House of the Dragon Season 1 Episode 2 Review: The Rogue Prince
Rhaenyra experiences the ultimate form of betrayal on House of the Dragon Season 1 Episode 2, “The Rogue Prince.”
While the title of House of the Dragon‘s second episode alludes to centering around Prince Daemon, it’s very much Rhaenyra-centered. It’s been six months since being helmed the new heir to the throne, and nothing has changed. She’s still the cup girl for the small council and looked at as an afterthought.
Rhaenyra is still looked at as a woman and nothing more. Her interjections at the small council are taken as an insult simply because of her gender. But, her plan outshines the others, as she showcases at the end of the episode.
Then, she’s told to help pick the next knight to protect King Viserys and is accosted for going with the more experienced soldier rather than deciding based on what houses they belong to. Otto would have had no issue had it been Viserys making the call, but because Rhaenyra does, it’s an issue.
The fragility of their male egos is intense, and while it will take hard work from her, watching Rhaenyra tear the patriarchy down will be exciting.
In one swift action against her uncle Daemon, Rhaenyra has proven to have more gall than anyone on the small council. Instead of playing coy or letting Daemon continue with his standstill, she approaches him and calls him out for his immature actions.
Rhaenyra telling Daemon to hurry up and get her murder over with is a boss move. She’s letting him know that she doesn’t care to play his trivial games and if he has an issue, make a move. It’s hands down the most entertaining moment of “The Rogue Prince.”
And in typical Game of Thrones fashion, pedophilic ways are being embraced with the marriage of Viserys and Alicent.
King Viserys’ marriage announcement to Alicent is the game-changing moment of the episode. It should not be shocking to the viewers, given all the foreshadowing, but in the moment, it’s jaw-dropping. That one decision changes the entire trajectory of Rhaenyra’s life.
Based on what we know from episode 1, Alicent is her only friend. She’s her confidant and the one person in the castle she can lean on with her mother being gone.
Plus, the lingering looks, hand holding, and sparkle in her eye when looking at Alicent? It’s clear they’re hinting at her having feelings for Alicent, so that alone is bound to cause a mess of tension between the two.
It’ll be interesting to see how Rhaenyra navigates life alongside Alicent, especially with her being the sole reason for Rhaenyra’s heir status inevitably being revoked.
Rhaenyra’s conversation with Rhaenys might consist mainly of cattiness, but there is some truth in what Rhaenys says. Viserys will not simply keep Rhaenyra as the heir to the throne once he has a son with Alicent.
No matter how good his intentions are with his daughter, Viserys will not be able to stop himself from pleasing the people. Without any doubt, he’ll be announcing his son as the rightful heir as soon as he’s born. Then Rhaenyra will be right back where she was in the beginning, but now a fire will be lit inside her, a fire that no one but herself can put out.
As someone who hasn’t read the books, I’m watching without knowing what should come next based on what happens in A Song of Ice and Fire. With that being said, and despite my love for their friendship, severing the connection between Alicent and Rhaenyra the way the showrunners do is thrilling.
Rhaenyra losing her person is sad, but it will provide phenomenal television and some Emmy-worthy scenes.
Stray Thoughts:
- While Alicent may not entirely approve of her marriage to Viserys, she willingly withheld the fact that she was courting him to Rhaenyra. Politics aren’t much of an excuse when you look someone in the face every day for six months and consistently lie.
- Lord Corlys conspiring with Daemon isn’t too shocking. He and Viserys have not been getting along, and he’s tired of waiting for proactive decisions.
- Part of me hoped we’d see Daemon and Rhaenyra’s dragons fight. I’m waiting for their first significant brawl in the series.
What did you think of this episode of House of the Dragon? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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House of the Dragon airs Sundays at 9/8c on HBO.
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Cade Taylor
Cade Taylor is a television and film critic living in St. Louis, Missouri. He is a Senior Writer for Tell-Tale TV. His love for television developed at a young age, with a concentration on queer stories, sitcoms, teen dramas, and science fiction thrillers. In addition, he works full-time as a news producer, telling the stories of Missourians and helming "Produced in the Bi-State," a segment spotlighting actors, musicians, and entertainers from the St. Louis area. He can be reached by email at cade@telltaletv.com.