Warning: this story contains spoilers from “House of the Dragon” Season 2, Episode 4 — read at your own risk!
Readers of “Fire & Blood,” George R. R. Martin‘s 2018 novel that inspired HBO’s “House of the Dragon,” have been eagerly awaiting the so-called “Dance of the Dragons” battle for years … and it did not disappoint. The episode that aired on Sunday, July 7 was titled “The Red Dragon and the Gold” and ended with a deathly high-flying spectacle between Meleys, Sunfyre and Vhagar, as ridden by Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best), Aegon Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) and Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell), respectively. Wide-eyed viewers have given the hour a 9.7 rating at IMDb, making it the top-rated episode of the entire series so far.
So just how strong is a 9.7 score? To compare, only four episodes of HBO’s parent series “Game of Thrones,” which aired for eight seasons, fared better than that at IMDb: “Hardhome” at 9.8, and “The Rains of Castamere,” “Battle of the Bastards” and “The Winds of Winter” at 9.9. Four iconic hours of television indeed.
The pivotal scenes of “The Red Dragon and the Gold” dealt with Hand of the King Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel) and his army trying to take over the inconsequential area known as Rook’s Rest. When Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) learned of the attack, she sent Princess Rhaenys to fight for her cause, and Cole’s true plan came to fruition. He and Aemond had secretly plotted to ensure that Aemond’s enormous dragon Vhagar was hidden nearby, and it was to kill whatever dragon was sent its way, in this case Meleys. But no one could have suspected that King Aegon and Sunfyre were also en route to the coastal town, as he was trying to prove to his mother Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and his advisors that he could do more as ruler than simply sit around the castle.
The three dragons fought each other high up in the sky as the armies stood below, watching haplessly. During the battle, Aemond saw an opportunity to get rid of his older brother, so he shouted “Dracarys!” and Vhagar spit fire at Sunfyre, sending the King and his dragon tumbling down to earth. Later, after Rhaenys refused to retreat, her beloved Meleys was bit in the throat by the much larger Vhagar, and the princess and her dragon exploded in a ball of fire when they hit the castle grounds — watch below.
The moment Rhaenys let go of the reigns as she fell to her death is what did me in. She accepted her fate
#HOTD pic.twitter.com/ZMF9qA2CdY
— Nat_Esq (@NatRichonne) July 8, 2024
“House of the Dragon” showrunner Ryan Condal confirmed in HBO’s post-episode interview that Rhaenys and Meleys were indeed gone, saying, “I think it’s a Pyrrhic victory for both sides. We lose Rhaenys, one of Rhaenyra’s most trusted counselors.” As for whether the King has also perished, he teased, “We don’t really know the condition of Sunfyre or Aegon. You just have to regard it as a great emblem, an example of how horrible and awful dragon war is and the reason that it needs to be waged with great restraint.”
On the awards front, Season 1 of “House of the Dragon” won the Golden Globe for Best Drama Series, the Emmy Award for fantasy/sci-fi costumes, the Costume Designer Guild Award for sci-fi/fantasy, and three BAFTA Awards for makeup/hair, visual effects and sound. How many trophies will Season 2 take home later this year? Stay tuned.
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