Score: 8/10
Wow, what an episode! Just when I thought this season was gonna keep blue-balling us with more setup, they dropped this banger on us. We actually got the public dragon rider tryouts I asked for last week! And boy, did they deliver!
Our girl Rhaenyra finally grew a pair and decided to go full Hunger Games on these wannabe dragon riders. Locking everyone in that pit? That’s savage. Sure, it’s not the brightest idea, and yeah, there’s more plot armor than a medieval knight convention, but I’m here for it. It’s about damn time we see some of that fire (pun intended) from season 1 Rhaenyra.
Speaking of which, can we talk about how frustrating she’s been up until now? Like, girl, your kid just got murdered, and you’re out here playing pacifist this entire season? What happened to the badass who wanted to assassinate her nephew? And anytime anyone challenges her, she resorts to saying, “Well, what would you have me do?”
Umm, anything, please do something.
Well, in this episode, she finally gets with the program. War is messy, people die, deal with it.
Now, let’s give a shoutout to the unexpected star of the show: Oscar Tully. The way he marched up to Daemon and basically said, “You want your army? Better start chopping heads, bitch.” I nearly lost it. He left everyone gagged. This is the kind of dialogue I live for – smart people who understand how the game of thrones is played.
Oh, and we can’t forget about Ulf. I was ready to write this dude off, but then he went and dropped a Skyrim reference – instant redemption. I see you, Ulf, you beautiful nerd.
Now, it wasn’t all perfection. We had some silly stuff, too. Like, who thought it was a good idea to send Rhaenyra’s handmaid sneaking around King’s Landing in a bright red robe? Did they forget how to be sneaky? What happened to the iconic grey crime cloak from season 1? Come on, costume department. You’re better than this.
And don’t even get me started on Larys. This dude’s supposed to be the master of whispers, but he couldn’t figure out that a congregation of silver-haired people who may or may not be related to the Targaryens were lining up at the beach to jump on boats towards Drangonstone. Some spymaster you are, buddy.
Then there’s Alicent, who’s very much in her Folklore era right now – she literally goes out to the lakes.
But you know what makes up for all of that? More Paddy Considine! That’s right, our boy Viserys is back, looking like he just stumbled out of a zombie movie. And you know what? He still nails it. That man could read a phone book, and make it sound like Shakespeare.
All in all, this episode was a solid 8/10. Sure, it had its flaws, but when it hit, it hit hard. Now, let’s break this bad boy down.
Episode Breakdown
We kick things off right where we left off last week, with Rhaenyra facing down Addam of Hull on the beach. It’s a killer opening shot – two tiny humans dwarfed by their screeching dragons, who, let’s be honest, are probably just catching up with each other. For a hot second, I thought we were in for some dragon-on-dragon action again, but nope. Addam’s all, “Chill, Your Grace, I’m on your team,” and drops to his knee faster than a proposal at a baseball game.
Meanwhile, in King’s Landing, Alicent has a real “woe is me” moment. She decides she needs a break from all this queening business and tells Ser Rickard – whose actor also plays Vice Admiral Garp in Netflix’s One Piece – that they’re going camping. Because nothing says “I’m stressed” like voluntarily sleeping on the ground.
Over in the Small Council, Larys and Jasper are watching Aemond send some Kingsguards to the Wall, who I’m pretty sure were Aegon’s drinking buddies. They’re also gossiping about Seasmoke getting a new rider, but they’re too chicken shit to tell Aemond because, god forbid, they give the guy with anger issues some potentially false info.
Back at Dragonstone, Jace is throwing a hissy fit because other people get to ride dragons now. The Black Council is all shocked that a commoner could ride a dragon. Rhaenyra has a brainstorming session with Mysaria, who’s basically telling her, “Girl, your family has more bastards than you can shake a stick at. Use ’em!” We also get an awkward but heart-warming father-son moment between Corlys and Addam.
Now, let’s talk about the real MVP of this episode: Oscar motherfucking Tully. He is Him. This kid walks up to Daemon like he’s not talking to the most dangerous man in Westeros and basically says, “You made a mess, now clean it up.” And when Daemon tries to pull his usual intimidation bullshit, Oscar’s just like, “Nah, fam. You want an army? Chop off your buddy’s head.” The balls on this kid, I swear.
Next, we get another visit from Viserys. Looking like he just crawled out of a grave, Viserys is all, “Being king sucks. You still want this job?” It’s a powerful moment that speaks to Daemon’s blind ambition, and it is made even more impactful by Paddy Considine’s ability to act circles around everyone, even when he looks like a corpse.
King Aegon’s still alive, somehow. He’s hobbling around his room like a toddler learning to walk, screaming the whole time. Larys barges in like he owns the place and basically tells Aegon, “No rest for the wicked, Your Grace. Keep moving or die trying.”
Meanwhile, Rhaena’s out in the Vale, clearly about to do something involving a wild dragon. And Alicent’s on her camping trip, giving off major “rich girl tries to find herself” vibes.
Back at Dragonstone, Jace is throwing another tantrum about the new dragon riders. He’s worried about his claim to the throne, conveniently forgetting that his dark hair is basically a flashing neon sign saying “I’m a bastard.”
We then get a montage of people hearing about the dragon rider tryouts and deciding to risk becoming dragon chow. Hugh’s wife is all “don’t go,” but their kid’s dead, so what’s he got to lose? Ulf’s drinking buddies pressure him to go, seeing as Ulf has always rambled about how he is a Targaryen bastard – well, this is your chance to prove it.
Then we get to the main event: Dragon Rider Tryouts, aka the Westeros version of America’s Got Talent, but with more fire and death. Rhaenyra gives a speech that’s part pep talk, part “you might die horribly, but it’s for the greater good.” Very much like Farquaad’s speech.
This show is never beating the allegations of being a live-action Shrek.
Rhaenyra introduces Vermithor like he’s the final boss in a video game ala Alduin. “He’s big, he’s mean, and he’ll probably kill you. Good luck!” Then she just lets these poor bastards (literally) walk into the pit. It’s like watching a bunch of interns being thrown to the wolves on their first day.
Predictably, it turns into a massacre. People are getting roasted and eaten left and right. Rhaenyra watches like she can’t decide whether she’s horrified or impressed. But lo and behold, our boy Hugh manages not to get torched and claims Vermithor, and Ulf somehow bonds with Silverwing – huh. I did not see that coming.
We end with Aemond chasing after Ulf and Silverwing – who somehow made their way to King’s Landing – back to Dragonstone, only to find Rhaenyra’s dragons waiting for him, forcing Aemond and that old hag Vhagar to turn back.
The closing shot of Rhaenyra’s look says it all:
It’s on.
Final Thoughts
We finally got some action going, some character development, and enough dragons to make up for the slow burn of the past few episodes.
Rhaenyra’s finally stepping up to the plate, and it’s about damn time. The dragon rider tryouts were a stroke of genius – Who would’ve thought? And Oscar Tully stole the show with his zero fucks given attitude. The silly moments (looking at you, sneaky handmaid and clueless Larys) were balanced out by the awesome dragon scenes and some solid character work.
Overall, this was one of the best episodes of the season, and it sets the stage for an exciting finale.
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