Ryan Shoots First: House of the Dragon (S2 Ep6) “Smallfolk”

Don’t get me wrong, I like the slow burn of the early seasons of Game of Thrones, I believe some of the most iconic scenes are in a chamber with two actors acting their actor assess off. But something needs to happen, this week’s episode was essentially a re-do of last week’s.

All the plot threads we were in last week moved by about 1 foot toward the finish line this week. I think that is what made Thrones work so well because they had 5 or 6 stories going at any time, and they could rotate the next “big event” around those storylines. You may get a big battle or moment but then the other threads would get progressed with a dialogue scene or something else. With HOTD largely all revolving around one main story with different branches, it seems things move much more slowly. 

The big new angle is Rhaenyra’s plan to uncover some Targaryen bastards roaming around that could ride one of the wild dragons roaming around. This is a desperate gambit but as the show has made painfully obvious Team Black is against the wall and really needs a breakthrough. I’ll leave it to you to see the results of this plan. I think the source of some of my frustration this season is Daemon. This is easily the 4th straight episode he simply has not moved forward. He’s haunted, storms around the castle, rinse repeat for 4 straight weeks. I could handle the other stories moving at their pace but seeing him spend 80% of the season wandering around Harenhall Luigi’s Mansion style has grown tiresome. 

There were some inciting incidents both in Kings Landing and Dragonstone that hopefully will get things moving cause we are in the last stretch of the season and I can only say “it looks like things will pick up next week” so many times. 

Observations

• Oh, I figured that was on a dragon 
• Dang, they got a mascot 
• frikin’ Lannisters 
• Ha ha “I ain’t moving to drift mark”
• I feel like if both sides could just agree to off Aemomd and Daemon everyone would be happy 
• So. Many. Council meetings. 
• Cinderella slipper time!! 
• Desperate play but can you imagine the Greens’ faces if Rhaenyra shows up with like 3 new dragons? 
• Paddy’s back! 
• I swear if Daemon comes out of all this exactly the same person I’m going to burn that castle down again. 
• You are not the player but a piece on the board is savage. 
• So that’s how! 
• This poor guy’s about to get roasted. 
• I hope he just reaches out his hand to touch it. 
• My Gold Cloake would be brown 
• Na, he’s faking him out. 
• Oh Sea Smokes got jokes. 
• And you just lost one of your most loyal soldiers! 
• That dude better get a dragon haha 
• Spreading propaganda 
• Yep that’s justified. 
• I wonder if the issue was Sea Smokes rider is still alive. And she knows that. 
• Aemond is so stoked for that news. 
• This is unsettling 
• Oh dang, Sea Smokes in town 
• Oh, maybe not 
• She’s gonna go for it. 
• I can’t tell if I’m supposed to like Jace or not. 
• Brilliant play 
• That guy would just go full capitalist take all that and sell it to the highest bidder 
• Otto’s on his long vaca 
• Na, she didn’t do her best. 
• I know he wasn’t thinking about eating that dog 
• Well that backfired they’re all just rioting 
• This is like Alicent worst nightmare 
• Props to that kid for fighting in there. 
• Haha “survived” wait till they see Danny. 
• Meanwhile back at Daemons house of horrors. 
• Something needs to happen. I’m all for slow burn but. 
• Sea Smoke find a rider?
• Hell yea, I’m all for a lowborn HTTYD story! 
• So her plan “kinda” worked 
• Team Black needs a win. They practically killed the King and it meant nothing. 
• The look on Rhaenyras face like “ooh she’s telling me!”
• Awww the way she rushed over there to hug her. 
• Oh, it’s more. 
• Oh no, don’t shoot him down. 
• Syrax is back in the game!