Second of his Name rachets up the tension several degrees.
I’m not a fan of every episode so far having a time jump. I feel like I’m missing important parts of the story and this episode has to spend considerable time catching us up on the changes that have occurred over the two years. The wedding between King Viserys and Alicent has already occurred. The nuptials have resulted in a son who is now 2 years old. A male offspring leads to pressure from the small council to replace Rhaenyra as heir. In spite of those issues, the two-year jump does accelerate the tension in several areas.
Rhaenyra is angry at everyone with the exception of Ser Criston Cole. Her father wants Rhaenyra to marry in order to secure her claim to the throne. As Rhaenyra points out, her father is essentially treating her as prized livestock to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Milly Alcock continues to deliver a powerhouse performance as Rhaenyra. If anyone but Paddy Considine was playing Viserys, there would be almost no sympathy for Viserys. Considine just exudes the difficult burden of being king. He loves his daughter and wants what’s best for her, but must also deal with the realities of the situation.
Meanwhile, Prince Daemon and Lord Valyron are at war with the Crabfeeders. The action set piece was thrilling, but I found the decisions made by Daemon tough to follow or connect with.
Second of His Name continues the Game of Thrones prequel’s hot streak. Great action, strong characters with competing agendas and Alcock’s breakout performance are propelling this series forward.
With the overview out of the way, let’s dive deeper into the elements that stood in Second of his Name. There may be some minor spoilers. House of the Dragon is available to stream on HBO Max.
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Bachelorette: Westeros Edition in Second of his Name
Rhaenyra’s come of age, which means now she can get married. There are a couple of different reasons why there’s pressure for Rhaenyra to marry sooner rather than later.
From Viserys’s perspective, it’s an opportunity for Rhaenyra to solidify her claim to the throne. The Small Council views Rhaenyra’s marriage as a way to remove her from King’s Landing. For example, if she takes a Lannister as her husband, she will probably reside in Casterly Rock with her betrothed. Even though Rhaenyra is the one in the succession line, it’s a man’s world in Westeros.
Rhaenyra has no interest in being told who to marry. Rhaenyra absolutely understands she can’t hope to inherit the throne without being married. As she points out to her father, he chose to marry Alicent, when Laena Valaryon was the better strategic match.
As for the suitors, there’s the chauvinistic Tyland Lannister. Everyone believes this is the right match except Lord Lyonel Strong. He was the member of the Small Council that recommended he marry Laena. Strong is related to Tyland, but recommends Laena’s brother Laenor.
He’s actually probably the best match. There’s not much of an age gap between him and Rhaenyra. He’s also not a coward as he’s fighting in the Sea Snakes war. Finally, there’s Sir Criston Cole who is probably Rhaenyra’s preference. He has no royal title, but there’s a close connection between the two. In Second of his Name, their relationship feels more like a close friendship than a romantic one.
The rage of an heir
Rhaenyra has plenty of other reasons to be angry. She can barely look at her former friend Alicent. To be fair, they aren’t enemies as Alicent tries to repair the gap between father and daughter. Unfortunately, the situation is incredibly awkward.
Rhaenyra’s main source of anger comes from feeling like her grasp on the throne is slipping. Her brother’s birth means the kingdom can now have the male heir they’ve yearned for. Viserys outwardly doesn’t waver in supporting his daughter’s claim. In fact, similar to his daughter, he becomes quite agitated by Tyland’s interest in marrying his daughter and taking her to Casterly Rock. Tyland and everyone else assume Viserys will name his 2-year-old son heir.
A lesser show would depict Rhaenyra’s anger as jealousy, but House of the Dragon digs deeper. During the hunt to celebrate her 2-year-old brother’s birthday, Rhaenyra leaves the camp in a hurry with Criston in hot pursuit. After convincing Rhaenyra to slow down, she finally reveals the source of her anger.
From the moment her brother was born, she’s been overlooked by everyone. In Second of his Name, the Small Council and her father all tell her what she should do instead of taking instruction from her or asking what she wants to do. The way everyone talks about and to Rhaenyra is not how people should talk to a future queen or king.
After returning from the hunt, we get another fantastic father-daughter scene between Rhaenyra and Viserys. Rhaenyra understands she must marry, but the choice of who she will marry is hers. Outside of her conversations with Criston, I believe this scene is the only time when Rhanyra is asked about her opinion.
Daemon vs Crabfeeders
The war with the Crabfeeders isn’t going very well under Daemon’s command. His dragon is quite powerful. However, the Crabfeeders are smart. They scamper away into caves that can withstand dragon fire and allow them to attack Daemon from a distance.
There’s a little bit of a glimpse into the dynamics between the Velaryon family. Both Corlys and Laenor support Daemon’s courage. Ser Vaemond Valaryon nearly starts a mutiny in opposition, which is quelled by Corlys.
Daemon returns to the base. He receives a message from his brother, Viserys. The king is sending additional ships and troops to support the war effort. Daemon is discouraged by this development. He’s embarrassed over needing his brother’s aid.
He takes out his frustration on a Velaryon soldier and departs. Daemon decides to challenge the Crabfeeders by himself.
The battle sequence is great and Daemon’s near suicidal mission does pay off. However, Daemon’s attitude comes across as a tantrum. Daemon works best as a character when he’s squaring off against Viserys, Otto Hightower, Corlys and especially Rhaenyra. There is no one-on-one scene featuring Daemon in Second of his Name, so it’s difficult to grasp his mindset. It’s in those types of scenes where Daemon’s conflicted nature shines brightest.
Second of his Name Final Thoughts
Rhaenyra continues to be the best character introduced in a Game of Thrones property since Arya Stark and Tyrion Lannister. Her anger and motivation are clear in every scene, which is necessary for a show with so many shades of gray characters. Considine’s also doing outstanding work in giving a conflicted king. Viserys is a decent man torn between duty and doing the right thing.
The only mistake so far is stranding Daemon to his own storyline. Daemon works best playing off of the main characters, not as the main character in a separate storyline.
The Review
Second of his Name
PROS
- Rhaenyra is as compelling a character as Arya Stark and Tyrion Lannister.
- Paddy Considine continues to shine as a decent man and perhaps not the best king.
- Terrific battle sequence.
- The father-daughter conversation between Rhaenyra and Viserys is the best scene of the series to date.
CONS
- The time jump advances the plot, but sacrifices the opportunity for character development.
- Daemon works best playing off of the main cast members as opposed to leading his own storyline.
