House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 6 recap: A new dragonrider

It’s time for some major power moves in House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 6.  Rhaenyra asks Ser Steffon Darklyn to try to bond with Seasmoke (RIP Laenor, it seems). It does not go well, but Seasmoke has a new rider in mind for himself, while Corlys appoints his illegitimate son, Addam of Hull, to be his new First Mate. After Lord Jason Lannister decides to park his army until Aemond brings Vhagar out to play on their side, Aemond “fires” Alicent from the Green Council, orders Tyland Lannister to make a deal with the Free Cities’ pirates to crush the Velaryons’ blockade of The Gullet, and demands a new Hand of the King. No, not you, Larys Strong!

Daemon and Viserys reunite for brother bonding time at haunted Harrenhal. And Alicent and Helaena are caught in the chaos as the starving smallfolk of King’s Landing rise up against the Greens, following Mysaria’s whisper campaign about the Red Keep’s feasts, and Rhaenyra and Mysaria sending small boats with food for the people across the bay from Dragonstone to King’s Landing. 

What happened in House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 5

Power struggles within the Black and Green councils intensified following the death of Rhaenys and her dragon Meleys, along with the crippling of King Aegon and the death of Sunfyre. Ser Criston paraded Meleys’ head through the streets of King’s Landing, to the horror of the small folk, who see the dragons as gods. The Green Council named Aemond regent and Aemond ordered the gates of King’s Landing to be closed, trapping the starving citizens inside. Daemon had Willem Blackwood take the Brackens’ women and children hostage at Harrenhal to bring the Riverlands to heel, while Jacaerys promised to grant Harrenhal to Sabitha Frey and Lord Forrest Frey in exchange for siding with Rhaenyra and allowing Lord Cregan Stark’s army to pass through the Crossing. And Jacaerys and Rhaenyra decided to seek out dragonriders from the Targaryen bloodline to ride the only dragons big enough to take down Vhagar. 

Need a refresher? Read the full House of the Dragon Season 2 recaps for: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, and Episode 5. Also read the House of the Dragon Season 1 recap and a House of the Dragon Season 2 Who’s Who.

Stream House of the Dragon Season 1-2 on Showmax now. New episodes Mondays, express from the US.

Episode 6: Give Aemond a hand, would you

Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) gets pushback from his allies. Lord Jason Lannister (Jefferson Hall) halts his army’s march at Lord Humfrey Lefford’s (Daniel Fathers) castle in The Golden Tooth, and he sends a message to Aemond announcing that they will not march further on Harrenhal until Aemond joins them on Vhagar. Looks like word gets around about what happens when soldiers march against dragons! 

Aemond shakes up the Green Council, dismissing Alicent (Olivia Cooke), ordering Tyland Lannister (Jefferson Hall) to negotiate with the Free Cities and the Triarchy to attack Corlys Velaryon’s (Steve Toussaint) blockade of The Gullet, and sending Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) to march for Harrenhal with Ser Gwayne Hightower (Freddie Fox) again, this time for real. And he announces that he needs a new Hand of the King. Larys Strong (Matthew Needham) is all set to humbly accept the honour when Aemond tells him, “Do you take me for a fool? I have little patience for the self-important, Lord Larys, but even less for flatterers and lickspittles. Every king needs a Hand. I will make it your responsibility … not to serve as Hand, you toad! To fetch him. Send word to Otto Hightower. My grandsire may be overcautious but his devotion to his family has never been in doubt.” Woof! It’s a worse burn than when Vhagar roasted Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney)! 

And just like that, crispy King Aegon, who’s starting to regain consciousness, has an eager new supporter who’s desperate for his survival. Larys even withholds Aegon’s pain medication to keep his mind sharp when Aemond pays him a little visit to find out how much Aegon remembers of what happened at Rook’s Rest. But why is Lord Otto (Rhys Ifans) not replying to Alicent’s messages? 

Desperately seeking dragonrider

Newly widowed Corlys has Rhaenyra’s (Emma D'Arcy) gratitude and sympathy when he arrives at Dragonstone to be her Hand of the King. And Rhaenyra reveals her plan to try to find new dragonriders, starting with Ser Steffon Darklyn (Anthony Flanagan). While the rest of the Black Council is horrified, Ser Steffon is honoured, eager and willing … until he actually has to stand face-to-face with Seasmoke inside the Dragonmount during a top-secret ceremony. Alas, Seasmoke is having none of it, and the last of the Darklyns goes up in smoke. 

When Lord Bartimos Celtigar (Nicholas Jones) follows Rhaenyra around complaining “I told you so” as if he’s ringing the shame bell, Rhaenyra slaps him in front of everyone as a gentle reminder to mind his place. Even Jacaerys (Harry Collett) is questioning Rhaenyra’s leadership. Within the Black Council, though, Rhaenyra and Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) are making their own moves. Unlike the men of the Council, Mysaria has the knack for suggesting plans that will advance Rhaenyra’s agenda and actually work effectively without involving Daemon (Matt Smith). Mysaria deepens her intimacy and understanding with Rhaenyra by confiding that her first abuser was her father, who molested and impregnated her before abandoning her to die. After revealing that Rhaenyra is one of only a tiny handful of people she trusts, Mysaria has a suggestion that will both help the smallfolk, and boost support for Rhaenyra in King’s Landing. And Mysaria and Rhaenyra’s relationship develops a new angle. 

Riot in King’s Landing

With the people starving, Mysaria’s agents in King’s Landing complain out loud in pubs, inns and bars about supposed banquets in the Red Keep, while even the pubs can only serve thin slop to customers. While Aemond ignores the growing cries for help and food, Rhaenyra takes advantage of a cloudy night to send boats filled with fresh vegetables from Dragonstone across Blackwater Bay to King’s Landing. The food causes an all-out riot when it arrives, with Hugh the blacksmith (Kieran Bew) punching one man to the ground to grab his bag of veg. Unaware of the brewing trouble, Alicent and Halaena (Phia Saban) are praying for Aegon’s recovery in the Sept of Baelor when their guards arrive to save them from the crowd outside. Alicent and Halaena are tugged about by the crowd as their guards try to get them to safety. One of the smallfolk even throws rotten fish guts in Alicent’s face, calling her the “Queen of Fishes”, while cheering on Queen Rhaenyra. Despite Alicent’s orders not to draw their swords against the people, the guards disobey, and several knights wind up being torn to pieces by the crowd while Alicent and Halaena escape. 

Viserys? At Harrenhal?

Daemon’s back in dreamtime at Harrenhal, this time for an emotional chat with a younger and healthier King Viserys (Paddy Considine). Together they go through Daemon’s sins, including calling his dead son “King for a Day” and laughing at him instead of grieving with him. Viserys accuses Daemon of throwing everything he gave him back in Viserys’ face, despite Viserys being his only ally at court. Depending on the accuracy of the vision, we might relive the moment when Viserys tells Daemon that he’s naming a new heir and sends him away from court. For once, Daemon gets to take in what that decision cost Viserys, as Viserys starts crying. 

Ser Simon Strong (Russell Beale) has no idea what to do with his guest, who seems crazier by the day and holds a knife to his throat, accusing him of trying to poison or drug Daemon. 

The culprit is more likely to be Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin), who’s looking more like Larys Strong every day, as she advises Daemon to sit tight instead of storming off on Caraxes. Alys “senses” that the tide will shift in the Riverlands within the next three days. Lord Grover Tully’s days are numbered, one way or another. And when he goes, Lord Oscar Tully  (Archie Barnes) will be the new Lord Paramount of the Riverlands, and the only ruler able to unite the houses of the Riverlands to go to war together instead of turning on one another. 

Sure enough, three days and one more vision quest later – during which Daemon comforts Viserys when he finds him crying over the body of Queen Aemma Targaryen (Sian Brooke)  – Daemon is told that, oh dear, what a shame that Lord Grover is dead. Alys tried her best but he was old and sick. Anyway, long live Lord Oscar Tully. 

Salt and sea, blood and fire

At The Eyrie, Rhaena (Phoebe Campbell) confronts Lady Jeyne Arryn (Amanda Collin) about secretly having a dragon, after she sees signs that a dragon is hunting and burning sheep in the hills. But Lady Jeyne tells her that it’s just a wild, riderless dragon. Furthermore, she has a boat ready to send Rhaena and Rhaenyra’s two youngest children on to Pentos. Much to think about for Rhaena!

At Driftmark, Corlys drops in on Alyn of Hull (Abubakar Salim) to appoint him First Mate on Corlys’ ship before they set sail for the blockade. And when Alyn still seems inclined to sulk about not being acknowledged as Colrys’ son, his brother Addam of Hull (Clinton Liberty) urges him to take the honour he’s being given and jump on the fast ship to success and riches. Addam is feeling a little left out, frankly, since Corlys has never acknowledged him as his biological son at all. 

But Addam’s time has come. While he’s doing stuff on the beach, Seasmoke comes racing out of the sky, heading straight for him. Everyone scatters and Addam flees into the hills and woods, thinking he’s about to be dragon food. When Seasmoke lands in front of him, though, he doesn’t light him up like Ser Steffon. As Addam sits saying his last prayers, he realises that Seasmoke wants him to be his new rider. As the episode ends, Rhaenyra gets word that Seasmoke has been seen with a rider. Fearing an attack by the greens, she mounts Syrax to go out to meet dragon and rider in the air above Dragonstone. 

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