House of the Dragon Season 2 episode 4 recap, review, ending explained (2024)

HBO's House of the Dragon season two episode four, The Red Dragon and the Gold, opens with Prince Daemon (Matt Smith) entering the throne room in the Red Keep, with a voice speaking in High Valyrian. He walks towards the throne, saying he doesn't understand what's being said. We see a figure seated on the Iron Throne, but it isn't until she stands up that we see who it is.

It's young Princess Rhaenyra (Milly Alco*ck), walking toward Daemon, still speaking in High Valyrian. As she stops in front of him, he finally understands what she's saying.

“You created me, Daemon,” she said.

“Yet you are now set on destroying me… All because your brother loved me more than he did you.” Ouch. Way to go for the jugular, young Rhaenyra. It's not really you, but still… it's about time.

Daemon can't stand this anymore so he reacted the way you'd expect Daemon to react… he cut off her head. It's a throwback to how he cut off Lord Vaemond's head in the first season when he insulted Rhaenyra in front of the king.

Is the Rogue Prince losing his mind?

This is the problem with Daemon. For all his willingness (enthusiasm, even) to use his sword FOR Rhaenyra, there's that small voice in the back of your head (and I'm sure Rhaenyra's as well) saying that he could very well use that AGAINST her, too.

Granted, it's not the real Rhaenyra's head he cut off. But still…

“This is what you always wanted, isn't it?” the disembodied head asked.

“There's been a raven.”

Ser Simon Strong's (Simon Russel Beale) voice interrupts Daemon's dream. Because it is one. The next thing we see is the prince waking up in bed, his hand covered in blood.

“Aegon's army departed King's Landing a fortnight ago. The castles of Rosby and Stokeworth have both fallen without siege. They have raised Aegon's banner and added their levies to Ser Criston Cole's (Fabian Frankel) host. Both houses cited that sad business with the usurper's son in their declarations. Ser Criston's army now tripled in strength might have Harrenhal as its destination. Even if you can raise a host of Rivermen, they will not be ready in time to face him,” Ser Simon reported.

“Let's see what your Lord Paramount is made of,” Daemon tells him.

The Lord Paramount is a boy.

“Lord Grover is looking more hale and healthy than I expected,” the prince says to Ser Simon.

“This is Ser Oscar Tully (Archie Barnes), grandson to Grover Tully. He is heir to Riverrun and the future Lord Paramount of the Riverlands. His Grace, the King Consort, Daemon Targaryen,” he responds.

The king consort sits down at the table after removing his sword to talk to young Oscar.

“How fares your grandsire?” he starts with small talk. However, when he doesn't get what he wants — which is an army of men ready to set off as his command, he suggests something to the Lord Paramount's heir.

“Well, my time is short and I have need of an army. Perhaps you might place a feathered pillow over his head and speed along your inheritance?”

I'm all for expediency, Daemon… but maybe committing parricide is not the answer. Interestingly enough, there isn't a specific term for killing one's grandsire; parricide is the umbrella term for killing one's own family member. If you're thinking it should be patricide — that word is reserved for killing one's father.

I admire Ser Oscar's courage, though. And it IS courage. Daemon is known all over Westeros as a fearsome warrior yet this boy is able to hold his own.

However, the Rogue Prince isn't impressed and tells Ser Oscar, “House Tully is a fish with no head.”

Some conversations…

In Driftmark, Rhaenys (Eve Best) goes to see Alyn (Abubakar Salim). He addresses her as my lady, as Lord Corlys' (Steve Toussaint) wife. However, she corrects him, “‘Princess', if we're holding to formalities.”

“Your mother must've been very beautiful,” she adds.

Oh no. She knows who he is… what's not been said for a while now — that he (and his brother) are Corlys' bastards.

“Alyn's past is no fault of his. He saved his lord's life. He should be raised up and honored, not hidden beneath the tides,” she tells her husband.

So much is going on here that's not being said. I love it. I think what Rhaenys is getting at is that Lord Corlys has sons — capable ones at that. There is a war and they will need them. There's no sense in hiding them now that she knows.

However, this is not the time for that conversation. She's there to tell Corlys that Baela (Bethany Antonia) called for her to Dragonstone. Rhaenys means to go and help her and Jacaerys (Harry Collett) with the council.

Back at the Red Keep, Grand Maester Orwyle (Kurt Egyiawan) is giving Alicent (Olivia Cooke) something to drink. I think it's an abortifacient — the same thing Viserys had delivered to the young Rhaenyra after Daemon took her to the brothel.

Alicent is doing a poor job of concealing who the tonic is for. It's the Westerosi equivalent of “asking for a friend.” She told the grand maester that she's going to observe “the girl.” Your honor, the girl is her.

The House of the Dragon and High Valyrian

Back at the Red Keep, Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) has now found out that Daemon has taken Harrenhal. And since Daemon wants it, he has to have it.

However, Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) disagrees, “Harrenhal must wait. Ser Criston is marching on Rook's Rest.”

“The castle is small, weakly defended and Lord Staunton sits on Rhaenyra's council. After Cole smashes it, we'll have Dragonstone effectively cut off by land. This war will not be won with dragons alone, but with dragons flying behind armies of men,” he explains to his brother.

And how does he know this and the king doesn't?

When Aemond tells Aegon that he has been communicating with Cole, it irritates him. He's the king. Why is his Hand talking to his brother? They have been plotting without his knowledge.

Aemond responds to him in High Valyrian, “You had more pressing matters to attend to. Such as holding court, choosing your sobriquet, and naming imbecilic lickspittle to our Kingsguard… Do you have a wiser strategy, my king? If so, you should voice it to your council. We all await your answer.”

“I can have to… make a… war?”

Aegon isn't fluent in High Valyrian! He speaks it the way people who most likely understand the language quite, but find it difficult to speak it. It's like the words in that language are in your mind, buried in the recesses, but you can't just get it out.

I think Aemond accomplished two things when he spoke in what's supposed to be their native language: He can taunt Aegon and do so without humiliating him further in front of the council. No matter how sassy he may be and how much he wants to get his own back after his brother teased him mercilessly at the brothel, he's still cunning enough to know that if he angers Aegon enough he might dismiss him from the council and he would be on the outside looking in. Good on you, Aemond.

It's also a bit of a flex. Aegon may be king, but Aemond is the one educated in the Targaryen tradition.

I've always thought that this is one of the benefits of speaking more than one language. It's rude to do so in the company of others who don't speak your language, but it's useful when you want to say something without the others knowing.

With Alicent absent at the small council, Lord Larys (Matthew Needahm) looks in on her. He notices that she is looking into histories. I think she's trying to figure out who The Prince Who Was Promised is.

When Larys presses her about Aegon succeeding Viserys, she responds, “The war will be fought, many will die. And the victor will eventually ascend the throne. The significance of Viserys' intentions dies with him.”

When a witch offers you a brew… after she reads you to filth

Back in rain-soaked Harrenhal, Daemon is restless. He hears and sees men outside his bedroom, but when he goes out, there's no one there.He then sees a silver-haired man carrying a torch — who looks like him from the back — and follows him. When the man turns around, the man wears his face… and an eyepatch. A foreshadowing of meeting Aemond in battle?

As it turns out, he was led to the kitchen. And there he is with his sword at the ready. Only one person is there…

“I'm called Alys,” she introduces herself. This is Alys Rivers (Gayle Ranking), not Strong. A bastard, as Damon noted.

She tells him about the curse that plagues Harrenhal, how “Black Harren felled the grove of weirwood trees that grew on these lands. Heart trees, imbued with the spirits of those who lived long before he came. It's said their whispers can still be heard sometimes.”

“The very bed you sleep in was made from such a heart tree. Have you experienced anything of note?” she asks as if she didn't already know.

“So you've come here after quarreling with your wife? You arrive here alone to claim the castle and yet send no ravens. Do you now plan to make your own claim?” Alys asks.

“Perhaps to prove yourself to her.” Ooooh.

“Do not try me with your insolence, witch.” Weak comeback, Daemon.

But this doesn't deter her. She proceeds to taunt him, “It's a hard thing, I imagine to give obeisance who replaced you as heir.”

Oh, she's reading him to filth… as the youth nowadays say.

“And a woman, too. A girl child you bounced on your knee. I mean, does it please you that her legitimacy is contested?” Alys is reading my mind right now.

“As you stand here, with a castle and a dragon attempting to draw an army of men. Here. Drink this. You'll need your sleep if you're to win this place to your side.”

Bored is the head that wears the crown

Back at the Red Keep, Aegon is attending to administrative matters, specifically feeding the dragons — Vhagar's appetite is becoming a problem. Along with that, they continue to discuss Ser Criston's successes in the battlefield.

However, Aegon doesn't seem interested and leaves the small council out of boredom. He returns to his rooms and finds his mother looking for Viserys' books. He tells her that he removed them.

Alicent notices his mood and asks after him. Aegon complains to his mother about how no one listens to him and his thoughts.

“What thoughts would you have?” she asks.

“I'm the king,” Aegon says as if that explains everything.

“Do you think simply wearing the crown imbues you with wisdom?” Alicent looks so done with Aegon.

“Those men at your council table earned their seats. It was my hope that once enthroned you would honor the burden of your new duties, be silent and strive to learn from the more studied minds around you. In the hope that you might be half the king your father was,” she reminds him.

“Tread carefully,” Aegon warns her.

“Or what? You'll hang me as you did your ratcatchers? Or have me banished as you did your Hand? I ruled in your father's absence throughout his long illness and Otto Hightower was as cunning a statesman as ever lived. You should humbly be seeking our opinions and counsel. You have no idea the sacrifices that were made to put you on that throne,” she insists.

“What would you have me do, Mother?” he finally asks, as she has been waiting for.

“Do simply what is needed of you… nothing.” Could this be Alicent's way of trying to curb Aegon's impulsiveness? It's a little too… little, if that makes sense.

Elsewhere, trees are being felled by Ser Criston's army. They're heading to Rook's Rest. Ser Gwayne (Freddie Fox) argues about the wisdom of attacking Rook's Rest in daylight.

“Are you afraid, Ser?” Criston asks him.

“Worse. I'm rational,” he responds. If that's true, he's one of the very few who is in this kingdom.

However, this is Criston's show and march in broad daylight they do.

The Queen of the Blacks finally returns

Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy) finally returns to Dragonstone and hears the tail end of Jace's suggestion, “We need to send the dragons.”

“Where?” she asks, striding into the hall.

“To support the war that your vassals have been fighting in your absence, Your Grace,” Jace says this with bite.

“Cole's host has grown since riding abroad. He raised the levies of both Rosby and Stokeworth and, with their combined strength, sacked Duskendale,” Rhaenys tells her.

This gets the attention of Rhaenyra's guard, Ser Steffon Darklyn (Anthony Flanagan). Lord Corlys tells him that his father kept his oath and was beheaded by Ser Criston.

“Where have you been, these last days? You vanished without so much as a word,” Jace said, fairly chomping at the bit.

“Well, I apologize for my absence and the secrecy, but such was necessary. I went to King's Landing,” Rhaenyra explains.

Further, she tells them that she was there to see if there was any other way to proceed.

“Either I win my claim or die,” she concludes.

This is what Jace has been waiting for so he tells her, “We stand at the ready.”

However, Rhaenyra and Jace end up arguing. He wants to be sent to Rook's Rest, but she rightly points out that he lacks the experience.

As if waiting for that word, Rhaenys speaks up and volunteers, “You must send me, Your Grace. Meleys is your largest dragon and no stranger to battle. I will meet Cole.”

Back at the Red Keep, Aegon is either ruminating on his mother's words… or just day drinking.

Jace isn't done with his mother. Since returning from Winterfell, he has been walking around Dragonstone, with his hand on his sword wanting to fight someone, something.

He tells his mother earnestly, “I wish only to fight for you, for your claim and mine.”

But Rhaenyra starts to tell Jace about what Viserys told her: about Aegon the Conqueror's dream called ‘A Song of Ice and Fire and how whoever rules Westeros is also its Protector. She tells him that this war is more than just her claim to the crown, but to unite the lands under a common enemy.

As Rhaenyra is relating this story, we see Rhaenys approaching Meleys and Aegon having his armor placed on him before he approaches Sunfyre.

Rhaenys, in High Valyrian, speaks to Meleys, “We're off to battle again, old girl.”

We see Ser Criston's host marching towards Rook's Rest. We see Aegon on Sunfyre flying away from King's Landing.

The House of the Dragon's Battle at Rook's Rest

After Rhaenyra finishes her story, we see thatthe Battle at Rook's Rest has begun. Meleys arrives with Rhaenys on her back. However, Vhagar has been hiding all this time in the forest. And Sunfyre has just arrived as well.

Meleys and Sunfyre fight in the air. The Red Queen has latched on to the smaller golden dragon's neck. Sunfyre is able to take a chunk out of Meleys when Aegon sees Vhagar flying toward them.

Aegon cries out in relief, “Thank the gods!”

However, Aemond orders Vhagar, “Dracrys!” right at Aegon, who screams as he falls.

Rhaenys and her wounded dragon know this is their last battle. They fly after Vhagar and Aemond who turn around and meet them in the air. The Red Queen is no match for the largest dragon in the world. He bites and burns her in turn. It truly is the dance of the dragons. Both grapple in the air before descending onto the scores of men on the ground.

And then we see Meleys and Rhaenys flying over the field later. Then Vhagar comes out of nowhere and essentially breaks Meleys' neck. She falls to the ground with Rhaenys still on her back.

We see Ser Criston's point of view. He was knocked out as he was on his way to go to Aegon and Sunfyre and has now just come to. Criston hears Gwayne order the men to go into the breach. He tries to look for Aegon, but finds Aemond first who points to where his brother and his dragon are.

Sunfyre is severely wounded, with Aegon laying at her side as Ser Criston kneels in front of them. Aemond turns and walks away.

Okay…

Uh… what just happened?

If you read the book, this isn't how the Battle at Rook's Rest went down. First, it really was a planned ambush — but of both Aegon and Aemond and their dragons. In the show, Aegon turned up unannounced.

And as for Aemond ordering Vhagar to let loose his fire? Either he wanted to kill or at the very least burn his brother deliberately or he just saw the opportunity to kill two — or four — birds with one stone, with the other birds being Rhaenys and Meleys. However, it seemed that the fire was concentrated on Aegon and Sunfyre because Meleys and Rhaenys were able to fly away seemingly unscathed.

We can't blame Aemond, though. His entire life, Aegon has bullied him. I guess the incident at the brothel, with the king taunting how he always comes back to the woman he'd been with first, was just the last straw on the dragon's back, so to speak.

As for Rhaenys going back to the fight? She knew that she had to — this is why she volunteered to be sent. She and Meleys were already badly injured from fighting Sunfyre and most probably singed from Vhagar's fire. As soon as Rhaenys saw Vhagar while she and Meleys were fighting Aegon and Sunfyre, she knew there was no turning back.

And as for Ser Criston, loathsome as his character may be in the series — and Frankel plays that loathsomeness beautifully — he is a good strategist. Concealing Vhagar in the forest couldn't have been easy, but he did it. He knew his army needed the element of surprise. He didn't foresee Aegon's impetuousness, though.

I actually like and agree with the changes the show made. It made more sense that Aegon would just show up unannounced instead of cooperating with Ser Criston and Aemond. It fit his sense of entitlement to a T to not even care that there was a strategy in place that he could be ruining. He felt entitled, as king, to be where he wanted regardless of the consequences. I think he was goaded even more when Alicent told him to do nothing.

While I've read the book and know that this is the end of Rhaenys and Meleys, my love for both characters and how Best portrayed her wants another change there as well. I want them to survive. And to hell with the narrative.

Let's see if I get my wish in the next episode.

HBO's House of the Dragon season two is also available to stream on Max.