(32): Review of House of The Dragon: Episode 2 & 3

 MA Iliasu.

Nothing could have appeared more vividly in the first episode of the show than Lord Otto Hightower's intention of becoming the royal in-law ahead of Lord Corlys Valeryon. King Viserys had finally given in to the plan by choosing Alicent Hightower ahead of the Valeryon girl. Would that choice pay off? Nobody knows exactly, but the odds aren't looking good with Princess Rhaenyra, the chosen heir, who will have to swallow the pain of losing her dad to the bed of her best friend.

That Rhaenyra favored the Valeryon girl as her new stepmom suggests her soft spot for the greatest power of the realm (House Valeryon). Afterall the Valeryons have a long history with the Targaryens. So any possible power struggle in the future with a prince of Valeryon maternity to her may appear warranted. So unlike the opportunism of the lords of the Freetown. Would Rhaenyra like any first born son by Alicent? We shall see!

Interestingly, enough has been shown on the prominence of House Valeryon to agree they're the greatest power of the realm; they're wealthy, equipped with standing army, have fleets and royal affiliation, and great presence of men in leadership and line of succession. Yet the members of the house were totally was absent in the Game of Thrones. And it's like watchers are sleeping on what could make such formidable house disappear in less than 172 years. What does HOtD has for us in store?

On one hand, all of the naivety mentioned earlier would have been avoided had Viserys listened to the realm's master of Law; Lord Lyonel Strong whom, with regards to the royal marriage, advised on the merits of the Valeryons. Lord Strong is most definitely the most educated and sound counselor shown in the series so far. In many ways he comes across as the replica of Varys; learned, honest and dedicated. Ascetic and free from personal or lineage ambition or at least very profound in hiding them. His eldest son is described as the strongest knight in the seven kingdoms.

On the other hand, with the pain of missing out on the royal marriage, Lord Corlys The Sea Snake marched to Daemon The Rogue prince - who was exiled to Dragonstone with the City Watch. And together they joined forces and marched to the Step Stones to download their frustrations on the barbarism of The Triarchy led by the Crabsfeeder who have been terrorizing the fleets of house Corlys among others.

King Viserys was the centre of attention in episode two. What I considered earlier as receptive nature in him is appearing to be a weakness, akin to naivety. He treats his counselors equally and in good faith, which is dangerous. The Targaryen arrogance makes him believe none could burry a knife in his back and he's acting accordingly. And that's how Alicent Hightower became his wife.

In the 3rd episode Alicent Hightower has given birth to a Prince named Aegon (after the conqueror) and is pregnant with another. Meaning, a first born son has arrived to challenge Rhaenyra's claim, and the game is already heating up. Lord Otto Hightower is in high spirit watching his plan fall into place as The king organizes a hunt to celebrate the second born day of the second of his name. Rhaenyra is in bad shape mentally, she's lonely and angry towards everyone, except her guard Ser Criston Cole. Daemon and Corlys on their part have sunk deeper into the enemy's camp bombing them with Dragon fire, though the Crabsfeeder's army appear prepared for the chaos by hiding in a cave.

Then arrived the lions of the seven kingdoms - House Lannister of prominent memory. Firstly in their most popular form - twins. Proud and arrogant. Sourcing a great deal of pride in their wealth and high walls at Casterly Rock. They appear like blokes who just hit the jackpot - confident but nasty and hungry, calmly disorganized like an expensive fabric ruined with bleach, vividly lacking so much in aristocratic grandeur and majestic command of presence. So much of their attitudes looks like that of thieves who are just learning how to spend their stolen money. Very familiar with the royal formalities but seem intentionally unconvertible to it. Their lust for power is already showing; one between the twins already seeks for favor in the Targaryen court while the other the hand of Rhaenyra in marriage - which she declined. Truly the house travelled very far to produce the legendary core like Tywin.

A very noticeable aspect of the third episode does greatly to serve as confirmation bias to our earlier suspicion. For while on one hand we saw in the first episode how the men are hungry for blood after more than sixty years of peace, in the third episode we witnessed how they have almost forgotten how to be brave.

In the Game of Thrones we watched how tired men like Robert Barratheon carried his potbelly and marched into the woods hunting for boar even if it'll kill him. War might've exhausted men but their hearts remain stern. In House of The Dragons we've an equally agile Viserys having the horns of a stag tied with rope by servants before cowardly striking it with spear.

In the battlefield The Crabsfeeder was winning the battle by playing hide and seek with Daemon's Dragon and the Valeryons. The situation was so bad one of the Valeryon brothers was contemplating mutiny; to run home like a coward and narrate how the joint forces of the so-called Sea Snake and Rogue Prince lost a war against glorified bandits. How sad it is that no soldier could follow the Triarchy into the cave when in the Game of Thrones we had Snow getting into a combat with the night King at Hordhome and marching with a group of fire worshipers to the north of the wall to catch a walker alive. We had Grenn holding the gate of castle back against a giant with five men. The Black fish taking on a whole Lannister army alone and Stannis forcing his way to the gates of Kingslandin without cover. What happen to the bravery of men? Peace happened!

The hearts have become so soft only the rogue prince was suicidal enough to bait the Crabsfeeder into coming out by attempting the impossible. And there we've watched why George RR Martin said the prince is his favorite character in the show; brave like Snow, quick like Oberryn, fouling like The hound, a sharp masculine with terrific esteem, a notorius bad boy cajoled with intimidating valor, possessor of rude charisma upon whom pettiness looks cute. He would rather die on the battlefield than rely on the reinforcement of his egoistic brother. Thankfully the war is won. But more alarming is the fact that there's poverty of brave men in westeros. Such is the cost of affluent society. By which standard, the bravery of Daemon definitely belongs in the tales for the legends.

The joint episodes have earned an 8/10 rating.