House of the Dragon The Burning Mill Review: Rhaenyra’s brave gambit leads to another strong episode

House of the Dragon‘s terrific start to season 2 continues with The Burning Mill. Brilliant writing and a pair of stellar, award-worthy performances by Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke confirm House of the Dragon is the best series of 2024 in an excellent year for television.

The Burning Mill focuses on three main storylines. Rhaenyra (D’Arcy) takes a significant risk to prevent war between the seven kingdoms. Daemon (Matt Smith) battles personal demons in Harrenhal. Ser Criston Col (Fabian Frankel) also heads out to conquer Harrenhal.

Last season, House of the Dragon used time jumps to progress the story. In season 2, showrunner Ryan Condol and terrific writers like David Hancock and Sara Hess have savored every scene. My favorite interactions this season are between Rhaenyra, Rhaenys (Eve Best) and her version of a small council. Rhaenyra dancing around their misogyny while confiding in Rhaenys is incredible television.

D’Arcy is my favorite television performer this year. They exude decency and even vulnerability but never come across as weak. Cooke rises to D’Arcy’s level as she is forced to confront her past.

The only issue with the episode is Aegon’s storyline. Early in the episode, he wishes to join Cole in pursuing Harrenhal. A meeting with Larys Strong (Matthew Needham) changes his mind. The leader of King’s Landing spends the rest of the episode trying to help a young squire lose his virginity and teasing his brother Aemond (Ewan Mitchell). The story’s not terrible but lacks the psychological horror Daemon’s experiencing and Rhaenyra wrestling with the prospect of war.

Overall, there’s very little to complain about with The Buring Mill. I like slow builds as long as there is a crescendo to a major conflict. House of the Dragon does an excellent job building inevitable carnage with the year’s best dialogue writing and performances.

After the overview and ranking of The Burning Mill 9 out of 10 (Outstanding), let’s dive deeper into Rhaenyra’s fight against men, fighting for control of Harrenhal and a long-awaited reunion. House of the Dragon is streaming on Max.

Counseling Raenyra

Rhaenyra receives counsel from Rhaenys and the small council in Dragonstone.

The latter urges Rhaenyra to use the dragons to proceed with the war effort. Rhaenyra doesn’t want to plunge into all-out war in haste. Later, she receives word from her daughter Baela (Bethany Antonia) about Cole heading towards Harrenhal. The council again urges her to root out Cole using the dragons to burn down the forest. Then, they unsubtlely suggest she’s too vulnerable and should let the counsel lead the war effort while she is stowed away to safety. Rhaenyra doesn’t yell, but in the best way possible calls this request treasonous and dismisses the council. Rhaenys backs up her niece.

Rhaenys also provides private counsel to Rhaenyra. She encourages Rhaeyra to find a peaceful way to end the conflict before war begins. Rhaenys believes reaching out to Alicent could be a prudent way to find peace.

The Rhaenyra-Rhaenys relationship is my favorite in season 2 so far. Rhaenys shows unwavering support for Rhaenyra. She speaks reverently about her niece even in private conversations with her husband, Corlys (Steve Toussaint). Rhaenyra also confides in Rhaenys about information she doesn’t provide to anyone else. These scenes showcase Rhaenyra’s vulnerability and the depths of her strength.

Controlling Harrenhal

Harrenhal is a significant stronghold that both sides are looking to control.

Daemon arrives at Harrenhal first. Harrenhal pledges support for Rhaenyra’s claim to the throne. Later, Daemon confronts the sins of his past. In a dream that is a vision implanted by a witch, he sees Rhaenyra (Milly Alcock reprises her role as young Rhaenyra) sowing Jaehaerys’ head back on his body. It’s unclear whether the vision was brought on by feelings of remorse or implanted by the witch. The flashback is incredible.

King’s Landing also sets its sights on Harrenal. Cole leads a small band of soldiers out of King’s Landing. The most significant development from the last episode is that Alicent no longer trusts Cole. At the very least she’s discovered he’s an idiot. With Otto Hightower out of the capital, Alicent turns to her older brother, Gwayne Hightower (Freddie Fox). He joins Cole’s expedition to Harrenhal.

Cole shows he’s not a complete imbecile. Baela is traveling above the clouds on Moondancer when she spots Cole and his troops out in the open. In a brilliant shot, Cole recognizes the dragon’s silhouette in the clouds and orders them to gallop as fast as possible for the trees. They make it just before Moondancer descends upon them. Cole appears to earn some respect from Gwayne.

Cole’s death is going to be incredibly rewarding when it does happen. I’m fascinated by Daemon’s vision of seeing the young, innocent Rhaenyra, who was likely the same age as Jaehaerys. Will these visions change him? Probably not, but watching Smith continue to add layers to Daemon makes him more than just a man hungry for power beyond his grasp.

The Burning Mill Reunion

Rhaenyra, with Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno), helps uncork a plan to sneak into King’s Landing stealthily. She knows Alicent wouldn’t trust a letter any more than she would trust it if the situation were reversed.

Rhaenyra and Alicent’s reunion is a terrific scene that dives into the history of these powerful women. Alicent is aghast and a little afraid for Rhaenyra’s safety. Rhaenyra feels it’s worth it to avoid war. Alicent remains steady in her support for her son Aegon and recounts what Rhaenyra’s father, her husband, Viserys, said to her in his final moments. He said the name Aegon and then spoke words from the Song of Ice and Fire.

Rhaenyra recognizes the words and realizes Alicent didn’t know the story. Viserys was talking about Aegon the Conquerer, not Alicent’s son. Rhaenyra urges her to reverse course. The Burning Mill ends with Alicent supporting her son, and Rhaenyra looks onward.

For the most part, Rhaenyra is the righteous one compared to Alicent. She makes it clear Jaehaerys’ death wasn’t her command, which Alicent already knew deep down. However, she doesn’t exactly tell the whole truth, as she orders Daemon to kill Aemond in the season premiere, who is also Alicent’s son.

The sequence is riveting from beginning to end.

The Burning Mill Final Thoughts

Overall, it’s tough to find much to criticize about House of the Dragon season 2 so far. The dialogue is terrific, the performances are layered, and the cinematography is the best on television (sorry, Shogun). The only criticism is that the Aegon storyline feels tacked on and lacks the polish of the other storylines.