replied to her letter.
“He'll be most pleased to shelter Rhaenyra's youngest sons in Pentos. And their half-sister. I thought you'd be happy. Or at least less morose. You hate it here,” she tells the younger girl. However, Rhaena has more pressing thoughts.
“You misled me, my lady,” she accuses the Lady of the Vale. “There is a large dragon in the Vale.”
Lady Jeyne admits that at first, they were just rumors after the war. Then her maesters tell her that it really is a dragon ranging more broadly for food. But even though it's large and formidable, it's wild.
I think they're talking about The Cannibal.
At Driftmark, Alyn and Addam are talking about Corlys conscripting Alyn into service.
“Lord Corlys has chosen to raise you up to serve alongside him and yet, you still continue this subterfuge,” Addam tells his brother.
Alyn doesn't see it as subterfuge. He just doesn't want his men to get the wrong idea.
Their conversation turns to Addam playing what-if. Alyn tries to dissuade him from these thoughts because he doesn't think there's any possibility that the Sea Snake would ever claim them as his sons.
However, I think Addam — more than legitimacy — wants Corlys' attention.
Back at Dragonstone, Jace tries to discuss Rhaenyra's botched attempt at having Ser Steffon claim Seasmoke. He also mentions how everyone has been talking about what she did to Lord Bartimos.
While the conversation started out peacefully enough, as soon as Jace mentions Daemon and the army he was supposed to raise, Rhaenyra gets defensive. Before mother and son get into an actual blow up fight, Mysaria interrupts to tell Rhaenyra that their gift is on the way.
We then see a small boat filled with provisions, along with the Blacks' sigil washing up on the shore. A resident from King's Landing investigates the boat, looks up and through the fog sees that there are plenty more arriving.
In the Red Keep, Alicent is in Aegon's rooms. The Maester tells Alicent that “his mending may be long and painful, but it is my sincere hope that His Grace will be spared.”
She asks about the letters she sent to her father. However, there has been no response.
Daeron the Kind
Having discharged her maternal duty, Alicent goes to the courtyard, but her brother Ser Gwayne (Freddie Fox) reaches her first. She tells him that she's there to give him her blessings. He sarcastically accepts it, even though we know that he knows she's not there to see him.
But she needs to make it look like she is anyway, so might as well ask him if he's heard from their father.
“I've heard nothing, but neither have I sent any message. If he wrote letters, it would be to you. You were always his favorite,” he tells her, without sounding bitter about it. Sad, maybe. But not bitter.
Alicent asks about her son, Daeron, about what he's like. He writes fewer and fewer letters now.
“Ten and six now. Letters, perhaps, hold less of his interest. He's stalwart, clever. As adept with his lute as he is with his sword. And a feature in the fancies of many a young lady, I'll wager. He's kind,” Ser Gwayne tells her. As he speaks, it's clear he places a lot of value at the last virtue.
“That's good. Kindness is a quality I've found lacking in his brothers,” Alicent responds with relief.
The queen dowager goes to visit Helaena (Phia Saban) and invites her to go to the Sept of Baelor to light candles.
In the city, people are running to and from the gates. The smith asks one of the people carrying a bag of food stuff. The man responds that Rhaenyra sent food on ships. “She thinks of us even now,” seems to be the consensus.
A guard alerts Alicent and Helaena, who are praying to leave at once. As they make their way to their carriage or wheelhouse, the smallfolk converge on and throw food at them. Alicent gets hit in the face first as the crowd yells, “Long live Queen Rhaenyra!”
A man suddenly takes hold of Alicent's arm and his hand gets cut off by one of the guards in full view of the public, which enrages the smallfolk. This makes them surge towards the queens. In the confusion of trying to get both Alicent and Helaena back to the carriage, two of the guards are left to the mercies of the crowd.
Rhaenyra's gifts, as thought up by Mysaria, accomplished two things: made her a hero to the common folk and incited a riot. It won't bring the Red Keep down and will have no effect on Vhagar — the greatest threat to the Blacks — but it's a start. The Blacks can't strike at the heart of the Red Keep for now. With the gifts, the people of King's Landing did it for them.
Long live Queen Rhaenyra!
“Long live Queen Rhaenyra!” is heard over and over.
At the Red Keep, Lord Larys is trying to wean Aegon off some kind of pain draught so he's lucid. He assures Aegon that he has now written himself into legend for surviving dragonfire.
“But I'm afraid you will never be whole. Orwyle has exhausted his abilities. He's bound your leg, but you will never run again. Your mind is all that remains to you. I do not say that gladly,” he cautions him.
He ends it with, “And they will underestimate you. And this will be your advantage.”
Lord Larys tells him, “You brother rules in your place now which means that your life is in danger. But I think you know that.”
Aegon then says, “Help me.”
We're back at Harrenhal and Daemon's hallucinations.
This time he's seeing Viserys standing over Aemma's dead body in the crypt. In this version, the king collapses in Daemon's arms. This didn't happen in real life, but maybe this is part of Daemon's reckoning, what if he had stayed and comforted his grieving brother?
Again the trust Ser Simon wakes him with the sorrowful news of Lord Grover's death.
“Young Oscar Tully is now Lord Paramount of the Riverlands,” he reminds Daemon.
When the Rogue Prince asks what caused Lord Grover's death, Ser Simon responds, “Well, he'd been ill, of course. Riverrun's maesters have been at their wits' end. Our own healer, Alys Rivers, volunteered her renowned skills. She plied her craft, but… there was naught more to be done.”
Daemon slowly smiles as soon as he hears Alys' name mentioned. She told Daemon to do nothing… maybe because she was supposed to be the one to do something?
We then see Daemon cry. I'm not sure if he's finally broken or out of relief that there's somewhat of a resolution to all this.
Has Seasmoke found a new rider?
At the shore near Dragonstone, Addam sees Seasmoke flying overhead. The dragon banks and turns over and over. Addam runs away from him and goes to higher ground, but it seems the dragon is following him. For a while there, he must have felt such relief that he could no longer see him. But not for long because he ends up cornered as Seasmoke brings his face close to him. As we close in on Addam's face, he no longer looks terrified.
Back at Dragonstone, Mysaria is updating Rhaenyra with what happened in King's Landing with her ships of food. Rhaenyra is starting to feel really comfortable telling Mysaria her doubts.
And speaking of Daemon, she tells the other woman, “He was everything I wanted to be: carefree, dangerous, a man. And I was everything wanted: cherished by my father, and made my father's heir. We were halves of a whole. He's never been at peace. He wished to possess me, but never to be possessed. And to see me take hold, finally, of what he always believed to be his. I fear what he may now do. I fear he may have turned against me.”
Rhaenyra thinks she has lost Daemon and Caraxes. With only Syrax and two young dragons, they cannot take on Vhagar. She also has no army.
Mysaria reminds her that she has the Velaryon fleet and the men who fight in it.
“It's not enough. And even if we somehow prevailed, how will I rule a kingdom when my own son doubts me?” Rhaenyra adds.
Rhaenyra sees Jace's insistence in getting Daemon back as his doubting her competence. I don't think that's his intention. He merely understands that at this point, it's a numbers game and they're losing. To level the playing field, they need Daemon and the army he's supposed to be raising.
But Mysaria doesn't tell her that. Instead, she says, “You have me.”
Mysaria then answers Rhaenyra's question about what happened to the scar on her neck. It was her father. He had been assaulting her over and over. Then he got her pregnant. She didn't explain the details, but it seems he must have strangled her enough to make her lose consciousness and did something that made her lose the baby. And even more permanently, causing her to no longer be able to bear children.
She reassures Rhaenyra that she sees her as someone who's steadfast and that she believes she's meant to be queen. And because of all of that, she will serve her.
Remember that Daemon has been gone for a long time. He and Rhaenyra also didn't part on good terms.
Rhaenyra moves to embrace Mysaria. Soon enough they begin to kiss. They quickly separate when a guard interrupts them to tell Rhaenyra that Seasmoke has been seen flying over Spice Town — with a rider. The guard doesn't know who it is, but Mysaria thinks it might be the Greens because who else would it be?
Rhaenyra leaves without replying to the guard about summoning her council. The guard side-eyes Mysaria hard before he follows Rhaenyra.
She mounts Syrax and flies off just as Jace arrives — too late to either stop her or join her.
House of the Dragon is available on HBO and streams on Max.
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