What the battle episodes were in Game of Thrones, the dragon fight episodes could be in House of the Dragon in the future. At least that is my verdict after the fourth episode of season 2, which most powerful beast skirmish in the entire fantasy saga Now the Targaryen War is really starting – and I’m still shaking.
Warning, there are massive spoilers for the new House of the Dragon episode ahead:
House of the Dragon Season 2 begins the dance of the dragons
In the first season, House of the Dragon told the prologue of the historic war of succession of the Targaryen dynasty, which went down in history as the Dance of the Dragons. With the latest episode, season 2 has now delivered us a brutal battle of war, with which the Dragon Dance lives up to its name for the first time becomes.
Sure: Season 1 ended with a fatal clash between Vhagar and Arrax that shook the audience (including me) to the core. But that was just a warm-up exercise for the Battle of Crow’s RestFor the first time in the history of the Game of Thrones series universe, three huge dragons are battling each other in the sky and I want to see more of this in the future.
Here you can watch the trailer for episode 4 of House of the Dragon season 2:
House of the Dragon – S02E04 Trailer (English) HD
While Kriston Kraut (Fabien Frankel) on the ground lets the Green army move towards Rook’s Rest, a really exciting and thrilling battle unleashes in the sky between the dragon riders Rhaenys (Eve Best), Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) and King Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) and their dragons Meleys, Vhagar and Sunfire.
The Battle of Crow’s Rest is the dragon highlight of House of the Dragon so far
Even though the Crow’s Rest chapter is only 20 minutes long and the actual battle is only 10 minutes long, every second of it a pleasureWe have often seen how a war between two armies unfolds in Game of Thrones. But when dragons suddenly get involved, everything changes.
The enormous power of the creatures and the destruction they leave behind are impressively staged here. First, fire and dragon blood rain from the sky. In the end, nothing is left but scorched earth and hundreds of charred corpses.
HBO
Crow’s Rest before the Great Dragon Fire
What happens at high altitudes, however, is one goosebumps-inducing moment after another. An unforgettable image is the literal dragon dance between Meleys and Vhagar, who cling to each other and tumble from the sky towards the earth, spitting fire at each other.
The battle in the sky over Crow’s Rest not only impressively shows the destructive power that dragons can unleash – and why you shouldn’t ride a dragon while drunk. The Beast Battle also features one of House of the Dragon’s most shocking deaths yet.
Long live Rhaenys, Queen of Hearts!
The biggest highlight of the dragon battle in episode 4 is not the CGI creatures, but the intense and nuanced acting of Eve Best, with which she bids her character Rhaenys Velaryon (née Targaryen) farewell from the series.
During the fight, there are two moments when Rhaenys could flee. But she does not let the chance to make amends for her controversial retreat in Season 1 pass her by. Her eyes reflect Fighting spirit and exhaustionHer look reveals that she is ready to die and has accepted her fate.
HBO
Rhaenys’ last flight
And promptly Vhagar darts out from behind a castle tower to deliver the fatal blow, sinking her teeth into the Red Queen’s neck. The shock is followed by a moment that broke my heart. Close to death, Meleys tilts her head to the side and looks her rider Rhaenys deep in the eyes. Two tired warriors say goodbye to each other with understandingbefore they fall to their deaths together.
For me, the “Queen who never was” was always a calming influence in the midst of the intrigues and hostilities of her family members and always kept a cool head. From the very beginning, House of the Dragon portrayed her as a capable woman who would clearly have been the better queen for Westeros. Her loss is all the more painful, because without Rhaenys there is hardly anyone left who wants to prevent a complete escalation.
More about House of the Dragon:
When is House of the Dragon season 2 episode 5 coming out?
With the Battle of Crow’s Rest, the second season of House of the Dragon has now reached a dramatic turning point, transforming the trench warfare into an open war. And considering George RR Martin’s book Fire and Blood, this wasn’t even the most massive battle that awaits us in the remaining four episodes of season 2.
The latest episodes of House of the Dragon are available to watch every Monday from around 4:00 a.m. on Sky and WOW. It continues with episode 5 on July 15, 2024The season 2 finale will air on August 5, 2024.