Those ideas are best represented in the penultimate episode of season two, when Rhaenyra decides to open up the dragon world to non-royals. The idea was forced on her by her desperate position before the war, and because one of her castle’s dragons, Seasmoke, escaped and chose a commoner as his rider. That commoner, Addam, is not so ordinary: He’s the illegitimate son of Rhaenyra’s Hand, the Sea Snake Corlys. Now, knowing that the pool of potential dragonriders might be far larger than anyone had thought, Rhaenyra begins recruiting.
Daemon finally gains the support he sought from the Riverlords, led by the newly appointed Lord Paramount Plus, Oscar Tully. But this requires Daemon to acknowledge, publicly, that he is a monster and that the Riverlands will join Rhaenyra's alliance despite his horrific actions. This and a strange dream cause Daemon to question whether everything he's been doing to get to the Iron Throne is worth it.
Meanwhile, in King's Landing, no one close to the throne is particularly happy. Aegon is in terrible pain as he recovers from his burns. Alicent goes camping to escape the misery of the castle. And Aemond realizes, uncomfortably, that the dragon power dynamic between his side and Rhaenyra's has changed.
Should control of a kingdom fall to those born later in the succession or to people who want to change the paradigm and take the throne by force? Let's recap how it happened:
Daemon spent this miserable season at Harrenhal, a haunted, leaky castle that was essentially the worst Airbnb experience ever. Now, he just needs to convince young Oscar Tully to unite the warring Blackwood and Bracken families under the Tully banner. The teenage Tully is ambivalent about Daemon, reminding the Targaryens that they discarded him as useless when his grandfather was still alive. Despite his displeasure, though, Tully plans to honor the oath his house swore to King Viserys.
At a meeting beneath the Godswood tree, Daemon is upstaged by a surprisingly astute teenage Tully, who manages to thread the needle in front of the dubious River Lords. Tully convinces the older leaders that they must honor their oath to Viserys even though they find Daemon “revolting.” Daemon gets a little testy, but Tully leaves it simple: “Will you accept our army or not?” But there’s one more thing. For justice to be served, something must be done about Willem Blackwood, who led the horrific campaign sanctioned by Daemon. Blackwood argues that he was just following orders, but Daemon puts him to the sword anyway.
The murder leaves Daemon disoriented and disoriented; inside the castle, a judging goat shoots at him. The goat turns into a stuffed Viserys, weakly holding a crown in his hand. He says it caused him nothing but pain. “It crushes the wearer. Do you still want it?” he asks Daemon. For the first time, Daemon seems to think not.
Team Alicent, Aemond and Aegon
The elusive Larys and Grand Maester Orwyle are helping Aegon recover with a new regimen of hobbling around the room on Orwyle's arm and shouting a lot, followed by shivering from exhaustion in bed. Aegon seems healthier, relatively speaking, but he's still more of a crypt keeper than a king. Aegon wants to give up, but Larys won't let him rest.
Larys also keeps a close eye on Aemond, who is installing himself as regent king. Lord Jasper tells Larys that he has heard that the dragon Seasmoke has a rider. But the information comes from such a long chain of sources that Larys advises him to keep the game of telephone to himself.
Meanwhile, Alicent has gone from sad and shocked to bored and disengaged. She tells Orwyle, who is treating her wound from last week’s mutiny, that nothing he does matters. In the episode’s strangest twist, Alicent decides to go camping with a tent and Ser Rickard as her guard. She spends the rest of the episode hiking around in full royal gear and then swimming in a lake in her underwear. When Rickard asks her when she’ll be returning to town, she says she’s not sure she will. Congratulations if you had “Abrupt and Unnecessary Camping” on your Season 2 bingo card.
Rhaenyra is on the beach with Syrax facing Seasmoke and that dragon's new rider, Addam of Hull. When she, queen of the Seven Kingdoms, demands to know how he got that dragon (there's an unfortunate racial undertone), Addam says he had no plans to get it and that the dragon chose him. Addam wishes to serve Rhaenyra, kneeling and all, and learn the ways of dragonriders. When Rhaenyra inquires about his ancestry, Addam says his mother was a shipwright and his father “wasn't anyone important.” I can imagine Corlys wincing at that. Rhaenyra lets her guard down enough to express relief. She says he's done the impossible and she's glad.
Of course, Rhaenyra’s boring council is already badmouthing this unknown rider, saying that “low-born” people can’t just go around capturing dragons like they’re Lime Scooters. Corlys, who’s told the rider is a shipwright in his employ, stays quiet. When he meets with Addam later, Corlys agrees to grant his son a leave of absence from his ship duties so he can pursue… a bachelor’s degree in dragon arts? A PhD in burn theory? “Well done,” is all Corlys can say. No hugs. No high-fives.
When Rhaenyra speaks to her trusted companion-turned-lover, Mysaria suggests that there may be many more descendants given how lustful the royals were in her former pleasure house. Rhaenyra changes her mind about loyalty and royalty after Mysaria reminds her that common people like her and Addam are risking their lives to serve while her half-brothers Aemond and Aegon are out for Rhaenyra's blood. Rhaenyra is convinced: “Let us raise an army of bastards!” But maybe you should rethink the name a bit.
Jace is extremely upset with this plan, especially with the dragons claiming to be “lowborn.” Eek, don’t post that on social media, Jace, you’re going to be canceled. Because Jace’s biological father was not Laenor and he has dark hair, he now feels his right to the throne is in jeopardy. “You are my heir,” Rhaenyra reminds him. Still, Rhaenyra insists that they need more dragons and this is the only path available. Her minions proceed to spread the news that dragons are now available for long-term lease to anyone who might be Targaryen by blood.
Rhaena, whom we've only seen briefly (she's Baela's sister and Daemon's daughter from his previous marriage), wanders away from her caravan outside the Eyrie to investigate the dragon burnings nearby. How long will it be before she encounters a wild beast and makes it her own?
The King's Landing recruitment drive reaches out to two characters we've been learning about all season: Ulf the bartender, who claims to be Viserys and Daemon's half-brother, and Hugh the blacksmith.
Dozens of people, most with silvery blond hair, board rowboats overseen by Alyn. Rhaenyra is amazed by the number of people who show up. She gives an inspirational speech to the would-be riders, telling them she doesn’t know if it’s blood or valor that matters now, but she’s impressed that they’re laying down their lives for a potentially life-changing venture. She wants peace restored. And she wants a rider for Vermithor, the second-largest dragon in the world after Vhagar.
Everyone gathers at the Dragon Pit: Ulf, Hugh, lots of blondes, and at least four non-blondes. Vermithor appears, gigantic. The dragon is calmed by Rhaenyra, but when she steps away to let the rest compete for him, fire breaks out. As everyone rushes in, some are incinerated on the spot. Vermithor bites others, bodies still ablaze like Fogo de Chão. But Hugh stands tall in front of Vermithor. The dragon bows, and they look into each other’s eyes. The only thing missing is Taylor Swift singing, “All along there was some invisible string/ Tying you to me.” Meanwhile, Ulf, who has fallen into the pit during the fight, limps around trying to escape. A different dragon, one named Silverwing, approaches him and bows. Ulf laughs in relief as they join in, too.
We cut to King's Landing, where a council meeting is interrupted by the sound of a dragon in flight. Ulf, up there on Silverwing, is having the time of his life. Aemond, riding Vhagar, follows Ulf to Dragonstone, where Rhaenyra stands on the defiant shore with three dragons behind her. Wisely, Aemond and his dragon flee.
Score one for Rhaenyra's army of bastards as we head into next week's season finale.
