‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2 Episode 2 Recap: Dig Two Graves

Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 2.

The Big Picture

• Aegon demands revenge for his son’s death, sowing chaos and division among the Greens.
• Daemon’s reckless actions weaken Rhaenyra’s claim to the throne, leading to a confrontation between the couple.
• The twins Ser Arryk and Erryk Cargill engage in a brutal fight, resulting in a heartbreaking end.

With its first episode, House of the Dragon Season 2 wasted no time in plunging us into one of the earliest and grisliest acts of innocent bloodshed. Although the infamous Blood and Cheese storyline may have been even more graphic as told within the pages of George R. R. Martin‘s fictional history of the Targaryens, Fire & Blood, the ripple effects of the murder of Prince Jaehaerys are still immediate — and a promise that before this civil war is through, both sides will come to know even more loss.

However, as Episode 2 reveals, the plot to commit murder on her behalf is one that doesn’t sit well with Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) in the slightest, resulting in an immediate fracture between her and arguably one of her closest allies. On the other side, the death of his firstborn son sends King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) into an instantaneous rage, one that will only be satisfied by revenge — and in the hours that follow, his grief also drives him to part ways with someone who, up until now, had been a significant political advisor. How these respective splits will impact the battle in the coming weeks, only time will tell, but anyone with eyes can see that installing Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) in a higher position of power might be the opposite of wise.

The Greens Plot Their Revenge in ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2, Episode 2

It’s chaos in the immediate aftermath of Jaehaerys’ death, with servants rounded up in the dead of night across the Red Keep, presumably for interrogation. Meanwhile, decades of King Viserys’ (Paddy Considine) efforts on his painstakingly crafted model of King’s Landing are being reduced to rubble, courtesy of Aegon and a fireplace poker. The king is in the anger stage of his grief long before an emergency meeting of the small council is convened, demanding heads left and right, chief of all Rhaenyra’s — despite his advisors’ efforts to remind him that they don’t know for certain that his sister had anything to do with this despicable crime. Yet, as Aegon’s grandfather and Hand of the King, Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), points out, perhaps it doesn’t matter whether Rhaenyra was responsible or not; they can cultivate the people’s sympathy with a procession of mourning through the streets of King’s Landing, all the way to the funeral pyre in the dragon pit. After the display with Rhaenys (Eve Best) and Meleys at Aegon’s coronation, public sentiment doesn’t exactly rest in the new king’s favor, and those who have declared for Rhaenyra need to bear witness to the depths of her depravity, truthful or otherwise.

However, neither of the men responsible for the prince’s murder ultimately gets away with the crime, as Ser Larys Strong (Matthew Needham) interrupts the meeting to inform everyone that a Goldcloak (Sam C. Wilson) has been apprehended at the city gates, carrying Jaehaerys’ head in a sack. As the prince’s body is prepared for House of the Dragon‘s equivalent of a motorcade, Larys privately oversees the interrogation of the culprit. One look at the tools of torture laid out and the soldier immediately spills about who hired him: Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith). Mercy won’t be granted here, though, as Aegon comes into the cell and proceeds to personally beat the Blood of Blood and Cheese to death. By then, the funeral procession is in full swing, with both Alicent and Queen Helaena (Phia Saban) riding behind Jaehaerys’ body per Otto’s plan to drum up public sympathy. But when the wagon hits a pothole in the road, the train comes to a halt, and Helaena quickly becomes overwhelmed by the number of people crushing forward to offer their condolences, with Alicent only just managing to keep her daughter from fleeing the cortège altogether.

This week, most of the Greens are reeling from their own actions — or inaction, specifically, when it comes to Ser Criston Cole. Given that he and the dowager queen were in bed together that night, and neither could admit the truth about their whereabouts without exposing their affair, Criston feels there’s no absolution for their actions, as he privately divulges to Alicent. Moreover, it’s evident he’s acting out of misplaced guilt over his own failure when he takes fellow Whitecloak Ser Arryk Cargyll (Luke Tittensor) to task for having a dirtied hem; then, as their conversation intensifies, the Lord Commander takes it a step further, personally ordering Arryk to go to Dragonstone and impersonate his traitorous twin brother to kill Rhaenyra and prove his own loyalty. Sitting in a more reflective place by comparison is Aemond (Ewan Mitchell), who has put two and two together about being Daemon’s intended assassination target. The truth, as he reveals to brothel madam Sylvi (Michelle Bonnard), whose arms he was in that night as well, is that he does have regrets about what happened with Lucerys (Elliot Grihault); he lost his temper, and his nephew paid the ultimate price for it. Sylvi doesn’t mince words in her honesty, with a quote that feels more than a little prophetic for the rest of the season: “When princes lose their temper, it is others who suffer. Smallfolk, like me.”

All that said, there may be no one who is more exhausted on Team Green right now than Otto, especially after Aegon orders that all the ratcatchers in the king’s employ be executed by hanging, regardless of whether they had a hand in Jaehaerys’ murder or not. The real culprit (Mark Stobbart) is among them, but Otto is still furious — there were innocent fathers, brothers, and sons who were sacrificed in the process. All the goodwill that Jaehaerys’ funeral may have bought them is now gone, thanks to Aegon’s feckless actions. While it’s always been obvious that Otto’s intention to play it smart would ultimately be trampled over by Aegon’s desire for violent retribution, it’s still breathtaking to see it all laid out so plainly between grandfather and grandson, with Ifans and Glynn-Carney delivering some of their best work in this scene. When Otto learns that Criston has sent Arryk to slay Rhaenyra, it seems to be the final straw for the Hand. Such an impetuous decision should never have been made without consulting the rest of the council. Whatever Otto’s feelings about it, however, Aegon reminds his grandfather that Viserys made him king. Otto’s laugh is chilling because of how cynical it is, as are the words that seal his fate: “Is that what you think?”

Aegon demands Otto’s badge right then and there; as the king says, he needs his new Hand to be a steel fist, and along those same lines, why not give the job to Criston? Otto’s admittedly badass response is to throw the badge down at Criston’s feet, with the vow that Aegon will regret his decision. Later, alone with Alicent, Otto confesses he can’t remain in King’s Landing now that he’s been exiled from the council; Alicent suggests he travel to Highgarden to negotiate allegiance with the Tyrells, and she’ll manage Aegon in the meantime. Before their exchange ends, Alicent, who has been weighing over whether to confess to her affair with Criston for the entire episode, comes as close as she can with her father, vaguely admitting that she’s sinned — but Otto doesn’t think it’s important enough for him to know about. With the possibility of finding any clemency from her father denied, Alicent turns on the one person she can in private, slapping Criston and pounding on his chest until he pins her against a wall and starts to hike up her dress. Looks like there’s still more sinning in store for these two.

The Blacks Are Divided From Within in ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2, Episode 2

Over on Dragonstone, Rhaenyra is as shocked and dismayed as anyone to learn of Jaehaerys’ death, as well as the fact that she’s been accused of having a hand in it. As a mother who recently lost a son, why would she seek relief in retribution? One look at Daemon, however, and Rhaenyra immediately knows who is really responsible for acting in her name. Behind closed doors, she has no trouble confronting her husband and demanding honesty. Daemon insists he was clear in his instructions about who was hired to do the job, but one could argue he wasn’t specific enough — or that the two killers-for-hire were so desperate for coin that they interpreted his words beyond what he intended. Regardless of said intent, however, Rhaenyra is understandably less than thrilled; Daemon’s plot has weakened her claim to the throne, her ability to claim or retain valuable allies, and even her standing with her own council.

The topic of conversation, however, swiftly turns to some long-buried truths finally emerging between the couple, when Rhaenyra confesses that she has always kept Daemon at a distance. At a younger age, she even considered his emotional remove something of a personal challenge to overcome, but now, she questions whether he only wanted to be with her to further his own political standing. There’s fear in Rhaenyra’s eyes as Daemon suddenly knocks a goblet off the table and advances on her — surely, she’s thinking of his hand around her throat during their Season 1 argument about the Song of Ice and Fire prophecy. But more than any intimidation Daemon can conjure in the moment, there’s a more important question Rhaenyra needs the answer to: “Do you accept me as your queen and ruler, or do you cling even now to what you think you lost?” In typical Daemon fashion, he manages to sidestep any real response, even as their argument shifts to Viserys — why he named Rhaenyra, why he took the inheritance away from Daemon. What it all ultimately boils down to, both then and now, is a lack of trust — Viserys couldn’t trust Daemon, and neither can Rhaenyra, deep down. Daemon leaves Dragonstone on Caraxes shortly thereafter, and from that point on, it seems not even Rhaenyra knows when he might return.

After Daemon’s departure, Rhaenyra summons Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) to question the woman about her knowledge of the assassination plot. It starts that way, at least, but the conversation soon turns to their shared understanding of who Daemon is at his core, with Rhaenyra shocked by the realization that the woman standing before her is the same one he once intended to marry during his brief rebellion tantrum in Season 1. Their stories are not that dissimilar, despite the circumstances through which they grew up — two women who will never truly be accepted by the men around them, no matter how hard they claw and scrape for power. Ultimately, Rhaenyra agrees to honor the bargain that Daemon made with Mysaria for her freedom, offering the former White Worm passage on a ship destined for Myr. Yet, as she’s escorted to the harbor, Mysaria seems to be the only one observant enough to recognize a man identical to a member of Rhaenyra’s loyal Queensguard walking up from the beach to Dragonstone.

With his helmet on, and thanks to the fact that Ser Erryk (Elliott Tittensor) is still conveniently wearing the exact same armor in Rhaenyra’s service, Arryk has no trouble marching right into Dragonstone, relieving Ser Lorent Marbrand (Max Wrottesley), who is guarding Rhaenyra’s bedchamber, and offering to stand watch in his stead. Having sneakily locked the other means of exit, Arryk’s path to Rhaenyra is direct as he enters the room. The queen’s confusion is brief until Arryk draws his sword — but then, Erryk bursts into the room behind him, brandishing his own blade to reluctantly confront his brother, and as the two identical twins advance on each other, it becomes more and more difficult to tell which knight is loyal to Rhaenyra and which one has been sent to murder her.

Erryk puts himself between Arryk and Rhaenyra before his brother can bring his sword down, but eventually earns a deep cut to the leg for his protective efforts. As Arryk continues to try to attack Rhaenyra, Ser Lorent reappears, out of armor and sword drawn, but even he can’t determine which twin has sworn allegiance to them and which is a traitor. Protecting Rhaenyra is still the priority, but as the brothers disarm each other and resort to throwing brutal punches, it’s clear that this will be a fight to the death — but whose? Erryk manages to get his hands around his brother’s throat, but then Arryk digs his fingers into that deep leg wound, earning a brief instant of respite. As Erryk scrambles to retrieve a blade and swing it down in attack, he leaves himself unprotected, giving Arryk an opening to drive his own sword through his brother’s body. With the knowledge that he has failed, in every sense of the word, a weeping Arryk approaches Rhaenyra, who initially confuses him for Erryk before the realization dawns — and quickly gives way to horror. “Your Grace, forgive me,” Arryk gasps, before plunging his own blade into his abdomen and collapsing dead at Rhaenyra’s feet. It’s a heartbreaking ending for the knight who pointed out the futility of this assignment when Criston Cole first assigned it to him, a worthless revenge mission that has only resulted in the need to dig two more graves.

New episodes of House of the Dragon Season 2 premiere Sundays on HBO and Max.

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