House of the Dragon 2×6 Review: Smallfolk

The scenes with Seasmoke were cool, at least. The rest of the episode, though? What happened, man? The writers made done weird choices here. 

Let’s start with the positive. I love dragon lore, even when it’s a bit ambiguous… or even a bit contentious. We don’t know exactly how much dragonrider blood, if any, one needs to mount a dragon. That’s true even in the books, though various A Song of Ice and Fire fan forums will debate what George RR Martin has or hasn’t said about it until they’re blue in the face. It’s ambiguous, though. And worth speculation and discussion, honestly. It’s kind of fun to try to suss out exactly how it all works, to me.

Regardless of the finer details, the fact of the matter is that people related to the Targaryens, whether it’s through marriage into other households or bastards, can potentially mount a dragon. But there’s no guarantee it’ll work, as we’ve brutally learned with Ser Steffon’s failed attempt. It’s a risky process that could end in death, so the decision to do participate in this dragonseed experiment isn’t taken lightly.  

We saw one massive failure, but also a surprising success.

So what’s Alyn’s connection to dragon riders? We don’t know. The Valeryons came over with the Targaryens from Essos, so there may be some distant dragon rider blood through Corlys, either Targaryen or otherwise. Or perhaps the mysterious mother has Targaryen blood. Or perhaps that requirement is just all lies and propaganda. Will the show explain it? I have no idea, but George RR Martin sure seems antsy about something. It seems like the writers made some decisions about dragon lore that he doesn’t like (beyond the coat of arms issues). Decisions are being made about this. Contentious decisions, apparently. 

Regardless of Martin’s feelings on it, I actually did enjoy these bits. The Valyrian cultural elements surrounding the scene in the dragon lair were incredibly interesting. They sung the same song Daemon did last season, and it was hauntingly beautiful. The Valyrian culture moments are some of the shows best strengths. I only wish the rest of the episode – and the rest of the season, honestly – could have been that cool. But man, the rest of this episode was a huge mess. 

Daemon is still trapped in a horror movie in Harrenhal, though we at least got a Paddy Considine cameo out of it this time. I only hope that moment nudges Daemon’s plot forward a bit, because I’m very much over the spooky castle plot at this point. The ghosts are telling you to love and care for your family, Daemon. So get back on that wormy dragon and go help them! Come on. Let’s get this going! I am begging!

Besides Daemon’s stalled plot, I also have issues with where Rhaenyra’s plot led. Now, as a queer person with a massive crush on Emma D’Arcy, you would think I’d have been thrilled with this week’s episode. Girl kissing! Yay! But it just came out of nowhere. Mysaria is sharing an extremely tragic story regarding sexual assault and then they start making out? Why? What part of that story leads to that reaction?

The hug made sense. It was a show of physical comfort. But I don’t think there’s been any build up between these two characters and am not terribly sure why they chose this moment to kiss. It was just weird and out of left field. Maybe that’s realistic for some people, but I just wasn’t vibing with it. It didn’t work for me. 

The old me would be happy for queer scraps. There was a time when there was so little representation on screen that I was happy for anything. The bar has been raised, however. This particular romance has no narrative backing nor have the character’s stories really led them to do this in the precise moment. It would have perhaps made more sense with Alicent, whom had an already romantic-leaning relationship with her back in the first season when they were young. I just don’t understand the decision to do this here I guess. 

The Greens actually have done momentum, though. Aemond is continuing to be the most interesting member over on Team Green and working the system from his place as the second son with the biggest dragon in Westeros. There’s a lot of power to wield here and he’s not afraid of it.  

While I’m firmly on Team Black, his scenes are a highlight. Perhaps it’s because he seems to be one of the few people moving the plot forward. Perhaps it’s because he’s the exact archetype of character that I’m drawn to. I love my second (or third) son of an important dynasty, angsty and brooding in their Princely glory (Loki, Kendal Roy, Lestat… the list goes on). He’s smart about how he goes about steering things forward, and I’m kinda rooting for him. And yes, I know how his story ends. But I’m rooting for him anyway. 

I know I’ve been a bit harsh on the show this season. I’m not giving up on it, but I am incredibly confused by some of the writing decisions, especially when it comes to cutting characters that do important things later in the plot. (Maelor does not exist I guess?? And how he’ll come to be with Aegon burned to a crisp I have no idea.) 

Like Game of Thrones, I’m sticking around due to the incredible score, acting, and design elements, which deserve praise, but I don’t understand why they are changing the specific things they are changing. It really is quite beautiful aesthetically. And dragons are still cool, you know? The cool dragon fights can’t entirely redeem the bad writing choices, but it sure makes them easier to deal with. 

My review next week may be delayed as I’ll be at San Diego Comic-Con, but I’ll watch and review it as soon as I can. Hoping for more neat dragon and Valyrian moments next week, and less spooky castle adventures or random make out sessions. Please!

Author: Angel Wilson

Angel is the admin of The Geekiary and a geek culture commentator. They earned a BA in Film & Digital Media from UC Santa Cruz. They have contributed to various podcasts and webcasts including An Englishman in San Diego, Free to Be Radio, and Genre TV for All. They identify as queer.

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