"The Red Sowing" is one of the best episodes of House of the Dragon thus far. The climax comes when dozens of "dragonseeds" — Targaryen bastard children who live as peasants — come to Dragonstone at the invitation of Rhaenyra Targaryen for a chance to claim a dragon for themselves, so long as they fight for Rhaenyra in her war to take the Iron Throne. Claiming a dragon is dangerous business, but whoever does it will basically be set for life. Worth it, right? Watch the scene below and tell me if you still think so:
Most of the dragonseeds get torn apart by the dragons they're trying to tame. One of the few exceptions is Hugh Hammer (Kieran Bew), who is out point of contact throughout this scene. "Director Loni Peristere wanted the sequence to unfold as an 'oner'—a long, continuous take that kept us tightly aligned with Hugh, creating a subjective, first-person experience of the Dragonmont hellscape," cinematographer Vanja Černjul explained to The Credits. "Everything was designed around that central shot. We wanted it to feel immediate and subjective, with a handheld camera aesthetic pulling the audience into chaos. But during rehearsals, we realized that keeping up with Kieran on foot across uneven terrain made the footage too shaky. Our key grip rigged a cable-cam system across the stage length. We employed a hybrid approach—part handheld, part cable cam—yielding the ideal balance: movement felt visceral, yet the image remained coherent."
Another thing that helped sell this shot? Lots of people on fire. "At one point, we had 16 stunt performers lit on fire for a single shot," Černjul remembered. "Even though these were some of the best stunt professionals in the world, seeing it happen right in front of you was terrifying."
The shot climaxes with an epic stare-down between Hugh Hammer, an enormous dragon who could flash-fry him in a second. Past the point of fear, Hugh screams "COME ONE" at the beast...and seems to break through to it. Whether it's that Vermithor respects Hugh's aggression or for some other reason, that's the moment dragon and rider bond.
I loved Hugh's scream, and was surprised to hear episode director Loni Peristere reveal that it was improvised by Kieran Bew. "Kieran’s communion with the dragon was written as a quiet moment in the script, where Vermithor and Hugh were going to come together slowly, and Rhaenyra was going to watch it," Peristere told GoldDerby. "And then Kieran decided to scream at the dragon on his own, and I remember when he did that, I couldn't believe it. I was like, 'Wow!' It's giving me shivers just thinking about it, like how that happens with actors that are really good at their craft. That's how you commune with Vermithor, the second biggest dragon in the Westeros universe. That's how you do it. You show that dragon that this little man is bigger than it, and it was mind-blowing. Those moments happen quite a lot. We have an incredible cast that offers these types of moments because they are that good, and no matter how much prep, no matter how much experience Vanja has in photography, or I have in visual effects, nothing can compare with how a great actor can transform the word."
I don't know whether it's encourage or troubling to learn that what I consider to be one of the best moments in the second season of House of the Dragon wasn't in the script at all; if nothing else, it makes me excited to see what Kieran Bew will do as Hugh Hammer in season 3. At any rate, that wasn't the only key moment that was unscripted:
The kiss between Rhaenyra and Mysaria wasn't scripted
In the sixth episode of House of the Dragon season 2, "Smallfolk," Rhaenyra and her advisor Mysaria share an unexpectedly intimate moment when they're planning a way to stir up trouble for Rhaenyra's rival King Aegon II Targaryen in King's Landing. During a moment of vulnerability, the two kiss, a moment that surprised me when it happened, in a good way; I didn't see it coming but it made sense given how the characters' relationship had been progressing.
Apparently, this moment was also unscripted. "That scene was a great example of how some of the most powerful moments emerge organically," Černjul said. "Many scenes on this show must be meticulously pre-planned months in advance, but this one unfolded completely differently. Director Andrij Parekh really gave the actors time and space to explore. He’s great at creating an environment where something unexpected can happen."
"The kiss between Rhaenyra and Mysaria was not scripted. When we started, the initial blocking looked nothing like what the scene ultimately became. We began with a wide shot, but as the actors worked through emotional beats, the scene evolved over several hours. We kept rolling the entire time, capturing that evolution as it happened."
Both Loni Peristere and Andrij Parekh are returning to direct episodes of House of the Dragon season 3; Peristere will direct the first and sixth episodes, which I assume will be action-heavy affairs. Meanwhile, Parekh will direct the season 3 finale. Expect to see new episodes of House of the Dragon on HBO and HBO Max sometime next year.
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and Twitter account, sign up for our exclusive newsletter and check out our YouTube channel.