House of the Dragon review: Seeds finally sprout in rich, emotional new episode, "Smallfolk"

I've been enjoying this season of House of the Dragon, but I think it's struggled with pacing. The Battle of Rook's Rest represented a thrilling peak, but when the show leaves the characters alone to talk out their problems, sometimes my interest starts to flag. The cast is large, but there aren't as many iconic, instantly identifiable characters as on Game of Thrones, and I occasionally find myself waiting and watching for the next exciting twist.

This episode, entitled "Smallfolk," was the first in awhile where the conversations felt just as exciting as the action. It's hard to tell exactly what changed. Maybe it's that seeds planted early in the season have finally started to sprout. Maybe it's that "Smallfolk" felt like it made full use of the show's deep bench of characters, or perhaps it's that writer Philippa Goslett and director Andrij Parekh vibe especially well with the story.

Like last week's episode, "Smallfolk" is mostly a bridge that gets characters from point A to point B without really arriving at a final destination. But with episodes like this, the ride is a worthy reward.

House of the Dragon review, Episode 206

All season, we've been getting little glimpses of new characters who may seem like total randos if you haven't read the show's source material: George R.R. Martin's book Fire & Blood. There's Hugh Hammer (Kieran Bew), the blacksmith with a sick daughter who still hasn't been paid by King Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney). There's Ulf White (Tom Bennett), a barfly who brags about being a Targaryen bastard. There are the brothers Alyn and Addam of Hull (Abubakar Salim and Clinton Liberty), who live on the island of Driftmark. These characters will have important roles to play down the road, but up to now they've seemed like weird appendages; how do they relate to the story? It's finally becoming clear.

Alyn and Addam are confirmed to be the illegitimate sons of Corlys Velaryon (Steve Toussaint), a fact the show has been dancing around for episodes now. And Addam becomes the first non-Targaryen to successfully mount a dragon, or at least that's what's hinted at episode's end. Remember that Addam caught a glimpse of the dragon Seasmoke back in the second episode of the season. This time the dragon comes at him full tilt, chasing him across the island in a fun, scary scene; my guess is that Addam reminds Seasmoke of Laenor Velaryon, Rhaenyra's first husband and Seasmoke's last rider. Even if they never met, Laenor and Addam are half-brothers and the dragon knows it.

All episode, Rhaenyra has been despairing that she can't find any Targaryen descendants who might be able to mount the riderless dragons living on her island; without more dragonriders, she has little hope of wining back the Iron Throne. At first she thinks the noble-born Kingsguard knight Steffon Darklyn might be up to the task, but she is wrong. The scene where Steffon tries to mount Seasmoke and ends up a pile of ash is the first great shock of the episode: it's tense, atmospheric and funny.

How will Rhaenyra feel when she sees that she's been looking in the wrong place? It's not trueborn Targaryen descendants she needs, but Targaryen bastards. That promises to shake things up considerably as the peasants mix it up with the nobles! I think ending the episode with Rhaenyra leaving Dragonstone to investigate is a tad anticlimactic and wish it had kept going until she actually met up with Addam, but I'm still excited for what comes next.

Given that Ulf was spouting off about his Targaryen ancestry a few episodes back, you can probably guess where his story is going. (Also note Hugh Hammer's silver-blonde hair, hint hint.) But even without those connections, they make good showings this week. In another example of the show diligently sowing seeds until they sprout, we see the city of King's Landing erupt in mob violence after Rhaenyra and Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno) send rowboats filled with food to its shores. We've known about the Velaryon blockade of King's Landing since the series premiere, and more and more characters have mentioned that it's putting a strain on the city's food supply. After this careful buildup, I completely bought that the smallfolk would react like this. Ulf and Hugh are no longer curious tangents; they're our eyes and ears on the ground as the city finally boils over in anger. You mean to say that the people are going hungry while Vhagar the dragon gets fed wagons full of sheep every day? Wouldn't you be angry?

Having Ulf and Hugh in the mix gives us a perspective on the riots we wouldn't have if all we saw was Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke) and her daughter Helaena (Phia Saban) accosted by the mob, although I was scared for Alicent and Helaena. (Every time Alicent goes to light a candle in the Great Sept something traumatic happens; maybe she should cut back.) It's a gripping sequence from top to bottom.

Let's all talk about our feelings

Another issue I've had with House of the Dragon is that the characters don't often connect with each other emotionally. I think back to some of the great tearjerking conversations on Game of Thrones and want that for this new cast. In this episode, I got it.

Let's start with Alicent Hightower, who's going through the ringer, as per usual. Her son Aegon is on the edge of death, her son Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) has dismissed her from the council, and she's feeing at a loss. Perhaps my favorite one-on-one scene this episode was Ailcent talking to her brother Gwayne (Freddie Fox). She asks after her son Daeron, who's been raised in the city of Oldtown since he was young. Gwayne tells her that Daeron has grown up strong, handsome and kind. Alicent finds freedom and joy in his words; here in King's Landing, her sons are at each others throats, and she's at least partially to blame. But in Daeron, an uncorrupted part of herself lives on.

The most unexpected emotional confession comes from the club-footed spymaster Larys Strong (Matthew Needham), who's also on the outs with Aemond. Larys visits the convalescing King Aegon, injured to the point where he'll never be the same again, and imparts some advice about living with a disability: people will pity him, mock, and underestimate him. As Larys imparts this wisdom, a tear actually runs down his cheek.

Frankly, I didn't know Larys had this in him. The tear may be a touch too much — we've gotten very little emotion from him thus far, and let's recall that he had his father and brother burned to death with apparently no guilt to show for it. But this is an intriguing new layer for his character and deepens the bond between him and Aegon. These are the kinds of connections that make me care about the characters, so I'm thrilled they're being formed.

As for Aegon and Aemond, there's no love lost between the brothers. Aemond, acting as regent while his brother recovers, is wonderfully dangerous in this episode; he's an exacting, arrogant taskmaster, competent and commanding but clearly drunk on power, which is bad for everyone around him but extremely entertaining for us at home. He's not likely to give up the throne now that he has it, and I was genuinely scared that he might try and finish the job he began in "The Red Dragon and the Gold" and kill his own brother in his sickbed. I don't know whether I'm Team Green or Team Black, but within Team Green, I'm definitely Team Aegon.

And then there's Rhaenyra and Mysaria. Near the end of the episode, these two women open up to each other about their lives, their regrets and their doubts; Rhaenyra is starting to feel like she can't win the war, and Mysaria picks her up with a vulnerable story about her childhood, as well as some earnest, encouraging words. An affectionate hug turns into a tender, unexpected kiss.

At least I didn't expect it — nothing about this is mentioned in the book — but once again, I was impressed with how carefully the show set this up. Rhaenyra and Mysaria have been spending a lot of time together this season, quietly building a rapport. I've really been enjoying their scenes together, so when they took this next leap forward, it was surprising but made perfect sense in retrospect, basically the definition of a good twist.

Leave Harrenhal now, Daemon

The one part of the episode that lagged behind the rest was Daemon Targaryen's stay at Harrenhal. Actor Matt Smith is giving his all, and I did think Daemon was more fun this week now that his nightmares and failures are starting to drive him crazy, but this plotline has overstayed its welcome. I'm tired of the dream sequences throttling the pacing. I'm tired of Daemon being made to look incompetent, both because it directly contradicts Fire & Blood and because it drains his story of tension; if he's so bad at this, why should I be afraid that he might take King's Landing and threaten the other characters?

I'm tired of Alys Rivers (Gayle Rankin) being Daemon's spooky sounding board. I mentioned above how characters like Hugh Hammer and Ulf White gain depth when we see them in different contexts. Well, the only person Alys has ever shared lines with is Daemon, and their conversations are always the same: he tries to move the plot forward and she tells him why he's problematic. I get that the writers wanted to explore Daemon's interiority this season, but there had to be a way to do it that isn't so preachy and dull.

So Daemon drags down an otherwise pristine episode, but not by much. After a slow start, the season has found some momentum. It's just unfortunate that we only have two episodes left before it's over.

House of the Bullet Points

• Jason Lannister (Jefferson Hall) leads his Lannister host into the Riverlands but won't attack Harrenhal until Aemond joins them on Vhagar. The show seems to be setting up the Battle at the Red Fork, a relatively minor fight in the book that the show will probably sell as something bigger.
• We hear secondhand that there's fighting in the Reach. Martin describes this section of the war in some detail in Fire & Blood, but I'm betting it will take place offscreen on House of the Dragon. I'm fine with that; the show has a lot to cover already.
• Paddy Considine returns as King Viserys I Targaryen in a pair of new dream sequences at Harrenhal, but I'm so tired of them at this point that they kind of went in one ear and out the other. Daemon learns he should have been nicer to his brother. Can we please move on from this now?
• Multiple characters are sending letters to Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), who's been absent since the second episode of the season. If they're talking about him, odds are he'll be back sooner or later. I never thought I'd say this, but I miss the guy.
• Aemond sends his Master of Coin Tyland Lannister to treat with the Triarchy. In Fire & Blood, it's Otto who comes up with the idea of forming an alliance with Corlys Velaryon's old enemy, but the show has given that job to Aemond.
• Hugh Hammer pets Cheese's dog, who has appeared in most of the episodes this season. At this point he's one of the most important minor characters on the show.
• Rhaena Targaryen (Phia Saban) comes across evidence of a dragon in the Vale. I won't get into all the details, but this very likely means that the show is cutting a book character named Nettles, which upsets me because I was really looking forward to seeing them. But I'll try to keep an open mind.
• I liked the detail of Alyn shaving his head so his natural Targaryen white-blonde hair wouldn't peak through and give away that he's the boss' son.
• I assume the three dipshits King Aegon appointed to the Kingsguard were beaten to death in the riot, or at least badly injured. Maybe they can join Aegon in the recovery ward.

Episode Grade: B+

Episode Reviews:

• Episode 201, "A Son for a Son"
• Episode 202, "Rhaenyra the Cruel"
• Episode 203, "The Burning Mill"
• Episode 204, "The Red Dragon and the Gold"
• Episode 205, "Regent"
• Episode 206, "Smallfolk"
• Episode 207, "The Red Sowing"
• Episode 208, "The Queen Who Ever Was"

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