Warning- This House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 4 Breakdown & Review contains major spoilers!
Alas! The Dance of the Dragon has officially begun!
The action-packed episode is just what HOTD fans had been craving for. All that politics brewing on the screen has finally led to this day when we get to witness the glory of VFX blended with great music, acting, and scriptwriting.
The episode opens with Ser Daemon being haunted by his thoughts in the halls of Harrenhal. We see the return of Milly Alcock as young Rhaenrya haunting the Queen’s Consort in his vision. The question remains- whether Ser Daemon is now his own ally or still backs the Queen’s mission to take the throne back.
In parallel, Cole continuously succeeds in his voyage of raising the army in the name of Aegon, the Usurper. And those that he considers traitors are losing their heads as his armies march forward.
All that is happening while The Black Council wonders and conflicts in the absence of the Queen and Jacerys getting restless and desperate to join the war. But not for long, as the Queen returns to the table with much clarity for the future of hers, and the Westeros.
Queen Rhanerya, after her last interaction with Alicent, has the clarity that it’s either the war or the death that awaits her. And for the latter, the time still remains!
By the conclusion of the meeting, it is decided that Princess Rhaneys, along with her fierce companion, The Red Queen (Meleys), is ready to face Cole’s armies.
Dance of the Dragons
While Team Black is planning its own war, The Greens, especially Aegon, is faced with the disloyalty and conspiracies brewing behind his back. Cole, it turns out, is now coordinating with Aemond directly. Their plan to trap the dragon that joins Rook’s Rest is now in motion without the approval of their king.
While Princess Rhaneys moves to the battlefield to burn down the enemy army, Aemond awaits in hiding, looking for the right moment to attack her. For the Greens- the plan was perfectly put- until, the Usurper decided to be a slave of his emotions and take the matters into his own hands along with his dragon, Sunfyre.
And to not my surprise, Aemond decided to use him as the bait that would keep Princess and her dragon distracted. The fierce battle takes place between the three, the fire clouds consume our screens, And we see the sequence ending with the fall of the king and his dragon.
While it felt like Meleys had dominance over the war, Vhagar, and Aemond, being as cunning as they are, got her with a surprise attack. And that was the moment when Rhaneys and Meleys showed the audience that the bond they share was much deeper than just of a rider and their dragon. The last look exchanged between them was the poetic goodbye those warriors bid to each other. And with that, another Targaryen and another dragon have fallen along with our tears for their loss.
As for Aegon- whether he is truly dead or not, only the time will tell. As the episode ends with Cole and Aemond finding his fallen dragon.
And now, we march to the review!
This episode’s director Alan Taylor, along with his brilliant cinematographer P.J. Dillon, writer Ryan Condal, and the crew put the soul into this episode. They have managed to present the desperation, the thrill, the sense of loss so well on our screens. While watching the episode, you could sense the change in the pace, the feel of the music, and all that brilliance blended with the best quality VFX.
The episode was neither slow, nor the fast. It built the required tension and placed characters at the right speed before treating us with the beauty of The Dance of the Dragons! I wish I could witness this in a theatre.
Well, what do you think – Is this House of the Dragon episode a crowning glory or just another pretender in the saga? Drop your thoughts in the comment and keep coming to Critics’ Reviews at CineCinnati.com!
