House Of The Dragon Episode 2 Review - 9 Ups & 1 Down

That got extremely tense for a second there.

The episode's focal confrontation sees the King send a delegation to Dragonstone; led by Otto Hightower and accompanied by the Kingsguard, to bring Daemon to justice for the theft of a dragon's egg intended for the King's deceased son. They are met by the gloating prince on the causeway and insults are traded before swords are inevitably drawn. The King's men swiftly discover they all brought swords to a dragon fight, as Caraxes emerges from the castle but his arrival is swiftly followed by Rhaenyra on Syrax to defuse the confrontation after a tense exchange in Valyrian with her uncle.

Rhys Ifans does a wonderful job of barely concealed delight from Otto Hightower at the opportunity to finally rid himself of one of his chief political rivals, which is beautifully complemented by the usual smirking nonchalance of Matt Smith's unfazed Daemon. It's a beautifully constructed, tension soaked scene that invokes memories of classic Thrones' stand-offs from the past, although the distinct advantage that this sequence possesses over its predecessors is the addition of a dragon on each side of the conflict.

Ultimately, the only drawback is that it feels slightly anti-climactic when Daemon cooly tosses the dragon egg back to Rhaenyra and strides away, leaving all parties unscathed. It obviously makes sense not to have several of the main characters rip each other to shreds just two episodes into the new season, but the benign nature of the conclusion to such a high stakes encounter means the scene falls slightly flat.