‘House of the Dragon’ Episode Two: Viserys Is Starting to Look Real Good Right About Now

By Kaleena Rivera | TV | June 25, 2024 |

By Kaleena Rivera | TV | June 25, 2024 |

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder” may feel a bit trite, but its accuracy is undeniable. That fondness can be intensified when coupled with the finality of death, which often lends an extra shine to someone’s memory. Our dearly departed Viserys (Paddy Considine, you are missed) wasn’t the best king but he had some points in his favor. Despite the many personal agendas that are being played out, more than one person can freely admit that Viserys is bitterly missed.

As ghoulish as it is, Otto’s reading of his great-grandson’s murder as a public relations nightmare for Rhaenyra is a wholly accurate one. It’s the sort of violation that would make even the staunchest ally waver, so why not make hay while the blood-soaked sun shines? He arranges for a public funeral to stoke sympathy among the masses, with an unwitting Alicent and Helaena in their shared grief co-opted as a public display for “the sorrow of the crown” (when the cart was stuck in that pothole, was I the only one half-convinced something horrific was going to happen to poor Jaehaerys’ body?).

Demonstrating the maxim ‘everyone grieves in their own way,’ Aegon is terrorizing any and everyone who catches his attention. No surprise in that, though the depth with which his grief runs probably caught most viewers off guard; despite his laundry list of personal failings, he did love his son. His fury, however, extends beyond mere sorrow as he rages against the appearance of being weak. Otto urges him to hold back on his desire for vengeance, a worthy bit of advice that anyone who wasn’t born yesterday knows will be disregarded.

Over at Dragonstone, Rhaenyra is appalled by the news and even more so by the fact that she’s believed to be the perpetrator. Her dismay is great enough that she’s forgiven for taking more than thirty seconds to realize that Daemon’s being awfully quiet during all of this (Rhaenys, unsurprisingly, catches on to him much faster). Emma D’Arcy’s Stare of Realization is only one of many marvelous acting choices preceding the battle of words between Daemon and Rhaenyra, who’s beginning to see her husband with a newfound clarity. Their fight is bitter as words long withheld are finally spoken aloud, as Rhaenyra (rightly) asserts that Viserys didn’t trust his brother while Daemon maintains that she wasn’t chosen for succession as much as a means of preventing him from taking the throne. I half-expected the ordeal to come to blows but Daemon storms out instead, presumably to take Harrenhal and gain House Black something resembling an advantage once more.

Fortunately for him, no one wastes a lead quite like House Green. Rather than sitting pretty and allowing the court of public opinion to eventually bring all the great houses over to their side, Aegon has hanged about a dozen men and left their bodies outside the castle walls for all of Kings Landing to see. He got his man, as the prolonged view of Cheese lets us know, but it’s come at a cost, namely some of the goodwill their recent tragedy has bought. Otto’s grandson is already putting him through his paces but a bad situation is suddenly made much worse when he finds out that Criston Cole has set his own plot into motion: sending Ser Arryk out to assassinate Rhaenyra under the guise of his twin brother, Erryk. Rhys Ifans should be up for awards consideration just for the raised eyebrow coupled with that delivery of the quiet yet withering, “Alone?”

“Do you never think of your father?” Otto goes on to ask, and it’s only now that he seems to be coming to the realization that maybe, just maybe, he’s backed the wrong horse. His attempt to recall Viserys’ good qualities (did he ever speak of the man so well in life?) is met with scorn from Aegon, and for the first time, we see Otto experience something that looks like despair:

Aegon: “My father is dead.”
Otto: “He is. And we are poorer for it.”

He allows his bitterness to take hold, disabusing Aegon of the notion that his father actually chose him as his successor, and, as I predicted last week, Otto’s officially out of a job. However, I was wrong about who would be his replacement; at least Criston has the grace to look slightly sheepish about the surprise promotion, though he grows pretty comfortable with the idea soon enough when he appears in Alicent’s bedroom that night, now freed of his Kingsguard vows. Good to see his insurmountable guilt over being in Alicent’s bed when the murder was taking place has now been made, erm, mountable? Take that however you want.

Arryk’s attempt on Rhaenyra’s life doesn’t go as planned, since Mysaria, who was oh-so-close to freeing herself from those damned royals, spotted him arriving at shore. The brawl between the twin brothers is vicious and certainly the stuff of historical fantasy lore, even if actually getting to know these two would have given this battle significantly more emotional weight. Though Erryk is technically the victor, fratricide is too much for his conscience to bear, and he pleads for Rhaenyra’s forgiveness just before he falls on his own sword.

In record time, the kingdom has gone from largely enjoying several decades of peace to people being murdered in their beds. Sometimes, you don’t know what you had until it’s gone, and as of right now, nothing is more fiercely missed than a stable presence occupying the throne.

Kaleena Rivera is the TV Editor for Pajiba. She can be found on Bluesky here.