
‘House of the Dragon’ – ‘The Red Dragon and the Gold’ – Review
The War for Westeros has arrived, and in Episode Four of Season Two of House of the Dragon, ‘The Red Dragon and the Gold’, audiences finally get to witness the mighty fury of the dragons unleashed…. and it is a sight to behold!
In Rhaenyra and Daemon’s absence, Rhaenys tries to steady the Black Council as Cole mounts a campaign into the Crownlands. Aemond continues to undermine Aegon’s fragile hold on authority.
The conclusion of Episode Three, ‘The Burning Mill’ showed that there is no alternative but war, and ‘The Red Dragon and the Gold’ throws audiences right into the burning heat of it. Game of Thrones veteran Alan Taylor is on hand for directing duties this time, and he makes Episode Four of Season Two a truly epic spectacle. Audiences are readily swept up in this full-on dramatic experience, which shows how far each side, The Greens and The Blacks, will go to ensure victory. The scope and scale of this episode have not been seen since the likes of ‘Battle of the Bastards’, and its immediacy of action will stay with audiences for a long time to come.
While the Brackens and Blackwoods may have started the fight, all of Westeros is now involved in this growing war of succession, and no part of this land will be spared. ‘The Red Dragon and the Gold’ takes us firmly into this with Ser Criston Cole (Fabien Frankel), who is rapidly becoming the most despised character in the series, along with Ser Gwayne Hightower (Freddie Fox), brother to Dowager Queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke) sacking the Crownlands and gaining allegiances by the sword. Frankel’s Ser Criston shows no leniency or mercy and cements that he’s only interested in the end game of this fight and will go to any length to achieve it. It’s another layer added to Frankel’s performance, and he’s showing an incredibly murky depth as this twisted character. This is juxtaposed with the disorder that is plaguing The Blacks, and Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen’s (Emma D’Arcy) absence is beginning to unravel the confidence that her followers have in her and her claim.
‘The Red Dragon and the Gold’ is an episode of much character growth and development and sheds light on the changing development of the interpersonal relationships of characters and the areas where jealousy and ambition come into play. Tom Glynn-Carney’s King Aegon II again shows his incompetence and arrogance of leadership, and in yet another Small Council meeting, throws a tantrum in front of his advisers and comes into direct conflict with his aggressive and sadistic younger brother Prince Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell). For much of the series, Ageon II has made it his mission to admonish and taunt the younger Aemond. Still, it’s very clear that tormenting Aemond is never a smart move, and being the smartest person in the room, Aemond shows up the King’s incompetence of rule and sets in motion the horrors of the episode to come.
Aegon II’s failure is made even more pronounced in a key scene later in the episode, where he comes into a bitter confrontation with his mother, Queen Alicent, who once again chastises him for his idiocy and lack of interest in his power as a monarch. It’s a very telling scene of the state of Aegon II’s mind. This only adds to the self-loathing that is already festering in the back of Aegon II’s mind, and Glynn-Carney brings a considered depth of emotion to the surface to show how messed up this decrepit king truly is. But Queen Alicent’s own choices are starting to backfire, including a secret that she makes a concerted effort to hide from those around her. With her father banished from court and her young sons seeking to prove themselves in their fight for authority, not to mention her clandestine relationship with Ser Criston, Alicent is now in a very dangerous place, which will only add further tension to House of the Dragon.
With the Crownlands in flame and The Blacks faltering in their strategy, Matt Smith’s Prince Daemon Targaryen is still sequestered in the ruins of Harrenhal, and his mind and sanity are rapidly beginning to fail him. Increasingly erratic and dangerous visions are now plaguing him, and in one of the episode’s standout moments, he comes face to face with the almost ghostly past and his memories of the young Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock). It all commands a bloody, nightmarish end, proving that Daemon is far from himself. ‘The Red Dragon and the Gold’ also introduces an intriguing new character in the form of Gayle Rankin’s Alys Rivers, a witch-like healer who can see through Daemon’s mask and knows that not all is well with him. Smith continues to find new depths to a heroic and villainous character in the same instance, and these new revelations about his psyche will impact things to come.
But the crux of ‘The Red Dragon and the Gold’ comes in its third act, and the monumental Battle at Rook’s Rest where the dragons are loosed, and the fire burns. It’s an all-consuming event of battle and horror in the same instance, and audiences will be in awe of the carnage that is left on the screen. It’s climatic event is a threeway mid-air dragon brawl between Eve Best’s Princess Rhaenys Targaryen and Meleys, Tom Glynn-Carney’s King Aegon II Targaryen and Sunfyre and Ewan Mitchell’s Prince Aemond Targaryen and Vhagar. And it all goes to HELL in the most brutal and wildest way imaginable. The audience bears witness to the scorching heat of dragon fire and the destruction that it wrought, and in the end, nothing but death and ash is left.
‘The Red Dragon and the Gold’ is both a spectacular and terrifying experience for audiences. The trajectory of this narrative and the seething war that is sweeping the lands of Westeros have been changed forever with the application of dragonfire and the cunning of those clamouring for power.
Season Two of House of the Dragon is now streaming on Neon and SKY TV.
Image: SKY TV