In one of Alicent Hightower’s few scenes in House of the Dragon’s latest episode, the dowager queen strips from her blue cloak to a white slip dress on the shore of the Kingswood water. She allows herself to be whisked away in the water, floating as a messenger raven flies above her. The scene paints Alicent as an ethereal figure not unlike Ophelia who glows in the foggy scenery. Though not quite on the same life-threatening verge of the Shakespearean heroine, the imagery and its symbolism are implicitly close. This is one of the most aesthetically appealing scenes in this episode, but it also doesn’t say much that House of the Dragon hasn’t already said in similar scenes.

The penultimate episodes of House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones are known to be the crème de la crème of their respective seasons. Good or bad, something big happens. Naturally, there were a lot of expectations for this episode. Depending on which of the three main storylines that viewers are asked to follow, there are different answers to whether House of the Dragon adds anything new in arguably the most important episode of the season. Rhaenyra Targaryen’s successful experiment of finding new dragonriders is the enlivening soul of the episode. Meanwhile, Daemon Targaryen and the Greens’ endeavors are sprinkles of exquisite elements from time to time. At a macro level, House of the Dragon‘s Season 2 penultimate episode works. But at a micro level, there are obvious cases that expose that the show has already stretched itself too thin, and is just winging it until the big moments.

The Alicent Hightower Problem Is More Evident Than Ever

After Alicent Lost Her Authority, the Series Clearly Doesn’t Know What to Do With Her

Top 5 Olivia Cooke Works, According to Rotten Tomatoes

Title

Sound of Metal (Movie)

Tomatometer: 97%
Audience Score: 90%

Bates Motel (Series)

Tomatometer: 93%
Audience Score: 91%

Little Fish (Movie)

Tomatometer: 91%
Audience Score: 90%

House of the Dragon (Series)

Tomatometer: 89%
Audience Score: 85%

Vanity Fair (Series)

Tomatometer: 89%
​​​​​​​Audience Score: 89%

Before getting into what makes this episode good, it’s best to get the bad over with: Alicent Hightower is a boring character. She used to be fun to watch. In Season 1, Alicent was resourceful and ruthless with her words. She could be sympathetic, but also vile. But now, late in Season 2, she’s passive and weak. The vision is clear: Now that Viserys is dead, Alicent no longer has the power to speak her most insulting thoughts. She doesn’t have protection anymore because she raised her sons to be as merciless as she once was. The consequences of her actions are catching up with her, and she’s ill-equipped to emotionally deal with them. But just because someone becomes powerless doesn’t mean they need to be reduced as an ineffectual character who just reacts to everyone around them.

The penultimate episode’s handling of Alicent is proof that the story outgrew its need for her. Alicent’s very few scenes in this episode involve Maester Orwyle healing her cut, traveling to the Kingswood and swimming in a lake. This is no different from her previous baths or epiphanies about her loss of power in the Red Keep. There’s a similar argument that many of Daemon’s scenes also suffer from a lack of importance, given that House of the Dragon can’t move past the bleeding Harrenhal visions. But at least these scenes deepen his character and motivate him to act on his selfishness. Alicent, conversely, is stranded in a plot cul-de-sac where her scenes only exist to stall for time.

At this point in time, House of the Dragon makes it hard to understand what Alicent is designed for anymore. She is one of the two main faces for Season 2’s marketing, but nothing she does changes the plot. Her relationship with Ser Criston Cole has dissolved, proving that it was nothing more than a misleading plot device to wow the audiences. Alicent’s children have more engaging scenes with other fruitful characters in the Red Keep. The Kingswood scene is an obvious metaphor for Alicent desperately reaching out for freedom. It’s a beautiful scene that, unfortunately, does and says nothing new about her situation. In the penultimate episode of an eight-episode season that’s strapped for time, House of the Dragon would be better suited to actually letting Alicent reach for tangible freedom than burdening itself with dallying metaphors.

House of the Dragon Season 2, Episode 7 Questions the Entitlement of Power

The Series Hops on Game of Thrones’ Study of Power Struggles

House of the Dragon’s Critical Reception

IMDb
Metacritic
Rotten Tomatoes

8.4/10

Metascore: 70/100
User Score: 5.3/10

One thing that Alicent still has going for her is that she is a microcosm for House of the Dragon‘s conversation about power. Who deserves to wield power? What type of power is the most influential in a world with ancient dragons? Season 2, Episode 7 makes a meaningful argument that power comes in all shapes and sizes, and isn’t reserved to a limited to the privileged.

Rhaenyra scores this episode by adding three new dragons to her roster: Seasmoke, Silverwing and Vermithor, the latter of which is the second-largest dragon in the world behind Vhagar. All are claimed by smallfolk bastards with Valyrian blood, known as dragonseeds; Addam of Hull is Corlys Velaryon’s son, and Ulf and Hugh are rumored to be directly related to Viserys and Daemon. On their own, smallfolk and bastards are already looked down upon by the likes of the nobles. Smallfolk bastards, though? The dragonkeepers and Jacaerys Velaryon think this is a disgrace. Both have their reasons behind their hesitancy to welcome the dragonseeds, although they’re not fair. The dragonkeepers think dragons should be reserved for those with pure Valyrian blood, and Jace is worried that his legitimacy as heir is at stake if other bastards rise in the ranks. The discriminatory language used by the dragonkeepers and Jace is disgusting, and it’s a real shame for Jace’s character. Just because he’s insecure doesn’t mean he has to be cruel.

These scenes raise questions about Targaryen supremacy in the age of ancient magic. House of the Dragon smartly answers these concerns by turning Rhaenyra into a growing advocate for the dragonseeds. In a time of needless war, she accepts that she must take what the gods have granted her. It makes her so much smarter than her arrogant brothers, whose own supporters have vague intentions. Larys Strong is the Greens’ greatest asset but also their worst nightmare. Matthew Needham plays Larys with tempered sensitivity underlined with an appetite for power. Larys’ calculating interactions with an ailing Aegon and an ambitious Lord Jasper Wylde are a reminder that knowledge is just as powerful as a fire-breathing beast. What he plans to do with that power is a reason to keep watching.

Is House of the Dragon Season 2 Prepared for the Finale?

The Newest Episode Has a Few Hiccups, But it Has the Ingredients to Set Up a Flavorful Finale

House of the Dragon Season 2, Reviewed by CBR

Episode Number
Episode Title
CBR Score

1
A Son for a Son
7/10

2

3
The Burning Mill
7/10

4
The Red Dragon and the Gold
9/10

5
Regent
9/10

6
Smallfolk
8/10

An interesting narrative choice House of the Dragon Season 2 made is to not easily split the story into the Blacks and Greens. Daemon is leading his own force, one that feels like it has legitimately gone on too long. His hallucinations have been quite controversial, especially the sex scene between himself and his mother, but they are wildly ambitious. Everything Daemon dreamed of culminates in a showdown with the lords and ladies of the Riverlands. As vigorous as Matt Smith is in this scene, it’s really Archie Barnes as Oscar Tully who takes command. While only a teenager, Oscar’s new role as Lord of Riverrun gives him the confidence that an adult Daemon is shaken by. The power dynamic has shifted. Daemon needs Oscar, and Oscar uses that to his advantage to deliver justice.

By the end of the episode, everyone is on standby. The artillery is loaded, and the series is just waiting for someone to fire. This puts House of the Dragon Season 2 a good position for the finale despite its frustrations. The final shot of three dragons standing behind a grinning Rhaenyra is impeccable. It feels satisfying for Rhaenyra’s ambitions to finally pay off after an entire season of her repeating, “What would you have me do?” That said, it’s less clear where Daemon and Alicent fit in the stage-setting showdown between Rhaenyra and Aemond. They feel like they’re running their own disconnected shows at this point.

As penultimate episodes go, Ulf and Hugh’s scenes of claiming their respective dragons are on par with Daenerys taking flight on Drogon for the first time or Jon’s quest to secure a wight beyond the Wall back in Game of Thrones. Visual effects are House of the Dragon‘s strong suit, after all. Individual scenes, however, aren’t enough to give it credibility. It’s becoming a chore to pick apart the series’ uneven DNA that milks the visceral spectacle and fluffy dialogue only to not deliver anything worth remembering. Season 2, Episode 7 is still a fantastic piece of television, but it’s not a flawless masterpiece like Game of Thrones’ “The Rains of Castamere” (Season 3, Episode 9). There’s a lot at stake in moving through terra incognita, and it would be nice if Season 2’s closing statement stays just as composed as Episode 7’s highest moments.

The Season 2 finale of House of the Dragon premieres next Sunday at 9 PM ET on HBO.