Review: House of the Dragon, "The Red Dragon and the Gold" | Season 2, Episode 4
A battle at Rook's Rest will inspire only sleepless nights for all sides of this war
“Do you think simply wearing the crown imbues you with wisdom?”
When Rhaenyra returns to Dragonstone after her failed parlay with Alicent, she finds a combative Jace frustrated that his mother has abandoned the task at hand. But with clarity that no peace will be found, Rhaenyra is not only committed to fighting for the Iron Throne or dying trying, but she’s also going to read Jace in on her true purpose. She isn’t going to shed blood purely for a crown—she believes that it is her responsibility to unite Westeros in order to protect against a much larger threat beyond the Wall.
It’s a stark contrast from what Alicent finds in King’s Landing. After requesting some “special tea” from the Grand Maester following her encounters with Cole, she’s processing what Rhaenyra told her, poring over old history books searching for…it’s not really clear what she expects. Is she trying to prove Rhaenyra wrong? Is she searching for some other reason why Viserys would have chosen Aegon as his …