House of the Dragon episode 2 review: Slow and steady wins the race

We had one heck of the first episode of House of the Dragon. Will the HBO series continue its momentum with the next episode? Let’s dive in and discuss House of the Dragon episode 2.

We had so much go down last week, including naming Princess Rhaenyra as the heir of the Targaryen throne. We know Daemon isn’t thrilled with the decision, so what does he plan to do about it? I’m sure we’ll see him take it out on some civilians of the land.

The small council has gathered when Lord Corlys storms in to complain that two ships have gone missing. Princess Rhaenyra speaks up to side with Lord Corlys and says they need to make a statement on the matter with dragonriders which displeases the council. This gets her sent on a task to find a new knight for the Kingsguard.

Princess Rhaenyra picks Ser Criston Cole, but Hand of the King Otto Hightower mentioned he may not be the right choice. However, stern in her decision-making, Rhaenyra stays true to her decision to choose a knight who’s seen combat not just tourney fights.

House of the Dragon episode 2 is slow but sets up what’s to come

Lord Corlys meets with the King to discuss the possibility of going to war. We hear him mention the queen and the male heir have died, and the King just named his daughter as his heir, their adversaries could see this as a time to attack. Lord Corlys came up with the idea of the king marrying Lady Leana. If he did so, it would show the strength of both houses. The King is hesitant because Lady Leana is relatively young, and he isn’t sure he is ready to move on quite yet.

Daemon is causing trouble by marrying a second wife and saying he’s the rightful heir to the throne. He invites King Viserys to the wedding in which he will show off his new bride and the dragon egg he stole.

Daemon took the deceased heir’s egg which causes the King to flip out and want to head over to Dragonstone to bring his brother back. Out of nowhere, Rhaenyra arrives at the showdown with Daemon which might I add was brilliantly written. Milly Alcock continues to deliver in this role and blows me away. It’s in the way she carries herself, talks, and walks, she has so much control within this role.

We had an incredibly emotional scene that saw the father/daughter moment between the king and princess as they talked about the passing of the Queen. One of the more strong moments of the episode led to them coming to an understanding that he would have to remarry.

Next, as the episode came to a close King Visery announced that he would marry Alicent Hightower, Rhaenyra’s best friend which cuts her deep. Of course, this pisses off Lord Corlys and we see him storm off and meet with Daemon to attempt to team up with him.

Overall, while episode 2 of House of the Dragon didn’t quite pack as much of a punch as the first episode, that’s expected. We saw quite a few moving pieces that is is setting us up for what’s ahead which leaves us wanting more.

House of the Dragon episode two is available today on HBO and HBO Max.